Dungeon Hero
Preview
It's dark in there. Really dark.
by Marcus Mulkins
previewed on PC
The world and struggles of goblins (cntd.)
Once you jump into DH, you'll soon discover that your Goblin community is one of four political entities. And like most Human political entities in a Middle Ages-type setting, yours is at war with its neighbors, those being three other Goblin kingdoms. If you know anything about the military-industrial complex in Real Life, you already know that waging war is not a cheap venture. It takes money, derived from taxes, derived from an energetic economy. Being denizens of the underworld, not surprisingly, much of Goblin industry has to do with mining. Dig, baby, dig! [And a nice fringe benefit from all that digging is that it also opens up large areas for the community to expand into.]
What sort of a man would work for goblins?
Now, if this was your run-of-the-mill RPG, you'd roll up your character, outfit him at the nearest Adventurers' Shop, and send him down into the nearest dungeon or cavern complex. However, as you will be working for the Goblins, you might think you'd do something similar, but starting out already in the dungeon and going in the other direction. But _that_ would be too simple. Rather, you are, in fact, a Human mercenary. (Why not hire a Human? After all, aren't they the ones that keep showing up down here, kicking our butts?) Naturally, any Human willing to work for Goblins has to be a bit unsavory. Think, "barbarian warrior" and you're half-way there. Add the angle that said barbarian warrior would be considered a lowlife even in his own society and you'll be getting closer to the mark. Mix in a distinct lack of personal hygiene and an intellect with much in common with dull agricultural implements and you should have a decent idea of the character of the character. (Did I mention he's also a psychopath?)
Why risk our own skins when we can hire a human?
Your objective is NOT to go stomp on those annoying people upstairs. Nor is it to defend the gates against said annoying people's intrusions. No, your task is to go down, to confront a Great Evil. It seems that with all that frenetic dig, dig, digging, some hapless Goblin miners accidentally created an opening that went so deep, it awoke Death him/itself. [Shades of Moria!] Now all manner of dead things, many made from odds and ends from a variety of carrion, are clawing their way upward. It just so happens that their route to the surface runs right through Goblinsville. Your task will be to beat them back, hack them down, and then battle your way down to confront Death, defeat him/it, and make sure the dead stay dead and stay put, down in the bowels of the world where they belong.
Originally, when the game was simply entitled Hero, the main character's primary task was to take part in the constant warfare between the different Goblin communities. That involved a lot of trench warfare, with the player getting an insight into the detailed societal mechanisms at work. Like, while wandering the trenches while going from Point A to Point B, you would be able to see Goblin soldiers at their leisure between bouts of combat, playing cards, gossiping, grabbing some chow, etc.
