Hi all-

Inspired by a few other recent threads, I'd like to ask for a recommendation:

-CRPG
-Designed for single-player only
-Must be able to easily play windowed. This means it's either the default, easily selectable as an option in-game, or at the very minimum extremely easy to configure elsewise.
-"Lunchbreak" style, meaning I can play it for ten minutes or thirty minutes and be able to easily save progress and not lose track.
-No real-time anything.

GOG games preferred, of course, but will look at DRM-free anywhere. Just looking for something relatively fun and simple to tinker with during down times at the office - like, literally while I eat lunch.

Thanks!

Age of Decadence seems like a good fit. It's turn-based, single-player only, you can save at any time (outside combat), no real-time events. And iirc it also has a windowed mode as pre-selected standard (but maybe someone else can confirm this...after installation I immediately changed it to full view mode).

Are you OK with older games? If so, try Might and Magic 3-5.

I'm not sure if Temple of Elemental Evil has a windowed option but it otherwise fits your description.

The various Shadowrun games...I think they have a windowed option but I don't remember.

Wasteland runs in DOSBox so that should be easy to window.

Septerra Core...like that game but I'm not sure if it has a window option.

Guild of Dungeoneering seems like a good idea- it's got windowed mode, and it's perfect for that kind of coffe-break gameplay, with single dungeon run taking usually about 10 minutes or so. The combat is very simple, but fun. It's quite addictive, really. Plenty of different classes to mix things up... I like it a lot, and I often sat and played it for a lot longer than a lunch brake.


Dungeons of Dredmore would probably work too, although I'm really not that big of a fan of the game. But if you dig roguelikes more than I do, then I guess it should suit what you need quite well.

And there is a little thing called Letter Quest, which basically has Scrabble-based combat :D Not sure if it would count as any kind of RPG at all, but it's fun, windowed and perfect for short sessions.

10-30 minutes? cRPG isn't the really the genre for just a few minutes at a time. By the time you start getting into the "role" its time to save and leave. This sounds like perfect fit for "casual" games of which cover a lot of genres and require little time investment. I suppose rogue-likes could be quite short - especially if your not good at them :o)

Desktop Dungeons is a nice coffee-break game. It's a rogue-like game, so it's a rpg, but maybe not exactly what you want when you ask for a rpg game. It's on gog, turn-based and can be played windowed.

As already mentioned all old dos games can thanks to dosbox be played windowed. Talking about turn-based rpgs there are of course the early Might & Magic games (already mentioned), Wasteland (also already mentioned), the goldbox games from SSI ( Forgotten Realms Archives, part 2), Realms of Arkania series and Dragon Quest. But for many of them you need to check the manual while you play and some are really tough, so I would not recommend them for your purpose.

If you are looking for a real rpg, then maybe the Spiderweb games are something for you, especially the newer Avadon series and the Avernum remakes (Avernum: Escape from the Pit and Avernum 2). They can be played windowed, they are turn-based and you can safe your game. There is also a casual mode, so they are not as tough as the older series from Spiderweb (Geneforge, old Avernum, etc).

Not sure what you mean by "CRPG" in this context (it's a useless term unless one is differentiating between computer/console RPG and pen-and-paper/tabletop RPGs).
If I remember correctly, you despise permadeath, and thus roguelikes are out? Because they'd fit your specifications perfectly otherwise. (It's a shame that Castle of the Winds doesn't run on modern Windows without Wine or a VM running an older Windows edition -- it's a roguelike without permadeath, and with a bit of a story (more than most RLs, at least) and some non-random set pieces.) Haven't played it since the free alpha, but IIRC, it's more of a roguelike puzzle game with RPG trappings.

Thank you all for the suggestions thus far! The reviews really scared me off this one when it came out. Lots of negativity about character builds and difficulty. lol, I've played and beaten all three multiple times. Some of the best RPGs ever! I'd probably rather not rely on DosBox to window-ize older games, though. That might be worth checking out. I have the first two already in my library; never tried 'em. The first also got some reviews that kinda put me off - lack of progress. The second looks quite nice, but roguelikes are usually not my cup of tea. You see my challenge! Getting closer probably. I tried "Desktop Dungeons" and didn't care for it. I also tried "Avernum" and found it a dreadful amalgamation of poor/nonexistent player feedback and outright awful story writing. Great, I got an item that increases my "vision" or something, but it never explains anywhere what that is! The story was just terrible. "You've spent your entire life training to be a guard, it's your one and only dream. First choice: Do you a) become a guard, or b) betray the guards on your first day on the job" GTFO. Indeed, permadeath can eat my butt.

...


See... it's not that easy!

True, maybe it's more a puzzle game. The core gameplay is still the same, but they added some more rpg-elements in it. Nothing really that makes it a real rpg or others rogue-likes like Dungeons of Dreadmor, but for his purpose there is maybe enough roleplay in it.

Well, there is progress in Guild of Dungeoneering, it's just progress of your Guild, not your heroes. The hereoes start from scratch in every new dungeon, but for the gold you get you expand your guild to get new gear, classes and bonuses.

It's all very simple of course, but then again- what else can you get for a lunch break game?

I was actually originally going to suggest the Braveland series, a very fun game that plays like a simpler version of Kings Bounty, perfect for short session of a battle or two, but I don't think it has a window mode.

EDIT: Apparently it does, you just need to press alt+enter and I'm a dummy for not thinking of it before :P Well, there you go, that's probably the best suggestion I can come up with.

I know it's not actually turn-based, but Crashlands otherwise fits the bill perfectly.

Knights of Pen & Paper +1?

Oh, I forgot- there's also Pixel Heroes, which is a lot of fun, very simple, but really feels like a nice throwback to some very classic, oldschool roleplaying in it's own way. The only downside is it gets really repetative after a while, but if you were to only play it at lunch break I guess i could be a while before the tedium sucks the fun out of it.

How about the suggestion I made in the previous thread about this, Avernum?

The King's Bounty game sshould fit the bill.