Any Fans of the Baldur's Gate Series Here?

[MossyMeow]

I just bought these games on Steam a few weeks ago and have been remembering how much I love them all over again. I've also been working on a fanfiction about them because I'm just that dorky and you can never have enough writing projects.

Anyway, any fans here? What's your favorite part of the game(s), and who's your favorite character?

[Sermil]

I just bought these games on Steam a few weeks ago and have been remembering how much I love them all over again. I've also been working on a fanfiction about them because I'm just that dorky and you can never have enough writing projects.

Anyway, any fans here? What's your favorite part of the game(s), and who's your favorite character?

Minsc, obviou-

MINSC AND BOO! You forgot BOO!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Minsc.jpg

[Lord Vukodlak]

When Edwin becomes Edwina, its just so funny how everyone takes the opportunity to tease him. Everything around that was gold.

I also like the fact that BGII had a rather unique love triangle possibility, aside from the usually NPC's fighting over the PC.

The Player character could get into a love triangle over the affections of Aerie with another potential party member. Haer'Dalis and LOSE.

Now a lot of people don't even know its possible because Aerie is recruit able far sooner then your potential rival. And if your progression in Aerie's love talks reached the declaration point before she reached it with Haer'Dalis. She'd let him down gently and he'd accept it.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Baldur's Gate was what got me into D&D in the first place. I spent hundreds of hours playing it when I was 11/12 (understanding basically nothing of the mechanics and dying constantly) and bought the enhanced editions on steam a while ago. Brilliant games.

Favourite character is Jaheira. Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure? Headcanon: she is trying really hard to be TN, but it's a constant struggle because she's so naturally inclined towards good.

[Clertar]

Best games ever.

[Kato]

Clearly not, since these are very little known and this is a forum for a comedic fantasy comic which has nothing to do with Baldur's Gate.....
But there is a section dedicated to video games, maybe you will have more luck there :smalltongue:

[Aotrs Commander]

Yes, sufficiently so I cheerfully backed both Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 (the latter of which is out in but a few days), their spirutal descendants.

Thought out of all the Infinity Engine games, Planescape Torment was the best. It is still the best RPG, period, in my opinion, though Pillars 1 and Tides of Numenara and BG2 (obviously) have come close (the latter got the right sort of feel, which nothing else ever has, but with minimal combats meant it's rather shorter - but it did have the same "stay up all night" that PS:T did), Witcher 3 must be too (since I played it for 215 hours straight), and DA:O (and ME trilogy (exceptint eh last twenty minutes of ME3) only a step hehind.

[NRSASD]

Yes! They are still the gold standard by which I measure all other games.The sense of adventure, of pushing your luck with every expedition, of never knowing quite what you'll face or what treasures you'll find. Many have tried to emulate it, but none have surpassed it. Here's hoping that Pillars of Eternity II will come close to its glory.

[Pronounceable]

I'm surprised every single day I don't hear they're starting to make a terribad movie or tv adaptation of it. With all the fantasy fad of the last decade+, you'd expect someone to try their hand at the seminal fantasy crpg by now but nope. It's a perfect concept for making up a neverending series of increasingly powerful villains to stretch the seasons/sequels to infinity too.

It's not like anyone with a lick of sense will ever touch Drizzt due to drow or Greenwood's OC(donut steel) for all his fetish crap, so Baldur's Gate is the single most feasible DnD thing to make some bad adaptations out of. It's a mystery why it's not happening.


Also, Minsc is a ****.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Baldur's Gate is the single most feasible DnD thing to make some bad adaptations out of.

I did see some comics a while back. A wild mage accidentally un-petrifies a 'statue' of Minsc years after the events of BG, he mistakes her for Neera, hijinks ensue. They weren't even that bad, actually.

[gooddragon1]

Minsc, obviou-

MINSC AND BOO! You forgot BOO!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Minsc.jpg

"QUICKLY BOO! SQUIRRELS! THROW NUTS!" - The natural order, chapter of armaments

[GloatingSwine]

Minsc, obviou-

MINSC AND BOO! You forgot BOO!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Minsc.jpg

There's a reason Minsc is the one with his own comic series and boring old CharName got forgotten.

