[Rob]

I was going to comment on Minsc elsewhere about the fact BG series should be considered a classic but now that you have insulted my favorite ranger I'm forced to stand up and demand you take it back.

Minsc may not be the sharpest pencil in the box but think of him as a true AD&D character. When you roll your stats in BG2 you get to reroll them over and over again till you like them, usually when they are high enough you take no penalties to anything. Well if you play real AD&D then you would know you don't get to lower one stat to raise another. You roll 4d6, drop smallest, and thats your stat. Don't like it.... to bad. Think of it like life. You are born with natural IQ, flexibility, strength. Some of us are naturally the kind of people that trip over our own feet. Friend of mine playing a mage rolled a perfect 18 for his strength and only a 15 for his IQ. DM was nice in our game and let him swap stats around but if I had been DM I'd have told him you are an unusally strong mage that simply should have picked a different profession. haha. Minsc's problems with IQ is not a result of being born that way, he took a few too many blows to the head as it says clearly in his Bio in BG1. It was them making him more 'fun.' What fun is a game where the characters have no history? Minsc has a most glorious history and I would gladly buy him many drinks at the bars and quite often in the game I do. This is a game that is ment to be fun and Minsc adds to that fun, if you have a problem with Minsc maybe its because you wish your character had more interesting things to say. I think your just jealous you can't have a miniture giant space hamster as loyal as Boo. If you have a problem with Minsc I seriously doubt that Mazzy makes things better. Sure pure fighter, very fun, can grand master in things. But what fun is a game where characters don't interact. Ever seen what happens when you have Aerie and Korgon in your party for a long time? Or watched Minsc have a few conversations with Mazzy? If you want fun recruit an entire party of characters that reflect your character class and playing style. Maybe thats why my paladin always marries Aerie, travels around with Minsc bestowing unto evil the 'backhand of justice', help Anomen into the Order (even though I dislike how full of himself he is), save Keldorns marriage, and usually leave one spot open for whoever I feel like questing with at the moment. Minsc is the way he is not to be hard to use but to be fun to listen to and interact with. I think all the characters were written into the story very well and to smash on Minsc is not a good thing to go. You'll find alot of us out there that will defend him, and one a side note why would you give Minsc a bow? Give him the sword +2 at begining of game that belonged to Sarevok, max out his 2 handed weapon style and he's fine for a long time to stand along side anyone who would be in the thick of battle. You want a bow user get Mazzy, Nalie, Imoen, Aerie, heck even get Jaheria. They can all use short bows or slings. Personally I think anyone that would pick on Minsc is jealous they don't have a sword as big as his or something. I can only think of 2 reasons not to have Minsc in your party. 1) You ARE a Ranger. 2) Your Evil.