By way of ancient history, I would like to mention a few old paper-and-pencil games that inspired me early on with the Steampunk bug. Perhaps the first was a game called Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. While not technically Steampunk, the sources, resources and mood of this puzzle game set a tone redolent of gaslight, horse manure and racing through crowded streets. Oh, and it was fun, too.
Second on the list, and still supreme in my estimation, is Space: 1889 by Frank Chadwick and the chaps at GDW. This game posited that Thomis Alva Edison had used an Ether Flyer to make it to Mars, which was inhabited. Shortly thereafter, the British set up the Crown Colony of Syrtis Major and intrigued against the nefarious Germans and the Oenotrian Empire. It introduced us to liftwood and the remarkable Sky Ships of Mars. A classic game, by its own copy: "Roleplaying in a More Civilized Time."
Most recently, R. Talsorian's gorgeous and inventive Castle Falkenstein was the high point in terms of design and depth for the Steampunk gaming genre. Its companion volume, Comme Il Faut, introduced rules for LARP and provided details for developing costumes and props. Unlike its predecessors, Falkenstein put emphasis on High Fantasy elements as well as more traditional Mad Science and Steam-Powered Devices. Magic, dragons, faeries, Dwarves... won't find those in other Steampunk worlds, nossir.
With those sources as the inspiration for my hunger for all things Steampunk, let's look at some of the video game worlds available to us.
Our first foray is also one of the best, in my opinion. It's a Sierra game designed by the sadly-defunct Troika, called Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. This game, a Diablo- or Fallout-type single-player 2D perspective RPG, had a unique storyline and gorgeous Victorian-age world replete with orcs, elves, magic and steam-powered superscience. Like most Troika titles, it did have its little quirks (which is a euphemism for bugs, of course). Due to the various types of characters you could create, there was a good deal of replay value.
Perhaps one of the best features of the game was the music - original, written for string quartet, and very evocative of the Victorian era. I actually put it on my iPod I enjoyed it so much. When writing or 3D modeling Steampunk stuff, I still listen to it for mood music.
A more recent MMO-style game is Gatheryn by Mindfuse. Designed for casual gamers, Gatheryn takes place in a fictional world in the Steampunk mold. The game is currently in beta and is designed on a free-to-play model. It features numerous Flash-based minigames and the usual panoply of goodies designed to attract players (housing, customization options, storlines... you know the list).
I'm afraid I can't say much positive about Gatheryn. The world feels flavorless and antiseptic, the character models frankly ugly, and gameplay inobvious and clunky. Of course, it is still early (it is beta, after all), so things may change. So... I think it's a game to watch. It has potential. I certainly encourage people to check out the beta and see what you think.
At this time, I've not had much experience with other computer games based on Steampunk themes. If you're looking for a real experience, though, the place to go for sightseeing and shopping is certainly to be found in Second Life, believe it or not. Specifically, the Caledon and New Babbage sims are remarkable achievements of design and atmosphere. Just walking around is inspirational. On the other hand, the places are usually pretty deserted, and I've not found any roleplay there. That's not to say there isn't any, just that I haven't found it.
My final reviewlet is a so-called RP sim in Second Life called Legacies: 1891. I say "so-called," because what the website calls mature roleplay is more like which part of the sim suffers a catastrophic explosion and is destroyed. Let me make things plain, though. It's one of the most beautiful and atmosphere-rich places I've found in SL. It's only the ridiculous behavior that passes for roleplay that breaks the mood. My advice? Check the place out, take lots of screenies when there's no one around. Let's face it: naked dancer-chick demons in S&M gear, human-shaped bunny rabbits with monocles and badass leather-clad bare-chested guys with heavy modern ordnance don't tend to suggest a refined and literate Victorian esthetic.
Maybe it's just me.
Thanks for reading!
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