Dungeons and Dragons- This is an extremely well-known role-playing system in the West. Unfortunately, in our country it has not received such a wide distribution. But its influence on culture cannot be overestimated, and every computer player directly or indirectly encounters it. It has served as the basis for hundreds of books and a dozen computer games. And thousands more games were made under her invisible influence. read "Dark Elf" Salvatore? Heard about "Saga of the Spear" Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hickman? played in Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights? Maybe you caught the cartoon series in your childhood "Dragon Dungeons?". And all this diversity is just the retinue of the king, the great role-playing system D&D.

What is a role-playing system and why is it needed? This is a set of rules that describes the interactions of characters in a fictional world. And it is required so that four or five friends can get together and participate in an epic fantasy adventure. One of the players becomes the leader, Dungeon Master-om. He must prepare the scenario of the adventure in advance and think carefully about the place where it will take place. The rest of the players create one for themselves character, thinking over their biography, appearance and setting game characteristics. When the preparation is over, the facilitator will begin to tell the story, and the players will describe their actions in it. The master describes the situation to the players, speaks on behalf of the characters in this world, draws maps of dungeons. Players also move the figures of heroes, and speak on their behalf, trying to get used to the shoes of their characters.

Host: You see a giant rift in the ground, in which ominous flames dance. The air here is very stuffy and saturated with the smell of sulfur.
Player: I'm running and jumping over the rift, shouting "Lee-and-ira Jae-e-enkins"!
Master: You don't make it to the other side of the pit and you burn in the fire!
Craftsman: Roll the die and add your Jump skill to it. Let's see if you can overcome the difficulty class 30!

Player: My score is only 23, damn!
Master: Now I'll roll the dice to determine fall damage and third-degree burns...

Gary Gygax plays with death in D&D

D&D started in 1971 when Gary Gygax created the first prototype role-playing system, Chainmail, which described the characteristics of fantasy characters. In the same year, the first script of the adventure was published by Dave Arneson. Thus began the long history of Dungeons and Dragons. The system has withstood many editions and changed owners more than once. Giant editions of rulebooks were rewritten and reprinted. The success of the system was resounding in the beginning, but it has not lost popularity even now. What is the secret? It would seem, why all these difficulties with dice and rule books, when you can just play a computer RPG?

Great Adventures. This is how it happens in reality.

And so - in the imagination of the players.

And there is only one reason - the freedom of action, to which computer games cannot approach even a cannon shot. Have you ever been annoyed by scripted doors in computer games that cannot be opened ahead of time? Fences through which it is impossible to get into forbidden locations? Villains with whom it is impossible to agree? Or vice versa, characters who cannot be killed, although you really want to? Plot twists that you can't really change? Similar restrictions in a tabletop role-playing game no in principle. There, your character is free to go anywhere, and do what he pleases. Yes, the host has a script alleged plot development. But you, as a player, are always able to give the presenter a surprise! Give the dragon a poisoned princess instead of fighting it! Find and kill the main villain two acts before the finale! Break the wall out in the labyrinth that you are tired of going through! Become the greatest hero or the most vile champion of evil! You are simply not limited by anything, the system only determines the probability of success of one or another action. And in incomprehensible situations The host makes the final decision. Yes, of course, there is no graphics engine here and all the action takes place in the imagination. But the player's fantasy is actually cooler than any engine.

Character Creation.

Let's take a look at some common RPG concepts that you might have heard about.

COMMON D&D TERMS

Alignment- a system of formal designation of the worldview of characters, first appeared in D&D. However, the inhabitants of the Internet really liked this thing and now it has spread widely in isolation from the role-based basis. The bottom line is that each character is characterized on a scale of kindness (evil-neutral-good) and decency (chaotic-neutral-law-abiding). The combination of these parameters gives 9 basic worldview archetypes . parody scales worldviews everyone must have seen it.

munchkin is not only the famous board game by Steve Jackson, actively parodying D&D, but also a certain type of role-playing player. Munchkins are those who do not bother with playing their role, but simply want to defeat everyone. Munchkins love to create extremely cool characters, they know the rules well and always interpret them in their favor. The only thing such players want from the game is to earn maximum experience points and equip the coolest things.

d20- a designation for a 20-sided gaming dice, which is the main one in the game. When a character declares an action whose success is not obvious (making an attack, jumping over a chasm, picking a lock), he rolls this die and adds a bonus to the result, depending on the features of his character. If the received number exceeded the previously assigned by the Master difficulty class (DC, difficult class) is a success! Need for the game and other bones, such as 8-sided and 4-sided. There are 6 main types in total.

The evolution of dice.

Actually, various bonuses, characteristics of characters and the rules for their creation are described inPlayer's Handbook. The host will find everything you need to create an unforgettable adventure inMaster's Guide (Dungeon Master's Guide). Monsters that players may encounter are described inBestiaries (Monster Manual). The bestiary here is simply huge, but some D&D monsters stand out in particular and are a kind of hallmark of the system.

MONSTERS D&D

Evil Eye (Beholder)- one of the most recognizable and replicated D&D monsters. And in truth, he looks unusual and the battles with him come out amazingly interesting. Each eye of this creature shoots a beam with a special effect. One eye subjugates the will, the second erases into powder, and the other plunges into sleep.

Gelatinous cube ) is another common monster. He cannot boast of the ferocity of a beholder. All he does is crawl ominously onto the player and begin to slowly and painfully digest him, at the same time dissolving weapons and equipment. When you try to chop it with a sword, it is divided into smaller independent cubes.

Illithid ) are sinister slavers from the Underdark who feed on brains. They are highly intelligent, with telepathy and mind control abilities. Few things terrify a player more than losing control of a character. A controlled barbarian may well kill half of his comrades before they have time to deal with the hated illithid. It is also interesting that the illithid is the head. Literally. Because the rest of the body is simply usurped by a squid-like illithid larva from some sentient being.

Aboleth- Another psionic monster, it looks like a hefty fish with tentacles. Its characteristic feature is 3 eyes arranged in a column. Aboleths are cunning and dangerous opponents, for which they are loved by leaders and players. Like illithids, they are able to control the mind, as well as create illusions. Aboleths' bodies are covered in a slime that, when touched, causes a terrible and intractable disease that turns the skin into a transparent membrane. But their most important feature is an unlimited life span combined with a constantly developing brain. As a consequence of this - the unimaginable abyss of knowledge and intelligence beyond imagination.

What players can potentially encounter is determined by the pre-selected setting. Settingis the game world in which the action takes place. Each setting is described by a separate series of additional rulebooks. At the time of the second edition of D&D, the number of settings exceeded a dozen, and they were all connected by a common cosmology. At the moment, only a few game worlds are officially supported, which, however, does not prevent playing in the settings of the past.

D&D WORLDS

Forgotten Realms- the most elaborate setting of the system. There are cities famous for computer games Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter. There is the city of dark elves glorified by Salvatore Menzoberranzan. This is where most famous heroes come from. Drizzt Do'Urden and ending Elminster.

Planescape- the most unusual D&D setting, support for which, unfortunately, has been discontinued a long time ago. Unusual races, impossible places and unique modules dedicated to solving eternal philosophical questions. This setting formed the basis of the cult computer game Planescape: Torment.

Eberron- a young, but rapidly developing setting that combines elements of noir, detective and adventure novel. Eberron is a world of magic made indistinguishable from technology. Lightning railroads, elemental powered airships, and of course the half-dead warforged robots built to fight in the Last War. Games made in this setting dragonshard and Dungeons & Dragons Online.

A robot air pirate is robbing a lightning train. The whole essence of Eberron in one picture.

But one setting is not enough to start the game. The host needsmodule— a scenario of the game with a description of key places, characters and plot twists. A great many modules came out, some of them served as the basis for computer games. For example, a computer gameThe Temple of Elemental Evilbased on the board game of the same name. However, experienced craftsmen do not use ready-made modules, preferring to write scripts on their own.

Tomb of Horros- this is most famousanddeadliest modulethroughout the history of role-playing games and therefore deserves special mention. Of course, every leader can make a module for killing players. However, only Gary Gygax managed to create a module that kills so damned sophisticated, scary and methodical, but at the same time leaving really smart heroes a chance to succeed. This adventure was created as the ultimate challenge for the most experienced players and the coolest characters. The sinister demilich Acererak made this dungeon so nightmarish not by chance and not in a rush, but only the finale of the adventure will put everything in its place.

Dozens of ingenious traps, a few but terrible opponents, an ever-growing atmosphere of horror, hopelessness and paranoia guarantee you an unforgettable experience. No, the monsters will not jump around the corner when the leader shouts "Boo!". Just any wrong step here becomes the last. By the way, one of the most famous traps of the Tomb kills stupid and careless adventurers instantly and without any checks. The coolness of the character doesn't matter.

Gary Gygax leads the players through the Tomb of Horrors.
“Throw a bone to see if you will weep. And if so, how much."

The whole truth about D&D

It should be noted that the world of role-playing games does not end with the D&D system. It's just that it's the most popular. There are many other systems, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are just a few examples:

OTHER ROLE SYSTEMS

PathfinderRPG is a side branch on the glorious Dungeons and Dragons tree. It continues the tradition of the D&D 3.5 rules, creatively developing them and fixing a number of old problems and difficulties. At the same time, the system retains its compatibility with almost all material 3.5. All the information you need about Pathfinder can be found at d20pfsrd.com. The system is highly recommended for study. The only difficulty in familiarizing yourself with Pathfinder is that the material of the system has not been translated into Russian. And those who have difficulties with English should first study the Russified D&D material of editions 3.5 or 4 ( Thanks aldarin and pegasoff for their comments).

Ars Magica (The Art of Magic)- role-playing system with an emphasis on magical art. Instead of using ready-made spells, the player can create them on the go using the magic constructor. To date, five editions of the system have already been released.

GURPS- the brainchild of Steve Jackson, the creator of the game Munchkin. This is a universal system of rules that can be applied in any game world. It is based on a system of points, which, when creating a character, are spent on attributes, the choice of advantages and disadvantages.

ECLIPSE PHASE- role-playing system dedicated to the future of mankind. Clones, cyborgs, implants, supercomputers and spaceflight. Transhumanists should love it.

Age of Aquarius- domestic role-playing system for games in the style of urban fantasy, with glamorous vampires and werewolves. To date, the second edition has been published.

Interested in role-playing games but don't know where to start?

Here's what you'll need:
1.Player's Handbook, Craftsman's Guide, and Bestiary selected edition. You can download these books in Russian on the Phantom Fantasy Studio website (many thanks to them for the translations). You should know the basics of the rules, but reading books from cover to cover is unnecessary and pointless. Just keep books handy as a reference. On the site you can find books of edition 3,5 and 4. Users who speak English are advised to study the Pathfinder system instead.

2. At least one type of each game dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20). Several six-sided cubes are better. You can buy the kit in an online store or make it yourself by printing bone patterns on thick paper and gluing them together. Another option is electronic generator programs.

3.Map, chips and markers. Line a sheet of paper (A2, the larger the better) by hand or on a plotter into 2.5 cm cells and cover it with thermal film. On it you will draw dungeons and castles that players will fall into. To get started, just take cardboard squares as chips.

