You can probably guess the three great RPG series the thread title refers to:

Ultima
Wizardry
Might and Magic

I've been reading about each series in various places including wiki articles and I'm thinking the earliest installments are either too hardcore for this old man or just simply too ancient in various other ways.

I'll start with Ultima. I know what happens in the sometimes strange first trilogy and don't really feel compelled to play them except that some part of me wants to play the entire series. This is something that bugs me a little with each series, feeling like I should play them all but in reality not wanting to. The second Ultima trilogy gets much better as we know but really it was Ultima 7 and the Ultima Underworld games that hooked me into RPGs back when they were new. These titles were magic for me and are the ones I'd really like to play the most. Unlike some, I enjoyed Ultima 8 also and want to play it again. Lastly, I only played a little of Ultima IX because it ran so poorly on my system back then but I really want to play that one too and see it for myself. The nostalgia for me is likely to cause me to take a kind view of it, known faults and all.

So really, I could probably skip the first two trilogies and start with the third, etc. I am still on the fence about this however, in particular about possibly playing the second trilogy too.

Next up, Wizardry which is infamous for its difficulty in the early games in particular from what I've read. I just finished reading about how in the first Wizardry a surprise attack at any time can permanently destroy your party. I am thinking a lot of Wizardry is too hardcore for me but I would like to play the final three games in the series. Am I missing out if I skip the earlier ones, despite the difficulty?

Lastly, there is the Might and Magic series where I am thinking of passing on the first two games and just jumping in at Might and Magic III. I am also considering jumping in even later at Might and Magic VI.

I forget the release dates on all of these off the top of my head but I'm starting to feel in general that the days of the 1980's for me and gaming might be over. I'm thinking that for me, the line in the sand gets drawn around 1990 with perhaps some few special exceptions. There is just too much stuff in my backlog that has more to offer that makes it hard to justify visits to what I regard as computer gaming history in any serious way. Maybe that will come later - when I have played everything else I want to.

Maybe I am not the classic gamer I think I am but the difference between Ultima IV and Ultima VII is like night and day to me. I do not need everything to look like Farcry 3 or something but I do like pleasing visuals and nice sound and music. I'm more likely to have those things too going 1990 and forward but I digress a little here. These classic RPG series are important to me to experience but I think I want to cherry pick the best parts.

What do you guys think? Those of you who have played some of these games or thought about it, what were or are your plans and choices?

Play World of Xeen, its the best MnM. Its best to play Wiz 6-8 together, but Wiz 6 is much better on SNES with the fan translation, so play that one and then use an editor to remake your party for import into 7 on PC. No comment on Ultima.

I can only comment on Might and Magic, a bit complicated affair.

If you prefer tile based movement you should start with M&M 3 Isles of Terra and continue to Xeen and later titles.
On the other hand if you prefer a more open end world like the Elder Scrolls then you should go with M&M6 The Mandate of Heaven.

Storywise the first five games follow the storyline of Corak and Sheltem (but they are very lite on story so you aren't missing much by starting with Isles of Terra), while the titles from 6-8 are taking place on the world of Enroth (the Heroes of Might and Magic series of games).

I can only talk about MM series, because it's my favorite and I spent countless hours playing it. Skipping MM1 and MM2 is probably a good idea. I can enjoy them (I've replayed them relatively recently and I had a lot of fun) but mostly due to the nostalgic reasons. I played it on C64 than PC and I think it was the first serious cRPG I've ever played so... nuff said.

MM3 is pretty decent. Some people may recommend you starting with MM4-5 but I don't think it's necessary. My advise? Forget about expert guides and walkthroughs that you can find everywhere. They are extremely good and precise but will kill all the fun of doing it yourself. Remember: you don't have to kill every single monster in the game, you don't have to find every single secret nor explore the whole world. I think you are rather supposed to have some fun ;) True, with the intuitive playing you will make some "mistakes" and because of it you won't be able to kill some powerful opponents (for example if you use +1 level bonuses early instead of waiting to the very end of a the game). But... so what?! You can still beat the game and more importantly - enjoy it.

In MM4-5 you can switch worlds that is Clouds of Xeen (which is technically MM4) and Darkside of Xeen (MM5) but I recommend you stay and beat Clouds first and then continue with the Darkside. The reason... well, you will get enormous amount of XP in Darkside (starting from the very beginning) and playing with an overpowered team in Clouds is very boring.

As for MM6-8: My personal favorite is MM7. It was the first from those three that I played but more importantly it's very unique. Or at least the first half of the game is. Why? Because it's not one of those "the end of the world as we knew it" story but instead you will... get a ruined castle and you will have to take care of it, repair it and get involved in political affairs. That's really unique! It doesn't mean that 6 and 8 are bad, far from that. I still love them, they are just different.

MM9 - I've never managed to complete it. Even with unofficial patches. It's just terrible.

P Do you know how a little undead call his parents? Mummy and Deady - one of the in-game jokes ;)

Wizardry 6 and Might and Magic 3 are excellent starting points.

Just play them all using a walkthrough.

Normally (regarding only the gameplay) I would say Might and Magic I (which is till very enjoyable), Ultima VI and Wizardry 6. But as you said that pleasing visuals and nice sound and music are important for you, I would recommend to start with Might and Magic VI, Ultima VII and Wizardry 8.

Again, if you want to play Wiz 8, you really really oughta play 7, and if you play 7, why not 6 and complete the trilogy with the same party

If you play 6, play the SNES port with an emulator: http://youtu.be/fdzFJgleKmA with the fan translation: http://www.romhacking.net/translations/939/

Much prettier (the original only had one tileset), slightly streamlined (no dialog parser), lot of ridiculous bugs fixed, and in-game AUTOMAP!!! Unless you like mapping things manually, this is a huge timesaver.

Then when you finish, use a savegame editor to recreate your party for import into Wiz 7.

On Might and Magic, I agree with every other GOGite here: 3 to 5 are the best if you prefer step-by-step gameplay, 4-5 (World of Xeen) being more polished than 3. If you want to move free in a world then 6-7-8 are better (but with the patches you can find here on GOG ! Especially the mouselook).

Me I love every single one of them, but currently I'm in a replay of 6... and I have lots of fun!

I totally agree.

This is sounding good and for the Ultima series I am leaning towards starting with a replay of VII.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. Of course more comments are most welcome. I am still a little tempted by the 1st two Might and Magic games and the 2nd Ultima trilogy but I am thinking those are games I could revisit one day after playing quite a lot else first that's more important to me. It is nice to have them in the library just the same.

While I started with the first in each of these series - If you are new to early RPG's I would agree with this as well. I also saw that oasis789 suggests an SNES Port of Wiz 6 - which I haven't played. I can recommend however the SNES Wizardry - Llylgamyn Saga - It is the First Three with Updated graphics and auto mapping - Its a Japanese Release but there is an English Patch. Whatever you choose you are about to have some fun - Enjoy.

For Ultima the series installments for part 6 are really dated. Ultima 7 is the best of the series and a high watermark for RPGs in general so the safest place to start.

Start with World of Xeen on Might and Magic, but if you hate the grid-based movement go ahead and jump to 6.

Ultima 7 is obvious. Anything before that feels really archaic for a more modern gamer.

I don't know on Wizardry.

If you're interested in the Ultima games I'd either start with the second trilogy 4-6 or start with Ultima 7. There is also the Lazarus remake of Ultima 5 mod for Dungeon Siege 1