Treasures of the Savage Frontier

A Gold Box RPG sequel set in the Forgotten Realms.

Treasures of the Savage Frontier is a Gold Box Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video game developed by Beyond Software and published in 1992 by Strategic Simulations for Amiga and MS-DOS. It is a sequel in the Savage Frontier series and represents one of the later entries in the Gold Box line of games.

Quick Facts

Developer: Beyond Software
Publisher: Strategic Simulations; WizardWorks (CD-ROM)
Producer: George MacDonald
Designer: Mark Buchignani; Don Daglow
Programmer: Mark Buchignani; Cathryn Mataga
Artist: David Bunnett
Composer: Linwood Taylor
Series: Gold Box

Facts from the source article.

Plot overview

The party, known as the Heroes of Ascore, is summoned by the mage Amelior Aminitas to eliminate remaining Zhentarim troops from the dwarven city of Llorkh. They are then tasked with protecting ambassadors of the Lord's Alliance, but the ambassadors are kidnapped, and the party is framed as traitors. The Zhentarim, the Kraken Society, and the Hosttower of the Arcane plot to break up the alliance. Players clear their names by completing missions in each town and collecting three colors of crystals from the enemy groups, as well as lucky papers from each city. When combined, these items reveal the enemy plot. The final mission involves retrieving a treasure held by a dragon.

Development

SSI planned only one more Gold Box game, Gateway to the Savage Frontier, but when Dark Sun was delayed and Gateway reached number one on the charts, they requested a sequel. Designers Don Daglow, Mark Buchignani, Mark Manyen, and David Bunnett added story and character enhancements to the aging engine. The largest new feature was the option for NPCs to fall in love with a player character, tracked by AI that monitored player actions.

Reception

SSI sold 31,995 copies. Dragon #184 gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Scorpia of Computer Gaming World called it a yawner and almost indistinguishable from other Gold Box games. The One gave the Amiga version 65%, stating that Gold Box games appeal only to rabid D&D fans, with poor graphics and sound. GameSpy noted that interest in Gold Box games waned quickly after its release, but it is remembered as a polished and accomplished closing for the series.