[JadedDM]

I'm surprised every single day I don't hear they're starting to make a terribad movie or tv adaptation of it.

They did make a terrible novel adaptation, though.

[Keltest]

They did make a terrible novel adaptation, though.

Theres even a thread in the gaming forum examining all the different ways its terrible.

[GloatingSwine]

They did make a terrible novel adaptation, though.

We should not speak of evil. Only kick it.

https://i.imgur.com/XEK4NaL.png

[Remmirath]

Very much so. I've been playing through them all roughly once every two years since they came out. I don't like to use the NPCs, which I know puts me rather at odds with a good many other fans of the game; I prefer to make my own parties. I'd say overall Throne of Bhaal is probably my favourite, but then, there's always Durlag's Tower...

I also like setting various restrictions on the playthrough, such as only reloading a certain number of times, never using resurrections, or the like. I have yet to try a playthrough with no reloading and no making new party members, but I plan to at some point.

Most recently I did a playthrough with the enhanced edition and Siege of Dragonspear, and I thought it actually fit in quite well with the plot and the general feeling. Again, I've no idea how the NPCs fit with it, because I don't use them, but the overall setting and so forth was a good fit. Many of the 'improvements' made to the game with the associated patch, not so much.


They did make a terrible novel adaptation, though.

Best to forget that ever existed. :smalleek:

[Anonymouswizard]

I love BG1, although I've never finished it. Tried to as a kid, but it took so long I lost interest. Came back to it as an adult, and eventually got playing ice I discovered that autosaving crashed the game (seriously). My current computer can't run the Enhanced Edition, and my attempt to play Planescape Torment fell through when I discovered you couldn't disable autosaving (horray crashes). I refuse to pay BG2 until I've beaten the first.

I will note that BG1 hasn't aged as well as it might. So little interaction between Charname (which does look like a D&D name, probably pronounced 'shar-na-me') and the various party members. But it's still aged much better than average, and it's the one game I'm annoyed at being unable to play.

[Ifni]

Yes, I loved both BGI and BGII, and they were a large part of what got me interested in D&D. I was very attached to my wizard who made it all the way from L1 in Candlekeep through to the end of Throne of Bhaal; it was a good omen when she survived the assassin outside the Friendly Arm Inn without saving and reloading (Magic Missile is scary when you're a L1 wizard!)

I liked Kivan in BG1, although Minsc is of course awesome. Edwin amused me. In BGII what I mostly remember re the companions was being extremely annoyed that Anomen was the only romance option for female characters, as he was easily my most disliked NPC.

Honestly the part of the games I remember most fondly is probably just wandering around doing sidequests, especially in BGI. There's a period after the Nashkel mines when the main plot isn't particularly pressing, and if you just slowly work your way back northward while crisscrossing the map, you find all sorts of neat stories. (I still remember Albert and Rufie...) I also remember thinking the dragons in BGII were pretty great, at least at the time; I'm not sure how well the graphics hold up at this point.

Most frustrating part of the games has to be the Firewine Ruins. Kobolds! Fire arrows! Argh!

[Ninja_Prawn]

Most frustrating part of the games has to be the Firewine Ruins. Kobolds! Fire arrows! Argh!

I cleared the Firewine Ruins a few weeks ago on my latest playthrough. My Charname is a shadowdancer rogue with (when I did Firewine) a Hide in Shadows chance of 125%. Since Charname is permanently invisible, she can just walk right up to the kobolds, gank one with backstab, then force the others into melee (they automatically switch to swords if you're close to them) while I bring Kivan (with his insanely low THAC0) in to mop up any survivors. I didn't take a single fire arrow in the entire dungeon. Traps, on the other hand... :smallsigh:

And of course, Charname is too squishy to do that against anything stronger than kobolds...

[Manga Shoggoth]

I have ... mixed feelings about it.

There are many pluses - The game engine is good, the plot is respectable and the world is reasonably well thought out. I got a long way into the game before I got bored with it.

