There's also a Gaiden Game called "Armies of Gielinor", a multiplayer Turn Based Tactics game set during the God Wars, released through Fun Orb. It has a series of Expanded Universe novels: Betrayal at Falador (2008) and Return to Canifis (2011), both written by T.S. The Classic version is still playable today, although access is restricted to subscribing members. It gradually expanded until 2004, when the whole game was overhauled completely: such large changes were made to the game engine, the graphics, the basic game mechanics, and the content that the developers saw fit to call it "RuneScape 2" and retire the previous game as "RuneScape Classic". There were only six quests, one server, and two developers.
The full world was much smaller, containing only a few small cities. The game was originally released in January 2001 in what would now be considered a very primitive form. New content, usually (but not always) members-only, is released on a weekly basis.
RuneScape is somewhat uncommon among MMORPGs in that its quests are more elaborate than your basic Twenty Bear Asses Fetch Quests, instead focusing more on plot, puzzles, problem-solving, and Boss Battles. Gameplay primarily involves quests, combat (both Player Versus Player and Player Versus Environment), and, the Necessary Weasel of the genre, Level Grinding, along with a variety of side activities like Capture the Flag. The game holds the official Guinness world record for largest free MMORPG. The free version of the game is self-contained and can be played on its own, but subscribers gain access to separate Member servers (marketed as an Expansion Pack) with more content in exchange for a monthly fee. RuneScape is a browser-based Medieval European Fantasy MMORPG by the UK-based developer Jagex Ltd that runs on a Freemium subscription model.