Avernum 6 or Avadon?

[Alweth]

Short version: For my first Spiderweb game, should I get Avadon or Avernum 6?

 

Long Version:

So I played the demo of Avadon. Frankly, I was a little disappointed. In contrast with the previous Spiderweb RPGs, it seems to have taken a page out Diablo 2's book and forced you into a picking a single character with a skill tree to pick from... only it has less classes and only one skill tree per class. I heard that the plot is really good--one of its strengths--but the demo doesn't really go far enough to show anything beyond a typical RPG beginning.

 

I like the wider character and party build options in Avernum 6 a lot more, but the the skills don't seem quite as interesting as Avadons. Also, although I am not exactly sure how, I would expect that Avadon includes some design improvements based on things Spiderweb learned from Avernum 6.

 

So, what are your thoughts about Avernum 6 and Avadon in contrast? Is does Avernum 6 really give you more freedom in party customization? Does the plot for Avadon get really good? Which one should I play?

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Triumph]

For what it's worth, I really enjoyed A6. I played the demo of Avadon and wasn't wowed.

[Skwish-E]

If you like the wider character and party build options of Avernum, try Avernum 6, but the real treat for you will be when Avernum - Escape From the Pit comes out. Avadon is a great game, but it does have the limitations you mentioned. I'd say, go with the demo ov Avernum 6, and if you like it better than Avadon, buy that one. If you like Avadon better, buy Avadon. The demos really do give a feel for what the game is like.

[Death Knight]

I recommend avadon, the story is solid, the characters are real. Like Skwish said, when A:EFTP comes out, that will be really good. I prefer avadon to mostly all of jeff's games as there is a real differentation between classes. You could play the game with 2 shadowwalkers and a shaman, and then replay it with 2 blademasters and a sorc for a complete and total different gameplay experience. Aside from that, nethergate offers that type of experience and is in my opinion much more fun than the avernum 1-3.

[Alorael at Large]

Avadon gives you a party of three. Only one character is "you," but you get another four, one from each class, to round out your band, and you can bring two of them with you when you're off adventuring.

 

As far as story goes, I'd rate Geneforge highest and say Avadon and the later Avernum games are roughly on par. Avadon's stronger if you have no attachment to the characters of the Avernum series already. Neither one is really gripping, as game plots go, but both are quite serviceable.

 

—Alorael, who wouldn't say Avadon has design improvements, exactly. Most of what it has is an overhaul of the skill system. Other than that, they function similarly, and combat actually works out the same way once you get past the idea of Avadon having many abilities on cooldown. In some ways it's like playing a game using only Avernum's battle disciplines.

[Lilith]

My take on Avadon is that it's an interesting experiment that has some good qualities but isn't quite mature yet. The sequel's almost guaranteed to be either significantly better or significantly worse. If you found the demo frustrating, you're likely to find the rest of the game frustrating as well, although you may be able to get over your frustration.

 

I think some of the freedom Avernum 6 gives you is illusory, since there are some skills that are clearly superior for certain character builds and others that are mostly just bad: unlike in Avadon, it's possible to seriously screw up your party by making the wrong build choices early on. Still, there is considerable room for customisation in how to build your party as a whole. From what you've said, you'll probably like it.

[Randomizer]

Avadon does have the advantage of a retrainer to fix character build mistakes.

[Actaeon]

As someone who started with the Geneforge series and had to shift focus to play either, I found the Avernum series more appealing. I'm not sure I'd start with the most recent games, as the older engines are more frustrating once you've played their modern counterparts, but if you intend to stick to that plan, I'd got with A6.

[Alorael at Large]

Actually, I think Avadon may have the worst demo of the series. You don't get to do much of anything. The game is better just about immediately after the demo, in the Wretch Warrens. Not dramatically so, but noticeably so.

 

—Alorael, who doesn't really know if he can recommend the game over the demo's merits. He'll just recommend keeping in mind that all the interesting combat is yet to come, the plot hasn't really gotten started yet, and everything is better when you have more than just one or two skills to use in combat.