Death Knights of Krynn

Death Knights of Krynn is a computer role-playing game released in 1991 for DOS computers and later ported to other systems including the Commodore 64 and Amiga. Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) developed and published this game as the second entry in their Dragonlance series of computer games.

The game takes place in the Dragonlance fantasy world of Krynn. Players create a party of up to six characters choosing from different races like humans, elves, and dwarves. Each character can be one of several classes including fighters, clerics, thieves, and magic-users. The story follows these heroes as they battle against Lord Soth and his evil death knights who threaten the land.

Combat uses a turn-based system where players move their characters on a grid battlefield. Characters can attack with weapons, cast spells, or use special abilities based on their class. Magic-users memorize spells before battles and can only cast each spell once until they rest. Clerics get their spells from their gods and work differently than wizard magic. The game includes over 100 different spells divided between clerical and magic-user types.

Players explore the world through a first-person view when walking through dungeons and towns. The screen switches to an overhead map when traveling between locations. The interface uses menus to select actions like talking to people, searching for items, or managing character equipment. Players must manage their party's health, spell memorization, and equipment while completing quests.

The game follows standard Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules from the tabletop game. Characters gain experience points by defeating enemies and completing quests. When they earn enough experience, they gain levels and become stronger. The maximum level varies by character class, with some reaching level 14 and others capping at lower levels.

Death Knights of Krynn improved on its predecessor Champions of Krynn by adding new character classes like rangers and knight orders. The graphics showed more detail in character portraits and combat animations. The game included more puzzle-solving elements in its dungeons compared to pure combat-focused games of the time.

Critics praised the game's story and faithful adaptation of AD&D rules. Some reviewers noted the difficulty level was high, especially for players new to computer RPGs. The game required players to map dungeons on paper since it included no automatic mapping feature. This was common for RPGs of this era but could frustrate modern players.

The game's legacy continued with the final Dragonlance game The Dark Queen of Krynn in 1992. These three games formed a complete trilogy that let players import their characters between games. Death Knights of Krynn remains a solid example of early 1990s computer RPGs that successfully translated tabletop gaming to computers.