Bauldur's Gate to Icewind Dale

[I wish my name was Baggins]

You may find this sad but, aside from the computer games like BG, I have only played D&D for one adventure and that was while I was on ship in the Mediterranian (SP?) Sea while I was in the Marines. I have always been facinated by it though but I had one of those scared mom's who thought that you had to sacrifice children and worship the devil in order to play so it was strictly outlawed in my house.

[Keraptisdm]

Originally posted by Telchar of Nogrod: Ah! It is refreshing to hear and talk about real D+D. I've been playing for 25 years and am still loving it.

Lucky dog. Real life syndrom pulled me away from the gaming table. But hey, once my 8 yr old son gets older, maybe I can DM a gaming group for him and his friends?

I was blown away by BG when I first played it. Here were real towns, with people to interact with, weather, and howling wolves. BG gave such a 3D aspect to AD&D, that I was instantly hooked. You could see how big that Ogre is (especially when you're only 1st or 2nd level). Here was a CAMPAIGN! Sorry. Off topic again.

Does anyone else who played PnP AD&D remember that first experience when playing BG the first time?

[Lord Brass]

I feel proud to be in such inestimable company. I didn't know so many of us were old PnP'ers. Form up into the party order!

I do remember playing BG the first time (mind you I remember the Keraptis character as well). Sadly for me, my original impression of BG was a little spoiled by my attempts to play a mage. Well I thought, SFC has done wonders for Star Fleet Battles, maybe BG will do wonders for AD&D. Sadly, it can prove very difficult to get on with a mage at the beginning, so eventually I resorted to a fighter and then stopped. Exasperation had set in, so it took me a while to get back to it all. Glad I did though, it's just that it should be possible to get past one screen without the spell/rest/spell/rest formula boring you to sleep.

BTW for those who don't know, you're playing a 1st version of a revised edition of AD&D, whose derivation comes from a game called 'Chainmail', originally a miniatures game set of rules for tabletop battles. That's why if you look at a PnP version of those rules, character movement, spell ranges, missile ranges etc, are listed in inches. Crazy or what? Those rules were written by Gary Gygax in the '70s.

Sorry about the boring history lesson.

[Telchar of Nogrod]

I am very greatfull to Gary Gygax for delivering AD+D to the public; but, he did not develop it alone. As a matter of fact, he railroaded his college buddies who helped create the game with him.

BG1 is kinda special to me. It was the first game I bought (after doing extensive research), after buying my computer. I am the kind of player who loves exploring. I look under every rock; so, BG1 is perfect for me.

[Lord Brass]

Who develops anything alone? Even BG is most likely one person's idea, but another people's efforts. I too have a love of BG, though I secretly think that IWD holds a greater sway over me. That could be because I found it much easier to get into given the amount of time I had to play with.

I haven't really explored all of BG, so I keep putting off the move to BG:SoA. I've had that game and BG:ToB for over half a year now, and can see no significant attempt in sight to seriously begin playing. Maybe once I've completed BG again to my satisfaction.

Of course the other part of me says why bother if I can make a completely new character using the extended classes and edit the XP if I really wanted.

[blueskin]

To me BG is the mother of all games. I have it for 3-4 yrs now and im still playing it.
I dont think there will ever be a game as good as this [the story, the cities, the exploring, the charactars [MINSC LOL], the music, the ambience, the sounds of armor clittering and leather crackling, did I mention MINSC yet?...well you get the meaning, even though they try hard [IWD, NWN] but thats just an opinion. IMO the can keep all that fancy artsy fartsy 3D stuff.

[Although a good 1st P shoot is a relief once in a while]

Havent played BG2 yet though...any good?

-BLU

PS. IS this offtopic?

[pritchke]

Originally posted by Lord Brass: Who develops anything alone? Even BG is most likely one person's idea, but another people's efforts. I too have a love of BG, though I secretly think that IWD holds a greater sway over me. That could be because I found it much easier to get into given the amount of time I had to play with. I haven't really explored all of BG, so I keep putting off the move to BG:SoA. I've had that game and BG:ToB for over half a year now, and can see no significant attempt in sight to seriously begin playing. Maybe once I've completed BG again to my satisfaction. Of course the other part of me says why bother if I can make a completely new character using the extended classes and edit the XP if I really wanted.

That is so true. I am willing to bet almost anything that there was even a newfie who aided in creating BG. There is a certain Inn in the city were one of the Sailors is called "Sailor Newf" when you talk to him he sings "Ise the boy" a Newfoundland song. As well there is a thief that talks in words that you have to read over the text a coulple times to get what they are saying. In Newfoundland there are people who actually talk like that. Funny stuff that is that the developer adds some of its own culture to BG.

[SnarktheStrange]

Gygax the Grotesque was the god of an AD&D assassin of mine; the holy symbol was a pair of 20-sided dice.

The DM allowed "free-form magic" with a poetic component. d100 for effectiveness; d100 for affect on the caster; modified for level, class and poetic quality.

The assasin managed to cast a free-form raise dead after a disasterous encounter. When he tried a second one, he was permanently smushed by a giant pair of dice that dropped from the sky. 8>(

[I wish my name was Baggins]

I have to admit that I am an adict to BG as well. I bought the game hot off of the presses and I am still playing it religiously. I am amazed however at the amount of knowledge that I have been able to pick up in this forum because even though I have had the game forever I am still learning new things and tricks and tips that I never even would have comprehended to exist.