Okay, so.. the D&D "Buy One, Get One" promo. I really would like to take advantage of this cause it'd be getting three games for the price of one (always good for a gamer on a budget). However, I've got a bit of a problem.

I've had an off and on interest in the D&D universe for some time, and the games in particular. I've heard of Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Planescape, and so forth. However, I have no experience with any of these games, and if I can only buy one or two games, I wanna know I'm getting one I'll like.

I'm kinda interested in Baldur's Gate cause I've heard so much about it, but I don't know if I'd like it as much as some of the others. I'm a big fan of RPGs, but since I grew up playing console RPGs like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Breath of Fire, I don't really know a whole lot about D&D-based RPGs. This means I don't know if a given game would be interesting enough (to me) to warrant the $10 price tag.

I'm also leery of relying on "reviews" on the games' individual pages cause I don't really care for overly enthusiastic things like that which might not mention whether a game is.. say.. too hard, or has real storyline, or has a steep learning curve. People often leave things like that out when they review if they're giving it a positive spin.


So yeah.. can I get some non-review opinions of Baldur's Gate, Forgotten Realms, and so forth. Also, keep in mind.. I might not even be able to play the game if it was released in the last 3-4 years due to my computer's age.

Basically, as someone who wants to test the waters with these kinds of games.. what might be a good starting point? Sorry, I have trouble making my point in a concise or straightforward manner. <_>;

EDIT: Gonna make a note here that while Serpantino's post was the final nail I needed, everyone else was a big help and I'm really glad I asked here instead of plundering in unprepared!

Planescape: Torment.

/thread

What he said, or Icewind Dale if you want something less esoteric and more conventional.

I suggest that you leave Baldur's Gate be, especially if you're just getting started with AD&D. The game is very poorly structured, and forces you to spend the first few hours grinding just to level up to level 2 so that you can do something sensible.

Actually, Planescape Torment is probably the worst starting point for someone who looks at these games from a perspective of general interest in D&D and its settings. Planescape is a great game with one of the best stories ever written for an RPG, but the D&D ruleset looks rather tacked-on, it's more a distraction from the story than an integral part of the game. Furthermore, the setting is the Planescape universe, which pretty much tanked. If asked which settings they associate with D&D, people will mention Forgotten Realms and perhaps one or two of the other more popular settings, but not Planescape.

To answer the question: I think Baldur's Gate would be a good starting point. It's set in the Forgotten Realms (like Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights) and has a huge playing area. It's by far not as original as Planescape:Torment, but it is very close to a "standard" D&D setting, and the storytelling is still well-done. It implements AD&D 2nd edition rules (which were the rules of D&D's most popular era) - these rules are very idiosyncratic and personally I don't really like them, but the implementation is solid and the rules of later D&D editions weren't much better, just different. Finally, the games are old enough to run on weak/old machines - Baldur's Gate runs well on my netbook. Note: If you get BG1 and BG2, you can combine them through the use of fan-made mods, and play the content of BG1 in the superior BG2 interface.

And while it was not a problem back then, today I'm really tired of the same old "from zero to hero" scheme. PT is great because it's different, you don't save the world, you basically don't care about the world that much. Also, you are immortal and meet some really extraordinary characters. For a fan of jRPG games they might seem like nothing special (there's no giant flying clocks shooting lasers things) but still. The whole universe is just amazing. No wonder PT2 it's on of the the most anticipated sequels ever despite never being announced. Agreed, if you want to see D&D just for the sake of it. When I play a game, I don't care about the mechanics that much. I just want to enjoy it and there's no story like in PT.

But yeah, if you want some classic AD&D, go for BG. Skip ID, it's just h&s in D&D universe.

Torment is a text-heavy behemoth of an RPG. definitely not for newbies.

Baldur's Gate is an almost perfect RPG for those new to the genre. it starts slowly, gives you time to find your place in the game world, does not overwhelm you with choices and locations and leads you clearly towards goals you can actually reach.

Actually playing Dungeons & Dragons has never really been an option cause I don't have IRL friends to do such things with, so while I certainly have been interested in D&D in general, the computer games are about as close as I'll likely get to the real thing. Kind of a shame, I've sometimes wondered what I'd be doing right now if I had grown up playing D&D instead of Mario & EarthBound.

From the sounds of things, I may almost want to get Baldur's Gate & Planescape as the "buy one get one" so that I can try both out. The more grounded style of fantasy (as opposed to stuff like laser swords and opera battles) doesn't bother me, as the storylines and overall gameplay is what I'm interested in.

I've heard interesting things about both (here, at Penny Arcade, among online friends, etc), but at the same time I worry about being overwhelmed. It's one of the reason I have started avoiding more modern RPGs because they do feel so expansive that I find myself getting lost. FF12 kept losing me with its lackluster storyline. Rogue Galaxy has unbelievably huge dungeons and towns (easy to feel lost). I've been slowly playing Oblivion, but fell into the trap of "I need to do all my leveling before I start the story so I don't screw up!" and sorta leveled up to like 40 using the local areas.. I know that's now how you're supposed to play the game, but I started feeling really restricted in what I could and couldn't do playing it the other way.

