Tech: Diablo - the Ironman variant

Blizzard re-released the original Diablo last month on GOG.com, so I've been doing a few Ironman ("IM") runs through the game. The IM variant has a few simple rules: (1) you must start with a new character, (2) all monsters on each level must be killed, (3) you cannot go back to town, and (4) death is permanent (no save scumming!).

The net effect of these self-imposed limitations is an experience which closely approximates the original Rogue and the other classic games Diablo is based on, because without townsfolk to heal you and provide items, everything becomes precious. Abilities that you would never use in a normal Diablo game, such as the Warrior's Repair skill, become vitally important. Items that you wouldn't even take a second glance at, such as a humble Scroll of Identify, become the most valuable things in your inventory. And monsters that you would normally roll over, like the goat clans in the catacombs, become dangerous threats due to your sub par equipment and lack of resources.

Which is not to say you can't go far if you're persistent - some IM multiplayer groups have even beaten the game on Hell difficulty. For my part, I managed to get a Warrior down to level 15 of the dungeon, the penultimate level. The stat sheet tells the tale - I had zero magical resistances because of my awful item drops, and my character was eventually killed by a a pack of Cabalists who laid waste to his unprotected hide with lightning spells:

It was still refreshingly fun to play a game that the player wasn't guaranteed to beat from the get-go, a game that required skill and a bit of luck to get through to the end.  If you think modern action RPGs are too easy and want a hit of that old Roguelike flavor most games used to have, try firing up an IM Diablo session and see how far you get...