4.Game module. You can come up with it yourself, but for starters, it's better to use ready-made ones (like this one). Maintaining the finished module is very simple - everything is there, from literary descriptions of landscapes to the characteristics of monsters. Read it in full, but be ready to improvise, because the actions of the players cannot be fully predicted.

5. Character sheets. Download (for example from here) and print them on A4 paper according to the number of players. Help them create characters, explain the basics of the system.

And let the great adventure begin!

Even ponies play D&D!
(By the way, in the first season of MlP, you can find out that Twilight Sparkle knows 25 spells, including Telekinesis, which in the framework of D&D 3.5 corresponds to a Wizard of the 10th level with an intelligence of 18)

Dungeons & Dragons is the legendary tabletop RPG that generations of people and generations of games have grown up with. Before you is its version in the form of a box that combines role-playing classics and the convenience of board games - that is, it does not require a master. Previously, people had to gather in a club or in the kitchen of a skillful game host to immerse themselves in a mysterious world. Now fantasy strategy and a whole story of adventure is available to anyone.

What awaits around the corner

Brave heroes go to the castle of an ancient vampire full of dangers to get fame, treasures and, of course, adventures on their troubled heads. This is the standard opening for any D&D game - with one difference: the master of the game in this board game is replaced by the board itself. The game's goal, victory conditions, and mandatory events are determined by the scenario book, while the actions of the enemies are determined by the questions on their cards. The fight takes place on a die: the sum of the rolled points is added to the damage points on the selected attack.

It's getting scary, let's split up

Despite the change in format from role-playing to desktop, you can't deny the liveliness of the process. The road literally lies under your feet - the squares of the dungeons are collected as you progress through the game, so that the alignment is new every time, which means that treasures, traps and dragons will be waiting for the brave in the most unexpected places. Players will need both strategic and tactical thinking to decide which equipment cards should be used right now, how an unexpected luck card will help the character, what threatens the party with the characteristics of this or that monster, and so on.

Touch the treasure, color the dragon

In the tabletop format, the Dungeons and Dragons system definitely has room to expand. The box, which weighs almost 3 kilograms, contains a whole game world: 41 dungeon tiles, 42 plastic monster figures, 192 tokens, as many as 200 game event cards and much more. All elements are printed on hard cardboard with a special wear-resistant coating, the figures are not painted - but this is rather a plus, as it allows you to customize your set.

Adventurers aged 12 and over

This board game can be played by both children and adults, and at the same time: the rules written in an understandable language and the excellent balancing of the process will allow all participants to enjoy the game.

Their heroes are waiting for:

• 41 colored dungeon squares,
• 42 plastic figures of heroes and monsters,
• 9 illustrated cards of heroes and villains,
• 200 event, monster and treasure cards,
• 192 tags and tokens,
• twenty-sided cube,
• script book,
• Rules of the game.

Sorry, but pathos is indispensable here - such is the topic. Everyone probably knows what Dungeons & Dragons is. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, Neverwinter Nights, Eye of the Beholder... all these names constantly appear on the pages of gaming magazines, websites and, of course, forums.

During one of the discussions, the thought came up: why not write an encyclopedia of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games? Yes, to tell in detail what these worlds are, where the action takes place, and what is special about them. Difficult, of course, but doable.

And work began to boil. It took a week just to collect information about all released D&D games. They counted almost 58 pieces - with additions and sequels. Then there was an acquaintance with those of them with whom I had not had a chance to meet before. So two weeks passed. Another week was spent reading reviews and discussing games with venerable players who ate a small pack of dogs in this case. Finally, the article was ready and sent to the strict judgment of the editor-in-chief. Luck smiled on the material even at this stage, and now you are reading these lines.

Now you can. We offer you a complete encyclopedia of games released on all platforms under the Dungeons & Dragons license. On this I say goodbye, but I promise that this is only the beginning. Stay tuned for the next issue. I promise it will be worthwhile material. See you later!

D&D in Russia

Until recently, it was widely believed that in Russia they do not play desktop Dungeons & Dragons. Simply because "for this you need to know English." Of course, in fact, neither one nor the other is true, and there are about half a million players on the territory of the former USSR, but compared to tens of millions of Americans or British, yes, not many. But this state of affairs promises to change soon. In the coming months, a Russian edition of " Player Books» is the main (and only necessary) D&D rule book. You will probably have to look for it in the same stores that sell other board and role-playing games: for example, in Moscow - in Allegris on Myasnitskaya. When this joyful event for all roleplayers takes place, of course, we will tell about it separately.

dark sun

Eternal thirst. Endless deserts. Huge maroon sun. Cities in ruins. A civilization slowly dying out after a catastrophe... Do you think it's Fallout? Not necessary. dark sun.

It was once a beautiful land. A planet almost completely covered by seas with small islands inhabited by halflings. 14 thousand years of prosperity have passed. As a result of experiments on the planet, the Brown Tide arose, which began to spread across the ocean, killing all life. To save themselves, they built the Tower of Primordial, pumping the energy of the blue sun with its help, and Browntide was destroyed. But nothing happens with impunity. Due to energy losses, the once blue sun turned yellow.

The water receded and continents appeared. In addition, the power of the Tower of Primordial affected living beings, causing mutations. This also applies to halflings. Over time, they turned into people, elves, dwarves and other races you know well. This period was called the Renaissance.

The Green Age followed. Over time, new races have evolved and created powerful civilizations. The first priests appeared. But there have never been gods on the planet, so prayers had no real power. There was also no magic, but psionics were in full swing. She reached such heights that she penetrated into all spheres of life. For example, underground tunnels were dug between cities, through which platforms flew, driven by the power of thought.

Everything was fine until Rajat showed up. He was the one who discovered the magic. Having developed sorcery to perfection, Rajat selected 15 strong psionicists from among the people and taught them a new discipline. But even this was not enough for him. Driven by a desire to further increase his power, he sought out the Tower of Creation—the same one that the halflings had stopped the Browntide—and took power from the Sun.

Another loss of energy turned the Sun maroon. The seas finally receded, and the planet turned into a large desert. But that was only part of the plan. Rajat decided to bring back the Blue Age, when halflings were the rulers of the planet. And the methodical extermination of other races began. Orcs, ogres and many other peoples perished.

When Rajat told his students that the only race on the planet should be humans, they rebelled against the teacher. In a terrible battle, they managed to defeat Rajat, but most of the planet was destroyed.

What was left, the former students divided among themselves. Having built city-states, they began to rule the world very harshly. Poverty, slavery, devastation. The Age of the Witch-kings has arrived. It is at this time that the action of the world of Dark Sun takes place ...

The famous author Troy Denning took up the creation of the world. The first edition was published in 1991. The second appeared in 1995, but a whole development team was already writing it. There, the world was worked out in detail and made a time jump ten years ahead, when a revolution broke out on the planet. The new edition focuses on developments in the region around the city of Tire. The reigning Witch-king has been overthrown, but a new tyrant has taken his place. In addition, a dragon wound up in the district, terrifying to all living...

Habitual animals are almost gone (horses, cows and pigs are absent as a class), but giant insects and lizards have bred in huge numbers. Instead of horses - ants, wingless birds and lizards, instead of cows - honey-bearing spiders... The subtle plane of elemental energy has become more connected with the planet, so elementals are found everywhere. The ruins of the cities were filled with the undead, devouring unwary travelers.

The player is offered ten races to choose from. Compared to other D&D worlds, this is quite an impressive number. There are many interesting ones among them: for example, bipedal lizards or giant thri-kreen mantises. There are "standard", but completely converted people, elves and gnomes. The halflings remained, but along the way they turned into cannibalistic savages.

Psionics are ubiquitous throughout the world. Every inhabitant of the planet owns it to one degree or another. There are also magicians, but they are, to put it mildly, disliked - because it was because of magic that the world turned into a big desert. There are two schools of magic on Aitas: Defiling and Preserving. Magicians of the first school try to get from the spell maximum effect. With their magic, they suck energy from all living things, leaving only scorched earth. Students of the second school, on the contrary, try not to harm the environment. There are no gods, as one would expect, so the priests worship the primordial elements or sorcerer-kings elevated to the rank of deities.

Another noteworthy feature of the world: metals have become rare, so finding a steel blade is a great success. Most often, weapons are made from bone, obsidian, or hardwood. Even as coins, ceramic discs are used.

Water is the main wealth of the planet. There is very little of it left, and the roads pass from one well to another. However, the keepers of the water are not happy with unexpected guests, so merchant caravans rarely go out into the desert without well-armed guards. Few people dare to travel alone. Whoever the monsters don't devour will die of thirst...

As you probably already understood, Dark Sun is different from the classic fantasy worlds. It's a cruel and cynical world. There is never a happy ending. Violence rules the world. Magic has destroyed the planet, and the local demigods - the sorcerer-kings - do not care what happens to others. The inhabitants of the world themselves are more concerned with saving their own skins than saving a dying planet.

Finishing the story about Dark Sun, it is impossible not to mention one important feature. Aesthetics of the world. Look at the cover of any Dark Sun book. Crazy half-naked figures with a spiked devil in their hands, the mere sight of which would make Boris Vallejo (Valeggio) sick. Bald thugs in "piece" armor over a bare belly, armed with bone swords. It is for this special aesthetic that many come to the world of Dar Sun, and for the same reason, many run away without looking back.

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands

Yes, it was "fresh blood", completely different from previous SSI projects. But most of the players did not like the result. The graphics turned out to be far from advanced, and the gameplay was limping on both legs.

But, worst of all, the developers have overhauled the Dark Sun universe itself. Instead of a world full of cruelty and cynicism, the players saw a rather sugary fairy tale. The atmosphere was completely destroyed. Familiar landscapes and terrain, but the atmosphere of "post-magical apocalypse", alas, was not felt at all.

Dark Sun 2: Wake of the Ravager

Publisher: SSI

Developer: SSI

Year: 1994

Wake of the Ravager was the second attempt by SSI to create a Dark Sun game, and at the same time restore its reputation after the unsuccessful Shattered Lands (someone may not agree that the first part was a failure, but it definitely did not become a masterpiece of the genre).

The plot, unfortunately, abounded in clichés. The action took place in the besieged city of Tire. At first, they had to fight against the villain known as the Dragon.
Then they realized that the Dragon was not the main problem. This bad person intended to wake up the ancient demon (who was this very “main” problem) and destroy the whole world ...

The game world has been significantly improved compared to the first part, without leaving aside the graphics. But thanks to a lot of errors and shortcomings, the game has gained a very dubious reputation.

Dark Sun Online Crimson Sands

Publisher: pogo.com

Developer: SSI

Year: 1996

Perhaps only the most hardened MMORPG veterans will remember that once upon a time, there was an online Dark Sun game called Crimson Sands. It appeared a year before Ultima Online and at the same time had many of the advantages of the mentioned project. The game could even make a breakthrough in the genre, but at that time fate finally turned its back on SSI.

Crimson Sands used the experience from Shattered Lands and Wake of the Ravager, the quality of which is hard to underestimate. In addition, only members of the Total Entertainment Network (a GameSpy Arcade-style gaming network), which later became Pogo.com, could access the game. And finally, the last straw was the weak protection against dishonest tricks. Hordes of invincible characters were soon rushing through the deserts of the planet, born in five minutes in cracking programs.

