Hi there, despite all this controversy about SoD, personally I admit I really enjoyed the game. There is only one major issue for me - game is way too short ! Is there any info about Beamdog future projects? I'd love to see another Infinity Engine RPG based in a different part of Faerun with 2nd edition D&D rules and I was wondering if there is more folks like me and if you think such game could find it's place on the market ?

I am playing Bg2 EE and using Yoshimo. Trying to figure out what this icon is. Normally on iPad you hold onto an icon and a description will pop up but not in the case of the icons that are under the section where you use special items like rings, amulets, etc.

So I got to thinking, while I often have general questions about various aspects of the game, it's rather bothersome to clutter up the activity page with random questions, especially when I have as many as I do. So I came up with this idea. This is a general questions thread that anyone can contribute to, both with questions and answers. Ask a question, hopefully it'll be answered. (and with the efficiency of the community here, I wouldn't be surprised if it's answered rapidly.) I doubt things will become too cluttered, so it'll be a nice way for us to help each other out. Now, I don't THINK this has been done before, but if so, then do what needs to be done, dear mods, as you generally know best. Without further explanation, here's the first question I have.

If I were to complete Anomen's quest line, would he retain the stat boost if I teleport him to me in ToB? The character I'm working with would be unlikely to take him through all of SoA, but due to Aerie's... "problems" in ToB, my main character would want to leave her where she's safe, but that leaves a clerical gap in the party. Obviously Anomen would fill that hole nicely, but I don't know if he'll keep all of his bonuses from me completing his quest. In theory, I will be taking only five characters through the end of SoA, so if I have to bring Anomen along it's not a deal breaker, but for RP reasons it makes more sense to simply bring him to me when I need him.

TL; DR: SoD represents the pinnacle of Infinity Engine-style RPGS; Beamdog has a vote-of-confidence for new original material, including brand new settings.


To start with: I loathed the early Beamdog additions to the BG games:
- I never play the Black Pits(es) and consider them a waste of development time
- the new NPC quests were shallow, unbalanced (sometimes irrelevantly easy), and badly written
- items added were frequently overpowered or obtained too easily (Gem of Seeing as a casual drop etc.)

I was just glad to be able play the BG games in new platforms hassle-free and that was that.


But Siege of Dragonspear (which I dreaded first and didn't play for over a year after purchase) represents such a huge leap from those humble beginnings that my opinion of Beamdog has shifted drastically:

1. Writing quality is much better. (The plot of SoD pulls the impossible feat of filling between the two games seamlessly while creating a deep and challenging story in itself. Scripted events are done much more fluently than even in the original games.)
2. NPC and quest depth is significantly better. (Let's table all the immature wailing about M'Zhena etc.)
3. Difficulty level is very nicely done. Particularly for a no-reloader, it will keep you on your toes without having any "you die just because" moments. (The original had such faults that SoD doesn't. Remember the kiss of death with Shoal the Nereid or the bandits-surround-you ambush when you are level 1 out of Candlekeep or other out of the blue shenanigans)
4. Items added were nuanced and carefully balanced
5. *** MOST IMPORTANT*** The AI is overhauled.
Yes, it is mostly adopted from the excellent SCS, but it is the right prerogative that Beamdog bothers with AI improvement. Having a no-tweaking-necessary version of SCS is excellent in a game.


Baldur's Gate series is popular after two decades for two simple reasons:
- engaging story
- excellent tactical challenge with depth
(Also, the same reasons why there is a dedicated "no-reload" following for the series.)

Beamdog's first forays to new content were amateurish (if polished) on both regards. Siege of Dragonspear, however, is a master class of both good story writing and tactical design. In my opinion, it easily matches and possibly exceeds the other state of the art such as Pillars of Eternity.


In short, I hope Beamdog will build upon this hard earned legacy, preserve its in-house talent of developers, and deliver us a brand new 100+ hour adventure that we will play for the next two decades.

I've been trying to enable the CLUA console by editing the Baldur.lua file but so far I haven't been able to get it to work. Here is my Baldur.lua file before I attempt to edit it:

SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Environmental Audio','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','HP Over Head','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Mouse Scroll Speed','40')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Confirm Dialog','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Character HP','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Auto Pause State','1725')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Travel Regions','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Tiles Precache Percent','100')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Command Sounds Frequency','2')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Area Effects Density','100')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','GUI Feedback Level','5')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Auto Pause Center','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Maximum HP','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Cleric Ranger Spells','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Memory Level','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Effect Text Level','63')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Learnable Spells','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Bored Timeout','3000')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Tutorial State','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Over Confirm Everything','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Quick Item Mapping','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Journal Popups','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Filter Games','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','No Difficulty Based XP Bonus','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Message Box Hint','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','3E Thief Sneak Attack','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Attack Sounds','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Locator Feedback Level','3')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Pausing Map','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Terrain Hugging','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Nightmare Bonus XP','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Footsteps','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Selection Sounds Frequency','3')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Infravision','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Ranged Weapon Switching','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Critical Hit Screen Shake','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Message Box Top','158')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','All Learn Spell Info','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Combat UI','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Suppress Extra Difficulty Damage','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Last Save TBP','000000023-After first wave')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Heal Party on Rest','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Classic Selection Circles','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Hotkeys On Tooltips','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Keyboard Scroll Speed','44')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Explored Map','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Actions','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Weather','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Duplicate Floating Text','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Always Dither','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Difficulty Level','2')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Subtitles','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Extra Feedback','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Nightmare Bonus Gold','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Color Circles','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Last Save','000000001-Quick-Save')
SetPrivateProfileString('Language','Text','en_US')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Hardware Mouse Cursor','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Nearest Neighbour Scaling','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Sprite Outlines','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Character Highlights','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Scale UI','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Zoom Lock','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','vendor','Intel')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','version','OpenGL version 4.3.0 - Build 10.18.15.4248 - build XXXX')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','renderer','Intel(R) HD Graphics 4400')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Greyscale On Pause','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Show Black Space','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','uk_UA','PERMIAN')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ja_JP','MEIRYO')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','zh_CN','SIMSUN')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ru_RU','PTSERIF')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','Zoom','112')
SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ko_KR','NANUM')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Maximized','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Full Screen','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Multiplayer','Enable Chat Menu','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Multiplayer','Disable Banters','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','RESTDUNG','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','MINEFLOD','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','REST','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','NASHKELL','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','INTRO','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','CAMP','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','LOGO','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','BLACKPIT','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','RESTINN','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','DEATHAND','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','BGENTER','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','FRARMINN','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','WRECK','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Voices','100')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Path Search Nodes','32000')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Maximum Frame Rate','30')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Movie','92')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Music','41')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Active Campaign','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Font Name','')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Never Show Nuisance SOD','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Drop Capitals','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Tooltips','17')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Disable Cosmetic Attacks','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Cloud Saves Enabled','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Translucent Shadows','1')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Ambients','17')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume SFX','46')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Sprite Mirror','0')
SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','3D Acceleration','1')


One of the posts in this forum suggests to do this:


Add these lines 'Program Options', 'Debug Mode', '1', You can put it right at the top if you like

CREATE TABLE options (
section string,
name string,
value string
);
INSERT INTO options ROWS (
'Program Options', 'Debug Mode', '1',

This is a little confusing - other posts say to locate the line which says "INSERT INTO options ROWS (" but as you can see there is no such line in my Baldur.lua file.

I have tried simply adding this at the top line of the Balur.lua file: 'Program Options', 'Debug Mode', '1',
however this does not work.

Maybe the problem is that most posts assume you are working with a Baldur.ini file and not the Baldur.lua file, but I would think they work mostly the same.

If anyone could please explain how I should edit the Baldur.lua file to enable the CLUA console I'd greatly appreciate the assistance. Thanks!

