Sometimes, I can't decide which NPC to use in my party-- I am limited to five, after all, and they each have different talents that might be useful. So what I occasionally do is bring a couple of them into my party temporarily, make sure they are more less equally equipped and then force them to fight!

Viconia totally whupped up on poor little Aerie in a vicious but short-lived cat-fight, last night. Minsc wailed so loud that I had Anomen and him fight (Anomen kicked his ranger arse much more easily than I expected). I always resurrect the loser and, all in all, it seems like a pretty effective way to weed out the chaff from my party. The NPCs never seem to think any less of me and are always willing to rejoin the party later if I ask them too.

Does anyone else do this?

I only do it with people I know I'm going to get rid of, and only if they come in a pair with another character. Say in BG1 I want dynaheir but not Minsc. I'll have Dynaheir and everyone else beat the snot out of Minsc. Let Dynaheir have her little cry session, then boot minsc from the party and find someone else.

Kind of like a spartan version of baldur's gate, I like the idea. Not the way to get the most balanced party of course, but kind of fun. You could petrify the losers and have them standing as statues in the spot they lost if you wanted to make more of a point.

I don`t do it for two reasons:
1)It is a waste of time and Edwin`s talents... :D
2)See above

Do you control them while fighting so that the magic users are able to effectively use their magic? If you don't control them, how do you actually get them to fight?

If you have ToB installed I think they will fight back on their own to defend themselves (really annoying if someone's being controlled by domination or something else).

edit: Oh and I have my character's fight only if I am going to reload afterwards. I mean what if I change my mind and want someone back later.

[ 09-27-2003, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: Maj ]

I decided to try this and I had just started a new game. I talked to Imoen and rested, then after resting I cast find familiar. I the familiar attack her and sat back to see who got to stay in my party . My familar kicked her butt! It didn't even get a scratch!

When I get boared I just make to of my characters fight. Or if I cant deciede which way to go ill save then assign one character to left and the other right, who ever wins thats the way we go