Friday, November 29, 2019

Das Schwarze Auge?

The CRPG fanatic began playing a computer game based on Das Schwarze Auge - "The Dark Eye." That game is Realms of Arcania. I have not played either.

I've long been casually curious about Das Schwarze Auge. It's one of those games that for me just seemed to come up in online forum discussions. People would refer to it, but it was only in German so that was that. You'd have to take someone's word on what it contained, how it was, what you were missing out on, etc.

There is now a Wikipedia entry on it and a number of editions. One of them was translated to English.

It's the earlier ones that hold the most interest to me though. It's the game I flet was teased around the edges as this novel, innovative game that catered to the German market in a way that D&D and other English-language games never could.

Have any of the earlier editions, especially the first, ever been translated into English? It seems from Wikipedia that it's only in German up until 4th (and now 5th) editions. It seems like someone must have made the effort, especially given the interest in the last 10 years or so in older game editions. It would be interesting to read.

4 comments:

  1. In Italy Das Schwarze Auge ("Uno sguardo nel buio", as it was translated) was probably more popular than early D&D, since it was published by Edizioni E. Elle, that published gamebooks (Lone Wolf, Fighting Fantasy, etc.) and the modules were printed in the same booklet format, costing 1/3 of a D&D module.
    If you know D&D, Das Schwarze Auge is not a great rpg, let say that the first edition was basically a rip off of D&D... two original elements were that you must remember the formulae of the spell to cast them and that a cartographer is mandatory to play the game, while in D&D players may choose to draw their maps or not.
    I read that newest editions are much better than the original.

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    Replies
    1. It's not a question of it being good or bad; I'm interested in it from a more historical interest standpoint. I'm never going to play it or run it.

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  2. The earlier editions were not translated into english, only into french, dutch and italian. They did a reprint of the complete 1st edition boxed sets in german last year and the 3 bookslets of the basic set are available as pdf for pay what you want on drivethru if you want to take a peak at it.
    Rulebook: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/236988
    GM Guide: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/236989
    Adventure: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/236994

    ReplyDelete

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