The game ingloriously lasted three years and safely collapsed under the weight of errors in 1999. It was the last of the currently known Dark Sun projects. Rest in peace, cursed planet!

Spelljammer Realmspace

Think D&D is necessarily fantasy? Not at all. It even found a place for a difficult genre called “steampunk”. Spelljammer is one of the most unusual D&D worlds.

Imagine an endless ocean. The great current of phlogiston moves at regular intervals... It has no beginning and no end... The crystal spheres of the worlds are circling in it - with their suns and planets. And one after another, intelligent races developed there in order to travel into outer space at some point.

The peculiarity of the world of Spelljammer is that it unites the worlds of D&D. The main action takes place on ships equipped with special magical devices that allow you to travel between the crystal spheres of the worlds. Phlogiston is a substance that fills the cosmos. It is the most combustible of all known materials. Many have tried to use it as a weapon, but fortunately it cannot enter the crystal realm of the world.

The ship is powered by a special device - Spelljammer Device. Wizards give the ship an impulse to move. Further maneuvering falls on the shoulders of the team. And for this, oars, sails, a steam engine are used ... and much more - it all depends on who built the ship. Magic is used everywhere during travels, but the priests were not lucky here either - the cosmos does not miss prayers addressed to the gods.

Moving in space, ships carry a sphere of air around them, which is usually enough for a flight. Similar spheres are formed around any object.

Space is fraught with many dangers. Flying sharks, feasting on fallen sailors, are the most harmless creatures that come across on the way. Here you can find hulking dwarf dreadnoughts, light courier schooners and even ships of the Jolly Roger brotherhood. The elves are especially distinguished - having created a truly incredible space fleet, they can be considered the most powerful race in Spelljammer. Elves keep in touch with almost all relatives in the crystal worlds and come to the rescue in case of danger.

Neogi have become a real curse for travelers. Their huge fleets sail from world to world in search of wealth, slaves and new territories. These are cunning and prudent slave traders. They do not climb on the rampage, but they will never miss their benefit. They managed to penetrate almost all the crystal worlds, bringing a lot of headaches to their inhabitants.

Encounters with neogi usually mean battle (especially if the balance of power is not in favor of the travelers). The losers are sold into slavery or simply eaten for dinner. Neogi land on planets or asteroids only if they need to build an outpost for further travel. This Spelljammer plague is being fought by the Imperial Elven fleet and the Va race, constantly finding and burning their havens to the ground.

Spelljammer is connected to almost all AD&D worlds. The only exception is Dark Sun. The most interesting thing is the history of Ravenloft. Space travelers get there in the same way as everyone else - through the damned fog. However, about everything in order, and we still have time to talk about the fog.

Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace

Publisher: SSI

Developer: SSI

Year: 1992

By unusual world Spelljammer only had one game released. A team of travelers from one of the starships wandered through the Toril system (the planet on which the Forgotten Realms are located). The game was non-linear, which is a serious novelty for the goldbox series. The player could improve the ship, attack enemy ships and, having killed the crew, get legitimate booty. The gameplay, as usual, suffered from an abundance of errors, which often prevented the completion of key tasks. Nice try, but unfortunately not the best.

Al Qadim

Four official D&D worlds fit on the planet Toril at once - Forgotten Realms, Maztica, Kara-Tur... and Al-Qadim. With the rest of the continent, this world is practically not connected. Therefore, travelers from FR rarely visit Al-Qadim.

Al-Qadim is based on oriental tales. Imagine a dwarf with a turban on his head, sitting on a camel. Quite an unusual sight.

The peoples inhabiting the world are divided into nomads and settled. The cities are inhabited by al-hadar (city dwellers), engaged in trade, crafts and sciences. Al-badia (which means “Bedouin”) roam the deserts with herds or caravans. Compared to other worlds, race is of relatively little importance to the character here. A man is judged by his deeds, not by the color of his skin or the shape of his ears.

Although there are no conflicts between city dwellers and nomads, they are quite skeptical about each other. Even the poorest al-Hadar considers himself more educated than any al-Badiya. They have their own houses, there are no problems with obtaining food and water, they regularly visit mosques. Al-Badiya, on the contrary, believe that the city dwellers are too pampered and, moreover, not free in their homes. Nomads have a peculiar attitude towards religion: let the gods decide who will live and what to do in the open air.

Zacharians honor unwritten rules, principles and traditions. It is they - and not official laws - that determine the way of life. A character is not considered rich if he does not celebrate holidays and donate to temples.

Honor is the most important thing for any Zakharian. A man without honor is not a man, and a crime against honor is considered one of the worst. Justified murder (for example, blood feud), on the contrary, is not condemned. If you offend a person, you can get off with an apology. Caught stealing will be forced to pay a large sum of money, otherwise he will lose his hand.

Family is sacred. The men in the family play the main role. If the son marries, the wife moves to the groom's father's house and becomes part of the clan. In the event of a divorce, he returns to his parents. The larger the family, the more we respect the clan.

Family, as you might guess, is also associated with honor. Any of its members is responsible for the honor of the whole family. Therefore, it is not uncommon for relatives themselves to kill someone who has tarnished family honor.

The traditions of hospitality oblige the Zacharians to accept any guest, including the uninvited. If the guest has tasted salt from the host's table, then the latter must protect him until he leaves the house. However, if you linger on a visit, you can drop your honor in the eyes of others.

The Zacharians worship deities that fall into three groups: Wild Gods, Local Gods, and Great Gods. The latter stand above good and evil. The Zacharians who choose them are bound to follow the path they represent. A person who does not worship the gods at all is considered impious and unworthy of the afterlife.

The rules of Al-Qadim (as well as the environment, races, etc.) have undergone significant changes compared to the basic ones, which made it possible to separate this part of the continent into a separate world.

Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse

Publisher: SSI

Developer: Cyberlore

Year: 1994

Sometimes developers, trying to attract the widest range of players, significantly "simplify" the game. There's probably nothing wrong with that, but not for D&D. RPG fans simply won't get the "humor". They are waiting for something completely different. This, in fact, happened with Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse. Marveling at the success of console games, SSI decided to show the whole world what they are capable of. And as they showed, so they showed ...

The rivalry between consoles and computers began a long time ago (not with the release of Sony PS, as many people think). On consoles, both then and now, games are mostly action-oriented. There were no "serious" role-playing games there, and they were not needed. Audiences are different.

Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse was a kind of SSI's response to the release of the pseudo-role-playing game Zelda for the Nintendo platform. It turned out exactly what was expected. The role-playing part was seriously "clipped", replacing it with a sprint run from location to location searching for objects and solving simple puzzles.Thank God, later SSI abandoned such experiments.

Birthright

Have you ever wondered what to do to a magician or a warrior who has reached a high level or even become a demigod? Roam the dungeons, automatically exterminating seedy liches or dragons? Probably not. At the time of the release of the world, high-level characters were described in the book DM's Options: High Level Campaigns. But this was not enough.

The world of Birthright is dedicated to kings, nobles and archmages. The player started the adventure not as a low-level character, but as a ruler hero. Lord of the kingdom. No need to chase goblins to gain experience for the next level. There are more important things. For example, to decide the fate of the world.

Let's remember the local history... A long time ago, a terrible battle broke out on the planet between the dark god Azrai and the light lords. To stop the lord of darkness, seven good gods sacrificed themselves and staged a joint explosion.

So the celestials disappeared from the continent. But their power remains. She got into the blood of ordinary people (and not only people), and soon they began to notice extraordinary abilities in themselves. Giving this power to the earth, they received it back - and became more powerful. Those, in whose veins the blood of Azray got, on the contrary, began to accumulate energy and multiply, killing other heirs of the gods. The mortal shell was too fragile for such strength, and over time they turned into terrible monsters. They were called - awnsheghlien which means "blood of darkness".

The heirs of the gods became Regents, the rulers of many small states. Each of them is endowed with special abilities inherited from the gods. By ruling the kingdom, they increased their power. It is the legacy of blood and the struggle for the legacy of the gods that are the main elements of the world of Birthright.

Playable races are represented by a standard set: dwarfs, elves, half-elves, halflings and five human peoples. It is not difficult to trace parallels between the social structure of different races and their prototypes in earthly history. Among the elves, dwarfs and Anuire, Brechtur, Khinasi (peoples of people) - a clear Renaissance. Rjurik (something like Slavs or Varangians) and Orogs (close relatives of Orcs) - High Middle Ages. Voses, goblins and gnolls are the heirs of the Dark Ages.

Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance

Publisher: Sierra

Developer: Synergistic

Year: 1997

Quite interesting, but not very popular project. The game was not an RPG, but rather a strategy game with role-playing elements. However, for the world of Birthright it was perhaps the most faithful genre. The player was asked to conquer the throne of the emperor in order to become the ruler of the world.

First, it was necessary to deal with affairs on the global map. The list of tasks is quite standard: financial management, construction and other operations. When it came to combat, you had to direct the battle, just like in a regular RTS. And finally, the adventure mode. A bunch of heroes went through the dungeons in search of artifacts.

Nice set, right? But the implementation let us down. The strategic part is complex, boring and confusing. Understanding, and even more so playing normally, is a separate task that requires a lot of diligence. And the adventure mode, on the contrary, is made too primitive and monotonous. There were also some very strange incidents. For example, all actions were performed simultaneously. At the order to jump down, everyone jumped together, and ... landed on each other's shoulders. It turned out a natural tower with the leader of the detachment at the very bottom.

planescape

By creating Planescape, the developers let the imagination fly and made a unique universe. Searching for dragons and traveling through dungeons is not here. Everything is a little trickier here.

Our territory is a multiverse. This is the space where all D&D worlds are located, whether created by TSR or by the players themselves. With this TSR actually killed several birds with one stone. Having solved the problem of creating the universe and explaining where the undead and demons come from, she also prepared the space for new worlds in advance. There is enough room for everyone on the Prime Material Plane - an incredible amount of space for players. You can make your own adventure in a completely new place and it will look good.

Planescape was created by David Cook, chief designer of the second edition of AD&D. The first edition appeared in 1994. Then came more than thirty additional books written by different authors.

The world of Planescape is dedicated to ideas and philosophical debates "about the meaning of the multiverse". And these are not dry academic lectures. Here, looking at cosmology is a life journey, not an abstract question. Ideas are proved by swords and magic, not by long chatter. This world does not have its own history and geography. No most detailed map can describe the endless and varied expanses of the lands. Most of the events repeat themselves over and over again or never stop - for example, like the Blood War.

The multiverse is made up of plans. Each plane is a certain world with its own physical, magical and moral laws. Some of the plans have several levels. The exact number of plans is unknown, and most likely there are an infinite number of them.

Plans are divided into internal, external and primary.

Internal plans are divided into basic elemental planes, demiplanes and quasiplanes. There are six basic elemental planes. Fire, water, air, earth - they are made of elemental matter, which manifests itself in all other worlds. Plans of positive and negative energy - the first gives life to all living things, the second nourishes the undead. In demiplanes, fire, water, air and earth merge with each other (for example, earth + water = demiplane of ice). In quasi-planes, the positive and negative planes merge with the four elemental ones - fire, water, air, earth. That is, a three-dimensional structure is used. Three axes: fire-water, earth-air, positive-negative. The main elemental planes are those that have only one characteristic "exposed", demiplanes - two elements, quasiplanes - element plus energy.

outer plans form a circle, along the edges of which there are portal cities to other planes. Imagine a huge cake cut into pieces. The whole cake is the outer planes. Each piece is a certain external plan. Some of the outer planes are infinite, others have limits.

