Gamebook Review: "Flight from the Dark" (1984)

A couple months ago, I discussed the seminal Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) series of gamebooks.  In the wake of CYOA's success and the concurrent success of tabletop role-playing (most notably Dungeons & Dragons), it is unsurprising that folks would start to blend the two, publishing gamebooks with light RPG mechanics.  Today, I wanted to look at the first entry of one of the best of these hybrids, "Flight from the Dark" by Joe Dever:

In "Flight from the Dark," the reader plays the titular protagonist of the Lone Wolf series who, at this point, is an initiate and the sole survivor of the Kai monastery following a successful surprise attack by their archenemies, the Darklords.  However, the Darklords have just gotten started and Lone Wolf must race against his enemies to reach the capital in time to warn the King of the impeding danger.

"Flight from the Dark" is the first book in the Lone Wolf series, which as of today has twenty-nine books.  This probably makes the Lone Wolf series the oldest continuous gamebook, as well as perhaps the longest continuous novel with a single protagonist.

Like other pieces of interactive fiction, the Lone Wolf books are written from a second-person point of view, in present tense, which immediately puts the reader into a roleplaying mindset.  In addition, unlike CYOA (which are purely narrative), the Lone Wolf series also features very simple RPG mechanics that are clearly influenced by Dungeons & Dragons, as noted by the author in the forward:

"While working in Los Angeles in 1977 [Joe Dever] discovered a then little-known game called ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Although the game was in its infancy, Joe at once realised its huge potential and began designing his own role-playing games along similar conceptual lines. These first games were to form the basis of a fantasy world called Magnamund, which later became the setting for the Lone Wolf books."

There are two stats in Lone Wolf, Combat Skill and Hit Points... I mean "Endurance" Points:

Combat consists of comparing the opponents' Combat Skills, using a random number generator, and referencing the result on the appropriately named Combat Results Table.  Rinse and repeat until Lone Wolf or his foe(s) are dead, hopefully the latter.

One can also see on the Action Chart above that the reader must select five of the Kai Disciplines in the first book.  Not only does this provide customization and re-readability (i.e., a reader's play though can be different with each reading), but also a basis advancement, since the reader may add one additional Discipline after each of the first five books (the later books use a different but similar system).  This also provides incentive to read the books in the correct order.

In terms of structure, the Lone Wolf books use a set of narrative bottlenecks, with a series of branching paths between each bottleneck.  This structure works better with the light RPG mechanics than a purely narrative approach, since some paths may be more optimal for a particular PC than another one.

In also must be said that many of the books feature the excellent and distinctive artwork of Gary Chalk:

As a millennial gift, Messr Dever generously allowed Project Aon to publish the Lone Wolf books online for free!  So, there's no excuse not to read them.

RPG Design: Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards

This week, I'd like to take a look at another infamous design issue that haunts Dungeons & Dragons and similar games: Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards.

Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards refers to the fact that, in D&D, Fighters' skills and abilities improve at a largely linear rate, whereas Wizards improve much faster.  The reason for the latter is because Wizards' powers (as primarily encapsulated by their spells) increase simultaneously along multiple axes: not only to they get more spells but also the effectiveness of any given spell (e.g., damage output, range, etc.) tends to also increase as the Wizard levels up.

For example, let's take a look at a common Level 1 spell in AD&D:

Magic Missile (Evocation)

Level: 1     Components: V, S    Range: 6" + 1"/level     Casting Time: 1 segment    Duration: Special     Saving Throw: None    Area of Effect: One or more creatures in a 10 square foot area 

Explanation/Description: Use of the Magic Missile spell creates one or more magical missiles which dart forth from the magic-user's fingertip and unerringly strike their target. Each missile does 2 to 5 hit points (d4+1) of damage. If the magic-user has multiple missile capability, he or she can have them strike a single target creature or several creatures, as desired. For each level of experience of the magic-user, the range of his or her Magic Missile extends 1" beyond the 6" base range. For every 2 levels of experience, the magic-user gains an additional missile, i.e. 2 at 3rd level, 3 at 5th level, 4 at 7th level, etc.

