Where to start?

[Pard]

I remember hearing about this studio / these games in a GDC talk a few years back. At the time I had a linux machine and couldn't play any of the games so I never tried any. Now I have a Mac and thought to come back to these. I have far too little time and am looking for a game to fill in an hour of free time now and then (lunch time on rainy days). I also have analysis paralysis and if I see enough options I will never be able to make a choice.

 

Any good intro-tospiderweb-software series/game to start off with?

[Sudanna]

The easiest answer is Geneforge 1: Mutagen, the most recent release. It's a renovation of the original Geneforge 1 from twenty years ago, with updated mechanics and a lot of new content. It's easy to compartmentalize, because it's divided into discrete zones. If it seems a little odd or hard to get into, try Queen's Wish instead.

[Randomizer]

Geneforge games have lots of options with 3 factions you can join to get things or just staying unaligned. Queen's Wish also has that problem, but you can wait until  later in the game to decide without affecting most things. The Avadon trilogy has probably the fewest options. Same with most Avernum games though in Avernum 5 you can have your choice decided by early decisions.

 

Nethergate, if your computer can run it, has the fewest options after deciding which side you want to play the first time.

 

All of the games can be saved unless you are in combat and having several saves helps if you get stuck or decide you want to do things differently without going back to the start.

[TriRodent]

The Avadon series probably has the fewest choices/you are pushed along a more or less linear path (there's lots of different things to do wherever you wind up, but once you've done what you are supposed to, your next destination is already decided for you (fwiw, that series is probably my least favorite of the SW games)),  Queen's Wish has you make a lot of decisions ... but ... that's the purpose of the game.  You are a royal offspring being sent to the far reaches of your mother's lands to bring things back to where they should be (according to her).  So you are making a lot of decision but they are more on a strategic level rather than the day to day tactical.  I'd suggest trying that (you can get expansive demos of all the games, so if you want to flitter around and see how each one feels...), both because I think you might like it based on your suggested requirements but also because QW2, the next in the trilogy is coming out later this year if you want to keep the story going.

 

The two BIG series' Avernum, & Geneforge (six & five chapters/games respectively) are my favorites, but they will take a lot of time (each game more or less 60 hours).  They also have big, well designed, intriguing, & unique worlds to explore.  You will have to make some decisions (what quests to do & when, where to explore, how to build your party, things like that).  They are incredible games but I don't know how well you would take to them if you're only playing around 1-2 lunch hours/week.  But again, all the games are available as demos where you generally can play the first third of the game without buying it (& if you do buy it, it just unlocks the game you're playing so you can continue on from where you are & not have to start over).

 

All of his games are very story driven so be prepared for lots of reading.  There are no voice actors giving soliloquies, just blocks of text imparting the same information.  If you're expecting a modern game designed by committee & actions driven by what the marketing dept thinks will sell best, well you won't find that at Spiderweb.  What you will find are well developed, unique universes for you to explore & go play in, thoroughly explained to you by a good writer with a very dry sense of humor. 

 

It's a fun journey, enjoy it wherever it takes you.

[Kelandon]

If you're playing only an hour or so at a time every now and then, and you don't want a lot of options, I'd probably recommend the Avernum series. Geneforge and (I think, didn't get very far) Queen's Wish have lots of choices that affect the way things unfold. Avadon might be confusing, frankly, because the setting has lots of factions and places and it's easy to lose track of it all. I think that at least Avadon 1 is best played as a single immersive experience—like a binge-play over a weekend. I think you could pick up Avernum for an hour at a time every few days and not lose the thread of what you're doing.

 

Nethergate is also excellent, but I'm not sure whether it even runs on modern Macs, and like Avadon, it might be better if played more continuously.

[googoogjoob]

Seconding Geneforge 1: Mutagen as the best introductory game. There are many narrative decisions, big and small, to be made, but unless you're trying to powergame your way through the thing, they're almost all a sort of emotive, right/wrong, just/unjust sort of decision, rather than the analysis paralysis sort of decision where you're weighing close, interchangable options.

[Chopkinsca]

On 3/29/2022 at 8:19 PM, Pard said:

I also have analysis paralysis and if I see enough options I will never be able to make a choice.

I wonder if you just mean there are so many Spiderweb game to choose from, or you want a game with less options to it. A lot of good replies here. I'd say you can't go wrong with any of the games. Personally I started with the OG Avernum and worked my way through the games by release date. It is also worth mentioning that all the games have a sizable demo available on this site.

[Juan Carlo]

Geneforge 1, 100%.  I really love the Avernums, but I always warn people that playing and finishing an Avernum is an 80 hour affair, whereas you can finish a Geneforge and do just about everything in 30 hours.

[RCCCL]

Any of the games can be saved and loaded at any time outside of combat. Most recommendations are likely to reflect people's favorite series. Just try one, as was mentioned, you can get demos for most of the games directly from the site. You'll learn very quickly if it's for you. 

 

Also, is "Welcome to Spiderweb Software, leave your sanity at the door" still a thing? Been a while since I've poked my head in.

Edited June 22, 2022 by RCCCL
More to say didn't want to double post.