Gold Box SSI's Gold Box Series Thread

[rpgcodexusername]

play it for genesis instead, it has prettier iso-graphics
and the combat is also smoother

 

[LCJr.]

I just tried it in XP with DOSBox+DFend Reloaded and it worked without having to mess with anything.

Can't help with you with Vista. My suggestion is check out Vogon's.
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/
Or try DFend Reloaded. There are recommended setting for Vista during setup.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

play it for genesis instead, it has prettier iso-graphics
and the combat is also smoother

It looks better but...

Lots of skills are missing.

You won't be able to take your characters to the next installment.

 

[LCJr.]

You know the NES version of Pool of Radiance gave you a code for each character so they could be imported into next game in the series. Too bad the rest weren't ported.

 

[rpgcodexusername]

play it for genesis instead, it has prettier iso-graphics
and the combat is also smoother

It looks better but...

Lots of skills are missing.

You won't be able to take your characters to the next installment.

true but I played the sequel without a previous party and it didnt lose any gameplay appeal.

The smoothness of the genesis version is worth it in my opinion.

 

[Jaesun]

I have been thinking of a full Gold Box Game run-through, importing my characters in each game.

I know in PoR the awesome party is:

1 Human Fighter
1 Dwarf Fighter/Thief
2 Half-Elf Cleric/Fighter
2 Elf Fighter/Mage

Though tromping through Curse of the Azure bonds, those 2 Fighter/Clerics are already showing their limitations. The lack of any 5th+ spells is a tad brutal. While thier fighting skill is nice, the lack of better spells is... ouch.

Has anyone done a full run-through (Pool of Radiance+Curses of the Azure Bonds+Secret of the Silver Blades+Pools of Darkness) and could recommend a party to take through the entire series? My only thoughts now would be replace the 2 clerics with 2 human clerics. I'd lose the awesome fighting skills, but have access to better spells.

 

[Luzur]

i started a full run-trough 1 ½ year ago but i stopped after clearing out the street outside Stojanov Gate.

 

[DemonKing]

If you're going to go through the whole series you might as well stick with humans (except for thieves where I believe elves and halflings have unlimted progression) as the game strictly enforces the 1st edition (crippling) level limits on demi-humans.

 

[Andhaira]

I have the curse of hte azue bons AD&D2e pnp adventure module. Its sweet.

Also read the book in my childhood. Was cool at that time. Imagine what an effect a big, blonde female heroine had on my delicate, impressionable Pakistani sensibilities.

 

[Zomg]

I don't know the 1st edition AD&D rules like the back of my hand anymore and did a run-through in like... the mid '90s, but I think a bunch of human fighters that dual class to other stuff at like level 9 in Curse would probably be the best balance of tedium and badmotherfuckertude. Just take some multi'd demihumans along in Radiance and dump them for stuff that you can only make in Curse, like (IIRC) paladins. And fuck thieves, they're nearly useless.

 

[Anthony Davis]

4 humans, fighter, cleric, wizard, and thief. That is all you need.

I haven't done it recently, but I surely did it 'back in the day'...except for pools of darkness, I never played that one.

 

[mondblut]

Demihumans after Pool of Radiance are dead weight. Elven FMT (7/11/unlim) is about the only investment that can survive. Fighters are discardable too, rangers and paladins are better. And it is much better to end up with dualclassed mages with all abilities of a warrior than with a pure mage with tiny hitpoints and no melee capabilities (in POR, you could just hire NPC mages to serve as fire support). In short, I don't think of a single character you could keep from POR onwards without going suboptimal, except maybe a cleric and a FMT.

For CAB+, the powerhouse party is 3 rangers, a paladin, a cleric (all humans) and a backup FMT. Everybody dualclasses to mage at some point (optimally rangers at level 15, paladin at 14, cleric wherever he fills up his share of spells). Well, somebody may dualclass to cleric instead.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Forgotten realms:

2 fighters, 2 clerics, a wizard and a thief. Or even can the thief, as they are only really useful during Pool of radiance anyway. So, 2 fighters, 2 clerics and 2 wizards. All human.

