Friday 25 November 2011

Top N Computer Pen & Paper RPG Games

Not including the Dungeon and Dragons games. Apart from maybe one or two.

Dungeon Hack


http://www.mobygames.com/game/dungeon-hack

[caption id="attachment_845" align="aligncenter" width="232" caption="Dungeon Hack Cover"]Dungeon Hack Cover[/caption]

For my first game I am going to break the no D&D rule.

This is a graphical cross between nethack type games and second edition AD&D. The best version of AD&D for my money, but I did miss ount everything between 2nd and 4th edition.


Space 1889


http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/space-1889
1990 saw the release of Space 1889 on the DOS system. A adventure, role-playing (rpg) game, created by Paragon Software Corporation and distributed by MicroProse Software, Inc.. If you like sci-fi / futuristic, download, install and enjoy Space 1889!

Space 1889 is the second game based on Game Workshop's p&p RPG. In an alternate history (similar to Origin's Martian Dreams) where Thomas Edison invented time travel, you set out in an alternate 19-century world to find King Tut's treasures, but are soon caught up in a grand quest that leads you to Atlantis, Mars and beyond. Numerous optional mini-quests and emphasis on exploration and puzzles over combat make this a great game for both RPG and adventure gamers. The well-written dialogues (especially with Rasputin and Jules Verne) are a plus. Two thumbs up, way up! (from HOTU)

 

[caption id="attachment_851" align="aligncenter" width="259" caption="Space 1889 (Cover from Mobygames)"]Space 1889 (Cover from Mobygames)[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_873" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Space 1889"]Space 1889[/caption]

 

 

Alien Logic


Alien Logic is a game based on Skyrealms of Jorune. A game I never played but loved the adverts for. It looked so wonderful and weird. I am sure any similarities tot he movie Avatar are entirely coincidental.

Pen and Paper RPGhttp://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2077

Computer Game:  http://www.mobygames.com/game/alien-logic
Alien Logic (DOS)
In the 21st century, human beings have all but destroyed their home planet Earth. Surviving humans found a shelter on a planet called Jorune. A civil war errupted, humans fighting the indigenous population; eventually, peace was achieved, and the various races found a way to co-exist with each other... all except one. The Shantha, one of the most ancient and powerful races on Jorune, adepts at the magical art of Isho, were not satisfied with the shape the planet has taken. 3500 years later, one of them, known as the Red Shantha, began attacking human settlements. The hero of the game is one of the villagers who have survived Red Shantha's attack. Having found the way to master Isho, the hero must rescue his friends and explore the planet, searching for the source of evil.

Alien Logic is based on the Skyrealms of Jorune role-playing system. The player takes control of one character; there is no party in the game. While there is a story to follow, much of the game is open-ended, dedicated to exploring Jorune, searching for items, precious crystals (which increase the hero's parameters), and fighting enemies. The exploration mode uses a side-scrolling perspective; the player can switch to combat mode when an enemy is nearby. Combat takes place on the same screen as exploration, and is action-based. Combat relies heavily on magic (Isho); casting spells deplete the Isho bar. Spell sequences are called dyshas, which can be offensive or defensive. Preparing dysha combinations beforehand and then using them on the enemies (by clicking on them) is an essential combat strategy. (from Moby Games)

 

[caption id="attachment_874" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Alien Logic (DOS)"]Alien Logic (DOS)[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_865" align="aligncenter" width="319" caption="Skyrealms of Jorune 2e"]Skyrealms of Jorune 2e[/caption]
A richly illustrated game that includes many detailed and unique races, cultures, and bizarre wildlife. It takes place on the planet Jorune, 3,000 years after an Earth colony settled and sparked a catastrophic war with the Shanthas, the dominant indigenous race able to wield the strange magical energies called Isho that permeate the planet.

Players seek to become Drenn, or full citizens. Players must accomplish deeds to impress other Drenn into giving their support.

