Return to IWD

With Amy and Matthew at a swim meet this past weekend, Nathaniel and I were on our own. We did a bit of modeling, but he was keen on some D&D video game action, so we played a bit of the classic '90s Chronicles of Mystara games on our Xbox. He was looking for something more, so I suggested we check out the renowned Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale series; after I described both in detail, he opted for Icewind Dale, so we picked up the Enhanced Edition on Steam and jumped into some old-school second-edition character creation! Nathaniel created three heroes based on some of his favorite characters of past campaigns, and I contributed three of my own -- including a new incarnation of my all-time favorite character from my first-ever IWD play-through. We're still early in the game, but he's loving it so far, and I'm glad to be able to share this experience with him!

It's Torment Indeed

So I ended up shelling out twenty bucks for the PC version of Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition, and I can't say I'm in love with it. I'll try anything that resembles Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale (this game is built using the same engine as those two classics), but Torment is turning out to be slow and talky. I'm a couple of hours into the game, and I'm now wandering around the slums of Sigil (all the while killing the same bandits that keep respawning in exactly the same places) in search of information. Each new map brings about the same grim exercise in identifying every named NPC, initiating dialogue with them, and scanning through reams of text to figure out if they have anything truly useful to say. Not sure how far I will get with this game, especially with my copy of Tales From the Yawning Portal scheduled to arrive today...

Happy Holidays!

This will probably be my last post of the year, unless some exciting game news drops between now and January 1. I hope you and all your loved ones have a safe and happy holiday season! If you need me, I'll be playing Icewind Dale and Star Wars X-Wing...

Icewind Dale Reviews

For some reviews of the new Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, click here, here, and here. The reviews are pretty favorable...as if they could be anything else!

Icewind Dale Party

I'm nearing the end of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition with my super-fun all-evil party, so next up is Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. I considered resurrecting my first-ever Icewind Dale party from so many years ago, but instead I decided to enlist some new heroes led by good old Mandeville -- or, rather, young Mandeville. Most players know him as the Earth-born knight who has become one of the elder statesmen of the heroes of the Druid Cycle campaign world, but I've also added him to the Shattered Realm setting as a much younger man who is still at an early point in his lifelong journey across the multiverse. We haven't seen much of Mandeville lately in the epic-tier Druid Cycle adventures, but he's going to be a key figure in upcoming events, starting in early 2015. Until then, however, you can find him in Kuldahar...

Icewind Dale for iPad

Yo, iPad gamers! Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition is now available in the App Store!

Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition

I had forgotten that Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (click here for the official website) was in the works, but now it's out! Well, the PC and Mac version is out. The mobile version is coming soon. I'm excited, but I'm also in no hurry. Much of my free time these days has been spent with Fifth Edition stuff, and I still have yet to finish Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition with my all-evil posse...