About

Tangaria is a free, open-source multiplayer roguelike inspired by Tolkien’s lore. It blends the depth and unpredictability of classic roguelikes with the social features of MMORPGs.
Fight monsters alongside your friends, chat, engage in PvP (if you’re up for it), build your own house, or open a shop to trade with other players. The advanced real-time combat system shifts into semi turn-based mode when your character is wounded — giving you time to think before your next move. Tangaria has two display modes: graphical and ASCII (text):

(more screenshots in Gallery)

Tangaria is a very complex game. If you’ve played Angband before, you’ll find it easier to get started (check out Fast Start Guide). But if you’re new to classic roguelikes, be prepared to spend at least 30 minutes learning the basics in the introduction. I have to mention this because many players try to jump straight into the game, expecting to figure things out on the go — and end up frustrated or give up entirely. Don’t rush. Take a few minutes to prepare and go through the basic information.

Who should try Tangaria?

• If you love classic roguelikes and want something fresh
• If you’re tired of grindy MMOs full of time-sinks
• If you want a game that respects your brain, not just your reaction speed
• If you enjoy tactical combat, theorycrafting or just exploring unpredictable dungeons

What players say

Logged in to try it. Logged out 6 hours later with shaky hands and no food in inventory. — Random kobold victim	Tangaria taught me two things: don’t trust glowing potions, and the floor is never just a floor. — Solo enjoyer	Finally, a roguelike where I can actually build a house. Then immediately die outside it. — Happy homeowner (briefly)
My elf exploded. I don’t even know why. 10/10. — Confused but entertained	Game looks chill. Then you get surrounded by letters and realize it’s a trap. — ASCII survivor	Spent 3 hours on a strategy — then big D sneezed on me and I died. — Proud corpse #XVII

Core Concept

Tangaria inspired by the universe of J.R.R. Tolkien. Your goal is to save Middle-earth from destruction at the hands of Morgoth, the Dark Lord — and maybe even argue with the Valar or stand before Eru Ilúvatar himself. But before all that, you’ll have to mow down hordes of monsters — from orcs and kobolds to balrogs and Sauron.

Tangaria is a pretty challenging game that sharpens your tactical thinking. Reaching mastery can take months and even years. Tangaria is based on (PW)(M)Angband, a game with over 30 years of history, and shares its roots with classic roguelikes like NetHack, DCSS, ADoM, ToME, and others.

Roguelike features:

• Permadeath. Every adventure counts. Each new character is a unique journey and a personal achievement.
• Fully random level generation. Expect the unexpected — every run throws you into completely unpredictable situations.
• Maximum freedom of action. Dig tunnels, polymorph yourself or others, steal, or throw anything in any direction. (Yes, even potions — throw them at enemies to trigger effects based on their type!)
• Destructible dungeon environment. Smash walls, chop down trees, or cause earthquakes to reshape the world around you.
• Streamlined hack’n’slash combat. Routine attacks happen automatically, so you can focus on what really matters — casting spells, using skills, and managing your gear.
• Non-linear progression. Go wherever you want. Every dive into the dungeon is different from the last.
• Anti-grind philosophy. No shortcuts, no cheating — only your skill and decisions matter. Grinding alone won’t save you.
• Advanced macro system. Play a real-time roguelike with ease: bind any action — even targeting — to a hotkey for instant execution.

MMORPG features:

• (Semi) Turn-based action. You can set a custom HP threshold that slows down the game when you’re in danger, or toggle semi turn-based mode on and off whenever you like.
• Group PvE. Team up with friends! Solo works great too — party play just brings its own pros and cons.
• PvP. Want to duel another player? Just enable PvP mode — it’s completely opt-in.
• Trade, barter, or open your own shop. The game’s economy stays balanced thanks to smart item/gold sink mechanics.
• Social sandbox. Make friends, start a guild, build a home — and don’t be surprised if someone moves in next door!
• Unique artifact system. Legendary items are truly one-of-a-kind. There’s only one Orcrist in the entire game — if you find it, it’s yours and yours alone. But hoarding isn’t an option: the game encourages you to actually use what you find, not stash it forever.
• …and that’s just scratching the surface. Tangaria is full of small, clever features that make the world feel alive and personal.

