Ink Blot

Canada, eh?

Didn't you get the memo? Anyone that doesn't praise a game you like is a troll and must be told to go back to playing a game you dislike.

Oh, okay, I completely misunderstood. Carry on, then. You're doing exactly what you should. And your party seems just fine as is.

^^^This. So much -this-. Indeed. The race/class is just the canvas. The writing is the paint and the artwork.

There's a beginner's guide Here. Not specific to 3.03, but it should be a decent starting point, if you've not seen it yet.

I didn't get the impression he was looking for guides on how to build the best character or anything like that. I think he's just looking for some explanation of the game mechanics, classes, and abilities.

Dwarves aren't just a fantasy race: they're the only fantasy race. Don't mess with the dwarves.

I don't see the issue though. Even the way you go about it is 'in character', as you go to a tavern to 'hire' a mercenary (yeah, you have to pay for them). So create one if you're finding you need to round your party out, then just drop him off at your stronghold when you find another companion that you want to keep in the party. There's no effect on the game, other than the XP effect (slightly less XPs per character with bigger parties), but you don't strike me as someone that worries about that - and you have to deal with that when you add NPCs to your party anyway. Sorry, not trying to be argumentative, I just wanted to point out that it's a viable option if you're having troubles with the combat difficulty, and there's no real reason to not do it if needed.

Don't be afraid to create your own companion(s) if you feel you need to. You can always dump them if you run into another NPC you want in your party.

Meh, it's still interesting to see the results, even if you can't draw any meaningful conclusions. I might add another option in the completion part though: those that have completed with White March and those that have completed without it. I'm in the 50 to 59 age group and have only completed the game once, but without the WM content. I intend to do another complete run with the WM content though.

Isometric.

Just use the console. It's no different than editing a file or using a trainer.

Conversation checks only use your main character's stats. It does not matter which order the characters are in (other than affecting where they appear in whatever marching/battle formation you're using)

Holy crap, what does it take for you to not like a game, if you're willing to put up with a laundry list of issues like this?

I was pumped as hell for this game (and pledged mucho dineros) but when it finally came out, my reaction was decidedly 'Meh'. And while I own the expansion(s), I've yet to play through that content. The thought of slogging through the game again just makes me shudder. So, it's probably just not resonating with you. No big deal. Just wait for Obs' next game.