The Reverend

I don't recall there being anything there, and the Synergizer item list doesn't mention anything either.

Nope, that's all it does - like most of Nicodemus' "gifts", it's not really useful.

Normal horseshoes don't do anything - just the lucky horseshoe charm that you get as a quest reward. My recollection is that the melee and ranged skill training that you get for 3000 from Liese in the Beast's Woods shows up in your special items (like the blessing and boon from Unni), and effect all characters.

I once asked my 3-year-old if she could remember what she thought about before she was able to talk. She said something like "I thought about how much I wanted to be a big girl so I could talk."

I don't remember the details, since it's been a while since I did this part of the game, but I think you need the royal seal to get past the black spire. Did you find that yet? I don't remember anything about Aydin and fungus though, but that could be just because of my hazy recollection. Do you happen to remember what it was that he said about fungus?

My in-laws are French. When we go visit, my father-in-law and I go to the store where he works (kinda of a hardware and garden store, but they also sell booze and clothes) and fill up a few jugs of wine from their big vats. That usually gets us through lunch ...

My agent Angie finished the game at level 22.

Yes, but that requires remembering which ones had previously made it clear. At my age, that is not always easy. I could try writing it down, but whenever I try that, I forget where I put the paper ... If only these games allowed us to create, organize, and edit our own journal entries rather than just copying things that were said to us.

I ran into this problem even when the quest givers didn't move - I couldn't always remember where certain people were. That's where the Synergizer item list came in handy - I'd just search it for the name of the quest giver. It was also useful for knowing whether or not somebody would make new quests available later, so I'd know whether to go back and revisit them.

Elvis

I missed that reloading is also not allowed, but I guess reloading when somebody dies kind of defeats the purpose of not allowing resurrection, so that makes sense.

You could maybe do it by treating the party as a singleton "with support". In other words, pick one character as your main character, and give them the type of build you'd give a character intending to be a singleton (since by the end of the game they probably will be). Give them all the best stuff as well, and devote most of your training $$$ to them. The other characters will give the main character support until they die off.

I would argue that that is at least as much nurture as nature - i.e., they were raised to be obedient. As evidence, I'd cite the fact that when they were left alone (as on Sucia Island) so many of them became Awakened or Takers, as opposed to Obeyers.

You'd have to delete the character to avoid having them automatically resurrect when you enter town. And then you'd lose any equipment they were carrying, wouldn't you? It'd be a bummer if they were carrying the Orb of Thralni ... Edit: I guess you can bend the rules a bit and let them resurrect in town, drop the orb, and then delete them.

I agree with you, which is why I haven't taken a pro-shaper position in any of the three geneforges I've played (1-3). I've seen arguments that what the Rebels eventually become is worse than the Shapers. I can somewhat buy that argument in the later games, but not in G1 - in G1 the Awakened (philosophically) and the Takers (practically) make the most sense to me. The events of the later games haven't happened yet when you are playing G1, so from a role-playing perspective, I don't take them into account.

No, I don't think the stories are different between the versions. I think it's just that some players are pro-shaper, in which case the Sholai would be viewed as the enemies.

I haven't met a Spiderweb game that I didn't like. In addition to the ones already mentioned, a lot of people (myself included) really liked Nethergate, and its remake Nethergate: Resurrection.

For the main gate, the key opens a door to a room where there is gate wheel that opens the main gate. The room is just to the west of the main gate. For the back way, the key opens a door (across the bridge) to a room which has a secret door that lets you exit.

We went to Iceland a couple years - I didn't even consider trying any whale, but it was very common to see signs outside restaurants advertising it. And puffins too (the bird, NOT the cereal), which just seem way too cute to even consider eating ....

The key should let you open a couple doors that give you access to escape routes. The map linked to by Mosquito---Slayer should show you where those doors are.

Did you get the iron key when you killed Onghror? I think you need it to get out.

I would argue that they are still pretty good in the late game. Yes, their damage will fall behind other characters, but their high dexterity can make them an effective tank in many fights. They'll just need something to counter cold attacks (which dexterity does not help you evade). There are some items that give a cold resistance bonus, which helps mitigate this.

Archers are actually very good in Avernum 4 as well - especially once you get the Heartstriker.

Avadon is very much trying to tell a story, which forces some linearity into the game. The helpers disappearing and going off on their own personal quests is actually an important piece of that story - it all becomes clearer at the end of the game. But yes, if you're looking for a totally open world in the style of the Exile/Avernum 1, Avadon is not the best choice.

I've had Pigeon in Morocco and France on multiple occasions. Prepared well it is quite tasty - I particularly remember a nice pigeon tagine I had as part of a ridiculously overindulgent feast at a restaurant in (I think) Fez, Morocco. Also, I had a "reindeer paella" once in Helsinki. My then-girlfriend/now-wife accused me of eating poor Rudolph, but I told her I didn't see any glowing noses in the Paella pan - the only thing glowing was the charcoal it was being cooked over.