The CRPG Book Project

[Sergeant Politeness]

Since it is unlikely that this list will ever be finished, I thought that some people might be interested in something a lot more ambitious that I found on the Codex.

https://crpgbook.wordpress.com/about-the-project/

The CRPG Book Project is a collaborative, non-profit effort to create a free, easily available ebook on the history of Computer Role-Playing Games.

Our goal is to gather all the knowledge currently spread across countless websites, books, forums and minds in a single, accessible and visually pleasing tome – for free. We share the Internet Archive’s belief that “access drives preservation”, so we want to demystify gaming history, offering a reliable and attractive resource for people seeking information – or just a fun game to play.

The project began in May 2014, after the RPG Codex published its Top 70 PC RPGs list, featuring small fan reviews on each game. The reception was overwhelming, so came the idea of expanding the list into a full-blown book, covering the entire CRPG history.

For this we are reviewing over 300 games from 1975 to 2015, while also providing articles on the genre, mod suggestions and hints on how to run games on modern hardware. All written by fans, AAA developers, indies, journalists, modders and industry personalities such as Chris Avellone, Ian Frazier, Scorpia, Ferhegón, Richard Cobbett, Brian ‘Psychochild’ Green, Durante, George Weidman and Tim Cain, among others.

When completed, the book will offer:

• Over 300 games being reviewed through about 480 pages.
• Comprehensive chronological listing, from 70’s mainframe games, such as Avatar and dnd, to the latest releases.
• Longer and passionately written reviews, accompanied by big screenshots, developer quotes, curiosities and recommended mods.
• In-depth articles about the genre, the changes through the decades, fan-translations and related genres, such as MMORPG’s and MUDs.
• 100% free, downloadable as a cute .pdf, with bookmarks, hyper-links and all that.
• Planned to be also available as a paperback, sold at cost price.

We’ve already released three previews – the first with 100 pages , the second with 200 and the third with 300 – and plan to keep doing so until the entire book is completed. These also serve as “beta test” – we use the collected feedback and criticism to make the book as best as we can.

Currently we are:
– Recruiting extraordinary ladies and gentlemen to write reviews & some articles. You don’t have to be a famous developer or a hardcore player that finished all Wizardry games – if you feel confident on writing about a certain game or subject, just e-mail us.

How you can help:
– Volunteer to review a unassigned game from this list;
– Suggest games that you think should be reviewed;
– Suggest interesting content that should be in, as well as people that could be contacted;
– Criticize everything. Every feedback is useful!

The quality is top notch and the cast includes some well known persons such as Josh Sawyer and MCA. A must read for those interested in the history of cRPGs.

 

[felipepepe]

Thanks for the praise!

And if anyone wants to help, we sure could use some short reviews on older RPGs.

 

[Millim]

I don't mind helping with this
If you want, I'll do;
Jade Empire
Fallout Tactics

I would offer a review of Fallout 4, but it may be a little biased (even through I will have all the expansions).

 

[Sergeant Politeness]

Thanks for the praise!

And if anyone wants to help, we sure could use some short reviews on older RPGs.

I would, but my english isn't too good and I don't know as much about the genre as others on the Codex and NMA so I'll leave that role to them.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading the finished book.

 

[0wing]

#216 STALKER
Wait, since when STALKER became a RPG?

 

[Sergeant Politeness]

#216 STALKER
Wait, since when STALKER became a RPG?

Well, it does have some RPG elements. The book does not only include "pure" role-playing games, whatever that term even means, and I think this is a good thing considering there is no real definition for the term cRPG.

On another note, the fourth realease was a few days ago and there are now 50 more pages.

 

[Risewild]

I have to be with 0wing here, there is no way Stalker is a cRPG, and there is a big difference between a cRPG and a game with RPG elements. For example if STALKER is a cRPG then Borderlands is even more cRPG .

Not trying to bash, just saying that is including games like STALKER in a cRPG "super work" like this book that makes people confused about what a cRPG is and helps perpetuate that games like Fallout 4 or Borderlands are cRPGs and stuff like that .
I think just because a game is a good game, it shouldn't get a pass to fit in genre it is not it's genre just because it has elements of it.
Maybe I am just too old and keep trying to make people not generalise even more what a cRPG is. Since I was there when the first cRPGs appeared and they always followed the same system and vision as PnP RPGs, and so for me those requirement are what a cRPG needs to be a, well, a cRPG .

I am all in favour of this project though . Hope it achieves success .

 

[0wing]

And no one ever called STALKER a cRPG before this book, only FPS with some global elements of the genre even in it's homeland.

 

[TorontoReign]

Thanks for the praise!

And if anyone wants to help, we sure could use some short reviews on older RPGs.

I've been following your project for some time now. Keep it up. I may try to contribute some day to a project that actually gets shit done.

 

[felipepepe]

I have to be with 0wing here, there is no way Stalker is a cRPG, and there is a big difference between a cRPG and a game with RPG elements. For example if STALKER is a cRPG then Borderlands is even more cRPG .

I recently wrote a Gamasutra article on the many definitions of CRPGs and why it's so hard to get into common grounds...

The gist of it is that different types of players have different definitions:

Dice-Rollers: RPGs are driven by character skill! (muh stats!)
Role-Players: RPGs are driven by role-play! (muh immersion!)
BioWarers: RPGs are driven by choice! (muh romance!)​

STALKER is an open-world-ish FPS with quests, item-based character progression and choices & consequences. But it's missing Level Ups, which is why more old-school gamers reject it as a CRPG. On the other hand, people raised on BioWare wouldn't consider Wizardry a CRPG - "where are the choices?"

The only way I can make a complete CRPG book is by including both and using their review text to talk about this.

 

[0wing]

STALKER is an open-world-ish FPS with quests, item-based character progression and choices & consequences. But it's missing Level Ups, which is why more old-school gamers reject it as a CRPG

So does many other open-world FPT/TPS games. Open world and quests doesn't give the right to call them RPGs.

 

[felipepepe]

So does many other open-world FPT/TPS games. Open world and quests doesn't give the right to call them RPGs.

No, but add in choices in both character progression/playstyle and quests/factions and you have plently of role-playing opportunities. That's what separates STALKER from other games.