Avernum!

[Illiterate Scribe]

Any other players of this great game series?

Yeah, I'm aware that it's a modern game that's still isometric and sprite based, but it's just ... somehow more atmospheric. And fun, of course.

I'm currently leading an all nephil Archer/Priest/Priest-Mage/Mage through Avernum 5 on Torment difficulty (:smallbiggrin:) and it's amazing how much I'm scared by it. There's just something about Jeff Vogel's RPGs that are really claustrophobic and creepy.

The way that every town is hostile to you, and people are always trying to hurry away from you - there's just something about it.

That's to say nothing of Gladwell the wizard, either. :smalleek:

So, any other fans?

[kpenguin]

Avernum is cool. I love the GIFTS and the sliths. I tried to get a homebrew thread going for some Avernum stuff, but it died.

[Pronounceable]

Gah! Be off you Mac user, you! Don't speak of A5 to me!


I miss Exile. It felt better. It was more "retro". Still, in its absence Avernum will do. Shame about 4th though...

The wonders of Mass Charm followed by Pestilence unleashed upon scores of guards on an open field. The joys of exploring the Tower of Magi (for the nth time). The fear and loathing caused by the appearance of rakshashi. And there was castable Quickfire! Not to mention Mindduel, and scores of other useless spells. The glory of singletons...

Exile/Avernum as a whole is the best fantasy setting in a game (except Geneforge, also by JV, which is borderline scifi anyway). Exile 2 is the single coolest low budget RPG ever created for the Dark Waters alone. You haven't seen Jeff Vogel's genius if you haven't ran through the Dark Waters...

E3/A3 spoiler:
Did you know that Rentar is killable at the end of Exile 3 with Mindduel? Unfortunately, you can't possibly survive that long without cheating. She had about 2000 mana IIRC. Still it's funny the game doesn't even recognize her death, and she appears at the ending sequence anyway.

[Nebo_]

Exile 3 is made of win.

I've not actually played much of the computer game, but my DM has. He turned it into one of the best campaigns I've ever played in. We've just come out of the Tower of the Magi after Linda summoned the demon horde, only to find that we've completely lost contact with the rest of Exile.

I'm playing a Slithzerakai gish named Ss'dis whose notable achievements include being the weilder of The Black Halberd, having dozens of children and defeating a Haki Lord (not to mention overcoming some of the plagues, but that's a given.)


I tried to get a homebrew thread going for some Avernum stuff, but it died.

Here (http://elysium.invisionplus.net/index.php?mforum=elysium&showtopic=78) is a bunch of stuff my DM came up with for the game.

[Sneak]

Ah, yes, the Avernum games. While I'm not a huge fan myself, I can see the appeal of them. They're pretty fun, well thought out and interesting games. My favorite Jeff Vogel game has to be the Geneforge series. It's just such a cool concept.

Most of my contact with JV's games is through my brother, though. He's really involved (I believe he's a mod on the Spiderweb/Polaris forums). According to him, Jeff is thinking of making a game in 3D soon.

Cool stuff.

[factotum]

I miss Exile. It felt better. It was more "retro". Still, in its absence Avernum will do. Shame about 4th though...


I think 4 is the only one I've ever tried to play--are you saying it's not all that good?

[Prustan]

Played several of the games myself - Exile 1 and 2 (demo), Exile 3 and Avernum 3 (full), and Geneforge 4. Enjoyable, though the lack of direction tends to get to me after a while and I'll stop for a long break. I do return though.

[Prustan]

Played several of the games myself - Exile 1 and 2 (demo), Exile 3 and Avernum 3 (full), and Geneforge 4. Enjoyable, though the lack of direction tends to get to me after a while and I'll stop for a long break. I do return though.

[Prustan]

Played several of the games myself - Exile 1 and 2 (demo), Exile 3 and Avernum 3 (full), and Geneforge 4. Enjoyable, though the lack of direction tends to get to me after a while and I'll stop for a long break. I do return though.

[Mephisto]

I think 4 is the only one I've ever tried to play--are you saying it's not all that good?

The plotline is excessively linear. In Avernum 3 you could wander all around Valorim and deal with the monster plagues when you felt like it. Even in A2, where you get sent on a one-way trip down some waterfalls and subterranean rivers, you could explore as you wished. In A4, you were shunted from quest to quest with no real chance to faff about.

[kpenguin]

The plotline is excessively linear. In Avernum 3 you could wander all around Valorim and deal with the monster plagues when you felt like it. Even in A2, where you get sent on a one-way trip down some waterfalls and subterranean rivers, you could explore as you wished. In A4, you were shunted from quest to quest with no real chance to faff about.

I agree with the above statement.

Also, I don't like the geneforge-like graphics.

[Mephisto]

I agree with the above statement.

Also, I don't like the geneforge-like graphics.

Really? I like them, but then I like the Geneforge series better anyway.