I'm not going to lie to you, these games take quite a bit of patience but if you are willing to set aside some time to draw your own maps, jot down your own notes and take 10 to appreciate the mysteries of the world by yourself, you will have the most immersive, often surprising and FUN experience in your gaming life. Originally packaged with booklets containing recipes for spells (material and somatic components required) setting details written in a fictional POV and a beautiful cloth map of the world with a x & z axis for actual navigation, these served as a means of dipping your toes into this living, breathing fictional world. While you may be intimidated by the storied history of this series, I actually think that this trilogy (dubbed as the virtue trilogy) is the BEST place to dip your toes into the series. Starting with U4 (which is free by the way) you begin play persistently in the then new world of Britannia. All of the clues, geography, culture, words of power and runic alphabet are largely consistent in the trilogy but this isn't a linear adventure with a story told to you in a linear fashion, it's an open, breathing world that gives YOU the player the responsibility and agency to surmount its troubles and to solve its enigmas. It is not a narratively driven game but rather a player driven one. The goals are obvious from the outset but to actually accomplish them is often a hard won battle that can take surprising turns. It absolutely is not for everyone, the game like I said requires patience and an open mind but if you play them like you would in the 80's.... (That is, no internet access and only your own awesome brain) You are sure to have a great time.
