The BBS Corner - BBS Door Games and IGM List
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) have long been a source of entertainment. BBS
"door games", text-based external third-party game programs, have been
around for many years. The most popular of these has been The Legend of the
Red Dragon.
For a listing of BBS Door Game websites where you can find more information
or to download/register a copy for your BBS, visit our
BBS Door Game Sites
page.
A typical BBS has several BBS door games of different types. The most
pouplar type of door game is the Role-playing Game (RPG). But there are
other games that are popular with users. Door games are usually compatible
with most brands of BBS software. Door games use a special file called a
"drop file" to provide information to the game itself. Popular drop files
are DOOR.SYS, CHAIN.TXT and DORINFO.DEF. If your BBS supports any or all of
these, chances are your BBS can play most of these games. Worldgroup BBS is
a noted exception because of it's unique setup. There are special games that
have been produced for Worldgroup.
Further Info: Break Into Chat Wiki article on BBS Door Games; Break Into Chat Wiki list of BBS
door games
In-Game Modules (IGMs) are third-party applications that work in conjunction
with BBS door games to give additional functionality. These are popular with
the Legend of the Red Dragon door game.
Further Info:
Break Into Chat Wiki Article on IGMs
List of Popular BBS Door Games and IGMs
The following is a brief list of the most popular BBS games. We cannot
possibly add ALL the games that have ever been created. However, if you know
of a POPULAR BBS door game that is not listed, please contact us and let us
know!
Arrowbridge I and II
Arrowbridge is a freeware BBS Door written in Quick Basic Mark Sinclair.
Arrorwbridge II is the sequel to the original Arrowbridge (now known as
Arrowbridge I) game.
Players can select from one of six character classes. Players will need to
explore the extensive land and descend into the multi-level dungeons and
dragon lairs. Players can joust each other, build castles, perform special
missions, gather hints from NPC's, search for the magical orb fragments, and
encounter other sleeping players.
Arrowbridge II also features the capability of game coordinators creating
their own lands, dungeons, missions and hints using a custom Map Editor. The
game also has an inter-bbs option, where players can raise armies to invade
player armies on other Bulletin Board Systems.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Barren Realms Elite
Barren Realms Elite or BRE is a multi-player bulletin board system strategy
game.
Barren Realms Elite is a 25-player strategic war game originally by Mehul
Patel. One feature of the game was the ability for a bulletin board system
to compete against other BBSs. Each BBS would function as its own distinct
planet in a universe of planets, where the universe comprised all of the
BBSs that agreed to host the game together. Messages and attacks would
travel from planet to planet on a regular basis as the BBS systems called
each other to transmit and receive data. The focus on inter-BBS play
completely changed the game dynamics, and both BRE and SRE continued to be
developed for several years.
John Daily Software now owns the rights to and continues to release
registration for Barren Realms Elite.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Falcon's Eye
Falcon's Eye or FE is a multi-player bulletin board system strategy game.
The game was created by Mehul Patel, now owned by John Dailey Software.
Gameplay is similar to BRE in a different setting. In Falcon's Eye, a player
controls a county within a mythical, medieval world. Players must develop
their county's economy, employ their people, construct buildings, create a
military and expand their lands.
Falcon's Eye has more variables than BRE. A player's county can belong to
one of many races; workers can be employed in various types of jobs;
different buildings may be built on a county's land; and various types of
spells may be cast.
Players compete for the "Falcon's Eye," a glass eye from a famous sculpture
of a falcon. It is awarded each day to the player with the highest score.
The player who possesses the Eye gains several advantages over other
players, though his population will become more demanding, which results in
a lower approval rating.