The player races include Humans, Muadra (smaller humans capable of manipulating Isho), Boccord (larger humans with Isho sensitivity). Other human-related races include Woffen, Bronth, Crougar, which are uplifted wolves, bears, and cougars respectively. Native Jorune races include the spiritual and now dwindling Shanthas, the inquisitive Thriddle, the sometimes savage Ramian, and the vicious jungle Cleash. (from RPG.net)

 

Review of the RPGhttp://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/03/retrospective-skyrealms-of-jorune.html

 

Megatraveller 1 & 2

Pen & Paper RPGhttp://www.farfuture.net/

Game Megatravellerhttp://www.mobygames.com/game/megatraveller-1-the-zhodani-conspiracy
Based on the MegaTraveller table-top science-fiction game, your task in The Zhodani Conspiracy is to prevent war breaking out between the Zhodani Consulate and the Imperium - Zhodani officials have bribed some of their Imperium counterparts to try and bring about a war between the two sides.

In this role-playing game character creation is the first task. Characters can be created and then put through a choice of five military careers to gain skills and experience semi-randomly (there are more than 70 talents and abilities), or you can simply compose your squad of five from the pre-defined roster.

In total there are 28 planets grouped within 8 solar systems, and there's not much space free of adventure and mystery. 30 different types of cargo exist for interplanetary trading and bartering. Combat takes place in real-time, you can control any one of your characters while giving orders to the others.

[caption id="attachment_875" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Megatraveller 1"]Megatraveller 1[/caption]

Game Megatraveller 2http://www.mobygames.com/game/megatraveller-2-quest-for-the-ancients
Three hundred thousand years ago, the ancients ruled the galaxy. It's now ~4000 AD and they're long gone. Unfortunately, one of their pyramids has started spewing slime that threatens to engulf the entire planet of Rhylanor. The player's party of adventurers must scour four sub-sectors of the Spinward Marches looking for clues to solve the crisis before Rhylanor is destroyed.

MegaTraveller 2: Quest for the Ancients is a faithful adaptation of the Traveller board role-playing game with over 100 fully explorable planets (most with multiple cities and each with its own sub-quests) and a non-linear storyline.

[caption id="attachment_876" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Megatraveller 2"]Megatraveller 2[/caption]
MegaTraveller (1987–1992) was published by GDW but designed by Digest Group Publications which published the popular Traveller's Digest (later the MegaTraveller Journal) Traveller support magazine. The game system used revised versions of the Classic Traveller mechanics with ideas first developed in the Traveller's Digest (and later also adapted to Traveller: 2300). The system is often referred to as "MT".[5][6]
The game was set during the Rebellion era which shattered the Imperium. Supplements and magazines produced during this era detailed the progression of the Rebellion from the initial assassination of the Emperor in 1116 to the collapse of large-scale interstellar trade in roughly 1124 (the beginning of the supplement Hard Times).

Digest Group Publications also produced a number of MegaTraveller supplements, including alien modules detailing the Aslan, Vargr, Vilani and Solomani for MegaTraveller and the World Builder's Handbook, which expanded greatly on the world-building system found in the main rulebooks. (from Wikipedia)

[caption id="attachment_869" align="aligncenter" width="348" caption="MegaTraveller"]MegaTraveller[/caption]

 

Twilight 2000


[caption id="attachment_857" align="aligncenter" width="222" caption="Twilight 2000"]Twilight 2000[/caption]

Old Incarnationhttp://www.farfuture.net/main.html
Twilight:2000 is a role-playing game set in the aftermath of World War III (the "Twilight War"). The premise for the first and second editions of the game is that the United States/NATO and the Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact have fought a limited nuclear war with all its consequences. Characters in the game are survivors of the war.

Current Incarnation: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=58794

Wikihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_2000

 

 

[caption id="attachment_856" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Twilight 2000"]Twilight 2000[/caption]

Game (DOS)http://www.mobygames.com/game/twilight-2000

 
This tactical wargame/adventure is based on the GDW pencil and paper role-playing game. NATO and Warsaw Pact forces spent the latter part of the 1990s fighting a brutal war, which has turned Poland into a desolate radiation-riddled land, full of abandoned vehicles and weapons. The maniacal Baron Czarny wants to take over what's left of the country; you must stop him.

The player must organize a team of 20 generated soldiers, each of whom will respond to orders differently, based on their personality. Specific abilities, attributes and languages spoken can be set.

Action from within the vehicles is shown in 3D, outside action is viewed top-down. Both aspects of the game require meticulous planning around the game's range of weapons and vehicles. Help can be received from NPCs, via the game's communication system. (from Moby Games).