An idea has come to me to make a thread where we can share unpopular opinions about things in BG and other IE games.

1. Cernd is far from being useless NPC.
In fact, he has tons of high-level druid spells and if CHARNAME is not a druid, than by not having a second class Cernd offers a lot of variety in lvl 6-7 spells if compared to Jaheira. If use the high-level druid spells right, almost any fight in SoA becomes a lot easier.

2. Darts can be a good choice as a ranged weapon for a fighter.
Thalantyr's shop in BG1 has tons of useful darts, Sorcerous Sundries make it even better. There's an unlimited +3 dart on the first level of the Watcher's Keep, available not long after escaping from the Irenicus dungeon. Darts provide 3 APR and with addition APR from specialization and fighter class your darts stay a wonderful weapon from the Candlekeep and to the Hell.

3. 2 thieves in a party is not too much.
I prefer to focus on setting traps and dispelling illusions with one of them and to hide in shadows for backstabs with another. Also, there're Open Locks and Disarm Traps skills. There're always multi-class options available. For example, your character can be a multiclass fighter/thief with amazing backstabs while Tiax or Jan Jansen is focused on setting traps to the place you lure your enemies to. Or maybe a half-orc assassin for backstabs and poison weapon and Hexxat for other thieving skills.

4. Mazzy's relatively low starting STR is not a problem.
She has innate Strength spell, there're lots of STR-enhancing items in BG2, so that leaves you with a shorty fighter (and thus all saving throws bonuses) who has a chance to become GM in any weapon you like (or choose a standard short bow proficiency providing 5 APR with the Tuigan bow).

5. Keep trying using every and each consumables in any fight if you have any.
You won't believe how easier it will become if your fighters nearly always have 22-23 STR for fights and get their saving throws improved drastically. Wands will often be enough to defeat even bosses.

Carry on! Share the things that are relatively not popular among BG fans.

I'm pretty bored today, so I've decided to make a chronological list of all the FR novels, comics and games and list what year they take place in the Forgotten Realms universe, since I am collecting the audiobooks of the novels and playing the games, and I also want to educate you all on the chronology of the Forgotten Realms, which novel, comic or game takes place in what year, who wrote that novel/comic/game and who developed them and whatnot. Some stories extend on for years, decades or centuries before they end, and some stories are one of many short stories in one book. Part 2 will continue onward later.

I hope you guys enjoy looking this over, piecing together the time frame of almost every FR novel, comic book and game is not easy. There are some that are very difficult to determine. I want to post links to the books, comics and games I refer to, but I've used up too much space already.

Part 1 of the Forgotten Realms novel, comic, tabletop adventure game and video game timeline


"Evermeet: Island of Elves" (Written by Elaine Cunningham) Realm Year: -30000 DR to 1371 DR

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Realms of the Elves (The book is written by various authors) Realm year of story #1 "Traitors" (By Richerd Lee Byers): -25090 DR to -2509 DR

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Realms of the Elves Realm year of story #2 "The Staff of Valmaxian" (By Philip Athans): -7628 DR to -763 DR

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"Sandstorm" (By Cristopher Rowe) (story chronologically begins in -6500 DR in Calimshan during the First Era of Skyfire)

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"Star of Cursrah" (Written by Clayton Emery) Realm year: -6048 DR to 1369 DR

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"The Shield of Weeping Ghosts" of The Citadels series (By James P. Davis) (begins in -946 DR)

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"Sword Play", "Dangerous Games" and "Mortal Consequences" of The Netheril Trilogy (Written by Clayton Emery) (Realm Year: (-700 DR for Sword Play and Mortal Consequences) I recommend reading "Sword Play" first, then "Dangerous Games", and then "Mortal Consequences" even though they aren't all in the same time period. Time travel is involved here.

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Realms of the Dragons Story #1 "Soulbound" (By Paul S. Kemp) (Realm year: -646 DR)

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Realms of Shadow story #1 "Trial by Ordeal" (By Lisa Smedman) (Realm year: -470 DR), and story #2 "Assassin's Shadow" (By Jess Lebow) (Realm year: -467 DR)

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Realm of the Dragons story #2 "First Flight" (Written by Edward Bolme) (-461 DR)

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"Neversfall" of The Citadels series (By Ed Gentry) (-452 DR)

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"Cormyr: A Novel" (Written by Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb) (Prologue takes place in -400 DR)

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Realms of the Arcane story #11 "The Lady and the Shadow" (-390 DR)

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Realms of War story #1 "Continuum" (Paul S. Kemp) (-365 DR)

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"How the Mighty Are Fallen" (a tabletop adventure game) (By Dave "Slade" Henson) (-339 DR, weeks or months before Sunbright, the main character of the Netheril Trilogy arrives in this time period)

"Dangerous Games" novel of the Netheril Trilogy begins and ends in -339 DR (the fall of the ancient city Netheril happens in this novel at this time)

Realms of the Arcane story #5 "Even When Sky Cities Fall" (By J. Robert King) and Realm of Shadow story #3 "Too Long in the Dark" (By Paul S. Kemp) these two stories are also in -339 DR

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Chapter 2 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (-205 DR)

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Chapter 4 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (-75 DR)

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Realms of War story #2 "Weasel's Run" (By Lisa Smedman) (-65 DR)

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Chapter 6 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (6 DR)

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Chapter 8 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (16 DR)

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Chapter 10 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (26 DR)

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"Bones of the Beast" webstory for Son of Thunder (107 DR)

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"Elminster: Making of a Mage" (By Ed Greenwood) (212 DR to 241 DR) Elminster's origin story

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Best Of The Realms Book 2 story #1 "Not The Most Successful of Feasts" (224 DR)

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"Elminster in Myth Drannor" (by Ed Greenwood) (241 DR to 261 DR)

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Chapter 12 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (245 DR)

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Realms of Magic story #2 "Guenhwyvar" (253 DR) Yes, our favorite panther is much older than you can imagine

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Chapter 16 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (432 DR)

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Realms of The Dragons book story #2 "First Flight" (By Edward Bolme) ((Netheril year: 3398) 461 DR)

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"Blackstaff" (Written by Steven E. Schend) (Chapter 1 is set in 464 DR, the rest of the chapters are in 1374 DR)

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Chapter 18 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (629 DR)

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Realms of The Dragons book story #1 "Soulbound" (By Paul S. Kemp) (646 DR)

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"Final Gate" (third book of The Last Mythal trilogy) (Written by Richard Baker) (begins in 666 DR and continues on)

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"Forsaken House" (first book of The Last Mythal trilogy) Realm year: begins in 714 DR, ends in 1374 DR

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"Farthest Reach" (second book of The Last Mythal trilogy) Realm year: begins and ends in the same years as the first book

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"The Lost Library of Cormanthyr" (Written by Mel Odom) (Realm year: begins in 720 DR)

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"The Temptation of Elminster" (By Ed Greenwood) (Realm year: begins in 759 DR, ends in 767 DR)

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The Best Of The Realms Book 2 story #2 "Dark Talons Forbear Thee" (By Ed Greenwood) (16 Flamerule 780 DR)

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Realms of Valor story #3 "One Last Drink" (By Christie Golden) (892 DR)

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Chapter 20 of "Cormyr: A Novel" (900 DR)

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Realms of the Arcane story #8 "The Whispering Crown" (By Ed Greenwood) and The Best Of The Realms book 2 story #3 has the same name, same story, but narrated by a different person in the audiobook version

Realms of War story #3 "The Last Paladin of Ilmater" (By Susan J. Morris) (27 Eleint 902 DR)

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Best Of The Realms book 3 story #1 "The Knights of Samular" (begins on the month of Flamerule in the year 925 DR)