There are 16 outer planes in total, plus binding rings: the outer lands and the astral. The Abyss, Acheron, Arborea, Arcadia, Baator, The Beastlands, Bytopia, Carceri, Elysium, Gehenna, The Gray Waste, Limbo, Mechanus, Mount Celestia, Pandemonium, Ysgard... if you're into D&D, you've probably heard it mentioned more than once about them. If the worlds in the primary plan differ mainly in magical, technical and evolutionary development, and the inner planes differ in the essence of matter, then the outer planes differ in ethics and worldview. It is this that forms the appearance and laws of a particular plan. Limbo is chaotic and ever-changing, Mount Celestia is peaceful, Abyss is deadly.

The outer planes fall into three groups (note how common the number three is; read more on this below). The upper planes are good, the lower planes are evil, and those in the middle are neutral planes.

Before we conclude our discussion of the outer planes, a couple of examples. For example, Mechanus. It is a set of gears on which castles, cities and states are located. The gears are constantly rotating, personifying the universal harmony. The inhabitants of this plane are very honest and do everything exactly as told. Even if it results in death.

Mount Celestia, or Seven Heavens. The plan is big mountain which consists of seven layers. Law and justice reign in this world. A real paradise in the understanding of paladins. But Arcadia very similar to her at first glance, but ... order for her is still above good, and with personal freedom things are mediocre there.

Limbo Home of the Githzerai and Slaadi. Here, nothing can retain a certain form for more than a moment. Pure chaos.

Between the inner and outer plane is the primary material plane. It is in it that countless worlds are located, covered with a crystal sphere (and brave travelers from Spelljammer swim according to the plan itself). The primary plane is connected to the inner through the etheric plane - and the astral plane separates it from the outer.

There are three ways to travel between the inner, outer, and primary material planes.

Ethereal Plan. As already mentioned, it links the primary material plane with the inner. However, it is often possible to shorten the path. For example, in the mouth of a volcano there is usually an entrance to the fiery plane. The ethereal plane is not only used for travel. It is in it that magicians create pocket worlds with their own rules and laws. It is here that the Mistress of Pain keeps the madmen who attacked Sigil in personal prisons.

astral plane. It connects the primary material plane with the outer. It is dangerous for the inhabitants of the primary material plane to travel through the astral because of the connections with their world (remember the silver threads...). It is better to use portals that immediately transfer to a certain external plane. It is the astral plane that is the birthplace of the githyanok. Their fortresses and ships constantly plow the astral.

Outlands . They are located at the top of the ring formed by the outer planes (the top of the cake). The outer lands serve as a staging post between the outer planes. Each plan is connected to the adjacent so-called Highway. With a gate card, one can travel between the outer planes.

Often there are cities at the gates. Their inhabitants are engaged in trade with travelers. These are usually peaceful places where you can rest before continuing your journey. But some are as terrible as the plans they lead to.

At the very center of the outer lands rises a mountain lost in the clouds. On its summit hung Sigil, the City of Doors. Outwardly, the city resembles a bagel. The buildings are located inside the sphere. From it it was possible to get into any world of D&D or vlan. When you go through an open door, you can't tell exactly where you're going to exit. Dying Dark Sun or blooming Krynn? Or maybe Limbo?

In Sigil, you can have a drink with a demon or talk with an angel. Where else, besides the City of Doors, do humans, elves, tieflings, githzerai and modrons gather in one company to go in search of adventure? Where else can you hire a full ship of githyanki? Everything is possible in this mysterious and gloomy city. Elementals flying freely through the streets, drow talking peacefully with elves... But this world exists not thanks to the decency of the inhabitants, but thanks to the cruelty of the Mistress of Pain. She is responsible for order and protects the city from external intrusions.

Philosophy plays an important role in Planescape, because it is faith that can change the world. The thought is scarier than a steel blade or magic because it affects the multiverse itself. Hence the special role of factions: belonging to one of them is more important than race and class. Of course, you can do without it, but then you will never know your "center of the multiverse."

For example...

Fraction Athar rejects the very existence of gods - those who are revered as gods by mere mortals. Surely a true god or gods may exist - but such power is beyond comprehension. Representatives Black Cabal believe that there is no meaning in what is happening. Who said reality has to make sense? Look at the fools running around looking for an answer. But there is no answer because no question has been asked. Just accept whatever happens.

disagree with them doomguard. “Look around,” they say. Everything falls apart and dies. Entropy and decay is what awaits the multiverse. Nothing lasts forever. Even plans. Trying to fight it is useless and absolutely unnatural.

Another attraction of Planescape is blood war. A war without meaning between demons (adherents of evil and chaos) and devils (adherents of ordered evil). It is impossible to say exactly why it began and when. Some claim that the Lady of Pain is involved in this. May be. A war without a start. War without end.

A story about the world of Planescape would be incomplete without mentioning the laws of the multiverse.

Law of the Keys- every thing has a key. Once you know it, you will master it. The power of knowledge is above all.

Law of the Ring- nothing ever changes. History makes a circle and returns to the starting point.

Law of Three- all events occur in the amount of three. If something bad happened twice, then it will happen a third time.

Law of the Center The multiverse has no beginning and no end. Anything can be the center. The second meaning of the law is that there is no unique thing.

The world of Planescape is unique and inimitable - this is recognized by most players. A sea of ​​rave reviews quite deservedly rained down on the talented creators. But at the same time, most players still prefer "classic" worlds: Planescape turned out to be too complicated. It turned out that it was interesting to read, but problematic to play. Complete oblivion, of course, does not threaten him: after all, it is Planescape that explains the structure of the Universe. But the development of the world went by no means as intensively as expected.

Planescape: Torment

Publisher: Interplay

Developer: Black Isle Studios

Year: 1999

Perhaps, Torment is one of the most underrated games in history, and not only among RPGs. It is essentially like nothing else close to board games. The combat part, unlike most RPGs, is far from being the main one - the plot, dialogues and the game world itself are at the forefront.

Dialogues deserve special attention. In addition, a technique was used that is usually used in board games: each character is described in detail in the text. His appearance, behavioral features - if you have ever played tabletop D&D, you will immediately understand what is at stake.

The game took place in Sigil (the same City of Doors). The plot began with a classic device: the hero wakes up in the morgue, not remembering who he is and what he is doing here. In the course of his travels, he met old acquaintances whom he had once loved, hated or killed. The past was intricately intertwined with the present. Often there is no time best friend, subsequently betrayed and killed by the Nameless, again became a comrade. There was not even a main enemy. There was a definite goal... but can one's soul be called an enemy?

And all this was imbued with the spirit of the Planescape world. Philosophical conversations with representatives of factions, already described laws of Three, Key, Ring and Center. This game is a living classic, worthy of standing on the same level with such masterpieces as Baldur's Gate.

Greyhawk

This world slipped out from under light hand Gary Gygax, one of the two authors of the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons in 1973. The first sketches of Greyhawk appeared already in 1976 - then a small book dedicated to the world was published. Then, at the behest of fate and TSR managers, the universe began to move into the market. In 1980, a full manual appeared with a detailed description and maps.

Greyhawk was a wild success - and in 1988 a new edition appeared, adapted to the rules of the second edition. Almost everything has been changed: the world map, history and characters. Finally, in 2000, Greyhawk became the base world of the third edition of D&D, and all the rules are set out on its example: the pantheon of gods, spells, races...

What is the world of Greyhawk? It was created in the image of the Middle Ages of the XII-XIV centuries. The great empire collapsed, its place was taken by many small kingdoms. Chaos reigns almost everywhere. Orders of chivalry dictate terms to states and interfere in political life.

Magic is practiced everywhere. But it is not she and not steel swords that determine development. The main role is played by diplomacy, economy and developed spy networks. Legendary heroes constantly appear in the chronicles, although they are not as important as in other D&D worlds. History is created by itself, guided by the mistress Fate.

As for the story, it is painfully familiar. The once mighty empires - Suel and Bakluni - perished in the fire of war. Terrible spells died down, and instead of fertile lands, deserts and lifeless steppes appeared.

People who survived the horror of war began to explore new lands, forming the Great Kingdom. He was given 250 years of prosperity. Then came the troubled times. The Great Kingdom weakened and lost most of the lands that once belonged to it, splitting into small duchies and counties.

In the west, the state of Keoland is spread, surrounded by smaller territorial units, which enjoy constant support from a strong neighbor. Unlike the Great Kingdom, it was not disturbed by civil war, and the state fully retained its former strength.

In 582, the Greyhawk Wars begin, and the entire continent is engulfed in the flames of war. Ancient states disappear from the face of the earth, borders are constantly changing. In the north, armies of orcs and demons are expanding the domain of the Yuza Empire. In the west, cities are disappearing under the onslaught of invasions. In the east, the Great Kingdom is still in its death throes. The Scarlet Brothers do not sleep either, raising puppet rulers to the thrones of states.

Two years later, the forces of the states are depleted, and no one (except the Yuz empire) is able to continue the war. A peace treaty is signed in the city of Greyhawk. But this is only a temporary respite. The war soon breaks out again, although not with such force. The year 591 is coming. The states still divide the borders, the North threatens with a new invasion of armies ... But a precarious balance has been established. Here in such a difficult world the player has to live.

As I mentioned, Greyhawk became the base world of the third edition of D&D. Therefore, the races are as standard as possible: these are orcs, kobolds, dwarfs, elves, humans, etc. Some of them unequivocally belong to the “good” or “evil” camp, but people who, as usual, cannot decide on a choice, dominate.

It is from this world that the famous lich Vecna ​​hails. Once he was a simple magician, but then he became interested in dark magic, quarreled with everyone and went to the tower, where he made a death out of himself, raised an army of the dead and organized a cult in order to subsequently achieve the status of a god.

Of the other organizations, of which there are a great many in Greyhawk, the famous Scarlet Brotherhood, worshiping the dead god Tharizdun, attracts attention. Members of the Brotherhood believe that with his arrival the end of the world will come. Until this happens, they are engaged in raising the dead on an industrial scale (the undead dragon is their job). However, do not consider them insane fanatics. They skillfully use diplomacy and play a significant role in political games.

By the way, another interesting fact. You may remember the spells Mordernkainen's Faithful Hound, Mordenkainen's Lucubration, Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion, Mordenkainen's Sword, Mordenkainen's Disjunction. They were named after the famous wizard, the head of the Circle of Eight. It was he who first described Planescape cosmology and personally witnessed the Blood War (from which, according to rumors, he lost his mind.) The Circle of Eight was created from among the powerful magicians in order to maintain balance on the continent.

For the "Troika" hack-work was never born. Deep tactics, disguised as a role-playing game, was full of the original game. To the point that you could use the description of the original script as a walkthrough. I don't remember another case where the "paper" scenario was reproduced in the game so accurately. And, despite the simplicity of the plot, the game turned out to be very exciting. In addition, Temple of Elemental Evil is the first game to implement the updated D&D rules - revision 3.5.

