Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace

Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace is a video game for MS-DOS released by Strategic Simulations in 1992. It is a Dungeons & Dragons PC video game using the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Second Edition rules, and the Spelljammer setting. Spelljammer was programmed and designed by Cybertech Systems.

Gameplay

Spelljammers are magic ships that fly through “wildspace” to various planets. All the planets and wildspace for a system are contained in a Crystal Sphere. Outside the Crystal Sphere is the Phlogiston, also known as the “flow”. Holes in the Crystal Sphere allow the flow to shine through, appearing as stars on planets. Spelljamming ships cannot enter the Phlogiston.

Game mechanics

The game starts the player with a 5th level D&D character. The available classes are: Clerics, Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Mages, and Thieves. There are three main parts to the game: (1) docked at a planet, (2) in space travel and ship-to-ship combat, and (3) on-board personal combat. When at a planet, various text menus allow the player to buy and sell cargo, repair and upgrade their ship, buy and sell character equipment, and seek missions. A rudimentary trade system allows players to make money shipping goods from planet to planet, and some key planets have more options for ship repairs and equipment. In space, the player can travel from planet to planet, or simply point the ship in any direction and go. Real-time ship-to-ship combat using ballistae and catapults takes place in a simple 3D view. The player can steer the ship to aim the weapons at enemies, and to try to avoid enemy missiles. The occasional meteor storm is a minor hazard while spelljamming. One little-used feature programmed into the game is the ability to crash the player’s ship into the Crystal Sphere. Normally “space” is shown as black, but if a player is patient and continues towards the Crystal Sphere, space would turn dark grey, light grey, the stars would spread out, and eventually the ship will crash into the Crystal Sphere. The player can bring the ship close to an enemy ship, board, and do turn based hand-to-hand combat on a simple isometric map. A full range of spells and weapons is available, and ships are crewed by a wide range of humans and monsters. In the turn-based combat system, the player controls the ship’s officers, and the computer controls the regular crew and the enemies. The turn-based combat engine supports spell effects and animations on the map, for example a “stinking cloud” that persists for multiple turns.

Plot

In the game, the player captains a ship and crew within the Spelljammer universe. The player can ship goods from planet to planet for a fee and take on simple missions including delivering people and goods, destroying pirates, and guarding the space lanes. As the player completes missions, the player’s character gains reputation points, eventually gaining enough points to be asked to help rid Realmspace of a terrible danger. This mission leads to the simple plot in the game.

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