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"Thornhold" (By Elaine Cunningham) (begins in 927 DR)

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Realms of Infamy story #2 "The More Things Change" (1000 DR)

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Dragon magazine issue #242 "In The Bleak Deepwinter" (By Lynn Abbey) (1016 DR)

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Chapter 22 of Cormyr: A Novel (1018 DR)

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"Bread Storm Rising" from the Realms of the Arcane book (Written by Tom Dupree) (possibly 1050 DR)

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"Grotto of Dreams" of the Realms of the Arcane book (By Mark Anthony) (possibly 1058 DR)

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"A Narrowed Gaze" from the Realms of the Arcane book (By Monte Cook) (possibly 1062 DR)

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"The Lady and the Shadow" of the Realms of the Arcane book (By Philip Athans) (possibly 1065 DR)

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"Shadows of the Past" of the Realms of the Arcane book (Written by Brian Thomsen) (possibly 1070 DR)

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Realms of War story #4 "Black Arrow" (Bruce R. Cordell) (begins in 11 Tarsakh 1095 DR)

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"Black Arrow" ends in 1097 DR

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Dragon magazine issue #152 "The First Notch" (1100 DR) This is an early story of Bruenor Battlehammer

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"Realms of the Arcane Prologue, Interlude #1 and 2 and Epilogue" (By Wes Nicholson) (1100 DR) I'm just speculating on the year, but the prologue and epilogue likely take place before and after the stories told in between them, the main character of the prologue and epilogue learns that the history of Candlekeep is much longer than he was told and believed

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Chapter 24 of Cormyr: A Novel (1188 DR)

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The Council of Blades (Written by Paul Kidd) (1217 DR)

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Chapter 26 of Cormyr: A Novel (1227 DR)

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"Obsidian Ridge" of The Citadels series (By Jess Lebow) (begins in 1266 DR)

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Realms of Shadow story #4 "Darksword" (By Troy Denning) (20 Flamerule 1269 DR)

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"Icewind Dale" and "Heart of Winter" (a PC game originally developed by Black Isle Studios, the Enhanced Edition versions is developed by Overhaul Games of Beamdog) (1281 DR)

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Chapter 28 of Cormyr: A Novel (1286 DR)

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"The Halls Of Stormweather" a novel in seven separate parts (Editorial and story #2 "Song of Chaos" are set in 1290 DR)

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The Halls of Stormweather story #1 The Burning Chalice" (1293 DR)

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"Homeland" of The Dark Elf Trilogy (Written by R.A. Salvatore) (begins in 1297 DR) Drizzt's origin story, Drizzt was born in this year

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Realms of the Shadow story #5 "Liar's Game" (By Jessica Beeven) (1300 DR)

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Realms of the Dragon story #3 "Gorlist's Dragon" (Written by Elaine Cunningham) (1301 DR)

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"Wishing You Many More" of the Realms of the Arcane book (Written by David Cook) (possibly 1304 DR no timeline is hinted)

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Realms of The Underdarks story #2 "The Fires of Narbondel" (1308 DR)

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"Icewind Dale 2" (a PC game developed by Black Isle Studios) (1312 DR)

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Chapter 30 of Cormyr: A Novel (1324 DR)

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Escape from Undermountain (Written by Mark Anthony) (1325 DR)

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"Whisper of Waves" of The Watercourse Trilogy (Written by Philip Athans) (1326 DR)

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"Homeland" of The Dark Elf Trilogy ends in 1328 DR

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Advanced D&D comic book series "The Challenge of Timoth Eyesbright" of the "Players" comic book (Timoth's backstory) (possibly 1330 DR, I don't know the lifespan of centaurs)

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"Too Many Princes" of the Realms of War book (By Ed Greenwood) (1333 DR)

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Realms of Infamy story #1 "So High A Price" is set in 1334 DR, and story #4 of The Best of the Realms book 2 is set in the month of Mirtul in the same year

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Realms of Valor story #8 "The Family Business" (1335 DR)

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"Secrets of Blood, Spirits of the Sea" of the Realms of the Arcane book (By Elaine Cunningham) (possible 1337 DR, it can't possibly be centuries ago, the characters in this story allude to a time a long time ago when dark elves, the ancestors of the drow, used to live on the surface)

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"Exile" of the Dark Elf Trilogy (by R.A. Salvatore) (1338 DR)

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Realms of the Dragons story #4 "The Keeper of Secrets" (By Ed Greenwood) (1339 DR)

The Best of the Realms book 2 story #5 "One Comes, Unheralded, to Zirta" (same year, but set in the 4th day of Elesias)

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"Exile" of The Dark Elf Trilogy ends in the year 1340 DR

"Pool of Radiance", both the game and novel (The game version was developed by Strategic Simulations Inc., playable on Amiga, Apple II, C64, MS-DOS, Apple Macintosh, Nintendo Entertainment System, and PC-9800) (The novel version is written by James M. Ward and Jane Cooper Hong) (both set in the year 1340 DR)

"Sojourn" of The Dark Elf Trilogy (1340 DR)

"Bladesinger" (Written by Keith Francis Strohm) (begins in 1340 DR)

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"Tertius and the Artifact" of the Realms of the Arcane (Written by Jeff Grubb) (possibly 1341 DR, in a time when Volothamp Geddarm still lived and traveled Faerun)

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Advanced D&D comic book series "I, Conner" of the "Players" comic book (Conner's backstory) (possibly 1341 DR)

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Realms of the Elves story #3 "Necessary Sacrifices" begins in 1342 DR

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"Necessary Sacrifices" ends in 1344 DR

"The Rage" (Written by Richard Lee Byers) (starts in 1344 DR)

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"Darkwalker on Moonshae" of The Moonshae Trilogy (Written by Douglas Niles) (1345 DR) This was the very first published book for the Forgotten Realms!

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"Black Wizards" and "Darkwell" of The Moonshae Trilogy (1346 DR)

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"Under Illefarn" (a tabletop adventure game) (By Steve Perrin) (1347 DR)

"Sojourn" of The Dark Elf Trilogy ends in 1347 DR Drizzt meets and befriends Cattie-Brie, Bruenor and Regis

This is the year when Jaheira's parents who were loyal to the king of Tethyr at that time, Alemander IV, were killed during the Tethyr civil war (which is rumored to be orchestrated by Alemander V so he could take over as king, but he died during the war too) that destroyed the King Alemander regime known as the "Ten Black Days of Eleint" when Castle Tethyr was destroyed and Jaheira was rescued and raised by druids

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The Knights of Myth Drannor Trilogy novels "Swords of Eveningstar", "Swords of Dragonfire", and "The Sword Never Sleeps" (all three novels are written by Ed Greenwood) (1348 DR)

Advanced D&D comic book series "A Slave Is A Slave" chapter of the "Players" comic book (Vajra's backstory) (1348 DR)

Realms of the Underdarks story #4 "Rite of Blood" (1348 DR, Liriel story)

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Realms of Infamy story #12 "The Walls of Midnight" (1350 DR)

"Pools of Darkness" both the game and novel (the game was developed by Strategic Simulations Inc., playable on Amiga, MS-DOS, Apple Macintosh, and NEC PC-9801) (The novel version is written by James M. Ward and Anne K. Brown) (both set in 1350 DR)

"The Stowaway" of the Stone of Tymora Trilogy (By Geno Salvatore and R.A. Salvatore) (begins in 1350 DR)

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"The Crystal Shard" of The Icewind Dale Trilogy (Written by R.A. Salvatore) (begins in 1351 DR) This is R.A. Salvatore's first published Forgotten Realms book back in the late 80's, and it is the book that introduced readers to Drizzt and his companions for the first time

