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Editor's
Note: The reviewer of this game works for the gaming company
that owns DragonRealms. In fact as of this writing he is the
Producer of DragonRealms. In further fact he's the editor
writing this note. So beware, the statements he makes are
bound to be biased, even if the game really is fantastic.
What
the Game's All About
DragonRealms
is a text based fantasy roleplaying game where thousands of people
play in an immense and incredibly detailed virtual world.
While the big graphic RPGs out there sport prettier graphics, they
are leagues behind DragonRealms in terms of depth of play.
It's something like the difference between a movie and a book.
One offers great eye candy while sacrificing plot and the other
offers great mind candy while sacrificing eye popping pictures.
DragonRealms
was first conceived in 1993 and released on February 1st,
1995. One of the main driving factors in the design of the
game was to build the most elaborate and immersive online RPG ever
created. For instance, Combat is accomplished not by
displaying numbers but by displaying sentences in plain English.
So, instead of seeing a die roll against another die roll and then displaying
how many hit points you inflicted, combatants see
something like, "You slice your broadsword at a field
goblin. The field goblin fails to dodge and the broadsword
lands a heavy hit to the right arm, tearing it from the socket with
a wet pop!"
The
philosophy in DragonRealms drives it to create the most complete
experience possible. Instead of just one command to initiate
and attack there are literally over a dozen in DR (DragonRealms). If skinning a creature was fun then having many
ways to skin a creature was more fun. This philosophy of
making things as detailed as possible is one of the hallmarks of
DragonRealms. Even though detail sometimes leads to
unnecessary complexity, the game tries hard to keep the basics
simple and accessible. For instance, in combat players can
simply ATTACK like other games. Later, as players get used to
combat, they learn they can SLICE, BASH, THRUST, etc. to gain
differing advantages in combat.
When
players cite things they enjoy most about DragonRealms, the three
things which stand out are the combat system, the variety of
roleplaying verbs and the skill system. While these are just a
small part of the game, they illustrate the core differences between
DragonRealms and all other RPGs on the market.
The
combat system in DragonRealms is easily the most complex and
detailed system on the market today. There are literally
dozens of combat attacks, including a complete set of brawling
attacks. In addition, each attack command works best with a certain type of
weapon. The attacker and defender has control over their
stance (most other RPGs, this is 'parry') which has three factors: evasion, attack and blocking.
The ebb and flow of battle is mimicked by a player's balance.
Each attack and defense changes balance. An aggressive attack
will usually reduce the balance of the attacker significantly.
A parry combat maneuver will usually increase balance. The
lower your balance the more vulnerable you are. One of the
keys to winning is to be sure your balance is better than your
opponent's.
There is an engagement
system (missile, pole and melee ranges) with certain weapons having
an advantage based on the player's engagement range.
Multi-opponent combat is simulated and multiple opponents can swarm
a defender and overwhelm them.
But this
isn't everything there is to DR combat. There are ranged
weapons, thrown weapons, and even boomerangs. Most objects in
the game can be used as a brawling weapon. If you like a
detailed combat system, then DR is the game for you.
Roleplaying
is highly encouraged in DragonRealms. Hundreds of verbs were
created solely for the purpose of expressing a character's feelings
and mood. Roleplaying is encouraged by the GameMasters (staff
who watch over the game) who can reward good roleplaying. But
ultimately good roleplaying is dependent on the players behind the
characters and DragonRealms has had plenty of excellent roleplayers.
The
Skill system is elaborate and allows players to create characters
almost anyway they choose. Some skills are available only from
a specific guild but most are available to anyone to learn.
Some skills are easier to learn depending on which guild a player
joins. Some skills are simply better when used by a certain
guild since those guilds have their own special knowledge of those
skills.
However, even with these limitations, there is a great
deal of latitude in developing a character. There are literally
thousands of unique combinations. It's possible (if the player
works hard) that a Moon Mage could be better at a certain weapon
than a warlike barbarian who learns weapons very easily. It's
even possible to ignore joining any guild and remain a
"commoner." A commoner is an independent player who
relies solely on their own abilities and shun the special knowledge
and advantages a guild offers. While most commoners eventually
join a guild later in their life (without losing their hard earned
experience), some buck the status quo and wear their independence
like a badge of honor.
There
are many other things which make DragonRealms different from other
online RPGs. There are the unique races such as the wolf-like
Rakash, the feline-like Prydaen, the lizard-like S'Kra Mur and giant
hairless Gor'Tog. There are also the familiar human, elves,
dwarves and halfling races (and more). You can be a warrior
barbarian who can berserk into a nearly unstoppable fighting
rage. You can be a Moon Mage that sees the future in the stars
and manipulates moon beams for their magic. You can be an
empath that never harms another living soul or a trader that walks
the world trading in commodities and other goods. You can sail
the high seas and involve yourself in high adventure.
