Thanks to all who replied to this - the input was interesting, informative, and very much appreciated...

Thanks,
-sbb

Here's another genius shouting out: Cool Party! =) Mine is exactly like that as well, and I am very, very happy with it.

However, I'm not sure if this makes a good first party or not. With only one Bishop you'll want to maximize spell acquisition, which means holding off on using spell picks and instead using books to learn all the lower-level spells. The problem is, not knowing anything about the game yet, you won't yet know where to get spellbooks. And going all through the monastery and Arnika road with only a spell or two can be a little challenging. But if you're up for it, good on ya!

The one thought I've had about my party is that I wouldn't mind swapping out the fighter for a Valkyrie or Lord (probably a valk...polearms do good damage and there's only one skill to raise instead of the 2 or 3 that a Lord would require). I was a bit frustrated when Vi first left me, and I really missed her extra divinity spellpower. However, that didn't last long once my samurai could cast element shield, and now I can get both soul shield and element shield up in one round. And once I got excalibur, my opinion of my fighter shot WAAAAY up. 8^)

Anyway, enjoy the game and have fun!