I have received An Gift. I have also been advised that this is part 1, and more is coming in meat space. But for now, I have received digital goods, and I wish to speak of them!
A collection of very, VERY early cRPG games. As I told my Santa (who communicated via Super Sekrit Santa Post), this is not a genre and a time period that I have a lot of nostalgia for, so these are all new to me.
www.gog.com
www.gog.com
www.gog.com
For those that don’t dither about in the GESC fora, I play a LOT of games across a pretty wide variety of genres. And yet, these? Never played them. I have (of course) heard of them, and heard about how influential they and games like them were, with some of those influences and trickling down all the way to current day. The only thing I will say about Spelljammer? If I was starting a fresh 5e D&D campaign right now, I’d be grabbing the 5e Spelljammer book and running adventures in that. Because D&D plus Spacepirates == Duh.
So I look at this rather ancient collection of computer games and I think, “What I am going to do with this?”
And I came up with this: I’m going to treat this like an archaeological exploration of gaming’s past.
Let me explain.
At a pace of about a game a month, I want to do the following; dredge up previews and reviews and press from when the game was new (if possible). See what was said about it back in the day, get an idea of how they were anticipated and received. Then, find a game guide and start playing - take screen shots, follow the guide, take a lot of notes, and treat it as an exploration of a museum piece. Completing the game I don’t think will be necessary. It’s all about experiencing and seeing the games in action and those influential pieces which reverberate forward. Then, find modern retrospectives - how is the game received now. Videos, both of reviews and playthroughs. Maybe some odd theories. Speedruns!
Gather all of that and the notes and the screenshots and make a big post about it. Move on to the next game. Spread it out over the next year.
Not sure if I’ll be able to stick with it. But that is the plan. I like this plan. I think it could be a fun way to experience these oldies.
In closing, thank you Santa (And yes, I know who you are - GoG told me
).
These are games I never would have bought for myself. But now that I have them? I think I have a fun idea for how to experience them. Time will tell.
BEHOLD!
A collection of very, VERY early cRPG games. As I told my Santa (who communicated via Super Sekrit Santa Post), this is not a genre and a time period that I have a lot of nostalgia for, so these are all new to me.
Ultima™ 1+2+3
In the beginning of this adventure, hordes of nightmarish creatures stalk forth from the
Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace
SOLAR WINDS CARESS your face as mystic powers propel the majestic galleon through the atm
The Bard's Tale Trilogy
Experience the events that led to The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep and The Mage's Tale! T
For those that don’t dither about in the GESC fora, I play a LOT of games across a pretty wide variety of genres. And yet, these? Never played them. I have (of course) heard of them, and heard about how influential they and games like them were, with some of those influences and trickling down all the way to current day. The only thing I will say about Spelljammer? If I was starting a fresh 5e D&D campaign right now, I’d be grabbing the 5e Spelljammer book and running adventures in that. Because D&D plus Spacepirates == Duh.
So I look at this rather ancient collection of computer games and I think, “What I am going to do with this?”
And I came up with this: I’m going to treat this like an archaeological exploration of gaming’s past.
Let me explain.
At a pace of about a game a month, I want to do the following; dredge up previews and reviews and press from when the game was new (if possible). See what was said about it back in the day, get an idea of how they were anticipated and received. Then, find a game guide and start playing - take screen shots, follow the guide, take a lot of notes, and treat it as an exploration of a museum piece. Completing the game I don’t think will be necessary. It’s all about experiencing and seeing the games in action and those influential pieces which reverberate forward. Then, find modern retrospectives - how is the game received now. Videos, both of reviews and playthroughs. Maybe some odd theories. Speedruns!
Gather all of that and the notes and the screenshots and make a big post about it. Move on to the next game. Spread it out over the next year.
Not sure if I’ll be able to stick with it. But that is the plan. I like this plan. I think it could be a fun way to experience these oldies.
In closing, thank you Santa (And yes, I know who you are - GoG told me
). These are games I never would have bought for myself. But now that I have them? I think I have a fun idea for how to experience them. Time will tell.
