Can someone explain the difference between Wizardry and M&M?

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I know the two are both blobbers. Deciding which is more up my alley before investing time...

Thank you,

A14.

Might & Magic is much gentler difficulty-wise and has a less complex character advancement system. If you're new to the sub-genre, start with M&M (I recommend IV and V), then graduate to Wizardry.

The Might and Magic games are a lot more simple and accessible - I have to qualify that statement by saying that they're in no way bad for it, but there's nowhere near the same level of number-crunching, rerolling, consulting spreadsheets and that sort of thing that Wizardry entails. Might and Magic has far less character customisation, and in fact you're often recommended to go with the default party in 3-5; I did for 3, because it was my first blobber of that era and I expected a more complex game than I got. In M&M, you can take the default characters, walk out of the inn, get in a few fights and generally work out the game as you go. It has a heavier focus on exploration, as well. Wizardry doesn't really have a world map as such, and though Wizardry 7 takes place in a seemingly open world, it's more like one giant dungeon. You'll generally be delving through a twisted maze, trying to find your way to the next area or the trick to progressing. In M&M, you're more free to go where you please (assuming you can get past the enemies), and the world is dotted with more places of interest likes wells, shrines, stat-boosting barrels, caches of treasure and secret dungeons. M&M's combat is a simpler, quicker affair; you'll generally find yourself using one strategy of a handful of spells and buffs, bows and melee, whereas Wizardry battles are slower, deadly affairs in which careful strategies, debuffing, disabling and summoning play a huge role. M&M is generally more "fun", in that it's set in a bright, colourful world that doesn't take itself too seriously, perfects the risk-reward looting element that many RPGs try for to varying degrees of success, and that character development is generally constrained to immediate payoffs of permanent stat boosts, lots of shiny new items, and new spells to buy/find.

The best way to summarise them might be that M&M is an "external" blobber. The nitty-gritty of stats and strategies don't matter as much as the bigger picture of exploring a gorgeous game world filled with beautiful music, optional challenges and things to find and do. Wizardry is a tough, internal creature; you'll likely find your characters using the same items for much of the game, you'll probably find yourself grinding and carefully multiclassing and watching those beautiful numbers go up, and up, and up as you hone your characters into perfect avatars of war and set them loose upon a world entirely dedicating to killing you in a variety of creative ways.

Ultimately, both are great series that you shouldn't miss, but I'd recommend starting with Might and Magic. Grab the six-pack off Good Old Games and have a blast. I'd recommend starting with 3, but Sceptic would kill me.

Ha! I actually rarely play games, despite keeping up on them.

The last game I bothered finishing was Dark Souls, and before that, Oblivion, and before that, Deadly Shadows..

Despite my living conditions, I have very little time for game playing, and I prefer to read a good book.

Just answer the damn question,

A14

PS: Oh yes, we're neighbors! Seattle, baby.

Oh yes, I guess I'd better mention Bloodlines. Before the entire Codex gets on my ass...

Dark Souls and Oblivion and you think Bloodlines is going to save you?

I've played more than that. System Shock 2, Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny, Et cetera. It's just that lately no games have caught my eye. Hence, trading in my "newer computer" for a Netbook, so I could focus on old games, instead of getting sucked into the newer, marketed set of games, which haven't really stimulated my intellect very much since 1995.

I like bicycles more.

Thank you, Hoverdog. After I get my training wheels, we can discuss bikes..

I should have suspected half of RPGCodex would be on my ass for not trying these games.

Even if the point of this thread was to get a grip on which I should try first, and why...

AIGHT YEERS BLARGGH!1! U mUST B 2 MuCH TIEM on gd.

Just answer the damn question. Queers!

I believe the easiest way to determine which of these games is up to your style is to play each for five minutes and find out. Both have default parties solely for the purpose of trying out the game.

Well. M&M6, M&M7, and Wizardry 8 are extremely accessible even if you're a console gamer or something (accessible graphics, nice interface etc.). Also all GREAT games. Fun for the family.

M&M1-5 and Wiz1-7 if you have a penchant for the oldschool. You must have a LOT of patience, esp. with Wiz 7.

M&M8-9 can be safely skipped (M&M8 too imbalanced/broken, M&M9 is an unfinished PoS)

Brofisted you before I saw this

Awesome writeup of both series though, so all is forgiven

To sum it up I'd say which one you like more depends on whether you prefer tactical individual battles or vast world exploration in your CRPG. If you like both, then both series are must-play.

Wizardry = numbers, fun, grind and OK story

Might and Magic = colors, fun, easier to get into and better story.

What's so bad about the first one? I mean, I know it doesn't have auto-mapping, but other than that.

Do you like puzzles?

LOLWUT?

I'd say that Wiz 6 is pretty easy to get into. OK, so it occassionally throws a curveball ("Ha! Another dead rat - I'm invincible!" *opens door* *gets smashed by enemy seemingly a billion levels above you* "Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!") but as long as you've got a bit of graphpaper and imagination then you're not significantly challenged until near the endgame. Some of the puzzles were pretty tricky back in the day, but with the advent of internet FAQ's...

Wiz 7 on the other hand is... EVIL. You'll get smashed so hard, so many times that you'll find yourself unable to get out of your chair after a 4 hour session (oo-er). Compared to Wiz 6 it can be brutal. On the other hand, it has auto-mapping I guess.

I've just downloaded the 6 pack (and M&M 7) from GOG when they had the sale a couple of weeks back so I'm intrigued to see how it stacks up. Easy is no bad thing these days - given the lack of time I've got with a wife and two sprogs.

Hey number 14 why are you raging about questions that need answering, did jimbob not answer it sufficiently ? Did you play ANY blobber yet ? IF so, you might want to try diving into Wizardy straight..

Both those games ripped off the Bard's Tale. I would start with the Bard's Tale.

Uh, what? You might want to check your dates on that.