So, a 5th level Magic-User casting Magic Missile has a tripled damage output and a range that's nearly doubled compared to a 1st level Magic-User, not to mention that he can cast Magic Missile four times per day compared to a 1st level Magic-User's one time.

Meanwhile, the AD&D Fighter has also improved over four levels (e.g., THAC0, weapon proficiencies, etc.) but not to the same extent (i.e., he isn't hitting three times as hard or making four attacks per round).  And difference between the two classes only becomes more pronounced over time as each spell continues to become more powerful and as the Wizard picks up more spell slots.

Furthermore, the spells themselves are unbalanced in the spell levels.  For example, Wish (a 9th level) is far more than nine times more powerful than any 1st level spell.

The net effect is that the Wizard will pass the Fighter in mid-level play and far outstrip the latter in high-level play.

Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards is an issue specific to Dungeons & Dragons because of the magic system, most notably because of casting speed and versatility of spells (i.e., D&D Wizards are quick casting generalists).  For example, if spells took hours to cast or if Wizards needed to choose between limited selections of spells, their power would be sharply scaled backward.

In addition, 3e exacerbated the issue by changing the assumed default play style: in older editions, it is assumed that once PCs reach name level (usually around 9th level), play will shift to domain management (i.e., the PCs will transition from itinerant adventurers to rulers).  Thus, the ever more powerful spells of magic-users will be balanced by the fighter's ever larger armies.


In terms of Sorcery & Steel, my rules set, I've taken a two fold approach to Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards:

• Remove gamist restrictions on magic items

Just like I removed the gamist restrictions on weapons and armor, all classes can use all magic items.  Thus, in actual play, it matters less that the Wizard can cast Lightning Bolt if the Fighter has a Wand of  Lightning Bolts.

• Turn wizards into glass cannons

By giving wizards a clear Achilles' heel, namely significantly less hit points than in standard AD&D, the two classes remain relatively balanced since the Wizard never outgrows a dependence upon the Fighter as a meat shield.


Finally, I would be remiss without including this notable (and hilarious) example of the trope:

Video Game Review: "Zork" (1977)

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to a legendary game that is both one of the pioneers of interactive fiction AND that also ranks as one of the greatest computer games ever!

You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

A seminal computer game, in Zork, the player takes a nameless but intrepid adventurer down into the twisty and confusing realm of the Great Underground Empire in search of loot.  Sound familiar?

Zork allows someone to singlehandedly play an Old School Dungeons & Dragons-esque text adventure.  Unsurprisingly, winning requires using your head and a bit of luck to overcome terrible monsters and difficult puzzles.  Roughly contemporaneous with the Choose Your Own Adventure  (CYOA) gamebooks, this game was also an amazing and groundbreaking piece of interactive fiction that created its own genre.  As with CYOA, Zork is written from a second-person point of view, in present tense, creating an inherent role-playing element.

Aside from the clear influence of Dungeons & Dragons, there's also hints of Tolkien (e.g., the elvish sword that glows when danger is nearby), Jack Vance and classical mythology.  While there were no graphics, Zork's minimal yet intelligent and witty prose brought the game to life with the power of the player's imagination, as with any good book (or tabletop RPG):

Zork (an MIT nonsense word that's slang for an unfinished program) was written between 1977 and 1979 by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling, members of the MIT Dynamic Modelling Group.  Inspired by Colossal Cave Adventure (1976), the first adventure computer game, and using the same conversational and humorous tone and dungeon crawling format, Zork was a significant step forward in terms of technology, story and gameplay.

The game proved hugely popular over ARPANET (the precursor to the Internet) and a professor encouraged the co-authors to offer the game to the general public.  The original program was so large that it was split into three games for the commercial release:  Zork I: The Great Underground Empire, Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz, and Zork III: The Dungeon Master.

The Zork series went on to become some of the top selling computer games of the 1980s!

Without mincing words, Zork is quintessential Old School: a challenging game, there's no hand holding and the player needs to use their brains and to carefully read the text to spot clues.  One wrong move can produce an instadeath.  Old School!

In addition, the terrain is complex and there is no automapping function- back in the day, you had to use paper to figure out by hand where the heck you were!  Old School!

