Magnus or Franklin Payne?

So, I'm playing Arcanum for the first time. (Late to the party, but at least Good Old Games got me there in the end.) I'm just about to head for Thanatos.

At the moment, I have Virgil (Zen Edition), Magnus, Raven and Dog with me, but Franklin Payne seems like fun. Since this is my first time though, though, I'm wondering if I'd miss out on anything if I dropped Magnus. Does his hunt for his 'lost clan' ever go anywhere? I don't have Loghair available as a companion, if that makes any difference. If this storyline does get resolved, I don't want to be spoiled about how, but I'd like to know if I'm putting up with a rather surly dwarf in order to see the end of a plot thread that's never going to arrive.

 

Loghaire is important for Magnus's plot. That is all.

 

Magnus has a notable plotline which can resolve itself quite satisfactorily with or without Loghaire.

But Loghaire adds a good bit of flavour.

Is that all?

 

Yeah. Loghaire adds quite a bit for me, personally.

 

You can resolve Magnus's side plot, then bin him off and get Franklin before you go to Thanatos; after you resolve his side plot he doesn't have anything new to offer.

Personally I always like the voice acting for Franklyn, it brings a smile to my face.

 

Thank you all for the advice! I have an inkling as to how Magnus' plot might be resolved, so I guess I will go and hunt for that lost clan of his now ...

 

Every time I get to P Schuyler & Sons and have to deal with Magnus' retarded initial attitude I invariably kill him instead of putting up with him.

But I'm glad everyone else was able to help you out instead, since other than that one time I quicksaved/loaded to figure out what would happen if I *hadn't* murdered him, he's never lived in any of my playthroughs so I'm no help at all.

 

Doesn't the term play through imply you've finished the game? Aren't you still freshly in Tarant?

 

Every time I replay the game I get a little further than the last time. Current projections indicate that at the present rate of progression the ending will be reached sometime in 2017.

 

as an addition, I can say Magnus initiates/joins to dialogs with certain followers at certain points in game. This might take as his usual bitching or normal talk. Also he has something to say about "What do you know about this/that" with a voice acting, which is also a bonus.

But I believe the things I mentioned would not excite someone who played dragonage.

 

After all of that, I discovered that I actually could recruit Loghaire - I didn't realize I had to go complete another quest first, but when I went back to let him know about my progress he offered to join me. So I took him to complete Magnus' side quest ... and after I did I got all sentimental and decided to keep both dwarves in the party. Franklin Payne can always wait for my next play through.

You know the funny thing? I've been calling myself Andraste on the internet since 2001, since before Dragon Age was even conceived of. However, it is one of my favourite RPGs .

I do spend a lot of time in Arcanum wistfully imagining what the NPCs would be like if this were a BioWare game. I bet Virgil and Z'an Al'urin would be a romance options ...

 

I was on the same schedule for years. Just bite the bullet and complete the game!