Gold Box SSI's Gold Box Series Thread

[KeighnMcDeath]

What would we call Spelljammer, Dark Sun, Warriors of the Eternal Sun? Black Box? (I didn't include Al-qadim as it plays more like a video game but maybe I should include Order of the Griffon.

 

[octavius]

Aside from the Finder's Stone trilogy, are there any other series worth reading?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Forgotten_Realms_novels

I would recommend the early works of RA Salvatore.

Namely the Dark Elf Trilogy and after that the Icewind Dale Trilogy.

Good old eighties forgotten realm novels.

I only read the first Drizzt book and it definitely did not tempt me to read the rest.

Well, maybe my judgement is a little bit misty eyed because I read them in my youth 25 years ago.

Or maybe you simply have bad taste.

That must be it.

 

[Null Null]

From what I've read the Dark Sun games are unappreciated gems and the Spelljammer game is awful.

My guess is the interest in CRPGs had moved elsewhere by the early to mid 90s and nobody was bothering with analogies. Also with just two dark sun games you weren't going to have the excitement around it, plus TSR kind of blew it at that point with lousy games (Menzoberranzan apparently used the Descent engine and it didn't go well) and nobody was caring that much.

I'm sure someone else here knows more than me.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Well, three DS games if you include Crimson Sands the online game (which the Dudes on Discord are still working at).

er it looks vacant atm
https://discord.gg/AqjmwCAE

 

[Bruma Hobo]

What would we call Spelljammer, Dark Sun, Warriors of the Eternal Sun? Black Box?

Weren't the Eye of the Beholder titles known as Black Box games? I could be wrong.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Yeah they were. I didn't include the non-tactical games although, EYE1 was tactical on the gameboy advance.

 

[Glop_dweller]

EOB games were black boxed, and labeled Legend Series.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I still recall the magazine buzz around the game when it first came out. Good times.

I forgot about the Legend title.
SSI/TSR HISTORY

Couple vids that were probably already put up:

I keep forgetting the spelljammer used the engine albeit it was a mess.
Of course you need to watch this video before playing.

I'm sure that was the real inspiration for BG3 no matter what anyone says.

 

[RPK]

From what I've read the Dark Sun games are unappreciated gems and the Spelljammer game is awful.

My guess is the interest in CRPGs had moved elsewhere by the early to mid 90s and nobody was bothering with analogies. Also with just two dark sun games you weren't going to have the excitement around it, plus TSR kind of blew it at that point with lousy games (Menzoberranzan apparently used the Descent engine and it didn't go well) and nobody was caring that much.

I'm sure someone else here knows more than me.

I think you're thinking of Descent to Undermountain. Mezeberranzan used the same engine as the two Ravenloft games.

 

[Null Null]

From what I've read the Dark Sun games are unappreciated gems and the Spelljammer game is awful.

My guess is the interest in CRPGs had moved elsewhere by the early to mid 90s and nobody was bothering with analogies. Also with just two dark sun games you weren't going to have the excitement around it, plus TSR kind of blew it at that point with lousy games (Menzoberranzan apparently used the Descent engine and it didn't go well) and nobody was caring that much.

I'm sure someone else here knows more than me.

I think you're thinking of Descent to Undermountain. Mezeberranzan used the same engine as the two Ravenloft games.

Ah, thank you.

There was no Silver Blades novel. There were novels for Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds (Azure Bonds), and Pools of Darkness. There were modules for Pool of Radiance (Ruins of Adventure) and Curse of the Azure Bonds (same name). After Curse they dropped the multimedia marketing strategy, more or less.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Yes, although Curse of the Azure Bonds originated with the novel Azure Bonds by Jeff Grubb, published by TSR in 1988, which became the basis for the adventure module and computer game, both released the following year.

Pool of Radiance had received a companion adventure module, FRC1 Ruins of Adventure, in 1988, but it wasn't until late the following year that a tie-in novel was published by TSR, and the sequel Pools of Darkness was similarly published in 1992, one year after the CRPG of the same name.

 

[Berengar]

Still don't understand why this one isn't on GOG when the rest are.

 

[Butter]

Still don't understand why this one isn't on GOG when the rest are.

I wasn't even aware of this one. I looked it up on Mobygames and CRPGAddict and it looks pretty cool, but apparently it's barebones and buggy.

 

[Null Null]

Still don't understand why this one isn't on GOG when the rest are.

I wasn't even aware of this one. I looked it up on Mobygames and CRPGAddict and it looks pretty cool, but apparently it's barebones and buggy.

It's one of those things where the idea's great and the implementation's buggy.

Gonzo sci-fi in D&D? Awesome! But the game sucked.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

It is buggy as fuck and as dar as I know no one even was interested to patch/mod tge game if possible. Sad GBC does NOT work with it. There isn't a UGE module either. Still, it can be completed.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

In the wiki Spelljammer PORS

"Development took a little over a year. The first six months of work was done in Escudero's kitchen. Then SSI called up and said they were coming up to visit. Since Escudero didn't want to look like a low budget outfit he quickly rented a small office, where development was finished. After Spelljammer was finished, Escudero was instrumental in developing a multi-line BBS called Ice Online that ran a custom coded MUD. This turned out to be a quite successful enterprise that would eventually take up the whole floor of the building the original small office was in. EA eventually bought out Ice Online, took all the key employees and closed down the BBS."

EA... go figure!

oh indeed!

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Alias

BASIC INFORMATION[7]

NICKNAMES
the hidden lady[1]
the Puppet[2]
the One[3]
the Servant[4]
the Weapon[4]
the Little One[4]
Alias of the Azure Bonds[5]
Alias of Westgate[6]

HOME
the Lost Vale, Dalelands; Cormyr[6]

FORMER HOME(S)
Westgate

SEX
Female

RACE
Human (construct)

OCCUPATION
Sellsword (Living Sex Doll)

KNOWN
LANGUAGE(S)
Common, Saurial

Yep, the realms one and only Real Doll.

edit..... she's noted for blondidh-red hair in a few descriptions. Ok... i thought red only

oh Alias... they might

 

[Dorateen]

NICKNAMES
the hidden lady[1]
the Puppet[2]
the One[3]
the Servant[4]
the Weapon[4]
the Little One[4]
Alias of the Azure Bonds[5]
Alias of Westgate[6]

Also known as, She of the Impractical, but Tasteful, Chain Armour

 

[Null Null]

Supposedly in the original Azure Bonds novel they had her wear it so they could kill her easily if she tried to escape.

I suspect the picture came first and the bit in the novel later.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I wasn't aware of the FR DC comics. Hmmm... must be pdfs somewhere.

 

[Berengar]

I wasn't aware of the FR DC comics. Hmmm... must be pdfs somewhere.

They're pretty fun! Junk food, but fun! Read through em last year and nabbed some neat little ideas out of them for my campaigns.

 

[Erebus]

Supposedly in the original Azure Bonds novel they had her wear it so they could kill her easily if she tried to escape.

I suspect the picture came first and the bit in the novel later.

It seems extremely likely. I can vaguely remember the authors of trilogy poking fun at the absurd design of that chainmail.

Not that I really cared, because the absurdity is outweighed by the sexiness.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I heard the chain leggins are crotchless. Its just a rumour. Ask Dragonbait if you don't believe me.

Spoiler

 

[Berengar]

Will this dirty war on beautiful sexy chainmail ever end?

 

[KateMicucci]

Will this dirty war on beautiful sexy chainmail ever end?

One day this war will end, brother.