As previously threatened in our Patreon backer blog, here is my incredibly specific gaming blog covering a very small subset of games. Specifically...

Fallout 1
Fallout 2
Baldur's Gate 1
Planescape: Tormet
Icewind Dale
Baldur's Gate 2
Icewind Dale 2
Lionheart
Arcanum
Temple of Elemental Evil.

This first entry is just to lay out the format, give you guys a game plan and speak some general truth to general power before getting painstakingly specific. Buckle up for a project that, if I finish it, will take years. Or actually, on second thought, don’t bother buckling up. Let’s get motherfucking slow.

I'll say again: I realize that not all of these games actually use The Infinity Engine. I'm going for a feel and that feel is of an isometric RPG of a certain vintage.

I’m going to tackle Baldur’s Gate first. I’m not going chronologically. One, because unlike the excellent Hex Crank or Chrontendo, my goal isn’t to track changes. The evolution of these games isn’t a thing, really. They were made by different people and are sometimes in different engines. I’m instead looking to delve as deep as possible into this small set of games to define why I love them and elucidate the mysteries within.

Also, as much as I look forward to tackling Fallout 1 and 2, I can’t start with them because we did them on WOFF! fairly recently. It's all too fresh, man. I can't handle it. Honestly, I'll probably cover those games late in the series so I can come with fresh enthusiasm. Unlike the other games here, I’ll also probably augment them with mods. The rest of the games, I’m going to keep vanilla to judge them as they are.

As for format, I’m going to be splitting the game up into roughly twelve parts (including the expansion) but honestly, that’s a number I pulled out of some random butthole. I may move faster than that or slower as time allows. The only pressure I’m putting on myself is to keep a steady schedule. Each entry will have a distinct A and B side.

a. The play session. Here is where I’ll talk about what choices I’m making in character advancement and about NPCs I run into. What's actually happening on the screen.

b. Ephemera. I’m going to pick something related to an area or subject and do a little lecture. I’m taking inspiration from Bobbin Threadbare’s excellent Deus Ex lecture series on Youtube. This could be something like The Red Wizards of Thay, a primer on 2nd Edition D and D, a bit about the history of The Forgotten Realms novels. Time will tell! These bits will pull a lot of sources from the net. No matter how many letters I write to my congressman, my library refuses to carry books on The Harpers.

So, that is really it. This entry is likely a little shorter than future entries but I firmly believe word count restrictions are nonsense. So some entries might be about this length, many will be longer. We’ll be getting started next week with Candlekeep, a word about character creation, and a bit about the genesis of the Forgotten Realms. Be sure to like the page on facebook and let me know if you have any comments! gary@duckfeed.tv