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I came to NWN after many other RPG games and don't know why but I love all that combat. Games I'm used to, you either carefully plan each stroke or else you cut and parry, realtime, and your pulse goes way up.

NWN seems very different to me. I think I point my character at an enemy and then sit back and watch them go at it. I can pause, change my char's tactics and continue also. (I'm doing a feminine monk, 3rd level, so mostly I decide when to Stun.)

I'm going to try running away from my opponent and re-engaging, see whether that's a combat tactic, but basically I can't find exctiement with NWN combat. (Maybe casting combat spells would be more exciting.)

Maybe I'm missing a lot here, anyone want to enlighten?

There are some very interesting and hard fights in NWN. That said, for a RPG, many people have actually expressed the opinion that there is too much combat and not enough RP. Nine times out of ten, your only option IS combat... but you can't compare NWN to other games in that regard. It's hack'n'slash, for the most part, unless you apply stealth techniques or engage in luring your enemy into traps you laid - or evade them entirely, if you're a Rogue or other character who can do that, but then you're missing out on a lot of XP.

For me, NWN isn't about the combat, although there's a lot of it ( and I agree that most of the combat can be rather boring, especially if you're a higher level. I recently got my pure wiz up to lvl 40 and the fights (...except for that one thing with the Balor... ) can be summed up in one word: yawn. ), but about the quests and the characters.

Getting used to that pace ...

Ningeral, Thanks.
Actually I think I need to be okay with that fighting pace. And I hope I don't have LOONG fights later, since each round takes so long.

I've just stopped playing another game where adventuring carefully to find almost everything makes that game very long, but also fun. For NWN, I hope I'll start enjoying those fights more, and I hope that fighting pace will become fun. I did better last night after my official kiddie charges were in bed, watching each fight round carefully instead of clicking frantically all over. There's what to learn from watching those baddies fight.

I'm a little worried that as my char's a Monk, there'll be lots of openhand fights with no decisions to make, but we'll see.

Unless you use magic it would get boring I suppose with your limited hack and slash combat options.

I don't think so.
I play what I call a 'Finesse Ranger' (basically a Ranger/Shadowdancer based on DEX), and it is very challenging below 12th level, where you have to plan things sometimes (against bosses), or decide when to stop using the bow, when to hide (in plain sight), or when to use your spells which have very limited time limit, or when to use slash/blunt weapons instead of your piercing finesse ones, when to put this or that armor instead of another, when this clarity potion wears out, ...
It's really entertaining.
I actually have to observe carefully what happens during the combat, and change tactics quickly. I would have been dead a lot of time if I didn't do that.
Combats have been really entertaining for me, even more against spellcasters.
After 12th level, I get my first shadowdancer levels, and then, it's a lot easier (and saved my life once with hide in plain sight).

Where are you in the OC exactly ? Is Gulnan so easy with a monk ?

Just starting ...

OOkaze, I'm just starting my first NWN game. I did city core and went to Penninsula with Sharwyn. My monk's built like that Monk faq says, and I'm very hard to hit, except that a Penninsula gang boss stabbed us easy. Combat has been easy or pretty easy so far. No Gulnan yet.

Starting to get it ...

Ookaze, I realized last night what it means to watch combat. I've come a little way, because what I did for my first combat attempts was to click madly on my target over and over. But today I think combat will be great to watch when I know what to look for.

Could you write about what you see and look for, when you watch your ranger's combat? Maybe that's hard to put into words, but you should have excellent advice for us new players.

No, actually, I would be a very poor master
There are a lot of visual clues on the screen, so much that I sometimes have to hit the space bar to see them all, when sth is wrong (meaning, you don't see any hit on your enemy). You can use the "chat window" too, which has lots of useful (yellow) messages when sth is wrong.
But if enemies can't even touch you, I agree there's no need for all of that. You'll start to woryy about that with strong bosses and if you charge into groups of 10+ monsters for a challenge.
Then again, perhaps you'll have no challenge, as the monk seems to be the easiest class to use in the Official Campaign.