In BG, how do you usually determine your party of NPCs?
franco
Member Posts: 507
I think it would be informative for all of us to get some idea of how our fellow gamers in BG usually determine the party of NPCs that they intend to have at the end of the game. Please expand on your answers here to let us know why you prefer to approach NPC selection the way you do.
Also, if you want to, please think of answering the question, "Would you ever be open to playing a one-off game sometimes where the ability to recruit an NPC is randomized thereby increasing uncertainty in the game?"
Also, if you want to, please think of answering the question, "Would you ever be open to playing a one-off game sometimes where the ability to recruit an NPC is randomized thereby increasing uncertainty in the game?"
- In BG, how do you usually determine your party of NPCs?104 votes
- I usually like to preplan the final party to complement my PC's class and abilities.54.81%
- I usually like to mix things up. My final party will often depend on in game circumstances.14.42%
- I usual have restartitis. Before getting too deep into the game I often restart to try a new PC and party.11.54%
- Other. there may be some other interesting ideas here.19.23%
Post edited by franco on
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Comments
I am very interested in the ability to play a one-off game sometime where the ability to recruit an NPC is randomized, with a dice roll usually modified by Charname's Charisma. This way, some of the NPCs may not be available, although more than half of them usually will be. This should increase the level of uncertainty in the game and be useful as a challenge.
I really like the SCS mod's relocation of the NPCs. Since you encounter the NPCs earlier, it makes the possibilities for party creation much more flexible.
My favorites in BGEE are Imoen, Minsc, Neera, Ajantis.
My favorites in BG2 have been Imoen, Minsc, Aerie, Keldorn. I expect Neera will be added to that list!
Eh~ Maybe if I got bored.
I don't think I'd want too much randomizing. Reason: There are also NPCs that simply annoy me. It wouldn't enhance my enjoyment of the game if I was stuck with one or more NPCs I can't stand. It wouldn't make any sense that charname travelled with people he dislikes either and put me in the position to meta game (keep annoying NPC because I know I need this class for the next quest) or to gimp my party because charname can't know he'll need the skills of a certain NPC and wouldn't keep them around. I prefer the freedom to have charname meet people, travel with them for a while and part ways once it's clear they won't get along, and still get an enjoyable party together for the next quest.
And no, I don't think I'd be open to the idea of random NPC recruits because the NPCs aren't interchangeable - each of them has a story to tell, and the player should retain the freedom of determining which of those stories gets to be told in a particular playthrough.
Possible alternative: assign the PC a party of five characters at the start of each new chapter. So, for example, in chapter 1 you'd have Imoen, Xzar, Montaron, Jaheira and Khalid; in chapter 2 it'd be Ajantis, Viconia, Kagain, Neera and Garrick, and so on. Then, before returning to Candlekeep, you put the player in a room with all 29 NPCs and let them choose their final party.
I very rarely end up with a perfectly balanced party but once you know the game a little bit better that doesn't really matter.
I used to go with Imoen, Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc and Dynaheir but most of them has not been used in a while. Right now Kagain is a favorite and I try to stay away from Edwin and Baeloth since it's not really fun to play them (more than once
I think based on the responses that I'm getting a pretty good education here. Also interesting that a number of you have a really warm relationship with some of your NPC's and it adds to your fondness for the game.
There is a sizable group, around 50% or so, who like to preplan their final NPC parties to either complement their PC's class or add to their enjoyment of the game. Some of the pre planners have certain NPCs that they like very much to play with. Almost all pre plan balance into their parties. Some even like variety, and they may want to pre plan a new party that they want to experience. There is also some planning to get NPCs who interact with each other in a pleasing way. Others may also pre plan not to have certain NPCs because they "can't stand them". Pre planning is certainly a type of meta gaming by definition, but they're having fun.
There's an interesting sub-group, about 10-15% who often restart to set up another PC and party. It should be interesting to find out more about what their feelings are when they do that. Maybe experiencing the new kits is a draw. Maybe experiencing the excitement of playing with low hit points. Maybe the game gets a little too predictable for them as they go deeper. It would be good to hear more from them about it.
There is a small group that chose a type of in game variety in "I like to mix things up" maybe 10-15%. At times, part of this is to get an expanded role playing experience, which often depends on how Charname will react to events and new characters as he/she encounters them. In a way, you have to suspend some pre knowledge in order to enhance that kind of experience. Some have a knowledge of the "type of party" that they want, but like to vary the final group in game, rather than before hand, for variety. Others like the variety itself obviously because "it's the spice of life", a new and interesting experience.
Also, a pretty good size sub-group, about 25%, that consider their approach to be "Other". Their approaches often tend to overlap with some of the other groups', but they tend to retain what they feel is at least a single independent idea that makes the game more special to them. This groups seems to be the most varied. It may be important to follow different "themes" through their games. It may be the desire to experience most the role playing of getting along with characters. It may be the willingness to experience a not so balanced party. It may be the tendency to pre plan, but knowing you have a strong tendency to change your mind based on events in the game. There is even the idea of carrying a standard preferred party each time out and developing the technique of using these characters to surprising levels of efficiency.
Finally, there seems to be a small minority in the "other" and the "mix it up" group who might find it desirable to increase the level of uncertainty in the game. When the game was fresh and new, it also contained a high level of uncertainty and there was a special thrill associated with that. These players, often math type oriented (myself included), want to get back some of that uncertainty by randomizing some of its aspects, creating a type of one-off challenge to enjoy from time to time. It's clear from many of the posts above however that this is not always consistent with the way a great many players enjoy the game.
And after all, that's the important thing.