What's the Correct Playthrough order for Avernum Games?

[Logun]

I've got 4, 5, 6 from Steam, but I'm not sure if these are just remakes of the original 3 and/or how Blades fit in to the whole thing.

 

So what's the "proper" linear order in which to play through them?

 

Thanks!!

[nikki.]

The short answer is "no; Avernum 4-6 are completely new games and not remakes of anything', The longer one is slightly more complicated.

 

Exile 1-3 are the true original versions of the games, and were released around 15-20 years ago. As such, they no longer work on modern computers. Fortunately, around 10 years ago, these games were remade into the original Avernum Trilogy, that is, Avernum 1-3. After a break of several years, Avernum 4-6 were released, to follow on from the original three games. Avernum 4-6 are completely original, and not remakes in any way.

 

Most recently Avernum 1 has been remade as Avernum: Escape from the Pit, since the first Avernum Trilogy now looks dated and no longer works on newer Macintosh computers.

 

Blades is kind of an oddball. The games do not follow on from any Avernum game; instead they consist of hundreds of user-created scenarios set within the Avernum universe. They're very cool, and very much worth your time.

 

As you point out, Avernum 1-3 aren't on Steam. You might want to wait to play the games in order - you'll get a bit more atmosphere, and see some things that are referenced in later games. On the other hand, if you jump right in at Avernum 4, everything you need to know will be given to you, and all you'll miss are a few plot twists, and some little references Spiderweb slips in for it's long-suffering fans.

 

Also, Welcome to Spiderweb Software! Please leave your sanity at the door - it'll help when getting your head around the numbering system!

[Necris Omega]

There are no prequels or inconsequential "side" games in the entire series, so to get the "complete" Avernum experience, you have to play them all and in order.

 

Hm... Actually, Avernum 5 might not be of critical importance, though it IS the best out of the second Trilogy...

[Trenton.]

There is no exact linage. You can actually play the second, fourth, sixth, fifth, and third in that order with only slight confusion. BoA does not fit directly into the saga. It's a game where you can write scenarios around the Avernum world. If you wanted least confusion, you should probably want to play it first to last. Won't make much difference though.

 

 

 

SON OF A FRICKING FRACK FRICKER!

 

 

Sniped Twice.

[Logun]

cool thanks - so what I"m hearing though is to play Escape from the Pit rather then Avernum 1 ... correct?

[nikki.]

Yeah, you can probably go ahead and do that. Avernum 1 has a very old engine, and the game is more or less the same otherwise.

 

Fair warning though: Crystal Souls and Ruined World, the second and third Avernum remakes aren't out yet, and probably won't be for a while.

[Randomizer]

Although every time remakes a game he adds content and changes things. Avernum: Escape from the Pit adds a completely new town that is trying to break away from the control of the Avenite government. We won't know until the next remake whether they succeed or even survive.

[Kelandon]

I feel like we need to put this in a header somewhere.

 

The first three games have been/will be remade twice:

 

Exile 1 -> Avernum 1 -> Avernum: Escape From the Pit

Exile 2 -> Avernum 2 -> Avernum 2: Crystal Souls (not yet released)

Exile 3 -> Avernum 3 -> Avernum 3: Ruined World (not yet released)

 

The other four games are different:

 

Blades of Avernum (older engine)

Avernum 4

Avernum 5

Avernum 6

 

This comes up a lot. If I were a responsible moderator, I'd figure out where to put it.

[Trenton.]

Still waiting for Avernum 4 remake.

 

 

Avernum 4 is best pony game.

[Quantum]

Hello there! I signed up to this forum just for this question, but will probably stick around for a while. Anyways, here comes my question... Thought i'd just bump this topic instead of opening a new one

 

Yesterday i bought this (or last, depends on how you look at it) week's Humble Weekly Sale. And i've got some questions about the games included!

 

https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

 

Screenshot of the games:

 

Edit: Picture was huge, so i'll just give you a direct link: http://i.imgur.com/DzqyBud.png

 

I striped the games that don't matter right now with red. Some games might appear twice, but that's because i kinda put 2 screens together.

 

For the question:

 

1, What's the correct order to play these games? I read that 1, 2 and 3 being too old to be played on modern PC's so they kind of 'ported' it to new generation PC's. I see The First Avernum Trilogy and Avernum: The Great Trials Trilogy. Is the first one the original trilogy (too old one), and the second one the 're-make' (playable on newer computers)?

 

2. And are the other 'series' (Avadon: The Black Fortress, Nethergate: Resurrection and The Genforge Saga) in any way connected to each other, or to the Avernum series?

 

It would be great if someone could help me, since i'm kind of excited to play these games. I don't want to mess up the order so that's why i'm asking. It would be even more awesome if someone could just make a list like:

 

1. Avernum: The Great Trials Tirlogy

2. Avernum: Escape from the pit

3. And so on and so on

 

Thanks for the answers!

 

Paul

 

P.S.: Sorry if my English is a bit bad, it's not my native language. Feel free to correct me, I only learn from that!

[Earth]

For Avernums corect order is Avernum Escape etcand then Crystal Souls (comes next year) and then Ruined World (comes ~2 years from now) or Avernum 1st trilogy and then Avernum Great Trials.

[Randomizer]

1. The nice part is you don't have to play them in order. The first trilogy (Avernum 1-3) have places where you get background information about what happened before so you get a general idea of past events in earlier games.

