Shadowbane - the computer game
Created | Updated Mar 16, 2005
Shadowbane is a Massively Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game (or MMORPG for short) developed by Wolfpack Studios and maintained by UBISoft. The game was first released in March 2003, and has since been updated with two major expansions - Realms of Chaos in February 2004 and Throne of Oblivion in December 2004.
What is a MMOPRG?
A MMOPRG is a computer game which is played by lots of people at the same time, in which players control a character which interacts both with the game and with other players. Other (and perhaps better known) MMOPRGs include EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and Star Wars Galaxies. Typically, games are played by working together with other human players to accomplish a task or to defeat a common foe - perhaps computer controlled, or perhaps controlled by other players. Such games are more fun than conventional one-player games, as the possibilties for interaction with others are much greater, which leads to much more variety and a greater sense of achievement when goals are achieved.
Role-Playing?
Refering to such games as "role playing" is controversial, and many Shadowbane players would probably not describe themselves as role players. Shadowbane is a roleplaying game in the sense that it is set in a mythical fantasy world of swords and sorcery, though only a small minority of players play the game 'in character' by pretending to be the character they are playing, and talking only in the way that that character would talk. Most players do not develop their characters as alter egos, and play a variety of characters (or 'toons') as their fancy takes them and as the situation requires. Certainly no-one familiar with "table top" games such as Dungeons and Dragons would regard Shadowbane as a roleplaying game.
Having said that, the world of Shadowbane is rich and varied. The developers have worked out quite a detailed history and back story to the game, and some players do take the "lore" very seriously when playing the game. However, the majority of players regard the backstory as mere colour, and play Shadowbane as a tactical/strategic wargame.
Getting Started
Shadowbane is a complex game, and perhaps the best way to explain it is to follow the journey of a new player.
The first questions that new players are confronted with are the choice of race and class for their first character (each account has space for up to seven characters). Many of the standard fantasy races are here - dwarves, elves, half-elves (aelfborn), centaurs, vampires, minotaurs, and humans - but there are some original races. The game also features Irekei (an elflike red desert-dwelling race), Nephilim (winged demons), Aracoix (feathery birdmen), and Shades (pale undead-like creatures). Each race has a different set of special abilities, starting statistics (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, spirit), creation points cost, and a different set of options as regards base class, speciality class, and disciplines.
Character Creation
New characters have a choice of only four base classes (sometimes called apprenticeships) - Fighter, Healer, Mage, and Rogue. Each has different
statistics (the fighter has greater strength but lower intelligence, the mage has greater intelligence and spirit but lower strength etc), and allows access to different speciality classes (sometimes called professions) and disciplines - of which more later. Each class has access to different powers - fighters have access to a superior choice of weapons and armour, healers can not only heal but also cast spells to temporarily increase stats, rogues can become invisible, and mages have access to a range of attack and utility spells.
The other choice that has to be made is about 'starting runes'. Each new character has a certain number of points to spend on choosing their race, their starting runes, or on their character's statistics (stats for short). There are a wide range of runes - some boost stats (both starting and maximum), some boost one stat at the expense of another, some add bonuses to skills, and others to resist certain kinds of attacks. There is also the option to obtain a few more points by lowering one or more stats slightly. All these options allow a lot of flexibility in character creation, even within the four base classes.
Advanced Classes
Upon reaching level 10, new characters are required to 'promote' to an advanced class (sometimes called a 'profession'). At the time of writing, there are 22 different advanced classes (Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Channeler, Confessor, Crusader, Doomsayer, Druid, Fury, Huntress,
Necromancer, Nightstalker, Prelate, Priest, Ranger, Scout, Sentinel, Templar, Thief, Warlock, Warrior, and Wizard) all with different strengths and weaknesses. The choice of advanced class is restricted by the initial choice of base class - only Healers can become Priests, and only Fighters can become Warriors. However, some advanced classes are accessible to more than one base class - assassins can be rogue-based or mage-based, barbarians can be fighter-based or rogue-based, crusaders can be healer-based or fighter-based, channlers can be healer-basedor mage-based and so on.
Although the range of classes will be familiar to most swords and sorcery afficionardos, each class is very different from the others and has its own special abilities. Although some classes excel in single combat the emphasis of Shadowbane is on teamwork, and creating groups with the right mix of abilities is part of the challenge of the game. There are also many different ways to build each class, as there are nowhere near enough training points available to train every skill that is available to them. For example, priests can be built to heal, to stun, or to buff (temporarily boost the stats of others). Thieves can be built as pickpockets who steal undetected, or as fast and deadly scirmishers who rely on stealth and surprise.
