Where should I start?

[Hellwalker]

Hi,
I got Spiderweb collection from recent Steam "Winter Wallet Rape festival".

And I have no idea which game to play first. I could use some advise on that.
I'm looking for easy entry point game, so skipping through old ones is fine. I have equal interest in story and interesting combat. And I hate grinding for xp. Based on some small research I have done, Geneforge should be the one to try but not sure which one to start with. I don't care about graphics, but don't have time to sink unlimited hours into grinding and game descriptions were scary on that part. So the game with most meaningful quests and combat would be best for me.

Thanks

 

[Jack]

Geneforge should be the one to try but not sure which one to start with

The first one, it's also the best one. Probably the shortest of the Geneforges too.

 

[Niektory]

If you go with the first one you might want to use the Geneforge graphix enhancement mod.

 

[kwanzabot]

i havent played every game but i always liked the geneforge series way better, from what i played 1>4/5 > 2 >3, all of them are pretty good but they're all pretty similar so i doubt you'll enjoy playing them all in a row, i think the only ones ive actually beaten are 1 and 5 though, not sure

i always thought the avernums were kind of boring, could never get that far into them but the later ones 5/6 are better then the older ones for me anyways

 

[Mustawd]

If you're gonna try the Avernum series from the beginning I recommend Avernum: Escape from the Pit. I played both of the Avernum 1's, and I feel like Vogel improved the amount of mobs, as I feel like there were definitely less trash combats.

I'd recommend playing on Hard though, as otherwise it's a faceroll and you become rich like 1/8 through the story. Hard is more hobo-mode for sure. I was always short on funds. Fair warning, there's some non linearity in the quests, so a bit of backtracking for a completionist is probably required. But not a ton.

Also, the remake has a tutorial, more friendly UI, and better graphics.

 

[Agesilaus]

When you're done with Geneforge, try out Nethergate. After playing through the Geneforges you should be used to the keyboard commands, so it will be easy to get into Nethergate. The setting is very interesting, the factions are quite different, and it's one of my favourite RPGs.

I will also say that I think Avadon 1 & 2, and the Avernum remakes, suck. I haven't played the original Avernums, and I'm not about to start. They are mindless, lack C&C, and involve a trillion trash mobs. Seriously, just light them on fire. I'm pretty sure Vogel made them as an elaborate prank.

 

[Mustawd]

Avernums are a bit generic yes. Trash mobs and filler combat have always been a problem. But I enjoyed the first for what it was. The premise kind of hooked me in and the story was cool enough to keep me going.

 

[Agesilaus]

I admit that I finished the remake of the first one. The setting was new, and it had just enough content and C&C to keep me interested until I found the way up. It was a near run thing, though, and I put it down a couple of times.

Crystal Souls, on the other hand... C&C is gone. You are totally railroaded and force-fed trash mob after trash mob. So painful.