Dragon magazine issue #304 "Haunted, A Tale of Sembia" (1351 DR)

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"Ironhelm" of The Maztica Trilogy (Written by Douglas Niles) (Prologue begins in 1352 DR)

Chapter 32 of Cormyr: A Novel (1352 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "The Gathering" (Written/co-plotted/artwork by Michael Fleisher and Jan Duursema, letters by Steve Haynie, colors by Glenn Whitmore, edited by Barbara Kesel) (story begins in 1352 DR when paladin Priam Agrivar's hands got withered and his father murdered fighting an evil reptilian sorcerer named Imgig Zu

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Realms of Valor story #6 "A Virtue By Reflection" (1353 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "Dwarves Night Out" chapter of the "Players" comic book (Onyx's backstory) (1353 DR)

"The Nether Scroll" (Written by Lyn Abbey) (starts in 1353 DR)

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The Best of the Realms book 2 story #6 "A Dance In Storm's Garden" (1354 DR) and "Rising Tide" of The Threat from the Sea Trilogy (Rising Tide written by Mel Odom) (Prologue set in 1354 DR)

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Realms of Valor story #2 "Elminster at the Magefair" (1355 DR)

Dragon magazine issue #255 "Dark Legacy" Prologue of Threat from the Sea Trilogy (1355 DR)

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"Spellfire" of Shandril's Saga (By Ed Greenwood) (starts in 1356 DR)

The story of "The Crystal Shard" ends on 1356 DR

"Streams of Silver" of The Icewind Dale Trilogy (1356 DR)

"The Stowaway" ends in 1356 DR

"The Halfling's Gem" of The Icewind Dale Trilogy (begins in 1356 DR)

"The Shadowmask" of the Stone of Tymora Trilogy (By Geno Salvatore and R.A. Salvatore) (1356 DR)

Flashbacks of "The Howling Delve" (Written by Jaleigh Johnson) (1356 DR)

Realms of Valor story #1 "The Lord of Lowhill" (1356 DR)

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"The Halfling's Gem" ends in 1357 DR

"The Sentinels" of the Stone of Tymoa Trilogy (By Geno Salvatore and R.A. Salvatore) (begins in 1357 DR)

"Crypt of the Shadowking" (Written by Mark Anthony) (1357 DR)

Realms of Valor story #11 "Dark Mirror" (1357 DR)

"A Slow Day in Skullport" (The Best of the Realms, Book 2 Story #7), "Bloodbound" (The Best of the Realms, Book 2 Story #8), "How Wisdom Came to the Maimed Wizard" (The Best of the Realms, Book 2 Story 9) (all stories 1357 DR)

"The Legacy" and "Starless Night" of the Legacy of the Drow series (By R.A. Salvatore) (1357 DR)

"Azure Bonds" of The Finder's Stone Trilogy (written by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak) (This trilogy of books are the ones that have Alias and her saurian paladin partner Dragonbait in the story) (1357 DR)

"Spellfire" ends in 1357 DR

"Crown of Fire" and "Hand of Fire" (both written by Ed Greenwood) (1357 DR)

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"The Wyvern's Spur" and "Song of the Saurials" of The Finder's Stone Trilogy (1358 DR) Yes, the year infamous for the Time of Troubles

"Siege of Darkness" of the Legacy of the Drow series (R.A. Salvatore) (1358 DR)

"The Alabaster Staff" (By Edward Bolme) (starts in 1358 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "The Gathering" continues and ends in 1358 DR

Advanced D&D comic series "The Basilisk", "Selune's Eye", "Sorcerer's Moon", "The Spirit of Myrrth Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4"

"Curse of the Azure Bonds" (A PC game that ties in to The Finder's Stone Trilogy books developed by Strategic Simulations Inc., playable on Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, C64, Macintosh and MS-DOS) (1358 DR) Alias and Dragonbait appear in this game

Realms of the Underdark story #3 "A Slow Day In Skullport" (month of Eleasias, 1358 DR)

"Secret of the Silver Blades" (A PC game that is the sequel to "Curse of the Azure Bonds", developed by Strategic Simulations Inc., playable on Amiga, C64, Macintosh and MS-DOS) (1358 DR)

Realms of War story #6 "The Siege of Zerith Hold" (By Jess Lebow) (1358 DR)

Best of the Realms book 3 story #10 "Possessions" (1358 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "Catspaw Part 1: Night of the Moonpenguin", "Catspaw Part 2: Of Mirt and Mind Flayers", "Catspaw Part 3: All Hades Breaks Loose", "Catspaw Part 4: Down In The Depths" (1358 DR)

"Forgotten Realms" comic book series "The Hand of Vaprak Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4) (Written by Jeff Grubb, pencil art by Rags Morales, ink by Dave Simons, letters by Tim Harkins, colors by Dean D'Angelo, editing by Barbara Kesel and Elliot S. Maggin) (1358 DR)

"Advanced D&D" comic series "Spell Games Part 1: Shackles of the Past", "Spell Games Part 2: Shell Game", "Spell Games Part 3: Cat & Mouse" and "Spell Games Part 4: The Last Betrayal!", "Kyriani's Story: The Ostus Legacy Part 1 and 2" (1358 DR)

Forgotten Realms comic book series "The Dragonreach Saga Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, "The Morning After", "Head Cheeese", "Triangles: Jasmine, Part 1, 2, 3," "Liches In Love: Undead Love" (Written by Jeff Grubb, pencil art by R.A. Morales, ink by Dave Simons, letters by Tim Harkins, colors by Dean D'Angelo, editing by Barbara Kesel and Elliot S. Maggin (1358 DR) At the end of "Liches In Love: Undead Love", the comic book tells you that Jasmine's fate won't be determined in the next issue of the Forgotten Realms comic book series, but instead, it will be revealed in the first issue of the "TSR Worlds" comic book series, "Jammers", which is what I have listed down below.

TSR Worlds comic book series ("Jammers" Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) (Written by Barbara Kesel, Jim Lowder, Kate Novak-Grubb and Dan Mishkin, penciled by Michael Collins, Rags Morales, Dave Hoover and Dan Reed, inked by Randy Elliott Paul Abrams, Rags Morales, and Alan Kupperberg, lettered by Steve Haynie, colored by Eric Kachelhofer, edited by Elliot S. Maggin) (Forgotten Realms year 1358 DR) The Spelljammer main characters visit the main characters of the Advanced D&D comic books in Waterdeep on Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is the chapter that ties up the loose end of "Liches In Love: Undead Love". The main characters of this comic book are known as Spelljammers, people who ride spaceships that can travel through portals and wormholes in space to reach planets of different D&D campaign settings like Krynn of the Dragonlance campaign setting and Toril of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Forgotten Realms comic book series ("Waterdhavian Nights", "Fallen Idols Part 1: Possessions, Part 2: Mad Gods And Paladins, Part 3: Divine Rights", and "On Earth As It Is In Heaven") (Written by Jeff Grubb, pencils by Rags Morales, Tom Raney and Dave Simons, inks by Dave Simons, Bob Downs, Jerry Acerno and Mickey Ritter, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Tim Harkins, edited by Elliot S. Maggin and Kim Yale) (1358 DR)

"Shadows of Doom" of the Shadows of the Avatar Trilogy (By Ed Greenwood) (1358 DR)

"Advanced D&D" comic book series "Phases of the Moon Part 1, 2, 3 and 4" (Written by Dan Mishkin, penciled by Jan Duursema and Tom Mandrake, inked by Rick Magyar, colored by Matt Webb, edited by Elliot S. Maggin and Kim Yale) (1358 DR)

"Cloak of Shadows" of the Shadows of the Avatar Trilogy (By Ed Greenwood) (1358 DR)

Avatar series novels "Shadowdale", "Tantras", and "Waterdeep" (Written by Richard Awlinson) (1358 DR)

Forgotten Realms comic book series ("Picking Up The Pieces", "Temptations", "Cannibal Girls (Won't Yah Come Out Tonight?)", "Cat Logic", "Unreal Estate", "Wake of the Realms Master" (Written by Jeff Grubb, pencils by Rags Morales, Tim Raney, Linda Spofford and Chas Truog, inks by Dave Simons, letters by Tim Harkins and Albert De Guzman, colors by Gene D'Angelo and Matt Webb, edits by Kim Yale) (1358 DR) "Everybody Wants To Run The Realms" isn't canon because it is just a filler story, an inventory story that comic book authors must make if they fail to reach a deadline for finishing the real story, so the author made a chapter about the characters explaining to you, the reader, the basics on everything you need to know about Faerun, what creatures live in the lands, what are the known races, how Wizards of the Coast keeps up with every minor and major event that happens in the campaign setting for future references, why the Forgotten Realms is called "Forgotten Realms", etc.

