I am a huge fan of cRPGs (Infinity engine games being my favourite by far), and I would to start up some might and magic, but I am unsure where to begin.

Do you guys have any suggestions for a beginner into this series as a good place to start?

Might & Magic 4 is a good place since your characters are not expected to be high on levels before completing. If you like it enough you can continue with the same characters into Might & Magic 5. For the newer games, I'd say recruiting a Dragon in MM8 is VERY beginner-friendly.

The 6 pack is a great place to start, if you can't handle the archaic interface of MM 1 and 2 then 3 and WoX are better, and VI is a good intro to the 3D titles.

Yeah, definitely get the 6-pack. MM6 is very similar to MM7 and MM8 in terms of engine and interface, and since it's included in the pack it will give you a good sense of whether you will like those games. And the pack also includes World of Xeen (the giant game made when you combine MM4 and MM5 into one) which is many players' favorite and is a good starting point for the more "old-school" titles. MM3 is also similar to Xeen, but I haven't played it yet. MM1 and MM2 are much older and are too archaic for some, but I still found them to be quite enjoyable if you're willing to put in a little effort (hand-draw maps, keep your own notes, etc.).

By getting the pack, you can pick your starting point... either go all the way to the beginning for some seriously old-school games, or start at MM3 or MM4 for some old-school games that are much more accessible, or start at MM6 to see how you like the 3D entries in the series.

My personal favorite is Xeen, but I haven't played all the games yet... I played 4-6 when they were released, and then got the pack here and played the first 2 games. So I haven't gotten to MM3 yet (will get to it eventually), and I also haven't played 7 or 8.


EDIT:

While there are some overarching themes and lore that carry through the series, for the most part the games are self-contained, so don't worry about playing them out of order.

Gotta agree with everyone else, get the 6 pack and start with either Xeen or Mandate of Heaven. 3 is also very good, and some like it more than Xeen, so that's a reasonable place to start as well... it's very similar but isn't quite as refined, so if you're planning on playing all of them definitely start with 3 because otherwise Xeen will spoil you, but Xeen and Mandate alone are GIGANTIC games, so the chances that you'll actually play through the entire set aren't all that great (and if you want more after Xeen and Mandate then you might be willing to put up with some of 3's quirks anyway).

1 and 2 are just there to make the pack complete, honestly. They're not that great compared to later entries, and even with that in mind the DOS versions are among the worst (you'd be better off with the old Mac versions, or even the NES and Genesis versions).

Great replies, everyone. I will grab the 6 pack and start at 3 I think.

Thanks again!

Yeah, 3 is a fine place to start, I think. While they all take place in the same universe, they don't have a single story per se, athough there is a connect. They even take place on different worlds, except for 4-5, which take place on Xeen and 6-8, which take place on Enroth and share story elements with HoMM 1-3.

Note that 7 continues the story from the end of 3 somewhat with the default PC's becoming important characters, and some characters from 2 do appear in 8, but it's not necessary to have played the earlier games.

I (also) am a huge fan of the infinity engine, and to tell the truth I kinda hesitated due to the fact that all the M&M games are from a 1st person view of the entire party. BUT, I downloaded the 6 pack, and I started playing M&M 1 and I have to say that the fact that the game is that old, with that graphics is very fun, and kinda attracts you to play even more...

So from a personal perspective I honestly suggest to purchase the 6 pack and play M&M 1 if it doesn't suit you then you can always try the 5 others, I did see a major difference between the 1st & 2nd games and the 3rd and all those after....

Highly addictive and if you let your self to get into that it's highly enjoyable... Also, in case you do decide to play the 1st M&M... Read the Manual ;)

While Three is a fine place to start - not to retro to put folks off. I would Consider starting at the beginning.

I'm still working on MM1. I bought the 6-pack and 7 and 8 on GOG. I decided to make my maps in Excel. Somehow I tried using a spreadsheet and found it more enjoyable than with graph paper. I think MM1 may take me over a hundred hours to complete.

I think I'll be playing these MM games until the day I die.... But happily of course. :)

Thanks GOG. and please give us MM IX, and HOMM V to complete the collection.;;;and Wizardry archives, and Ultima, and Bards Tale, and the SSI Gold Pack.

How many lives of gaming is that worth?