Bard's Tale Question

Tarjan · 08-06-2003, 03:48 PM

Hi. I'm posting this here because I'm not sure what other forum to post it on. If you know where it might stand a better chance of being answered, please let me know.

I've always wondered something about "The Bard's Tale" series. In BT1, Tarjan has been turned to stone. When you bring him his eye in Harkyn's Castle, he comes to life and you kill him. In other words, by the end of the game, he's dead. In BT3, he's suddenly referred to as Mangar's master, and he's very much alive and destroying the world. And when you confront him, he says something about how you "tricked him back in Harkyn's Castle so many years ago."

Did anyone else ever manage to make any sense of this? How was he tricked? And why isn't he dead? It seems if anyone tricked anybody, HE did by pretending to be dead. I'm confused.

pritchke · 08-06-2003, 04:16 PM

Not sure the answer but you may be better off placing this in "Miscellaneous Games" may have a better chance of being answered. I have heard Bard's Tales I to III are pretty good. I found them free online so I may give them a shot later.

[ 08-07-2003, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

Cloudbringer · 08-06-2003, 04:26 PM

Moved to miscellaneous

Tarjan · 08-06-2003, 04:47 PM

Pritchke-- They were good games, but I don't think you'll like them much now. The graphics and the game engine are both extremely dated. Also, the PC versions are feeble compared to the Commodore 64 and Amiga versions (PC sound was really bad back then, just boops and beeps.) The good news is, there MAY be a Bard's Tale 4. Brian Fargo of Interplay Productions has recently started a new company, and the first thing he did was acquire the rights to the Bard's Tale franchise, so who knows?

[ 08-06-2003, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: Tarjan ]

Arnabas · 08-07-2003, 12:10 AM

I loved the Bard's Tale series... Those were the first games that kept me up till 5 AM when I had to get up at 6:30 AM to get ready for school...
My character in BT II led to a fantasy world of my creation which I use for my pnp gaming...
Anyhow, I imagine that Tarjan in BT I was merely the avatar of the Mad God and as such was able to die. In BT III you confront the real Tarjan. As for being tricked... I dunno. I never played the first game, so I don't know exactly what happened.

Azred · 08-07-2003, 01:27 AM

Don't forget that Tarjan is insane and megalomaniacal, thus to him being defeated must have been the result of some kind of special trick, not power and skill.

The Bard's Tale wasn't the first computer-based role-playing game I ever had, but it was definitely the best until the Gold Box series came out. If you can find them, whether in a compilation like I have or from a free game website, then add these classics to your collection.

HolyWarrior · 08-07-2003, 01:33 AM

The Bard's Tale series is considered abandonware and can be downloaded from The Underdogs

Tarjan · 08-07-2003, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Azred:

The Bard's Tale wasn't the first computer-based role-playing game I ever had, but it was definitely the best until the Gold Box series came out. If you can find them, whether in a compilation like I have or from a free game website, then add these classics to your collection.

I actually still liked the Bard's Tale series the best, even after the Gold Box series. Gold Box games were good, but the problem, for me, was the length of the fights. I think the first game to beat Bard's Tale, in my mind, was "Alternate Reality: The Dungeon." It was an extremely underrated game, but it was so advanced for its time. There was the ability to form alliances with different groups, to join guilds, and to have morality issues. On top of that, the game took into account tons of things like how drunk you were, how burdened you were, etc. And then there was the music and the smooth scrolling 3D... there was just a LOT of stuff in this game. A shame the series never got finished.

The other Bard's Tale beater at that time was Dragon Wars. It took everything that was good about BT, and added a far more developed story, better graphics, and maps that made some sort of logical sense (using Scry Site every five seconds in BT got a little tedious.)

The Hierophant · 08-07-2003, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tarjan:
I think the first game to beat Bard's Tale, in my mind, was "Alternate Reality: The Dungeon." It was an extremely underrated game, but it was so advanced for its time. There was the ability to form alliances with different groups, to join guilds, and to have morality issues. On top of that, the game took into account tons of things like how drunk you were, how burdened you were, etc. And then there was the music and the smooth scrolling 3D... there was just a LOT of stuff in this game. A shame the series never got finished.

Alternate Reality Rocked!!!!! Both 'The Dungeon' and 'The City'. I loved the intro with the spaceship beaming all the people up. Awesome stuff. Used to play it for hours at a stretch back on my Atari 130XE when I was 8. Ah the nostalgia... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Tarjan · 08-07-2003, 01:27 PM

FINALLY! Somebody else who actually remembers that game fondly! The City was pretty good (had better songs in the taverns), but The Dungeon, to me, was better because it actually had a solid goal. You could never really WIN The City because it was all just about improving your character for later installments in the series. Fun for a definitely, but not as rewarding as finally getting down to level four of The Dungeon and using that mirrored shield on the laser!

Now that you're gone,
Some will grieve on, on and on
I'll know you'll be back again
Maybe next time
Will be the time
You WIN

ah... the memories..

