Well, I tried to make tinyE caretaker of the games I received from owning the Enhanced Editions of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale, but he never got back to me *sniffle* Anywho, I've got these games to giveaway and, instead of leaving them to the ninjas, I decided to give folks who really want them a chance. Of course, there are some ground rules:

1) Do not post any criticism about Beamdog. It's all over the place, no need to bring it here. Personally, I'm ambivalent towards them. I'm giving away the originals, so that's what I prefer to focus on.

2) You don't have to enter for all three. You can pick one or two if you like.

3) I'd prefer if you entered for yourself and that you don't own them. However, I can't really stop you from entering for someone else. Just keep it on the up and up.

4) I'd also prefer if you have a positive rep if entering. Again, I'm not going to throw a fit if someone with a negative rep enters (there are a few decent folk here with negative rep).

That's about it. This'll be open until Friday, May 13th (ooh, spooky!) and then Random.org will make a winner out of one of you.

Edit: Thanks to fearfulsymmetry, for another set of games to give away. That's two chances to become a winner!

Not in, but thank you for the giveaway, Ophelium!

Not in. +1

OG? Kush?! YES please! nomnomnomnom

Of course,you would be here.

+1 for the GA, not in though.

Represent, ma homies! =P (Not in)

I'd like to hear about Baldur's Gate in general before entering (as well as IWD). The games seem to be mentioned everywhere (both positively for the games themselves and negatively with the release of the DLC), and they look like stars here on GOG. I'm naturally curious about them, about their gameplay, etc.

Off topic but:
BG: DnD 3.5 ruleset. Pre-rendered backdrops with 3d characters moving in isometric viewport. Fantasy themed on Forgotten Realms worldspace. Interesting story which would be spoiled if we told you anything about. Move between maps on a large overland map which you click to goto smaller place maps. Long storyline, can't think of any figures, but be prepared to lose a lot of time on them. It is setup to have main character and a party joins over the story - you get to pick who joins. Or you can solo it (my personal favourite - thief, sorceror, possibly cleric). You can also define the whole party if you like, bit of a workaround for that.

IWD: Same engine, more combat focused. The first one is good, the second didn't grab me as much.

Planescape Torment: Said to have the best storyline, haven't actually played this one all the way through, but certainly diiferent.

One of the big pluses is that the Infinity Engine (which they all use) has been modded so much over the 20 years. Big World setup is a program which will download a ton of mods (and I mean installed all together is 35gb!), install them all for you, setup up BG1 to play through BG2's engine, and that, especially if you play solo, will take you months to complete! You can also choose, most mods basic, tactics (hardens difficulty), and total which is unstable buts adds the most in.

Personally I have been using the originals since they came out with various mods over the years, various playthroughs with parties or solo, different challenges etc. and would still play them today. Only reason I can see to get the remakes is if you want to play the new pack (which personally I don't see fitting into the already complete campaign), so up to you. I will always remember booting up and hearing "My pubs as clean as an elven arse!", not too mention "You must gather your party before venturing forth". Happy days!

+1 OP, not in.

Real time with pause.
The Enhanced editions offer a mode that makes your characters immortal. (which I'm using as I hate the combat)

Uhm, actually BG uses 2nd edition rules. As does BG II and the first Icewind. ID II uses 3rd edition.

Personally, I've found that I don't like the real-time-with-pause combat. It feels like I don't have as much control, and if I enable auto-pause (a good idea for these games), the battles feel less fluid and lack the rhythm found in turn-based games like Wizardry.

Of note:

BG1: Low level AD&D, and it naturally inherits the flaws of said game. At level 1, attacks miss way too often, attacks that hit are likely to be fatal (making the game too RNG dependent), and it takes way too long for you to gain a level.

BG2: Higher level AD&D, including some interesting spells like Contingency and Limited Wish. The problem I had, however, is that your companions will often initiate conversations when you're trying to do something else, and you can easily end up with a bunch of timed quests running at the same time. In the Throne of Bhaal expansion, it's possible to reach levels as high as 40.

IWD: You get to create your whole party, rather than just your main character. Doing quests in the starting town allows you to get past the frustrating RNG-fest that is level 1, while not taking you to the high levels of power that you reach in BG2. Game is much more focused on dungeons and combat; there's much less dialog. (In particular, you don't have to worry about timed quests here.) Also of note is that scrolls (for learning mage spells) and magic items are much rarer than in the Baldur's Gate games.

Also, you might want to check out the SSI games. The Pool of Radiance series, for example, is turn-based and based on 1st edition rules (including archaic rules like racial level limits and the sexist limits on female strength). The Eye of the Beholder series resembles Dungeon Master (though I think I prefer Dungeon Master's mechanics). Dungeon Hack is a cross between Eye of the Beholder and a roguelike. The Dark Sun games take place in a less common setting: post-apocalyptic fantasy. They also feature playable half-giants and thri-kreen (an insectoid race) as well as psionics.

Edit: Not in, as I already have all three games in my library.

Not in. I already have all three games in my library (both ee and original. The serial keys I gave them to my brother).

+1.

Not in, but +1 for the generosity.

You are quite right there, am wondering what I remember seeing then? Anyways, yes 2nd edition.