A Dangerous Interview

[nullity]

[esteban]

That's awesome!

This makes a good, optimistic  "before the game was cancelled" piece!

Gygax is very positive!

[Necromancer]

Too bad this one never came to fruition, but why in the world did NEC approach them about making such a game in the first place?  They couldn't possibly believe it'd sell like hot cakes, and the cost was surely far more than what it would've cost to port a handful of great, existing PCE games.

[Gentlegamer]

My username was inspired by Gary Gygax.

I used to chat with him often at another forum right up until his passing in 2008.

You can tell that is an authentic interview, because Gary used the word milieu.

[Gentlegamer]

If you're an uber nerd, you can dig through Gary's Q&A thread at enworld.org: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?22566-Q-amp-A-with-Gary-Gygax&styleid=19

It's ten archived threads merged into one. I don't remember any discussion of the DJ video game, but it's been years. You may even come across the portions where Gary and I fought with nerds over the fact that video games are not and cannot be RPGs.

[Gentlegamer]

But when a nerd is wrong, particularly wrong on the internet, he must be rebuked.

Seriously, there were people arguing with the inventor of the role-playing game on what constitutes such a game.

[esteban]

Here is a teaser I wrote for an incomplete article:

CAUSE OF DEATH: Have we finally determined the truth? Did TTi abort Dangerous Journeys: Necropolis in response to TSR's agressive legal tactics? Should TG-16 fans blame TSR for the premature death of a promising RPG set in a mystical Egyptian setting? Jump to the discussion below to learn more details from Gary Gygax himself...

http://www.archives.tg-16.com/Dengeki_PC_Engine_1993_03.htm#gygax_was_betrayed_by_NEC

Well, last year I started writing this article...(it is not finished!!!!) but basically Gygax claims that TSR's corporate  tactics squashed Gygax's new business venture (Dangerous Journeys)...litigation and legal battles cost too much and take too long, so Gygax sold ALL his DJ IP to TSR, who just wanted to remove DJ from market.

Basically, the Dangerous Journeys TG-CD project was a victim of this larger corporate battle.

 

THE QUOTED EXCERPT (block quote, powder blue box) is from a much longer Gygax interview where he discusses lots of interesting things, but only briefly touched on DJ and video games.  The interview is easy to find online.

BOTTOM LINE: We really don't know how far into development Dangerous Journeys: Necropolis was until it was cancelled. I don't think it was far, despite the fact that the planned release date of DJ (April 1993) preceded/coincided with TSR lawsuits.

 

I have a later draft of this article where I tried to establish a basic timeline, showing how TSR's legal challenges disrupted all of Gygax's business ventures...which is why TTi and JVC backed off.

TRIVIA: magazines initially listed the game as "Dangerous Dimensions", which NEC/JVC chose from a list Gygax suggested...but "DD" was too similar to "D&D"...

WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH $$$$ Gary accepted for the settlement with TSR...

[DragonmasterDan]

Too bad this one never came to fruition, but why in the world did NEC approach them about making such a game in the first place?  They couldn't possibly believe it'd sell like hot cakes, and the cost was surely far more than what it would've cost to port a handful of great, existing PCE games.

By the later part of the US TurboGrafx lifespan they were clearly aiming for a niche audience. I'm sure considering the popularity of Dungeons and Dragon's with the same type of niche audience they thought a game based on another Gygax property could be a selling point if that brand took off. I'm sure the licensing was considerably cheaper than it was for licensing the Dungeons and Dragons name for Order of the Griffon being that D&D was already established at that point.

There may have been some thought that if the "Dangerous" brand took off having the first video game based off of it would be a system seller among a niche audience.

[Black Tiger]

We WILL see a prototype online someday. But it will be snatched up by proto hoarders who will keep it under wraps until they die.

[glazball]

Not meaning to derail this thread, but...

@gentlegamer - did Gygax actually invent the term "role playing game"?  I'm no D&D expert so I'm honestly curious.  Because either way, I'd have to disagree with the both of you also - that video games are not and can't be RPGs.

In my limited D&D experience, I would say that pen & paper D&D is even less a "game" than any traditional video game RPG.  I would say it's more a "role-playing story" rather than a game.  I associate games (video or otherwise) with an ending (beat the evil main bad guy), an objective (high score, checkmate in chess, etc), or some sort of competition (sports).

Anyways, just hoping I won't have to reevaluate my whole life lol ...

[seieienbu]

Nulity, was magazine was that from?  I remember that specific layout for like, a CES special or something that came with an EGM or a Gamepro or something?  Do you have that whole book scanned?

[esteban]

FACT: the reason why I love nullity is because he is the only one who also attempts Kremlinology on the little pieces of information we dig up from TTi and company.

Nullity, I just got back from a trip to Massachusetts. I will respond to your comments/observations when I get a chance later.

I AM GLAD YOU SCANNED THAT page from TurboForce #4 because I had a super lossy version... Now we can do a proper comparison

[esteban]

Nulity, was magazine was that from?  I remember that specific layout for like, a CES special or something that came with an EGM or a Gamepro or something?  Do you have that whole book scanned?

TurboForce #4
http://archives.tg-16.com/turbo_force_0004.htm

[ParanoiaDragon]

I could swear there was a 3rd picture of the game, in some sort of garden or forest like setting, am I crazy?  I any case, I found this link, "might" be some extra info there. http://archeogaming.blogspot.com/2012/07/dangerous-journeys-necropolis-crpg-that.html

[esteban]

I could swear there was a 3rd picture of the game, in some sort of garden or forest like setting, am I crazy?  I any case, I found this link, "might" be some extra info there. http://archeogaming.blogspot.com/2012/07/dangerous-journeys-necropolis-crpg-that.html

The author of the blog was overly harsh: he said that the "horribly pixelated" graphics indicated that the game was far from completion, but the graphics look decent, especially for a work-in-progress. The 4 character portraits (in-game) are clearly the work of a talented professional. I think he was focusing on the goofy title screen (from the photocopied flyer), and not the in-game screenshots. The first-person views look pretty sparse, but they are pat for the course and do not look any worse than actually released games.

I have one (both?) of those DJ ads (I bought the DJ books, hoping for some info in the forward/main text about video game aspirations...but there was nothing in the content of the books about any video games).

I am trying to find a later revision of my article, because I distinctly remember someone (Gygax?) stating that Dangerous Journeys: Necropolis video game was * promoted* at an industry convention, but he did not make it sound as if it were a playable demo. Of course, this is all speculation, hence my allusion to Kremlinology.

Still, this is common in development (you could have 80% of a game finished, but not be even close to offering a polished, playable demo).

Best case scenario: some of the game's assets were created (art, music), at least one level/stage/small map designed and implemented (perhaps not fully). Basic UI and battle system implemented.

MIRACLE: Dare we dream that a cinema (art + music + voice acting) was created?

REALITY: