Nonek

Interesting thoughts on the BG2 dream scenes, however personally i'm not enough of an expert on Freud and his profession to tell whether it stands up to scrutiny: Okay the BG2 dreams, Imoen's got no idea what you're going on about when you talk to her about them, (as I remember, only just had the first one) so i'm left thinking that all the players and locales were of the protagonists own imagining. Candlekeep is an obvious setting, it's where the Bhaalspawn grew up and developed, which is very much a Freudian construct, so i'm going to use my rough grasp of Freud to interpret them. There are three players in the dreams: Firstly Imoen who is confused and seemingly weakened, but is constantly referencing various outside stimula, such as: Candlekeep, Gorion, Elminster, Khalid, The Cowled Wizards etceetera. These all share the aspect of what society expects of the Protagonist, and yet they have all been taken away due to circumstances beyond our power. Imoen for me represents the SUPER EGO, but one that is doubtful and divided, the Bhaalspawn has lost too much structure in his life, and thus Imoen is weakened by unrelenting change. Irenicus, a cold voice of reason, who raises logical arguments and encourages self knowledge. The protagonist is given a choice, of whether to accept the gifts bred in his blood and bone, or face the consequences for turning aside. Irenicus seems to wish you to sate the taint within, by the most expedient method. This to me is EGO, and it tells you the truth in every dream. It is obvious to see why the protagonist equates Irenicus with this role, he too is looking for a way to master the taint within for his own use. The third actor is only seen once, but present in every dream. It is the Bhaalspawn essence, played by the suitably monolithic Sarevok, who accepted and embraced his infernal fathers gifts. There can be no role other than that of ID for this creature, it is the pure chaotic drive to murder and kill that consumes you, as it does all the Bhaalspawn. That devilish restlessness that defined the protagonists years at Candlekeep, and which is fondly remembered as carefree high spirits by many of your old acquaintances. The base instincts that must be satisfied now, and which Bhaal trusted would see all his children fall to his restless grave. When the Bhaalspawn essence comes to devour you, it is to the heart of the dream that you flee. The inner sanctuary of Candlekeep, your childhood stronghold where you grew and developed. Here the ID pursues you and it is here in this stronghold of reason, from which EGO Irenicus gave all his lessons, that SUPER EGO Imoen can match him. Thus the super ego, all that we have learned from outside stimulae and the lessons of civilisation, contests with the id, the petulant desire to sate our childish needs. Balanced by the pure rationality and logic of ego, which seeks to resolve by the quickest expedient. Thus the Bhaalspawn stops the essence of his father from consuming him, and when it is stripped from him he can live on through knowing, accepting and mastering himself, thus the Slayer form accessed. Don't know whether this is what Ray and Greg, who must know Freud at least better than me meant to suggest, but it's my interpretation. Personally I think the writer may be overthinking the dreams somewhat as Bioware are quite straightforward, but if not then i'm rather impressed.

Usually when I wanted to make one of my players nervous or paranoid I would not do anything untoward to the person in question, instead i'd pass notes to everybody else at random intervals, usually concerning the individual in question. Then let the hints and glances work there magic, by the end the target would be quite paranoid if not a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

Ni?

Humans indulging in mind altering substances and hallucinating one assumes?

Personally i've never seen any artform or entertainment break from reality at all, there is nothing purely alien in anything i've ever seen.

Well that's your perogative Mr Jarrakul, however I disagree, Warden's Keep was for a half hour adventure massively overpriced and should have been included in the base game for the stash alone in my opinion, however the Stone Prisoner was acceptable in terms of value and content. All told though I would repeat that I believe the content gouged out of these games made them feel incomplete to me, and are a prime example of the poor practices and value of the trend. I'd prefer that dlc be like the Stone Prisoner or even better like the large adventures of New Vegas or Treasures of the Sun, though I have to admit that dlc almost embarassed the base game with how good it was, and I thoroughly enjoyed Dungeon Siege 3.

Well if you insist gentlemen, personally I thought both Dragon Age's were incomplete and the second Mass Effect game, and that the price of Warden's Keep, the Cerberus thing and all of those was extremely overpriced when compared to the hours of value I garnered from the base game. I forget the rest but there were a few that I disliked at the time. Is that serious enough or should I include some form of emoticon?

You wish me to be serious Mr Bryy? Most certainly not.

Yes I would say that crutches may be made, horrors might be locked away and truth denied quite easily. Or that one might gain a deeper understanding through ones trials and tribulations. Of course you can't have an entire party of madmen, but maybe you can have them finding strength through unity and brotherhood, and keeping the darkness at bay through some manner of ritualistic soul binding or some such. Perhaps even capturing an otherworldly horror and locking it away can reinvigorate the frayed nerve, as one realises that there are laws governing these things and that they can be manipulated and contained. Duty can be quite a nice crutch to lean upon, especially if one sees that duty as righteous.

