Atari 8-bit: Dragonriders of Pern
4I can't remember playing this much, but how could I pass up a Dragonriders of Pern game? Unless using an option that skips one or the other, gameplay is divided into two phases: negotiation and Thread fighting. The negotiation phase involves trying to build alliances and gain influence with the often stubborn Lords Holder and Mastercrafters, while Thread fighting is an action phase that involves flying wings of dragons (represented as a single dragon onscreen) to sear the voracious menace from the skies of Pern.
I'm really not sure what I'm doing in the negotiation phase, though. There's a lot going on, and I'm sure it makes for engaging strategic gameplay if you understand what's happening, but it would help to be more familiar with it. To be honest, I'm not sure I ever played much beyond the Threadfall practice option. And instead of complaining about how long the turn took to finish, maybe I shouldn't have picked the slow speed at the beginning? Ah, well. The music is nice, regardless. As it ought to be, given the importance of music on Pern!
After doing a little research, I've found that there have been a handful of other Pern games. Dragonriders: Chronicles of Pern, a 3D adventure game released by Ubi Soft in 2001, suffered from technical issues that distracted and detracted from what some described as an engrossing and complex story. There was a Dragonriders of Pern boardgame, published by Mayfair Games in 1983, that I haven't been able to find much information on except that it was panned by one reviewer for lacking enjoyment and excitement. If that's how licensed works tended to turn out, it's probably for the best that there was never a movie adaptation, however much I want to watch dragons come to life on the screen.
More interestingly, though, there was a text-based multi-user world called PernMUSH that has since ceased operation. And, to my mind, if you're going to have a Pern game, that's the way to go. Pern is ultimately all about its people and how they work together (or fail to) in the face of adversity, so what better representation than a world full of people interacting with each other? There were some disputes involving copyright issues, particularly whether they had rights to include Benden Weyr and Ruatha Hold as playable locations, but those were all ironed out eventually, and the game ended up staying active for over 20 years. Not a bad run!
More information: http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-dragonriders-of-pern_1723.html
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