I dunno.. sometimes I question if I'm still a gamer or whether RPGs are still where I'm happiest. But I've always wanted to try some of these games and choosing the right starting place could be the difference between feeling lost or right at home.

Okay, here's another question, it's been a few days so I think I am allowed to make a new post:

My cousin is kind of into this type of stuff, but not sure if he's really be at home with the more complex entries like BG & PS. However, I think he'd like something along the lines of Forgotten Realms and Icewind Dale. I do occasionally buy him games off of GOG, such as Fallout & Deus Ex, and I think he might like one of these.

I'm kinda leaning towards Forgotten Realms, cause I'd heard a lotta good stuff about it (and was actually kinda interested in it myself when it was new), but Neverwinter Nights was exceedingly popular when it came out. Could somebody tell me more about these two and which one might be better? I think I'll steer away from Icewind Dale, cause I've heard little about it.

Icewind Dale is kind of similar to Baldurs Gate in the mechanics of play, main difference is the setting is up in the snowy north. With the BG series you start with 1 main character as the hero and get companions as you go along up to a party of 6. With the IWD series you start out with a party of 6 as the story revolves around your full party. You will find that at times you need to pause during combat to get a party member to specifically do something like cast heal or other spells.

BG is very open world but IWD takes you from area to area so is quite linear taking you where you need to go on your journey.

A good starting point with the D&D games is actually Neverwinter Nights, it is 1 character who is the hero and you can take 1 companion with you on your adventures. Each area you visit has a set number of quests, then once complete you go to the next area. You can literally play it like an action RPG.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from playing BG, but it's true that the first two or three levels can be pretty painful. If you're unlucky, a first-level character can be killed in a single blow from just about anyone or anything.

Okay, I'm thinking of doing it like this:

Buy Planescape & get Baldur's Gate free.
Buy Neverwinter Nights & get Forgotten Realms or Icewind Dale free.

I'm wanting to scrounge up the extra $10 to get buy a second game for my cousin (that I'll also enjoy), but am uncertain whether I should go with FR or IWD.

My logic being that since BG and IWD are potentially harder, I should start with the somewhat easier (insofar as combat and such are concerned) and then move into the other one when I finish or feel ready to take on the added challenge.

Does this sound like a good idea?

I would say maybe go Neverwinter and BG initially. 2 completely different playstyles involved.

Not forgetting that you get Temple of Elemental Evil completely free also

Next up get FR & IWD

What do you mean by Forgotten Realms? Do you mean "Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone"? If so, it's a totally different game than the rest, not really a RPG but some kind of beat-em-up ported from the Playstation 2. I bought it yesterday and was not very impressed (extremely linear, no camera control, you just click your way through the monster hordes and watch cutscenes; also poor graphics on a low end machine), but your mileage may vary. In case you haven't done so yet, I'd suggest to check out a few gameplay videos of the games you think about getting on youtube to see if they look like your kind of thing.

Planescape Torment has the best story of them all and I found it to be the most engaging, but it is also the most atypical and the least representative of D&D and it requires you to read a lot (of well-written text), while the action part is secondary.

For Icewind Dale you have to create and control a party of six characters right from the start and your success will most likely be very dependent on your constellation (e.g. a group of six mages will have a harder time than one that consists of two fighters, a ranger, a cleric, a thief, a mage or something similar; and you have to know how to best distribute your character stats). So it might not be easy for a beginner who is unfamiliar with the rules, but it could also be a good training ground to learn the combat mechanics, since it's very heavy on comabt and you have free control over your party.

Baldur's Gate is the oldest game and starts slowly, with only one character to control, so it might be a good starting point, but I think the combat can also be pretty tough in the beginning because you're so weak and on your own. Last year I tried playing it with a mage and I got the impression it's very unfair towards that class in the beginning. Also, the story of the sequel is much more engaging, IMO.

As for Neverwinter NIghts, it's the easiest and most action-oriented of the D&D RPGs and it has a welcoming multiplayer and modding community who could help you learn the rules, teach you about character builds etc. Its campaign is also set in the Forgotten Realms. But be aware that its story is not that good and the combat system, while it can be fun, also has several issues. IMO, NWN is not a good game in itself, what makes it good and popular is the multiplayer support and the fact that it's actually a tool to create and run fan-made campaigns with. You can download tons of free adventures for it that are independent of the original campaign, and a lot of them are better.

I'd suggest getting NWN only if you're ready to go multiplayer or learn how to install community made modules, or if you're looking for something a bit easier and more recent (D&D rules have changed over the years and of these games NWN is the one using the most current version of them, even if they're not the most recent in general).

Neverwinter Nights is delightful, has hundreds of hours worth of user-made campaigns that are better than the original basic campaign, and by itself comes with three campaigns, one of which I remember as being very good indeed. It's very newbie-friendly - everything is done "under the hood," so to speak, but you can easily bring up a window to check dice rolls. It's also very hard to screw up your character, and it has very comfortable pacing. I don't recall any quests you can't do with any character, except for a few that are class-specific and thus require a high persuasion score to unlock.