However, the game sold sluggishly. 128 thousand copies brought the company no more than 5.2 million dollars. What is the reason? Perhaps the fact is that 2003 has already shone on the calendars for a long time, and no one was surprised by the classic hack&slash. By that time, Baldur's Gate had already been released, Neverwinter Nights had appeared with a lot of original scenarios, so the player could no longer be lured by the usual cutting of monsters.

Ravenloft

Who is the scariest monster in games? The Dragon? Lich? Who?! Demon? Drop it. They are walking experience and temporary trophy holders. There is no beast worse than a player who decides to get the next level. He will frantically charge at the red dragon. Spit on a bunch of illithids. And he will not be too lazy to dig up the grave of a bored lich. Are you familiar with this? Then it's time to get acquainted with the world of Ravenloft.

The description of the world began with Count Strahd von Zarovich, the book "I, Strahd" and the first official Ravenloft module with his participation. The story is so reminiscent of Bram Stoker's novel "Count Dracula" that sometimes it seems as if the most famous vampire is now waving a pen from around the nearest corner.

Count Strahd was once a talented commander and a skilled leader. He did not particularly torment the peasants, he beat the enemies and kept order. But one day he managed to fall in love with a beautiful girl Tatyana, who loved his brother Sergei.

Wanting to achieve his beloved, Strahd began to study dark magic. One night, Death appeared to him and told him that in order to gain immortality (and he surrendered to it after some kind of demon), you need to kill a faithful person. The count won the duel, but was seriously wounded. Again, on the advice of Death, he drank the blood of a defeated opponent and turned into a vampire.

Already in a new guise, he killed his brother. Tatyana, having learned about the death of her lover, decided to commit suicide. Because of the rebellion that had risen in the castle, Strahd did not have time to stop the girl - and, finally brutalized with grief, arranged a cruel massacre on his lands. Since then, the lands of the county have been shrouded in eternal fog, which does not allow leaving the property. But fate and this was not enough. From time to time, Strahd meets a girl who looks like Tatiana, and each time she dies before his eyes. This repeats itself forever.

Strahd's story is just an example. One of many. Ravenloft is a global nightmare that awaits everyone. So how is the world? It consists of domains ruled by lords. Initially, they were not residents of Ravenloft, but fell into this strange world for their misdeeds. Ordinary villains are not suitable for such a role. It is necessary to create something so disgusting in order to seriously attract the attention of the Dark Forces.

When this happens, the ordinary person changes. He gets stronger. If you manage to stop and think, there is a chance to avoid a sad fate. And if not, over time, a person turns more and more into a monster and finally gets into Ravenloft.

If the crime is truly horrendous, then the character can become the lord of the domain. Each overlord can close the borders of his possessions without letting anyone out. In his territory, he is endowed with limitless power. Simply put, there he is equal to God. But it is also a personal hell.

The world of Ravenloft is not a planet, but pieces of the world, torn from their reality and transferred to the Horror demiplane. Domains are a kind of prisons in which the guilty are serving their sentences. And at the same time, this is a chance to atone for sins. Through torment and pain, cleanse the soul and return back as a man, not a monster. But, alas, no one has yet been able to take advantage of such an opportunity.

The domain is inhabited by ordinary peasants, who usually do not even suspect what happened. A cow died of a strange disease, the undead appeared - but it happens. The player enters the domain quite suddenly (this is the basic rule of the world: the protagonists are always not from Ravenloft). Walked along the road and got out of nowhere. Or spent the night in a hut - and woke up in another place.

In Ravenloft, there is no place to fight with dozens of zombies. The master must skillfully frighten the player. And to do this is not as difficult as it seems. In tabletop role-playing games, you cannot save, so the dangers that threaten the character are taken much more seriously anyway. That is why the aura of fear that reigns in the world is perceived as if by itself.

Fear also plays another role. The GM may require the player to roll for Fear, Horror, and Madness. They determine the character's reaction to some event. If the check fails, the character may become mentally damaged, unconscious, or even die.

Magic works in Ravenloft, but in a slightly different way. Some spells don't work at all. Others are much weaker. Part gives the result stronger than expected - but attracts the attention of dark forces. The priest's prayers may or may not work. Or even more interesting: someone will respond to the call, but not the one to whom they called.

One of the iconic characters in Ravenloft is Dr. Rudolf van Richten. Once a vampire killed his wife and turned the only offspring into the same creature. The son returned to his father and asked to take his life, not wanting to be a vampire. After that, van Richten quit his medical practice and became a monster hunter.

The Doctor often helps travelers who find themselves in the world of Ravenloft. Under his authorship, the developers of the world release manuals for fighting monsters, which tells about the fiends of darkness and how to kill them.

The main goal in Ravenloft is to get out of this world alive. This is not another trip for experience, but a journey to the other world. Don't care about treasure and glory! The main thing is to survive! You can't win here. You can only survive. How to leave the demiplane of Horror, no one can say. It all depends on the character... probably, he didn't get here by accident...

Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession

Publisher: SSI

Developer: SSI

Year: 1994

After the modest success of Dark Sun, the developers decided to try their luck again. And they succeeded. Players were encouraged to visit Count Strahd's domain and try to get out of there alive. Instead of the usual top and side view, the characters moved in three-dimensional space with a first-person view.

The fight was fairly simple. Find the enemy and click on him with the mouse. At the same time, the battles, which pleases, did not degenerate into arcade battles. The storyline and the atmosphere remained a special highlight. The demiurges from SSI managed to create an interesting, mystical story while maintaining the atmosphere of the world. It was a great game. The return of SSI took place.

Ravenloft II: Stone Prophet

Publisher: SSI

Developer: dreamforge

Year: 1995

Despite the number "two" in the title of the game, it was not a full-fledged sequel. Instead of the domain of Count Strahd, the action was transferred to the desert, from where it smelled of ancient Egyptian odor. The plot, again, performed perfectly. Mysticism and fear stood guard, not missing a chance to remind the player of themselves.

Combat has become easier, making the game easier and more fun. New classes have appeared, such as the dead paladin and the werewolf. Players and critics alike received Ravenloft II: Stone Prophet warmly. No, not a masterpiece - but very good.

