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Introduction

Computer role-playing games (CRPGs) incorporate a numerical leveling and experience point system, gained through the outcome of unpredictable events on an electronic platform. These increases in power reduce the chances of the character dying, which has a distinct influence on how the game plays. Contrast this with interactive fiction games, which abstractly portray a character’s skill and abilities (Barton 2008:8).

Fantasy CRPGs borrowed heavily from Dungeons & Dragons rules, though developers have felt free to modify them (2008:23). This is not to say that Dungeons & Dragons is the source of all fantasy-themed CRPGs. Iron Crown Enterprise’s Shadow World campaign setting took form in Simutronic’s GemStone game. The Shard of Spring featured a leveling and training system inspired by Steve Jackson’s The Fantasy Trip.

Unlike tabletop role-playing games, the level of rules comprehension required to play CRPGs is much less because the computer handles the majority of the computations, making the barrier to entry that much lower. As a result, it’s possible for a player to play a computer RPG without actually understanding how the rules work and thus play it incorrectly (Harrigan and Wardrip-Fruin 2007:107). On the other hand, computer RPGs can handle complex mechanics that would be unwieldy for players to calculate, especially on a large scale with multiple variables. Computer games can also surprise players by concealing variables that might otherwise be known to players deeply involved in the game’s system (Crawford 2007:169).

History

The advent of the personal computer meant game developers could release their games commercially. This kicked off a crude but bold era of experimentation which Barton terms the Bronze Age (2008:43).

Wizard’s Castle was released by Joseph R. Power for Exidy’s obscure Sorcerer platform in 1979. Programmed in BASIC, Wizard’s Castle was an achievement because it was published in a computer magazine. I remember helping my parents type in lines upon lines of code from just such magazines, only to have the game fail to work fifty percent of the time because of a missing comma. This training—which was really more about perseverance and less about coding skill—would serve me well when coding for a MUD later.

Wizard’s Castle allowed the player to choose a variety of races (elf, dwarf, man, or hobbit), gender, and allocate points to three statistics: strength, intelligence, and dexterity. It also featured the all-important light source, illuminating the map depending on the strength of the source. All this in just five thousand lines of code (Barton 2008:50).

Also in 1979, The Temple of Apshai was released from Epyx. Like Zork, Temple of Apshai consisted of one character dungeon-crawling for treasure. As he traveled deeper and deeper, he gained weapons and armor that made him even more powerful. Killing monsters gave him experience and increased his level of power, just like in Dungeons & Dragons.

Like the tabletop version of Dungeons & Dragons, Temple of Apshai used printed descriptions in an accompanying booklet to explain what was in each room. This is similar to the layout of the adventures of the tabletop version, where the Dungeon Master would read what was in the room when the players reached that room. In Temple of Apshai, the player reads the descriptions to himself.

I played Temple of Apshai frequently. Because the statistics matched traditional Dungeons & Dragons and could easily be adjusted, I was able to convert my character. The challenge, of course, is that Apshai didn’t use classes or races. Your character was a typical adventurer, capable of wielding weapons, reading spells from scrolls, and using magic items. I determined that the ultimate adventurer was a ranger/thief; rangers could cast spells, and thieves could read scrolls in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Temple of Apshai was the closest CRPG at the time