A band of desperate adventurers battle an angry dragon in an illustration by Larry Elmore for Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, an RPG for PCs by New World Computing This 3-page ad from late 1997 boldly proclaims the "Rebirth of a Legend" that began in Jon Van Caneghem's apartment in 1986!

Volcanic Dungeon (1983) was a dungeon crawling RPG for the 48K Spectrum and ZX-81 PCs by Carnell Software. Even after the defeat of Methzar, a goddess of evil, the dying world can only be restored with magic seeds hidden by a princess imprisoned within...the Volcanic Dungeon! (a chose poorly thread)

A 1986 ad for Wizard's Crown and Rings of Zilfin, two RPGs for the Apple II and C-64 by SSI Wizard's Crown took an eight-member party on a quest to recover a magic crown in turn-based or automated combat while in Rings of Zilfin, solo adventurers battled foes in real-time to recover a magic ring!

Volcanic Dungeon (1983) was a dungeon crawling RPG for the 48K Spectrum and ZX-81 PCs by Carnell Software. Even after the defeat of Methzar, a goddess of evil, the dying world can only be restored with magic seeds hidden by a princess imprisoned within...the Volcanic Dungeon! (a chose poorly thread)

Mike Winterbauer's depiction of the nefarious Lord Xeen and his pet fill the backdrop of this 1992 ad for Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen, a CRPG for PCs by New World Computing The fourth entry in the epic series challenges would-be heroes to "perish or prosper" as they confront Lord Xeen's evil!

Dungeons of Doom (1984) was a dungeon crawling adventure by Simon Mansfield for the ZX Spectrum 48K. A lite, top-down quest where, after naming yourself, you plunge into a local dungeon to seek treasure and slay monsters! Fortunately, your character is actually armed. (a simple dungeon delve thread)

Dungeons of Doom (1984) was a dungeon crawling adventure by Simon Mansfield for the ZX Spectrum 48K. A lite, top-down quest where, after naming yourself, you plunge into a local dungeon to seek treasure and slay monsters! Fortunately, your character is actually armed. (a simple dungeon delve thread)

Set in the world of Ultima, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss by Blue Sky Productions dares role-playing dungeon crawlers to explore "25 Miles of Terror" from the safety of their PCs in 1992 Its detailed world would become your prison, exploring it in the hopes of finding a way to escape!

The Missing Ring (1982) by Datamost was an RPG for the Apple II. Your quest for a wizard's ring lost in a dungeon can be tackled solo or with a party of up to five pre-made and independently controlled characters. Graph paper skills (and remembering perspectives) were tested! (a party power thread)

Hillsfar (1989) | RPG | PC platforms | Westwood Associates This unusual entry in SSI's catalog of AD&D titles let players import characters from adventures like Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds to take part in random quests and mini-games like facing down Lefty in the arena!

The Missing Ring (1982) by Datamost was an RPG for the Apple II. Your quest for a wizard's ring lost in a dungeon can be tackled solo or with a party of up to five pre-made and independently controlled characters. Graph paper skills (and remembering perspectives) were tested! (a party power thread)

This 1991 ad challenges readers to "Feel the Power" in Might & Magic III: Isles of Terra, an RPG for PCs by New World Computing With the series at five years old with "500,000" copies of its games "sold worldwide", the new title's look and feel pointed the way forward as its grand quest continued!

A 1999 ad from Japan for Lunar 2: Eternal Blue, an RPG of "love, courage, and adventure" for the PS1 by Game Arts and a remake of the 1994 version on the Sega CD. Hiro and Lucia (shown here) team up in a grand adventure taking place a thousand years after the events of the first game!

Mafia (1986) | RPG | Commodore 64 | Igelsoft This German RPG was updated in 2010 with a snazzy new intro theme and translated into English by TheRyk, transporting more would-be kingpins to 1920's Chicago in a bid to climb the rungs of the criminal underworld and dominate the city with your gang.

Beneath the Pyramids (1980) by Crystalware for PCs like the Apple II was an adventure game with light RPG elements. Set in 1932, you set off into mysterious catacombs beneath the pyramids to recover a golden cat statue, surviving traps, fighting monsters, and having enough rope. (a sandy thread)

A 1991 ad for the North American release of 87's Dragon Quest II that debuted in Japan, now renamed Dragon Warrior II for a new audience. The ad also shows a posting for a "pre-release contest" for Dragon Warrior III promising twenty winners a chance to win a "pre-release Dragon Warrior III pack".

