The roots of the modern RPG videogame can be traced back to the earliest tabletop games and beyond.
Here, Phil charts the RPGs evolution from paper to pixels… Its a template that has continued to serve the tabletop RPG ever since.
In many ways, the experience of playingDungeons & Dragonsstood or fell on the abilities of the Dungeon Master.
(You see you blinkered fools of yesteryear?!
As the popularity ofDungeons & Dragonsgrew, it led to the emergence of several distinct but related gaming cultures.
The first of these was the sudden growth of the tabletop RPG industry.
Such gamers would find a home in the worlds of boardgames such asHero Quest,Space Crusadeand theWarhammerseries.
Such games paved the way for the first commercially successful series of computer RPGs, in particular theUltimaandWizardryseries.
Permission to point and laugh NOT granted.
Usually when establishing characters, you would assign points to various attributes and skill sets etc.
This could make all the difference between starting the game as a shepherd or a druid, for example.
It was a revelation.
Today, the definition of what constitutes an RPG has never been more fluid.
The originalDungeons & Dragons, now in its fourth edition, continues to find an audience worldwide.
Dragon Age II is released on March 11th 2011, on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
