When I launch the game from GOG Galaxy, it starts the Larian Launcher which opens its own window and a progress circle starts, but then hangs and the Larian window closes. Anyone else?

Yes, I know I can (and do) start the game successfully from the BG3 executable, but I would like to be able to launch it from GOG Galaxy

well if it runs without Galaxy that makes it a Gpu or network issue

since you can start the game without Galaxy try adjusting the Gpu settings... if its a laptop then start by changing to fake full screen

None of any of that made any difference... Google tells me that some others have this issue also, but no solutions yet. Ah well, we can only hope a future update or patch resolves it.

Is it possible to start the Larian launcher without going through Galaxy?

No, that doesn't work either.

I don't understand your reluctance to use the game executables for both the D3d11 and the Vulkan versions. Simply "send" a shortcut of each to your deskop--and either version is then only a mouse click away. Galaxy is best used to install games and to receive updates, imo. But GOG games are best run directly from their exe's. (Games with DRM from other sites like some games at Steam usually won't allow that.)

I'm not reluctant to use the .EXEs; indeed I do use them and am enjoying the game immensly. I'm just bothered that the Galaxy/Larian piece is broken. I'm an IT guy and broken software bugs me (pun not intended) on a very basic level.

The entire game is broken right now...yes, after three patches the game is barely out of alpha, and will be broken, literally, until it's released--because it will be very incomplete. The EA will comprise 1/5-1/6th of the released game, assuming Larian ever finishes the first chapter. The EA is not the game--not even close, atm. Might as well content yourself with the idea that the game will be broken until it finally ships. Personally, I cannot believe that It's been more than 60 days since the third patch--the last one in early December.

Worry over Galaxy is the least of the game's problems--doesn't run better from Galaxy than it does from the exes.

Yes, though apart from the Larian issue, the only bug that is really bothering me right now is characters getting hung up in obstacles, usually one of the NPCs taking a wrong path while following the main character. Sometimes you can fast-travel to camp to free them up, but I really hate wasting a "day" just for that. Only other option is to restore the last save.

That's not to say there are other bugs out there, but that's the one that inconveniences me the most.

I just read yeasterday that Patch 4 will come out on the 17th... this Wednesday.

So I figured out my issue... need to report this to Larian.

My card does not support Vulkan (Dell E6430 OEM issue not NVidia) and even though I have DX11 selected, Larian Launcher was choking because there was a Vulkan driver in SYSTEM 32. As soon as I deleted the Vulkan DLLs the issue goes away.

which begs the question, which 3rd party software put that file in there? anyway thanks for letting know you solved it :)

I can confirm this fix. Removing the vulkan-1.dll driver from the SYSTEM 32 folder resolved the issue for me as well.