Personally I don't think you're trolling at all Mr McKinnon, you raise valid points, and we have seen several games where one simply cannot purchase an entire product but must buy overpriced dlc to complete the experience. The price certainly is overblown on most dlc considering the base game, and I see this as rather a profiteering business practise, that has a distasteful ring to it. Not to mention that quite often dlc items break the game or make its base items totally undesirable, thus removing whatever enjoyment one may find in the accumulation of mountains of vendor trash. That said however four fine examples of dlc were the New Vegas adventures from Dead Money onwards, which added significantly to the base game as well as featuring their own satisfying and rich content, as you are no doubt aware. I would champion that form of dlc which was more like the old expansions rather than arbitrarily splitting the content up to nickle and dime the less discerning, but then again if somebody wishes to purchase overpriced content they're welcome to and somebody should probably cater to them, as easy money is easy money and there is no shame in making a profit.

My p&p games did away with Wisdom and made Charisma the default ability of the Clergy, for the gathering of followers to the faith and pleas to their Deity, for the Demonic/Diabolic priesthoods that Charisma figured into their infernal bargaining. Wisdom is experience in my view, and I implemented Willpower in its place.

Yes, though a fan of the last two games I admit they had problems and I think a healthy degree of scepticism is warranted, no offence to Mr Nightshape is intended of course. You see that far away field, you can plough it.

I don't know and neither do I. Sorry.

Genius and depression do often seem to go hand in hand, as I remember Mr Newton retired to his chambers for a year of absolute isolation while formulating one of his many revelatory works, and that gentleman could be said to grasp more of reality than most of the rest of humanity. Edit: I do agree that the descent to madness is a little too swift in CoC, personally I always thought that character traits should be subverted and made excessively ritualistic until they become a crutch, that of course may be torn away. 2nd Edit: Of course it might be that Azathothian nightmares do actually produce some form of radiation that is harmful to the chemical composition of our brains, or perhaps the synaptic pathways, and the madness that comes from encountering them is a purely physical reaction. That would work I suppose, though I don't think certain creatures of the mythology would qualify for this effect.

I always saw the Cthuloid madness mechanic as somewhat similar to Shellshock, a massively sustained traumatic event has triggered a regression from societal norms. My Grandfather spoke a few times (when inebriated usually) about chaps he'd seen suffering from said affliction, and how you could never tell who would crack and who hold steady. Then again he positively enjoyed most of the Great War it seems, and the rest he wouldn't talk about, so the old chap was obviously of a rather iron constitution. I quite like the incomprehensible angle, but preferred when it was taken a step further, to the point where the mind could only concieve of various Impossible Angles stretcing to infinite depths and then would quite calmly refuse to see any more. Just as the constant blast of whizz bangs and shells would assault a Tommy's senses, so the essential truth of the Outer Gods would bombard a chap with too much sensation.

I'm sorry Mr Bjorn but being a publisher I cannot possibly trust a word you say nor accept that you are anything but the antichrist taken material form, no hard feelings however as I too am a graduate of the Belgian school of Evil Applied Rambunctiousness (BEAR,) having graduated with a BSC (Bachelor of Scheming and Cavorting,) PHD (Pilfering, Hoodwinking and Deception) and of course the obligatory MIT (Moustache Incremental Twirling.) Jolly good luck with all your endeavours Sir.

Personally i'd like the gameworld to be expanded and built upon rather than moving to a new locale, it does not necessarily have to be set within the first game however, i'd simply like to see a gradual evolution and expansion of our playing area. That said I most definitely would not want to restrict the developers in any way shape or form if they have some revelatory idea for the expansion, the kind that sets the creator giggling with manic glee, rubbing their hands together as the various aspects align in a serendipitous assemblage. In that case i'd prefer the ladies and gents simply follow their muse's bidding, and keep true to their vision.

I'm not too fond of this unexplained mechanic myself, seems to break internal consistency, when all one needs is a quick idea and some exposition to explain and reconcile it. And if players going back and forth between the Dungeon and their Stronghold is such a problem, then simply have the loot disappear if left behind, and make choosing what to carry an important part of the game itself. Adds a certain strategic and tactical edge that way, and makes inventory boosting items far more valuable. Then again I think the tyranny of loot is fairly much destroying rpgs, and devaluing treasure until it becomes a useless arpg-esqe feature. Edit: I'd really like to see at least one character in an rpg carry a backpack, where exactly are they storing all this stuff?

Why worry about the speck of dust in thy friends eye?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvrQt6s7a-0

For a moment there I was thinking that my memorisation of the Futhark would finally pay off, my hopes have been most cruelly dashed. A fine jape.

