Hiya! I played NWN and its expansions for quite a while before trading them in - for <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> (and the enclosed <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />), of all things. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
The previous posters are spot-on about the official single-player campaigns and the best fan-made modules.
For my money, though, the BEST way to enjoy NWN is by playing on the server vault persistent worlds. The best of them can be thought of as an ever-involving RPG, where the NPCs are other people, or as a fantasy novel come to life. These are worlds where you have to pretend to be your character and act accordingly. And everyone else does, too.
You can find most of these in the Roleplaying or Persistent World Story sections of the NWN multiplayer browser.
Among the best of them are:
Narfell: The world itself looks like a randomly generated Battlefield, but the roleplayers are top-notch and the dungeon masters are very good at creating events and plots for players to get involved in. VERY newbie-friendly, too. Highly suggested as your first world. Web page at
http://nwn.black-flag.com (Note: It looks like they're currently having web page trouble.) Takes place in the North of the Forgotten Realms.
City of Arabel: Probably the best put-together persistent world module (and I'm not just saying that because I DM'd it for a time). Lots of different player factions, scripted quests, spontaneous events, ongoing plots (both DM- and player-driven), etc. Main con is that the setting is so elaborate that it might be difficult to jump into it as your first persistent world. However, it IS newbie-friendly. Takes place in the kingdom of Cormyr in the Forgotten Realms. Web page at
http://nwncityofarabel.com and forums at
http://coa.ender.com Anphilia: Light RP, faction-based play. The main conceit is that the two major factions are at war, and it plays like a fantasy war novel. Your mileage may vary, and I can only vow for the Axfell faction, since once you join one, you can't join the others.
Myseria: An all-around well-put-together world, with a good balance of roleplaying and action. Cons include that newbies might find it difficult to find anyone to do things with, or places to do it. Pros include evolving borders for the various factions due to player actions, and active DMs.
Hope that helps!
-F.
