Together Retro - May

[Sarge]

I will second Orcs & Elves, it's almost an action-RPG with the way it plays. Fascinating stuff from id Software. That may end up being one of the games I play.

[marurun]

Anything on the DS that is good to explore, or any retro titles on Switch?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Deep Dungeon is an intuitive streamlined intro to the genre, but I'd be hesitant to truly "recommend" it, as most would have to emulate (it's a FDS game) and it's dull as dirt.

As for the DS, the first Etrian Odyssey is a great pick. Orcs & Elves, just mentioned, is solid too. I missed out on The Dark Spire when it was affordable, sadly, so I can't vouch for it.

Nothing on the Switch stands out, as of now.

Here are some Steam and GOG.com suggestions for "gridders" (grid-based RPGs):
http://store.steampowered.com/curator/1 ... rson-RPGs/
https://www.gog.com/mix/grid_based_1st_person_rpgs

My post on May 1st will have a bunch of suggestions. There's a lot of stuff out there. There's even an eligible game on the Atari 2600!

[Ack]

Dungeon crawlers definitely can be a bit intimidating for me with all the classes and stats and the "oh whoops you didn't making the right party combo so you're dead!", so a simple dungeon crawler sounds great.

That's ok. Dungeon crawlers and classic WRPGs are intimidating to a lot of folks. Despite having played a few over the years, I wouldn't say I really got into them properly until in the last few years, and despite having beaten a bunch, I still can feel a pang when considering which one to try next. This is partly because these games do have a learning curve and often have a difficulty curve that is front-loaded, though they do tend to adhere to traditional Dungeons and Dragons-based rules. It's also partly because the controls themselves can pose a problem, such as Ultima I's choices that make sense logically but not from a comfort standpoint and fly in the face of modern game design. Alternatively, there are game mechanics that are not implemented in a comfortable way, such as declining resources that are tough to restore and can result in a game over if not maintained. But as you play, you'll learn how to manage these things, and even if you do terribly in the beginning, you'll learn.

One way I can help you is to explain about the traditional party structure of a D&D campaign. Since so many WRPGs and dungeon crawlers pull their inspiration directly from table top games like Dungeons and Dragons, it can be a useful tool to examine the "traditions" of these games. If you have a game which offers up a party system in a WRPG, most of these will generally be balanced around the idea of what constituted the standard D&D party:

4 members, consisting of...
1 tank (a melee fighter of some kind who wears heavy armor and gets up close)
1 caster (an offensive spellcaster who's physically weak but can devastate with magic)
1 healer (a defensive spellcaster who can rejuvenate party members and provide utility spells like being able to create food or identify items)
1 skills (slot 4 can vary, but generally the role falls to thieves, alternate casters, characters who fight from range, charismatic personalities, or some character class that supplements the party in an area the other 3 do not)

You should also consider that often your tanks will dominate early game and become weaker late game due to enemy abilities and stats, while casters will generally start weak and dominate late game.

Now note that some games offer classes with dual roles. For example, Eye of the Beholder has the Paladin class, which combines the tank and the healer role into a hybrid. Unfortunately, the Paladin isn't as tough as your traditional tank, the Fighter, and it doesn't have quite as much healing or utility as the traditional healer, the Cleric, but it does provide a melee advantage which enables a typically back-row role (ie. physically weaker) to instead be on the front line fighting monsters head on without fear of getting slaughtered.

When you go into a dungeon crawler with 4 characters, keep this in mind. If you have more characters, focus on where you think you'll need more help, so a six character Might and Magic party can have 2 tanks, 2 skills, 1 caster, 1 healer, or 2 tanks, 1 skills, 1 caster, 2 healers, or a variety of hybrid classes, etc., based on how you like to play and what you think you are going to need in the game.

Also, if you're unsure of what might make a good party and are worried...ask us! We're happy to help offer suggestions.

[pierrot]

I could not possibly be more disappointed in the three people who switched from Telenet to whatever else. I just have one question: Was it worth it?

SMT I, II, IV, Strange Journey, Persona 1 (and possibly some others)

There's also Megami Tensei, Megami Tensei II, SMT if..., SMT Devil Summoner, and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. I would be kind of shocked if anyone actually played anything in this series, though.

So, while I would have preferred it if Telenet had won, for more genre variety, I have a sickening number of games I could play for May's TR. (I really would have been okay with any of the options, though.) I'm already through about half of SMT if..., and just haven't played it in months because the sloth realm was ass. So I guess I'll start there, but I wouldn't mind playing SMT II, Devil Summoner, Soul Hackers, or Persona 1. I also have Shining in the Darkness, and Shining the Holy Ark. Before those, though, I'll hopefully still be compelled to play through Arcus I-II-III. I've made some mild attempts before, but it didn't go so well.

I'd kind of like to give the Etrian Odyssey games a whirl, too, but it's probably pretty unlikely that I actually get through more than two of the games I already mentioned.

[Exhuminator]

Anything on the DS that is good to explore

Deep Labyrinth
Elminage II DS Remix: Sousei no Megami to Unmei no Daichi
Etrian Odyssey
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard
Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City*
Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of the Firetop Mountain
Mazes of Fate*
Orcs & Elves*
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey*
The Dark Spire
Wizardry Asterisk: Hiiro no Fuuin
Wizardry: Boukyaku no Isan
Wizardry: Seimei no Kusabi

*I recommend these the most.

[Ack]

I could not possibly be more disappointed in the three people who switched from Telenet to whatever else. I just have one question: Was it worth it?

You'll be happy to note that I never changed. Telenet until the bitter end!

[nullPointer]

I could not possibly be more disappointed in the three people who switched from Telenet to whatever else. I just have one question: Was it worth it?

You'll be happy to note that I never changed. Telenet until the bitter end!

Same here! (although admittedly I was rooting for First-Person Dungeon Crawlers all along)

[Sarge]

Soul Hackers is good. Go full Strength on the hero, and full magic on Nemissa.

[pierrot]

I could not possibly be more disappointed in the three people who switched from Telenet to whatever else. I just have one question: Was it worth it?

You'll be happy to note that I never changed. Telenet until the bitter end!

Same here! (although admittedly I was rooting for First-Person Dungeon Crawlers all along)

That's because you two are winners, and winners never quit--on Telenet.