As mentioned, there could be a plot device such as Turned to Stone that would allow Minsc to be there over a century in the future. But even so, I'd say no. Start fresh with new characters. Even if the story for BG3 uses a descendent of CHARNAME and/or a plotline of some sort that has Bhaal's essence trying to reemerge from the planes. I'd want a new cast of characters.
Does Wizards have a no-unsupported rulesets rule (no pun intended)? Because I'm really not a fan of 4th Ed. 3rd is okay, but if it were up to me it would be all about 2nd Ed. Maybe that's just my inner fanboy nerdgasming.
Given the timeframes involved, odds are you'd be pushed to 5th edition. And I'm sure nobody wants to run through the 2nd-3rd-4th-5th set of conversions required to update characters.
Given Minsc's ending at the end of BG2, he'd have to be an old man... barring some weirdy thing with de-aging or something like that... I don't know if 4th edition has Potions of Longevity/Elixirs of Youth, or if 5th edition will. So, barring something like that and a cameo appearance, I honestly can't see it happening.
I could see the adventurer possibly running into Kivan, Kagain, Viconia, Yeslick, Xan or Aerie in a future game. Highly unlikely though. I would absolutely love to run into Minsc and Boo again.
I voted this because I always play an evil character in bg. And at some point Minsc thinks its ok to take on my whole party when I'm fixing to do something terrible! So yeah...I don't minsc in a future game so long as he's dead in my book hahaha!!!
I don't know; I can imagine a Plansescape: Baldur's Gate where Minsc might be unable to die. *shrugs* I want a wonderful BG3 game and if it is, I don't much care about the details that make its greatness. A fresh start would be cool, though it makes sense for some elf types to be around still. What I'd like to see:
1) more care to making sure needed classes are around. It's very late in BG to get a good cleric IMO, for instance 2) a truly different evil ending for people that want to be evil; sort of a situational difference maybe manifesting at the end game 3) A BG2 type map that has a lot of potential for growth (later DLC or whatnot) - my guess is that this is going to happen 4) Strongholds for all! I loved this about BG2 and would like it to remain. If it could be almost NwN2 like, so much the better 5) Origins of the character instead of air dropping, I think. A great idea that should make its way into more RPG's. Tired of being the mysterious orphan, shipwrecked in a new land or released from a prison
Eh, I think you can get a good Cleric pretty easily in BG if you just follow the general suggestions of the game. It shouldn't take you that long to get to the Nashkel Carnival and recruit Branwen.
@Tanthalas - Must be doing something wrong, then. Party with Branwen is a constant exercise in not getting her killed. I had far better luck with Jaheira, actually.
Well, there's only 2 pure class Clerics in the game and I wouldn't say that Viconia has a much better survival rate than Branwen.
Ehh, debatable. Branwen gets +1 to her HP (9 per level) and 8 base AC. Viconia gets 8 HP per level, 6 base AC, 50% magic resistance. Sounds like far better survival rate for me. Yes Branwen gets a little more HP and that's nice, but I'd say the key is not getting hit in the first place. That 2 better AC and 50% magic resistance is very appreciated.
Honestly though, from a power-gaming standpoint none of the clerics are very good. Yeslick with Gauntlets of Dexterity is pretty good I suppose. I find myself using a lot of Clerics in BG1 and a lot of Thieves in BG2.
Maybe some reappearance could be explained with magic, a thinning of the planes to allow characters to glimpse into the past, to see the legacy they've inherited? Like, maybe you're walking through the ruins of Saradush and something magical gives you a vision of Minsc and Edwin arguing, with the former Bhaalspawn hero/villain you played with their back to you.
Minsc needs to be a part of BG3. Yes Star Wars was a disaster... BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN MINSC WILL BE!
I would much prefer a prequel than an afterwards sort of BG3 anyways. You may have to send yourself back to the time of troubles to make sure your actually born for instance... Gods love to play about with time, especially if Bane has stole a portfolio off someone.
Not sure how old Minsc is, but perhaps he had hair back then!
You could even do the story about how they were united...
