The oldest WRPG with decent writing

[rusty_shackleford]

But what with WRPG's? Ultima 7? Betrayal at Krondor? Maybe Martian Dreams? Or something older?

These are the most well-known ones. One thing you have to remember is that physical storage space was actually a significant limiting factor on text in the old days, moreso in RPGs where it had to share that space with lots of graphical assets, massive game worlds, etc. There's a reason all the games with good writing suddenly appear in the early 1990s when hard drives became the standard. For good writing in early computer games, you probably have to go to the Infocom text adventures.

Huh, guess I never thought about it but that does make a lot more sense as to why quite a few games opted to include the writing in the manual and simply tell you which paragraph to refer to.

 

[Dorateen]

As mentioned above, classic cRPGs had backgrounds and exposition placed in the manual. Tunnels & Trolls is a brilliant example in its delivery of instructions written from an in-world perspective. Others would refer to passages throughout the game. 1988's Pool of Radiance is very well written (as are all the Gold Box games), here presented in the Adventurer's Journal with a flowing script. This sample page includes correspondences from two of the adventure's villains and greatly enhances their respective characterizations and relationship with the antagonist, far better than the hamfisted attempts by modern narrative designers.

 

[Alex]

Depends on the bar for decent.

Betrayal at Krondor might be the first well-written CRPG.

If we use FF4 as the bar for decent writing, then surely Ultima 4 is in the mix at least.

Ultima 4 has a better plot than FF 4.

Any Ultima (edit: Akalabeth included) has far better plot than any Final Fantasy.

 

[DalekFlay]

Betrayal at Krondor has been mentioned a lot and I probably agree with that. I like a lot games made before that more than BaK, but wouldn't say they had good writing (Lands of Lore for example, my first RPG). I actually bounced off BaK eventually as a young teen, because I hated the giant polygons, but the writing was unquestionably incline for the genre.

Honestly though point and click adventure games had the best writing for most of the 90s, by far.

 

[JarlFrank]

Ultima 2

 

[octavius]

The best game related writing I ever saw was The Dark Wheel story by Robert Holdstock that was included with Elite in 1984. A shame it was never anthologized. But maybe it was not really that good, but the young me being much less critical that I am now.

 

[aweigh]

Easily Wizardry 4.

Huge puzzle and storyfag game, you don't even earn XP or loot.

Also has much more imaginative writing than most of its contemporaries, hell you even unlock the mysteries of the kabbalah by the end.

 

[Boomer_007]

Dungeon Master from 1987. The short story in the manual was written by a professional writer.

I think "The short story in the manual" is the opposite of "attention to plot in RPG". It's sounds too rudimentary.
For me Dungeon Master always has been about pure mechanic with pretty basic story-motivation.

 

[samuraigaiden]

The problem here is the definition of decent and possibly of writing too. I like the story in Phantasy Star 1 because you are tasked with revenge, not saving the universe, and you buy fake documents, bribe guards and become allies with a psychopathic scientist, among other morally grey actions, in order to achieve this goal. It's an above average plot for JRPGs in general. But the dialogue and all actual writing you see on the screen is just as bad as any other game from that era.

For CRPGs there's an extra caveat because so many early CRPGs had large chunks of the story, if not it's entirety, in the manual.

"The door to this hut is open and from within you hear someone singing. Entering the hut, you see a simple room. A pile of straw serves as a bed, while a candle burns on a large rock that passes as a table. Behind the rock you see a sad man who seems very old. His eyes are empty sockets and both his hands have been amputated at the wrist. You wonder why a blind man burns candles when he's alone."​

This is one of the numbered paragraphs from Dragon Wars (1989). You are supposed to read these paragraphs as you play, when the game prompts you to do so. It's not the best writing ever, but it's pretty fucking metal and better than Final Fantasy 4 TBH.

I'm playing BaK right now and it's writing is very, very good indeed. Can't disagree with anyone pointing to it as a landmark for quality writing.

 

[felipepepe]

You are supposed to read these paragraphs as you play, when the game prompts you to do so. It's not the best writing ever, but it's pretty fucking metal and better than Final Fantasy 4 TBH.