My dislike is more that the only character you have any engagement in building is the lead character. This means that I can't build a team the way I want to build it, I am forced to accept the characters they provide. I know why they do it, and it's a good idea from a functional and storytelling position, I just don't like it.

The odd thing is that there are other games that use a similar mechanic (Dragon Age for one) where it doesn't irritate me. Perhaps it is just something I expect from a party-based DnD game, being used to the old gold-box games.

(Neverwinter Nights oddly gets a pass here as you didn't so much create a party as pick a single companion.)

[Clertar]

^ Sounds like the Icewind Dale series is more your style then.

I remember SoA most fondly of all the games. Which is surprising, because Irenicus and the sould-stealing, Bodhi, Imoen... is not as closely connected to the saga of the Bhaalspawn as the other enemies, and yet it resonates so much more with my charname's story. And while I do love Sarevok, the level of high stakes in BG2 is maybe only matched by the first playthrough of DA:Origins.

[Manga Shoggoth]

^ Sounds like the Icewind Dale series is more your style then.

I did indeed enjoy that series. Especially that one location where there was a circle of Orcs sitting round a campfire, just right for a strategically-placed fireball...

[monomer]

It's no surprise that Minsc seems to be leading the poll, but I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned Jan Jansen from BG2. He is so great, constantly needling all the other NPCs, and his ridiculous stories were always worth reading.

[GloatingSwine]

It's no surprise that Minsc seems to be leading the poll, but I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned Jan Jansen from BG2. He is so great, constantly needling all the other NPCs, and his ridiculous stories were always worth reading.

Nobody who likes turnips that much can be trusted.

[Zurvan]

Jon Irenicus is the best villan ever, also his voice also the fact he's a cool looking buff wizard who don't use robes.

[Aotrs Commander]

Baldur's Gate was what got me into D&D in the first place. I spent hundreds of hours playing it when I was 11/12 (understanding basically nothing of the mechanics and dying constantly) and bought the enhanced editions on steam a while ago. Brilliant games.

Favourite character is Jaheira. Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure? Headcanon: she is trying really hard to be TN, but it's a constant struggle because she's so naturally inclined towards good.

If alignment wasn't such a straight-jacket in AD&D, she would have been.#



Personally, my dream team is Imoen, Minsk (no duh), Jaheira, Aerie (okay, she winges a bit, but CLERIC MAGE!!!) and Mazzy, because halfling paladin-in-all-but-name (also if AD&D wasn't so stupid with restrictions...) and also because Voiced By Jennifer Hale.

But MainChar the dualclass Fighter/Wizard because ahaha hit point and spells and Tenser's Transformation is hilarious when you can get 350-off hits or something. (Okay, my character's Con may have been 25, so sue me! And I earned that the hard way, by spamming multiplayer saves until I had all of the tomes in BG one and kept duplicating them, none this easy "use GateKeeper" like you would now...!)

[Keltest]

If alignment wasn't such a straight-jacket in AD&D, she would have been.

Its not an alignment thing, its a druid thing. Druids in 2e were required to be true neutral because blah blah nature.

[Pex]

I never played it, but I also just recently bought it to play. It's slow going. I was having the hardest time finding the safe in the tutorial. It was not where I was told it was. Right now I'm wandering around Beregost. More than half my party has been killed, and I have no sense of direction of what I'm supposed to be doing.

[Cespenar]

Jon Irenicus is the best villan ever, also his voice also the fact he's a cool looking buff wizard who don't use robes.

A BG thread to reach post #25 without Irenicus being mentioned is a sad thing indeed.

It doesn't help that it is hands down, non-exaggeration, the best voice acting in a villain in the history of videogaming.

Props to David Warner of course, but also props to whoever that wrote those monologues to fit so well to an actor with such a Shakespearean background. Often you'd find either good writing or a good voice actor, but not something quite so synergistic as in Irenicus's case.

[Clertar]

A BG thread to reach post #25 without Irenicus being mentioned is a sad thing indeed.

