Might and Magic Book One is the first chapter of the cult game series for PC, inspired by the famous Dungeons & Dragons RPG system and set in the original universe of Might & Magic. The title was conceived and designed by Jon Van Caneghem, the co-founder and longtime head of New World Computing.
Plot
The action is set in the land of VARN (Vehicular Astropod Research Nacelle) which we traverse with a party of six heroes that performs various quests and fights all sorts of monsters. Apart from a vast, open world, there are five cities and five castles as well as a myriad of labyrinths and dungeons to visit. The main storyline revolves around solving the mystery of a holy site called the Inner Sanctum. During our journey, we encounter a man name Corak and take part in his crusade against Sheltem, a villain who impersonates a king. The search leads us to a mysterious portal which a gateway to the world of CRON.
Mechanics
Party represent six different character classes: a knight, cleric, thief, wizard, paladin, and archer. While creating our crew, we also assign them one of the available races: a human, an elf, a half-orc, gnome, or dwarf — the choice influences the starting stats. Skill development of our heroes is almost identical to the typical rules of the Dungeons & Dragons system. Battles are played in turns, which allows us to plan the strategy for every fight.
Technical aspects
Might and Magic Book One for PC is one of the first games, apart from SSI’s Forgotten Realms series, which offers a first-person-perspective view. Contrary to the earlier RPGs that were set mainly in dungeons and labyrinths, the title features a vast, open world. The production’s success was also largely due to its graphics that outdid those of its contemporaries such as the Wizardy series by catching the eye with a larger amount of colors and details.
