Review Submitted By: Emrys
Author Status: Player
Started on Forgotten Kingdoms: May 2007
Submission Date: Sep 15, 2007
TMC Listing: Forgotten Kingdoms
The following review is the opinion of the review's author [Emrys]
and in no way represents the opinions of this website or its staff.
Well met, traveler! Since I have been sucked into the Forgotten
Kingdoms, almost against my will, I feel compelled to lure other
innocents into the same insidious trap. The addictive-as-drugs game is
based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, though no prior
knowledge is required. Most importantly, it is a roleplay-enforced
game (the shiny lure that pulled me in). There is no way I can
describe everything that hooked me like a hapless fish, but I want to
highlight a couple key elements that made a difference.
Character creation is particularly elegant. As I built my first
character, step-by-step, famous characters from the Forgotten Realms
setting explained the basics of how the game works. I especially want
to thank Elminster for explaining feats, I know how busy he is. What
is otherwise a relatively dry process was made exciting. Thanks!
There are a few interesting details about new characters worth
noting. Unlike the standard Dungeons and Dragons setting, where a
character starts with his chosen class and an allotment of skills,
characters in Forgotten Kingdoms begin as one of four basic classes –
warrior, rogue, priest, or wizard. They must then find in-game guilds
to become a full class – a fighter, a cleric of a specific faith, a
mage or specialist caster, a thief or bard, and so on. Joining these
full classes usually require some roleplay, some are harder to join
than others. Likewise, rather than starting off with a full selection
of spells, skills, and languages, characters must find in-game
trainers to teach them these abilities. This adds an extra level of
interest in NPC mobiles in the game, a nice touch. (Admit it, we
ignore most mobs unless they sell something we need or can be killed
for gold and XP).
As a roleplay intensive game, Forgotten Kingdoms also employs an
interesting Kismet system to try to weed out troublemakers right off
the bat. Before playing something potentially disruptive like a thief,
a chaotic evil character, or a rare race like a tiefling, the player
must acquire a certain amount of kismet. Kismet represents game
knowledge, and is gained simply by playing for a time, or it can be
awarded for excellent RP. Not that anyone would ever want to play a
chaotic evil tiefling thief (shudder).
Forgotten Kingdoms boasts a healthy number of areas to adventure in,
an alarming number of automated quests (some of which grant secret
skills, hee hee) with a variety of rewards, and blah blah blah cool
features. So what. The REAL reason to visit this game is the RP.
Unlike other MUDs I have played in, there is no OOC channel to just
schmooze and inform you all about my new job, my problems with my
girlfriend, and how I took the day off because I have the sniffles.
Sure, it’s nice to express an interest in your fellow players, but did
we not come here to Roleplay? I think we did. In FK, all interaction
is generally expected to be IC. And aside from general roleplay and
adventuring with other characters, there’s a pretty steady stream of
special events set up and supported by the immortal staff.
A final comment on how newbie-friendly the game is (I am still
relatively new). Player friendliness, immortal support, detailed help
files, and the character creation system all get top marks from me.
But make no mistake, FK is not an easy game. Much like the
pencil-and-paper RPGs, adventuring is something done as a group.
Wandering around on your own at low levels will usually result in
severed limbs and death (as I can unfortunately attest to). Also, some
classes require patience and rather extensive RP and interaction with
other player characters before they are available. As an example, I
played a priest for a couple of months, seeking to enter a specific
religion and become a cleric. Since the Faiths are player-run
organizations, I had to seek out specific players to join that
religion. While I applaud the roleplay required, the time involved got
a bit tedious. My understanding is that paladins are one of the
hardest classes to enter, requiring (currently) a wait of six months
or more.
We play these games for their entertainment value, yes? Forgotten
Kingdoms provides what I want in my entertainment – a rich, rewarding,
and emotionally intensive roleplay experience. I failed my saving
throw – FK has trapped me more thoroughly than any web spell. All I
can do now is try to lure in new victims – er, I mean, players. Like
you... yes, come a little bit closer...
