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Leaving Jah and Minsc?? + What party??

Jah+Minsc

So, how do you all justify NOT taking Jaheira or Minsc along for the BG ride??

Every time I skip them, my game just doesnt feel right and I quit playing (which seems to be my BG disease, I played the game without completing it for about 40 times now....)
Im still trying to find the right justification for leaving Jaheira and Minsc behind though...

Dont get me wrong though, I like them both alot, but my party composition is getting a bit messed up because of that...

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Party

Now Im doubting between 3 party's again
1=Me (archer)/Jah/Minsc/Immie/Tashia/Dhalis (ToB guy maybe lata)
2=Me (archer)/Jah/Minsc/Immie/Viconia/Kelsey
3=Me (archer)/Jah/Minsc/Immie/Aerie/Dhalis (ToB guy maybe lata)

So, which party would u pick??
I am trying to get through SoA and TDD with the perfect party, for the perfect ride...
Im a Chaotic Good half-elf....
Playing a NO-RELOAD game.............unless it crashes of course......

Well, game difficulty, for one. Jaheira's Raise Dead ability (through her Harpers link) makes it easy to revive a party member without cost relatively early on in the game, so swapping her for Cernd (whom I regard as a "problem character") makes BG2 harder, when you're running the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time around.

As for Minsc, one reason to remove him is his goodness. Unless you want to run the fix that prevents party members from leaving if their ethos is violated, Minsc (and other goodies like Keldorn, or Mazzy, etc) jump out when your rep drops very badly. However, you might want that, especially if you're heavily into using Slayer mode. So the goodies or the evils go.

I'm playing the good path, so evil actions are not an option.
And I dont have Jah or Minsc for the powerplay, I just take them along because they are with me from the beginning of the whole BG saga and they are friends...

And Im playing BG for the ...ieth time or such, so dont worry about things I dont know about NPC's or spells
I can probably dream the abilities and such of Jah Immie and Minsc...if thats a good thing, I dunno

Heh... Why don't you just make up all your other party members??? You won't get as much interesting dialogue but if you want a "perfect party" +Minsc and Jah then make the rest up yourself?

I'm all for the dialogs and banters....thats the main reason I play BG

All dialogue??? Get Jan in your party, Viconia, Aerie, ooh and Valygar or Anomen. Then you'll get LOTS of dialogue

There are also some heavily-dialogued mod-created party members, largely using the power of WeiDU. Check the sticky thread for more.

Ok, I think these are not exactly the answers Im looking for...

I do have the Banter and Flirt packs and all those dialogs expanding stuff, I dont question the NPC's which I wrote down, I just wanted to know which party (out of 3 I mentioned) the people at this forum like best...

And like I said about Jah and Minsc...what kind of reason do the rollplayers among you have to you leave them behind??...They are old friends and comrads in armes, why would you leave them behind?? Thats why I gave my aligment and such, so people could give a better reason for leaving them behind then me...

I dont want to know which NPC's are funnier (sorry, I dont like Jan btw), I dont care about powerplay and I only mentioned dialogs because Ekental suggested self-created party members...

Does this clear things up??

Originally posted by Sytze

...SNIP....
Now Im doubting between 3 party's again
Me (archer)/Jah/Minsc/Immie/Tashia/Dhalis (ToB guy maybe lata)
Me (archer)/Jah/Minsc/Immie/Viconia/Kelsey
Me (archer)/Jah/Minsc/Immie/Aerie/Dhalis (ToB guy maybe lata)

So, which party would u pick??
I am trying to get through SoA and TDD with the perfect party, for the perfect ride...
Im a Chaotic Good half-elf....
Playing a NO-RELOAD game.............unless it crashes of course......

Well, there is no universal best party...but of your choice characters, I'd go Viconia + Tashia or Kelsey, but that's because I'm really not clued in on bards and Aerie makes me crazy. Any of those parties should do fine, I'd think (though I've never played TDD myself) though I'd be concwerned about the lack of a real thief. Who (if anyone) were you planning on subbing in while Immie is absent?

Hmmm, roleplay excuse for not taking them? *shrug* They are friends and you don't want them to get hurt? They just had close people killed and they shouldn't deal with that again? Boo said so? Or heck, isn't one of the dialog options with Jaheira in the cage something along the lines of 'you were such a good companion we ended up getting captured here."?

Originally posted by Sytze
Ok, I think these are not exactly the answers Im looking for...

...like I said about Jah and Minsc...what kind of reason do the rollplayers among you have to you leave them behind??...They are old friends and comrads in armes, why would you leave them behind??

You're assuming that "they are old friends and comrades in arms". If you change that assumption, you can do as I do and just pretend they don't exist in BG2.

For example, the last time I played BG1, the only NPC in my party was Imoen. I didn't expect to meet any other "former companions" in BG2. In BG1, I met Jaheira and Khalid at the Friendly Arm Inn and got some advice from them (they told me I should investigate the iron crisis), but I politely declined their company. I rescued Dynaheir when I found her in the Gnoll Stronghold, but I released her from the party when I reunited her with Minsc. It was kind of like picking up Samuel and dropping him off safely at the FAI. When I played BG2, I didn't cry, "Oh, where is my faithful companion Samuel?"