Destiny of an Emperor (1989) | strategy RPG | NES | Capcom Based on Hiroshi Motomiya's manga based on China's war torn Three Kingdoms era, Tenchi wo Kurau, this RPG converted armies into hit points for the warlords that will be leading them into battle as they vie with each other to become emperor!

The Tower of Druaga (1984) is an action RPG by Namco that debuted in the arcade. Players took on the role of Gil, a Golden Knight, who must traverse sixty floors of randomly generated mazes filled with increasingly brutal beasties armed with a sword and shield! (a tall and dark dungeon thread)

An early 1990's ad for the Sega CD release of Lunar: The Silver Star, an RPG by Game Arts and Studio Alex. It was localized and released in the United States by Working Designs in 1993. This grand adventure became something of a marquee title for the Sega CD becoming an instant favorite with fans!

A 1987 ad from the UK for the PC port of Atari's Gauntlet II, the "mind blowing" dungeon crawling sequel to the game that made shooting the food the worst icebreaker among strangers in the arcade "The Phenomenon Continues" promising over "100 levels of pulsating action"!

Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony (1985) | action RPG | PC platforms | Origin Systems In pursuit of the Orb of Celestial Harmony, players explore a top-down world of mystery and adventure where karma can haunt your actions and a mighty Overlord's legs can be his greatest weakness.

Warrior (1983) by ASCII Corporation was a dungeon crawling RPG released for their PC, the MSX, in Japan. Players explored a vast dungeon, autobattled monsters (or ran from them), and encountered treasure boxes that enhanced (or hurt) stats or filled their pockets with money. (a blocky pixels thread)

A late 1993 ad for Sword Master, a strategy RPG by Right Stuff for the PC Engine CD Boasting a 24 member party, it made the most of its CD format featuring voice acting and dramatic cut scenes with top-down, turn-based tactical battles reminiscent of those found in titles like Sega's Shining Force.

Swords of Twilight (1989) | RPG | Commodore Amiga | Free Fall Associates Free Fall worked to improve the state of conversations in RPGs and this snippet shows a bit of that ambitious approach. While Tessalon makes small talk with NPCs, the party may also make queries and comments of their own.

Tower of Myraglen (1987) | action RPG | Apple IIGS | Richard L. Seaborne This top-down dungeon crawler featured boisterous sound effects (enhanced further with an MDIdeas SuperSonic stereo card) and bumping combat that would have made Falcom proud as a lone Knight quests to recover a lost amulet!

Swords of Twilight (1989) for the Commodore Amiga by Free Fall Associates. In this RPG, players must save Albion from the wicked Shadowlords who have scattered the tools of their demise, special swords, across several worlds. Now you must travel the Rainbow Road to recover them! (a chatty thread)

An ad for 1987's Deathlord, an RPG for PC platforms by Electronic Arts Illustrated with a dramatic cover by David McMacken, Deathlord was originally designed around a Norse theme but marketing forced designer, Al Escudero, to change everything over to a Japanese themed fantasy in five weeks.

Dungeon of Death (1979) was an early CRPG published by Instant Software for the Commodore PET. After naming yourself, it rolled you into a randomly generated character on a quest through a twelve level dungeon filled with beasts to retrieve the Holy Grail from...Smaug the Dragon? (a taped thread)

Dungeon of Death (1979) was an early CRPG published by Instant Software for the Commodore PET. After naming yourself, it rolled you into a randomly generated character on a quest through a twelve level dungeon filled with beasts to retrieve the Holy Grail from...Smaug the Dragon? (a taped thread)

A two-page Japanese ad from early 1994 for Hudson Soft's Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, an action RPG for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² Hudson Soft's two-page flex once again shows off their handling of Ys on the PC Engine with a huge roster of voice actors, character art, and scenes from the new adventure!

A 1992 advertisement for Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace, an RPG for PC platforms by Cybertech The illustration used in the ad (and the box art) was from a heavily edited piece featured on a DM screen used for TSR's Spelljammer campaign setting. Artist: Erik Olson

Happy 25th Anniversary for the release of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, a CRPG by BioWare for PCs! This grand adventure featured David Warner as the voice of its powerful antagonist shown here in a two-page ad for "the most stunning Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game to date."

BioWare's Baldur's Gate II enjoyed a series of themed ads leading up to its eventual release in 2000. Potential adventurers were introduced to a dark figure lurking in the shadows, a mysterious elven beauty, and now a rogue dangling in the air later asking "whose hands will you place your life in?"