 

Setting compatibility mode should allow you to play the older games on Windows systems and there are versions for newer Macs.

 

The Great Trials Trilogy (Avernum 4-6) use a newer game engine. These games are more recent and work better on newer computers.

 

Avernum: Escape from the Pit is a remake of Avernum 1 and includes new material. A new major city with it's own quests and usually extra levels for towns and some dungeons. So there are new things to do besides a different way to level up the characters.

 

2. The other games, Geneforge Saga, Avadon, and Nethergate, take place in different worlds despite some herertics that try to merge them as Averforge or Genevernum.

 

The 5 games of Geneforge start out with an apprentice stranded on Sucia Island and discovering past secrets including the Geneforge. The rest of the games carry on the story as Shapers deal with the secrets being used and later rebellion from those that want to end the Shaper control.

 

Nethergate: Resurrection is a remake for newer computers of Nethergate with new material and two new dungeons. It uses the Avernum 3 game engine with the Nethergate spell system. It takes place in an isolated area of Great Britain where the natives are fighting the invading Romans. You can play the game as the Romans or the Celts and see the story unfold from each side's view point. You have to play the game as each side to see the full story and explore everything since there are restricted areas for each side that only they can enter.

 

Avadon is the new series and Avadon 2: The Corruption will be released later this year.

 

Welcome to Spiderweb Software. Please leave your sanity at the door. It helps you to understand conflicting advice.

[Quantum]

Thanks for the fast replies and the warm welcome guys! I will try this game out as soon as I can

 

Edit:

 

Now my last 2 questions:

 

1. It doesn't really matter when I play Blades of Avernum, right?

2. Should I just start with Escape from the Pit and skip Avernum 1 or;

play Avernum 1 and then Escape from the Pit or;

just play Avernum 1-6, Blades of Avernum and then play Escape from the Pit just for old times sake (since i've played about 12 games or so by then haha)?

 

Paul

[Randomizer]

Blades of Avernum comes with 4 scenarios written by Jeff Vogel that played in order takes a beginning character up to a level equivalent to a full game.

 

There are plenty of other scenarios available through links in the Blades of Avernum forum header. These range from beginning level to extremely high level for the starting point with a few giving you pre-generated character(s) for special scenarios. Some can be played in a few minutes to 40 hours.

 

Blades of Exile is freeware and has more scenarios. There are versions of Blades of Exile that can be used on newer computers.

 

Exile 1 to 3 are now free. These are the original versions of Avernum 1 to 3 with a 6 player party and different spells. These games may not run on newer computers.

[Quantum]

I must say I have dwelled on multiple forums but have never seen such fast and nice reactions, thanks for them! I will surely stick around for a while now.

 

I will probably start playing tomorrow. I'm in for some epic adventures!

 

And again, thanks for the kind and fast replies!

 

Edit: How about my second question, with which one should I start?

 

Also, am I the only one having my cursor jumping from left to right and vice-versa when i press enter or the spacebar?

 

Paul

[Randomizer]

Edit: How about my second question, with which one should I start?

Paul

Are you trying to start a flamewar?

There is no correct answer according to certain members. Whatever I say will be contradicted.

[Quantum]

Haha alright, i'll figure out myself. Seems like there are some hardcore players out here hehe. Thanks for the help!

 

Paul

[Alorael at Large]

I'd play either Avernum 1-6 or Escape From the Pit and then Avernum 2-6. Probably the latter; the new engine is nice and Avernum 1 really shows its age in little things like the absence of a quest list. (I know, I know, gamers these days are so pampered!) You may find that A2 and A3 are also too outdated for you or too much of a hassle to get running well. If that's the case it's really fine to skip them and jump to A4. Each game really has a self-contained plot, though of course there's some continuity of characters and events among them.

 

Blades of Avernum you play mostly for the player-made scenarios, which often have little or nothing to do with the Avernum series. I'd certainly try to play A2-3 first if you're going to so you have a good sense of the engine. But then there's no need to plow through all the scenarios at once. They're all shorter than the Avernum series proper; most of them are very short. You can play one or two between other games and have a good time.

 

—Alorael, who is perfectly happy to jump in with an opinion. His is right, after all. Anyone who disagrees is just wrong.

[Mosquito---Slayer]

Whatever I say will be contradicted.

No, It won't be.

[The Reverend]

No, It won't be.

Yes, it will be.

 

Edit: And just so I'm not accused of spamming the thread, I'll express my opinion that you should follow the Avernum series roughly in order, so that you can experience the true saga of the underground kingdom. I.e., A1 or A:EFTP, followed by A2-6 in order. Some have said you can skip around without losing much, but I disagree ... Yes, the games are self contained, but there's something to be said for following the full story arc in its intended order. That said, if you do skip any, skip A4 - it adds the least to the story arc, IMHO. A5 is kinda the same, but it introduces some important characters.

[Harehunter]

Welcome to the family. There are resources online besides here for assistance, maps, walkthroughs, etc. Folks who have links in their signature, such as the Reverend, have provided extra content that you may find interesting and useful. Also check out all the links at the first of each game series on the forum. These are provided by folks who want to share their enjoyment of these games with others.

 

Enjoy!

[Earth]

like Alorael said Avernum 1 doesn't have quest list so either you need to keep paper (notepad) notes or ingame notes who gave what quest and where that person is.