For more info:
Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Kannons and Katapults
Kannons and Katapults is a BBS door game written by Alan Davenport. The game
is a one player BBS door in which you challenge "King Computer" in a turn
based strategy game. The object of the game is to defeat King Computer by
either destroying his castle, defeating his army, or assassinating him by
trying to sneak past his guards.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Legend of the Red Dragon
Legend of the Red Dragon (LoRD) is a text-based role-playing game written in
Pascal and run on Bulletin board systems as a third party door game. It was
created by Seth Robinson of Robinson Technologies and is currently owned by
Metropolis Gameport, while the game is maintained by Michael Preslar. The
player's goal is to improve his or her skills in order to defeat the Red
Dragon which has been attacking the village. LoRD was first released in
1989.
The premise of LoRD is that a Red Dragon is wreaking havoc in a town where
the player has recently arrived. Multiple players compete over a period of
weeks to advance their skills and to kill the dragon. In order to achieve
this goal, players must face combat to gain experience. Once they have
gained enough experience, they must face their master at Turgon's Warrior
Training and advance in skill level. Advancement presents stronger enemies
and masters; a player must reach level 12, the final level, before
challenging Turgon himself and attacking the dragon.
Sale to Metropolis Gameport and Future Development
Robinson sold the game and its sequel to Metropolis Gameport in 1998 to
concentrate on writing other small games for PC and mobile platforms. His
final release was 4.00a.
Metropolis Gameport contracted Michael Preslar on January 8th, 2001, to
continue the game's development. The most recent version of LORD (4.07) was
released in 2006. According to Preslar, further updates to the LORD software
are planned, including a web application and versions for ELF-compatible
Linux and Unix systems.
Tournament LORD
Tournament LORD was a port of Legend of the Red Dragon capable of handling
many players at once. It was written by Robinson and designed for the
MajorBBS/Worldgroup BBS systems.
Wildcat Tournament Legend of the Red Dragon (WT-LORD)
Wildcat Tournament Legend of the Red Dragon (WT-LORD) is a multi-player
battle game created for Wildcat! 5.x Bulletin Board Systems (Wildcat! BBS).
Joe Marcelletti and Allan Benjamin arranged a deal with Robinson prior to
the sale to Metropolis software. The software includes a large amount of
customized code, including integration with the Wildcat! BBS software. It
was maintained by IceRage Technologies however is no longer being developed
or supported.
For more info:
Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Legend of the Red Dragon II (LoRD II)
An official sequel, Legend of the Red Dragon II: New World, was a major
change from the first game, featuring full ANSI graphics. It employed a
top-down view, similar to roguelike games and The Pit. LORD II was written
by Robinson and its final release came in 1998, before its sale to
Metropolis Gameport.
For more info:
Break Into Chat Wiki Article
MajorMUD
MajorMUD is a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) for the Major BBS and Worldgroup BBS
software. MajorMUD was created in the early 1990s and is currently owned by
Metropolis Gameport (since May 1999). MajorMUD itself was initially offered
as a separate game module for the MajorBBS. Despite its significant price
tag, MajorMUD was noted to be one of the most wildly popular packages to
MajorBBS sysops.
A total of 9 expansion modules, or "mods", were released over a period of
several years, each in kind for an additional fee to the system owner. Over
the years, a total of 9 content modules were released. The MajorMUD website
still lists Module 10 as a future update, however seeing as how there has
been no news about this module since 2003, and since Module 9 was released
in 2001, many now believe that Module 10 will never be released.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
The Pit
The Pit is a Bulletin Board System (BBS) game using basic ANSI art and text
database information. Players fight in a rectangular grid against computer
or human opponents. Starting out with thin armor and a weak sword, with each
win over opponents, your character becomes stronger with better weapons.
Aside from Melee weapons, you can also purchase or find projectile weapons
(eg. a longbow). In addition to basic combat items, you can also use potions
and other magic items (though you don't always know what you are using). If
you find an opponent too powerful, you can beg for mercy (not always
successfully), or exit through the single doorway (assuming you can reach
the doorway without getting killed). Opponents include the most basic and
easy to defeat slave and the near-immortal Norse gods, such as Odin and
Thor. You can also attack other human players, who are set on automatic.
