After oh so many playthroughs, do you fiddle with the game to make it interesting again?

Queegon

I've replayed the game countless times now. Before EE, after EE, with mods, without mods, still have my 5-disc original somewhere. I'm still returning actively to it but found myself with very similar grouping of NPCs for good or evil parties. I don't like certain (non)kits, or like certain NPC enough to justify them in my group (hello, Valygar!).

Then I started fiddling with the NPCs I didn't like as much to be something else, something more for me to have a reason to take them. Basically as if I created the NPC during creation screen but with all the banter and personality of said NPC.

So with that in mind I had a game with Minsc as a berserker (bye bye Korgan), another with Valygar as an archer (because something BIG had to outweigh his personality), or Mazzy as a cavalier. Anomen is the Priest of Helm, Yoshimo kensai (I mean seriously, he even says "KAAI...tourists love that stuff", he's the kensai I always wanted to be as CHARNAME and he can dance on the head of a pin as well.) or Swashbuckler. Hexxat became an assassin once.

Now that leaves me with Cernd never getting used, Nalia never getting used outside of de'Arnise keep (Jan is the go-to), Haer'Dalis, bard with little lore, little thievery who sings as good a bard as Garrick near the Order's door (I'm talking SoA here).

Am I alone in doing so?

JuliusBorisov

I'm playing BG with a no-reload rule, it's not that simple considering difficulty-enhancing options (like the SCS mod or the LoB mode in BG1 lately). I still haven't beaten the whole trilogy without reloads.

This factor alone keeps games interesting to me.

As for changing NPCs' classes and kits, yes, this is quite a popular thing for players "who been there done that". This way, you can get banters and dialogues even if your party consists of those classes and kits that unchanged NPCs do not provide. Also, using existing NPCs stops you from creating min-maxed parties if it's hard for you not to give 18-18-18 at the character creation screen.

marzbarz

I change minsc to a ranger/cleric asap when I get him out of the cage. This alone changes which party members ill usually end up picking up. Like ill forget anomen and grab viconia or Aerie for more of a caster type druid and use minsc as the buffer. Then either grab valygar and change to warrior same way or mazzy. It changes a few things lol. Can use those books to duel people and keep things new.

Queegon

@marzbarz I wouldn't be able to justify Minsc as cleric/ranger, he's the village idiot. Vanilla ranger is terrible, but berserker fits him very well in its stead.

Plus a true Rashemi Minsc by enkida (deviantArt) is another reason rto have him in party (doesn't work well with Boo kidnapping)

mf2112

I am enjoying playing with the UI to give the game a different look and feel.

rapsam2003

Queegon said:

@marzbarz I wouldn't be able to justify Minsc as cleric/ranger, he's the village idiot. Vanilla ranger is terrible, but berserker fits him very well in its stead.

Vanilla ranger is just fine. But it doesn't fit Minsc. Rashemi berserkers are definitely a cultural thing though, so that fits.

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