Re: What was the first RPG?

[lynnj@netcom.com (Lynn Johannesen)]

Fredrik Ekman (ekman@lysator.liu.se) wrote:
: I am wondering what the very first computer RPG was. I used to believe
: that it was Rogue (released in 1983, I think), 

I saw Hunt the Wumpus on a toy computer (KIM, I think it was called)
in 1978.  I only had that job 6 months, so I'm sure of the year.
The mainframe Dungeon (the predecessor of Zork) was also around in 
that timeframe; its history is rather mysterious, I think because its
author wrote it at DEC while he was supposed to be doing something else,
and is a little paranoid about talking about it.  He wasn't one of 
the guys who went on to found Infocom, I don't think.  (Based on
rumor from a DEC engineer who worked there at the same time.)

Original Adventure was by Crowther & Woods.  The Scott Adams adventures 
came later.  (That's not the same guy who writes Dilbert BTW.)

None of those are RPGs.  The first RPG would be either Akalabeth
(which I never played) or Wizardry 1.  We have a firm date of 1981
on the latter.  Can anybody supply a date for Akalabeth?