Gold Box Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games

[JanKrapivin]

Hello! I am sorry if this topic was already opened. Site search gives me error on every inquiry.. (

So, i have found two games from the AD&D Forgotten Realms in Top 101 list. Pool of Radiance and Pool of Darkness. And i have a question: will i miss much if i won't play in other games of the series? On GOG there is huge collection of games in this series. Should i play them all to better understand the plot, the lore, game mechanics? Or is it totally OK to play only these two titles from the top-list?

 

[Narushima]

Or is it totally OK to play only these two titles from the top-list?

It is.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Pools of Darkness is the fourth entry in the series. Pools of Radiance is the first. What you're missing is Curse of the Azure Bonds -- the second, and Secret of the Silver Blades -- the third.
Curse of the Azure Bonds is itself(AFAIK) a continuation of the Azure Bonds novel -- I have never read it, maybe someone else can comment on how important it is to understanding the game.

There is also Hillsfar which is related somehow between the first and second game, don't know much about it other than that.

The games weren't very plot heavy to begin with so will you miss much? Probably not.

 

[Dorateen]

You should play all four in sequence as it is part of the unfolding saga of Bane's attempted conquest of the Moonsea region. To underscore this, the antagonist of Pool of Radiance makes appearances throughout the series.

Then you should play the Dragonlance Krynn trilogy, followed by the two Savage Frontier titles.

 

[The Avatar]

Make sure you don't accidentally play the 2001 version

 

[JanKrapivin]

Thank you for answers. Have anyone played the Eye of the Beholder series and Menzoberranzan? Is it worth trying?

 

[JanKrapivin]

You should play all four in sequence as it is part of the unfolding saga of Bane's attempted conquest of the Moonsea region.

And Eye of the Beholder? Should i play it before to better understand the universe?

 

[Dorateen]

You should play all four in sequence as it is part of the unfolding saga of Bane's attempted conquest of the Moonsea region.

And Eye of the Beholder? Should i play it before to better understand the universe?

Play it afterward. There is not much connection with that series. Eye of the Beholder is real time and a step down from the AD&D Gold Box games, but still an excellent dungeon crawl. The official release has no automap, so you have to map by hand unless you use other tools.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

What Rusty said, play the four games in order--Radiance, Azure Bonds, Silver Blades, then Darkness. Also try using the Gold Box Companion mod so they don't make you want to completely blow your brains out.

I would also ignore the Krynn games and Savage Frontier titles unless you REALLY like 2e D&D, because there's nothing really new in any of them.

Menzoberranzan is by the same people who made Anvil of Dawn (non-D&D game), Ravenloft Strahd's possession, Ravenloft Stone Prophet, and The Summoning (also non-D&D). You don't need to play it unless you're a RA Salvatore fan as its one of the games where you can play as Drizzt.

Eye of the Beholder has no major story, it's just a Dungeon Master clone. Pretty good game though.

If you like story you're better off with Baldur's Gate 1/2. The Gold Box games are mostly tactical combat.

 

[JanKrapivin]

You don't need to play it unless you're a RA Salvatore fan as its one of the games where you can play as Drizzt.

i have read a few of his books, yeah. Maybe will give it a try

 

[kangaxx]

I'd put a vote in for also playing the Krynn games, but it's a matter of opinion.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Hello! I am sorry if this topic was already opened. Site search gives me error on every inquiry.. (

So, i have found two games from the AD&D Forgotten Realms in Top 101 list. Pool of Radiance and Pool of Darkness. And i have a question: will i miss much if i won't play in other games of the series? On GOG there is huge collection of games in this series. Should i play them all to better understand the plot, the lore, game mechanics? Or is it totally OK to play only these two titles from the top-list?

Pool of Radiance is the single best Gold Box game, but the Dragonlance/Krynn trilogy is the superior series to the quartet of games that begins with PoR. Personally, I suggest playing PoR and Curse of the Azure Bonds before switching to Champions of Krynn (which finished #66 in the original poll), but Pool of Darkness has many fans on the Codex. Don't forget to utilize the Gold Box Companion for some quality-of-life improvements.

 

[welly321]

Why would you want to play any of those old ass crappy games? Just wait for Encased and Elex 2 to come out.

 

[octavius]

In the meantime try this game.

 

[laclongquan]

Meh.

It's totally okay to NOT play any of the games above, and just play the Pool radiance remaster mod in Neverwinter Nights 2 engine.

 

[JanKrapivin]

Why would you want to play any of those old ass crappy games? Just wait for Encased and Elex 2 to come out.

Just killing time before Skyrim 2 release.

 

[Ysaye]

Thank you for answers. Have anyone played the Eye of the Beholder series and Menzoberranzan? Is it worth trying?

I have played Menzoberranzan - as Grampy_Bone said it is vaguely built around the SA Salvatore stories around Drizzt and the Drow (Dark Elves), but you don't need to know any of that - the game is okay but having played Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession recently and starting Ravenloft: Stone Prophet I think these games are slightly more fun as they are less linear (Stone Prophet the most non-linear) even if they can do a little more with the graphics in Menzoberranzan because it is a descent underground. One of the differences in these games is that you create half of your party (two out of the four) and then you get to pick up a couple of NPCs.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

This topic looks like Rusty replying to his past self if you remember Rusty avatar lore.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Meh.

It's totally okay to NOT play any of the games above, and just play the Pool radiance remaster mod in Neverwinter Nights 2 engine.

How does it compare to NWN OC? And mods?
Better? Worse?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

No goldbox mentioned as these are only console games

 

[Erebus]

There is also Hillsfar which is related somehow between the first and second game, don't know much about it other than that.

Hillsfar's ties to the Gold Box series are completely artificial. It consists entirely of mini-games and you only control a single character.

 

[Tomas]

No goldbox mentioned as these are only console games

Very cool thanks for sharing. I actually did not recognize most of these - back then I did not own any consoles. Some of the games look pretty good. I like how they showed even the EOB manual comparing it to pen and paper DND. I may still have my own copy buried somewhere.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Man he skipped Slayer & Deathkeep and a few others. EOB on gameboy color or is it advance is a different beast (tactical combat it has ... yessss).

 

[rojay]

I'm going to have nightmares about the kids in their basement screaming for help.

Thanks, Obama.

 

[laclongquan]

Meh.

It's totally okay to NOT play any of the games above, and just play the Pool radiance remaster mod in Neverwinter Nights 2 engine.

How does it compare to NWN OC? And mods?
Better? Worse?

Never play NWN1OC so I cant really tell.

NWN2OC has charms of its all, so if you had tried to snark, it's not as snarky as you would believe. And even if you hadnt tried to snark, it's not apporiate to compare a major AAA game in later years, come in 4-5 CD, with a mod from a game released in early early years, aka small content writings and tiny selection of quests coming in barely half a CD, most of which were music.

Stand on its own, POR Remastered mod is very nice, very nice indeed. Superb music, tight dungeon, the twist and turn in that tiny story is well done. Which is why I recommended you guys tried this module. In term of length, PORR is barely the size of Luremaster.