Hell, you could even have Gorion as a joinable NPC...
@Raistlin82 I believe as part of the contract any developer signs with Wizards of the Coast, new computer games must be made with current rules, and the current Realms jumped forward 100 years with 4e.
I'm sure Overhaul is perfectly capable of coming up with a new insane comic relief character. I too like Minsc but recycling him doesn't make much sense and frankly would be quite lazy.
I love Minsc and Boo. In fact, I love everything about the Baldur's Gate series. But I don't want to see him again in another game. If there is a Baldur's Gate 3 it shouldn't have anything directly to do with the Bhaalspawn story in my opinion. There is so much lore to explore in the forgotten realms, old myths, gods and demons.. I'd love a game somehow centered around the blood wars instead.
Seeing as I'm hoping that Baldur's Gate 3 will be a fresh level 1 start, (for the newcomers it doesn't make any sense to start at any other level) I don't think that Minsc should be a recruitable NPC since he would be far too powerful. Also as everyone pointed out, Minsc would be a centenarian by then. Minsc is such an awesome character and contributed a lot to making Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 unforgettable games so I definitely think that he at least need to be mentionned in some way though. I liked Moomintroll's idea of having him buried and for boo to be mourning at his side. It could be done in a subtle way that would strongly hint at it being Minsc without implicitly saying so as a sort of private wink to the original fanbase.
As for which characters I think should return, well, I think that all the characters that were in BG2 got proper goodbyes with their 'where are they now' endings so I don't see any of those coming back. That leaves the BG1 NPC's which were not in the second game: Alora, Kivan, Yeslick, Branwen, Safana, Skie, Xan, Eldoth, Kagain and Shar-Teel. Obviously the human NPC would normally all be dead but as we know in D&D universe everything is possible. I'd be interested to seeing apperances of some of those if only a cameo. Maybe one of them could even be recruitable.
Comments
As much as we all like Minsc, I agree that we need to let him and the others rest.
But Boo never die !
( And Boo is lvl 40 Space hamster so he can revive Minsc )
1) more care to making sure needed classes are around. It's very late in BG to get a good cleric IMO, for instance
2) a truly different evil ending for people that want to be evil; sort of a situational difference maybe manifesting at the end game
3) A BG2 type map that has a lot of potential for growth (later DLC or whatnot) - my guess is that this is going to happen
4) Strongholds for all! I loved this about BG2 and would like it to remain. If it could be almost NwN2 like, so much the better
5) Origins of the character instead of air dropping, I think. A great idea that should make its way into more RPG's. Tired of being the mysterious orphan, shipwrecked in a new land or released from a prison
Eh, I think you can get a good Cleric pretty easily in BG if you just follow the general suggestions of the game. It shouldn't take you that long to get to the Nashkel Carnival and recruit Branwen.
Honestly though, from a power-gaming standpoint none of the clerics are very good. Yeslick with Gauntlets of Dexterity is pretty good I suppose. I find myself using a lot of Clerics in BG1 and a lot of Thieves in BG2.
It's the first time I hear about both news.
I would much prefer a prequel than an afterwards sort of BG3 anyways. You may have to send yourself back to the time of troubles to make sure your actually born for instance... Gods love to play about with time, especially if Bane has stole a portfolio off someone.
Not sure how old Minsc is, but perhaps he had hair back then!
You could even do the story about how they were united...
Hell, you could even have Gorion as a joinable NPC...
Wait you would need to start a new one.
But the game would be huge for you to get all the way to lvl 40
BG4?!?!?!
As for which characters I think should return, well, I think that all the characters that were in BG2 got proper goodbyes with their 'where are they now' endings so I don't see any of those coming back. That leaves the BG1 NPC's which were not in the second game: Alora, Kivan, Yeslick, Branwen, Safana, Skie, Xan, Eldoth, Kagain and Shar-Teel. Obviously the human NPC would normally all be dead but as we know in D&D universe everything is possible. I'd be interested to seeing apperances of some of those if only a cameo. Maybe one of them could even be recruitable.