This is just a quick write-in after completing the original campaign of Neverwinter Nights, The Wailing Death. I will return to write more as I revisit more content. I'm replaying the content through the Enhanced Edition, so have access to the prestige classes added after the original release.
Arriving just a couple of years after Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, there is a major difference here: a whole rule system. The third edition of Dungeons and Dragons released in 2000 and so Neverwinter Nights runs on a modified version of these rules. In addition, the development follows a different pattern to most. An emphasis was placed on building a toolset within which to build the game and (unusually but thankfully) this was published for players to use to create their own content. I can't help but draw a parallel with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind here which released in the same year.
The Wailing Death, as the base campaign became officially known, is not very good. I would go so far as to say that it is not worth playing, certainly not beyond Part 1. Each act of the story plays out almost identically: an extended fetch quest to collect a handful of important items before moving on. There is very little in the way of actual roleplay here. Conversation options boil down to "Yes", "[Persuade] Yes, but give me more", and "Give me more or I kill you". I'd hoped to play through as a morally flexible thug, but ended up choosing the straight option at each conversation point because the evil option was always too extreme.
There are a few highlights. The snowglobe in Part 4 is interesting and I feel could be extrapolated and expanded into a full storyline of its own. The engine and the ruleset work very well.
By the end of the campaign, Xyzzy was level 16 and was multiclassed to the max - 8 levels of Rogue, 4 levels of Fighter and 4 levels of Weapon Master. I plan on taking her into Hordes of the Underdark even though this isn't the canon choice.
Is it Worth Playing?
The Wailing Death? Probably not. Further content? Yes.
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Loot for the Hoard:
The fallen paladin Aribeth's sword and 253,790 gold pieces.