I posted the following comment and questions in the EA Promo thread but it seems to have gone straight to why EA is an evil monster from outer space, I guess it's fair to post it again in a more appropriate place. :)

"The Ultima series is also tempting as I somehow missed them in my youth. Perhaps I should really give another try at Savage Empire first. I liked the setting, the atmosphere, the openness of the game but I disliked the interface, the small screen area reserved to the action and I couldn't figure out the combat system.
What are your thoughts about it ? Should I persevere in SE first, trusting that the learning curve isn't that bad ? Is there an engine recreation ? Are the later Ultimates (6-7) just plain better than SE ?"

Since then, I've already bought a few games from the promo so I probably won't buy anything else but the question stands : Is SE a good introduction to the Ultima system ? Any tips to make SE is smoother experience are also welcome. :)

Savage Empire and Martian Dreams re-use the Ultima 6 engine, so mechanically, they all function about the same. Typically, the two 'starting points' most people recommend are Ultima 4 (my personal suggestion) and Ultima 7 (which, based on what you're saying, might be the better option for you). I wouldn't really call the Worlds of Ultima games (Savage Empire and Martian Dreams) a /great/ introduction to the series, but they're not bad, either. As far as a 'smoother experience,' I believe there's a modding project in the works to essentially rebuild Savage Empire using the Ultima 7 engine, but it's still a work in progress last I checked.

Thanks for the input, Roaringlion.

Yes, after some google-fu, I found out about :
- Nuvie, an interpreter for U6 generation games. Still well in wip stage as far as SE is concerned.
- Savage Empire remake for Exult. As you've said, still a wip.

Ultima 4 used to crash for me right after the virtue choice but I've noticed xu4 and might be able to see what's what after all. I might have the same issue as with SE, though: the interface.

There are several graphical options and modes, as well as a graphical upgrade to the game - and I admit, they're looking pretty good although I could do without the Poser cutscenes.

There is also Ultima IV Reborn, a Neverwinter Nights module. Did someone had the occasion to try it and compare it to the original ?

Savage Empire is a mixed bag. The interface is really antiquated, althoug not as bad as Spoony might make it out to be. Nuvie is offering a new interface similar to Ultima VII with proper drag&drop support, but currently is is only possible to play through Ultima VI, and even that one isn't fully finished. The makers of Nuvie want to focus on finishing Ultima VI first, so it will still be quite a while until Savage Empire gets the royal treatment. On the other hand, Savage empire is fairly light on the RPG mechanics part and it's more about the story and exploring the world, so you don't have to fiddl with the interface every few steps.

Another thing worth mentioning is that neither Savage Empire nor Martian Dreams have anything to do with Ultima. You are still the Avatar, the hero from the prior Utima games, and some characters do make a cameo, but other than that it has nothing to do with Britannia, the Virtues or anything.

Personally i recommend Ultima IV as a starting point, the balancing issues of the early games have all been solved and the game is still simple enough (from a mechanical standpoint) that the clunky interface is not a problem. I would really recommend the upgrade patch, having nicer tiles and music (the original DOS version has no music at all) is really great. I haven't tried xu4, I couldn't figure out how to use it on my Mac, but DOSBox worked fine for me.

I also recommend Ultima 4 as a starting point. This is where the whole virtues/principles thingy is introduced that made the Ultima series something special.

Savage World and Martian Dreams are good games, too, but they're not really Ultima games and therefore don't provide that Ultima feeling, they just happen to use the U6 engine. But if you're a fan of Jules Verne then by all means: knock yourself out and play those two. You're going to have a blast.

I've played Ultima 4 a little. While the introduction, the book and the virtues are very interesting, I'm struggling to keep that interest in the actual game. There is no much background to delve into and the actual gameplay I've experienced so far isn't that gripping. I just don't feel "in" the world.

U6 generation might be the way to go for me.

Nuvie's fullscreen mode looks very compelling.