Alright, I'm not really a "grognard" - I don't think the game went downhill when they got rid of THAC0 or anything, but I have played a long time on tabletop (since 1st ed.) and on PC (Eye of the Beholder on my 486) and seem to have been swept up by the fandom. It happens. It's been a funny old first playthrough - not blind because I'd watched Devora Wilde among others - and apparently I'm Mister Average for starting as a Paladin, odd because I've not played one in D&D before, ever. I'm also Mister Average for romancing Shadowheart. Call me old fashioned, but I do like a girl without flame emitting holes in her shoulders and I can't look at the cover of the Fiend Folio and think, "Potential romantic partner." Because of this prior experience, I started on Balanced rather than the easiest Explorer.
I never recruited Astarion, because as a Paladin I felt I couldn't hang out with a vampire.
I never recruited Wyll - didn't want another squishy spellcaster. Also, we didn't have such things as Warlocks back in the day.
I never met the owlbear and it's cub. It seemed too dangerous at low level.
Mayrina died because the Hag teleported her into the middle of our group and then fireballed everyone immediately. Tsk!
I lost Jaheira and only realised when she had become a little pouch the following day.
All the important fights seem to involve retreat to a defensible position, after ungrouping Gale lest he get instantly shot/stamped to death. I was quite pround, after a dummy run, of killing off Enver Gortash in two rounds. This was balanced by my utter incompetence at rescuing the gnomes in the submersible. I kept getting everyone lost and I had to save scum several times.
Zevlor died in the final courtyard battle (Nooooo!) before I decided the best option was for Gale to sacrifice himself at the end.
So when it came for the final campfire reunion, there was hardly anyone there: Gale dead, Karlach dead (sob!) just Halsin and sort of virtual Lae'zel alongside myself and Shadowheart.
I will playthrough again, probably with clones of some of my old D&D characters, or as near as I can get.