Let's Play: Phantasie! (1st dungeon)

[DaveO]

You could make a cannon fodder character, but that particular dungeon had some higher level encounters. I just checked Andrew Schultz's excellent walkthru on GameFaqs...

The Dosnebian Clerics--oh those tricky Dosnebians--are next. Here
you'll need a minotaur in your party. Don't worry if he gets killed.
Even having a dead minotaur will get you in the front door.

 

[sheek]

Then I'll do Phantasie III, I noticed it had hit locations and formations as well.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Then I'll do Phantasie III, I noticed it had hit locations and formations as well.

Head removal is fatal... just warning you now.

 

[DaveO]

I'd agree. Build up on I and II first. Those limb removal things are annoying in Phantasie III. Besides, it's like you're skipping to the last book of the Lord of the Rings without having done Fellowship and Two Towers. Sure, the references may be a bit lame nowadays but it's worth the slog in my minor opinion.

 

[Luzur]

i always hated when they managed to behead my chars.

 

[Anthony Davis]

I'd agree. Build up on I and II first. Those limb removal things are annoying in Phantasie III.

Can't you also transfer characters?

I seem to recall taking my party from 1, to 2, and finally to 3.

Hell, that could have been any game back in the day. I sometimes find that my memories of different RPGS blue together...Wizardry, Gold Box, Ultimas, and the others.

 

[Luzur]

you can transfer your chars between Phantasie 1-3 and Wizards Crown/eternal dagger if im not mistaken.

 

[DaveO]

Definitely a character transfer option, I know you can transfer from I to II at minimum. Luzur beat me to the answer, and it's true for the Wizard's Crown to Eternal Dagger link. You could get some pretty good characters in Wizard's Crown milking the crown reward and putting them in ED. And there were no character limit restrictions for imported parties.

 

[sheek]

Is the story in I and II worth it? I didn't think it was a story based game.

I know there is a transfer option between I and II, you get it in the main menu.

 

[Anthony Davis]

you can transfer your chars between Phantasie 1-3 and Wizards Crown/eternal dagger if im not mistaken.

Those are two other games I LOVED.

I vividly remember Wizard's Crown. I remember playing through that game till I hit the Golems. I remember getting my ass kicked repeatedly from the groups of 20 to 30 nigh-indestructible golems that would steam-roll my party of 8. Even when I got the Golem Staff, 20 to 30 were just too many for him to overcome.

I re-started and took a different approach. I made one character where I dumped every experience point I could into strength, health, and maul weapon skill. When I finally got to the golems, I had my one quick, normal fighter with the Golem staff critical striking Golems and killing them in one or two hits. The other guy would be wearing the best armor I could find and just hammer the crap out of the golems and try to brute force his way through it, shrugging off the bone crunching hits from the golems.

In the end that seemed to work out really well - and no other monster out there could stand against my maul wielding behemoth.

Mongo swings his maul and hits the Goblin!
Goblins blocks with his shield!
Goblin's shield is broken!
Goblin is killed!

I never got to finish The Eternal Dagger though...

 

[Anthony Davis]

Is the story in I and II worth it? I didn't think it was a story based game.

I know there is a transfer option between I and II, you get it in the main menu.

Well, there is a lot of neat stuff...but overall story?

I = stop nicodemus
II = stop niocdeumus..AGAIN.
III = get fed up with nicodemus and give him the business once and for all.

 

[DaveO]

Bless is the trick against the Golems in Gazoroth's dungeon for Wizard's Crown. Six blessings from your Priests, and the Golems have a hard time hitting you. You could also JOIN Nikademus in Phantasie III...

 

[Luzur]

and i never finished Wizards Crown since i got stuck at the mansion (managed to loose the key you needed there).

but still i bought both all of them from ebay since they are SSI RPG's afterall

 

[DaveO]

You CAN reset the dungeons using the dungeon reset...

As far as Eternal Dagger goes, a lot of memorable encounters. Plus one of the perhaps most difficult tactical combats against the Demon Bear Arcturus on the Dwarven lands. AND those Dwarves would sometimes ambush you in attempt to steal all your gold(they are greedy bastards after all). Defeating the Demon Lord Anawt with your crappy equipment at the end is for the truly dedicated...

 

[Anthony Davis]

Bless is the trick against the Golems in Gazoroth's dungeon for Wizard's Crown. Six blessings from your Priests, and the Golems have a hard time hitting you. You could also JOIN Nikademus in Phantasie III...

Ah!

