There is a corner in my closet where I have enshrined some classic CRPGs, most of whom I have played but never completed. First among those is Baldur’s Gate. I own the original, it’s sequel, and the expansions for both. I recently started playing BG again with the intention of finishing the entire series.

I also thought it might be nice to record my experience. I considered video capture, but was too cheap to buy the necessary software. So, instead, I decided to use screenshots and write up a narrative–interspersed with commentary–as a new feature on this blog. If you’re familiar with the many “Let’s Play” threads on various forums, you know what to expect. If you’ve never seen or heard of “Let’s Play,” here’s a blurb from the Let’s Play Archive:

The concept of the Let’s Play thread was born on the forums of Something Awful, where they became popular in early 2006 and were given their own sub-forum in March 2007. A Let’s Play thread, often abbreviated as “LP”, is a forum thread where one person plays through a game, recording his progress by video, screenshots, or both, and then posts this progress in updates in his Let’s Play thread. Most of the time, the screenshots and videos are accompanied by informative, insightful, in-character or just plain funny commentary by the author, making Let’s Play threads a great way to get to know the ins and outs of a game in a fun way, without having to go through the hassle of actually playing the damn thing.

I’ll admit I did a little research before I started playing. I consulted DSimpson’s excellent walkthrough on GameFAQs for tips on character creation and advice about the NPCs that I could recruit. The Baldur’s Gate walkthrough at GameBanshee acts as my tour guide. I’m constantly ALT+Tabbing as I explore each area.

The Game Build
The version of the game I’m playing is 1.3.5512. That’s the original release with the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion installed and updated with the last official patch. I also have the official DX8 patch installed.

I know there are a lot of really nice community mods out there, but I chose not to use any of them on my first full run through. Maybe another time.

The Character Build
Baldur’s Gate uses the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition system. That means level limits for certain classes if you pick a non-human. Per DSimpson’s documentation, I’m going to play as a human fighter. I’m limiting myself to what I can roll, and I don’t want to spend hours trying to get as many 18s as I can. 18/00 Strength would be nice, but I’ll settle for anything over 18/50. Ranged attacks will not be my forte, and I plan on wearing armor and carrying a shield to get my AC as low as possible, so I’ll settle for a 14 Dex. There are manuals that can boost that, but I’ll probably hold out for the gauntlets of dexterity to give me an 18 later on.

The other 18 I’m holding out for is Constitution. Intelligence and Wisdom will go no lower than 10. Charisma is a 16. This gives me a +4 Reaction bonus to begin with, which will get me lower prices and bonus rewards from most NPC quest givers. There are manuals that can give me a permanent boost to 18 later on.

Of course, I’m not expecting to roll this. I just need enough total points so I can redistribute accordingly. As you see below, I got what I wanted. The computer randomly determines the additional Strength score for fighters. I’m not complaining.

A Lawful Good alignment starts me with a good reputation. Reputation, along with Charisma, affects how NPCs will react to me. I chose Large Swords and Missile Weapons as my two weapon proficiencies. You can’t equip a bow in a Quick Weapon slot if you carry a shield because the weapon requires two hands, which makes it cumbersome to switch out for my sword during combat. So I’ll use a sling for my ranged attack.

My character is ready. Let’s play.