The Temple of Elemental Evil and Me

A while back, I got a copy of the Temple of Elemental Evil computer game. I've been playing it a bit, but I'm not close to finishing it. For many reasons, this whole thing has been an interesting experience for me. This isn't meant to be a review, but more a description of what it's been like for me to play it. (Spoilers for the game, and thus the adventure module, as well as the sequel that I wrote, lie ahead.)

First and foremost, this is a computer game that adheres to the game system that I helped design. I gotta tell ya, that's pretty cool. Cooler still, as the author of Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, this game is a real kick for me. See, I lived and breathed this adventure for many months -- I got to know the place really well. But, now that it's almost three years later, I find that I remember my own "Return to" adventure much more than the original. So, I know the layout of the Moathouse, for example, really well-but I keep getting mixed up on what's actually in any of the rooms. Nevertheless, it's surreal to face down Lareth or Hedrack or see Zert in the inn. These are characters I feel I know almost like real people.

Playing the game, though, is like playing 3rd Edition with a really bad DM. Now, that might sound like a derogatory statement, but let me clarify -- no other computer RPG that I've played has come close to feeling like playing a roleplaying game with an actual DM.

Let me tell you about my Temple of Elemental Evil computer game DM. He is one of those DMs that always sends along NPC allies that are 'way more powerful than the PCs. For a while, I basically ran a group of 2nd- and 3rd-level characters, and had a 5th-level and a 10th-level NPC going along with me. So, I did what any player would do -- I let the NPCs handle most of the real challenges (and the DM showed off how powerful the NPCs were). Oh, and get this -- my DM gives them first pick of all the treasure. I can't tell you how much that sucks. Worse, my DM doesn't know anything about Encounter Levels. Or, perhaps he does, but he is so faithful in converting the old 1st Edition module to 3rd Edition that he doesn't care that the challenges are wholly inappropriate for my characters. My 2nd-level characters ran into about 8 or 10 gnolls. Now, granted, we had a big party, and we had the 5th-level NPC with us at the time, but that's an EL 7 encounter! My DM is also such a stickler for rules you wouldn't believe it. If you move 5 feet, but don't call it a 5-foot-step, my DM treats it like a move action. That's a bummer. Or if I tell him that I want to use defensive casting, he assumes that I do that on every spell thereafter until I tell him otherwise. When I'm back at the inn and identifying items and my spell is ruined because I'm using defensive casting, I yell at my DM. "Why didn't you tell me?" But my DM doesn't reply. My yelling at him makes no difference.

And to think, I'm having all these typical RPG experiences with a computer game! I still can't believe this game is so good, I can actually think of it as "my DM."

I mentioned the conversion of the old adventure. It's very, very accurate. You could use a copy of the module as a cheat book if you wanted. The conversion's so accurate, in fact, that it can lead to problems. In addition to the aforementioned encounter balancing issues, you won't find any exotic weapons as treasure. Thus, you can buy a spiked chain and use it, but don't count on finding a magical one. (You could, of course, make it magical yourself -- amazingly, virtually every option that's available to you in D&D is available here.) Conversely, my rogue has had a ring of invisibility since she was 3rd level, and now my 6th-level wizard has one too. It goes nicely with the staff of striking he got at 2nd level.

It's ironic, too, that the only people who can really appreciate the accuracy of the conversion probably aren't enjoying the game as much as others, because they remember where every secret door and trap is. Although I must say, while I do recall some of the details of the original module, the encounters are still fun and challenging.

I've heard about people having technical problems with the game, but the glitches I've found are very, very minor and it's never crashed on me in mid-game. About the only game-play issues I have with it (other than minor glitches, like my wand of summon monster I doesn't function) have to do with moving around in the nicely detailed 3-D environment. It's like playing with miniatures on a grid that only the DM can see (there is no grid, so it's sometimes difficult to tell when you are adjacent). Also, sometimes two "clickable" objects end up on top of one another. If one of them is a door or a set of stairs that you click to use, you'll never get at the other object. Lastly, when I'm in a room of a dozen slain temple guards after a battle, I don't want to have to search each one individually. The game could really use a "loot everyone" button.

Overall, though, it's the most D&D-like experience I've ever had at my computer. Would I rather be sitting around a table playing with my friends, one of whom is a DM I can talk to (and reason with)? Of course. But when that's not possible, this game is a lot of fun. Gaming is like pizza, I guess. Even when it's bad, it's still really good.