Might and Magic Series Discussion
BelgarathMTH
Member Posts: 5,653
So, I was just continuing my Stronghold (Barbarian) campaign run in Might and Magic Heroes 6 today, when I got to the second map, and discovered that my choices in the first map had made me a "Blood" hero, and therefore the game made me choose the "dark side" path where I would help a tribe of "slavemaster" orcs instead of the "rebel" orcs who only wanted freedom.
Whoopsie.
I was surprised by this roleplaying turn of events in a game that is turn-based strategy. I felt so horrible about the fact that I had played as a powergamer instead of a roleplayer, choosing the "Blood = Dark Side" abilities and decisions, that my character had more or less "fallen to the Dark Side" irretrievably. It would "consume me" and "forever dominate my destiny".
So, naturally, once I realized I was playing a game that supported Star Wars type ethical decisions, I restarted on the first map and got a heck of a lot more careful about my decisions. No longer would I choose based on what would make me most powerful, but rather on what would serve the "Good Side", in MMH6 called "the Path of Tears."
The "Blood or Tears" duality in MMH6 is rather unique to the entire series, and I find it a fascinating opportunity to roleplay within a turn-based strategy game from the HoMM series.
HoMM 2 did have a choice between "Good" and "Evil" campaigns, with a branching choice in the middle of each to switch sides, but if you never played the "Evil" campaign, you were pretty much just not playing half of the campaign maps available in the game.
The HoMM series has a parallel party-based adventure series similar to Icewind Dale called simply "Might and Magic". In "Might and Magic 7", you can make decisions that cause you to follow either the Light or Dark paths, which are mechanically supported by different interface color schemes, different cinematics and cutscenes, different dialogues, and two totally different endings and fates for the world.
Both MM6 and MM7 have two sets of voiced dialogues that activate when you talk to npc's, depending on how you treat people in the game. MM6 has both "good" and "bad" endings depending on your choices, the "bad" ending being that you defeat the alien invaders but destroy the entire planet in doing so.
MM8 really pushes "the Dark Side", with vampires, necromancers who want to become liches as the only arcane choice, trolls, black dragons, and minotaurs as your party choices. For that reason, I don't like it as much as 6 and 7, but it gives a couple of choices that at least somewhat support a Light side party. (Help the paladins train the black dragons or help the dragons destroy the paladins in exchange for having a black dragon in your party, help the Temple of Light or help the Necromancers).
"Is the Dark Side stronger?" "No. Easier. More seductive." The MM series as a whole supports this kind of roleplay very well.
I'd love to hear thoughts and insights from the Beamdog community here. If you love the MM series, what is your favorite game in the series and why? What other games do you know with similar broad ethical themes and decisions the player can make? It seems that CRPG's with meaningful ethical choices, and I mean meaningful as in completely different game endings, are almost never made any more.
Whoopsie.
I was surprised by this roleplaying turn of events in a game that is turn-based strategy. I felt so horrible about the fact that I had played as a powergamer instead of a roleplayer, choosing the "Blood = Dark Side" abilities and decisions, that my character had more or less "fallen to the Dark Side" irretrievably. It would "consume me" and "forever dominate my destiny".
So, naturally, once I realized I was playing a game that supported Star Wars type ethical decisions, I restarted on the first map and got a heck of a lot more careful about my decisions. No longer would I choose based on what would make me most powerful, but rather on what would serve the "Good Side", in MMH6 called "the Path of Tears."
The "Blood or Tears" duality in MMH6 is rather unique to the entire series, and I find it a fascinating opportunity to roleplay within a turn-based strategy game from the HoMM series.
HoMM 2 did have a choice between "Good" and "Evil" campaigns, with a branching choice in the middle of each to switch sides, but if you never played the "Evil" campaign, you were pretty much just not playing half of the campaign maps available in the game.
The HoMM series has a parallel party-based adventure series similar to Icewind Dale called simply "Might and Magic". In "Might and Magic 7", you can make decisions that cause you to follow either the Light or Dark paths, which are mechanically supported by different interface color schemes, different cinematics and cutscenes, different dialogues, and two totally different endings and fates for the world.
Both MM6 and MM7 have two sets of voiced dialogues that activate when you talk to npc's, depending on how you treat people in the game. MM6 has both "good" and "bad" endings depending on your choices, the "bad" ending being that you defeat the alien invaders but destroy the entire planet in doing so.
MM8 really pushes "the Dark Side", with vampires, necromancers who want to become liches as the only arcane choice, trolls, black dragons, and minotaurs as your party choices. For that reason, I don't like it as much as 6 and 7, but it gives a couple of choices that at least somewhat support a Light side party. (Help the paladins train the black dragons or help the dragons destroy the paladins in exchange for having a black dragon in your party, help the Temple of Light or help the Necromancers).
"Is the Dark Side stronger?" "No. Easier. More seductive." The MM series as a whole supports this kind of roleplay very well.
I'd love to hear thoughts and insights from the Beamdog community here. If you love the MM series, what is your favorite game in the series and why? What other games do you know with similar broad ethical themes and decisions the player can make? It seems that CRPG's with meaningful ethical choices, and I mean meaningful as in completely different game endings, are almost never made any more.
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Edit: I got this. Which game would you recommend starting on? (The first game looks like it might be a tough entry point, even though I grew up with PCs in the home since 1985).
So the core series of Might and Magic goes as follows:
1 and 2 together is one series,
3-5 are another "series" (in the same way that Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and BG2 would be a "series"),
6-8 are a third series (the first three HoMM games take place within the setting of these games),
9 is an independent game (and HoMM 4 apparently takes place within this world?)
10 is effectively a reboot of the core series into the current HoMM continuity. It's kind of a fusion of the MM4+5 World with the MM6-8 Skill System. (I've only played through the prologue/chapter 1, but that's not a condemnation of the game, just me preferring MM6-8 overall. I do like what I've played of 10)
Meanwhile the more popular younger brother is the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise. The games play the same in broad strokes - turn-based squad management that's very heavily ruled by the Law Of Numbers - with occasional variations here and there (most recently, the Blood/Tears spectrum, which is more like the Law/Chaos spectrum from mainline SMT games than like the karma meters from MM6/Baldur's Gate Whatever).
Hmm... well the set came with everything through VI. I think I might start with III then so I can do it and then World of Xeen.
There was also a partial setting reset starting with Heroes of Might and Magic 1 and 2, and the story and setting in MM6 follows events from those two games. MM 1-5 don't even start on the same "planet" as the HOMM series and MM 6-8. Any references in MM 6-8 to MM 1-5 are purely easter eggs that are arguably unnecessary to enjoy MM 6-8.
MM7 references the original games the most, and there is one dungeon in the endgame of MM6 that refers to them, but that dungeon has many lore plaques you can find that get you up to speed on what is going on.
If you find the ancient DOS-style interface and grid-based movement of MM 1-5 intolerable, I'd suggest trying MM6 instead, because it represents a whole new generation of the series implementation.
Just type in "Where are We Might and Magic" into Google and you'll get the website as the first result. I have downloaded it many times without issue.
Well, I got it. But it doesn't seem to like that I installed the games on my secondary drive. I'm getting nothing but errors no matter what I try. I think I'd rather have the game full screen anyway. Thanks for the tip though!
It won't start working until you have a party leave the Inn.
Unfortunately, that doesn't even begin to describe what I'm experiencing. But thanks
BTW, the other Might and Magic games are for sale as well.