What is a good "starter" CRPG be to get used to the D&D system? I've enjoyed the SPECIAL system used in FO3/4 and TES' system too (I also want to play Wizardry 8, the profession promotion system seems really cool!).

I'm quite a fan of Bioware since playing through the Mass Effect trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins and DA2, so Baldur's Gate is definitely on my 'to play list', along with the other Infinity Engine games.

Just not sure which game would be the "best" intro to a "based on D&D" ruleset?

First thing to know is that there isn't one set of D&D rules the games are based on. They are based on various versions of the pen and paper RPG (D&D 1st edition, AD&D 2nd edition, D&D 3 / 3.5, 5 ...) that can be significantly different from each other, e.g. in how they treat armor class (in the older versions lower is better and there's even negative numbers, in the newer versions it's the higher the better). So don't expect that playing one game will teach you all you need to know for playing another game.

EDIT:
I was searchng for a list of D&D games sorted by the editions they're based on, as I'm sure such lists exists, but so far I wasn't able to find one yet. :/

If I'm not mistaken, the Goldbox games (Forgotten Realms - The Archive - Collection 2) use 1st and 2nd edition, other ones from the first half of the 90's (Dark Sun etc.) and the Infinity Engine games use 2nd (except for Icewind Dale 2, which uses 3rd already). Neverwinter Nights uses 3rd and NWN 2 uses 3.5, as does The Temple of Elemental Evil, I think, and Sword Coast Legends is loosely based on 5th ...). The biggest differences are between 1st-2nd vs. 3-3.5 vs. 5 (I don't think there is a game based on 4).

As for the Infinity Engine games, Baldur's Gate let's you start with one character only, which seems less confusing but more restricted (you still get pre-made companions you can control along the way, but e.g. starting with a wizard puts you at a disadvantage in the beginning, especially when fighting on your own), while in Icewind Dale you get to create your own party of six, which could be overwhelming, but also gives you more insight in the different classes you can play. Icewind Dale is also a bit more focused on combat, which might help to learn the rules, or frustrate and bore you, depending on your preferences. Planescape Torment is really more about the story than about D&D rules.

There were 2 editions of AD&D, the first of which was an expansion, cleanup and modification of the original D&D but did not replace it - D&D and AD&D ran in parallel for a while, though I don't think there ever was a "D&D 2nd Ed", just various additions and lesser modifications to the base rules. Eventually the base D&D was scrapped, and the next edition of AD&D got named just D&D 3rd Ed, and that's the road we're on with the current D&D 5th Ed.

Also, according to its Wikipedia page, Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale uses part of the 4th Ed ruleset for character progression.

Thanks for clearing that up! For some reason I always thought AD&D was called 2nd edition for being a "sequel" to D&D. Interesting that "Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale" is using 4th edition, I never played it (I think it's supposed to be rather bad?).

Yeah, the editions around that time are a bit confusing.

I haven't played Daggerdale either, so I can't offer much info on that.

Here is my understanding about the editions of D&D CRPGs (at least those that play at lease remotely close to some version of D&D; I am excluding things like the arcade games here):

Gold Box series: Use AD&D 1e rules. Note that these games do implement a few rules they shouldn't, like the limit on female strength, racial level limits, and the rule against having enough XP to gain multiple levels at once (the last rule hurts these games where you can only level up in certain places, but would have been beneficial for 3e games).

Other SSI games: Use AD&D 2e. Note that there might be the occasional 1e-ism in the games (for example, in the second Dark Sun games, Heal heals all but 1d4, rather than all, hit points). Still implement racial level limits. Leveling happens automatically as soon as you get enough XP (at least in Dungeon Hack and Dark Sun).

Infinity Engine games (except IWD2): Use AD&D 2e. No more level limits, and a few other rules were deliberately not implemented. However, this is the first time you see weapon proficiencies implemented in a D&D-based CRPG. (Non-weapon proficiencies were never implemented in a 1e-or 2e- based game.)

IWD2: 3rd edition D&D (the A was officially dropped from the title here), but there are still some 2e-isms. This is the one game that suffers from *not* having the rule against multiple level ups; when combined with the 3e rules for distributing XP, the result is a system that is exploitable in a stupid way (adding a new level 1 character to an existing party increases the XP everyone else earns). Still has 2e-isms in it, like Raise Dead not working on elves.