"All Shadows Fled" of the Shadows of the Avatar Trilogy (By Ed Greenwood) (1358 DR)

Dragon magazine issue #343 "Rivals" (1358 DR)

"Mad Monkey vs the Dragon Claw" (a tabletop adventure game) (By Jeff Grubb) (1358 DR in Kara-Tur, the land where Yoshimo from BG2 came from)

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"Horselords" of The Empires Trilogy (Written by David Cook) (1359 DR)

"Dragonwall" of The Empires Trilogy (Written by Troy Denning) (starts in 1359 DR)

"The Night Parade" (Written by Scott Ciencin) (1359 DR)

"Ghostwalkers" (Written by Erik Scott de Bie) (story begins in 1359 DR)

Webstory for Ghostwalker, "Wayfarer" (1359 DR)

"Mercy's Reward" of the Realms of War book (By Mark Sehestedt) (1359 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "Players" (1359 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "Lawyers!" (Written by Dan Mishkin, art by Tom Mandrake, letters by Steve Haynie, colors by Matt Webb, edited by Elliot S. Maggin) (1359 DR)

Dragon magazine issue #277 "Another Name For Dawn": In this story, Erevis Cale, the father of Vasen Cale from The Sundering's "The Godborn" book departs from Westgate to Selgaunt (1359 DR)

Realms of War story #7 "Mercy's Reward" (1359 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "Scavengers Part 1, 2 and 3", "Death and the Dragon's Eye! Part 1, 2, 3 and 4", "Pillar of Gold!", "Broken Pillar!" (1359 DR)

Advanced D&D comic series "Summer in the City!", "Rites and Wrongs Part 1, 2 and 3" (Summer of 1359 DR for "Summer in the City!", and likely the winter of 1359 DR for "Rites and Wrongs Part 1, 2 and 3")

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"Oriental Adventures: Night of the Seven Swords" (a tabletop adventure game) (By Jon Pickens, David Cook, Harold Johnson, Rick Swan, Ed Carmien and David James Ritchie) (possibly 1360 DR, another adventure set in Kara-Tur instead of Faerun)

"Curse of the Shadowmage" (Written by Mark Anthony) (1360 DR)

Realms of Valor story #7 "King's Tear" (1360 DR)

"Dragonwall" ends in 1360 DR

"Crusade" of The Empires Trilogy (Written by James Lowder) (1360 DR)

"The Parched Sea" (Written by Troy Denning) (1360 DR)

"Windwalker" of the Starlight and Shadows Trilogy (Written by Elaine Cunningham) (story starts in 1360 DR)

Realms of the Dragons story #5 "The Topaz Dragon" (Written by Jess Lebow) (1360 DR)

Realms of Valor story #10 "The Curse of Tegea" (1360 DR)

Realms of the Dragons 2 story #1 "Faerie Ire" (1360 DR)

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"Elfshadow" (By Elaine Cunningham) (1361 DR)

"Daughter of the Drow" of the Starlight and Shadows Trilogy (By Elaine Cunningham) (1361 DR)

The story of "Windwalker" ends in 1361 DR

"The Ring of Winter" (Written by James Lowder) (story begins in 1361 DR)

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Realms of Magic story #14 (The Direct Approach) (1361 DR, four days between Liriel book 1 and 2)

"Tangled Webs" of the Starlight and Shadows Trilogy (Elaine Cunningham) (1361 DR)

The Cleric Quintet series books "Canticle", "In Sylvan Shadows" "Night Masks", "Fallen Fortress" and "The Chaos Curse" (All written by R.A. Salvatore) (The first three books begin and end in 1361 DR)

"Ironhelm" of the Maztica Trilogy books ends in 1361 DR

"Viperhand" and "Feathered Dragon" of the Maztica Trilogy (both begin in 1361 DR, Viperhand ends in the same year but Feathered Dragon continues on to the next year)

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"Fallen Fortress" and "The Chaos Curse" both end in 1362 DR

"Feathered Dragon" ends in 1362 DR

"The Sentinels" ends in 1362 DR

"The Sapphire Crescent" of The Scions of Arrabar Trilogy (Written by Thomas M. Reid) (begins in 1362 DR)

"The Ring of Winter" story ends in 1362 DR

"Red Magic" (Written by Jean Rabe) (1362 DR)

Realms of Valor story #4 "The Bargain" (1362 DR), Realms of Valor story #5 "Patronage" (1362 DR)

Realms of the Elves story #4 "The Greater Treasure" (1362 DR in Elesias)

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"Passage To Dawn" (By R.A. Salvatore) (1364 DR)

"Elfsong" (By Elaine Cunningham) (1364 DR)

"The Veiled Dragon" (By Troy Denning) (1364 DR)

"Silver Shadows" (By Elaine Cunningham) (1364 DR)

"The Silent Blade" of the Paths of Darkness series (By R.A. Salvatore) (1364 DR)

"Whisper of Waves" story ends in 1364 DR

The Best of the Realms, Book 2 Story #10 "The Eye of the Dragon" (1364 DR)

"The Hunting Game" (Realms of the Dragons 2 Story #3) (In Flamerule of 1364 DR)

Best of the Realms, Book 3 Story #3 "Elminster's Jest" (1364 DR)

Dragon magazine issue #299 "Memories": Larajin at the age of 17 (1364 DR)

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"Stormlight" (By Ed Greenwood) (1365 DR)

"Prophet of Moonshae", "The Coral Kingdom" and "The Druid Queen" of The Druidhome Trilogy (All by Douglas Niles) (1365 DR)

"The Spine of the World" of the Paths of Darkness series (By R.A. Salvatore) (story starts in 1365 DR)

"Lies of Light" of The Watercourse Trilogy (By Philip Athans) (story starts in 1365 DR)

"The Howling Delve" (By Jaleigh Johnson) (story begins in 1365 DR)

"Sentinelspire" of The Citadels series (By Mark Sehestedt) (story begins in 1365 DR)

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The Best of the Realms, Book 2 Story #11 "Nothing but Trouble" (1366 DR)

"King Pinch" (By David Cook) (1366 DR)

"Soldiers of Ice" (By David Cook) (1366 DR)

"Obsidian Ridge" ends in 1366 DR

"War In Tethyr Part 1" (By Victor Milan) (story begins in 1366 DR)

"Servant of the Shard" of the Paths of Darkness series (By R.A. Salvatore) (1366 DR)

"The Ogre's Pact", "The Giant Among Us" and "The Titan of Twilight" of The Twilight Giants Trilogy books (All written by Troy Denning) (1366 DR)

Best of the Realms, Book 3 Story #7 "The Great Hunt" (1366 DR)