D&D and console games

Slayer Publisher: SSI Developer: Leon Year: 1995 A cheap D&D imitation, released for the 3DO prefix that is leaving the market. The game is almost a complete copy of Dungeon Hack from Dreamforge. Randomly generated dungeons, monsters and treasures plus the random destruction of everything that still moves. Tower of Doom Publisher: capcom Developer: capcom Year: 1994 Tower of Doom is nothing more than just a fun arcade game. You chose one of four characters - a fighter, a dwarf, a priest or an elf - and started running around the level (which is typical - the view was from the side, a classic side-scrolling arcade game), destroying the monsters familiar from the pages of the Monster Manual. The battles themselves, despite their primitiveness, were quite exciting. Having overcome 7 levels and beating the main monster, you learned that there is an even more terrible villain. Wow! So, it was necessary to wait for the continuation. And it appeared... Shadows Over Mystara Publisher: capcom Developer: capcom Year: 1996 In 1996. Instead of four characters, six became available. Combinations of strikes appeared, the graphics underwent innovations. The game has become much longer, added more secret places and treasures. But Shadows Over Mystara remained the same side-scrolling arcade game. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Publisher: Interplay Developer: Snowblind/Black Isle Studios Year: 2001 The noble company Interplay decided to squeeze the last juices out of the big name Baldur's Gate by releasing a good action movie based on it. The action took place in the same city as in the computer role-playing game, but the similarities ended there. You could not create your own character, the story was boring, and the gameplay is monotonous and linear. Nevertheless, the owners of the consoles were pleased. The game never appeared on the PC. However, this did not become a reason for national mourning. After some time, a sequel came out, but in fact, it either did not introduce anything new into the game, or did not convey it. Unless there was a joint game for four players at the same time. Eye of the Beholder Publisher: Atari Developer: Pronto Year: 2002 An interesting project. Atari decided to shake the old days and released the once popular Eye of the Beholder on the GBA. When transferring the game to the console, the gameplay suffered somewhat. However, not enough to put an end to it - so, the third group of disability, no more. The rules used were the third edition of D&D. The game attracted the attention of players who saw the original, but the rest indifferently passed by. DragonLance The history of the origin of the DragonLance world is very unusual in itself. In 1981, Tracey Hickman sent two test scripts to TSR and, along with his royalties, immediately received new job. A little later, he meets Margaret Weiss - and now they are already writing the first trilogy (the legendary Spear Saga) in two hands according to a tabletop script, which comes out in 1984. It is interesting: there is a legend that the Dragons of Autumn Twilight / Winter Night / Spring Dawn trilogy was made directly on the basis of the real passage of these scenarios. Moreover, the players who played the roles of Tanis and Kitiara quarreled before the game, and Kitiara did not come to the module. Those who remember how Dragons of Autumn Twilight begins will appreciate this story! The novels are wildly popular, and soon many new scripts begin to be written based on the adventures of book characters. Further, the description of the world is taken seriously, and soon a new universe appears under the brand name D&D. How many scripts were released, now, only maniacs will probably be able to calculate. Everything was wonderful. But after writing the book "Twin Trilogy" the world of Krynn comes to a standstill. What else to compose? Scenarios based on novels are described inside and out. Start wandering in the dark. Some authors have turned their eyes to the past. Others described the fate of the descendants of the heroes. Neighboring continents, parallel dimensions, and even the famous three moons - wherever heroes were thrown. All this was wonderful, the game mechanics and the history of the world were significantly supplemented ... but already somehow stretched. Krynn slowly outlived himself. The whole world revolved around the adventures of the main characters: any book or script continues or develops the Saga, and at some point there was simply nothing to write about... The crisis came in the mid-90s, when TSR decided that it was enough to mess around with DragonLance. Interest in the world gradually disappeared. But this was not the end. It was much worse. Books on the Fifth Age saw the light... Fans still fueled the dead universe for some time, but this only delayed oblivion. In 2003, Wizard of the Coast released the d20-compatible DragonLance Campaign Setting, a pitiful mockery of former greatness... However, enough of the sad stuff. Let's remember how the world of DragonLance differed from other D&D worlds. Let's start with history. More than 350 years have passed since the moment described in the book. There was a great catastrophe on Krynn. The gods, angry with the people, staged a cataclysm (then the Ishtar empire was destroyed and part of the continent went under water), and then disappeared from prying eyes. Many begin to think that they have left this world altogether. For three hundred and fifty years people live without much incident. But then the creators return to earth, and the world begins to change.... And what about the races that inhabit the planet? In addition to the classic ones - people, dwarfs and elves (but there are no halflings and orcs, by the way) - there are many original ones. Take at least a local landmark - kender. Outwardly, they look like halflings, only, unlike distant relatives, they do not like to sit in holes, but like to travel and "borrow" everything that is badly lying. They have no concept of "private property", and the instinct of self-preservation is completely replaced by curiosity. In fact, these are such “immature children”; and in all of D&D, this is probably the best race for child players. And there are minotaurs - excellent sailors and magicians. And, of course, Irda is a wise and beautiful variety of ogres (!), heirs of the gods and former rulers of the world. Of the other creatures, it is worth noting the local dragons. There are many of them on Krynn - white, black, red, gold, silver ... Colored ones serve the evil goddess Takhisis, metal ones serve the good god Paladine. It is they who help the celestials in battles on earth. Distant descendants of dragons - draconians - appeared thanks to magic. A priest who worships the goddess of evil and a red dragon stole the eggs of metal dragons in order to create a new race with the help of magic. Draconids come in many varieties, being united only in the service of the dark goddess. Special mention deserves dwarfs - a walking comedy. They speak so fast that it is often unclear what they wanted to tell. Greetings-travellers-be-guests-in-my-house is something like the speech of a dwarf. They are restless, annoying and very funny. And yet - they like to weave with three boxes. Dwarfs have a passion for inventing. They believe that mechanisms need the fervent faith of an artisan. Every invention can be improved indefinitely. Even if some part of the device works perfectly, it still needs to be improved. Will it suddenly break? Therefore, they constantly unnecessarily complicate the mechanisms: “And this button must be pressed, if the third warning whistle does not work that the lever on the second floor is jammed, then the spare hinge will work ...” Terrible disasters often happen because of this ... but simplicity is, after all, for simpletons. For a long time they created incredible lighting devices ... because they did not know the invention called "window". There are three magical schools on Krynn. White robes are light magicians, red ones are balance magicians, black ones are evil. They draw their power from three moons, ruled by two gods and one goddess. Solinari is a white moon, Lunitari is red, Nuitari is black. The power of magic depends not only on the magician, but also on the position of the moon in the sky. Mages don't initially choose the color of their robes. First, they undergo general training, and they become servants of one of the forces after the Trial. Of Krynn's memorable villains, the dead knight, Lord Soth, deserves to be commemorated. Once he was an example of an ideal paladin - his heart and soul were pure. But after the marriage, it turned out that his wife was barren. This meant the end of the family, and gradually Sot lost interest in his wife. In order not to see her, he rarely visited the castle, preferring to travel around the country. During one of his trips, he saved the beautiful girl Isolde and took her to his castle, where they became lovers. Soon the lord's wife died of an illness, and Soth made young Iseult his wife. After some time, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The Solamnic knights, having learned about the violation of the marriage vows, in anger laid siege to Lord Soth's castle, demanding the extradition of the criminal. The siege was unsuccessful... Repentant for his sin, Lord Soth appealed to the gods for forgiveness. The gods had mercy, and the knight had a vision that Krynn was in for a catastrophe and only he could stop the cataclysm by sacrificing his life. Inspired by the idea, he set off on the road. On the way, he met elves, Isolde's friends, who never forgave themselves that they could not save the girl from the temptations of Soth. In order to destroy their marriage, they denigrated the wife by convincing the knight of her betrayal with another man. Enraged, Soth returned to the castle to punish his wife. But just at that moment, the cataclysm began. A fire broke out in the castle, and Isolde, dying in the fire, begged her husband to save the child. But Soth turned away in anger. Then Isolde cursed him, dooming him to eternal life in the guise of death. The fire gnawed at the armor of the knight and his castle, painting them black. Lord Soth is doomed to forever torment his soul, not knowing peace and forgiveness... He is surrounded by thirteen skeleton warriors - knights who remained faithful to their master until the very end. Around the throne, elfs are circling, who have become ghosts for their sin. Now it's a walking horror. Meeting him almost always means death. As a result, Soth got into the world of Ravenloft and became the owner of the domain. Heroes of the Lance Publisher: SSI Developer: U.S. Gold Year: 1988 In addition to the goldbox-series, SSI launched the so-called silverbox-series (of course, these are all unofficial names). The game "Heroes of the Spear" was the first sign. It's a stretch to call it a role-playing game. In fact, it was an ordinary scroller-arcade game. The player controlled eight heroes from the novel "The Saga of the Spear", who together exterminated the monsters. And, as in any arcade of those times, it was impossible to save. Now they chuckle at this in surprise, but then this was considered the norm of life ... The revolution didn't happen; but sales were decent enough, and a sequel came out a year later. Dragons of Flame Publisher: SSI Developer: U.S. Gold Year: 1989 The game is not far from its ancestor "Heroes of the Lance" and was also a typical scroller arcade game. Only this time, in the form of nameless heroes, they had to scour the Pax Tharkas dungeon in search of the dark priest Verminaard, and red dragons were allowed to go to waste. It's as simple as a couple of mouse clicks. The number of heroes has grown to ten pieces, but this did not change the essence - a primitive hack-`n-slash. Another ephemeral 1989 release. War of the Lance Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1989 Your task was to conquer the whole world, playing as both "good" and "bad". Nothing less. The game was divided into two modes: strategic and adventure. The first one looked like a classic “wargame” with all the attributes: there is a large map, you can move troops around it, start battles, capture enemy territories and fight for key points. However, the matter was not limited to one war - diplomacy was also at its best. It was possible to make alliances, threaten neighbors, bribe former enemies... The second mode allowed the heroes to travel the lands of Krynn alone. Sometimes it was required to find various artifacts. For example, without the famous spear, it is almost impossible to defeat dragons. DragonStrike Publisher: SSI Developer: Westwood Year: 1990 The game turned out to be so original and exciting that it has fully earned its place in the pantheon of fame, despite the complete absence of role-playing elements. You, in the role of a Solamnic knight, flew on a big good dragon and killed evil dragons. In fact, SSI released the first dragon flight simulator (the domestic “Dragon's Eye” has now appeared, and somewhere else, say, in Lineage 2, you can ride this charming creature). Air battles, despite the seeming simplicity of control, were quite complex and required not only a good reaction, but also competent planning. This was especially felt at the last levels. The very freshness of the idea of ​​a dragon simulator, as well as modern graphics for those times, made the game very bright and memorable. DragonLance Vol. 1: Champions of Krynn Publisher: SSI Developer: U.S. Gold Year: 1990 Champions of Krynn is a classic RPG from the goldbox series. A group of characters, turn-based battles, familiar places and events, albeit faintly, were recognizable. These are dragons, Raistlin is nearby, and Tanis must be somewhere else. The game is quite long. It was necessary to save one of the heroes of "DragonLance" and return the stolen dragon eggs, which the minions of Takhisis wanted to use to create draconians. Battles have become faster, there are individual battles for characters of a certain class. There were also differences in the choice of race and in the features of magic. But, in fairness, this was explained more by the specifics of the world of Krynn, and not by the special talents of the developers. Shadow Sorcerer Publisher: SSI Developer: U.S. Gold Year: 1991 Despite the fact that the plot was a direct continuation of Dragons of Flame, it was difficult to understand what genre the game belonged to. Having freed the slaves (this ended the game), you were asked to lead them to the city of the dwarves. First, it was necessary to lay a route to the city on the global map. Then discuss it with the leaders of the released captives. They often offered their way, which involved many ambushes and battles. When a collision occurred, the game switched to combat mode - and you had to manage the entire party at once in real time. The characters got confused in the three pines, refused to follow orders and made life difficult in every possible way. Hand on heart - complete rubbish. DragonLance Vol. 2: Death Knights of Krynn Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1991 Sequel to Champions of Krynn. Unlike the first part, "Death Knights of Krynn" is more connected to the novels of Tracey Hickman and Margaret Weiss. The maximum level of characters was limited to 14, which allowed for the addition of battles with more powerful creatures. The plot revolved around Lord Soth and the fight against his army of the dead. The duty of the player was to exterminate the hordes of the undead. In addition to the ghouls, humans and dragons met as opponents. In general, apart from the plot and the setting, nothing has changed. DragonLance Vol. 3: The Dark Queen of Krynn Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1992 The latest game in the DragonLance guide series. The player was offered to measure his strength with Takhisis herself and take part in saving the world. The heroes of the novel constantly ran here and there. You had to visit almost all the famous places of Krynn and kill most of the famous monsters. The players were delighted. Constantly flickering sights led to the fact that the player was not allowed to explore the world normally. Have you visited the city of elves? We immediately go to the release of Raistlin. However, there were no major complaints. And there were complaints, ironically, about a large number of bugs. To progress further, often had to restart the game. Characters sometimes froze, becoming like pillars. And so on. This spoiled the overall impression, but on the whole the project can be considered successful. Illegitimate children Warriors of the Eternal Sun Publisher: SSI Developer: Westwood Studios Year: 1992 The game takes place in an unnamed world, superficially very reminiscent of Dark Sun. Although the influence of jRPG was felt, and echoes of DragonLance. In general, where we had to wander is a mystery shrouded in darkness. The player controlled four characters and most of the time was engaged in the extermination of enemies. At the same time, the game was simply ill-conceived. Wherever you look, you come across a lot of bad decisions. For example, how do you like it - you can not save during the clearing of dungeons. Fabulous. I had to run for hours through empty corridors to get outside and finally record the game. A fairly good project, but there was nothing unusual and memorable in it. strong hold Publisher: SSI Developer: Stormfront Studios Year: 1993 Amazing game. Even though she needed a D&D license like a seagull needs a parachute, there was nothing wrong with that. The gameplay was reminiscent of - you will laugh - SimCity. You need to build different buildings that bring resources, hire heroes and send them to other cities or monsters (and they also say that indirect control first appeared in Majesty ...). Very good, really. Fantasy Empires Publisher: SSI Developer: Silicon Knights Year: 1993 Another strategy tied to the D&D license mostly to get attention. The game was very reminiscent of the famous Cyber ​​Empires. The player received at the disposal of a small army and one province. The one who conquered the whole world won. It was possible to send heroes to complete tasks and search for treasures that could affect the course of the war. In general, a wonderful game, subsequently unfairly forgotten. Dungeon Hack Publisher: SSI Developer: dreamforge Year: 1993 Plain slashing of monsters with hot D&D sauce. Created a character - go to the dungeon, and then I suppose the sword is already dull ... Hack-n-Slash without any third-party impurities. Dungeons were created by a generator, which added a prize portion of nonsense to the process. The graphics engine used is the same one used by Eye of the Beholder. First-person view, only without a team. Deathkeep Publisher: SSI Developer: Leon Year: 1995 SSI gave the go-ahead for the production of a D&D Doom clone, apparently at a time of mass insanity of the bosses and the workforce. I warn you right away - there will be a lot of words "terrible". So... Terrible graphics, terrible story, terrible dungeons, terrible controls. You couldn't even create your terrible character - the choice was limited to warrior, mage, or their hybrid. By the way, this last game from SSI. Great start and... terribly shameful finish. Blood & Magic Publisher: Interplay Developer: Tachyon Studios Year: 1996 In 1996, TSR experienced Hard times. Money, apparently, was needed urgently and in considerable volumes, so the license to create D&D games was issued right and left. And it doesn't matter what they do next, even Tetris. And now Interplay has seized on the coveted license. The company, after some thought, issued a D&D-clone of the popular Warcraft 2. Nothing good, as expected, did not happen. The game was boring and brutally boring, so even a license did not save it from failure. But this failure did not happen with a crash and a roar, but rather with such a wet, quiet squelch. Iron & Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft Publisher: Acclaim Developer: Take 2 Year: 1996 Everyone has hard times. But not to such an extent that they distribute licenses for the D&D worlds to just anyone. A gothic horror world turned into a fighting game is worse than a porn movie based on the show " Goodnight, kids. However, in 1996, Take 2 was honored to do such a "feat". Clumsy graphics, terrible controls, terrible animation... you can go on and on. There were no positives in the game. The game ended with a fight with Count Strahd. Do you appreciate the scale? In the trash can - and out of memory forever. Dragon Dice Publisher: Interplay Developer: Take 2 Year: 1997 But we also want money - thought in TSR, looking at the success of Magic: The Gathering from Wizards of the Coast. Their Dragon Dice won Game of the Year in 1995. Moreover, it is still alive to this day... And in order to consolidate its success, a computer version of the board game was also added to the assortment. The computer game, unlike the board game, did not have much success. