(A)D&D games

samIamsad · 10-23-2005, 05:38 AM

I've never experienced the joy of an (A)D&D p&p session, but over the years there have been many great game adoptions. For me it all started with Westwood's Eye Of The Beholder.

I've been more into Attic's Realms Of Arkania games (based on the German p&p system of the same name) and 3DO's Might&Magic series during the time when SSI made their truckload of AD&D titles (mid 80s until mid 90s). It wasn't until Baldur's Gate was released, that I had another D&D game installed on my hard disk. Awesome game, btw.

Though most games used the Forgotten Realms setting (heavily influenced by standard Tolkien stuff), game developers also told stories in the Ravenloft (vampires) or the Planescape universe (Planescape:Torment, anyone?).

Here's a nice series of articles covering the history of D&D video gaming:

Quote:

A high percentage of computer programmers were and are, not surprisingly, Dungeons & Dragons aficionados. There's an affinity between computer programming and games that require reams of graph paper and 20-sided dice. Both are artificial universes governed by quantifiable rules, probability, and obsessive mapping… A combination of computers and dragon-slashing games was begging to happen...

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

What are your favourites? Are there any D&D games in development? Atari currently owns the rights, is that correct?

RLacey · 10-23-2005, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

I've been more into Attic's Realms Of Arkania games (based on the German p&p system of the same name)

Blade of Destiny!

Shame it sucked, really. I remember wasting odd days when friends came round generating a party and heading off to whatever the name of the pirate town was, just to get into impossible fights and lose

.

I think I tried playing seriously once, but there's one really, really nasty fight where you have to fight this wizard guy who summons set of creatures after set of creatures. That and having to worry about food annoyed me

.

samIamsad · 10-23-2005, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLacey

That and having to worry about food annoyed me

.

That game sticks *very* close to the rules of the p&p system. I actually found the infamous Blade Of Destiny and didn't know where to go next! How embarassing.

The second game of that series (Sternenschweif / Star Trail) was pure awesomness. I've still got my box and the map that came with the game.

insane_cobra · 10-23-2005, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

Though most games used the Forgotten Realms setting (heavily influenced by standard Tolkien stuff), game developers also told stories in the Ravenloft (vampires) or the Planescape universe (Planescape:Torment, anyone?).

Also Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Birthright, Al-Quadim, Spelljammer...

samIamsad · 10-23-2005, 09:06 AM

Pan me!

BTW:

This guy is the producer of the Realms Of Arkania Trilogy. No, really!

Jeysie · 10-23-2005, 12:22 PM

I think the only D&D-based PC game I've ever played is Planescape: Torment, but... really, does it get any better than that?

Peace & Luv, Liz

Kolorabi · 10-23-2005, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeysie

I think the only D&D-based PC game I've ever played is Planescape: Torment, but... really, does it get any better than that?

No.

RLacey · 10-23-2005, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

That game sticks *very* close to the rules of the p&p system. I actually found the infamous Blade Of Destiny and didn't know where to go next! How embarassing.

The second game of that series (Sternenschweif / Star Trail) was pure awesomness. I've still got my box and the map that came with the game.

Maybe I should track down the second game, then. For all its flaws, BoD was vaguely amusing

...

imichaelj · 10-23-2005, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RLacey

Maybe I should track down the second game, then. For all its flaws, BoD was vaguely amusing

...

As someone who never played BoD, but played Star Trail and Shadows Over Riva, I can strongly encourage you do so. I bought all three in one box a few years back (I think it was from Chips & Bits) and I can't say I ever regretted it. If only they made RPG's like they used to. Attic had hinted at continuing the Das Schwarze Auge series at some point, but I'm fairly sure they're out of business by now.

samIamsad · 10-23-2005, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imichaelj

Attic had hinted at continuing the Das Schwarze Auge series at some point, but I'm fairly sure they're out of business by now.

They are. AFAIKR Guido Henkel said in an interview, that he left Attic, because the company wanted to continue making DSA games like forever. It must be said, that they made next to no money from them, despite the fact that they sold a crapload of copies of these games (at least in Germany). Most of the profits apparently went straight to the license holders (Schmidt Spiele/Fantasy Productions AFAIK). He then signed up with Interplay/Black Isle, while they were making PS:T and then left a PC gaming industry he thought he didn't fit into anymore. The times they were changing ($$$), and apparently even Torment got a little fuc%ed up by the men in suits (ahem). Especially after Baldur's Gate became such a success. I think he's now developing mobile games... Dunno. You might google for some interviews with him. I like this guy's attitude.