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"The Shadow Stone" (Written by Richard Baker) Aeron Morieth becomes the Stormwalker of the Maerchwood (1367 DR)

"War In Tethyr Part 1" ends in 1367 DR

"War in Tethyr Part 2" (begins from Mirtul of 1367 DR)

Realms of Magic Story #1 & Frame Story "Prologue" and "Epilogue" (1367 DR)

"Murder in Cormyr" of the Mysteries Trilogy (Written by Chet Williamson) (1367 DR)

Realms of the Underdark Story #1 & Frame story: "At the Publishing House" & "Back at the Publishing House" (1367 DR)

"Castle Spulzeer" (a tabletop adventure game) (By Doug Stewart) (1367 DR)

"Murder in Halruaa" of the Mysteries Trilogy (By Richard S. Myers) (1367 DR)

"Once Around the Realms" (By Brian Thomsen) (1367 DR)

"Thieves' Reward" (Realms of Magic Story #13) (1367 DR)

"Thieves' Honor" (Realms of Infamy Story #14) (1367 DR)

"That Curious Sword" (Realms of Shadow Story #6) (By R.A. Salvatore) (1367 DR)

"Empty Joys" (Best of the Realms, Book 1 Story #14) (begins in 1367 DR)

"The Road Home", in Marpenoth 1367 DR (Realms of the Dragons 2 Story #4)

"The Shining South" (a sourcebook tabletop game) (Written by Tom Prusa) (1367 DR)

"Planescape: Torment" the game and novel (Game version originally developed by Black Isle Studios, the Enhanced Edition developed by Overhaul Games of Beamdog) (Original novel version written by Ray and Valerie Vallese (the orginal novelization is as shallow as the Baldur's Gate novels). Rhyss Hess novelized all of the dialogue, character interactions and events that happens in the game) (1367 DR time is different in the plane Sigil is on, but someone by the username @NickBluetooth deduced the possibility this game takes place 1 year before Baldur's Gate)

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"The Grinning Ghost of Taverton Hall" (Realms of Mystery Story #14; The Best of the Realms, Book 2 Story #12)(month of Eleasias, 1368 DR)

"The Mage in the Iron Mask" (By Brian Thomsen) (1368 DR)

"Masquerades" (By Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak) (1368 DR) This is the fourth and last FR novel starring Alias and Dragonbait from Azure Bonds

"Thornhold" ends in 1368 DR

"The Simbul's Gift" (By Lynn Abbey) (1368 DR)

"War in Tethyr Part 2" ends in 1368 DR

"Finder's Bane" and "Tymora's Luck" (By Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb) (1368 DR)

"Faces of Deception" (By Troy Denning) (1368 DR)

"The Nether Scroll" story ends in 1368 DR

"Prince of Lies" (By James Lowder) (1368 DR)

"The Dream Spheres" (By Elaine Cunningham) (1368 DR)

The story of "The Lost Library of Cormanthyr" ends in 1368 DR

"Spellbound" (a sourcebook tabletop game expansion) (Written by Anthony Pryor, published by and TSR, Inc) (1368 DR)

"Wickless in the Nether" (Realms of the Dragons and The Collected Stories: The Legend Of Drizzt) (1368 DR)

"The Black Pits" (Side game of BG:EE) (Developed by Beamdog) (1368 DR, weeks or months before the game version of Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition) This mini game isn't canonical to the original edition of the Baldur's Gate game

"Baldur's Gate" the game and novel (Game version originally developed by BioWare, the Enhanced Edition version is developed by Overhaul Games of Beamdog) (Novel version written by Philip Athans) (game begins in 1 Mirtul 1368 DR)

"Lies of Light" ends in 1368 DR too

"Promise of the Witch King" (By R.A. Salvatore) (1368 DR) Zhai, the half drow half wood elf, one of the main characters of the game "Demon Stone" (which I strongly believe takes place sometime in the early 1370's) is briefly mentioned in this book by Ellery Dragonsbane to Jarlaxle

"Road of the Patriarch" (By R.A. Salvatore) (1368 DR)

"The Shadow Stone" (By Richard Baker) (begins possibly in 1368 DR)

"Speaking with the Dead" (Realms of Mystery Story I) (1368 DR)

"A Walk in the Snow" (Realms of Mystery Story II) (1368 DR)

"The Rose Window" (Realms of Mystery Story III) (1368 DR)

"The Club Rules" (Realms of Mystery Story IV) (1368 DR)

"Thieves' Justice" (Realms of Mystery Story V) (1368 DR)

"Ekhar Lorrent: Gnome Detective" (Realms of Mystery Story VI) (1368 DR)

"The Devil and Tertius Wands" (Realms of Mystery Story VII) (1368 DR)

"H" (Realms of Mystery Story VIII) (1368 DR)

"Strange Bedfellows" (Realms of Mystery Story IX) (1368 DR)

"Whence the Song of Steel" (Realms of Mystery Story X) (1368 DR)

"An Unusual Suspect" (Realms of Mystery Story XI) (1368 DR)

"Darkly, Through a Glass of Ale" (Realms of Mystery Story XII) (1368 DR)

"Lynaelle" (Realms of Mystery Story XIII) (1368 DR)

"Serpestrillvyth" (Realms of the Dragons Story VII) (By Richard Baker) (1368 DR)

"Redemption" (Realms of War Story VIII) (By elaine Cunningham) (1368 DR)

"Empty Joys" (Best of the Realms, Book I Story XIV) ends. (1368 DR)

"Stolen Dreams" (Best of the Realms, Book III Story IX) (1368 DR)

Dragon magazine issue #247 "Reunification: Body & Soul" (1368 DR)

"Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear" (Developed by Beamdog) (begins close to the winter of 1368 DR)



Here is the link to part 2!

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/60669/the-complete-fr-novel-comic-and-game-timeline-part-2

Anybody have a good selection of mods they use with the EET mod? I don't want to screw up my install but I want a nice somewhat large selection. Basically a list of mods you use.

I'm usually loath to tout my own mods, but I feel I should bring up something I made recently, before it goes down in the ocean of time unnoticed. I did it to see if I could, mostly. It's a way to play someone other than the Bhaalspawn in the BG saga - in the first game for sure, anyway. You can appoint another NPC as the main character, and he will be the one to get all of the dreams and powers and the game will end when that one dies, and the character you create will be a companion. You could also roll up two characters yourself, I suppose, and play some kind of duet. Here is the link: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/66411/a-lark-play-as-someone-else#latest It's a good idea to check out the General Modding board more often, by the way. Things get posted there all the time.

Now, as I warn in that thread, this way of playing is experimental, but through the first BG until SoD, at least, I'd say you are 99.9% safe. In sequels designers have the habit of dispersing the party as they like and only let players keep the main character, or the one they assume is the main character, so before SoD and BG2 you should use the ring again to make the chosen character Player1. Once you're over the fence in those games, you can repeat the process to travel as a companion again. Preferably not Imoen's, though, with her getting kidnapped and all. Let someone who stays in the party be Player1.

So, was there any logical/lore explanation why in 2nd Edition which BG uses some races can't pick certain classes/multiclasses? Like why elves can't be Clerics/Mages or Bards, Halflings can't be Clerics/Thieves or Mages, etc?

Icewind Dale
Cat's Grace (lvl 2 arcane) +1d8 dexterity, max 20

Why? Because if you have a dwarf or 2 in your party, it is a good buff. That dwarf warrior with 17dex now gets +1 armor class for 1 hour/level of the caster. That's pretty good. The dwarf fighter/thief you took with you for traps and locks? He gets the AC bonus, and his thief skills are better. This spell is useful throughout the game.