Extra features:

• A living world. Handcrafted locations with deep lore. Tangaria takes place in a unique fantasy universe, heavily inspired by Tolkien’s world, with its own storyline, myths, and characters.
• Massive diversity. Choose from 57 races and 38 classes. Encounter 1,185 monsters, explore 32 unique dungeons, collect 557 items enhanced by 122 ego types, discover 236 true artifacts, experiment with 156 activation effects and 96 item parameters.
• Rich ambiance. Add sound, music, day/night cycles, graphical mode and animation — and you’ve got a game you can sink hundreds of hours into.
• Post-death progression. Your fallen heroes aren’t forgotten — earn Account Points after each death. These unlock a carefully balanced boost for regular play, without harming the roguelikishness. Prefer a pure, unforgiving experience? Then check out the special challenge modes…
• Special challenge modes. Try Hardcore mode (no Account Points progression bonuses), Zeitnot (Thangorodrim adventure where time on each level limited), Ironman (no recall forced descent in Carn Dum) and Deepdive (if you want slightly easier gameplay). Other challenge modes are available too!
• Easier item managment. No more selling junk to NPCs! We’ve removed that grind completely. Instead, get increased gold drops in the dungeon and enjoy meaningful player-to-player trading instead of running back and forth to shops.
• New food system. Food is no longer a boring chore — it’s one of the most engaging resources in the game. “After a global catastrophe, a bag of wheat is worth more than gold.” You won’t get it easy — to stay alive, you’ll have to scavenge for food deep within the dungeon. But don’t worry — it’s not as annoying or punishing as in typical survival games. A skilled player learns to stay fed through smart decisions and experience, not mindless grinding.
• Enhanced exploration. Telepathy and detection have been reworked to make exploration meaningful again. No more mindless button-spamming — you’ll need to pay attention, trust your instincts, and feel your way through the unknown.
• Disconnected stairs. No “stair-scumming” here — up and down staircases are not linked, encouraging deeper exploration and risk.
• Roguelikish anti-grind system (Brackets). All dungeons are carefully balanced and become accessible only at specific character levels. This keeps leveling fair, exploration exciting, and prevents boring farming — encouraging true roguelike spirit!
• One character per account. Multi-accounting is strictly forbidden to preserve fairness and prevent cheating. One player — one hero.

Screenshots (1st row – graphical mode; 2nd row – ASCII mode):
    
You can also see how the game looks by watching videos

Beneath the simple graphics can lie worlds of complexity
seldom to be found in any other game. 

Design Philosophy

Tangaria sticks to the old-school roguelike tradition — think Angband, NetHack, and other games where every step could be your last. You’re constantly solving tiny deadly puzzles like “Should I fight this or run like hell?” Spoiler: often, running is the better choice. No two situations are ever quite the same, and just when you think you’ve seen it all — surprise! The game shows you a new way to die.

Each class and race combo has its own flavor, so if you’re the kind of person who enjoys making spreadsheets about elf mages versus half-troll rogues — welcome home. There are hundreds of combinations, and each one messes with your gameplay in its own weird way. Basically, the more you play, the more you realize how little you know.

Death Is a Feature

Tangaria, like any proper roguelike, is gloriously complex. Some even say it’s the hardest one out there — and not without reason. The game uses a unique (semi)-turn-based system with a touch of zeitnot, so yeah, sometimes it feels like you’re playing speed chess with a cave troll.

You’ll die. A lot. But not because of lag, bugs, or your cat stepping on the keyboard — no, here your deaths are 100% earned. It’s always your fault, which is kind of refreshing. And educational! Every time you bite the dust, you come back a bit wiser, a bit tougher, and slightly more paranoid. Just the way roguelikes should be.

Yes, Tangaria is pretty hardcore. You’ll need nerves of steel — ideally rolled into a tight little ball — and the ability to think a few moves ahead while surrounded by things that want to eat you.

No arcade!

Unlike some multiplayer roguelikes where twitch reflexes rule the day, Tangaria is more about brains than clicks: 5% reflexes, 95% experience (and maybe 1% screaming internally). With the introduction of slow-time mode, the game became way less about button mashing and more about making the right call — especially when you’re low on health and surrounded by angry letters of the alphabet.

Slow-time kicks in automatically when you’re injured, turning the game into a semi-turn-based survival puzzle — and if you prefer to control the tempo yourself, you can toggle it on or off anytime. A rare moment of mercy, enjoy it while it lasts.

However, if you want a faster game, you can enable Turbo mode — it grants additional Account Points, but also makes the gameplay much more dynamic.

Party hard!?

Playing in a party can be fun — until your buddy opens that door, steps on a trap, and wakes up half the dungeon. Oops. So yeah, while co-op is cool, maybe wait until mid-game (around level 30+) before trusting anyone with your life. Especially Bob. Bob will get you killed.

The good news? Tangaria is perfectly solo-friendly. If you’re a lone wolf, introvert, or just tired of social responsibility — you’ll feel right at home. The learning curve is fair, not punishing, and definitely no worse than in something like NetHack (which, let’s be honest, also teaches through pain).