Here's also a nice Shadows Over Riva (the last DSA/ROA game) review from Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/shado...va/review.html

To get back on topic: Planescape:Torment is of course an exceptional game. Still, there's a bit more. The closest thing to P&P thus far is Neverwinter Nights (human dungeon master, adventure construction kit, etc.), Icewind Dale is a fun dungeon crawler, and from what I've heard Temple Of Elemental Evil features the best implementation of 3rd edition D&D rules to date.

RLacey · 10-24-2005, 04:44 AM

Hmm, the Realms of Arkania trilogy is on Ebay for $4.99, but postage to the UK turns it into $31

. Mind you, if the copy for sale is anything to go buy, I could sell my copy of Blade of Destiny for £30

.

samIamsad · 10-24-2005, 04:58 AM

Ouch.

If Sir-Tech were still in business, maybe (just maybe) they were still selling them for cheap.

They published the ROA games in the US (the UK, too?).

RLacey · 10-24-2005, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

Ouch.

If Sir-Tech were still in business, maybe (just maybe) they were still selling them for cheap.

They published the ROA games in the US (the UK, too?).

Blade of Destiny was distributed through US Gold in the UK, if I remember correctly. I can't find a copy of the trilogy on UK Ebay

...

samIamsad · 10-24-2005, 05:55 AM

I'd trade mine (ACHTUNG: they're German) for a copy of Wizardry 8.

Why haven't I bought this game yet? I have played Bradley's Wizards&Warriors some years ago. Has some of the best dungeons I've ever seen. In one your party is turned into pig-like creatures and you have to find a way out of your misery. Nice puzzles, too! One day I might check out his latest game, Dungeon Lords, though it's supposed to be pretty buggy..

Last year I stumbled upon a Pool Of Radiance remake/module for Neverwinter Nights.

It's straightforward (a city, some areas surrounding it and some quests waiting for you to complete), and was some hack&slash fun in multiplayer. That's so cool about Neverwinter: The next D&D adventure is just a small download away.

*stepurhan* · 10-24-2005, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

Last year I stumbled upon a Pool Of Radiance remake/module for Neverwinter Nights.

It's straightforward (a city, some areas surrounding it and some quests waiting for you to complete), and was some hack&slash fun in multiplayer. That's so cool about Neverwinter: The next D&D adventure is just a small download away.

Have the original PC version as part of the Forgotten Realms Archives boxed set. 12 games including

The Epic Series

Pool of Radiance
Curse of the Azure Bonds
Secret of the Silver Blades
Pools of Darkness

Hillsfar

Eye of the Beholder trilogy

Dungeon Hack (a random fantasy dungeon generator)

Savage Frontier

Gateway to the Savage Frontier
Treasures of the Savage Frontier

And last but not least Menzoberranzan a first person shoo....erm....hacker.

Mind you, you need to have the right machine to run these games (my emboldening)

Quote:

Originally Posted by manual

If you have a "fast" machine such as a 486/50MHz machine, it may be so fast that you may not be able to read messages - no matter how slow you set the speed.

Ironically, DOSBox, resource-hungry little beast that it is, allows these games to run at a perfectly playable speed on my XP PC.

samIamsad · 10-25-2005, 05:09 AM

That box is still being sold on Amazon.uk.

I remember having seen Pool Of Radiance (or was it Curse Of The Azure Bonds) in a shop when I was a kid. The cover sure looked exciting. Then I flipped the box, took a look at the screenshots and picked Hudson Hawk (the game) instead.

Lucien21 · 10-25-2005, 05:24 AM

I would have to say my favourites have been the "Eye of the Beholder" trilogy, The Baldurs Gate games, Planescape:Torment and Neverwinter Nights (Was ok).

*stepurhan* · 10-25-2005, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

That box is still being sold on Amazon.uk.

I remember having seen Pool Of Radiance (or was it Curse Of The Azure Bonds) in a shop when I was a kid. The cover sure looked exciting. Then I flipped the box, took a look at the screenshots and picked Hudson Hawk (the game) instead.

You picked Hudson Hawk instead? Oh bad luck.

IF yoiu found the cover exciting then it was probably Curse of the Azure Bonds. Over-endowed young lady with a chainmail shirt split down the middle that barely covers her two most prominent features. Just the sort of thing to attract the attention of a hormone-addled teenage boy.

