How about you play the way you like and I'll play the way I like?

not if its affecting the games i play.

And how does my game affect yours? Seriously. Play your own game and let everyone else play theirs.

Usually the one that screams the loudest about others being powergamers is one himself.

THATS RIGHT!!! IM A META GAMER I WANT A LEVEL 40 ROGUE/CLERIC/WIZARD WITH FLAMING SWORDS. AHHH.
I dont like: Roleplaying, challenges, or enjoying the adventure. LOOT!

It seems to me that assumptions are being made. You may enjoy the adventure more when you have simple characters and a harder time, while others enjoy it more if they can breeze through with an uber character. For some, it gives a sense of power that they enjoy. For you, it feels unreal, but you aren't forced to play that way.

I wouldn't bother arguing the point. It's an obvious troll post, having quoted a 7 week old post for no other purpose than to flame with the erroneous and tired old 'powergaming and roleplaying are mutually exclusive' argument. Given my disdain for trolls, I've already given the post more attention than it deserved.

Yeah, I wasn't going to bother, but he does kinda frustrate me. Meh

This is my IWD1 starting party. Yeah I've spent more time planning it and rolling stats than playing. It is good aligned, consisting of the following six members:

1) Lachdanian (party leader)

Male Human Paladin (Figther4 voice)
15 Str
18 Dex
18 Con
10 Int
15 Wis
17 Cha
++ Large Swords
++ Great Swords

2) Bolglir

Male Dwarf Fighter, Chaotic Good (Figther3 voice)
18/00 Str
17 Dex
19 Con
10 Int
9 Wis
7 Cha
++ Axes
++ Hammers

3) Eilline

Female Human Cleric, Lawful Good (Figther2 voice)
15 Str
15 Dex
15 Con
10 int
18 Wis
12 Cha
+ Missile Weapons
+ Maces

4) Lothindath

Male Elf Ranger, Neutral Good (How2 voice)
18/00 Str
19 Dex
17 Con
10 Int
15 Wis
8 Cha
++ Bows
++ Large Swords

5) Maebury

Female Halfling Thief, Chaotic Good (Thief1 voice)
16 Str
19 Dex
12 Con
18 Int
8 Wis
15 Cha
+ Bows
+ Daggers

6) Raven

Female Elf Mage, Neutral Good (How2 voice)
8 Str
17 Dex
15 Con
18 Int
18 Wis
13 Cha
+ Missile Weapons

I think the cleric is my weak link, but I think that class is necessary, or a druid. Comments appreciated. I leave the portraits and confirmation of the stats (legal).

;)

When I bought the Icewind Dale 4-in-1 set last year (before it became digitally available on GOG), I started my first playthrough not with rolling, but importing default characters, which are nicely rounded and have decent stats without being overpowerful. So I won't go into the details of their stats etc. as those are default, but tell the names I've given them and something about what they're like in my game:

Selora (defealt Paladin) is the one who inspires the whole party and sets its goals. She's the second best fighter in the party, fighting for GOOD (emphasis where it is due: making the world a better place). And finding herself in the Frozen North, Selora is doing her utmost trying to bring back the warmth to Kuldahar.

Grumbar (default Fighter) is the best fighter in my party. Grumbar FIGHTS for good (emphasis where it is due): he gave his weapon to the good cause of the party, because it gives a good opportunity for fighting battle with a clear conscience. And being a dwarf, he really enjoys loot and discovering nice treasures among the fallen enemies (and marveling or being disgruntled at the stonework of the dungeons and caves he encounters).

Christina (default Cleric) is a good friend of Selora, fighting for the same good cause, but despite being preacher in profession, her character is more to support people. She's a pastor more than a preacher, caring for the people around her and supporting them with her prayers. She's ferocious against undead though, as necromancy is just a parody of life and bodies should rest when their souls are gone. And sometimes situations arise where she finds out the help most needed is swinging her flail.

Haarom (default Druid) is a bit of a loner. He doesn't mind company and being with these people, but his ideas seem always slightly different from the norm, aloof, dreamy, as if the whole adventure is nothing more than a grandiose fantasy in a children's mind. He never seems to get really serious about something, but still deals out massive damage, bending the surroundings to his will and begging nature for support: in terms of magical damage, Haarom does the most.

Scandor (default Mage) joined the party not out of the will to do good, but out of a desire to gain knowledge, learn, see and hear new things and discover ancient lore and relics. All the while he has been with the party, he emanates the feeling he hasn't really blossomed yet as a mage, standing aside, casting a spell when needed but often seen playing around with his daggers and safeguarded against harm by his robes, taking a stab at enemies muttering to himself 'hrmm, I haven't yet got the right spell for this'.