 

Shadowrun


[caption id="attachment_855" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Shadowrun RPG"]Shadowrun RPG[/caption]

Current Incarnationhttp://www.shadowrun4.com/

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun

I never played Shadowrun when it came out. It seemed to try to be a daring mix of cyberpunk (all the rage back then), gritty Bladerunner movie feel and magical fantasy. It sounded fabulous but I was spending all my money on Basic D&D. It looks like quite a few games have been released.

SNEShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_(SNES)

 

[caption id="attachment_860" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Shadowrun (SNES)"]Shadowrun (SNES)[/caption]
As an action RPG video game, Shadowrun combines both the statistical factor in the tabletop game with real-time gameplay. For example, the player controls Jake, moves him around using the controller, and when attacked, must use guns or magic commands to respond. Some battles within the game require sharp reflexes. This is further complicated by the fact that the Seattle in the game is a tough city - practically every screen contains at least one hidden assassin who, from random locations, opens fire on Jake; the player must immediately find the source of the attack and respond or risk death. At the same time, Jake builds up "karma" from killing enemies. Karma can then be allocated by the player into different attributes, skills, and magical powers.
As the title of the game implies, Jake is described as a "shadowrunner," a mercenary type of character common within the Shadowrun world. Moreover, in the game, Jake is able to hire other shadowrunners as henchmen, though it is possible for the player to win the game without hiring a single shadowrunner. In interacting with non-player characters, Shadowrun uses an unusual system. Whenever Jake hears a new and unusual term, this word is highlighted, then added to a sort of database of terms he can use; from that point on, when speaking with NPCs, Jake is able to ask them about this new word; only in this manner can a player progress with the game.
The game also includes an unusual way of entering into cyberspace, known as the Matrix. Using a cyberdeck, Jake is able to hack into computers to retrieve information, as well as gain more money, which in the game is nuyen (noo-yen). During such scenes, the gameplay becomes two-dimensional while an icon of Jake moves through cyberspace, fights intrusion programs, and retrieves data. As in the original RPG (and cyberpunk literature in general), if the player dies in cyberspace, he dies in real life as well. (Wikipedia)

 Mega Drivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_(Sega)

 

[caption id="attachment_861" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Shadowrun (Mega Drive)"]Shadowrun (Mega Drive)[/caption]
Shadowrun offers the player an open style of gameplay, where one controls the main character, Joshua, in third person perspective during both exploration and combat. Battles are real time, and although of varying difficulty, tend to be relatively short. Initially, the player is restricted to a single area of the game, but shortly gains access to almost all other areas. Access to other areas is accomplished primarily by taxi, although various restrictions and other modes of travel also exist, such as requiring a visa or bypassing the visa check with the use of a helicopter.

As in most RPG videogames, the characters' skills and attributes can be improved. However, Shadowrun uses a unique "Karma" system, which allows full character customization. Karma, roughly equivalent to experience, is earned for successfully completing a run, killing enough enemies, or advancing the game's plot. Karma is then spent on specific stats as determined by the player.

To earn money and Karma, the player must participate in shadowruns, illegal jobs provided by pseudo-anonymous contractors who are, within the legal boundaries of their work, referred to simply as Mr. Johnsons. Mr. Johnsons usually are corporate liaisons who want their bosses' dirty work done without compromising them. All Mr. Johnsons work in backroom booths in different clubs and bars through the city. Depending on the Johnson, they will randomly offer different types of jobs such as: Raiding gang hangouts, Search & Retrieval, Extractions, Courier missions, Ghoul hunting, or Matrix runs. Each mission will vary on the specifics to meet the requirements and location such as Megacorp headquarters or even the LoneStar's main building. Different Mr. Johnsons have varying levels of difficulty and pay for their jobs, which can be influenced by the player's negotiation statistic.(Wikipedia)

Sega CDhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_(Mega_CD)

 

[caption id="attachment_862" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Shadowrun (Mega CD)"]Shadowrun (Mega CD)[/caption]

A Japanese only version. Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKzt8YU24OU

Windows & Xbox 360: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_(2007_video_game)

[caption id="attachment_854" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Shadowrun (2007)"]Shadowrun (2007)[/caption]

A big online multiplayer shooter.





No comments:

Post a Comment