Ahem http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23049184&postcount=21 :smallwink:

[Cespenar]

Ahem http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23049184&postcount=21 :smallwink:

A passing mention doesn't suffice. :smalltongue:

[Calemyr]

Baldur's Gate 2 remains my favorite game of all time. Even without mods, I've replayed it repeatedly with different combinations of companions to see how they interact. With mods, however, it goes even further and it's gorgeous.

Baldur's Gate 1 has a great overall story but the engine is immature and the character interactions were minimal. I can't play it without mods, as even the Enhanced Edition leaves all the old companions functionally mute.

Siege of Dragonspear is alright, for the most part. The new characters were interesting and the plot was solid, but it was far too linear and there was an inconsistent tone. Also...

The first half of the finale still leaves me fuming when I think about it. Caelar dodges justice for her deeds and we're just forced to let her walk. She's already proven that there's no force in Hell that can stop her and planar travel gets pretty easy after a point, so leaving her behind isn't much of a punishment. And she should stand trial for what she's done.

The second half, with Irenicus and the Soultaker Dagger... that was brilliant. Sadly it's brilliance marred by a sad truth: We'll never get to see a conclusion to it in BG2. If only I had the time and patience to mod it, I'd find some way to wrap that up. A quest involving reclaiming the dagger and putting things right should be mandatory with that setup. As well as settling things with characters like Corwin and Skie.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Right now I'm wandering around Beregost. More than half my party has been killed, and I have no sense of direction of what I'm supposed to be doing.

11-year-old me feels your pain. The learning curve is mindlessly brutal if you don't know what you're doing.

On the other hand, the first time you manage to survive a week in the wilds without dying is an incredible feeling of achievement. And it does get easier when you get the hang of it. My generic advice is to make your CharName a cleric or fighter/cleric on your first playthrough. The healing is really useful, and clerics can pull their weight well enough in melee. Ashideena +2 is easy to acquire early in the game, too.

As for specific hints as to what you should be doing: if you haven't already, head north to the Friendly Arm Inn and recruit Khalid and Jaheira, like Gorion told you to. They're good guys.

[Sermil]

Second page and not a single positive mention of the Throne of Bhaal expansion / conclusion? That... doesn't surprise me in the least. The story just felt more forgettable that the others. (Though, I had played BGII several times by then, so maybe I was just getting tired of the game)

I did like that they gave some of the NPCs some growth from the previous game. Nalia seemed like she was a bit less of an innocent, for instance.

[Aotrs Commander]

Second page and not a single positive mention of the Throne of Bhaal expansion / conclusion? That... doesn't surprise me in the least. The story just felt more forgettable that the others. (Though, I had played BGII several times by then, so maybe I was just getting tired of the game)

I did like that they gave some of the NPCs some growth from the previous game. Nalia seemed like she was a bit less of an innocent, for instance.

I'm at a loss why one would treat the expansion as seperate from the rest? Certainly, when I talk about BG or BGII (or PoE1), I mean all of it, expansions included.

[Clertar]

In the BG2 EE Hexxat seemed promising at first. One of the most exciting parts of the Athkatla ****ery is the new faction of Bodhi's vampires disputing the Shadow Thieves' position, and I thought Hexxat would be connected to that, just like with Yoshimo we get a Shadow Thieves connected NPC. But Hexxat immediately devolved into one of the worst NPCs, Anomen-level of annoying for me :|

[Cespenar]

In the BG2 EE Hexxat seemed promising at first. One of the most exciting parts of the Athkatla ****ery is the new faction of Bodhi's vampires disputing the Shadow Thieves' position, and I thought Hexxat would be connected to that, just like with Yoshimo we get a Shadow Thieves connected NPC. But Hexxat immediately devolved into one of the worst NPCs, Anomen-level of annoying for me :|

Oh, come on, don't diss the Bromen, he just needs some elderly guidance from someone like Keldorn.

[GloatingSwine]

Oh, come on, don't diss the Bromen, he just needs some elderly guidance from someone like Keldorn.

He needs a boot snapping off in his ass, but the stick's too far up there already.

