''Crack of Doom'' is an open-ended, mixed-moderated,

play-by-mail A play-by-mail game (also known as a PBM game, PBEM game, turn-based game, turn based distance game, or an interactive strategy game.) is a game played through postal mail, email, or other digital media. Correspondence chess and Go (game), Go wer ...

game. It was designed and first published as ''Crack of Doom'' (or ''Crack of Doom I'') by Duane Wilcoxson and Debbie Leonard of Advanced Gaming Enterprises in 1986. They published ''Crack of Doom II'' in 1997 which ran alongside the first version. By 1997, ''Crack of Doom II'' was running under license in the United Kingdom, first under Phildee Enterprises and later under

Harlequin Games Harlequin Games is a business which designs and moderates Play-by-mail game, PBM games by email of which their Legends (PBM) engine is the most recognized. From theirAbout Us page - "We fuse wild imagination with good game-play in everything we ...

. These were fantasy role-playing games, comparable in gameplay to ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...

''. The games were reviewed in various gaming magazines in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, receiving generally positive reviews.

History and development

''Crack of Doom'' was an open-ended, mixed-moderated, fantasy role-playing PBM game. Oehm 1997. p. 10. It was published by Advanced Gaming Enterprises, run by Duane Wilcoxson and Debbie Leonard—former employees of

Schubel & Son ''Schubel & Son'' was a hobby and gaming company that published play-by-mail (PBM) games. The company began in 1974 and expanded to large-scale PBM games in August 1978. It also published the game ''The Tribes of Crane'' in 1978, followed by ''Sta ...

. Oehm 1997. p. 11. The company first published ''Crack of Doom 1'' (''COD I'') in 1986. The September 1997 issue of ''The Play-By-Mail Report'', stated that Advanced Gaming Enterprises was launching ''Crack of Doom II'' (''COD II'') after a seven-month playtest. Editors 1997. p. 5. The publisher developed the second version, in part, from player feedback. ''COD II'' was larger and provided more details and options for players. Advanced Gaming Enterprises published a newsletter for ''Crack of Doom'' called ''The Cosmic Balance''. Driskill 1998. p. 29. By 1997, Phildee Enterprises was running the game under license in the United Kingdom, with adjustments that "increased the role-playing and interaction". By 1999, Phildee closed their game and Harlequin Games began publishing ''Crack of Doom II''. Ames 1999. p. 6.

Gameplay

''Crack of Doom'' is a fantasy PBM game. Reviewer Earl H. Oehm compared it to ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''. Both games employ maps with various terrain types, with the COD II map slightly larger. Oehm 1997. pp. 10–11.

Crack of Doom I

''COD I'' occurs in the land of Panagea. Players choose from various races: Dwarves,

Elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...

Goblins A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances dep ...

, Gnolls,

Humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

Kobolds A kobold (; ''kobolt'', ''kobolde'', cobold) is a general or generic name for the household spirit (''hausgeist'') in German folklore. It may invisibly make noises (i.e., be a poltergeist), or helpfully perform kitchen chores or stable work. ...

, Lizara,

Ogres An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world. ...

, and

Orcs An orc (sometimes spelt ork; ), in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy fiction, is a race of humanoid monsters, which he also calls "goblin". In Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', orcs appear as a brutish, aggressive, ugly, and malevol ...

. Characters could be

Clerics Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, Sorcerers, or

Warlords Warlords are individuals who exercise military, economic, and political control over a region, often one without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over local armed forces. Warlords have existed throug ...

Crack of Doom II

''COD II'' occurs in the land of Lorasia. It adds additional races options including

Centaurs A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...

, Dark Elves,

Halflings Halflings are a fictional race found in some fantasy works. They tend to be depicted as physically similar to humans, except about half as tall and not as stocky as the similarly sized dwarves. Halflings are often depicted as having slightly poi ...

Hobgoblins A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Night' ...

, Leomen,

Minotaurs In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...

Satyrs In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. Early artistic represen ...

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

Trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

and

Vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

. Additional available character classes were

Druids A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

, Seers,

Squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' ...

s, and Battle Mages.

Reception

Earl H. Oehm reviewed the games in the September–October 1997 issue of ''

Paper Mayhem ''Paper Mayhem'' is an out-of-print play-by-mail (PBM) game magazine that was published in Ottawa, Illinois. The staff published the initial issue in July 1983 and the magazine ran until mid-1998. Its format was 40 pages published six times per ...

'', stating that they "are the most intricate and detailed games I have played or even heard of. The possibilities are endless in both games." Malcolm Driskill reviewed the game in the March–April 1998 issue of ''Paper Mayhem''. He stated that, "Whatever your fantasy roleplaying interests, give COD II a try. I think you'll enjoy it." Driskill 1998. p. 30. In the January–February 1988 issue of ''Paper Mayhem'', ''Crack of Doom II'' ranked No. 9 of 62 games in its PBM Game Ratings, with ''Crack of Doom I'' ranking No. 33. Editors 1998. p. 23. The editors of Flagship reviewed the game in the November–December 1997 issue of ''Flagship'', stating that it "looks like a challenging game, with plenty of scope for discovery and plenty of decisions to make. If you enjoy long-running campaigns, give Crack of Doom II a try!" Flagship Editors 1997. p. 7.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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