Dungeons & Dragons: Order of the Griffon

Lore & Background

Order of the Griffon uses a turn-based combat engine similar to that of the Gold Box games, such as Pool of Radiance, but utilizes the D&D BECMI rules instead of the AD&D rules. Players select four pre-generated characters from classes including fighter, dwarf, mage, thief, halfling, cleric, and elf, with three character options per class offering different strengths and weaknesses. Characters start at 1st level and can achieve a maximum of 8th level. The game uses a first-person perspective in cities and dungeons, and a bird's eye view for the overland map and combat encounters.

The plot involves Lord Korrigan, ruler of Radlebb Keep, commissioning a party of adventurers to investigate rumors of vampires, lycanthropes, and undead. The party uncovers assassination plots, a conspiracy to turn people into undead, and the return of the ancient Vampire Koriszegy. The party travels to three cities—Specularum, Radlebb Keep, and Kelvin—and various ruined sites to recover four stones (ruby, onyx, death gem, and diamond) to prevent Koriszegy from amassing an undead army. The game includes factions such as the Order of the Griffon (an honorable society of paladins, knights, and fighters) and the Iron Ring (a criminal organization of bandits, cut-throats, and lycanthropes hired by Koriszegy). The party joins the Order of the Griffon after defeating the sentient dire wolf Collum and retrieving the Staff of Life.

Reader's Guide

Order of the Griffon represents a notable entry in the early era of computer role-playing games, particularly as a console adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons that diverged from the more common AD&D ruleset by using the BECMI rules. Its turn-based combat engine, inspired by the Gold Box series, and its first-person dungeon exploration reminiscent of Eye of the Beholder, made it a hybrid that appealed to fans of both styles. The game's plot, involving vampire conspiracies and the recovery of magical stones, is typical of the period but is supported by a variety of factions and magic items, such as the Staff of Halav and the Four Stones. Reception, as noted by Andrew Schultz from Honest Gamers, suggests that while the game is unambitious and imperfect, it shines when it breaks from the AD&D formula. Its legacy is tied to Westwood Associates' other D&D title, Warriors of the Eternal Sun, and it remains a curiosity for collectors of TurboGrafx-16 RPGs.

Did You Know?

• Order of the Griffon uses the D&D BECMI rules instead of the more common AD&D rules.
• The game includes four powerful stones—ruby, onyx, death gem, and diamond—that can transform living victims into undead.
• The Staff of Halav is the only item that can kill the Vampire Koriszegy.
• The party joins the Order of the Griffon after defeating the sentient dire wolf Collum and retrieving the Staff of Life.