[Glorthindel]

Personally, my dream team is Imoen, Minsk (no duh), Jaheira, Aerie (okay, she winges a bit, but CLERIC MAGE!!!) and Mazzy, because halfling paladin-in-all-but-name (also if AD&D wasn't so stupid with restrictions...) and also because Voiced By Jennifer Hale.

I can agree with most of that, except Viconia is an absolute must (her catfight with Aerie is one of my favourite bits of dialogue, as seeing Aerie's nice-girl persona crack breifly and her get her claws out is excellent)

[Braininthejar2]

DMing a single player 3.5 campaign based on it. I'm at Sendai battle right now.

[Cespenar]

DMing a single player 3.5 campaign based on it. I'm at Sendai battle right now.

That's cool. Try the Murder in Baldur's Gate module as well if you can -- it's a well-written social/investigation-based campaign well after the events of BG2.

[Calemyr]

In the BG2 EE Hexxat seemed promising at first. One of the most exciting parts of the Athkatla ****ery is the new faction of Bodhi's vampires disputing the Shadow Thieves' position, and I thought Hexxat would be connected to that, just like with Yoshimo we get a Shadow Thieves connected NPC. But Hexxat immediately devolved into one of the worst NPCs, Anomen-level of annoying for me :|

I dunno. I'm only now trying the romance aspect of the character (and I'm not that impressed so far), but I found the actual character and what comes with her to be quite interesting.

She herself is a different take on evil from the other evil options in the game. She's not ambitious like Edwin, brutish like Korgan, culturally indoctrinated like Viconia, or an abuse victim turned demigod like Sarevok. She's a survivor, through and through, and will do whatever it takes to survive without hesitation. She doesn't try to sugar-coat it like some vampires with "I only eat bad guys" or "I never kill my meal", she just needs to eat to survive and you're on the menu. Granted, she has "a type" and is therefore a serial killer. I didn't say she was a good person, just an interesting character. Then there's also her ultimate goal: [to die as a human, even if she must instantly die of old age in the process]. It's pretty unique as evil protagonists go. Her banters are also pretty interesting, as she makes it clear she doesn't enjoy being a vampire and wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy.

But her quests are some of the most interesting dungeons the games have. Tombs from around the world for you to raid, each with their own design, challenges, and treasures. Not something that must be done every play through, but certainly a welcome addition to game. Also, her own mechanics are unique and interesting as a self-rezzing, effectively dual-form pure rogue with a free bag of holding in the bargain (one that is in fact an ingenious little addition when you think about how it's used).

The one I can't stand is Dorn. He's not without his amusements, of course. His plot crosses the line so many times he must think it's a jump rope, and it is a pleasure to play a witty main character and torture him that way. And he's undeniably a powerful asset to the team if you recruit him. But he is still so unpleasant and uncreatively evil that even his Count of Monte Cristo origins can't keep him from being a bore as well as a boor.

[HalezYeah]

was a big fan and Boo was an amazing part of that for some reason. LOL

[Yetibutt]

One of the great classics. Fun character responses like"Faster than Chiktikka Fastpaws" still stick in my mind.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Oof... only take me to a licensed cleric... ugh... argh...

[Whispering Goat]

I absolutely love these games and I play through them once every two years or so.

I HIGHLY recommend the Baldur's Gate 1 NPC Mod. It adds scripted banters and adds SIX romances to the first game, making it more in line with the sequel in that regard. Without it, I find the BG! NPC's to be quite silent the majority of the time. Also, I'm not sure what version you bought but the Enhanced Edition by beamdog is also quite good, makes the games run better on current machines and adds some decent new content.

My favorite parts of the games is the fight against Aec'Letec in Ulgoth's Beard from Tales of the Sword Coast, the final battle against Sarevok in the first game, putting on the play in the Bard specific quest line in Shadows of Amn, and when you get to bring Sarevok back to join your team in Throne of Bhaal.

Favorite Characters
1st game: Tiax (he rules all)
2nd game: Minsc
ToB: Sarevok
BG1EE: Baeloth
BG2EE: Dorn