NWN1: 3e
NWN2: 3.5e

Temple of Elemental Evil: 3.5e, and a more faithful reproduction of the rules than the NWN games, though there are plenty of bugs in the game.

Note that, while a game may be based on a certain edition, it may not implement certain rules, and some rules may be interpreted differently by the developers (see Spiritual Hammer and Mordenkainen's Sword, for example). Alternatively, developers might take shortcuts (see temporary HP in both the Dark Sun games and the Infinity Engine games for some examples), and there may be bugs that cause certain things to not work according to the rules. Even the Gold Box games, while based off the same engine, have their little differences; for example, the second Krynn game doesn't implement the Wisdom requirements for high level Priest spells, but the third game does.

Me being a huge fan of Baldur's Gate and familiar with the 1st edition of AD&D from my youth (which doesn't differ much from the 2nd Edition that the BG games use), I'm not really in a position to advise as being unfamiliar is too far off to really remember what a first exposure feels like.


However, if after all replies you decide to go for any 2nd Edition games, I always recommend this FAQ to get to know the basics of AD&D before playing: https://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/75251-baldurs-gate/faqs/8566


The basic things you need to know about AD&D editions 1 and 2 in three short sentences are (in my own words):

1. AC=Armour Class (how hard it is to hit you), ThAC0=to hit armour class zero (how hard it is to hit others) and Save vs. = Saving Throw (your chance of escaping hostile effects such as spells thrown at you).

2. In those three cases (AC, Thac0, saves) LOWER IS BETTER.

3. With all other numbers (most importantly hit points, being the amount of damage you can take before dying) and level, higher is better.


I'll let others be exerts on editions 3.0 and up.

Actually, I think the first game that introduced me to D&D, was Eye of the Beholder. It's rather simplified though, and the gameplay doesn't have that much to do with the PnP rules, apart from the very basics. You do learn the names and levels of some popular spells though. :D

In 3.0:

AC = Armor Class (I believe it's always been Armor, not Armour, at least in the rulebooks released in the US); however, higher is *better* (unlike earlier editions). Having 14 AC would be horrible in earlier editions, but might be reasonable for a starting character in 3e (and is better than 10 AC).

Base Attack Bonus: Replaces THAC0. Higher is better.

Saves: There are 3 types in 3e (Fortitude, Reflex, and Will). Again, higher is better.

Note that some non-D&D RPGs have an AC stat; whether higher or lower is better depends on the game. In general, older games use "lower is better", while more recent games use "higher is better". (One interesting case: TES: Arena calls the stat "AR", but still uses "lower is better".)

Just to add to your great post, in Baldurs Gate you can create all six characters, start a LAN (can't remember exactly what the name is, possibly join game or something rather than just play) and click each of the empty 6 character panes to create 1-6 of the characters you want. Do remember though that if you create all six there is no room for in game characters to join, so you will miss the character specific quests in BG2.

Also, if you have the originals, use BGTrilogy or Tutu to combine BG1 into BG2 engine, makes play through smoother and you get the better engine (or you could use Big World mod which adds 30gb of patches, cut stuff, npcs, quests etc. to both games and combines them).

Icewind Dale is pretty much all combat, can't even remember a single thing about the "story".

You're right, it's the same with the rulebooks released in The Netherlands, they're the US version, however I'm a language purist if it comes to the spelling of armour and colour.

I am also, to some extent, a language purist when it comes to the spelling of armor and color; the 'u' doesn't belong.

(Anyone with a rulebook from the UK want to check the spelling of "armor" in the PHB?)

Depends if you can tolerate old graphics. If you can deal with anything, go for the original Gold Box ones, if you need VGA/SVGA go for Eye of the Beholder/Dark Sun, if you can't tolerate even those - go straight to the Infinity Engine games.

Hey again all!

Thanks so much for the informative and in-depth posts!

I think I might start with BG/IW and get used to that, then go to NWN and the 3/3.5 system.

The Gold Box games might just be a little too old for me, same as Dark Sun, though the latter's post-apoclyptic-but-with-fantasy-races setting sounds incredibly interesting!!

If you want them, I have codes for the original Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale (not the Enhanced Editions) and NWN. PM me if you're interested!