best western style rpg for a newbie?

[executioner]

Baldur's Gate for PC would be the best introduction to the genre. Even the console releases I would say, since they are very simple on combat very action oriented and can be played in 4 player co-op which is lots of fun. I've always wanted to play Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights, I'll put them on my backlog.

[Jayson]

Since you are a newbie, I would start old school and go with Planescape Torment and Fallout 1 & 2.

[the7k]

Betrayal At Krondor!

... Boy, am I showing my age. Regardless, it's still my favorite Western RPG.

[J T]

Basically any game made by BioWare or Bethesda is what you want.

[Lord_Santa]

IMHO western CRPG's have become all about the "stats" and less so about content

I see good recommendations, but if you want something widely "different" and a real taste of Western CRPG, I'd suggest starting out with the Ultima series

some might say, Ultima 1-3 (The Age of Darkness); but I beg to differ:

these are perhaps more "OldSkool", but is better suited in their own time (i.e. early 80's)

Ultima IV is a good place to start, if you want some "strategy" and a huge unfolding story-line; with no character "class" to pick from the-get-go; but rather you develop your character into a specific class (albeit the introduction lets you somewhat form you Avatar)

some will arguably say that Ultima VII (parts 1+2) are the "best" CRPG's out there, but once again; Ultima IV is a nice place to start

and here's the good part: there's a remake of the engine (for PC), which sports very nice graphics and is windows-friendly

http://xu4.sourceforge.net/

the game is these days freeware, so there's no illegality in giving it a try

Ultima IV amongst the "older" Ultima fans, stands out as the peak of the series; whilst IMHO Ultima V is deeper in some aspects

the reason to start out with IV, is because that's where the series really "start off"

other than that, you might want to try out the Goldbox series (SSI); i.e the Krynn series, etc.

these are the games, which later on influenced games such as Baldur's Gate, etc.

the Goldbox can be obtained for a decent amount of money, although I am almost certain it's also freeware; the only "problem", is that you have to consult the manual from time to time; in order to read up on "paragraphs" (i.e. some parts in the game, will tell you to "read paragraph 78", in order to know what's "going on")

it's basic strategy in combat, but it serves the game well and it applies to the "old" AD&D rule-set

Knights of Legend is also published by Origin (same as the Ultima series); and mixes somewhat between Ultima and the Goldbox games, in that you have a huge overview map (like Ultima), where you travel; but the combat is much, much more strategic

the story, may not be as strong as in the Ultima series, but there are several quirks to the game, which makes it if not better, then at least equal to the Ultima standard

The Elder Scrolls II - Daggerfall (the predecessor of Morrowind and Oblivion), is an obvious choice, if you want "action/fps/heavy RPG"

this is the absolute peak of the Elder Scrolls series, as the customization of you character is beyond any other game, add to that the largest game-world ever created (AFAIK); and you've got yourself a couple of months of gaming

it's freely available from Bethesda, as to celebrate it's tenth anniversary

you cannot go wrong with this game.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/d ... _games.htm

if you'd like to try out some more "OldSkool", there's always the Dungeon Master/Eye of the Beholder series, albeit these are "dungeon-crawlers"

if you find Fallout 1 (or 2), being too restricted, due to graphics, difficulty or such, there's the alternative "The Fall - Last Days of Gaia"; it is only available in German, but there has been made a fan-translation of the game

it's basically the same "premise" as the Fallout series, but rendered in nice 3D and with more "depth" in some aspects of the gameplay

there would of course be the Gothic series, which stands out as the best (IMHO) 3rd person CRPG's out there:

these games may not be as "huge" as the Elder Scrolls series, but if you follow the story and get into the gameplay, you'll realize that it's more immersion in Gothic 1, than Oblivion could ever dream of

add to that, the fact that Gothic 3, easily contends with Oblivion in terms of graphics and far surpasses it in terms of combat and you've got yet another series to have a go at

do note, however that it is "essential" to use the Community Patch for Gothic 3, as it repairs the game in almost every way

Arcanum, being made by Troika (many of the people, whom worked on the original Fallout series), is also an excellent choice

the engine somewhat resembles that of Baldur's Gate/Fallout, but generally "works better"

Vampire - The Masquerade - Bloodlines, also from Troika, builds upon the Half-Life 2 engine, with added RPG aspects

if you're into vampires, you¨ll like that one =)

of course, the Might & Magic series (1 through 9) are a must in every serious CRPG collector's shelf

although I recommend starting with VI (this is where the series finally "hit off"); VII and VIII are also very much worth looking into

I'm not a big fan of I-V, nor IX, but that's a matter of preference

and last but absolutely not least;

if you can hook up with a friend, sit down by an Amiga (or emulate one); you should really try out Bloodwych; it's in the same spirit of Dungeon Master, but with added multiiplayer support (split-screen)

it's an amazing game, which can easily keep you hooked up into the wee hours of the morning

I've got plenty more ramblings, but these are off the top of my head, if you want any further info, just let me know

hope it helps =)

[dsheinem]

[J T]

Do they accept GP for payment? Rupees? Zenny Coins?

[Gamerforlife]

Basically any game made by BioWare or Bethesda is what you want.

Actually, from what I've seen, Bioware games are more accessible than Bethesda games. I still haven't mustered up the will to get through Oblivion yet, just didn't like the mechanics and found it harder to really get into than a good Bioware game. KOTOR is a great start and really doesn't require one to be a big Star Wars fan. Course, if you HATE Star Wars(and some people might after those prequels)maybe try Jade Empire. I want to say Mass Effect, but the combat can take a little getting used to, especially for a newbie.

[Reverend Finch]

Betrayal At Krondor!

... Boy, am I showing my age. Regardless, it's still my favorite Western RPG.

That just brought back a flood of memories. Hot damn.

Now that I think of it, there's another PC RPG from that era that takes place in medieval Germany. I remember you'd travel all over, gaining fame and battling demons. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?

[Octopod]

Basically any game made by BioWare or Bethesda is what you want.

Actually, from what I've seen, Bioware games are more accessible than Bethesda games. I still haven't mustered up the will to get through Oblivion yet, just didn't like the mechanics and found it harder to really get into than a good Bioware game. KOTOR is a great start and really doesn't require one to be a big Star Wars fan. Course, if you HATE Star Wars(and some people might after those prequels)maybe try Jade Empire. I want to say Mass Effect, but the combat can take a little getting used to, especially for a newbie.

The combat in ME took me forever to even understand.