I read online that Warband is a stand alone expansion. Does that mean getting the original Mount and Blade is pointless?

Yes.

Warband is very similar to the original Mount & Blade, only with all sorts of of improvements and multiplayer added. The only reason for still getting the original M&B would be for the http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,199243.0.html (LOTR mod), which isn't Warband compatible at this point.

Yup. It's like getting the "Episodes From Liberty City" stand alone expansion for GTA IV. It runs without the main game.

Or if your computer runs the original Mount & Blade better than Warband :whistling:

Not reason enough to get the original.

Warband is an improvement in every single aspect. Buying the original game today is redundant.

It's also not really a good idea to buy With Fire & Sword.

It's just the same as the first but with guns.

Captain's Co-op is so worth it.

Captains Co-op?

Multiplayer mode on Fire and Sword. It's basically wave defense. It's great fun, until the cavalry show up and run through your men like butter.

I'll be honest and say I didn't really play multiplayer, I kind of just played the single player, felt disappointed and uninstalled it because I'm running out of hard drive space.

I like the combat in it, I think the guns work really well, but the campaign map and the factions were just so boring (though I did like the Cossacks).

Except to play The Last Days, which at times http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/301/mountblade2011110816533.jpg That's a compelling enough reason in itself.

well... yes... maybe. But as far as I know the M&B module system isn't that different from the M&B Warband one so porting mods from one game to the other shouldn't be too hard. (I created a few mods for Warband but I never tried modding the original)

I see your point though, that mod looks gorgeous.