To me the strengths of IWD were the combat (though there was perhaps a little too much of it) the soundtrack of course, the very unique and interesting setting, and the plot which was quite nice and coherent. What I wanted while playing the game was more interaction, more exploration and more depth and reactivity. The multiple self created party members was not in particular an attraction, as they did not take the place of fellow pen and paper players as well as the characters in Torment did, thus I saw no particular benefit in them, other than for combat purposes. That said I thought the setting was an interesting part of Faerun, as opposed to the overused Sword Coast, and think there was solid groundwork to build upon there. Auckney seemed to be an area the devs were interested in.

When a genre has steadily degenerated for twenty years looking to the past when it was rich with content, features and a lack of streamlining is a wise thing. Like Mr Sawyer says, one of the few things that modern RPG's have done is clarify combat, and so he intends to implement this feature in Poe. As for "Game Journalists" who have cheered on this degeneration and pandering to the lowest common denominator, personally I don't listen to a word they say anymore, whether they are lecturing on why we should be removing interactivity from games in favour of cinematics, why the honest customer should be denied access and punished for other peoples piracy, or preaching and lecturing about their hypocritical views on social justice.

Alchemy Physical forces have always fascinated you, whether that be the sparks born from the interactions of flint and steel, the fire that springs forth from those sparks or the smoke that rises from that conflagration. Your mind asked why and a thousand more questions besides, and thus you begun your tinkering and experimentation, it has become a lifelong passion. Energy, form, substance, and radiation, these are the secrets you try to unlock and control. Sometimes you fail and other times succeed and more, and you have grown used to singed and missing eyebrows. Various chemical substances have been born of your experimentation and research, rocks that explode with great heat and light when exposed to the air, acids of fearsome potency that corrode almost anything, a more clean burning version of the black powder that is used in firearms, fireworks to delight and amaze the populace, a glowing light source that needs no fire, these and more have been borne of your skill and dedication. It is expensive work, with materials that could beggar a wealthy man, there are sponsors sometimes and those who come seeking a miracle from you but in general you have not gained from your work, but that was never the aim. The Animancer's might unlock the secrets of the soul, but you seek to unlock all of creation and thereby see the divine pattern behind everything, history and eternal fame shall show the winner of that race. Herbalism The Alchemist in the city might look down upon your craft, but you wager that your grandmothers recipes and folk wisdom have cured more ailments than his smoke and mirrors. You are the recipient of many long ages of craft, and seek to know ever more. Whether it be the Willow bark that numbs pain when chewed, the teas that give energy and warmth, the fats that keep old limbs spry and limber, or the darker side of the art, you seek to know it all. And there is a darker side, poisons and venoms that can stop a heart dead or leave one paralysed from the neck down, leaves that when placed under the tongue grant one strange and terrible visions, powders that relieve all pain but are massively habit forming. The art is a tool and the weilder is the final judge on whether it is used for fair means or foul. Mushrooms, herbs, and all of the growing green of the lands seems to grant some effect to the wise Herbalist, and with travel comes the opportunity to see more of the land and its bounty. If possible you will add to the lore, and ages later a peasant will be cured by a Wise One and thank you unknowingly, and your soul will smile and know contentment. Let the fraud and the charlatan produce their tricks and illusions for the highborn, your craft will endure among the many and the meek and grant them a little relief in their darkest hours.

Anatomy You have been called many things in your time, grave robber, ghoul and necromancer among them, none of them are true. You simply study the lving and dead bodies of men and women, whether of the Human species or exotic creatures such as the Elves or Dwarves. It has always interested you, the movement of muscle under skin and fat, the various anchoring points for tendons and how limbs move, there is a grace and machine like elegance to it that you're surprised nobody else can see. Of course you try to deal with the living as much as one may, hiring dancers and actors or actresses to perform for you, ideally while disrobed so you may see motion and its effects. But one can only progress so far in such study, it is when one peels back the skin that the physical form becomes interesting, and wonders are revealed. The strange strength of bone, the complexity of the organs, the beautiful stretch and tautening of the tendons as they shift and sway the body. Truly beauty lies in such things for you. You have learned from this: That a few pounds of pressure may part skin and thew like butter when steel is applied, that bones may show enormous tensile strength yet break and shatter when placed in an unsuitable position, that there are places on the body of every man or woman where they are vulnerable and that murder is all too easy. Your reverence for life and death is not shared you long ago realised, and terrible damage can be wreaked by the ignorant and stupid as easily as the finest swordsman or most lethal assassin. The militia have sometimes come to you and asked for your advice, hesitant and treating you like an Animancer, but your craft does not deal with the mind and soul that rests within the body, merely the transient shell. You have also sometimes had to hide from the mob when a murder or atrocity occurs, but generally they avoid you like the plague, for all fear death. The career of a Freebooter has obvious appeal, and the role of Surgeon or Sawbones calls to you, for what better chance of unravelling the mysteries that have always intrigued you is there? Through knowing how the body works you may aid as well as harm, and your keen eyes can work out what caused wounds and deaths, and whether there is more to them than meets the eye.