Line #1100 VideoGame/Runescape


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/runescape_logo_1146.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:320:Join the world's largest free MMORPG game.]]
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4	''[=RuneScape=]'' is a MedievalEuropeanFantasy {{MMORPG}} by the UK-based developer Creator/JagexGamesStudio that is available on PC, Android and iPhone, and runs on a {{Freemium}} subscription model. The free version of the game is self-contained and can be played on its own, but subscribers gain access to separate Member servers with more content in exchange for a monthly fee. The game holds the official Guinness World Record for largest free MMORPG, with over 250 million registered accounts since its initial release.
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6	Gameplay primarily involves quests, combat (both PlayerVersusPlayer and PlayerVersusEnvironment), and LevelGrinding, along with a variety of side activities like CaptureTheFlag. ''[=RuneScape=]'' is somewhat uncommon among [=MMORPGs=] in that its quests are more elaborate than your basic TwentyBearAsses {{Fetch Quest}}s, instead focusing more on plot, puzzles, problem-solving, and {{Boss Battle}}s. New content, usually (but not always) members-only, is released on a weekly basis.
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8	The game was originally released in January 2001 (retroactively named ''[=RuneScape=] Classic'') in what would now be considered a very primitive form. The full world was ''much'' smaller, containing only a few small cities. There were only six quests, one server, and two developers. ''Classic'' ran for 17 years before being shut down forever in August 2018, although for the last few years was restricted to subscribing members who had logged in during its limited re-opening periods. It gradually expanded until 2004, when the whole game was overhauled completely: changes were made to the game engine, the graphics, the basic game mechanics, and the content and was released as ''[=RuneScape=] 2''. Then, in July of 2013, Jagex released a number of major updates to the game under the name ''[=RuneScape=] 3'', including improved audio and a new, customizable interface and kicking off the first in a series of game-wide World Events. In the same year Jagex rereleased ''[=RuneScape=] 2'', circa 2007, as ''Old School [=RuneScape=]'', with its own small dev team and player polled updates.
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10	Although the offical names for the two versions of the game are ''[=RuneScape=]'' and ''Old School [=RuneScape=]'', players mostly still refer to the former as ''[=RuneScape=] 3'' or ''[=RS3=]'' and the latter as ''OSRS'' or simply ''Old School''. Saying simply "''[=RuneScape=]''" can refer two either of these two "main" versions of the game as they both receive regular updates and, thus, have their own dedicated playerbases.
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12	It has a series of ExpandedUniverse novels: ''Betrayal at Falador'' (2008), ''Return to Canifis'' (2011) and ''Legacy of Blood'' (2012), all written by T.S. Church. It also spawned three, since discontinued, [[GaidenGame spin-off games]]: ''Armies of Gielinor'', a multiplayer TurnBasedTactics game set during the God Wars, released through the now-defunct Website/FunOrb, ''Chronicle: [=RuneScape=] Legends'' a CollectibleCardGame, and ''[=RuneScape=] Idle Adventures'', an IdleGame, although ''Idle Adventures'' was declared CanonDiscontinuity with the release of the [=RuneScape=] quest "The Needle Skips" due to the lore inconsistencies it created. In May 2023, Jagex announced ''Untold Tales of the God Wars'', a four-part comic series that will release later in 2023. A free preview was given out to celebrate Free Comic Book day. Another novel, ''The Gift of Guthix'', is set to release in 2024.
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14	The official site for ''[=RuneScape=] 3'' is at http://www.runescape.com/, while ''Old School [=RuneScape=]'' is at http://oldschool.runescape.com/.
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16	It has spawned its own annual FanConvention known as [=RuneFest=], which has run since 2010.
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18	A documentary about the history of ''[=RuneScape=]'' made to celebrate the game's 15th anniversary can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RNK0YBdwko here.]]
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20	Note that trope examples are assumed to refer to ''[=RuneScape=] 3'' unless otherwise stated.
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22	!!Tropes used in ''[=RuneScape=]'' include:
23	[[index]]
24	* RuneScape/TropesAToG
25	* RuneScape/TropesHToP
26	* RuneScape/TropesQToZ
27	[[/index]]

Context VideoGame / Runescape