Crystal Island (game)

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Crystal Island
DesignersSaul Betesh
PublishersSaul Betesh
Years active~1990 to 1995
GenresRole-playing, heroic fantasy
LanguagesEnglish
PlayersSolo adventure
Playing timeunlimited
Materials requiredInstructions, order sheets, turn results, paper, pencil
Media typePlay-by-mail or email

Crystal Island is a closed-end, mixed-moderated, heroic fantasy play-by-mail game. It was published by Saul Betesh. Similar in gameplay to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Tunnels & Trolls this solo adventure was under way by 1990 as one of three starter games within Betesh's "Draconian System" which featured the expansive multi-player fantasy game DragonsKeep. Players generated a character for role-play with various attributes and skills, advancing by amassing experience points to increase levels. Players accomplished their goal by acquiring three keys and traveling to the Crystal Tower to complete a quest. The game received generally positive reviews in gaming magazines in the early 1990s.

History and development[edit]

Crystal Island was published by Saul Betesh of Kingston, Ontario.[1] It was mixed-moderated.[2] Crystal Island was one of the components of Betesh's fantasy "Draconian System" based on Dungeons & Dragons.[3] Reviewer Chris Gorde compared it to a combination of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Tunnels & Trolls.[4] While the major game within this system was the expansive multiplayer DragonsKeep game, Crystal Island was one of the three solo preparatory games.[3][a] There were 40–50 players in 1990 and by 1992, the game had over 150 players.[4]

Gameplay[edit]

Example orders and turn results exchange between a player and the gamemaster.[6]

Players begin by generating a character with various attributes including Constitution, Intelligence, Dexterity, Charisma, Luck, Perception, and Strength.[3] Players could choose three skills which included: "Map reading, Traps/Maze, Language, Diplomacy, Swim, Animal/Bird, Boat/Fish, Mineral/Gem. Climbing, Gambling, Survival, Armor, Shield, Axe, Armor Repair and Weapon Repair".[7] Players had two character types available, warrior or wizard, assigning one as dominant.[4] Players advanced levels by amassing experience points and testing at their guild in a walled city.[8] Turn orders were simple: players wrote orders in sentence form for the gamemaster (image right).[6]

The game's purpose was "to find three mystic keys and eventually journey to the Crystal Tower, to find out why it has gone 'silent'".[2] Along the way, players encountered various challenges such as "puzzles, traps, monsters, magic, and the like".[2]

Reception[edit]

Vickie Lloyd reviewed the game in the September–October 1992 issue of Paper Mayhem, stating that the game was "just plain fun to play">[5] She continued, "The game is easy to get into and play so if you' re interested in D&D but not making a career of reading rules, Crystal Island is the place for you."[5] Chris Gorde reviewed the game in the January–February 1992 issue of Paper Mayhem saying, "I believe that CRYSTAL ISLAND is a game of merit. It's not a complicated game and shouldn't keep you up all night like some other games; nevertheless, for the money and effort needed to become successful in the Dragonspire world, I recommend it to novices and veterans alike."[8] In the January–February 1995 issue of Paper Mayhem, Crystal Island ranked No. 47 of 77 PBM games with a score of 6.388 of 9 points.[9]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The other two solo adventures were The Lost Mine and Dwarf Falls.[5] By 1994, Dwarf Falls was no longer offered as "its entire database was lost in a system crash".[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lloyd 1992. pp. 28–30.
  2. ^ a b c d Stone 1994. p. 38.
  3. ^ a b c Lloyd 1992. p. 28.
  4. ^ a b c Gorde 1992. p. 29.
  5. ^ a b c Lloyd 1992. p. 30.
  6. ^ a b Parbaek 1995. p. 27.
  7. ^ Gorde 1992. p. 30.
  8. ^ a b Gorde 1992. p. 32.
  9. ^ Editors 1995. p. 44.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Editors (January–February 1995). "PBM Game Ratings: As of 11/18/94". Paper Mayhem. No. 70. pp. 44–45.
  • Gorde, Chris (January–February 1992). "Crystal Island". Paper Mayhem. No. 52. pp. 29–32.
  • Lloyd, Vickie (September–October 1992). "Crystal Island". Paper Mayhem. No. 61. pp. 29–30.
  • Parbaek, Soren (November–December 1995). "Roleplay in the Mailbox". Paper Mayhem. No. 75. p. 27. Crystal Island review.
  • Stone, Trey (July–August 1994). "Crystal Island: Game Within a Game". Flagship. No. 50. pp. 38–39.
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