Paladins and Rangers are good characters, but you want the same people from the first game to the last, so that is not possible without throwing away at least two of your characters. You might as well just start a new party in each game. It doesn't really make that much of a difference, apart from min/maxing anyway. Fighters are largely just as good.

Krynn series:

Knight of Solamnia, Fighter or Ranger, Cleric, Cleric, Magician, Magician. Alternatively you can swap out one of the clerics for a Kender Cleric/Thief, though the cleric will not be able to advance to the highest levels in the later games. Again, a Thief is not a really important character.

Buck Rogers:

Warrior, Warrior, Rocket Jock, Medic, Scout, Engineer. Pick races to suit each. Desert runners for Warriors, Human or Mercurian for Rocket Jock, Human medic, Martian or Human scout, Tinker Engineer.

Edit: Whoever thought of the racial level restrictions was a complete twit. If there were worries over advantages, the stat levels are not as high for non humans, and an experience difference per level could have been imposed. As it stands in these games, it makes non humans redundant.

 

[Jaesun]

Allrighty, thanks for the tips everyone. The ONE thing I did want to have in my party was a Paladin, and since they are not available in PoR, (Only Curse and later) I did try to use the "Human Change Class" on my lawful Good Fighter (to switch my PoR Fighter to a Paladin), but it did not allow me to do anything in Curse (and he met all the requirements to be a Paladin stat wise). Either that option is not available if you import characters in Curse, or is broken?

It almost seems like you could just ignore Pool of Radiance and actually begin with Curse (if you want some of the new classes). Though I guess it would be "nice" to begin Curse with high level characters from the beginning (importing your characters from PoR). heh

 

[Crichton]

I did try to use the "Human Change Class" on my lawful Good Fighter (to switch my PoR Fighter to a Paladin), but it did not allow me to do anything in Curse (and he met all the requirements to be a Paladin stat wise). Either that option is not available if you import characters in Curse, or is broken?

From what I remember the "Human Change Class" button is only used for dual-classing (that is, keeping your existing levels, but starting progression in a new class). Only humans can do this, but there are a lot of restrictions, for instance, you can't dual-class between two classes of the same type (warrior,rogue,priest,wizard), so you can't dual-class from a fighter to a ranger or a cleric to a druid. Some classes, like the Paladin, can't dual class at all. Basically, if you can't make a multi-class of the two classes, they can't dual-class either.

 

[Jaesun]

I did try to use the "Human Change Class" on my lawful Good Fighter (to switch my PoR Fighter to a Paladin), but it did not allow me to do anything in Curse (and he met all the requirements to be a Paladin stat wise). Either that option is not available if you import characters in Curse, or is broken?

From what I remember the "Human Change Class" button is only used for dual-classing (that is, keeping your existing levels, but starting progression in a new class). Only humans can do this, but there are a lot of restrictions, for instance, you can't dual-class between two classes of the same type (warrior,rogue,priest,wizard), so you can't dual-class from a fighter to a ranger or a cleric to a druid. Some classes, like the Paladin, can't dual class at all. Basically, if you can't make a multi-class of the two classes, they can't dual-class either.

Ah! Ok thank you. I was ripping my hair out trying to figure out why my damned Fighter could not dual-class as a Paladin heh.

 

[Zomg]

Except, checking it, paladins can dual class to various shit in Curse, including ranger, cleric and mage. There's not much rhyme or reason to it, you just have to memorize all the minutiae if you can't help but autistify a GB run as is right and good.

 

[Flux_Capacitor]

I believe there's also pretty high stat requirements for dual classing. As I recall, you need 15+ in the primary attributes of the first class, and 17+ in the primary attributes of the second class.

 

[mondblut]

Some classes, like the Paladin, can't dual class at all.

That's untrue. Paladins dualclass fine into mages. And maybe into clerics too, something to check. But no other fighter classes of course, and no thieves either as thieves can't be LG.

Basically, if you can't make a multi-class of the two classes, they can't dual-class either.

Not really. Paladin-mage and ranger-mage are valid (and not only valid, but supremely uber) dualclass combos. Ranger-thief is also possible, methinks.

It almost seems like you could just ignore Pool of Radiance and actually begin with Curse (if you want some of the new classes).

Too true Too bad for POR...

