Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace

I really wanted to like this game. I played most of the gold box games as a kid and always thought Spelljammer was an interesting D&D setting. The game has basically no tutorial or instructions and combat is very difficult, even on the easiest setting. I can overlook both of these issues. Basically you start the game running errands for planets to make money while waiting for the real plot to unfold. You also have to prepare the correct spells and buy the best equipment for all 10 named members of your ship prior to ever engaging in combat. The real problem is after learning how the game works through numerous trial and errors, it is still brutal through just bad design. Ship damage is insanely expensive to repair to the point it requires multiple jobs just to make enough money to get back to 100%. Should you try boarding, the AI for your regular crew members often times doesn't help or worse blocks your party from getting to the enemies. This results in the battle going on indefinitely and i've never had the computer agree to surrender even when they're down to the final enemy. Maybe because my fame is too low? The game heavily de-incentivizes you to engage in battle which is b…

Needs more polishing and patching but it plays OK

Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace is an unusual old-school Dungeons & Dragons adventure that combines fantasy role-playing with space exploration, ship management, trading, and tactical combat. Developed by Cybertech and published on Steam by SNEG, it captures one of D&D’s strangest settings by placing traditional fantasy characters aboard magically powered vessels capable of sailing between planets. Rather than presenting another dungeon-centered campaign, the game puts the player in command of a Spelljammer ship and turns Realmspace itself into the adventuring ground. The central appeal comes from becoming a captain and gradually building a reputation. Players recruit officers and crew, explore different planets, transport valuable cargo, hunt pirates, and complete missions throughout Realmspace. These activities provide more freedom than a strictly linear RPG campaign, while an overarching conspiracy eventually gives the adventure a larger objective. The captaincy concept works particularly well because the ship is more than transportation. Its crew and capabilities are fundamental parts of progression, making the experience feel like a mixture of RPG adventuring and managemen…

https://youtu.be/7OLPRB6f3f8 One of the best settings for a RPG is now a menu fest that takes hours to setup and can be wiped out instantly in a random encounter.

Love the concept, played it when it came out (90's), but who ever re-released it should have at least patched some of the bugs that were with the original box when released.

takes awhile to get going but if you can hang, this is a deep classic