Moreover, just like an Old School RPG, there are no limits to what the player can attempt.  Experimentation is implicitly encouraged and is sometimes the best path to finding the solution.  Old School!

This game isn't for everyone but if you are looking for a classic dungeon crawler that will test your mind six ways to Sunday, "Zork" might be right for you.

RPG Design: Vancian Magic

This week, I wanted to discuss a hallmark of Dungeons & Dragons, Vancian Magic.  The phrase refers to the distinctive magic system created by the late Hugo Award winning author Jack Vance, first and most famously used in his Dying Earth series:

In Dying Earth, spells are complex formulae that must be memorized beforehand and that instantly produce a specific result.  Furthermore, a wizard is only able to memorize a limited number of formulae, and, once cast, the formulae is erased from the wizard's mind (which is why Vancian Magic is also called "fire and forget magic").  As illustrated in the story "Mazirian the Magician":

"They would be poignant corrosive spells, of such a nature that one would daunt the brain of an ordinary man and two render him mad. Mazirian, by dint of stringent exercise, could encompass four of the most formidable, or six of the lesser spells.

...

Mazirian made a selection from his books and with great effort forced five spells upon his brain

...

The mesmeric spell had been expended, and he had none other in his brain."

In effect, spells become limited resources, such as torches and arrows.

This system is unlike magic in many other fantasy works, where sorcery is often slow and ritualistic or innate or just unexplained.  However, Vancian Magic works well for Dungeons & Dragons, with its wargaming roots and resource management aspect, where Magic-Users often function as mobile artillery and spells serve as ammo.

Of course, Dungeons & Dragons doesn't adopt Vance-style wizards wholly, since the latter use swords (gasp!).

Personally, I like Vancian Magic in D&D: it's distinctive and flavorful, easy to understand, internally coherent and very old school (at least at lower levels) since it forces players to think about how to maximize limited spells, as well as how Magic-Users can contribute to the party outside of just wielding magic (e.g., torch bearer, interpreter, investigator, etc.).

Certainly, there are more flexible and equally creative RPG magic systems, such as Ars Magica's, and Vancian Magic certainly doesn't fit all genres or play styles.  However, Vancian Magic does fit D&D-style games and D&D-type campaigns.

There's also the mini-game of picking spells and guessing what might be useful.  This is a bug for some people, but a feature for me since it's also very old school.  Pick the wrong spells for the adventure and it might be time to roll a new character!

However, for my rules set, Sorcery & Steel, I decided to use spell points rather than Vancian Magic.  One reason for this was as a part of reducing demand on the GM's bandwidth.  Specifically, I've eliminated look up tables such as this:

Another reason for using spell points rather than Vancian Magic is because I wanted a magic system that was more internally balanced.  For example, in 1e AD&D, while Sleep and Push are both Level 1 spells, it is hard to argue that they are equally powerful.

At the beginning of this post, I said Vancian Magic is a hallmark of Dungeons & Dragons.  By "hallmark",  I mean that, IMHO, a rules set that doesn't use Vancian Magic is no longer in the orbit of D&D.

That's why, when I replaced Vancian Magic with spell points, I stopped referring to my project as AD&D house rules and, instead, as a new rules set.

Music Review: "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You" (2011)

Happy Halloween!  In honor of All Hallows' Eve, I wanted to give a shout out to perhaps the creepiest music video I've even seen, "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You":

"Just do as we say"

This wonderfully hypnotic and melodic yet super creepy song is the brainchild of Gotye (a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognate of Gotye's given Dutch name "Wouter"), a Grammy winning Australian-Belgian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter.  Known for his creative and unusual compositions, Gotye taps into his dark side with this unsettlingly yet catchy song.

Adding tremendously to the sinister atmosphere of the video are the visuals which were animated and directed by Greg Sharp and Ivan Dixon at the animation studio Rubber House.  They remind me of weirdly experimental music videos from the 1980s, like "Self Control" (1984) by Laura Branigan.

In addition, the cult in "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You" therein are pretty much poster children for your typical evil cult.  Also, the bit where the true face of the cult is (literally) revealed sends chills down my spine.

In fact, this video should be watched for inspiration by Keepers before running a session of Call of Cthulhu!

