Yea, I understand, the game kind of turns into a hack and slash near the end. However, if you were doing the side quests, you shouldn't have had any problems as your character should have had enough powah to slaughter everything.

I was playing a pretty princess, and didn't have any problems near the end. I actually had problems in the beginning (the quest with the Asian spy / vampire and the one that attacks you with a human arm), the-world-is-pink princess was terrible at fighting. :)

You know, people have beaten that game with a single character. In the weakest class. ;-P

Best RPG evar!

Yep. But it would be about as confusing as Gravity's Rainbow to a new CRPGer.

(well, I don't know if I agree with the best RPG ever part, but it is a very good series)

Avadon is relatively simple, both in scope and mechanics, and would make a good intro to the series.

For me, that series didn't get playable until Drakensang (same world, same system, kinda, but pretty much a different take on the game as a whole - Pools of Radiance compared to Neverwinter Nights 2).

>,>

<.<

...... They should get Drakensang on here....

I remember tackling that beast when it came out. I was around 10 or 11. Boy, that was a monster (but awesome) back then. I played it together with a buddy. One of us was always stuck in the manual and the other one tried to stay alive.

The original German manual was useless. Not because it was to short, but it was to long. It was obviously written by a P&P author without knowledge of the game mechanics. All the useless information.

Good times. But I think I only actually finished it once Riva came around and I gave the whole trilogy another shot.

I suppose it depends on one's preconceptions of RPGs, but I'd wager Baldur's Gate isn't that beginner friendly due to D&D's spell system. I've often found myself in fights that were hard because I didn't have the right spells memorized. :/
Also, spells like fireballs don't show you the area they'll hit, so I've always avoided using those spells because I'm too scared of hitting my own party. :P

Might and Magic: World of Xeen from the Might and Magic Sixpack (on GoG) is the game I recommend starting with. Simple, logical, not needlessly complicated rules and fast paced gameplay. Grid based with great automap and journal which notes the important locations. Feels like real time but is actually turn based, so you have all the time you need for thinking.

Is it really that good?

I've had it sitting in my account, but I keep putting it off because people say its one of the most difficult and complex RPGs. Not that that bothers me, but I always feel too tired to try and get into something that complicated.

It's not just complicated, it's also completely unapproachable. I am a person who enjoyed Daggerfall and Morrowind a lot, and yet I got completely lost in the Realms of Arkania games. Had no clue what to do and where to go. Still, from what I have seen, it's got quite well written characters and their interactions, and combat system makes sense (as in: no 6 handed blob)

It certainly is more complicated than Baldurs Gate and everything that came past it. But it is not as "dry and complex" as those of the '80s.

It could roughly be compared with Fallout 1 and 2 in that it has many, many skills and several different derived stats. But the GOG manuals and ref cards are excellent (better than the originals, see above).

What I always liked was the "hands off approach" the first to games had in terms of story. RoA 1 and 2 were completely non-linear and could be completed in any order. You can literally skip roughly 80% of the first and 70% of the second game and still beat the main campaign. But both can be unforgiving hard at times, RoA 2 is especially notorious. Keep many different saves.

RoA 3 is a downright masterpiece, but it sacrificed the non-linearity for that.

Check the forums, there are some very helpful beginners guides and I always keep watch if new questions arise.
And again it is proven that you obviously know nothing about videogames!

(But yes, in RoA 1 discovering the main quest is more luck than knowledge).

Edit: Morrowind actually provides a good example on how the main quest in RoA was "hidden". Consider you have to find your blades contact without knowing where he is or that he even exists. In RoA 1 you have to be at a specific tavern at a specific time to get the quest. Later some random people on the street would usher you in the right direction, but at first you are utterly lost.

It doesn't really hurt, as RoA is mostly about exploration. The actual main quest is rather short. I think I once finished the game from start to finish in less than an our. Quite easy, if you know where to go. On the other hand it took me 15 years to finally solve on of the riddles in the game.

CRPGs comprise a wide spectrum of quite different games, one CRPG is not necessarily like another.

For example, in some you play a single character, in others your character has AI controlled companions, and then there are those in which you are allowed or required to manage a whole party of characters (preferably of complementing classes, like two melee fighters, one mage, one cleric etc.). In some combat is turn-based and as slow as you want it to be, in others combat is real-time and fast paced. The former require you to think tactical and plan each move, the latter require good reactions. In some a successful hit is determined by 'dice throws', in others by the player's skills. Some CRPGs are based on a rich and complicated ruleset, others are more or less self-explanatory and easy to grasp. Some are linear, others offer much room for exploration and choices. There are dungeon crawls and open worlds, CRPGs more focused on dialogues and plot, others on hacking, slashing and looting, epic stories that revolve around saving the world or personal stories about finding or saving yourself, some games that allow you to choose and customize your character, others that let you play the role of a predefined character.

A few subgenre examples are:
- Dungeon Crawlers (e.g. Might & Magic, Lands of Lore, Ultima Underworld etc.)
- Rogue-likes (e.g. Dungeons of Dredmor)
- Action RPGs (e.g. Diablo, Sacred, Nox)
- JRPGs (J for Japanese, more focused on linear story telling than customization, e.g. Final Fantasy)
- WRPGs (W for Western, very general term, often used for all kinds of CRPGs that combine storytelling with free character creation, open world exploration and choices that affect the path of your hero, e.g. Baldur's Gate, Morrowind)
- MMORPGs (e.g. World of Warcraft)

Anyway, if you want to try Baldur's Gate, I'd suggest playing a fighter character, because beginners might have a hard time playing spell casters on the lower character levels. And don't let the possibly bland story of Neverwinter Nights' original campaign discourage you. If you don't like it, just skip it. The add-on campaign Hordes of the Underdark is actually quite good, and you can find lots of free user-created campaigns of high quality on the net. I also second the recommendation for the indie RPG Avadon - The Black Fortress (not on GOG). It's both a typical isometric WRPG with turn-based combat and pretty simple and comprehensible regarding the few rules.

It depends on if you read the manual or not :P
For a "rules heavy" game, it is quite approachable, but just as a general "game" compared to most other games, it is not. Still, it is not a horrible place to start, as it is forgiving enough to allow you to make some mistakes, at least early on, without the game becoming nigh unwinnable, unlike many older D&D games.

You have now reminded me of Betrayal at Krondor, which is surprising since you're so utterly tasteless lawyer (you didn't really remind me of it at all, I just wanted to call you an utterly tasteless lawyer for no good reason. Take that!) Anyway, the game is quite accessible, it's got a very good story and sense of direction, you do need to at least read the gameplay-related bits of manual tho. Other than that, it's an excellent game that doesn't rely on save / reload at all, and it's very, very well written.