Meridian: First Post
Meridian: First Post
Meridian’s FIRST Post:
Good evening everyone!
Yes, this is Meridian/aka/the Big Newb/aka Shadowbane Staff Writer. I've been lurking on these forums ever since last Summer, and all that while I was content to just keep to the shadows and scribble furiously. Well, with the release of the beta journal, it seems as if that phase is passing. First off, I want to thank everyone for the comments about the Beta Journal - they were very gratifying, and I'm glad it was so well received. Reading the feedback, it seems like there were a few things I didn't make clear - trust me, they weren't delierate.
So, to clarify:
1) Many have already noticed that when dual wielding (not, as I had erroneously spelled it, 'duel wielding,' tho I suppose that spelling might also fit), Beregund's secondary weapon was at a lower attack score than his primary. What the screen shots have no way of revealing is that my primary weapon was also taking a hit, though not as large of one. Dexterity, weapons skills, and other things (traits/profession abilities/whathaveyou) can help to offset these penalties. It's a trade off, a question of balance and effectiveness. Dual wielding is not that easy - if I had decided to spend my development points on ANYTHING besides Dex and sword skill, Beregund wouldn't have been particularly effective at all.
2) Sorry about the lack of a Crotch Chop. We'll try to get one into the next journal! Anyway, thanks again for the kind words and emails. If ever I don't respond, please don't take it personally. As y'all might have noticed, we're a bit close with our cards here. Also, we're all quite a bit busy. We also REALLY can't wait for the dang game to come out, either! Meridian He also made a second post (spammer!) on the Discussion Board entitled 'On Races, Race Wars, Fiction, and Flame': Back so soon? Yes, I figured I'd need a second post to talk about some game fiction/world background issues. I noticed all of the posts about race hatred that have come up lately (and the previous wave of discussion on the subject), and I thought I'd make a few comments...
First off, of course I don't condone REAL race hatred. This hardly need be said.
One of my primary goals in producing the fiction and background has been to create a world that would be rife with conflict. When Warden and company first explained to me their vision of how they wanted SB to go, I realized that conflict was going to be a staple of the game, and that giving the races and factions reasons to duke it out would lend some RP legitimacy to the in-game conflict. As J. once put it, we're making a world "that's broken on purpose."
Why? To give you, the players, lots of chances to test your mettle. The world is broken. The way I figure it, in Shadowbane your character and your guild can either fight over the pieces or maybe even band together to fix it (a much harder task, I figure).
Yes, just about every race has good reason to smack around just about any other. At one time or another, just about every race has warred against just about every other (even the Dwarves, but that's another story). There are numerous races and groups who will gladly run around killing everything that moves. If that's your playing style, have at! Will we FORCE races not to get along? No. Ashen said it best - the background is a tool. Use it at your discretion. (I personally would appreciate it of course...) Not all Elves are arrogant, heartless mandarins who despise the "lesser races." Not all Irekei are so bloodthirsty that they'd never stop to listen to what a rain bleeder has to say. Not all Northmen hate the Southlanders... And there are even a few Confessors out there who are honestly just trying to help.
There are other organizations trying to bring people together, or at least who are looking beyond power or wealth and trying to make the sundered World a better place. They have their work cut out for them. Is one group 'good' and the other 'evil?' Not hardly. We don't really have good and evil in Shadowbane - everybody has the things that they want to possess or achieve, and they have the things they're willing to do to get them. That's the only measure you can apply to groups like the Elves, the Holy Church, and the Temple of the Flame. It's a messed up world, one that needs heroes. Will you try to make a difference?
Oh yes, speaking of the Flame (no, not THAT kind of flame...):
I recall a thread a while back asking about the differences between the Book of Swords and the Book of Staves. The Book of Swords is much newer, and it was indeed written just after the Turning. It contains the Testaments of Saint Malorn, both historical and various prophecies and visions revealed to him from the Archons and the All-Father. The book is a cornerstone of the Temple's ideology. Are its contents true? That depends on who you ask. You will note the the flaming sword is one of the primary symbols of the Temple - the title of the book is no mere accident. The book isn't for everyone: in fact, it's initial compilation was one of the events that split the Holy Church. The High Patriarch still denounces the Thirteen Articles of Faith as heretical.
But I digress...
To answer another question raised in that same thread, the Book of Swords was written when the World had broken. In the beginning, travel between fragments was impossible. Yet, how could Malorn's gospel spread across the Void with Travellers and Runegates? The answer: faith. Once Malorn began his crusade, sensitive Prelates all throughout the Sundered World saw visions, or were delivered divine messages by the Archons showing them a new path. The most sensitive of them had the entire Book dictated to them by angelic presences, so that the Temple's message could find the faithful. Indeed, these wondrous events, coming as they did when the Holy Church seemed out of miracles, were one reason the Temple's creed was so quick to take root.
Okay, enough background for now. Before I draw any Flame of my own, I'll depart.