I think back then when I was playing RPGs the concept of 'buffing' was completely foreign to me. Fireball or go home... oh, and shatter I remember that spell because NPCs would cast on me and destroy my high dollar equipment. To be fair, I was a young teenager when I played that game and had much to learn.



I have no real memory of joining Nikademus either, I just remember killing him.

 

[Anthony Davis]

and i never finished Wizards Crown since i got stuck at the mansion (managed to loose the key you needed there).

but still i bought both all of them from ebay since they are SSI RPG's afterall

I should probably just get an e-Bay account and start shopping for some of these classics.

My girlfriend goes to thrift stores a lot and she called me once from one of them:

"Honey, this store has some PC games in the box that are from Black Isle, are you interested?"

"Are these little CD-case sized boxes or the full sized boxed games?"

"Full-sized"

"Ok, what have they got?"

"Planesc-"

"Buy it."


So I now have a shrinkwrapped full sized version of planescape torment that my girlfriend picked up for 50 cents.

Oh, and Icewind Dale 1 too.

Yeah, she rules.

 

[DaveO]

There is an encounter glitch in that LONG final dungeon in Tarmon's castle. You can completely avoid the run-in with Tarmon and grab the crown. I find it perhaps a bit ironic that you could reduce morale loss by going to the Inn. I wonder if it was the whisky or the women or both that got morale loss to 0...

 

[Anthony Davis]

There is an encounter glitch in that LONG final dungeon in Tarmon's castle. You can completely avoid the run-in with Tarmon and grab the crown.

Was that a glitch? For sure?

 

[DaveO]

It was on my version, although it may not be present for all versions. Have your characters hold up before the encounter square with other party members following. Do a full stop, and one of your characters should reposition right on top of the encounter square without the encounter.

Ok, before this discussion gets really railroaded...
Sheek, Phantasie is not about the story. It's about finding the rings, collecting nice God weapons, kicking ass and taking names.

 

[Luzur]

and i never finished Wizards Crown since i got stuck at the mansion (managed to loose the key you needed there).

but still i bought both all of them from ebay since they are SSI RPG's afterall

I should probably just get an e-Bay account and start shopping for some of these classics.

My girlfriend goes to thrift stores a lot and she called me once from one of them:

"Honey, this store has some PC games in the box that are from Black Isle, are you interested?"

"Are these little CD-case sized boxes or the full sized boxed games?"

"Full-sized"

"Ok, what have they got?"

"Planesc-"

"Buy it."


So I now have a shrinkwrapped full sized version of planescape torment that my girlfriend picked up for 50 cents.

Oh, and Icewind Dale 1 too.

Yeah, she rules.

heh, my ex just nagged at me allt he time to get rid of my games since she thought they took to much space. no feelings at all there.

i mean come on, how could i "get rid" of these little babies?

luckily she never managed to do it.

and btw, sheek, if you are going to re-run the series do it with either the C64 or amiga/Atari-ST versions, much MUCH more enjoyable and colorfull the DOS versions.

http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/phantasie-series

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

Full on completing Wizard's Crown is absolute hell. Not only do you have to make through the final dungeon area, with the Golems, and the Demons that are immune to all but one attack type, but you had to make it back to town. Literally every other step on the way back would result in an encounter. Combat in that game took quite a while, and you can't save anywhere except in town. If you don't take the quick combat option (which works well, incidentally), it'd probably take you 12 hours to get through the final dungeon and make it all the way back.

Phantasie III is probably the best of the bunch. It is technically the smallest of the three, but you don't really miss a whole lot by skipping the others. You do encounter a few characters that appear throughout the series (like Lord Wood), but that's about it. Bows finally make an appearance in the game (rather than throwing rocks like in the other one), and there's some semblance of party formation. You can move characters into a front, middle, or back row.

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

and btw, sheek, if you are going to re-run the series do it with either the C64 or amiga/Atari-ST versions, much MUCH more enjoyable and colorfull the DOS versions.

http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/phantasie-series

I'm also pretty sure there isn't a DOS version of the second game. For some reason, the first and third, but not the second.

 

[DaveO]

No rule against doing that final dungeon in stages, which is the only sensible one. And you can Flee from encounters until you get to the easier ones. The further south you are, the more dangerous creatures you encounter. I remember running into armies, and that was promptly the end of that particular session.

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

sheek: holy shit this brings me back. GLEEEEEEEEE!

Also, if I remember correctly, you can recruit new members into your party and swap out old ones - no need to start over.

Also I want to be the minotaur. GRARRRRRR I AM SO PRETTY AND WILL CRUSH YOUR PUNY HUMAN SKULLS. :twisted:

 

[Jaesun]

Annie the Minotaur is just... epic win.