Friends (lvl 1 arcane) +5 Cha for 3 rounds + 1 round/level

Why? Because you can't get reputation increases in icewind dale. Have your Cha18 bard cast this, and suddenly your 15% discount jumps up to 25%. Very much worth a lvl1 spell slot.

Baldur's Gate
Strength (lvl 2 arcane) sets strength to 18/50 for 1 turn/level

Why? How many NPCs have Str under 18/50 who could really use that buff?

Valygar (17)
Keldorn (17)
Haer Dalis (17)
Yoshimo (17)
Rasaad (16)
Jaheira (15)
Mazzy (15...though she can self buff)
Viconia (10)

For most of the game, the best you can do is buy a belt of hill giant strength, giving one of these characters Str19. For the rest? This spell really does help them. Even characters like Nalia, Imoen, Aerie...if they are using slings or throwing daggers for when you want to save spells, then Str 18/50 will help them do more damage.

Up until ToB this spell remains highly useful. I can't get enough of it.


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So...which spells can you just not go without, with the exception of stables like stoneskin and magic missile?

I took up modding about a year ago. Made some things, started to make others. Like everywhere, audiences will like and not like. And if I make something very good, more might like than not, although the Internet is a breeding grounds for morons who'll give your project 1 star for who knows what moronic reason of their own and screw up your reputation. But all of that can be taken in stride with 5 minutes of meditation a day. What rankles me is the attitude of players, to mods and to expansions, for this game and for other games. I've seen it for Elder Scrolls mods and games, for Shadowrun, for everything that comes out...

It's an attitude of consumption. Players are just people, different people, but online a great many treat others' creations as something for them to chew on and gobble down and then ask for more. Ideas, creations are like porn to them. They download and delete in a blink. They have a million mods and expansions sitting on their machines, forming a nice background, like a minibar, and they think it's only natural that a million more should be out there - all of them free, of course. But when they can pay and decide to pay, the act only strengthens their conviction that now, at any rate, they have purchased the material like a hamburger. And, of course, they expect their hamburger to please the palate, otherwise they wonder loudly why it exists. They are generously accepting of many flavors: salty, sweet... even bittersweet, if there is under 0.5% of bitter. Truly, they think the world exists to titillate them.

There are other kinds of relationships between creators and audiences, like the model of art, which is not made for anyone's consumption but for the sake of beauty and the uplifting and freedom of the spirit. Blah blah, the consumers skipped the last sentence. They are too busy pleasuring themselves. And because they are only interested in the bits and parts that will rub their nipples and taste buds, they never see a complete picture of a project. Putting accents anywhere but on instant gratification is a complete waste of time with them. They are very tight-fisted with their time, too, and hoard it, as if it's some kind of supernatural currency they could buy the universe with if they were foolish enough for that deal. They only dispense the thinnest slices of their time, and they expect rivers of bounty in return for that magical Pringles. When they download a mod, they hardly ever do it because they've fallen in love with it; they only "try" things. They dip a finger and they lick it; if they like the taste, they might buy a little jar with their time.

And you better be grateful that you are bought! To be bought, preface every project with a sales pitch; the consumers like to be buttered up. Describe the perks and benefits in a bullet list. Ease of digestion is vital, because the consumers, like Twitter, have a built-in text length restriction. And, after all, they have already invested into a consideration of your humble request to please, please try this thing.

October is making me want some Ravenloft, but the Dreamforge games aren't holding my attention and the NWN persistent world got on my nerves. I wish we had an Infinity Engine Ravenloft!

Let me start with an aside: I found this wonderful disclaimer in the AD&D 2nd edition Player's Handbook.

"A Note About Pronouns

The male pronoun (he, him, his) is used exclusively throughout the second edition of the AD&D game rules. We hope this won't be construed by anyone to be an attempt to exclude females from the game or imply their exclusion. Centuries of use have neutered the male pronoun. In written material it is clear, concise, and familiar. Nothing else is."

This is so elegant and yet firm, I think I'm going to include it with all my writing. But otherwise the COMPUTER adaptations of the AD&D game that we have here really don't have nearly as many women NPC as their political correctness hastens them to assure. The cast of party NPC in Baldur's Gate is balanced rather well, at least numerically. A few "strong females" like Shar-Teel and Dynaheir mesh with others who don't make a business of proclaiming themselves "strong." Outside, though, it's by and large a men's world. For many creatures only the male version is present at all, and women are very much a second sex.

Now it's true that even in the paper-and-pencil game monsters the party encounters are often male and that females and offspring are contained in the "Habitat/Society" section (in the style of "There will be 1d10 females, who fight as bugbears, and 1d6 children, who fight as goblins." What more is there to say?) The fantasy world has not yet been emancipated. The women mostly stay at home and the men mostly go out earning money. As inconsistent as fantasy settings are on many levels, they are at least traditional in this conservatism, and it keeps them coherent. So I'm not calling for a revolutionary sex-change for Eltan and Belt into Eltana and Beltie. In any event, you can't split Five Dukes half-way, even if you split some completely. But what I, for one, would like to see is modders making a point of creating female characters - not as an afterthought, but as a priority. If you are going to make a character, think first of making him a her. There are already lots of men to go around. With a woman, you are going to have to adjust the dynamics of your mod, consciously or not, because sex is more than cosmetics. And we need this refreshing change of angle. With a mod full of dudes, they will more likely than not end up doing the dude thing, which in the games comes down to being rude and killing things. Just look at Sarevok and his all-boys gang: Tazok, Angelo... Don't get me wrong: I appreciate the dude thing, but I've done quite enough of it to last me.

So let's be affirmative action about this and make some - no, lots - of women. More than half. If you only plan on making three NPC, make them all women. And not "amazons." Just women. Not all adventurers, either. Use the "Female commoner" avatar and the "Girl" avatar. Then see how different the mod comes out.

Hello, since we have an official no-reload thread managed by @Ygramul , I thought we could use an official minimal reload thread to go along with it. This thread will be for people like me who lose their no-reload status, but would like to continue sharing their runs.

The main spirit of a good minimal reload is that, first, you only reload if Charname dies. Under no other circumstance can you reload and still consider it a minimal reload. If you think there should be an exception to this rule, it's okay, but just explain that you reloaded and why.

The second element of a good minimal reload, is that you keep a counter at the bottom of your posts of how many times you have reloaded, and preferably keep a list of why Charname died and where.

The last thing is that you should share your game build, that is, tell what mods you have if any, and give full disclosure about difficulty settings and the like.

So, those are the "rules", but they are flexible as long as you explain your reasoning why you "bent" or "broke" the "rules".

So, without further ado, here is my current run.

I am using version 2.0 without any mods, Core Rules.

I first lost my no-reload status during Neera's encounter. It has been changed and re-scripted to make it much more difficult. I kind of got sore and made some sour-grapes posts about that in the no-reload thread. Sorry about that. I've calmed down and accepted that I am playing a BG game that has a lot of changes in it that I don't know about yet, and some dying to those changes is inevitable.

After I decided to keep playing and not accept that first death as legitimate, I now have had Charname die without any question of the fairness of the death. I was just plain careless and stupid. I tried to tank an ettercap in a "you have been waylaid..." encounter in the Cloakwood. I got poisoned. I tried to use Bhaalspawn Slow Poison, and it got interrupted. I then tried to drink an antidote, but my aura wasn't clear, so it was far too late. End of no-reload, no argument possible.

One thing I really like about 2.0 is that you can see in a single screenshot of the quest journal exactly where I am in the game now without my having to explain it.


Reloads: 2 - Neera's encounter, ettercap random encounter in the Cloakwood

Come on, all minimal reloaders! Let's share our runs, even with very short posts showing the quest journal and a reload counter, and make this a thing in our forums! Who will be the first to do a complete minimal reload of the entire trilogy including SoD, with fewer than 5-10 reloads?

