Indie RPG News Roundup - December 12th
Things have actually quieted down on the indie computer RPG front - perhaps due to the holiday season being upon us. Still, there's a bit to look out for. Here's what's been happening this week:

Eschalon Book 1
Eschalon Book 1 has been out about three weeks, and it's got a lot of people talking. And playing. And buying. The buzz on several forums has been excited about this "old-school" western-style RPG. And a lot of people are excited for a second game --- which hopefully won't take as long as the first. It's personally gotten me excited because I feel a lot of mainstream RPGs have been stuck in something of a rut... and while Eschalon doesn't go into necessarily trek into uncharted territory, it goes back into a field that has laid fallow for a few seasons.

The beta 1.04 Patch is now available for Eschalon: Book 1. It's a beta, so use at your own risk. The patch information (including the download link) can be found here:
Eschalon: Book 1 Patch 1.04 Information

Also, the Mac version is out!
Download the Mac version of Eschalon: Book 1.

Finally, Scorpia has weighed in with her evaluation of the game. She does not use rating numbers, but her review is informative, largely positive, and full of detail. Why is it that Internet-based reviews, where space is no issue, tend to run shorter than print reviews? Oh, right, Internet users don't read. In which case, you aren't seeing this. Well, Scorpia bucks the trend. Leave it to an old-school reviewer to handle an old-school RPG properly. Here ya go:
Scorpia's Review of Eschalon: Book 1


Depths of Peril
The "official" patch 1.004 has been released for Depths of Peril, the action / strategy dynamic-world RPG. Among various bug-fixes, rogues got a little bit of class-balance love in this patch, and the higher-difficulty world has gotten a little bit harder. You can check out the complete changelist here.

Depths of Peril Patch 1.004

And there are more monsters posted on Soldak's site: The Plaguebringer, the Plaguebringer Larva, and the Skeleton (hey, every fantasy RPG has to have a skeleton in it? It's like the law or something... I think it's called the Harryhausen Law...)

New Depths of Peril Monsters


Shady O'Grady's Rising Star
I just heard about this one last week, but it's been out since February. Better late than never, I guess.

From the website, "In Shady O'Grady's™ Rising Star, you start out as a rookie musician, and work your way up to stardom. However, success doesn't come without hard work. You must join other musicians with compatible personalities, write songs, and practice practice practice! Go out on the town, to get familiar with the local club scene, until the day comes for your first gig. Eventually, you will deal with larger venues, managers, producers, record contracts, product endorsements, and more."

Why do I talk about it here? Well, it features "RPG-style experience/leveling system, with six assignable skills: Songwriting, Playing, Stage Presence, Production, Repair, and Business. Make band decisions based on your musicians' Inspiration, Health, Happiness, and Ego levels."

So it sounds like a Sim / RPG hybrid, but I confess I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Maybe this weekend. I mean, an RPG that is NOT about battling orcs and goblins? Wow, sign me up! This sounds nice and off-beat. But hey - you can beat me to the punch and check it out yourself and tell ME about it:

Shady O'Grady's Rising Star


Indie Game of the Year Voting
GameTunnel.com has the annual "player's choice" poll up for tons of indie games that were released this year. Be sure and vote for your favorites. There are lots of RPGs up this year, unlike past years, though many have expressed disappointment that Eschalon: Book 1 wasn't one of the choices.

Game Tunnel's Player's Choice Award Voting

And there we go for this week! Have fun!


(Vaguely) related indie rpg-ness.
* What Are the Best Indie CRPGs of 2007?
* Indie RPG News for December 5th, 2007
* Indie RPG News for November 28th, 2007
* Indie RPG News for November 22nd, 2007

Post Your Indie RPG Thoughts Here! Or Not! See If I Care! *Sniff*

Labels: Indie RPG News

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:26 AM (Permalink)