A bit of a reflection after completing Avadon 1 and 2

[MC Tugger]

 

 

Hello All,

I want to start by saying I really appreciate this page as I would have had a worse time without your insights. 

I played Exile 2 back in the day and I think I did some of the Nethergate demos like 12 years ago but recently discovered Avernum. I played the first three and enjoyed AEtP the most.

I got Avadon because of the steam sale and have been plowing through them.

 

The first game was fantastic! I loved the complexity of the decisions, and the politics and being able to use three different characters at once. The story was pretty interesting, and I didn't often feel like I was just wandering around fighting meaningless battles though of course there was some of that. 

So, imagine my profound annoyance with Redbeard at the end.

That fight was super annoying, and not fun at all. As some have said, it wasn't even hard, just long and repetitive. 

 

Game wise, it would have been nice to have some indication that the companion quests mattered, because ending up there with Selvin and Janell would be incredibly uncool.

But, the worst part is that it ruined the game for me. That fight was so boring and repetitious and effectively an endurance punishment that I don't see myself ever playing it again.

 

And this brings us to Av 2.

I was hoping this would be a vigorous continuation of the good elements explored in Av 1 that would redeem the game from that terrible conclusion.

But, it wasn't really. 

The tinkermage is a fun addition even if I liked the companions significantly more in the first game. 

But the real problem for me was the unbalanced nature of the quests and more so the uncompelling political story line.

 

Some other folks have explored the thinness of the rebellion story line, and I really felt that. It was not clear to me at all that the rebels had the high ground, not thay Avalon itself is the problem. There are clearly self-interested people serving Avadon....our player is one them!. It also seems clear enough that Redbeard is not leading successfully at this point, but the problem seems less institutional and more needing maintenance and diplomacy. A deeper sense of responsibility and even cooperation with the pact nations and the Farlands might be better than actually siding with Dehless..who was also pretty unpersuasive for me.

 

That may be optimistic, but ultimately my sense is I am not persuaded to assassinate the leader on behalf of mysterious enemies who also seem corrupt and/or power hungry. I'm not saying I like his style, but the story doesn't compel me to kill him.

 And of course he doesn't even stay dead!

Ultimately, I come to the end pretty disappointed with the whole endeavor.

 

So that's something. Y'all take care.

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by MC Tugger

[Edgwyn]

I believe that the option of killing Redbeard in the first two games was put in by Jeff just for the sake of giving the players options.  From what I remember, his death is non-canonical and so all of that pain serves no purpose.  I had read enough of that here at the time that I did not kill him on my first play through and found the game much more enjoyable that way.

[MC Tugger]

Yes, Redbeard survives until Av 3... Which I am playing now.

It's the first time I am really empathizing with the rebels.