I know that it is difficult to ignore Minsc and Jaheira when they're imprisoned a few cells down from you, but it can be done. That is, if you have the courage to break out of Irenicus's dungeon without their help.

That's about the best "role-playing" answer I can give you. You simply have to challenge the assumptions that the game makes for you and decide whether or not they fit your character's previous experiences.

I have a similar rationale:

In BG1 I pretty much ignore Gorion's advice and head straight for Beregost. (After all there is an assassin waiting outside of the Friendly Arm. And Gorion's great strategy didn't keep him from getting killed.) By the time I head back that way, after dealing with the problems in Nashekll, Khalid and Jaheira are usually gone so, as VonDondu says, Jaheira isn't really an old friend at all. Minsc is a different story, since I usually do get him, but he isn't at all involved with the plot, so it is pretty easy to leave him out of the party.

In BG2, I generally take the entire party out of Irenicus' dungeon, even when I am "soloing" since it doesn't seem right to leave them behind. But once you get to Waukeen's promenade, there is no particular reason you need to stick together.

And as to your party choices, I would pick the one with Haer'Dalis and Aerie. They have a nice little story line, and I usually like to leave them together on Brynlaw (the Cowled Wizard's house makes a rather charming honeymoon cottage, I think) before heading into the Asylum. But then I tend to play with a smaller party, so perhaps this option wouldn't suit you.

Originally posted by Sytze
I do have the Banter and Flirt packs and all those dialogs expanding stuff, I dont question the NPC's which I wrote down, I just wanted to know which party (out of 3 I mentioned) the people at this forum like best...

But that's not what you asked. You wrote, at the top:

So, how do you all justify NOT taking Jaheira or Minsc along for the BG ride??

...So I provided reasons for not doing so. Later, you wrote:

I'm all for the dialogs and banters....thats the main reason I play BG

...So I provided a location where there are new party characters with heavy dialog.

You really should tell us exactly what you want and stick to it, you know. Just so we can help.

@Nepthu: I have yoshimo in Immies absence...

@Von, Ian and Jack: thanks for your input for not bringing them along. The problem, is that I always took them along in BG I, so thats why I asked other people about there reasons and opinions.


@fable: No you didnt gave a (very) correct answer , lemme get the same explanation like you...

Sytze: So, how do you all justify NOT taking Jaheira or Minsc along for the BG ride??

fable: Jah Raise daid ability is very useful...so swapping her for Cernd (whom I regard as a "problem character") makes BG2 harder... (thats not really an answer for not taking her along fable...)
As for Minsc, one reason to remove him is his goodness. (ok, this is an explaination, although I later mentioned I'm not playing the evil path... )



Sytze: I'm all for the dialogs and banters....thats the main
reason I play BG

fable: ...So I provided a location where there are new party characters with heavy dialog.
(You indeed gave an answer here, but this wasnt a question , I just explained to Ekental, that I dont want self-created party members. I like dialogs and thats the main reason I play BG. But the question was; which party do you think would be best OUT OF THE 3 I mentioned....)


Hope this clearifies things

I usually tent to take Jah. with me almost everytime, les often Minsc, how can I leave them back?
I found some new friends and want to spend some time with 'em, Minsc will have another ride next time.

As for your party take Tashia (or Kelsey) and Aerie, it's not exactly one of your option, but it's great, second choice Viconia + sorc.

fable: Jah Raise daid ability is very useful...so swapping her for Cernd (whom I regard as a "problem character") makes BG2 harder... (thats not really an answer for not taking her along fable...)

Damn deadlines. I apologize for my lack of clarity. I meant that by sacrificing Jaheira for Cernd, BG2 became harder, and that this was a good reason to dump her if you were trying to create a more challenging game *the second time through.*

Hope this clearifies things

Yeah, but I'm dog tired, it's 4 AM, and I just finished editing down an 1800+ word piece about virtual servers to 1100 words for an IT magazine. Can I go to sleep, now?

Hehe, sure you can
Just dont kill yourself with working to much and at such nice hours

I just woke up here in cold and rainy Holland

Anyway, thank you for your replys nontheless

Andah, good night

Re: Leaving Jah and Minsc?? + What party??

Originally posted by Sytze
Jah+Minsc

So, how do you all justify NOT taking Jaheira or Minsc along for the BG ride??

Because Minsc becomes liability. Particularly when I am trying to sneak pass enemies or am in somewhere like dungeons, Minsc starts shouting, "You and Boo and me!" That's nothing but a problem!

As for Jaheira, I usually take her till we finish Harper's quests. Then, I tell her it would be good idea if she stays in Athkatla and sorts out the mess in the Harper's stronghold before continues her journey...

I usually don't take them through BG1 anyway, so I can ignore "old companion" comments by creaters. "Not in my game", you see.

You are completly right on some aspects....

Minsc can indeed be a danger for the party, on the note of being a not so sane person
He could endanger me and the party with his "smack-evilness-crying-out-loud" behavior...

Telling Minsc not to join the party is dialog wise also a lot easier then with Jah IMO...
Telling Jah to leave through dialog is leaving me with a more quilty feeling...

(crap, Im starting to take this roleplaying to seriously )

I always have Jah, Minsc, Yohsimo, Araie and Nalia.

I don't like the party, but I've got soo used to them it feels really strange to take anyone else.

and I never do the multiplayer 6 character trick. That feels strange too.