What are you waiting for?

    Pick a race, pick a class — there’s plenty to choose from — and dive into the endless mess of twisty dungeon corridors! You’ll gain experience by slaying grumpy legendary creatures, stumbling across lost artifacts, hoarding shiny stuff, and occasionally crawling back to town to resupply and have awkward trade chats with other players.
    Your long-term goal? Something totally reasonable: saving the world by defeating the Lord of Darkness, who’s hiding somewhere very deep underground. And if you actually pull that off (good luck), maybe you’ll get to have a chat with the Valar. Or even meet Eru Ilúvatar himself. No pressure.
    Along the way, you’ll meet plenty of other adventurers… whether they be friend or foe is up to you to decide!

The Origin

Tangaria (2019) is built on the powerful PWMAngband (2007) engine which was derived from MAngband (1998), originally based on classic vanilla Angband (1992).

How does Tangaria differ from Angband (the classic singleplayer roguelike)?
Tangaria is multiplayer: you can explore dungeons with others, trade, build houses, open shops, and enjoy many MMORPG-style features. Gameplay is turn-based like Angband, but with faster pacing — time only slows down when you’re hurt (default: below 60% HP, customizable). If you’ve played Angband, just start with a simple combo like Half-Troll Warrior — you’ll pick it up quickly.

Can I play solo or is it multiplayer-focused?
Yes, you can play solo without issues. Partying with others just adds optional pros and cons.

What is the difference between Tangaria and PWMAngband?

Tangaria inherits the solid foundation of PWMAngband and builds on it with original design choices and exclusive mechanics. Some of them include:

• Characters
  • 20 new classes and 40+ new races
  • plenty of new racial and class features; all traditional *band races have been rebalanced;
  • each race has its own unique skill (y to use it);
  • crafting, salvaging and alchemy professions (for appropriate classes);
  • new end-game charisma stat which influence a lot of game aspects;
  • pets for some races and classes.
• Gameplay
  • customized dungeons brackets system;
  • account points which don’t disappear upon death; they allow you to buy bigger houses, increase storage space, give access to more races/classes and provide other (mostly cosmetic) advantages;
  • new housing system: you can build house even in town; house foundation stones could be acquired by digging; houses do not disappear after a character’s death (but you inherit them without any items from previous character who died);
  • new curse systems;
  • new nourishment system: now food is one of the main resources, not just dull filler. Digestion rates vary depending on the situation, and some races require stuff other than food;
  • enhanced movement through the landscape;
  • rebalanced telepathy and detection magic;
  • new effects and amnesia revamp;
  • strict fair-play (anti-cheating gameplay).
• World
  • new monsters types (angels, mutants, djinns, fey, unicorns, ents etc; each type includes different species) and several dozens of new monsters;
  • new dungeons, items, traps, stores and other objects;
  • advanced dungeon design (it’s not only rooms and corridors) with hundreds of new terrain features;
  • unique carefully designed hand-made locations;
  • added swimming and flying, interaction with water and aquatic life;
  • more interaction with terrain elements, like digging fountains (including dry ones);
  • the change of day and night got additional influence on gameplay;
  • eco-system (eg you could now chop down trees in daylight locations too, trees will regrow); spots from wiped houses will become wilderness in time;
  • unique player houses: they are randomly generated from hundreds of different wall and floor types;
  • NPC system (with dialogues);
  • animation support;
  • music and dozens of new sounds;
  • weather system.
• Misc
  • ladder that shows legitimate character achievements;
  • new storyline which continues Tolkien’s universe – rebellion against Valar and multi-dimensions; 
  • …and hundreds of other new features

Design Heritage

We draw inspiration from the best of both worlds:

• Roguelike roots: Tangaria takes the strongest features from its *band ancestors, while also borrowing ideas from legendary singleplayer roguelikes like NetHack, DCSS, ToME, and others.
• MMORPG spirit: At the same time, it’s shaped by the legacy of classic online games such as Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and even old-school MUDs (text-based multiplayer RPGs).

This fusion gives Tangaria its unique soul: a game where every decision matters — not your gear score, not your twitch reflexes, and definitely not how much time you waste grinding. We took the strategic depth of classic roguelikes and stripped away the cheesing, scumming, and exploit abuse — then combined it with the living, social world of an MMORPG, but without the endless grind and hollow time-sinks. The result? A fair, challenging adventure where skill comes first, and your story is truly your own.

Contacts

igroglaz@⒢⒨⒜⒤⒧.⒞⒪⒨

Also, you are welcome to ask any questions @ our Discord

Join the community — and see if you can survive longer than your first kobold ambush!