My Idea is HOLY FRIGGEN CRAP THAT IS ALOT OF WORDS! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Im overloaded! Let me read the whole thing now.
Gothic 2? I recommend DD over it because I like DD and in BD you get DD for free and so its a double DD for D-D and B-D so its like get DD over G2 but if you want get DD (The double DD [D-d {and BD} yeah] pack) and then get G2.
I'd reccomend Gothic 2 and Divine/Beyond Divinity as separate games. Some people aren't fond of Action RPGs whereas some prefer tactical ones. If you want a good, big game with a detailed, living, breathing world and an interesting combat system (although you have to get used to it), take Gothic. Beyond divinity has great spell effects, an excellent writing, the best RPG system I've yet seen and is rather addictive.