Discipline Runes
As well as being a variety of different ways to build and play each character class, there are also a range of discipline runes which can be acquired to customise your character further and to add new options. At the time of writing there are 46 different runes, although the ability to use these runes is restricted by gender, race, base class, advanced class, and by other runes which the character has taken. These runes grant a variety of different powers, including the ability to track other players (huntsman, bounty hunter), transform into animal form (werebear, werewolf, wererat), gain extra combat powers (archer, blademaster, bladeweaver, sun dancer, beserker), or add powers to items (forgemaster, enchanter, undead hunter). Others grant special powers such as damaging buildings (battle magus), healing buildings (sanctifier), controlling siege engines (commander, artillerist), claiming mines (prospector), and using runegates (traveller).
Runes are a treasure that has to be found in the game. Each rune has a particular monster or "dropper" which has to be killed for the rune to be claimed. These droppers are scattered across the map, and reappear about six hours after they have been killed. It's also possible to trade for runes with other players.
Gaining levels and gold
Characters gain levels by killing monsters (known as "mobs") and earn money by looting gold and magic and non-magic items from them. These items can be kept or sold to vendors, which may be computer or player-owned.
Shadowbane allows players to form groups, which means that all treasure is shared and that all members of the group earn experience points for any monsters that any member of the group kills. This means that it's much easier to earn experience and gold with other players than by yourself. Each level gained means more points to spend on your stats and more points to spend on your skills and powers. Different character classes have different skills and powers, and many are granted only at higher levels. Training these skills (at computer or character owned trainers) costs gold, as does buying new and better equipment - including a sizeable array of magic items.
Shadowbane characters can be advanced up to Level 75. The game uses a "soft cap" level system, which means that the higher levels take much more experience points (and therefore much more time) to gain for a much smaller reward in terms of points to spend on skills and stats. A character at level 55 would be much better than one at 50 (all other things being equal), but the gap between a level 75 and a level 70 character is much smaller.
Character Death
Characters generally spend at least their first 20 levels on Newbie Island, which is significantly safer than the rest of the world. On Newbie Island, characters who are killed by monsters (or 'mobs') simply re-appear at their home city, along with all of their equipment and everything they were carrying. Their skills and powers cannot be used for a couple of minutes because of a lingering 'death shroud' which fades in time.
Once outside Newbie Island, characters who are killed reappear at their home city in 'death shroud' but lose everything they were carrying (though carried items can be recovered by anyone from the grave), and items that are equipped take damage which costs money to repair. Unrepaired items will eventually break. Additionally, being killed by a mob incurs an experience point penalty. On Newbie Island (and in a few safeholds scattered around the map), characters cannot be killed by other characters, but on the vast majority of the map, players can be killed by other players.
What is a MMOPRG?
A MMOPRG is a computer game which is played by lots of people at the same time, in which players control a character which interacts both with the game and with other players. Other (and perhaps better known) MMOPRGs include EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and Star Wars Galaxies. Typically, games are played by working together with other human players to accomplish a task or to defeat a common foe - perhaps computer controlled, or perhaps controlled by other players. Such games are more fun than conventional one-player games, as the possibilties for interaction with others are much greater, which leads to much more variety and a greater sense of achievement when goals are achieved.
Role-Playing?
Refering to such games as "role playing" is controversial, and many Shadowbane players would probably not describe themselves as role players. Shadowbane is a roleplaying game in the sense that it is set in a mythical fantasy world of swords and sorcery, though only a small minority of players play the game 'in character' by pretending to be the character they are playing, and talking only in the way that that character would talk. Most players do not develop their characters as alter egos, and play a variety of characters (or 'toons') as their fancy takes them and as the situation requires. Certainly no-one familiar with "table top" games such as Dungeons and Dragons would regard Shadowbane as a roleplaying game.
Having said that, the world of Shadowbane is rich and varied. The developers have worked out quite a detailed history and back story to the game, and some players do take the "lore" very seriously when playing the game. However, the majority of players regard the backstory as mere colour, and play Shadowbane as a tactical/strategic wargame.
Getting Started
Shadowbane is a complex game, and perhaps the best way to explain it is to follow the journey of a new player.
The first questions that new players are confronted with are the choice of race and class for their first character (each account has space for up to seven characters). Many of the standard fantasy races are here - dwarves, elves, half-elves (aelfborn), centaurs, vampires, minotaurs, and humans - but there are some original races. The game also features Irekei (an elflike red desert-dwelling race), Nephilim (winged demons), Aracoix (feathery birdmen), and Shades (pale undead-like creatures). Each race has a different set of special abilities, starting statistics (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, spirit), creation points cost, and a different set of options as regards base class, speciality class, and disciplines.
