Crystal Island is a closed-end, mixed-moderated, heroic fantasyplay-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
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
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
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]
^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]
