#lordmaglor

the first game is called Origins. in it you make a character from one of several different backgrounds.  after a (usually tragic) intro story your character is eventually recruited into a group called the Grey Wardens: warriors of legend sworn to defend the lands against the darkspawn (they’re a bit like orcs. also their blood is poisonous).  the darkspawn usually stay underground (terrorizing the dwarves lol) but every few centuries or so, during what is called a Blight, they’ll be led by an Archdemon (basically a giant dragon with the soul of an old god) to attack the surface.  the Grey Wardens are the only ones who are able to defeat the Archdemons, thus ending the Blights.  this is what is going on during the game, and after a series of events which I can’t go into details about due to spoilery reasons, you and another Grey Warden named Alistair (who’s a cutie pie btw) are the only ones left to defend Ferelden (your country) against the growing darkspawn threat.  you team up with several others, including an illegal mage named Morrigan, a dashing elven assassin named Zevran, and a sweet ex-spy named Leliana.  basically you have to unite the peoples of the land (humans, elves, dwarves, mages, etc) to form an army to fight against the Blight, and at the same time, find a solution to the tense political situation in the country.  there are a lot of complex moral choices, the combat is pretty good, and it’s quite funny at times too.  also a few of your companions are romanceable, and even the ones you don’t romance you get to become good friends with.  the storyline overall is pretty beautiful and epic (I don’t do it justice at all). ALSO YOU GET A PET DOG and what more could you ask for in a game tbh.

Dragon Age 2 is pretty different in terms of storyline and setting, etc.  you make a new character from the Hawke family, who at the beginning of the story is fleeing the Blight in Ferelden, and ends up in a city-state across the sea called Kirkwall.  you start out as a simple refugee and eventually work your way up to being a wealthy, well-respected citizen.  there are several important conflicts in the game, and the main one, mages vs templars, becomes most prominent in the last third of the story.  basically, mages are potentially vulnerable to demonic possession, and are also able to use dangerous blood magic, and so are locked up and guarded by a group of knights called templars.  some of the characters will argue that mages deserve more freedom and rights, while others will insist that it’s too risky to allow them such things.  you can side with either.  you get all-new companions, including an apostate mage named Anders, an ex-slave named Fenris (my icon :D), an adorable elvish blood mage named Merrill, and a pirate rogue named Isabela. as with Origins, some of your companions are potential romance options for your character.  overall I prefer the Origins storyline, but the gameplay and graphics are improved a lot (imo) in DA2.

I haven’t played the 3rd game past the introductory bit yet as my computer is too shitty to handle it, but it looks amazing from what I’ve seen.

basically I really recommend getting them - though I should warn you, if you do play them, you’ll probably be sucked into dragon age hell, from which there is no escape ;D