Are party members expected to be disposable and swapped out when I feel like it or they die?
I'm accustomed to playing later Bioware games like Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age where you can recruit every party member and swap them out as needed. I'm really confused about Baldur's Gate (Enhanced Edition, if it matters), where I am getting hordes of potential companions and I'm being asked to permanently kick some out.
At the beginning of the game, Imoen followed me and asked to join. Then I met Xzar and Montaron on the road and they joined. I made it to the Friendly Arm Inn and met Jaheira and Khalid, giving me a full party. I went to Beregost and met Garrick, Kagain, and Neera, all of whom wanted to join my party, but it meant that I had to kick out people (permanently, as far as I can tell), or let the new person leave.
Every time I had this happen, I decided to load my game and just avoid the encounter so that I wouldn't be forced to lose someone (I was becoming rather attached to my companions). I also chose to reload the game every time someone died, which they sadly do a lot, so that I wouldn't lose anyone. But after this happened with three different potential companions, I'm wondering if my expectations are wrong.
Am I not supposed to be so attached to my companions? Are they expected to be disposable and just replaced when I feel like it or they die?
Best Answer
Mark has fully covered the mechanics of the game. Apart from this, it is your choice how much you want to roleplay any aspect of the game.
For example, when I remove a member from the party, I hack the save to remove some party gold that I give that ex-party member as payment. This is my way to play, and it's perfectly fine to be absurd for someone else.
Talking about the term "supposed", it might also be interesting to mention that the so-called "canonical party", or the party you are "supposed" to play with, is considered to be: PC, Imoen, Minsc, Dynaheir, Jaheira, Khalid.
This game is about freedom. Maybe this can be confusing for someone that wants a more rigid playstyle, but you'll probably learn to appreciate it in time. If you want to be "strict", make your own strict rules and stick to them.
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