BioWare's Baldur's Gate II had a series of ads in 2000 featuring key characters from the RPG's main story from the villainous Jon Irenicus (voiced by David Warner) to the mysterious figure seen here with deep, painful ties to his past that players will discover during the course of the adventure.

Baldur's Gate II, an RPG for PC platforms by BioWare, had several different ads run for it in 2000; one two-pager featuring the main villain (voiced in the game by the late, great, David Warner) and this one featuring another key character lurking in the shadows with a taste for blood.

Azure Dreams (1997) by Konami is an RPG that was released for the PS1 and the Game Boy Color. There is a tower where monsters thrive and adventurers risk their lives to explore in the hopes of escaping with their eggs and making a king's ransom. And your lost father was one of them. (an egg thread)

A two-page teaser for Stonekeep from 1995, an RPG by Interplay for PCs Stonekeep had a number of different ads including this preview showing off its unique tombstone shaped retail box with a skeleton stepping out from a nifty hologram. It even came with a hardcover novella by Steve Jackson!

Swords of Twilight (1989) | RPG | Commodore Amiga | Free Fall Associates The makers of EA's Archon wanted to take a stab at the state of conversations in CRPGs in this adventure with features such as PC party members speaking up on their own based on their disposition and in building reputation.

AlphaMan (1995) by Jeffrey Olson for DOS PCs was an ASCII-based, CRPG roguelike set on a post-apocalyptic Earth where you play a mutant human on a mission to stop the Grinch from releasing a toxin capable of killing all life. You also only have a week to stop him! (a mission impossible thread)

Terranigma (1995) | RPG | SNES | Quintet This colorful adventure boasted neat features such as using the Super Nintendo's Mode 7 to help visualize the hollow world where it begins. Quintet's creativity also transformed its menu into a magic box you could enter, turning text options into furniture!

BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge (1990) by Westwood Associates was the tactical sequel to The Crescent Hawk's Inception. Now serving a powerful House, Jason Youngblood takes his trusted warriors to save his father who was taken in the first game by ruthless invaders. (a cold dish thread)

A 1985 ad for Gemstone Warrior, "a new strategy arcade game" by Paradigm Creators Each new game meant a new maze of caverns to battle through and featured persistent monster corpses (most monsters remained dead) that could be used to temp store extra items. Just remember where you left your stuff!

BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge (1990) by Westwood Associates was the tactical sequel to The Crescent Hawk's Inception. Now serving a powerful House, Jason Youngblood takes his trusted warriors to save his father who was taken in the first game by ruthless invaders. (a cold dish thread)

Record of Lodoss War (1995) | RPG | Super Famicom | Thinking Rabbit Translated into English by fans, this RPG adaptation of the famous fantasy series quests across the early history of a few of its major characters. It would begin long ago with Karla and her companions engaged in a dramatic battle!

Computer Gaming World's 15th Anniversary issue in November, 1996, celebrated not only the games but the ads and the developers behind them such as how SSI's "gold box" RPGs transformed their rep from being known only as that "wargame" company to Might & Magic's shrink wrapped success!

Ad for Dragon Wars (1989), a CRPG by Interplay Dragon Wars started out as Bard's Tale IV but when Interplay left EA to go indie (and with EA still holding onto the Bard's Tale rights at the time), renamed it. Instead of demonic horrors, dragons would be shoehorned in. Illustration by Boris Vallejo

Larn (1986) is a roguelike RPG by Noah Morgan that debuted on UNIX and was later ported to other systems like DOS PCs. Players explore a ten level dungeon to cure their daughter while under a time limit. It was also one of the earliest roguelikes to feature an overworld area. (a heals quest thread)

This 1993 ad from Japan for the PC Engine CD port of Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra tempts readers with exciting adventure thanks to Akihiro Yamada's detailed illustrations The ad also mentions its flexible character creation system and over 100 quests awaiting players in a grand, new epic!

Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan (1990) was an RPG for PC platforms by StarCraft based on Ken St. Andre's Tunnels & Trolls tabletop RPG. Players became would-be heroes traveling the land and questing to free it from the cruel grip of the Death Empress and her evil horde! (a noisy dragon thread)

A 1993 ad from Japan for Gaiapolis, an arcade action RPG by Konami Art by Akihiro Yamada filled with heroic poses illustrates the page, showing off the three heroes that players can pick from in Konami's colorful attempt in bringing a bit of fantasy role-playing to arcades!