Neverwinter Nights was a pleasant diversion. I think the two expansions, Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark (HOtU having high-level adventuring) showed more of what the engine was capable of.

samIamsad · 10-25-2005, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stepurhan

You picked Hudson Hawk instead? Oh bad luck.

Indeed. But hey, when I was home from shopping and opened the box, I found a nice black Hudson Hawk™ baseball cap. (A disk too, of course).

Quote:

Over-endowed young lady with a chainmail shirt split down the middle that barely covers her two most prominent features. Just the sort of thing to attract the attention of a hormone-addled teenage boy.

......
*cough*
I was like ten years old!

Quote:

Neverwinter Nights was a pleasant diversion. I think the two expansions, Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark (HOtU having high-level adventuring) showed more of what the engine was capable of.

I still haven't played the expansions... but the possibilites are almost endless. The whole thing is tile-based, so that after a while, every module starts to look the same, but still... I played it with a friend over LAN last year.. some spooky story that had us running through a dark, dark wood at night and there wasn't that much fighting involved. Scary! We used to play it with some light role-playing involved. At that time I played a kinda dumb female half-orc barbarian. She used to yell "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" whenever she spotted an enemy and then kicked serious butt. That was fun.

RLacey · 10-25-2005, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samIamsad

That box is still being sold on Amazon.uk.

I remember having seen Pool Of Radiance (or was it Curse Of The Azure Bonds) in a shop when I was a kid. The cover sure looked exciting. Then I flipped the box, took a look at the screenshots and picked Hudson Hawk (the game) instead.

Must... resist... urge... to... spend... more... money...

10-23-2005, 09:06 AM	#5
samIamsad capsized. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,534	Pan me! BTW: This guy is the producer of the Realms Of Arkania Trilogy. No, really! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Look, Mr. Bubbles...!

10-23-2005, 12:22 PM	#6
Jeysie Diva of Death Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 1,402	I think the only D&D-based PC game I've ever played is Planescape: Torment, but... really, does it get any better than that? Peace & Luv, Liz Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Adventures in Roleplaying (Nov. 19): "Maybe it's still in the Elemental Plane of Candy." "Is the Elemental Plane of Candy anything like Willy Wonka's factory?" "If it is, would that mean Oompa Loompas are Candy Elementals?" "Actually, I'm thinking more like the Candyland board game. But, I like this idea better." "I like the idea of Oompa Loompa Elementals."

10-24-2005, 04:44 AM	#11
RLacey The Thread™ will die. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 22,542	Hmm, the Realms of Arkania trilogy is on Ebay for $4.99, but postage to the UK turns it into $31 . Mind you, if the copy for sale is anything to go buy, I could sell my copy of Blade of Destiny for £30 . Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ RLacey \| Killer of the Thread™ I do not change to be perfect. Perfect changes to be me.

10-24-2005, 04:58 AM	#12
samIamsad capsized. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,534	Ouch. If Sir-Tech were still in business, maybe (just maybe) they were still selling them for cheap. They published the ROA games in the US (the UK, too?). Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Look, Mr. Bubbles...!

10-24-2005, 05:55 AM	#14
samIamsad capsized. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,534	I'd trade mine (ACHTUNG: they're German) for a copy of Wizardry 8. Why haven't I bought this game yet? I have played Bradley's Wizards&Warriors some years ago. Has some of the best dungeons I've ever seen. In one your party is turned into pig-like creatures and you have to find a way out of your misery. Nice puzzles, too! One day I might check out his latest game, Dungeon Lords, though it's supposed to be pretty buggy.. Last year I stumbled upon a Pool Of Radiance remake/module for Neverwinter Nights. It's straightforward (a city, some areas surrounding it and some quests waiting for you to complete), and was some hack&slash fun in multiplayer. That's so cool about Neverwinter: The next D&D adventure is just a small download away. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Look, Mr. Bubbles...! Last edited by samIamsad; 10-24-2005 at 06:14 AM.

10-25-2005, 05:09 AM	#16
samIamsad capsized. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 5,534	That box is still being sold on Amazon.uk. I remember having seen Pool Of Radiance (or was it Curse Of The Azure Bonds) in a shop when I was a kid. The cover sure looked exciting. Then I flipped the box, took a look at the screenshots and picked Hudson Hawk (the game) instead. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Look, Mr. Bubbles...!

10-25-2005, 05:24 AM	#17
Lucien21 Psychonaut Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 5,114	I would have to say my favourites have been the "Eye of the Beholder" trilogy, The Baldurs Gate games, Planescape:Torment and Neverwinter Nights (Was ok). Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

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