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From a fellow Planescape fan, everyone.

It's weird... I feel almost an obligation to mingle with fellow fans, and to spread the word about how great Planescape itself is.

It's funny playing through the game after playing other games for 15 plus years... Such a departure. Every bit a piece of art as anything you'll ever find in a museum. I mean, it didn't cause miracles and I'm not going to proclaim that it's the absolute greatest thing ever... But it's an amazing game, easily the best one I've ever played among the thousands I have.

And so I feel compelled to constantly spread the word about it, try and get people to play it, experience it. Game never got the exposure it deserved, and I hate it when that happens to any game, this one especially.

And, oh yeah, Hi everyone.

Anyone feel the way I do?

Hello. Welcome to Gamebanshee. From what I understand, this is one of the best places you can find on the internet to talk about Planescape Torment.

I liked the game a lot, and in most respects, it's the best game I've ever played. I recommend it to all of the gamers I know.

However, a lot of my friends don't play RPGs and don't have any experience with D&D or even with fantasy literature. So it isn't easy to describe the game to them.

Even hardcore games might not react positively to the game. Pretend you've never played the game before. Your character wakes up on a mortuary slab, you're surrounded by walking corpses and dissected bodies, and your purpose is...well, you don't know what it is until you figure it out. The reaction is either "That sounds great" or "That sounds like crap".

Yeah, this board definitely seems to be the most active Planescape one I've seen in a while.

And Planescape takes a bit of an open mind to get into... I knew nothing about D&D or the Planescape setting peroid and I simply played the game because I had heard great things. No reason to disown it because I'm not big into D&D or anything.

Well, it sounds like you described the perfect cult game . I sympathize with your feelings. It took me one try thru the game before I started to like it. It's such a radical departure from the norm and I didn't know quite how to enjoy it. I spent more time trying to figure the game out then I did trying to enjoy it! I kept thinking: "Where's the armor? Where are my swords?!?"

The second time thru I really enjoyed it. The third time I spent trying to perfect what I liked and do the little things I wanted to do the second time. I've pretty much settled on my favorite party; I need to get rid of one of the women but it's really difficult. Annah is hotter while I really want Grace's healing abilities. The Gith is just too cool to drop and he's the most trustworthy character in the game; I just can't get rid of him. (Might as well include the rest) Mortie is necessary for background info and comic relief, and Nordrom is the ranged weapon specialist.

Vladimir wrote:It took me one try thru the game before I started to like it. It's such a radical departure from the norm and I didn't know quite how to enjoy it. I spent more time trying to figure the game out then I did trying to enjoy it! I kept thinking: "Where's the armor? Where are my swords?!?"

I only have 3 friends that are into RPGs. Yet despite my glowing recommendations, none of them played past the early stages of Torment. And they all loved the Baldur's Gate & Icewind Dale sagas.

To summarize what I think their issues with the game were:

When you start up an AD&D RPG, some people expect elves, dwarves, orcs, swords, potions, bows & arrows, plate mail... the standard medieval fantasy stuff. After my 3 friends, who had tried Torment, had walked around Sigil for awhile, 2 of them asked me "So where's the good armor at?" I had to tell 1 of them "Pretend those tears are potions." I had to hear 2 of them say how dumb it was to re-appear in the Mortuary after you get whacked (as if the standard Reload Game ritual is any more realistic). 1 of them even debated with me how fighters or wizards NEVER have high Wisdom scores.

*sigh*

Now I'm sure that, for some people, Torment is just simply not their cup of tea. But we all have expectations going into something, and I think some people cannot accept what they do not expect. And to be sure, Torment falls far from the Standard Medieval Fantasy Tree.

In addition to this, all 3 felt the ratio of story/dialogue compared to combat was better in the BG & IWD games. I suppose this is simply personal preference.

I've since learned to forgive my 3 friends for their shortcomings in the realization of this game's greatness.

When I need to bask in the warmth of the Learned regarding Torment's greatness, I come here. GameBanshee.

And if you're reading this, and are unsure about playing Torment... then pick up a copy, and prepare to accept the unexpected.

(And if you want to know where the good armor is, I'm not home.)