D&D’s Gold Box Games Are Back – Shattered Lands, Champions Of Krynn, & More
The fantastic worlds of old-school D&D computer games are back this month. From the dawn of 1988 to you, D&D’s Gold Box Games.
When you think of Dungeons & Dragons, what world do you think of? For many, it’s the sprawling fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms. Others might think of Ravenloft or the world of Dragonlance or Greyhawk. A big part of the reason for this is, during the late 80s and into the 90s, TSR, then-owners of D&D, partnered with software developer SSI to create a series of fantastic adventures set in these worlds.
Calling them the Gold Box Games, these computer RPGs featured dangerous dungeons, vampire-infested castles, and of course the devastated wasteland that is the world of Dark Sun. These games gave players a window into D&D’s many worlds.
Now, seven thousand years later in 2022, the best of 1988 is back. Publisher SNEG announced that they will be resurrecting the Gold Box games on Steam later this month. And not only that, but they’re enhancing and updating the old games with a few extras to make sure they can actually run.
But what games are these, you ask? Well let’s take a look.
D&D’s Gold Box Games Are Back March 29th
“Launched in 1988, the Gold Box series of computer role-playing games (CRPGs) are beloved by millions of players worldwide. Veteran Dungeons & Dragons players and CRPG newcomers alike enjoyed these games and their variety of unique settings and challenges. Whether it’s exploring the high-fantasy worlds of the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance, surviving the brutal hellscape of Dark Sun, or battling a supreme vampire in the Ravenloft games, there was a Gold Box game for everyone! Grab your sword, spellbook, or Bag of Holding, and get ready for a return to nostalgia-laden adventures later this month!”
And SNEG is starting off with a bang. On March 29th, they’ll unlock twenty-two games on Steam. Each one takes place in one of the old school settings of 1st and 2nd Edition D&D. Here’s a comprehensive list of everything coming March 29th.
- Forgotten Realms: The Archives Collection One (Eye of the Beholder I, II, and III)
- FR: The Archives – Collection Two (Curse of the Azure Bonds, Gateway to the Savage Frontier, Hillsfar, Pools of Darkness, Pool of Radiance, Secret of the Silver Blades, Treasures of the Savage Frontier, and Unlimited Adventures)
- FR: The Archives – Collection Three (Dungeon Hack, Menzoberranzan)
- Krynn series (Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn, The Dark Queen of Krynn)
- Dark Sun series (Shattered Lands, Wake of the Ravager)
- Ravenloft series (Strahd’s Possession, Stone Prophet)
- D&D Stronghold: Kingdom Simulator
- Al-Qadim: The Genie’s Curse
But not only that, SNEG will be enhancing these games with new features. SNEG has planned a Gold Box launcher, making it easy to manage games and allowing players to transfer adventuring parties between games.
And SNEG will also bundle these with enhanced DOSBox support so they will run well (and properly) on modern hardware. Finally, SNEG has a series of Companion Apps planned for many of the games, starting with the Eye of the Beholder Series. These apps will handle dungeon mapping, update journal entries, allow you to access spellbooks and more.
SNEG have published many old school titles before, including forgotten gems like Siege of Avalon and Blade of Darkness. So it’ll be interesting to see how they handle these.
Check out SNEG’s official steam page here
Happy Adventuring
