I had a thought that maybe BG3 could have two, or even three, different story lines, dependent on the Pc's alignment. eg. Evil Pc's might be involved with the start up of the Iron Throne or something. Just a thought.

gods, that'll take ages. I dont see any chance of them doing that, sorry Lantus. I cannot see any company spending that kind of effort when almost all people play good anyway.

[ October 06, 2004, 15:04: Message edited by: Yirimyah ]

yep, i think that would make it too complicated. they may do a good path/bad path thing though, similar to siding with the Shadow Thieves or with Bodhi.

I agree Enagonios, a good/bad thing would work, but 2 to 3 story lines would get way to complicated. But a good/evil path sort of thing would be nice to see.

I reckon that this new Baldur's Gate will be very linear. Probably they will spend more time developing the graphical stuff instead of the story.

Let's hope i'm wrong.

/me prays for laertis to be wrong.
Don't make this like NWN please... or Doom 3. Wonderful graphics, minimal gameplay. I'd rather they used a Infinity based engine anyway.

Oh Laertis let thee be wrong!

Yup, I really prefer the isometric view to the 3d view. of course my opinion is biased by my crappy video card :p My NWN was lagging like crazy. Imagine playing a game that boring while it was lagging, small wonder that I hate NWN hehe :)

One thing I'd like to ask... Are you sure BG 3 is going to be a prequel, or is it just a rumor?

It was in the news area a few months ago, it's confirmed to be a prequel.

Sigh... Oh well, I really liked the fact that BG II TOB ended in way suggesting future adventures were possible, at least if you did not become a god or got hit by Viconia and Aerie (the romantic endings for Anomen and Jaheira were a bit more open). Then again, for a character that is level 28+ (all of mine were, except Imoen and Jaheira) there would be few real challenges. BTW, has anyone ascended to godhood with a neutral PC? Which ending do you see then?
As for BGIII, I guess if the plot was not very strongly related to the beginning of BGI, there could be quite a bit of freedom and it would allow for an "evil" end. Unlocking your potential as a child of Bhaal, for example - like Sarevok did.

I think something like what I suggested earlier might work: the PCs are involved in a series of events during the Time of Troubles, possibly being connected to the adventures of Midnight, Kelemvor and Cyric. Not knowing the canon, I can't be too specific, but I'll try. The central theme in such a case would be the prophecy of Alaundo, the arrival of the Avatars and the demise of Bhaal, along with the consequences of that (so as not to screw up the continuity). Maybe there could be:

1. class-specific goals and outcomes (such as the stronghold quests in BG2) - perhaps an evil rogue/fighter could end up seeking a position as a chosen servant of Cyric, any evil character might be involved in founding/subverting the Iron Throne, a sorceror, wizard or priest of Mystra could end up involved in promulgating the new Church, a paladin might have a quest to rescue a group of Radiant Heart warriors (including a very young Keldorn) from cultists or goblinoids, any good character might become a guard captain in a major Sword Coast city, a (non-lawful) good/neutral character could become a Harper, etc.;

2. a series of Harper quests that ends with your party and a group of Harpers including Gorion attacking a Banite temple - for whatever reason, a great ritual (sacrifice) is planned and you are involved in an attempt to prevent it, only realising in the end exactly how you have been misled by the Harpers to prevent something you certainly wouldn't have signed up for had you known;

3. an encounter with the heroes of the canon, perhaps trying to find a way to weaken a god's Avatar somehow so that it can be destroyed/defeated - a good party would do it because it's the right thing to do, an evil party by the lure of power if they can be the ones to defeat the avatar (although you wouldn't be able to let them just wreck the canon and the game balance like that, but tie it into becoming a chosen servant of a power or demi-power);

4. adventures in Waterdeep, trying to help save the city from the ravages of the gods walking the earth (from within and beyond the walls);

5. maybe as an over-arching theme, the characters might catch wind of the whole Tablets of Fate debacle and become involved in the attempt to return them (for whatever reasons they might have, good or ill);