RPG Design: Alignment (Part III)

Over the past month, I've been discussing arguably the hottest mess of all RPG topics, Alignment.  I covered the development of TSR-brand Alignment, how other RPGs chose not follow TSR's lead and how TSR-brand Alignment (which is supposedly objective) is in fact highly subjective.  In addition, as previously mentioned, there's a clear tension between Alignment and other parts of the D&D rules set (e.g., GP=XP).

Alignment does have some small value by providing introductory players a guidepost in terms of how to role-play their characters.  However, most players quickly grasp the basic concepts of role-playing and move beyond this point.

Moreover, Alignment, as narrowly defined by Gygax, usually raises more issues in actual play than it solves. For example, when the party has both "good" and "evil" characters, intraparty conflict is likely. While intraparty conflict has existed since the beginning of the hobby, not every group enjoys PvP.

Alignment can also produce shocking results during actual play.  For example, it is under this aegis that I've seen more than a few very experienced gamers who believe in Alignment as RAW argue that since, in the official D&D universe, there are whole species that are irredeemably evil, behavior that would otherwise be labelled sociopathic is not only justified, but to be encouraged.  The most (in)famous example of this is murdering children of "evil" species in the name of "good".  Even in the source literature, I'm pretty certain that Aragorn, or any other ostensibly "good" character, would never murder defenseless kids, even it they grew up to be villains.  However, you know who did?

In addition, on more than one occasion, I've seen supposedly "good" characters perform acts that most people would consider "evil", merely for convenience, such as murdering unarmed prisoners.

Furthermore, the whole notion that entire species are irredeemably evil is problematic.  For one, if everyone has a TSR-brand Alignment, the logical consequence is that there's no free will.

My rules set, Sorcery & Steel, follows the majority of Old School games and simply leaves in-game morality up to in-game play.


One might argue, "What's the big deal?  It's all just make believe!"

I would certainly concede that no imaginary creatures are actually harmed whilst playing RPGs, nor am I making any kind of moral panic argument.  Certainly, one can play an evil character if they choose.  However, being actually evil while calling yourself "good" it breaks verisimilitude for me.

From a Doylist point of view, in my humble opinion, Alignment mostly exists to justify the Murderhoboism in Dungeons & Dragons and those games to which it is a close antecedent.  In other words, it exists to paper over the fact that PCs in those games are incentivized to be mass murderers as a result of how experience is awarded.

Literature Review: "A Wizard of Earthsea" (1968)

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to a work that is both one of greatest fantasy novels AND one of greatest young adult novels, Ursula K. LeGuin's "A Wizard of Earthsea."

The first entry in the Earthsea Cycle, "A Wizard of Earthsea" is the origin story of Ged, the titular character and perhaps the greatest magician of all time in Earthsea.  However, this tale is set long before he becomes dragonlord and Archmage and the reader follows Ged, also known as Sparrowhawk, from simple village child through his training at wizard school on the island of Roke up to his stunning victory against a fearsome creature of undeath.

What starts off as a coming of age story turns into an epic quest that spans a good chunk of this brilliantly realized and wonderfully original fantasy world that reflects the author's clear love of history and anthropology.  Just her innovative system of magic is a great achievement in and of itself.  Indeed, LeGuin pulls off a scale of world building that many consider rivals Tolkien's Middle Earth and Herbert's Dune.  Except she does it in a mere novella!

However, although LeGuin does a marvelous job of creating a rich background and history to Earthsea, what's even more impressive is that she tells a fundamentally human tale of ambition, pride, childish foibles, courage and maturity.  It is easy for a reader to see a bit of themselves in both Ged's missteps and triumphs.

Although widely regarded as a classic of young-adult literature, LeGuin writes with a sophistication that challenges anyone and infuses the text with poetic wit and sensibility.  For example:

“It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Years and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together. My name, and yours, and the true name of the sun, or a spring of water, or an unborn child, all are syllables of the great word that is very slowly spoken by the shining of the stars. There is no other power. No other name.”  

Here the author herself reads from part of the book and discusses a bit of the impetus behind it (forward to 10:55 in the video):

We shall not speak of the horrific Sci Fi channel adaptation.