Romancing SaGa series (note that I haven't actually played them, except for the PS2 remake of RS1):

Romancing SaGa 1: Non-linear (unusual for a JRPG), fantasy setting with a pantheon of deities with complex relationships between them. The game system has you learn techniques for specific weapons, but they disappear if you unequip the weapon (from what I've heard). Spells come in multiple elements, and a character can't have spells of opposing elements. Enemies do scale with the number of battles you've fought, and fighting battles is also what triggers time to pass, causing quests to open and close, things to happen (like towns being destroyed), and eventually opening the path to the end of the game. Original is JP-only, got a JP-only remake for the WonderSwan Color (similar to the original with some cut content restored to my understanding), and got a remake for the PlayStation 2 (which *did* see US release), which changed the game systems to work more like modern SaGa (techniques are learned for the character and don't disappear when you unequip weapons, though you still of course need a compatible weapon to use them), with BP serving as a regenerating resource for weapon and spell usage.

Romancing SaGa 2: Still non-linear. The thing with this game is that it takes a generational approach; when certain conditions happen (the main character reaching 0 LP, enough battles fought to progress time, getting the bad ending to certain events), the main character (the emporer/empress) dies, and you chose one of of their companions to be the new emperor, until you reach the point in the game where you have the final emperor/empress (you choose at the start of the game, and my understanding is that the final boss is slightly easier with a female main character). When this happens, skills your previous party learned can be taught to the new party. The final boss is notoriously difficult unless you abuse a certain spell to deny it any chance of getting any turns. The plot has you killing seven heroes who've turned evil somehow. JP-only (and no translation patch this time), but there's apparently a remake that's in English, but it's only available on DRM-encumbered platforms, so I can't recommend it.

Romancing SaGa 3: More like RS1, though more refined. Techniques are no longer lost when you unequip the weapon and can be eventually taught to others. JP-only, with no remake. I do not know how the setting compares to the others, but I do know that it is still a fantasy setting like the other RS games.

SaGa Frontier 1 & 2 information to come later.

Good point. Thats were that great community comes in. The CoE community mode is everything the game should have been.

I disagree about replayability. Well, in regards to an RPG anyway. You can say that about any RPG. You either want to play again and again with new party setups, adventure choices, etc or you dont. TOEE is no different from any other in that regard.

I started playing that game and enjoyed it, but it got a little grindy for me. Any tips for when I pick it back up? Also, how important is party composition? I think I stuck with the default party and don't know if that is a good idea.

Well, for one the game has a pretty big internal guide that'll help you with stratagems. For two, it's possible to entirely solo the game with the right builds, so a party should then be able to dice though things.

Keep in mind that while the game does let you select from many base "classes" these are really just the equivalent of picking a standard set of stats; and you can just pick custom to roll your own build.

One thing to keep in mind is that the game will never shame you for dropping the difficulty, as you can toggle it to whatever you want instantly.

Playstation's Thousand Arms . Fantasy RPG with Dating sim parts; original, funny and unforgettable.

https://www.giantbomb.com/thousand-arms/3030-3762/

Heartily agree on Avernum (remakes 1 - 3) and Avadon 1 - 3. I tried the Avernum 1 - 5 series from here but found the UI a little too clunky even for my old taste. Mainly juggling limited inventory space (more my problem than the games).

if you can handle the older graphics and UI then you could do worse than Geneforge, also by Spiderweb.

I think you are confusing two things.

SpecShadow is about continuing to play with the same party.

Your comment seems to be about replay from starting over with a different party.

[begin new post, since the forum software merged two posts that should not have been merged[

SaGa Frontier (PSX): As I said, the game is set isn a rather strange collage of settings. You can take ships to different "regions", which range from urban areas with nightlife (there's no day-night cycle, however), to rural areas, to magical regions, to high-tech metropolises. You also get a choice of 7 main characters, and while RS1 and RS3 offer a similar choice at the start of the game, in SF1 you get an entirely different game rather than just a different start. The characters include a superhero, a supermodel, a lesbian with non-human blood, a student at a magic school, and even a robot and a monster. The multiple races from SaGa 2 are back, though the mechanics are somewhat different (robots can still equip multiple suits of armors, however). Enemies still scale with the number of fought battles, but no longer do events close off because you waited too long (though sometimes you must fight X battles to progress through the story).

SaGa Frontier 2 (PSX): Completely different from SF1. This game, which takes place in a common magic pure fantasy setting (no high-tech or science fiction elements), has you choosing events to play. You choose an event, play that event, and are taken back to the map to choose another one. Weapon durability is back, though it's possible to repair items (though expensive, more than buying new(), and there are options that ignore durability (martial arts, spells, quell weapons, steel weapons). The final boss is notoriously difficult if you aren't prepared, and at that point you can't go back to prepare for it, which has forced some players to start the entire game over (or quit entirely), but the game otherwise isn't that difficult (except for one late-game army battle that's technically optional). The story has two main threads; one starring Gustave (who, despite being unable to use magic, manages to build an empire; the later part involves the aftermath of his death), and one staring Will Knights and his family (which has a lot more action, starting with digging for quells but then becomes bigger than that).

Unlimited SaGa (PS2): I haven't played this, but from what I hear, this is probably the least accessible game in the series, and one of the least accessible games out there. Many players, for example, have trouble doing basic things like opening treasure chests. My understanding is that the game plays out something like a board game? Or maybe an adventure game with different rooms? Also, my understanding is that, like in SF1, different characters have different quests. This game is probably frustrating to play blind, and you might want to look at an FAQ for advice. (Many people don't like tutorials in games; this is the sort of game that should have had a tutorial, but doesn't.)

Nope. No confusion at all. I think we just disagree.

You haven't had a situation where, before finishing one playthrough, you're already thinking about your party setup for the next? (Happens to me all the time with SaGa games, except maybe SaGa Frontier 2.)

All the time. Which is my point on RPGs. I don't think its me whos confused here...

Perhaps it would make more sense if my post were a reply to SpekShadow's post and not yours.
So, SpecShadow, you haven't had a situation where, before finishing one playthrough, you're already thinking about your party setup for the next? (Happens to me all the time with SaGa games, except maybe SaGa Frontier 2.)

(Reposting this as a reply to you so you'd get notified, since you're the one who I should have replied to in the first place.)

Thinking about setup for the next?
Never happened in any game. Why would I start new adventure again? I would be already a little worn out after first one.

Why? Because you have an idea for an intersting character/party build that would be fun, but which you would like to take through the whole game instead of just trying to grow into it at the end (or not being able to grow into it because of mechanics like skill point systems and no mid-game character creation)?

Fancy a Chinese RPG experience? Cracking bundle price for you:

https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/dynasty-bundle

The Drakensang games are good stories and often overlooked