Do you still like to party?

Permidion_Stark

When I started playing BG I always kept a full party of six when adventuring, these days I almost always solo or form a dynamic duo with Imoen. I've tried to go back to having a group of six but somehow it just seems like too many people. Plus they seem to have real problems getting through doors.

Anyway, I got to wondering what others prefer. Do you like to party or go it alone?

xizor

I can't imagine playing without full party, it just feels wrong. Companions bring so much to the immersion/RP aspect of the game. I also have an impression that it would ruin the balance, making the game much easier at certiain points and much harder at the others (unless you remove exp cap, which would probably make almost the entire game laughably easy if you're playing something like sorcerer or FMT). I tried playing IWD solo FMT once, and it was just like I imagined.

tbone1

It's usually five so I can have other characters come and go as appropriate. (Phrasing! Boom!)

Permidion_Stark

xizor wrote: »

I also have an impression that it would ruin the balance, making the game much easier at certiain points and much harder at the others (unless you remove exp cap, which would probably make almost the entire game laughably easy if you're playing something like sorcerer or FMT).

Soloing or playing as a duo does make the game much easier. You shoot up in levels and you can afford all the best equipment so it doesn't take long before you are outgunning every opponent you meet. To balance this I make it a rule that my characters aren't allowed to use any potions, scrolls or wands but still you can do a lot of the game on cruise control.

Rik_Kirtaniya

Six if playing the BG series, solo for Icewind Dale.

lroumen

Five and a swapping slot for npc quests. So actually six I guess, but not a static six. Often the sixth is out of harms way

shabadoo

Typically four, though I'll play one to four depending on mood. More than four becomes tedious, not to mention the xp drain.

ThacoBell

Six, but I'd love to be able to recruit a 7th.

megamike15

6 is the perfect party size.

Kamigoroshi

Once upon a time I liked the concept of parties. But at some point unbeknownst to me I really got tired of hearing the bickering and romcom-like relationship of the NPC's.

And I prefer a barrel to some six pack any day of the tavern.

JuliusBorisov

Interesting results.

Gathering the party before venturing forth is still relevant for the game, 20+ years later.

I didn't think the poll would be so one-sided.

leeux

Different games different compositions... last game I started (and not finished yet) was with a party of 6 (1 charname + NPCs), including some modded characters (Isra and Valerie) and probably some never used (for me) game characters too (like Yeslick... never picked him before because I always feel bad leaving someone out in the deep of the mines... this time I'll go in there with only 5 characters.)

I used to play a party of 4 before that and almost at the same time, I did a solo run with a FMT and later a solo run with a Sorcerer, unfinished.

I thought about doing a twin duo at some point (FMT + FMC or RC) and also, maybe a "family run" too at some other point, i.e. CHARNAME + Imoen + Jaheira and big S dude in ToB, only filling other slots for quest related things.

I tend to prefer Solo runs due to how powerful the character can feel at times, but I miss banter too much to be able to completely ignore NPCs... besides, I still feel bad about having to say no to some of them when they ask to join

((Saying NO to Imoen in Spellhold was really HARD in my first solo run ))

Angulimala

I'd like an option to vote for BOTH solo and 6 person party. I tend to alternate. Last playthrough was a full party, current run is solo.

Arvia

I'm too inexperienced to survive without a full party, I think. I also can never decide who not to take with me, especially in BG2, when I consider a smaller party.
And I like to be versatile. I could imagine going with a party of 4, maybe. In BG2, at least.
The challenge to go solo or with very few companies is something for later, at least for me.

jmerry

So far I've only played full parties - although I'll occasionally go smaller to shortcut the early leveling process, then put together a full party once I reach a certain XP threshold.

I do have some concepts out there that would lead to smaller parties, though. For example, a party of illiterates... let's see, I'll have a Dragon Disciple protagonist as that's the only way to have an arcane caster. Then there's Minsc, Wilson, and Yeslick... I need a thief too, so add a secondary PC for that. And, since I want a priest in both games, install the mod that brings Yeslick to BG2. A party of five (four in BG1), and it's very hard to justify going any higher. There aren't any other companions in the base game that qualify, and every mod NPC I've looked at has too much intelligence as well.

I don't think I'll be playing with any less than four long-term party members any time soon, and even the smaller party concepts allow for temporary members outside the core group.

Building parties around themes like this does solve the issue of deciding who to take and not to take. There's a list that best fits the theme, and everyone else gets left on the sidelines (most of the time).

Jaheiras_Witness

Solo only. And that now applies to all RPGs, not just BG series. These days I start solo from first playthrough, don't even bother trying party first. With BG I at least had 3-4 years in the early noughties where I had lots of party playthroughs, all the way to ToB.

It's too much effort looking after 6 people, understanding their abilities, and making best use of their capabilities. I'd much rather have one character, one set of equipment, one set of buffs, and one set of directions to give. It also makes games more challenging generally, which is good as 99% of modern games are far too easy by default.

Skatan

If I play, and that's very rare nowadays, I play solo and swap in NPCs for their quests so about half of the time I am alone and half of the time I have two, or sometimes three if the NPC depends on time in party. Buuuut, since I am a impatient man I tend to cheat their clock so their quests pop up immediately. Anyways, I picked Two since I guess in the end it's the average (maybe more like 1,5, but.. ).

lroumen

Less is more safe in my opinion. Fewer partymembers to buff, so you can memorise other things that are useful. I just don't like playing that way through the entire game.

gorgonzola

i like versatile toons that can cover more then one role and fight the same battle with different tactics. even if now i am becoming lazy my best fun is actually to reload the hard battles and win them with the same party, but each time using a completely different approach, like mlee only, ranged only, spells only, using summons or not, stacking webs and spamming disablers like feeblemind, and whatever the party allows in the particular situation.

and i micromanage a lot.

so for me 3 people is the sweet spot, using toons that have a good versatiliy potential like aerie, jan, haer dalis, anomen and jaheira. with 3 even a hard micromanaging is not too heavy and time consuming and i can pull off plenty of different tactics to deal with the enemies.

also a duo or a quartet works well for me. but i have played everything from 1 to 6 and i find fun in all the ways.

i don't feel that a solo is automatically super strong, it is true that gains levels very fast, but in end game when even the members of a 6 people party have high levels, and when the enemies are balanced for a 6 party of that level, the soloer imho becomes more a one trick pony, even if to play solo some classes end game need a lot of knowledge about items and the rest, if you don't play a super strong toon like a sorcerer or a FM-FMT.

for me 2-4 members give the right compromise between fast leveling and versatility/end game power.
but when i want to go for the real raw power i play with a party of 6, using my patented power leveling strategy
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/68460/effective-leveling-strategy-for-the-party-my-way
doing that i merge the fast leveling of a small party and the raw power of a large one, apr and spells/round wise. and yes that is over killing, so is not the way i usually play, but sometimes i just like to dominate with the most powerful 6 members party that i know about, if infinite xp loops or other tricks are not used.