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[LoSboccacc]

wait when you discover you can automate all of it and feel like you are organizing something bigger!

the AI option on ships and planets are quite good (not excellent tho)

[Kadzar]

Well, this is my first time experiencing the Summer Sales, personally, and I had a little trouble trying to restrain myself, but I think I did a good job keeping my spending in line. So I pretty much just got RPG's that will run on my 4-year-old laptop.

So since I'm currently playing through Baldur's Gate (which was on sale earlier in the year, or maybe it was last year?) I picked up the sequel, and also the DLC, even though it's not really on sale, since I'll get to it pretty soon anyway. I also got Icewind Dale.

I also got Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines for $5, which will be my chance to see what this Vampire stuff is all about, and from what I hear is a pretty good game once you apply the Unofficial Patch.

But the thing I'm most happy about is getting all the Shadowrun games for a bit under $15, and, like Vampire, this lets me learn about a game system I haven't played without having to roll all those dice in person (and I hear Shadowrun has a lot of them to roll), and I hear these are good games to boot. I'm now debating whether I should take a break between Baldur's Gates I & II for a little Shadowrun.

Can anyone think of what is missing from what I just now realize is a collection of RPG's on Steam that are directly based off of tabletop RPG's?

[Emma]

If you don't mind getting some RPGs that aren't directly based off of a tabletop game then the Spiderweb Software games are excellent, at least in my opinion.

[Frumple]

Eeeehhhh... excellent is probably going a bit too far. They're definitely good, solid games with generally pretty decent writing and mechanics, but they're not particularly... well, more than good. They're very consistently what you'd kinda' call second-tier RPGs, methinks. What you go to when you've played or can't afford most of the really impressive ones.

That said, particularly the newer ones (The Avernum remakes, Geneforge 4, 5, the Avadon ones to perhaps a lesser degree -- due to UI issues more than anything, as they're a lot more user friendly than the older ones) are definitely something I'd recommend. They are good, and particularly the geneforge and avernum series have some of the most interesting settings RPG computer games can offer, even if the mechanics and writing isn't really much more than just competent.

Don't want to downplay 'em too much, I think, and they're pretty damn impressive from the standpoint of how they've been developed, but also don't want someone to be approaching them expecting more than they are, basically. They're just good, and definitely worth the money when they're on sale (which is fairly often, eheh), but not amazing or anything.

[Emma]

Yeah, fair enough. I tend to exaggerate when I like something.

[Shadowlord]

Planescape Torment, for sure.

[Kadzar]

Re: Spiderweb Software: I was thinking about picking up the Spiderweb bundle, since I had played demos of several Geneforge games when I was younger, and, like Frumple said, it did have a very interesting setting (I remember using some sort of living lockpick, and creating a raptor (that I think was armless?) from a pool of chemicals to act as my attack dog), but I don't have as much time to spend on games as I did as a kid, so I want to be reasonably sure I'll get the best value for my time spent. And if that's not the case, I'd rather save my money for more important things, like food or gaming supplements.

Planescape Torment, for sure.

If it was on Steam, I would.

[ChairmanPoo]

Caveat Emptor: Old spiderweb games (particularily old Avernum games) are only about two steps above pure text based games. Seriously, the interface is even worse than that of the Ultima VI engine.

The only new one I've played is Avadon, which is decent enough (although they made char building too simple in Avadon 1 and too confusing in Avadon 2). I've not looked in the others but I definitedly will. The avernum remake is crystal souls right?

[Hawkfrost]

Caveat Emptor: Old spiderweb games (particularily old Avernum games) are only about two steps above pure text based games. Seriously, the interface is even worse than that of the Ultima VI engine.

The only new one I've played is Avadon, which is decent enough (although they made char building too simple in Avadon 1 and too confusing in Avadon 2). I've not looked in the others but I definitedly will. The avernum remake is crystal souls right?

The first remake is Escape From the Pit, Crystal Souls is the sequel.

[Frumple]

Ayup. And I'd definitely say those two have the best UI of any spiderweb game currently made, including the Avadon ones, which for whatever reason are a bit clunkier on that front. Geneforge 5 is probably just a step behind, about on par with the Avadon games, iirc.

[DeKaFu]

"Old Avernum games"... I grew up with Exile I and II as my first ever RPGs and I loved them to death when I was a kid. How do the Avernum games compare?

The Exile games were also my first ever foray into modding. When I discovered that all the sprites for the game were in a plain bmp file, I did the obvious thing and swapped around the player sprites so I could have a party consisting entirely of things like a housecat, a cow and a giant mushroom. Good times.

[Il Palazzo]

Can anyone think of what is missing from what I just now realize is a collection of RPG's on Steam that are directly based off of tabletop RPG's?

There's a series of games made in the Dark Eye universe/tabletop system.
There are three oldies, the Realms of Arkania trilogy - circa 90s, that I have great memories of. Graphics are servicable (better than in most of Avernum games, IMO), and the games are dirt cheap:
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/36470/
There are some very cool mechanics, and the character sheet is very extensive - so much so, in fact, that it includes skills never used in the games themselves, just because they're there in the tabletop system.

The first one in the aforementioned trilogy got a modern-ish remake recently:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/237550/
which I haven't had a chance to check yet - apparently it's had some serious development issues (but not anymore?).

Also made in the same universe are Blackguards 1 & 2 - quite linear RPGs focused on series of tactical battles. Definitely the most modern two of the bunch, but with reduced RPG side in favour of combat.
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/64046/

[Anvilfolk]

Tomb of Tyrants is also cheap! http://store.steampowered.com/app/340360/

[choppy]

Tomb of Tyrants is also cheap! http://store.steampowered.com/app/340360/

You know one might think you are apart of the dev team. 

[Anvilfolk]

Tomb of Tyrants is also cheap! http://store.steampowered.com/app/340360/

You know one might think you are apart of the dev team. 

Game needs love, yo! I'm a simple person, I see a good game on sale, I post!