Do you remember unlimited adventures?

[abstract]

So, the goldbox series.
Although I may have played something along these lines without remembering (back in the c64 days), I'd like to know wheter there are games in it that would be suited to fill the void of present crpg times. So, if I was to play 3 goldbox titles - which ones should I choose?

What Frau Bishop said, only I'd substitute Champions of Krynn for any other of the Dragonlance series (Death Knights of Krynn or Dark Queen of Krynn). Pool of Radiance was the first and thus the most primitive (interface and graphics-wise), but still is the best Forgotten Realms gold box game: Curse of the Azure Bonds was too short, Secret of the Silver Blades was meh overall (searching for those nine pieces of the staff was a fucking borefest) and Pools of Darkness I didn't like because it beats even Throne of Bhaal in terms of overpowered phat lewt and high-level monsters. "Another +5 long sword? Jeez, where am I gonna put this junk?"

 

[crakkie]

There were some cool mods, some of them still alive, for UA. Digging through the links, I found superhero rpg mods, a planescape mod, and evidence of a sci-fi conversion, but all the links to it were dead.

I'm dusting off my old copy.

 

[sheek]

I liked that one where you went to a city. Started with some kind of horse riding/obstacle course in the city you could break into houses, fight in the arena etc. Can't remember it's name, it was about half way through the series. Farhill, Hillfar or something?

 

[Chork]

I liked that one where you went to a city. Started with some kind of horse riding/obstacle course in the city you could break into houses, fight in the arena etc. Can't remember it's name, it was about half way through the series. Farhill, Hillfar or something?

Hillsfar

 

[LCJr.]

There were some cool mods, some of them still alive, for UA. Digging through the links, I found superhero rpg mods, a planescape mod, and evidence of a sci-fi conversion, but all the links to it were dead.

I'm dusting off my old copy.

There were a lot of sci-fi mods and hacks but the link I had is giving a 403.
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~jservey/star ... index.html

Some were based off Buck Rogers and T$R's other sci-fi RPG Star Frontiers. There were a few original series listed too. Wish I would have downloaded some of them now.

 

[obediah]

I liked that one where you went to a city. Started with some kind of horse riding/obstacle course in the city you could break into houses, fight in the arena etc. Can't remember it's name, it was about half way through the series. Farhill, Hillfar or something?

Hillsfar

Hillsfar was weird. It really wasn't bad standing on it's own. But Pools of Radiance was so motherfucking fun, that all I could think about was Curse of the Azure Bonds coming out. Hillsfar had some neat rp aspects that the other games didn't, but it lacked the team-based tactical combat - which is really the only decent aspect of AD&D. All the RP and non-combat skill rules for AD&D were complete shit or nonexistent (which is fine for PnP).

 

[SanguinePenguin]

I have a collection set of the forgotten realms somewhere that has the D&D goldbox games, PoR, Hillsfar, Curse of the Azure Bonds, along with the eye of the beholders and even Menzoberranzan(sp). Came with all the manuals and the code wheels too I think.

It's been a while ago but I remember that some of the rules surround the weapons were kinda crazy. Priests could only blunt type weapons or maces because they couldn't "spill blood" : Bows got two free shots right from the start at 1D6! While a crossbow gets 1d4 and fires once, and unless I'm mistaken a heavy gets +1 to that in exchange for one round of reload time.... IIRC only the "light version" could be found in the original Pool of Radiance. Oy Vey and I thought the whole "Elf bow > all" is bad now. Aside from RTwP, i think the changes in the damage ranges of weapons and their speed handled in BG and Icewindale were for the better.

Guess you never played the original AD&D?

I'm afraid I miss out on the original. What was the justification behind those kind of decisions? I mean was there an aside in the manuals explicitly stating that weapons are "barred" to swords in bows only if possible(I think even axes got a crappy damage die too) or was it a malicious form of in house bias to high fantasy grognards? I remember in some of the manuals' flavor text that the crappy weapons are mentioned in great esteem but it isn't reflected within the game.

 

[AZ]

http://www.onvgp.com/play/s/NES/g/AD-an ... f-Radiance
If anyone wants to try Pool of Radiance. It is the NES port.

 

[LCJr.]

I have a collection set of the forgotten realms somewhere that has the D&D goldbox games, PoR, Hillsfar, Curse of the Azure Bonds, along with the eye of the beholders and even Menzoberranzan(sp). Came with all the manuals and the code wheels too I think.

It's been a while ago but I remember that some of the rules surround the weapons were kinda crazy. Priests could only blunt type weapons or maces because they couldn't "spill blood" : Bows got two free shots right from the start at 1D6! While a crossbow gets 1d4 and fires once, and unless I'm mistaken a heavy gets +1 to that in exchange for one round of reload time.... IIRC only the "light version" could be found in the original Pool of Radiance. Oy Vey and I thought the whole "Elf bow > all" is bad now. Aside from RTwP, i think the changes in the damage ranges of weapons and their speed handled in BG and Icewindale were for the better.

Guess you never played the original AD&D?

I'm afraid I miss out on the original. What was the justification behind those kind of decisions? I mean was there an aside in the manuals explicitly stating that weapons are "barred" to swords in bows only if possible(I think even axes got a crappy damage die too) or was it a malicious form of in house bias to high fantasy grognards? I remember in some of the manuals' flavor text that the crappy weapons are mentioned in great esteem but it isn't reflected within the game.

It was the 70's? How else do you explain the Monk class? "Everyone was kung-fu fighting" LOL.

AD&D grew out of the Chainmail miniture wargame rules and I've never looked at those. But I would say that had a lot to do with the class weapon restrictions, hd, etc... i.e. mages use magic at range and therefore should be weak and not running around with a sword.

Anyway clerics were pseudo-Christian and were "forbidden to draw blood". Only weapons allowed were club, flail, hammer, mace and staff. Right, like smashing in someones face with a few pounds of steel isn't going to draw blood.

Short swords and hand axes did 1d6. Long swords and battle axes 1d8 so there really wasn't much difference between them. If there was any high fantasy bias it was in the random treasure generator tables which made long swords the most common magic weapon. All heroes carry swords right?

Crossbows were nerfed in 1st Edition but that was part bias and part ignorance on Gygax & company's part. Damage was lower than a bow and range was far shorter. They didn't understand a crossbow is more powerful than a bow or think you could "arch" a crossbow.

 

[SanguinePenguin]

I guess I forgot how much influence the decade had on the game. As if the hairstyles and perms on all the source art weren't indication enough.