The Wylde

Warrior of Ras, Volume Three: The Wylde is the third of four-game series in which all titles were released in an extremely short time period between 1982 and 1983. I reviewed the first game, Dunzhin, in January, and the second, Kaiv, just a few weeks ago (links to my reviews). The games are characterized by an unnamed hero who explores the titular areas and fights numerous random combats, all with the goal of reaching a far-flung area and collecting a treasure.

All of them are light on most classic role-playing elements. The series has limited back stories, no character creation, no NPCs, limited equipment (no equipment at all in the first game), and limited character development. For these reasons, the games have earned lower scores on my GIMLET. Nonetheless, they do features some interesting innovations for the era, in particular a complex system in which every body part has its own hit points, armor class, and protection. This is true of both the PC and his foes, and combat becomes an exercise in determining whether to strike easy-to-hit but well-armored places, like chests and abdomens, or low-HP but hard-to-hit locations like heads and necks. The combat system is also slightly more tactical than the average game of the era in that it allows you to spend rounds AIMing or to sacrifice accuracy for power in FORCE attacks.

Also notable about the series is the way that the author, Randall Masteller, rapidly added features as the titles progressed. Dunzhin had no inventory, but Kaiv offered some basic armor and weapons, including the odds of weapons breaking in combat, the need to keep a stock of torches, and the need to eat and drink occasionally. The Wylde, meanwhile, builds upon the previous games with a more complicated combat system.