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone Publisher: Atari Developer: Stormfront Studios Year: 2005 It will probably always be like this. Arcades with the abbreviation D&D will enter the market, critics will scold them, fans of role-playing games will spit on them, some ephemeral “casual players” will constantly buy, thereby paying off production and ensuring profit. So there are three heroes. Mage, thief and fighter. There is a bad monster. D&D licensed with a nice logo and spell names. All. Don't get me wrong, the game was good. Nice arcade game, albeit without much frills. But using one of the most elaborate and popular D&D worlds just to lure in buyers... is kind of petty. But the trick worked. The game sold well, recouped production costs and even brought some profit. Forgotten Realms The most popular among the worlds created under the D&D brand was and remains Forgotten Realms. So many people worked on its creation that the detail game world practically has no analogues. And what is his popularity? Now let's find out. The FORGOTTEN REALMS life began with amateur scripts by Ed Greenwood, who already lacked existing worlds. Therefore, his heroes regularly embarked on wanderings through the forgotten lands in search of adventure. The author approached this matter with all seriousness, and the places that were to be visited were supplied with maps, and the world itself with history and heroes. Therefore, it is not surprising that at one gathering of fans of role-modeling, representatives of TSR tore off the Forgotten Realms with their hands. What attracted them to this world? There are several reasons for this. There are no big empires, and there is simply nothing to kindle a war that can cover the continent. City-states, even city-villages, plus small kingdoms and republics. Conflicts? Yes there is. Battles between kingdoms vying for a single village that changes hands dozens of times are commonplace. There is no place for hundreds of thousands of fighters. And where do you get so many of them? Sometimes one dragon can end an entire kingdom. This world is perfect for small party travelers. Small countries solve problems with small forces. For example, a detachment of wandering travelers. Larger countries ... also a detachment of travelers, but at a higher level. There is a case for everyone. Secondly, there is a place for everything. Any state easily fit into the world of Forgotten Realms. Side by side, analogues of Ancient Russia, Egypt, Scandinavia easily coexist. With each new edition, The Forgotten Realms has become more and more diverse. For the masters, they even specially left white spots on the map so that they could add their state and city. In other words, Forgotten Realms is a universal world that mixes many cultures and eras. The only drawback is a decent amount of typical fantasy templates. But the level of detail is amazing. In some cities, every house and most of its inhabitants are painted, although, of course, this does not apply to cities with a hundred thousand inhabitants. As for religion, the inhabitants of Forgotten Realms are as lucky as anyone else (or unlucky, yet to be seen). Not only are there many gods, they are very a lot of. There is a common pantheon of gods, but there are also racial gods: for elves, people (different for different nationalities), drow, orcs... Sometimes the gods come down to earth and interfere in the affairs of people. During one such showdown (which was called the Time of Troubles), when the gods staged a grandiose battle, the number of celestials decreased sharply. It was then that Baal died, because of whose legacy all the fuss happens in both parts of Baldur's Gate. However, local apocalypses happen here regularly, and they have already gotten used to them. Well, if someone bangs someone, it will disappear there are a couple of cities on the map, but life goes on! A special place in the Forgotten Realms is occupied by the abode of the drow and other underground creatures - the vast Underdark dungeons. They spread under the entire continent and fell in love with travelers seeking a glorious death... The world of Forgotten Realms is also very rich in organizations and famous heroes. You may have heard of them. For example, red wizards. They methodically prepare themselves for world domination by sending agents wherever possible. Or, for example, harpists are kind, but not fair enough. A semi-secret organization, needed to occasionally knock down a high-level hero who is presumptuous. It was with them that they had to clash in Baldur's Gate 2. Followers of the Zhentarim resemble harpers, only with radically different views. They recruit goblins, capture cities and introduce direct rule into them, engage in the slave trade, and at the same time destroy cult fanatics. The leader of this organization is interesting: Lord Manush constantly dies from another conspiracy, but soon his clone again takes the chairman's chair. Seven Sisters - women's "circle of interest." Each of the girls carries a particle of Mystra, the goddess of magic. She makes sure that magic works normally in the world, and the Seven Sisters help her with this. Chosen Mystras (there are enough of them, take at least Elminster or Khelben Arunsun) can use pure magic and absorb other people's spells. There is no lack of heroes either. Good old Elminster - Gandalf of the local spill. In difficult times, he will always come to the aid of travelers - if not by deed, then by advice. A highly respected person of level 29. Mage Khelben Arunsun. The unofficial lord of Waterdeep and the husband of one of the Sisters. And, of course, beloved / hated by everyone (underline as appropriate) Drizzt Do "Urden. A dark elf drow who renounced the heritage of his people and went upstairs to live in peace and help people. Paired sabers and a black panther are his "calling card" in games. Hillsfar Publisher: SSI Developer: Westwood Studios Year: 1989 The game is significant in that it was the first project of the then unknown Westwood Studios. You, in the role of an adventurer, have arrived in the city of Hillsfar in search of fame and fortune. In terms of gameplay, the game was a collection of mini-games. Shoot from a bow, fight in the arena, ride horses. At first it was funny enough, but interest disappeared very quickly. Pool of Radiance Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1988 Pool of Radiance marked the beginning of the famous goldbox series. For its time, it was a breakthrough. There were many benefits. A beautiful graphics engine, the rules competently transferred from desktop version into a computer game... And, of course, the world of the Forgotten Realms. Many of the monster images were one-to-one copied from the "Monster Manual". Four basic classes were available to the player: warrior, priest, thief and mage. Instead of one person, as was the case before, you managed a whole batch of characters. The battles took place in turn-based mode, top view, which gave room for tactical decisions. And travel took place in an almost revolutionary pseudo-three-dimensional mode. The game became an absolute hit. The plot played a secondary role: the new city stands on the ruins of the old one, monsters live in it, you need to kill them all to make life easier. The game was originally released on the Commodore 64, but was then ported to a personal computer and required at least 384 kilobytes of memory to run. Back then, those system requirements seemed absurdly high. Curse of the Azure Bonds Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1989 After the resounding success of Pool of Radiance, SSI set about making a sequel. The well-known desktop scenario Curse of the Azure Bonds was chosen as the plot basis. You could transfer a party from Pool of Radiance to a new game to continue playing your favorite heroes. The maximum level has been increased, the interface has been improved and additional tasks have been added. All in all, it was a worthy follow-up. You can learn the plot of this game from the Azure Chains trilogy published by us. Secret of the Silver Blades Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1990 Second sequel to Pool of Radiance. By tradition, you could import the party again - but... only heroes from Curse of the Azure Bonds. This was the main shortcoming of the game. The characters started the game with too high levels, and in order to maintain a balance, at the very beginning they took all their things and locked them in a village near which there were many powerful monsters. But despite this, Secret of the Silver Blades cannot be considered an unsuccessful project - maybe not as loud as expected, but it certainly worked out well. Pools of Darkness Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1991 The last episode of the adventure started in Pool of Radiance. This time the story began in Moonsea City, a piece of which the evil deity Bane sent along with all the inhabitants to the drow dungeon. The player first had to beat the henchman, and then the most evil god. The maximum level of heroes was limited to the fortieth - by the standards of D&D, only gods could be higher. Liches and dragons served as small bargaining chips in battles. Besides them, there were monsters much scarier. Non-linearity was added to the game - the player could explore the world with almost impunity in search of new areas. True, this was done for the sole purpose of obtaining additional levels necessary for further passage. A worthy project, innovative in many ways, although not a legend. Treasures of the Savage Frontier Publisher: SSI Developer: SSI Year: 1992 Everything that has a beginning has an end. This game was the last in the famous goldbox series. The plot kind of continued the story of Gateway to the Savage Frontier. Even the region where the game took place has not changed. The gameplay as a whole remained the same, but there was a serious innovation. It was possible during the battle to call on the help of allies. The arrived reinforcements passed under the control of the player right during the battle. The terrain also played a role, in a narrow place it was possible to fight off superior enemy forces. But in general, the game has become a swan song. Player interest in the goldbox series was declining, and role-playing games required a serious shake-up and a new approach. Eye of the Beholder (Eye of the Beholder, Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon, Eye of the Beholder 3: Assault on Myth Drannor) Publisher: SSI Developer: Westwood Studios/SSI Year: 1991-1993 The famous game trilogy that turned role-playing games upside down. Firstly, this is the first role-playing game where the first-person view was implemented. Secondly, the action took place in real time, which added dynamics to the game. The party of heroes remained, but everyone saw the world with the same eyes. Placement in battle took place according to the principle - "someone is in front, someone is on the side, and someone is behind." Things were happening in the dungeons under the city of Waterdeep. Of course, there were drawbacks - for example, not everyone liked just one place to record. But in general, the project can be called brilliant without exaggeration. The third part was done at the Stakhanov pace, so practically nothing has changed there at all. Unless they added the ability to import a game from the second part. Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures Publisher: SSI Developer: micromagic Year: 1993 Unique project. In fact, it was not even a game in its usual sense, but rather a scenario designer. The success of the program has been phenomenal. D&D fans began riveting their own adventures by the hundreds - and some became so engrossed that they continue to do so to this day. Which, however, is not at all shameful. From a commercial point of view, it was an impeccable solution. It was home-made D&D scripts that provided those same hundreds of millions of fans. The novice developer had access to 127 types of monsters, 100 different triggers, various sets of terrain and the ability to make dungeons 36 levels deep. It obviously doesn't compare to the power of Neverwinter Nights, but imagine for a second what that meant back then... Menzoberranzan Publisher: SSI Developer: dreamforge Year: 1994 The game takes place in the dungeons of Underdark, in the famous drow city of Menzoberranzan. The gameplay was reminiscent of what was seen in Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession and Ravenloft II: Stone Prophet. Fascinating and tasteful. Seriously summed up the plot. Drau, known lovers of intrigue and political conspiracies, looked like simpletons. a seedy tribe of goblins - not masters of deceit. The game also had other flaws. The fights quickly became too easy, often having to wander through empty tunnels looking for who knows what. A solid middling, but there was nothing unusual in the project. Descent to Undermountain Publisher: Interplay Developer: Interplay Year: 1998 Horror. This is the word that comes to mind when you remember this game. SSI, even in its worst years, would never have thought of doing something like this. But Interplay not only thought of this before, but also released it with a happy smile on their face. The game was poor in every way. Graphics from the time of Tsar Pea caused hiccups, crooked controls made you bang your head against the keyboard many times ... the list goes on. The project, as expected, failed miserably, which made Interplay seriously think ... and these thoughts were probably correct. Meanwhile, in the bowels of BioWare, the Iron Throne was being forged, which was soon to acquire a new name (read about this below) and thunder all over the world ... Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Stormfront Year: 2001 13 years after its namesake, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor hit the shelves. Someone at Ubisoft, as often happens, decided to capitalize on the once big name. That alone was clearly not enough. And how many players remember the original Pool of Radiance and the goldbox series? The game turned out to be delightfully nightmarish. Clumsy combat system, lousy animation, slurred plot. Only stubborn fans were able to play it, who did not want to admit that they were simply “bought” on famous name. For most, a couple of hours was enough, and then - with relief - Uninstall. Baldur's Gate (Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal) Publisher: Interplay Developer: bioware Year: 1998-2001 Baldur's Gate has changed everything that comes to mind, completely turning the RPG genre. For a long time, there was an opinion that D&D role-playing games could not be adapted to real time in principle. And, although Eye of the Beholder was the opposite example, BioWare for a long time there were accusations that they would make a pseudo-RPG. When Baldur's Gate (nee the Iron Throne) appeared in stores, and the players tasted it, the effect was hard to overestimate. Real-time mode with a pause turned out to be very convenient. It made the game more dynamic, but did not require fussy haste. The modern Infinity engine consistently drew a beautiful picture. A gigantic game world, lots of locations to visit, huge cities full of inhabitants, dozens of quests - and an interesting storyline. A year later, an addition appeared - Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, which only consolidated the success. A couple of new locations and an additional storyline were added to the huge game world. Then two years of silence followed ... After which a sequel appeared - Baldur's Gate 2. And again - a wild success and a big step forward. Compared to the first part, the game world has become larger. About ten times. The estimated duration exceeded 100 hours, and without a single "dishonest" delay games. New classes have been added, including unique ones, based on the third edition of D&D (it has already been released, but they didn’t remake the game for the new system, they just introduced “new items” - a barbarian, a monk, a sorcerer). Satellites became more talkative, acquired their own problems that had to be solved. And with some it was even possible to have an affair. There was an opportunity to acquire property: a castle for a warrior, a thieves' guild for a thief... A blacksmith could create unique artifacts from the fragments of legendary weapons. Baldur's Gate 2 surpassed its predecessor in everything. The perfect game. But the adventures did not end, an addition awaited ahead - Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal ... Released in 2001. BioWare has dealt another - stunning - blow. You started the game immediately after defeating Irenicus. As a gift, the player received his own pocket world and an imp that creates unique items. You could completely form a team from the characters you liked, met in Baldur's Gate 2. A new class has been added - a wild wizard. Another unique hero appeared there - Sarevok. The mad brother, who was killed in the first part, was resurrected and now he was persistently offered as a companion (although he is evil and does not get along well with the “good” party). The number of unique items reached 37. Although there were fewer tasks, the battles with high-level monsters were breathtaking, and beautiful landscapes did not let you get bored. The player started with the level with which he finished the last game. The number 21 is not humorous when it comes to the level (this was exactly the “ceiling” in Baldur's Gate 2). Now it could be raised to 39, which, by D&D standards, was equated to demigods. At the very end, it was even suggested to take the throne the god of death - that's where you can say with confidence that the career, however, was a success. The third part has recently been announced. True, no details yet... Icewind Dale (Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter - Trials of the Luremaster, Icewind Dale 2) Publisher: Interplay Developer: Black Isle Studios Year: 2000-2002 Here there was a misfire. Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter was great (you wouldn't expect anything else from Black Isle Studios), but the game itself took place in a couple of days. Of course, no one imagined that the addition would beat the original, but even more so, it never occurred to anyone that it would turn out to be so short. To somehow make amends, the developers have released a second free "add-on add-on" - Trials of the Luremaster. A couple of new locations to spend another evening, but still nothing serious. "Strike while the iron is hot". After the success of Baldur's Gate Interplay, without thinking twice, launched a series of D&D games. Icewind Dale bore little resemblance to his older brother. Instead of a breathtaking world, it was proposed to descend from heaven to earth (or rather, underground) and chop the monsters until they fled. They came to the village, completed a couple of tasks, and that's enough - now it's definitely time to look for the villains with a saber unsheathed. The gameplay was focused on combat and nothing else. In fact, Icewind Dale turned out to be not a role-playing game, but pure tactics in the world of D&D. An addition soon followed. The second part hung in doubt for a long time. Finally an official statement: Icewind Dale 2 is coming. The gameplay in it remained without significant changes - run and cut with a shoulder. But this time, the rules of the third edition of D&D have already been used - more tactically thought out. Why not a step forward, albeit not as noticeable as the previous ones? Neverwinter Nights (Neverwinter Nights (1991), Neverwinter Nights (2002), Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark, Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide) Publisher: America Online/Interplay Developer: SSI/BioWare Year: 1991/2002-2003 In 1991, when there was not even the abbreviation MMOG itself, the players, united in teams, were already chasing monsters across the expanses of the Forgotten Realms. The game used the same universal engine from SSI, which made the gameplay somewhat similar to the goldbox series. Neverwinter Nights was available only on America On-Line, which did not contribute to the success and popularity. The game lived until about 1997. However, the attempt was by no means a failure. The continuation, or rather, the game of the same name (they were united with each other only by the place of action) was released in 2002. The single-player scenario turned out to be rather unimportant, but no one made a special bet on it. But what was the highlight of the season was BioWare's scripting toolkit released with the game. Even though he was not easy to handle, this did not stop the fans. Self-written adventures rained down in a hail - folk art was in full swing: when it was hot, and when it was with a wrench. Some scenarios easily outdo the original campaign. Add to this the ability to create your own monsters. Also, Neverwinter Nights added online play with a live host. It would seem that one line in the list of features, but appreciate what it has become for connoisseurs and connoisseurs! The subsequent additions, as expected, seriously improved the game in many ways. In particular, they finally patched up the single player campaign. Of course, it did not reach the level of Baldur's Gate 2, but it has already become a completely full-fledged, high-quality product. It remains to wait for Neverwinter Nights 2. Personally, I hope at least for a revolution in the genre, but as a maximum ... I'm afraid to guess. Wait and see 17 years of history and 58 games. But the story doesn't end yet. D&D projects appear every year. This year, for example, two promising games are expected: Dungeon & Dragons Online (MMOG) and Dragonshard (RTS). Both are created in the new world of Eberron, where ... However, we will talk about this, as well as about many other things, in the next issues.