Temple of Apshai did this in 1979, and dozens of RPGs did the same in the years afterwards... but that's not "pretty fucking metal", it's the most generic GM/CYOA text imaginable.

If we gonna count in-manual text then Star Saga: One is probably the best early example.

 

[samuraigaiden]

Star Saga: One

It barely qualifies as a video game by modern standards and it's from 1988, not even that old. Wouldn't you say there is an earlier - and possibly more fitting - example of a CRPG with decent writing? The Bard's Tale and Starflight come to mind.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Dungeon Master from 1987. The short story in the manual was written by a professional writer.

The manual is the best place for a game's narrative.

FTL also hired Tracy Hickman, of D&D and Dragonlance fame, to write the first hint book for Dungeon Master.

 

[Lady_Error]

I don't think that storyfag RPG's were even a thing until PST.

As far as quality writing in early RPG's - some had so little of it, that what was there may count as "decent writing", but what's the point?

If I had to pick the earliest RPG's with a decent amount of decent writing, I'd go with Wizardry 6/7 and Realms of Arkania 1/2. Wasteland writing seemed fine too.

 

[DalekFlay]

For CRPGs there's an extra caveat because so many early CRPGs had large chunks of the story, if not it's entirety, in the manual.

This is a good point. I remember in the 90s when I had an attention span I would read those manuals on the shitter for half an hour sometimes, and there was some great stuff in them. Can't remember any of it now, and good luck trying to read it in 2020, but I'm sure there was a lot of great writing before Betrayal at Krondor hidden in those tomes.

 

[Lilura]

The manual is the best place for a game's narrative.

Because game narrative is best read while sitting on the crapper.

 

[Nano]

You nerds, how did this devolve into a discussion about manual writing? When I buy games it's with the intention of having my eyes on the PC monitor, not any side books.

 

[Grauken]

You nerds, how did this devolve into a discussion about manual writing? When I buy games it's with the intention of having my eyes on the PC monitor, not any side books.

Lots of older RPGs outsourced writing to print material, e.g. the Goldbox games or Wasteland, so you have to count that as well

edit: this was done for space reasons, if they could have, they would have included the text in the game, so I count that stuff as in-game text, unlike say short stories in manuals to introduce the setting or as a lead-in to the plot of the games

 

[rusty_shackleford]

You nerds, how did this devolve into a discussion about manual writing? When I buy games it's with the intention of having my eyes on the PC monitor, not any side books.

Refusal to acknowledge that RPGs before the late 90s barely had any story whatsoever.

 

[octavius]

Dungeon Master from 1987. The short story in the manual was written by a professional writer.

I think "The short story in the manual" is the opposite of "attention to plot in RPG". It's sounds too rudimentary.
For me Dungeon Master always has been about pure mechanic with pretty basic story-motivation.

Sure, but having a short story by a professional writer in the manual is so much better than being assaulted by too much text in the game (unless it's a text adventure game).

 

[Lilura]

You nerds, how did this devolve into a discussion about manual writing? When I buy games it's with the intention of having my eyes on the PC monitor, not any side books.

Probably because, back in the day, the manual was inseparable from the game.

In some cases, reading the manual was more interesting than playing the game. We're not talking about leaflets but rather well-written tomes filled with lore, maps and illustrations.

And sometimes, you couldn't start the game without the manual. Or keep playing it without the manual.

 

[DalekFlay]

Sure, but having a short story by a professional writer in the manual is so much better than being assaulted by too much text in the game (unless it's a text adventure game).

Yeah. Something like an Infinity Engine game, where it's presented as dialog or books, it's fine with me if it gets occasionally wordy. However big endless blocks of text setting up a chapter or lore or whatever is fucking intolerable, and manuals were a better presentation for that.

 

[Gregz]

Manuals

Also, there was very little space on those 5 & 1/4" floppy disks.

 

[RK47]

Yeah game manual is definitely more interesting than the gameplay itself.
E.g Knights of Legend

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Beyond Zork.

 

[MRY]

I mean, what's not to love, other than the illegible black font on black background art?