Hi everyone,

I just read from some source that the XP cap for BP2 is 8,950,000, not 8,000,000, which means theoretically fighters can level up to 41 (8,250,000 XP), mage can reach as high as lv 33 (8,625,000 XP), is it true?
Also is there any level grinding place in BP2?

Thanks!

It's easy to forget that the IE games have changed quite a bit since the original release. So here's a thread for those little things that you liked in earlier versions of the games that have disappeared/changed and are not in the EEs anymore. Not a thread to bash on what should or should not be in the EE versions. Just some nostalgia.

Kind of like how I liked the look of mirror image before ToB and patches. Back when the mirror images appeared in a straight line to the left and right of the caster. It looked neat.

I also miss Imoen's original look in SoA. When she didn't have her hood unless you put armor on her. After playing through that version of the game countless of times that is just how Imoen looks to me.

I'm making some changes to the fireball, in function and appearance, and what I remember from BG1 is that fireball flames were better-looking. Don't remember exactly how, though. Anybody got screenshots of fireballs exploding from the old games - BG1, IWD and so on?

BG:EE is on sale at 50%
BG2:EE is on sale at 50%
IWD:EE is on sale at 50%

I think the time has come for a new "All you wanted to know about" thread.

Brus here suggested we should call it Project Fireball, X,Storm,Severance,Sanctuary,Hurricane,Realm Z,Ivory Plane,Sapphire, Soul Nexus etc. I agree because right now we still haven't heard an official word defining which particular project is in the works.

But a certain project is indeed in the works, there's no doubt about that.

In the end of 2015, there was a meeting between Beamdog and WotC, after which plans for the next years became known in-house.



In December 2015, the main site of Beamdog offered 3 new vacant jobs, with the description that "more original content is on the horizon."

David Gaider soon joined the team.

According to Andrew Foley, Beamdog are currently (as of April, 2016) further ahead on developing it than they were on SoD in January 2014.

Phillip Daigle said in an interview to RPGamer in March, 2016: "We'd like to continue working with Wizards of the Coast on Dungeons & Dragons titles. We love D&D and we love making D&D games. At the same time, however, we're also going to be developing our own projects and brands. For now I can't reveal anything, but going forward you'll see both great licensed and original IP projects from Beamdog."

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/dnd/bgenh/bgenhsodint.html

It reads that they know already there will be both licensed and original IP projects.

Here're the main versions and evidence presented:

Version 1. PSTEE (Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition)

1.



It's a tweet by Trent Oster from March, 2012.

2. "I've been getting a lot of requests for a revisit of [Planescape:] Torment," Cameron Tofer told http://www.shacknews.com/. "We would love to have the opportunity to do it."

It's a news bit from March, 2012.

3. "Hmm. We have a Planescape.zip file here that seems to have a bunch of source codey stuff in it ;-)

-Trent"

It's a comment by Trent Oster from August, 2012.

4. The IP regarding Planescape: Torment is the property of Hasbro, and we all know Beamdog are good friends of Hasbro.

5. WotC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, "would absolutely consider licensing out Planescape, or any of their other great D&D IPs, if they were approached with a proposal".

It's a quote by WotC from 11/02/2013.

So, WotC sees Planescape Torment as one of their D&D IPs.

6. "I'm sure we could add some real value to a PS:T:EE if we were ever able to do it. Make it available on multiple platforms, for instance. It's my favorite game and I hope we get a chance to work on it some day."

It's a comment by Amber Scott from March, 2015.

7. In an AMA from 1 year ago, Trent Oster on the question about enhancing IWD2 or PST, mentioned only Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition: "besides from having too many colons in the title, is something we are interested in working on".

8. In a recent interview to Kotaku, Trent Oster admitted (on the possibility of going their own way, making their own universe fantasy universe) that he didn’t want to leave the past behind, not yet.

9. Go to 1:19:30 from the most recent Arv interview with Trent Oster and Phillip Daigle:



10. Buttercheese (Tari Toons) created a doodle based on that moment, which was retweeted by both by Trent Oster and Phillip Daigle:



11. Chris Avellone, a Lead Designer on PST and a Narrative Consultant for SoD, when answering several questions on http://www.rpgcodex.net/ once said:

"Beamdog and Torment possibility: I'd love to if the chance existed."

12. Later this year TToN will be released, which will create a wave of nostalgia for PST, and there probably won't be a better time to release PSTEE.

Version 2. A new game

1. "I don't think it's some big secret that we're interested in continuing work on original BG-style games in the future. We love the genre, we love playing the games, and we know how to build them.

If we were to make an expansion or DLC for an existing game like BG2EE or IWDEE it would retain the same ruleset as the base game.

Any new D&D games that get made would use 5th Edition."

It's a comment by Phillip Daigle from January, 2016.

2. "our plans for the future. We want to leave the IE-era games in an excellent state and then move on to something more modern eventually."

It's a comment by Phillip Daigle from February, 2016.

3. Andrew Foley in February, 2016, liked this comment:

"It (PSTEE) would be nice, but at the moment I would rather see new content such as icewind dale 3 , iwd2 ee with a new expansion or a brand new IE game."

4. The same quote from the recent interview to Kotaku as in the Version 1:

"Whereas D&D, I have all that knowledge and if I want some more knowledge I can just go on the internet or pop open a rule book. To me, that’s just the power that D&D has that crafting your own stuff from scratch just cannot have." - it could be just pointing to the fact a new game would be based on D&D, it shouldn't specifically be about PSTEE.

5. In April, 2016, David Gaider tweeted this:



And Phillip Daigle mentioned that document had something to do with Bhaal:



6. David Gaider is a Creative Director at Beamdog, so it basically means he has much more ideas than content for an EE.

Maybe two projects (an EE of an existing title and a new IP) are being worked on in the same time?

Like a new EE for now and a new IP for the more distant future, so that the situation about SoD sales etc could be more clear:

In the interview to to RPGamer in March, 2016 Phillip Daigle said: "We've got lots of ideas for spots in the Baldur's Gate series that could be filled in, but we're waiting to see what the reception to Siege of Dragonspear is like before we commit to anything major. First we need to see what the fans want, then we'll look at what we can deliver. We've also got an eye towards the future. The Infinity Engine was built almost 20 years ago and limits us in a lot of ways. We're actively exploring next-gen technology for some potential future games."

Version 3. Something else (IWD2EE anyone?)

1. In an interview with http://www.pcgamer.com Trent Oster mentioned:

"Icewind Dale II implemented the 3rd Edition rules and has a completely different UI scheme. We're really not sure how deep those changes run," Oster explained. "The move to 3rd Edition rules would invalidate all the character classes and require a pretty thorough rework of the entire game to bring in the features from our Infinity Plus Engine. At minimum, nightmares abound."

2. In an interview with http://venturebeat.com Trent Oster answered this question: "You talked about “nightmares” about the idea of working on enhanced editions for Icewind Dale II and Planescape: Torment. Is this still the case, or have you made any progress on Icewind Dale II at this point?"

Trent Oster: "We’ve yet to really dig into them. Torment is probably the easier of the two as the rules are at least similar. Icewind Dale II had a large deviation due to the move to 3rd Edition D&D rules. We’re still working on Infinity as we wrap up the 1.3 update for BGII. After the holidays, we’ll have more time to dig into the possibilities."

3. In the latest AMA an answer on PSTEE or IWD2EE was the same:

"We don't announce projects in development, but we do love the Infinity Engine and Forgotten Realms and would like to do more work on these games in the future."

"We usually don't comment about games in development, but we have said that we've been building up the capabilities of our team and we love the Forgotten Realms. We'd have to get a concept and bring people on board, but it's something we would love to do in the future."