6. just for an aside, maybe the characters could try to retrieve a weapon of great power from a certain halfling village; and

7. a chance to become a fully-fledged member of any number of secret or semi-secret societies in the Realms, from the Harpers to the Zhentarim, the Red Wizards to the Shadow Thieves, or even maybe the Twisted Rune or the Cult of the Dragon (maybe they have something to do with/know of Abazigal), and work within - for or against - that organisation towards the climax of the story (most likely to do with the death of Bhaal, whether you are his servant or not) and what comes after that - maybe rescuing a Child of Bhaal with Gorion, or finding one and "adopting" him, knowing his potential power... and naming him Sarevok...

That's all I can think of right now - my muse has been bludgeoned into submission by necessary educational exigencies (read: my thesis) and has nothing more to add.

Those are really nice, hopefully we might see something like this... especially the integration of different groups. Some ideas I had, especially for the beginning of the campaign:

- beginning the campaign in a way not directly related with the main plot - like being hired as bodyguards for a noble who has adopted a child of Bhaal after there had been one attempt on the child's life. Or something even less related - a wizard looking for feathers from an exotic bird gets mugged by a thief who has been hired to steal a text on the Bhaalspawn but had some free time :)

- It might be good if the PC started in different place depending on class, not alignment like ToEE - for example, a young acolyte sent to negotiate an unofficial agreement with a friendly cult (i.e. Ilmater to Torm) in the chaos during the Time of Troubles, or a young thief caught by the local guild and asked to retrieve some information on the workings of a certain person (or else). The cleric ones really offer a lot of diversity, depending on the cult.

- Choosing a speciality - like rangers in ToEE, who had either to choose bow or dual-wield tree of development, might be integrated in quests, which can happen very easily if a few initial quests are not related to the plot - like your training. This can basically determine your kit - either at level 1 (you start with the basic HPs but no specific skills) or later, but still at early stage.

- being able to become a member of a prestigious order (enabling a certain prestige class, perhaps with kit-like benefits if the system is a D&D 2nd edition like BG II) - for example, a quest for an elven PC that would result in him/her joining a bladesinger order. This might be integrated with the previous. For example, a cleric after completing his or her mission might be initiated into the order, receive the holy symbol and be able to call on his/her god for spells. However, after completing a much harder and longer quest, he or she might be accepted among the elite of the church (Tymora's auspicians, Mystra's mageweavers - if that was how they were called - and so on), which would give extra skills per level or enable the respective prestige class for levelling. A barbarian might be recognized among the warriors of the tribe as a champion and receive the blessing of the tribe totem, a bard after serving as a messenger might be trained by a court minstrel or join a shadowdancer troupe, etc.

- If there is something like stronghold quests, in could be fun if some NPC's could also complete them, receive benefits but also have some obligations, like having to go there every now and then (like Jaheira and the Harpers in BGII:SoA).

- Exotic races might also start with specific quests: a drow might have to escape from a slave caravan and flee to the surface (which, however, could happen mostly in a time-separated prologue, so that his eyes adapt, he learns at least one language, etc.). A tiefling might find herself on a none-too-friendly place and, escaping, come to Faerun. Only problem - the plot might become too branched out. I wouldn't mind, but the designers probably would ;)

[ November 07, 2004, 15:31: Message edited by: The Shaman ]

- beginning the campaign in a way not directly related with the main plot - like being hired as bodyguards for a noble who has adopted a child of Bhaal after there had been one attempt on the child's life. Or something even less related - a wizard looking for feathers from an exotic bird gets mugged by a thief who has been hired to steal a text on the Bhaalspawn but had some free timeAll I can say is :pope: 'preach it, Papa!' The key will be finding a strong central theme and developing that; having the characters come into contact with it almost by chance would be excellent. The origins stuff might get tedious after a while though - although there's no reason why there couldn't be an "Origins-B-Gone" mod or option developed for it. In any case, starting at 1st level you wouldn't be the head honcho, which would lead to some very chaotic times in the first few chapters of the game.

