DND1 is the first CRPG created by Richard Garriott, and the first in a line of development that eventually resulted in Akalabeth: World of Doom and Ultima. It was originally coded in BASIC on a PDP 11, and played over a teletype, with the display printed onto paper. The original version can’t be played now as it was never released commercially, but in 2014 Garriott unearthed the code, and ran a competition where the goal was to recreate the game so that it would be playable in a browser. Several of the versions created are still online, and the game is also playable within Garriott’s Shroud of the Avatar.
The gameplay is heavily based on the tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons. You randomly generate a character with scores in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, purchase equipment, and choose one of three classes (Fighter, Cleric or Wizard). Then you enter a top-down dungeon represented by ASCII characters, where you fight monsters and collect treasure. There’s no story, and no goal beyond amassing treasure, which you can use to buy more hit points as well as spells.