08-06-2003, 03:48 PM	#1
Tarjan Dungeon Master Join Date: July 16, 2003 Location: Skara Brae Age: 50 Posts: 52	Hi. I'm posting this here because I'm not sure what other forum to post it on. If you know where it might stand a better chance of being answered, please let me know. I've always wondered something about "The Bard's Tale" series. In BT1, Tarjan has been turned to stone. When you bring him his eye in Harkyn's Castle, he comes to life and you kill him. In other words, by the end of the game, he's dead. In BT3, he's suddenly referred to as Mangar's master, and he's very much alive and destroying the world. And when you confront him, he says something about how you "tricked him back in Harkyn's Castle so many years ago." Did anyone else ever manage to make any sense of this? How was he tricked? And why isn't he dead? It seems if anyone tricked anybody, HE did by pretending to be dead. I'm confused. __________________ \"Speak not the name of the High One so loudly, lest he awaken,\" the priest says. \"Enter the catacombs, believer.\"<br /><br />\"Fifteen doors east, and thou art there. On souls they feast in the dark one\'s lair.\"

08-06-2003, 04:26 PM	#3
Cloudbringer Ironworks Moderator Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Upstate NY USA Posts: 19,737	Moved to miscellaneous __________________ "Don't take life for granted." Animal (may he rest in peace)

08-06-2003, 04:47 PM	#4
Tarjan Dungeon Master Join Date: July 16, 2003 Location: Skara Brae Age: 50 Posts: 52	Pritchke-- They were good games, but I don't think you'll like them much now. The graphics and the game engine are both extremely dated. Also, the PC versions are feeble compared to the Commodore 64 and Amiga versions (PC sound was really bad back then, just boops and beeps.) The good news is, there MAY be a Bard's Tale 4. Brian Fargo of Interplay Productions has recently started a new company, and the first thing he did was acquire the rights to the Bard's Tale franchise, so who knows? [ 08-06-2003, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: Tarjan ] __________________ \"Speak not the name of the High One so loudly, lest he awaken,\" the priest says. \"Enter the catacombs, believer.\"<br /><br />\"Fifteen doors east, and thou art there. On souls they feast in the dark one\'s lair.\"

08-07-2003, 12:10 AM	#5
Arnabas Baaz Draconian Join Date: October 11, 2001 Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada Age: 54 Posts: 721	I loved the Bard's Tale series... Those were the first games that kept me up till 5 AM when I had to get up at 6:30 AM to get ready for school... My character in BT II led to a fantasy world of my creation which I use for my pnp gaming... Anyhow, I imagine that Tarjan in BT I was merely the avatar of the Mad God and as such was able to die. In BT III you confront the real Tarjan. As for being tricked... I dunno. I never played the first game, so I don't know exactly what happened. __________________ Est Sularis oth Mithas

08-07-2003, 01:27 AM	#6
Azred Drow Priestess Join Date: March 13, 2001 Location: a hidden sanctorum high above the metroplex Age: 55 Posts: 4,037	Don't forget that Tarjan is insane and megalomaniacal, thus to him being defeated must have been the result of some kind of special trick, not power and skill. The Bard's Tale wasn't the first computer-based role-playing game I ever had, but it was definitely the best until the Gold Box series came out. If you can find them, whether in a compilation like I have or from a free game website, then add these classics to your collection. __________________ Everything may be explained by a conspiracy theory. All conspiracy theories are true. No matter how thinly you slice it, it's still bologna.

08-06-2003, 04:16 PM	#2
pritchke Bastet - Egyptian Cat Goddess Join Date: September 5, 2001 Location: Calgary, AB Age: 50 Posts: 3,491	Not sure the answer but you may be better off placing this in "Miscellaneous Games" may have a better chance of being answered. I have heard Bard's Tales I to III are pretty good. I found them free online so I may give them a shot later. [ 08-07-2003, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

08-07-2003, 01:33 AM	#7
HolyWarrior User Suspended for 2 weeks by Ziroc [Dec30] Join Date: July 7, 2002 Location: IL Age: 59 Posts: 472	The Bard's Tale series is considered abandonware and can be downloaded from The Underdogs

08-07-2003, 01:27 PM	#10
Tarjan Dungeon Master Join Date: July 16, 2003 Location: Skara Brae Age: 50 Posts: 52	FINALLY! Somebody else who actually remembers that game fondly! The City was pretty good (had better songs in the taverns), but The Dungeon, to me, was better because it actually had a solid goal. You could never really WIN The City because it was all just about improving your character for later installments in the series. Fun for a definitely, but not as rewarding as finally getting down to level four of The Dungeon and using that mirrored shield on the laser! Now that you're gone, Some will grieve on, on and on I'll know you'll be back again Maybe next time Will be the time You WIN ah... the memories.. __________________ \"Speak not the name of the High One so loudly, lest he awaken,\" the priest says. \"Enter the catacombs, believer.\"<br /><br />\"Fifteen doors east, and thou art there. On souls they feast in the dark one\'s lair.\"

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