Order of the Griffon (USA)
Order of the Griffon (USA) Overview
Order of the Griffon is a tactical role-playing game that came out for the TurboGrafx-16 back in 1992. It was developed by Westwood Associates, the same studio that would later become famous for the Command & Conquer series. This one's a straight-up adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop rules, set in the kingdom of Karameikos within the Mystara campaign setting. If you grabbed the USA version, you're looking at a fairly unusual title for the platform - tactical RPGs were not exactly common on NEC's little console.
You control a party of up to six characters, each belonging to classic D&D classes like fighter, wizard, cleric, or thief. The action plays out on a turn-based grid map. Your goal is to complete a series of missions tied to a storyline involving the Order of the Griffon, an elite military group in Karameikos. Between battles you can manage your party's equipment and spells, buy supplies, and recruit new members. Combat is all about positioning, using terrain, and exploiting enemy weaknesses - standard tactical RPG stuff but executed well for its time.
What makes Order of the Griffon worth checking out today is how it brought a proper D&D experience to a console that wasn't known for deep RPGs. It's not as famous as the Gold Box games on PC, but it stands as a solid entry in the genre for the TurboGrafx-16 library. The visuals are colorful and the music fits the fantasy setting. If you're into turn-based strategy with D&D flavor, this one holds up reasonably well, and it's a rare chance to see Westwood's early work before they hit it big with real-time strategy.
How to Play Order of the Griffon (USA) Online
Getting Started
Before you dive in, note that Order of the Griffon is a tactical RPG, meaning you spend most of your time on a grid map moving characters and engaging enemies in turn-based combat. When you start the game, you'll be prompted to create or load a save file. You then assemble a party of adventurers by choosing their classes and distributing stat points. The game's main hub is the town of Threshold, where you buy equipment, heal, and accept missions from the Order of the Griffon headquarters.
The core loop involves accepting a mission, traveling to an outdoor or dungeon map, and fighting enemies in turn-based battles. Each character can move and take one action per turn, such as attacking, casting a spell, or using an item. Pay attention to character positioning because flanking and terrain give advantages. After each fight, you earn experience points and gold, which you spend back in town to level up and gear up. There is no exploration outside of combat maps - it's strictly mission-to-mission progression.
New players should know that the game expects you to manage resources like spell slots and healing items carefully. Death is permanent for characters unless you reload a save, so keep multiple save slots. Also, some missions have time limits or failure conditions, so read the briefings. The interface uses menus for everything, and the D-pad plus buttons handle all interactions. If you get stuck, look for a walkthrough online - the game can be a bit cryptic about where to go next.
Order of the Griffon (USA) Keyboard Controls
Controls
- Arrow Keys: D-Pad / Movement
- X: I button
- S: II button
- Enter: Run / Start
- V: Select
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