Angband

Angband is a free and open-source roguelike game derived from UMoria in 1993. The game is set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and is based on the fortress of Angband from The Silmarillion. It is considered one of the major roguelikes and has spawned over 50 variants.

Development and History:
Angband was created as a fork of UMoria, incorporating elements from Tolkien's legendarium. The game has been in continuous development for over 30 years and is maintained by the Angband Development Team. It established the naming convention for "*band" variants that followed.

Gameplay:
The game features a 100-level dungeon descent to defeat Morgoth, the Dark Enemy. Players can choose from 13 character classes and multiple races including Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and Half-Elves. The game includes a magic system with spell books, an artifact system featuring items from Tolkien's works, and a monster memory system that records information about encountered enemies.

Setting and Content:
Angband incorporates authentic Tolkien elements including creatures such as Balrogs, Dragons, and Nazgûl, as well as artifacts like Sting, the One Ring, and the Silmarils. The game includes a town level where players can purchase supplies and interact with NPCs.

Technical Implementation:
The game is written in C and released under the GPL-2.0 license. It supports multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, Unix, and Android. The game uses ASCII graphics by default with optional tile graphics support.

Variants:
Angband has generated numerous variants including ZAngband (1994), ToME (Tales of Middle-earth), Sangband, OAngband, and FAangband. These variants explore different gameplay mechanics, settings, and character systems while maintaining the core Angband framework.