Players get a number of play sessions per day (usually three), and each play
session ends in either a player death or the session timer expiring.
Originally created and programmed by James R. Berry in the late 1980s and
early 1990s. To play the game, you will need either a telnet client capable
of displaying code page 437 like SyncTERM, or the EGA graphics client.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Planets: The Exploration of Space
Planets: The Exploration of Space is a text-based BBS (Bulletin board
system) door game originally created by Seth Robinson of Robinson
Technologies. It was the company's second major hit, following Legend of the
Red Dragon. The first release came in 1992, which was followed by a new
version in 1996. The latest version, 2.02 was released around 2001. Planets:
TEOS for short, is a space drama that revolves around the interplanetary
trading of goods. The main game play involves players buying items from one
space station and transporting their purchases to another in hopes of
selling the them at a profit.
In 1998, Seth Robinson sold Planets: The Exploration of Space, along with
Legend of the Red Dragon to Metropolis Gameport. Originally, support for the
game was reported to be limited. However, Gameport has contracted Michael
Preslar to continue development on the game, along with Legend of the Red
Dragon and its sequel. The latest version of Planets: TEOS is 2.02 and a
"demo" version is available from Metropolis Gameport's website.
For more info:
Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Swords of Chaos
Swords of Chaos is a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) type game for the Major BBS
and Worldgroup BBS software, allowing it to be played over a dial-up
connection with a modem: since the advent of the internet, it is also
possible to use a telnet connection. Swords of Chaos is a game written in
the medieval adventure clich? The distinctive innovation of the game was a
real-life timer used during combat. There is no overarching goal other than
exploring, killing monsters and collecting gold in order to increase the
player's level. You can also socialize with other people connected to the
game and help each other out. There is no ending boss to kill to finish the
game, it goes on almost forever.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Tele-Arena
Tele-Arena is an online multiplayer fantasy RPG developed in the 1990s by
Sean Ferrell for the MajorBBS bulletin board system. Tele-Arena is a BBS
Game Module similar to a MUD, this module can only be played on MajorBBS or
Worldgroup BBS software. The game uses a text-based interface whereby the
player would enter text commands for their character to execute and would
receive a text response of the outcome. Currently Tele-Arena can be played
on the internet via telnet.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Trade Wars 2002
TradeWars 2002, also known as Trade Wars 2002 or TW2002, is a space game
developed starting in 1984 and continuing through the 1980s by Gary Martin
for play as a BBS door game, with later versions developed by John Pritchett
both for BBS and, starting in 1998, a devoted game server called TWGS (Trade
Wars Game Server).[1] The player is a trader in a galaxy with a fixed set of
other players (either human or computer). The players seek to gain control
of a limited set and amount of resources (specifically fuel ore, organics,
and equipment) and travel through sectors of the galaxy trading them for
money or undervalued resources. Players use their wealth to upgrade their
spaceship with better weapons and defenses and fight for control of planets
and starbases.
TW2002 takes a large investment of time compared to most door games. Some
modern TW2002 tournaments allow an infinite number of turns, and the most
dedicated players devote most of their spare time over several days to the
race for galactic dominance.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Ultimate Universe
Ultimate Universe is a space exploration and trading game developed in
the 1990s by Garth Bigelow as TopherSoft Engineering. It is a Bulletin Board
System Door Game similar to Trade Wars 2002.
For more info:
Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Usurper
Usurper is a BBS door game created by Jakob Dangarden in 1993. The interface
and gameplay are similar to 1989's Legend of the Red Dragon. The most
recently released version is 0.20e released in September 2009.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article
Yankee Trader
Yankee Trader, by Alan Davenport, is a "door" text-based game released in
1990 from the BBS era, which ran on MS-DOS BBSes. It is similar to TradeWars
2002 and was originally released in 1987 as Trade Wars 1000. One year later,
Trade Wars 2002 adopted most, but not all of Yankee Trader's innovations.
For more info: Break Into Chat Wiki Article