Software:Dungeons & Dragons: Order of the Griffon

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Order of the Griffon
Cover art: "Spellfire" by Clyde Caldwell
Developer(s)Westwood Associates
Publisher(s)Turbo Technologies
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Designer(s)Joseph B. Hewitt IV
Composer(s)Frank Klepacki
Platform(s)TurboGrafx-16
Release
  • NA: October 20, 1992
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player

Order of the Griffon is a tactical role-playing game for the TurboGrafx-16 developed by Westwood Associates and based on the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). The game is set in the nation of Karameikos within D&D's Mystara setting.

Gameplay

Order of the Griffon uses a turn-based combat engine similar to that of the Gold Box games, such as Pool of Radiance. Unlike many Gold Box games, however, Order of the Griffon utilizes the Basic Dungeons & Dragons rules instead of the AD&D rules. Players select four pre-generated characters from the following classes: fighter, dwarf, mage, thief, halfling, cleric, and elf. Although characters are pre-generated, the player is offered three character options per class, each with different strengths and weaknesses.[citation needed] Characters start at the 1st level of experience and can achieve a maximum of 8th level.[1] Order of the Griffon uses a first-person perspective similar to Eye of the Beholder in cities and dungeons, and a bird's eye view for both the overland map and combat encounters.

The game also includes a number of powerful magic items. The Four Stones (ruby, onyx, death gem, and diamond) imbue the user with the ability to transform living victims into the undead. The Staff of Life allows access into Koriszegy Crypt. The Chalice is able to neutralize the poison that nearly kills Duke Stefan. The Staff of Halav is the only item that can kill the Vampire Koriszegy.

Plot

Lord Korrigan, the ruler of Radlebb Keep,[2] commissions the party of adventurers to investigate strange rumors of vampires, lycanthropes, and undead roaming the lands. Shortly thereafter the party uncovers assassination plots against Karameikan leaders, a conspiracy between various factions to turn innocent people into undead, and foretellings of the return of an ancient vampire.

The party's travels take them to three cities (Specularum, Radlebb Keep, and Kelvin)[2] as well as to various ruined sites, keeps, caves, and forests as they attempt to recover the four stones (ruby, onyx, death gem, and diamond) and prevent the evil Vampire Koriszegy from amassing an army of the dead. The game culminates in a final showdown with the evil vampire himself.

The game includes competing factions and organizations. The Order of the Griffon is an honorable society of paladins, knights, and fighters with branches throughout Karameikos.[2] The Iron Ring is a powerful criminal organization composed of bandits, cut-throats, and lycanthropes hired by the vampire Korizsegy to carry out many of his evil schemes, including assassinations and kidnappings of important political leaders. Its main branch is hidden deep within the Karameikan forests.[2] An evil wolf pack is hired by Koriszegy and led by the sentient dire wolf, Collum, who was to give the Staff of Life to the Iron Ring after the latter had eliminated the rival Dosmo pack. The party joins the Order of the Griffon after successfully defeating Collum and retrieving the Staff of Life.

Music

Frank Klepacki composed the game's music and cites it as the low-point of his career due to difficulties working with the limited musical capabilities of the TG-16's sound engine.[3]

Reception

Andrew Schultz from Honest Gamers writes of the game: "OotG is unambitious and still hardly perfect, and it does best when it breaks away from the AD&D formula and just tries to dazzle you. There's no doubt Dungeons and Dragons was influential in some of the early RPG's. By the time it got to computers, however, other people had taken the concept in far different directions, and the basics plus a flabby plot weren't enough any more".[4]

See also

  • Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun

References

  1. ↑ "Order of the Griffon / TurboGrafx 16 (PC Engine) / Downloads -". http://www.replacementdocs.com/download.php?view.1818. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Allston, Aaron. The Grand Duchy of Karameikos (TSR, 1987)
  3. ↑ "Gamers With Jobs Radio: Interview with Frank Klepacki". Gamers with Jobs. 2006-03-21. http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/taxonomy/term/318. 
  4. ↑ "HonestGamers". 2009-07-29. http://www.honestgamers.com/8264/turbografx-16/dungeons-dragons-order-of-the-griffon/review.html. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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