Discuss - Game Director Letter November 2014

[Bibik]

WBs were designed as PvP content.

And PvPers refused it.

[Jerohn]

Yeah, coz pvp contenct shouldnt be about mobs and nodes

[Kantakwa]

(...) For the second approach, giving it a voice, we would use characters from across the world such as scholars to give voice to the scholarly parts. If we limit ourselves to Conan it limits the system a lot.(...)

If 1 means: "Just trowing text at the player, without mentioning a source", the I do not vote for it. Perhaps I do not understand the approach, but it seems to me a lot like the loading screen messages, without qoting the books directly, but making stuff up by youself. But I like the style very much. BUT I also like the style of approach 2, because it is way more personal and immersive.

So, if you use different characters as a "source", you can maybe use both styles of writing. Like, scholars or explorers would use an encyclopedia style, and others (diaries, letters, ship captain log files, military reports...) would use the personal style.

As far as I understand the difference between the two approaches, the second one gives us a point of view, the first one has no real "author". I think the second one is far more fitting and gives you far more freedom in the system itself.

[Slith]

Yeah, sure, he mellowed as he got older and even might have written some poetry, but I don't see him writing books

Agreed. This quote have always bothered me:

“Rinaldo is largely responsible,” answered Prospero, drawing up his sword-belt another
notch. “He sings songs that make men mad. Hang him in his jester’s garb to the highest
tower in the city. Let him make rimes for the vultures.”
Conan shook his lion head. “No, Prospero, he’s beyond my reach. A great poet is greater
than any king. His songs are mightier than my scepter; for he has near ripped the heart
from my breast when he chose to sing for me. I shall die and be forgotten, but Rinaldo’s
songs will live for ever."

The Phoenix on the Sword

It is just soooooooooo not Conan, well perhaps because the story originally featured Kull in "By This Axe I Rule".

Conan was NOT a statesman (unlike Kull who was a much better king) and he had very little interestd in acquiring knowledge (unless it was necessary for looting, like in Jewels of G story).

"I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred
by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom’s realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and
vaulted halls of the Nordheimer’s Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep
while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the
hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and
crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over
questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion,
and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am
content.”

Queen of the Back Coast

"Surely he sees us,” muttered Conan. “Why does he not charge us? He could break this
window with ease.”
Murilo realized that Conan supposed the mirror to be a window through which they were
looking.
“He does not see us,” answered the priest. “We are looking into the chamber above us.
That door that Thak is guarding is the one at the head of these stairs. It is simply an
arrangement of mirrors. Do you see those mirrors on the walls? They transmit the
reflection of the room into these tubes, down which other mirrors carry it to reflect it at
last on an enlarged scale in this great mirror.”
Murilo realized that the priest must be centuries ahead of his generation, to perfect such
an invention; but Conan put it down to witchcraft and troubled his head no more about it."

Rogues in the House

Oh how very scholary of you, Conan :P

I can see only one way to make lore bits BOTH about encyclopedia-like-knowneldge and story telling.... make it entries of
The Nemedian Chronicles.

[ATN575]

Where would the Scrolls of Skelos be kept?

[Anzu]

Agreed. This quote have always bothered me

In your first quote, Conan is quite old, and has been king for some times. In the two others, he's young. i see nothing wrong in Conan acknowledging a poet's worth.

[Slith]

In your first quote, Conan is quite old, and has been king for some times. In the two others, he's young. i see nothing wrong in Conan acknowledging a poet's worth.

Have you read REH'S Kull stories? You would see that its something that Kull would have said (and he did in the original version o the story re-written by REH into Conan story€

[Slith]

Where would the Scrolls of Skelos be kept?

Its the book of Skelos and REH implies that there are numerious copies of this book. Conan have read it.

[Anzu]

Have you read REH'S Kull stories? You would see that its something that Kull would have said (and he did in the original version o the story re-written by REH into Conan story€

Yes, I did.

[Slith]

Yes, I did.

So knowing that it was really Kull who originaly said that how can you make a point about nothing wrong in Conan acknowledging a poet's worth.
REH literally took "By This Axe I rule" and changed "Kull" to "Conan" and named the story "Phoenix on The Sword".

Kull in "The Cat And The Skull/ Delcardes' Cat" discussed deep philosophy all night Conan on the other had expressed zero interested in that (as provided in quote above).

So Kull have said it and it was true to his character, Conan was just copy/pasted into that story and its nothing like him. Having read both Kull and Conan I can honestly say that apart being a barbarian those two characters are nothing alike and I think I like Kull better, at least as a king (there is almost nothing written about Kull before he became king of Valusia)