Menzoberranzan (game)

Menzoberranzan was developed by DreamForge Intertainment, Inc. in 1994 and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc., who also published other titles of the Forgotten Realms Setting, like Al-Qadim - The Genies Curse.

Gameplay
It was a first person role-playing game in a similiar style like Ultima Underworld or the Might and Magic games of that time. The player started with two heros in a small village, which is under attack of evil drow. They follow them into the Underdark to the mighty drow-city Menzoberranzan.

Plot
The game begins in a small town in Icewind Dale where the two player heroes return from a adventure to the greetings and cheers of the locals. But as the festivities carry on late at night the town is raided by a drow party. The drow capture a group of villagers and escape with them, and the heroes are charged with the quest to retrieve them. As the heroes take their steps out of the town tavern to aid in the defense against the lingering drow, they also have to put out the fire that was started in the village store. As the invaders have been repelled and the fire put out the heroes will be given a special helmet by the town's innkeeper.

As our heroes venture out in to the grass plains of Icewind Dale they will encounter gnolls, drow, verbeeg and other monsters. As they move around the plains the will find the house of a man who knows a lot about the world and its wonders. He tells the heroes that to venture the Underdark they need protective stones so that the radiation doesn't kill them. This leads the heroes to quest for the gems all over the plains. Their hunt leads them to meet Drizzt in a mountain pass where he saves the heroes from fighting a giant and offers to join up with the heroes.

Further away in the plains the heroes will be able to meet the kenku Vonar a friend to Drizzt who had his wing wounded when he was flying, who also offers to join. After gathering all the gems they take it to the old wise man who transforms the gems so that the heroes may venture to the Underdark.

Characters

 * Companions: Azarell • Baldassar • Borenorak • Drizzt Do'Urden • Maeldithar • Valkverdling • Vonar
 * Other: Gumsznar • Jarlaxle • Malice Do'Urden • Manahath • Rizzen Do'Urden • Ssar Tafell • Vermulean • Vierna Do'Urden

Creatures

 * Aboleth • Bugbear • Carrion crawler • Derro • Draghazar • Cloaker • Drider • Drow • Dwarf • Elf • Fungi Skeleton • Gnoll • Gnome • Half-elf • Halfling • Hook Horror • Kenku • Leucrotta • Myconid • Myrlochar • Ochre Jelly • Osquip • Roper • Rust Monster • Shrieker • Spitting Crawler • Stirge • Troglodyte • Umber Hulk • Uropygus • Verbeeg • Violet Fungus • Yochlol

Locations

 * Buildings & Sites: Bazaar • Sorcere • Temple of Dumathoin
 * Inns & Taverns: Carpathians Tavern • Gollvelius' Tavern
 * Shops: Galenthas Goods
 * Settlements: Menzoberranzan
 * Regions: Icewind Dale • Underdark

Magic

 * Spells: Acid Bolt • Aganazzar's Scorcher • Aid • Armor • Backlash • Blade Barrier • Bless • Blur • Burning Hands • Cause Critical Wounds • Cause Light Wounds • Cause Serious Wounds • Chill Touch • Claws of the Umber Hulk • Cloudkill • Cone of Cold • Cure Critical Wounds • Cure Disease • Cure Light Wounds • Cure Serious Wounds • Darkness • Detect Evil • Darkfire • Death Spell • Detect Magic • Disintegrate • Dispel Magic • Dragon Scales • Draw Upon Holy Might • Enchant Weapon • Faerie Fire • Feather Fall • Fireball • Fire Seeds • Flame Blade • Flame Strike • Fly • Fortify • Free Action • Harm • Haste • Heal • Hold Monster • Hold Person • Ice Knife • Ice Storm • Immunity to Adherance • Immunity to Spider Venom • Invisibility • Levitate • Lich Touch • Light • Lightning Bolt • Magic Missile • Magical Stone • Magical Vestment • Melf's Acid Arrow • Neutralize Poison • Otiluke's Freezing Sphere • Passweb • Prayer • Protection from Evil • Raise Dead • Remove Paralysis • Shield • Shocking Grasp • Slow • Slow Poison • Spidercloak Armor • Spider Shape • Spiritual Hammer • Stinking Cloud • Stoneskin • Stop • True Seeing • Vampiric Touch • Venom Bolt • Venom Immunity • Wizard Eye

Organizations

 * House Baenre • House Do'Urden • House Fey-Branche

Religions

 * Dumathoin • Lolth

Game Credits
From the Menzoberranzan manual.
 * Producer: Scott Cuthbertson
 * Executive Producer: Bret Berry, James H. Namestka
 * Associate Producer, Voice Direction: Scot Noel
 * Lead Programming: Don Wuenschell
 * Game Design: John McGirk
 * Art Director: Jane Yeager
 * Lead Artist: Frank Schurter
 * Artist: Aaron Kreader, Craig Mrusek, Michael Nicholson, Eric Ranier Rice
 * 3D Artist: Jason Johnson
 * 3D Support: Jeff Zehner
 * 3D Character Generator: James H. Namestka
 * Music: Jamie McMenamy
 * Sound Effects, Voice Production: Anthony Mollick
 * Managing Doc. Editor: Eileen Matsumi
 * Lead Product Tester: Jason Ray
 * Testers: Kelly Calabro, Benjamin Cooley, Brandon Harris
 * Test Support: Annette Grove, Rose Ramos
 * Rule Book Editors: Jonathan Kromrey, Mark Whisler
 * Rule Book Writer, Interaction & Game Text: Scot Noel
 * Rule Book Graphic Design and DTP: David Boudreau, Leedara Zola
 * Cover artwork: Jeff Easley


 * Strategic Simulations, Inc.:


 * Associate Producers: David A. Lucca, Jeffrey Shotwell
 * Product Test Supervisor: Glen A. Cureton
 * Compatibility Testing: Top Star Computing Services Inc.
 * Rule Book Graphic Design and DTP: Louis Saekow Design
 * Rule Book Printing: Consolidated Printers
 * Documentation Manager German Version: Claude Joris
 * German Manual Translation: Raimund Lingen

Connections
Menzoberranzan (PC Spiel)