Old-School CRPG

[malthaussen]

Want to play a good, old-fashioned CRPG? http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/ is the place you want to go. I have just (belatedly) discovered this indie publisher, and I want to tell you all that the Avernum series is a true gem. Here are the vital stats:

 

Party-based CRPG: Up to four PCs. Roll your own, or you may pick up chars in the towns.

 

Skill-based CRPG: The system is very similar to Fallout. Basic stats plus skills, with special abilities like the "perks" in Fallout. Fewer skills and perks than Fallout, however, about a dozen of each. You may have up to two special abilities per character, but each one will slow levelling by reducing earned experience (OTOH, you can give a char a flaw, with a concommitant addition to earned experience).

 

Huge, open-ended campaign world with many cities and dungeons. "Over eighty" in Avernum 1. I've only played the demo so far, and it has kept me occupied for well over twenty hours of gameplay, and the demo is only 1/4 of the whole game. Unscripted, open-ended map: go where you want to go, do what you want to do. With wandering monsters! Hooray!

 

Easy, straightforward, no bugs at all so far. The layout is clean, simple, and even intuitive. Your characters can advance up to about level 40; my demo party characters are right around lvl 10 at the end of the demo.

 

 

Caveats: The graphics are old. Avernum I was published in 2000, and even for then the graphics were not standout. Think Jagged Alliance 2. 2D, few animations. If glitter is your goal, pass this one up. Similarly, there is very little artwork (although the tital screen is attractive), no music or dialogue. There is no "character interaction," romances, or other plot elements to your party. There is an overall game story, naturally, but you are free to rove as you will. You'll have to invent your own character background and interaction in your imagination, the game's designers won't do it for you. Also, veterans of CRPGs may think that the battles are "too easy," at least at the default difficulty level. With a little thought, you can make your party pretty tough at the beginning of the game, tough enough that most roving encounters should be fairly simple meat. OTOH, there are many ways you can handicap your party, if this is a problem for you. Some of the set-piece encounters are truly challenging, however.

 

The demo for Avernum I is only 7 mb, making it a reasonable download for even a dialup connection. And if you like the demo as much as I did, you can get Avernum I-III on a single CD for 45.00 USD. That is a thief's bargain, and this month you can even get another 10% off. And once you buy the game, you can get the unlock code immediately via email. How much more customer-friendly can you get?

 

The publishers also have a number of other games available. Avernum is up to #4 in the series (the latest d/l is still only 18.6 mb). There is also "Blades of Avernum," which is a construction kit with several scenarios. This allows for user-created content, and there are several user-created adventures out on the 'Net. Get in on the action now!

 

If, like me, you've never heard of these people, hear of them now. This is great, simple, old-school adventuring. If you want to go out and kill things, get treasure, and save the world in the process, without caring about bells and whistles, fire up your modem now. You won't regret it.

 

Oh, and lest I forget: the game comes in both Mac and PC versions, compatible with Win XP or even Vista.

 

-- Mal

[Sorrow]

I played the demo of Avernum. The graphics are pretty nice and I like the general system, but I'm not a fan of party-based cRPGs.

[Avenger]

Heh, not a fan of party based crpgs?

Then what are you doing here

 

45$ is not a thief's bargain, you get Jade Empire cheaper.

[Sorrow]

Heh, not a fan of party based crpgs?

Then what are you doing here

At least BG had a protagonist.

 

45$ is not a thief's bargain, you get Jade Empire cheaper.

Jade Empire isn't three games. Also, cost of buying JE includes a cost of buying a new comp.

[Domi]

Nah, I'd take JE with its beautiful art, music, custom protagonist, great story and wonderful NPC development over something w/o party interaction, music or artwork any day. Yeah, I understand it's a bargain, but I think it's not worth $15 for the next to nothing you are getting. Thankfully, there are a bunch of new games out and about to be out to satisfy CRPG cravings.