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Illumina Drathiran'ar · 12-10-2006, 05:36 AM

Do you remember? Do you remember your first trek through Faerun? Do you remember the laughable attempts on your life in Candlekeep, and the attempts that were not quite so laughable afterwards? Do you remember having to save every minute, knowing full well that each minute might be the last for your beloved character? I do. I remember when the Realms were a vast and frightening place, when all I had to defend myself was Magic Missile, which I could cast once per round, twice per day, and summoned a single glowing orb. I remember the vast wilderness of the Sword Coast, not knowing if an unexplored area would contain certain death, fantastic rewards, new allies, or perhaps all of them. I remember the music of the Sword Coast... Very ambient and rugged, never imposing, always reflecting the frailty of my character. I remember not knowing how to survive Stinking Cloud.

I remember the iron crisis, and not knowing how it connected to my character or the grand scheme of things. I remember Nimbul jumping me when I was in badly need of a rest. I remember being cautious every time I entered a city or inn.

I remember not knowing where the traps were.

I remember Magic Resistance, and cursing the fact that it meant I had to rely on melee. I remember not knowing the ideal party makeup and having to learn as I went.

I remember gaining control of my character in a madman's dungeon, wondering if I'd ever escape. I remember mourning the loss of Khalid, which was an unexpected twist at the time. I remember gaining more powers, more abilities. Suddenly I could foil both Cloudkill and Magic Resistance with the right magic. I could make more than two attacks per round.

I remember wonding how the hell I was going to pay for that Robe of Vecna or the outrageous fee demanded by that tart with the Cockney accent. I remember having so many quests I didn't know what to do. I remember lines coming from Jan Jansen that made me laugh out loud at my desk at two in the morning.

I remember the romances, wondering how they'd all develop. I remember not being able to choose a class. I remember thinking to myself, "I'll have to play this four or five times before I can say I've really completed it." I've now played it dozens upon dozens of times, and I'm still not sure if I've completed it yet.

I remember having to cast Raise Dead.

I remember Jon Irenicus, the only villain worth fighting, with his Hannibal Lected bedside manner. I remember not having any idea what the monster was plotting, but I was sure that he meant business.

I remember when it was difficult to fight a dragon. I remember feeling like I earned that suit of armor.

I remember prophecies, war-torn cities, secret cabals, and godlike power that was suddenly at my disposal. I remember battles both epic and irritating. I remember resisting the temptation to mute my computer when the onyx rings started a'twisting.

I remember when it was all new to me. How brilliant the trilogy was, how it never ceased to surprise me. Now when I play it's second nature to me. No need to detect traps; we're fine here. Is it worth detecting them when I know where they are? It's not worth the ten seconds to wait for the thief to detect them- We have Mirror Image and we're fine, thanks.

No longer a fresh new player, I look at the game with the seasoned eye of a veteran. Instead of trying to advance the plot, I try and figure out how to kill plot-critical characters with no repercussions other than, well, not being able to advance the plot. Yes, I've had a good run with the game, and it still finds ways to entertain me.

So here's a round of Evermead for the Baldur's Gate series. I remember it all. Do you?

12-10-2006, 05:36 AM	#1
Illumina Drathiran'ar Apophis Join Date: July 10, 2002 Location: I can see the Manhattan skyline from my window. Age: 39 Posts: 4,673	Do you remember? Do you remember your first trek through Faerun? Do you remember the laughable attempts on your life in Candlekeep, and the attempts that were not quite so laughable afterwards? Do you remember having to save every minute, knowing full well that each minute might be the last for your beloved character? I do. I remember when the Realms were a vast and frightening place, when all I had to defend myself was Magic Missile, which I could cast once per round, twice per day, and summoned a single glowing orb. I remember the vast wilderness of the Sword Coast, not knowing if an unexplored area would contain certain death, fantastic rewards, new allies, or perhaps all of them. I remember the music of the Sword Coast... Very ambient and rugged, never imposing, always reflecting the frailty of my character. I remember not knowing how to survive Stinking Cloud. I remember the iron crisis, and not knowing how it connected to my character or the grand scheme of things. I remember Nimbul jumping me when I was in badly need of a rest. I remember being cautious every time I entered a city or inn. I remember not knowing where the traps were. I remember Magic Resistance, and cursing the fact that it meant I had to rely on melee. I remember not knowing the ideal party makeup and having to learn as I went. I remember gaining control of my character in a madman's dungeon, wondering if I'd ever escape. I remember mourning the loss of Khalid, which was an unexpected twist at the time. I remember gaining more powers, more abilities. Suddenly I could foil both Cloudkill and Magic Resistance with the right magic. I could make more than two attacks per round. I remember wonding how the hell I was going to pay for that Robe of Vecna or the outrageous fee demanded by that tart with the Cockney accent. I remember having so many quests I didn't know what to do. I remember lines coming from Jan Jansen that made me laugh out loud at my desk at two in the morning. I remember the romances, wondering how they'd all develop. I remember not being able to choose a class. I remember thinking to myself, "I'll have to play this four or five times before I can say I've really completed it." I've now played it dozens upon dozens of times, and I'm still not sure if I've completed it yet. I remember having to cast Raise Dead. I remember Jon Irenicus, the only villain worth fighting, with his Hannibal Lected bedside manner. I remember not having any idea what the monster was plotting, but I was sure that he meant business. I remember when it was difficult to fight a dragon. I remember feeling like I earned that suit of armor. I remember prophecies, war-torn cities, secret cabals, and godlike power that was suddenly at my disposal. I remember battles both epic and irritating. I remember resisting the temptation to mute my computer when the onyx rings started a'twisting. I remember when it was all new to me. How brilliant the trilogy was, how it never ceased to surprise me. Now when I play it's second nature to me. No need to detect traps; we're fine here. Is it worth detecting them when I know where they are? It's not worth the ten seconds to wait for the thief to detect them- We have Mirror Image and we're fine, thanks. No longer a fresh new player, I look at the game with the seasoned eye of a veteran. Instead of trying to advance the plot, I try and figure out how to kill plot-critical characters with no repercussions other than, well, not being able to advance the plot. Yes, I've had a good run with the game, and it still finds ways to entertain me. So here's a round of Evermead for the Baldur's Gate series. I remember it all. Do you? __________________ http://cavestory.org PLAY THIS GAME. Seriously. http://xkcd.com/386/ http://www.xkcd.com/406/ My heart is like my coffee. Black, bitter, icy, and with a straw.