E3 2001 Preshow ReportPool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor

Stormfront Studios' sequel to the classic Gold Box Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Pool of Radiance will take place entirely in Myth Drannor, a mysterious ruined city filled with dangerous creatures and the undead. Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor will feature a faithful use of the new 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, which include a number of new skills, spells, and abilities for characters, as well as tweaks to initiative and other changes. Combat in the game will be turn-based, as it is in pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons games.

The game will also feature an advanced 3D engine and an interactive gameworld that will let characters use different objects in their environment--tables can be pushed or flipped over or a chest can be pushed against a door to block entry, for example. Characters can also climb on top of objects in order to get bonuses to their attack rolls, in accordance with the 3rd Edition rules dealing with elevated positions.

Rather than spanning an entire continent, the adventure in Ruins of Myth Drannor will be confined to a fairly compact but extremely detailed area. This will give the game more of a module-style feel, rather than a bland, drawn-out campaign. The game will still feature plenty of gameplay, though, with an involved storyline that will take between 60 and 70 hours to complete, as well as more than 50 side quests. It will also include a wide variety of non-player characters and monsters.

Development on Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor is almost finished, so we can expect to see a fairly complete build at the show.