And this
is only a small piece of what you can do in DragonRealms. Even
with its idiosyncrasies it lives up to the title of being the most
involving and complete virtual world ever created online. For
those hooked on DR, there is nothing comparable.
Now this
lauding of DR's depth is all well and good, but what about its value for us
Christians? Well, this is where things get sticky. Speaking strictly about it teaching Christian
values, the game quite simply doesn't try to do this at all.
In fact it doesn't try to teach any values at all, except perhaps
intense fun and cooperation between players. In the end it's a
secular game that neither tries to offend or follow Christianity.
That
doesn't mean there isn't things about the game that are not very
Christian-friendly. The obvious things are that the game
includes magic and a religious system that has multiple gods. While the magic isn't
designed or modeled after modern or ancient magical practices this
will be offensive to many Christians. Being a fantasy,
however, it's simply follows in the tradition of all classic fantasy
literature and does not try to model modern or even ancient
witchcraft or sorcery. Magic is there for
fun. That doesn't mean that DragonRealms' magic won't
offend. This stuff isn't Christian friendly in that regard. But it also
isn't meant to be anti-Christian and so to find demons here is
pointless.
Having
many different gods for players to worship is another obvious
problem. Again, the game does not try to mimic real-world
religions. This game isn't basing it's religious system on the
real world. It's
simply a classic fantasy environment. Even so, the game lacks
a God that Christians can identify with. This is
particularly troublesome since players must gain favors from the
gods in order to avoid permanent death when their character's die.
There are some players who simply will not get favors for this
reason. They love the game but simply don't care to mess with
the fantasy religion. For them, it's just too uncomfortable.
And
there's the final area where some Christians will have
problems. The game's combat system is quite graphic in some
respects. While the graphic nature is meant to be "over
the top" and is there for grins as chuckles as much as to
depict ghastly scenes. While the graphic messages occur only
when "criticals" (hits that take off limbs and such) are
obtained, it's one thing to consider when deciding if this game is
worth a try. If this offends you, then DR probably should be
avoided. It should be noted, however, that some professions in
DR don't require combat and so you can generally avoid this, but not
completely.
Now I'm
not being as hard on DragonRealms as I could be simply because it's
too easy to pick on a game that was never meant to be Christian
oriented in the first place. I also know the intent behind the
game design, after all I am one of the prime movers behind it.
This is just a secular game meant to be lots of fun. It
was written in the classic fantasy RPG genre. As such it's
guaranteed to fall short in Christian Sense.
So,
what's my recommendation? Well, if I gave DragonRealms a
thumbs down based on its lack of Christian friendly content then
nearly every RPG out there would get a thumbs down. So I'm
going to qualify my recommendations (note: I work for Simutronics,
the maker of DragonRealms and I am the game's Producer so I'm
naturally biased, even though I think I'm being quite honest.
You'll have to decide for yourself).
For
non-Christians, do yourself a favor and try out DragonRealms.
If you enjoy depth of gameplay, then you won't want to miss
it. If you want a balanced and clear explanation of what being
a Christian is all about, click here.
Now, nearly everyone who clicked there will be Christians checking out
my theology but if you skipped checking it out because you couldn't
give a rip about getting suckered into believing this stuff, click here.
Did I get you to click? Did you get that weird feeling?
Well, it was a good try anyway. Maybe later.
For
Christians I have two recommendations. First, if playing a
game where there is magic and a variety of gods troubles you, don't
bother with the game. If you have no problem with separating
out the fantasy elements of secular games from reality and they
don't affect your spiritual walk then try it out.
There
are ways to minimize some of the objectionable material but you'll
not be able to avoid it altogether. There are a lot of
Christians who play DragonRealms without any problems and there are
others who do have problems with it but still play it because the
game is so fun. There are still others who simply don't want
to play a game that contains magic and requires that their character
deal with fantasy gods or contains violent descriptions.
But if
you never play DR, you'll be missing out on a unique
experience. There are parts of the game that reveal very
impressive writing. Doctors, writers, lawyers, students,
professors, programmers, detectives, and more play and work on this
game. Parts of this game are beautifully written and the
experiences players enjoy is almost like stepping into the book and
becoming part of it.
Final
Score
Highlights: Absolutely
the most detailed and immersive virtual world out there. The
most detailed combat system of any RPG, great depth of commands to
express your character and a unique skill system.
Lowlights:
Somewhat difficult learning curve. For some it can take up to a month to know
if you'll really enjoy it (others take to it right away). You
have to deal with the fantasy gods to survive.
Recommendation:
A great game worth playing. However, if the idea of magic and
multiple-gods in a fantasy world bothers you, avoid it.
Hints:
Take it slow in the beginning and use HELP and ADVICE all the time at first.
Find another player or mentor to help you get started. Make
friends.
Age Appropriateness:
Pre-Teen to Adult
Christian
Sense (CS): 2.5
Game
Engine (GE): 4
Game
Play (GP): 4
Overall:
3.5
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