Character Creation
New characters have a choice of only four base classes (sometimes called apprenticeships) - Fighter, Healer, Mage, and Rogue. Each has different
statistics (the fighter has greater strength but lower intelligence, the mage has greater intelligence and spirit but lower strength etc), and allows access to different speciality classes (sometimes called professions) and disciplines - of which more later. Each class has access to different powers - fighters have access to a superior choice of weapons and armour, healers can not only heal but also cast spells to temporarily increase stats, rogues can become invisible, and mages have access to a range of attack and utility spells.
The other choice that has to be made is about 'starting runes'. Each new character has a certain number of points to spend on choosing their race, their starting runes, or on their character's statistics (stats for short). There are a wide range of runes - some boost stats (both starting and maximum), some boost one stat at the expense of another, some add bonuses to skills, and others to resist certain kinds of attacks. There is also the option to obtain a few more points by lowering one or more stats slightly. All these options allow a lot of flexibility in character creation, even within the four base classes.
Advanced Classes
Upon reaching level 10, new characters are required to 'promote' to an advanced class (sometimes called a 'profession'). At the time of writing, there are 22 different advanced classes (Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Channeler, Confessor, Crusader, Doomsayer, Druid, Fury, Huntress,
Necromancer, Nightstalker, Prelate, Priest, Ranger, Scout, Sentinel, Templar, Thief, Warlock, Warrior, and Wizard) all with different strengths and weaknesses. The choice of advanced class is restricted by the initial choice of base class - only Healers can become Priests, and only Fighters can become Warriors. However, some advanced classes are accessible to more than one base class - assassins can be rogue-based or mage-based, barbarians can be fighter-based or rogue-based, crusaders can be healer-based or fighter-based, channlers can be healer-basedor mage-based and so on.
Although the range of classes will be familiar to most swords and sorcery afficionardos, each class is very different from the others and has its own special abilities. Although some classes excel in single combat the emphasis of Shadowbane is on teamwork, and creating groups with the right mix of abilities is part of the challenge of the game. There are also many different ways to build each class, as there are nowhere near enough training points available to train every skill that is available to them. For example, priests can be built to heal, to stun, or to buff (temporarily boost the stats of others). Thieves can be built as pickpockets who steal undetected, or as fast and deadly scirmishers who rely on stealth and surprise.
Discipline Runes
As well as being a variety of different ways to build and play each character class, there are also a range of discipline runes which can be acquired to customise your character further and to add new options. At the time of writing there are 46 different runes, although the ability to use these runes is restricted by gender, race, base class, advanced class, and by other runes which the character has taken. These runes grant a variety of different powers, including the ability to track other players (huntsman, bounty hunter), transform into animal form (werebear, werewolf, wererat), gain extra combat powers (archer, blademaster, bladeweaver, sun dancer, beserker), or add powers to items (forgemaster, enchanter, undead hunter). Others grant special powers such as damaging buildings (battle magus), healing buildings (sanctifier), controlling siege engines (commander, artillerist), claiming mines (prospector), and using runegates (traveller).
Runes are a treasure that has to be found in the game. Each rune has a particular monster or "dropper" which has to be killed for the rune to be claimed. These droppers are scattered across the map, and reappear about six hours after they have been killed. It's also possible to trade for runes with other players.
Gaining levels and gold
Characters gain levels by killing monsters (known as "mobs") and earn money by looting gold and magic and non-magic items from them. These items can be kept or sold to vendors, which may be computer or player-owned.
Shadowbane allows players to form groups, which means that all treasure is shared and that all members of the group earn experience points for any monsters that any member of the group kills. This means that it's much easier to earn experience and gold with other players than by yourself. Each level gained means more points to spend on your stats and more points to spend on your skills and powers. Different character classes have different skills and powers, and many are granted only at higher levels. Training these skills (at computer or character owned trainers) costs gold, as does buying new and better equipment - including a sizeable array of magic items.
Shadowbane characters can be advanced up to Level 75. The game uses a "soft cap" level system, which means that the higher levels take much more experience points (and therefore much more time) to gain for a much smaller reward in terms of points to spend on skills and stats. A character at level 55 would be much better than one at 50 (all other things being equal), but the gap between a level 75 and a level 70 character is much smaller.
Character Death
Characters generally spend at least their first 20 levels on Newbie Island, which is significantly safer than the rest of the world. On Newbie Island, characters who are killed by monsters (or 'mobs') simply re-appear at their home city, along with all of their equipment and everything they were carrying. Their skills and powers cannot be used for a couple of minutes because of a lingering 'death shroud' which fades in time.
Once outside Newbie Island, characters who are killed reappear at their home city in 'death shroud' but lose everything they were carrying (though carried items can be recovered by anyone from the grave), and items that are equipped take damage which costs money to repair. Unrepaired items will eventually break. Additionally, being killed by a mob incurs an experience point penalty. On Newbie Island (and in a few safeholds scattered around the map), characters cannot be killed by other characters, but on the vast majority of the map, players can be killed by other players.
