Avadon: The Black Fortress

• A lot of the mechanics are explained in more detail in the manual (which is only 32 pages, so its a quick read)

• You immediately have access to companions of all classes (even if you can't always bring them all with you), so pick whatever starter class you want

• Don't be afraid to use your skills/abilities/whatever, but keep in mind that Vitality (blue bar) is only restored by drinking potions of Vitality, or returning to Avadon

• There is a character you'll eventually find who you can use to respec your character, so don't worry about locking yourself in too deep (haven't met this character yet, so I don't know how far into the game they are)

• There are straight up cheat codes that you can type in, though this disables medals

• Shadowwalkers and Sorceresses both have skills that reduce the number of lockpicks needed to pick a lock, but they don't stack together - it just uses the number of whoever has the highest skill (learned that one the hard way)

• You can't just walk up to most tables and click on them to grab what is on them - you have to use the 'g' key to check the ground

• Dexterity increases your dodge chance, which can be a powerful defense.

• Don't be afraid to use consumable items or skills that cost vitality to win a hard fight.

• There's absolutely no punishment for stealing if you can - you're either prevented from picking something up, or do so without repercussions. If a shopkeep etc is preventing you from grabbing some stuff, mess around until he doesn't have a line of sight at the character doing the stealing (actually, move your entire party so that no friendly characters can see them), and you'll be able get the item. Since there's a finite amount of gold in the game and a bunch of expensive items to purchase, every little bit helps.