You will need the books of the Basic Guide. Especially for the players, books were created to help understand the rules and meaning of the game (master's book, player's book, monsters guide). Read these books to make it easier and more interesting for you to play. Some players get by with the basic guide, others prefer to just read brief instructions and description of the game. We recommend books.

Read the master's book. Chapter 5 "Campaigns" describes how to create campaigns for your fantasy world. It also describes the technical details and features of creating a game reality. Read this chapter before you start creating the world.

Think about who you will be playing this game with. The task of the master-leader is to make it interesting for everyone to play, for this you need to know the taste preferences of the people with whom you will play. The world you create should be interesting. If one of the players is an athlete, create a country that will hold a championship in some fantastic and unusual sport. If one of the players is fond of archeology, settle him in the ancient ruins ancient city. You have to come up with positive characters, negative and just funny and strange neutral creatures.

Decide on the type of campaign. You can start with one character, abandoned somewhere on the edge of the earth, and then slowly create the roads that he goes, the cities that he goes to, the characters that he meets. Another way is to create several countries, and then the subsequent filling of the internal space with the necessary details and details. Each method has its own advantages. It all depends on the plot you want and the amount of time you have.

• If you're playing at a low level, it's best to start with a specific character or location and then gradually expand the game's universe. Thus, you will be able to correct errors and inaccuracies as they occur.
• If you start the game at a high level, especially if your characters can teleport, you need to be ready for anything. Such a campaign requires a long preparation. You need to create a complete world.

Add the necessary details to your world. The more detailed your world is, the more interesting it is, the more players believe in its reality. When creating a complex world, you need to be sure to keep a record. You will have to draw maps, make sketches. You need to come up with a description for all cities, locations, playable and non-playable characters.

• You don't have to get too carried away. If you come up with too many descriptions and details, players will soon get bored. Reading the description of new characters and locations should take no more than a few minutes. The more important the character is in the game, the more detailed the description should be.

Start developing your campaign. After creating the game world, start developing the story for your campaign. This means that you need to create events, quests and adventures for the characters in the game.

First, come up with a reason why all the playable characters are together. For example, they are friends or just mercenaries hired by one person to complete a certain quest in the game. The quest should be quite difficult and original, especially if you are not playing for the first time. For example, a mysterious old man who meets you on the way to the city and talks about a treasure buried near a cave in which a terrible monster lives - this is a cliché, that is, a fairly well-worn topic. The plot of the game should be much more complex.

You will have to use a lot of first level monsters, try to present them as interesting as possible. Don't just put a bunch of goblins with swords on the road, led by a big goblin with a big sword. It's quite banal. Monsters should have a variety of weapons and combat tactics. Nets, pots of boiling resin, and other unexpected items.

The plot of the game should have an unexpected twist, several traps and dead ends. Players should always find something useful to do. If you send a team into the mine, they should encounter an unexpected enemy or an unexpectedly hidden powerful artifact. Never reveal all your plans at the beginning of the game, the plot should be unexpected and exciting. Use your imagination, there should be several separate quests in the campaign that will eventually lead you to the final goal. Over time, monsters and enemies should become stronger and smarter. Make the players chase the main enemy, but don't give them a chance to fight him for the rest of the game.

Ashardalon is a monstrous red dragon that nests in the heart of Firestorm Peak. He oppresses the locals and is ruthless to those who try to oppose him. But despite this, a team of heroes in a new game set in the classic world of Dungeons and Dragons boldly sets out to defeat evil. Choose a character and join!

If with a friend went on the road

Even with the most dangerous enemy it is possible to cope if there are true friends nearby. Fighter, cleric, mage, rogue and ranger fearlessly go through the dungeons, finding ingenious traps, frightening monsters, sudden plot twists and, of course, treasures on their heads. Despite the team nature of the game, do not forget about self-development: all characters can be upgraded, improving their skills.

Unique plot and many details

Each adventure in this game is unique due to the huge number of combinations of artificial intelligence cards and the Book of Scenarios, which means that our heroes will definitely not be bored. In addition to the exciting gameplay experiences, the set also boasts well-executed components.

All tiles and tokens are printed on thick, smooth cardboard, so it’s nice to take them in your hands, the illustrations immerse you in the atmosphere, and the figures of heroes, from the kobold to the dragon itself, are so detailed that you want to consider them separately, but it’s better to paint them right away. As always, all this wealth can be used in other games in the Dungeons and Dragons series.

The dungeon contains:

• 42 figures of heroes and monsters,
• 40 dungeon tiles,
• 200 event and treasure cards,
• 10 status tokens,
• 33 treasure tokens,
• 7 monster tokens,
• 5 healing tokens,
• wound tokens,
• 9 combat markers,
• 10 defense markers,
• things marker,
• Barrage markers, sword barrier, mirages and fireballs,
• twenty-sided cube
• script book,
• Rules of the game.

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