Thayer's Quest is a laserdisc game created by RDI Video Systems.  It was released in 1984 as a conversion kit for Dragon's Lair.  The founder of RDI, Rick Dyer, was the man directly responsible for Dragon's Lair and Space Ace.  Thayer's Quest is unlike any other arcade game of its time.  It uses a membrane keypad rather than a joystick and buttons.  Survival and success depend more on your decisions than your reflexes.  The conversion kit included instructional leaflets to be distributed to players and also posted, to help them understand this "new" role-playing game concept.  See one here.

The Story - One thousand years ago, the Five Kingdoms (Weigard, Illes, Iscar, the Far Reaches, and Shadoan) were united under the benevolent rule of the Elder Kings.  But the evil wizard Sorsabal allied himself with dark forces from the land of Shadoan and with their dread power, destroyed the Elder Kings and claimed the Land as his domain.  The Elder Kings preserved their power by parting the Hand of Quoid, the great Amulet that was the source and focus of all true magic, and creating the Five Relics.  They concealed one Relic in each of the Five Kingdoms, knowing that if Sorsabal possessed the Hand, he would wield absolute control over the Land.  Sorsabal and his dark minions are searching for the Relics.  As Thayer Alconred, last of the bloodline of the Elder Kings, you must find the Relics and restore the Amulet of Power before it is too late!