Though I guess it would be "nice" to begin Curse with high level characters from the beginning (importing your characters from PoR).

Well, Curse gives you high enough characters in the first place. Like 4 or 5th level, which is only marginally below POR level limit of 6-8. And you lose all your POR equipment anyway.

Paladin dualclassed into ranger...woah. That's some mighty waste of the "human change classes" button :D

 

[MisterStone]

I seem to recall that in the Krynn series at least Rangers were pretty good. Dwarf rangers were even better for carving up giant races, because they got double bonuses. But I don't remember if this was especially useful by the end of the games/series...

 

[mondblut]

Rangers are good everywhere. On early levels, they get tons of hitpoints - up to 24 at level 1 (compare to 14 of fighters and paladins), with their 1st ed 2d8 + 2xCON bonus hd. By level 6 onwards they get slightly behind, but 10 hp difference at level 10 doesn't matter nearly as much as 10 hp difference at level 1, that's for sure. They lag one level behind fighters and pals getting additional attacks (8 and 14 vs 7 and 13, methinks), but that's tolerable. They get massive damage bonus against giants (too bad this racial enemy is hardcoded). And finally, they get to cast druidic spells, including the awesome protection from fire which no other class receives and which is essential to surviving those endless delayed blast fireballs and red dragon breaths in high level games.

I am doubtful dwarves can get to be rangers in Dragonlance series though (absolutely positive they cannot in FR games, only humans and half-elves with horrible level limit can). Maybe just one of 2 subraces?

 

[Erebus]

The only Gold Box I can give advice for is Dark Queen of Krynn, for which I suggest :
- 1 Knight (to command your NPC companions, who otherwise will act pretty stupidly)
- 1 Ranger (for the high Hit Points, perfect for wielding a Dragonlance ; I once had a Ranger reach 255 Hit Points)
- 2 Priests/Mages or 1 Priest/Mage and 1 Priest/Ranger (can heal without being useless in combat as pure priests are)
- 2 Mages (able to use Delayed Blast Fireball, by far the most powerful spell in the game).

Such a magic-heavy party wouldn't be invincible (one difficult fight happens in a no-magic zone and some monsters are immune to magic) but it would be the next best thing.

Never take thieves : they're completely useless.

 

[bgillisp]

I recall tearing up the Dragonlance series with this party:

4 FMC (two of neutral alignment, two of good alignment) elves (can't recall which one, but it was the one that allowed me to get to at least level 13 fighter), one kender cleric/thief and one knight. Once the FMC's hit 13th level fighter, one cast of haste and that battle (and most of the next few) were all done. Weakness was they had low hitpoints (I recall some characters having 77 HP near the end of Dark Queen), and with those low mage levels they couldn't penetrate magic resistance well, but I found that if I cast fireball or delayed blast fireball 4x in the same region at least one of them got through

Oh, and the extra year haste added didn't hurt too much as they were elves. Adding one year (out of hundreds) meant so little in that game. Even with some libearal hasting I still only added about 25 years to my party artificially in all 3 games.

Have fun with the POR final battle...has anyone here beat it without lowering the difficultty? If so I'd love to hear how, best I ever pulled off was getting one person to the final wave (stupid 8 beholder wave), who, needless to say, lost

 

[MisterStone]

I am doubtful dwarves can get to be rangers in Dragonlance series though (absolutely positive they cannot in FR games, only humans and half-elves with horrible level limit can). Maybe just one of 2 subraces?

No, dwarves def. can be rangers. At least they can in DQoK, because I found the manual online and checked it out. I seem to recall that I had a dwarf ranger with super-high dwarf CON plus ranger HPs and double the bonuses to orcs/giants/goblins/etc. It made for a nasty fighter. Also, if playing Krynn, you'll want to use a knight if only because they are special to the setting... OK, maybe not, I don't know.

 

[Jaesun]

Have fun with the POR final battle...has anyone here beat it without lowering the difficultty?

Yes my first Party of:
1 Human Fighter
2 Half-Elf F/C
2 Elf F/M
1 Dwarf F/T

(After quite a few re-loads) I was able to. I casted Haste after the first battle with the fighters before the final Boss. IF you can get your fucking characters AWAY from the wall before the Boss does his breath attack = WIN.