Durk (default Thief) is a good friend of Scandor, with a friendship that is born out of supplementation instead of likeness as it's basis. Durk is cheerful, good-natured, very active. And despite his profession, he's really not into adventuring for the money and jewelry (that would be Grumbar), but out of inquisitiveness, always running around, dozens of yards ahead of the party scouting ahead and fleeing back if enemies are sighted for a chat with Scandor at the back while he let's loose his arrows. If he shows an interest at the loot at all, it's more for the funny things it can do, than for the wealth it represents, like a Bag of the Jester he recently found and spews out a different item every day.

currently in chapter 3 collecting badges in dorn's deep:

Minsc: level 11 human fighter Great Swords ++++ Bows+++
STR 18/51
DEX 17
CON 18
INT 14
WIS 6
CHA 4

Korgan: level 11 dwarf fighter Axes ++++ Bows+++
STR 18/11
DEX 17
CON 19
INT 15
WIS 3
CHA 5

Gilius: Level 9 dwarf Cleric-Fighter Missile++ Flail+ Hammer++ Mace++
STR 18/10
DEX 10
CON 19
INT 12
WIS 17
CHA 2

Natrev: Level 9 dwarf cleric-fighter Missile++ Flail+ Hammer++ Mace++
STR 15
DEX 10
CON 19
INT 14
WIS 15
CHA 2

Firthgul: Level 9 dwarf cleric-fighter Missile++ Flail+ Hammer++ Mace++
STR 18/66
DEX 8
CON 19
INT 14
WIS 17
CHA 2

Skandalon: half elf Level 9 Fighter Level 11 Thief
Bows++ Hammers++ Large Swords++ Small Swords+
Locks 100%
Silent Moving 100%
Find Traps 100%
Backstab damage x4
STR 18/85
DEX 18
CON 18
INT 14
WIS 5
CHA 7

so far we have mowed over all enemies fairly easily, Minsc has only died a couple of times as tank/meat shield. my old party consisted of four dwarf fighters, a half elf cleric, and a human druid and we barely made it past the talonite priests and troll vanguard in dragons eye and only 2 survived Yuxonmei so i had to start from scratch.

Your party certainly has alot of beards, lol. I'm kinda curious why you didn't include an arcane caster in there. Also, some of your guys don't have max DEX, don't they get hit alot?

haha. yeah. surprisingly they don't get hit as much as you think, probably due to all my characters using ranged weapons before the majority of enemies get close enough to hit with the exception of a few which my two fighters usually take the brunt of the blows as the rest of the party tear them apart or lob stuff at them from afar. also, with my clerics being dual classed as fighers they were able to wear plate mail early on in the game. also, my thief-fighter character is probably the most well rounded of them all.

as for not having an arcane caster, meh, i dunno really, i wanted to use a bard but the low hp of most casters just ends up frustrating me in the end. constantly healing and reviving gets costly and its hard enough to buy gear in IWD until halfway through the game. for me it was anyhow.

After too much time, I realized I prefer playing with customized characters (editors) which are often suboptimal and strange, but true to their lore. This makes the game interesting in your own way and harder.

In example, I made a stereotypical Drow who rebelled against the Lolth priests in his society by joining tempus. Pratically a paladin, but actually a warrior with (cheated in) some healing and aoe magics, and talents against priests and demons. Weaker but true to its cause.

For me I love single class characters. I prefer to concentrate in a single class to optimize that role (tank, healer, DPS and AoE/CC). My party right now is this:

Bladorac - Dwarf Fighter NG (TANK)
STR - 17 (+1 melee hit +1 melee DMG)
DEX - 15 ( -1 AC)
CON - 18 (+4 HP)
INT - 10
WIS - 10
CHA- 10

Isis - Half-elf Cleric NG (HEALER)
STR - 16 (+1 melee DMG)
DEX - 9
CON - 16 (+2 HP)
INT - 10
WIS - 18 (+10 Lore 2 bonus priest spells, I think)
CHA - 10

Sato - Halfling Thief NG (DPS)
STR - 12 ( Carry 90)
DEX - 18 (+2 missile -4 AC)
CON - 16 (+2 HP)
INT - 10
WIS - 10
CHA - 10

Esarissa - Elf Mage NG (AoE/CC)
STR - 10
DEX - 17 ( +2 missile -3 AC)
CON - 16 (+2 HP)
INT - 18 (I don't know the % learn spell and amount to learn per level by memory XD +10 Lore)
WIS - 10
CHA - 10

Only 4 characters because single classes those 4 can take each role and maximize exp. points from quests and kills. So far I enjoy more this way than with 6 and I die less. Haven't reloaded at all since I started with 4 because of a death, but I have used temple raise dead a few times but gold is not a problem in my game.