Since the story centers around a mercantile concern, trading plays a role. Though initially dubious at this Ferengi-ifcation of my stalwart band, as I started playing around with the economy, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Again, it plays into the whole freedom vibe -- by trading resources and goods with other cities and setting up trade caravans, the gold you reap (and materials you find) helps you explore the crafting system. And the desire to set up more caravans and trading centers gives you another reason to explore the map.

But like all of the games saddled with the buggy NWN2 engine, Storm of Zehir has its problems. Besides a rather lackluster story, the overland map does a few weird things as well. For starters, every time you go from an encounter to the map, all of your long-duration spells expire. My 24-hour-duration spells shouldn't fizzle out this quickly. Coupled with the game's inability to rest without risking a chance encounter (you may safely rest in towns), this really nerfs spellcasters (I hope one of NWN2's modders comes up with a fix, if the developers don't address this in a patch). And while the conversation and crafting systems allow you to use all of your parties' skills, the overland map oddly restricts you to just your selected character's abilities -- a weird step back, given the freedom of the party system.

Storm of Zehir may have a lackluster story, and that's OK, because it doesn't need one. It gives you the means -- the freedom -- to make your own story. And isn't that why we like RPGs in the first place?​