I very much like the idea of race- and class-specific quests - kind of like some of the ones in IWD2 (the Lost Followers/Dreadmaster quests were the best in the game, for my money). If the game is PC-driven like the original BG games, I think having a class-dependent lead-in would be awesome. I think it would need an alignment element too, though - you couldn't generalise about mages, sorcerors, rogues or fighters, or even barbarians to the same extent as you could monks, paladins or clerics of particular orders.

Keep the think tank bubbling, people!

Well, hopefully they can make opening vignettes somewhat neutral, especially if you start "young and green" like in BG I.

Hmm, why wouldn't they go with the classic "In the aftermath of the catalysmic encounter they lost their power" line?

It's always used situations like this.

Hmm, why wouldn't they go with the classic "In the aftermath of the catalysmic encounter they lost their power" line?I mean no offence to you, Arawn, but the best reason not to use that line is because it would suck - even if you stripped Charname of his/her godly powers, they're still an awesomely powerful individual. A level 30+ character is a person to be looked upon in fear and awe, since they are more powerful than all bar about 5 people in the Realms. If I was anyone evil with power and influence, I sure as hell wouldn't pick a fight with such a character unless I had no choice - and there simply aren't enough enemies to give you a challenge in the Realms when you're that tough. Bhaalpowers or no, even Elminster tells you he'd rather not have to cross your path.

Besides, we all know how the Bhaalspawn saga ends - why not see how it can begin? To be in the temple when Gorion saves the protagonist of BG1 and BG2, to know that he's plucked out the pawn of the prophecy - an infant - and you're partly responsible for what happened? Maybe not all of us like the idea, but I certainly do.

You mean that you don't know how it begins? Though it makes no difference, I would still prefer to continue from after Charname's ascencion to the Throne.

"I mean no offence to you, Arawn, but the best reason not to use that line is because it would suck - "

Not necessarily, but it often is kind of corny.
Charname wouldn't simply lose godhood. Instead he/she loses a number of levels and gets amnesia. The protagonist then sets out trying to find out what happened. When advancing he/she simply remembers the lost levels.

"Besides, we all know how the Bhaalspawn saga ends - why not see how it can begin? "

As others have pointed out, knowing what must happen gives you the feeling of being a puppet not the focus of the story,

*cough* Nameless One *cough*

what is there to continue? sh*t, the most i can tnihk of is that we sect time over or whatever.

"Besides, we all know how the Bhaalspawn saga ends - why not see how it can begin? "

As others have pointed out, knowing what must happen gives you the feeling of being a puppet not the focus of the story.Not necessarily - if the introduction of Gorion and the Bhaalchildren is not the centre of the story, but rather, an adjunct of it, I don't see any reason why you woould have to feel like a puppet. Sure, you couldn't change the outcome, for the sake of continuity, but that's not to say that every character would do it. As I suggested earlier, you could have Harper Quests as an equivalent of the stronghold quests from BG2 - one of which would be the rescue of the BG1/BG2 protagonist from the Bhaal temple.

I guess it might be ok, but I'm sure that the Harpers wouldn't be the only society that is interested in the bhaalspawn. Perhaps you could join one of several groups and do what they did prior to BGI.
However, it might be even nicer if the whole part related to BG I is only a side quest and the main plot revolves around something else. Help me out with the chronology, guys - was the Time of Troubles over by the time the Bhaalspawn were born? I suppose since Bhaal took his time to get around, some might even be old enough to start being trouble.

Remember, Abazigal was a half-dragon (I suppose they don't grow up that easily) and he had a son. So I guess some bhallspawn are way older than Charname, by every estimate (hey, how old is he/she supposed to be in ToB? I think no more than 20), and might be somewhat involved, even if slightly. Can you imagine driving Yaga-Shura as a child away from a halfling village :) ?