tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post8385538100873813605..comments2024-03-28T10:19:08.172-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 137: Spirit of Excalibur (1990)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49197694317268513982024-02-18T23:27:43.079-05:002024-02-18T23:27:43.079-05:00100 Floors: I should rewatch that movie. Back when...100 Floors: I should rewatch that movie. Back when I was a kid CBC had a Disney Movie slot on Sundays. That was on, and Mom put it on because how scary can a disney movie be? The answer: Far more then you'd expect, and that version of death has stayed with me to this day. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33854620392109963222023-04-13T18:02:22.187-04:002023-04-13T18:02:22.187-04:00I know this is an old post, but I can't believ...I know this is an old post, but I can't believe no one brought up Connery's star turn in 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People.'100FloorsOfFrightsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42530824265357335362023-01-31T07:21:45.200-05:002023-01-31T07:21:45.200-05:00@jason dyer:
nine years later, but i'm doing ...@jason dyer:<br /><br />nine years later, but i'm doing what i can to get through the blog as fast as possible :)<br /><br />both those games - arthur: quest for excalibur and conquests of camelot are worth your time to seek out and play.<br /><br />conquests of camelot is by far the more grounded effort - the designer of the conquests games made a point of doing a lot of research which makes them interesting to play just from that perspective, but they're also fairly neat games.<br /><br />i /slightly/ prefer camelot to longbow, but i have a softer spot for ega graphics than just vga [especially with the way sierra rendered ega graphics in particular.]<br /><br />but the consensus is somewhat against me in that court. lots more people prefer longbow. it's just a more fleshed out game and the design generally feels more fair.<br /><br />the infocom game takes pretty vast liberties with the source material, but most of these liberties have to do with making a fun game. [though chet will likely not like the handful of outright goofy inclusions in that particular excursion.]<br /><br />some of these liberties can be chalked up to: you're playing a pretty young arthur. so the theme really is about high adventure beyond all else.<br /><br />[it also has a somewhat frustrating maze.]<br /><br />but if you're looking for a pair of adventures that are immersive and interesting [the infocom game even has a "director's commentary" of a sort], then yes. i recommend these.lostwolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697299839262994456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87430838536231952602021-05-16T17:46:19.515-04:002021-05-16T17:46:19.515-04:00I have seen it! I'm a big fan of Dev Patel, to...I have seen it! I'm a big fan of Dev Patel, too, so I've been eagerly anticipating the film. For like 4 years. When is it finally getting released?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32132977960337490632021-05-15T12:18:03.912-04:002021-05-15T12:18:03.912-04:00Great post! My own knowledge of this subject is so...Great post! My own knowledge of this subject is sorely lacking, so reading this was a delight.<br /><br />If you have not seen it yet, you might want to check out the trailer for The Green Knight by David Lowery. He is a rather gifted director, I think, so I have some hopes for that movie.Dragnipurakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17491314816320427932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32655027905228081472020-10-25T17:42:20.202-04:002020-10-25T17:42:20.202-04:00I'm glad you enjoyed White. The book has enter...I'm glad you enjoyed White. The book has entered public domain in Canada and the U.K., and I've been toying with the idea of publishing an annotated version of it, full of footnotes explaining the sources of various allusions, characters, and themes.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89529967203145272222020-10-25T14:57:54.523-04:002020-10-25T14:57:54.523-04:00After reading the posts about this game and realiz...After reading the posts about this game and realizing I knew nothing about Arthurian stories either, I also read The Once and Future King. It is now my favorite book as well. I had no idea that something mostly known through cheesy references and pizza chains could have so much emotional depth behind it.<br /><br />My only other experience with Arthurian lore was Le Morte d'Arthur, and whoever recommended that book to me deserves to be shot into the sky like the Holy Grail and then fall back down.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14025511634630902101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49906881299733125642018-06-20T11:42:47.385-04:002018-06-20T11:42:47.385-04:00Just to fuel your passion for Arthurian literature...Just to fuel your passion for Arthurian literature...<br /><br />Official history says that: (1) Arthur stopped the Anglo-saxons in the middle of today England, but as soon as he died, they continued on <br />westwards; (2) later, the Anglo-Saxon advance was definitely stopped at the border of today Wales, for no apparent reason.<br /><br />I read a book (I forgot the authors) that says it is quite weird that a general who stopped the Anglo-Saxons just temporarily was remembered, while we have no memory of whoever stopped them forever. They propose a different theory: (1) the Anglo-saxons were stopped by Arthur at the border of today Wales, once and forever; (2) later, a king of England modified and moved Arthurian references eastwards, in order to claim sovereignty on Wales.<br />Abacoshttps://strategywiki.org/wiki/User:_Abacosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65903188325124121852015-12-04T14:58:34.953-05:002015-12-04T14:58:34.953-05:00In breaking news in the somewhat slow field of Art...In breaking news in the somewhat slow field of Arthurian RPGs, Choice of Games have just released one -- https://www.choiceofgames.com/2015/12/pendragon-rising-seize-the-throne-in-the-age-of-king-arthur/ -- seemingly a slice of Celtic speculative fiction without too much obvious Arthuriana. I dug it, but of course I also dug Braminar. (FWIW, I dug it for different reasons 8)<br /><br />Whether or not you consider the Choice of Games titles to be RPGs remains to be seen, and of course these may be nearly as ancient history as Arthur himself before you get caught up to the classic RPG year of 2015... but I had to throw it out there. It's an afternoon's play of an hour or so, something that could cleanse the palate between more substantial playthrough-bloggings 8)Rowan Lipkovitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08691096685515251681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32187278103837947642015-04-08T22:20:59.747-04:002015-04-08T22:20:59.747-04:00See, this is why I'm going back and reading th...See, this is why I'm going back and reading the whole blog. At first I picked out favorites, and then I picked out games I'd heard about or wanted to know in more detail, but eventually I decided even the ones I didn't have any clue about were worth reading, and that's how I find a game like Sword of Aragon, which didn't sound interesting (I actually assumed by the name it was historical instead of fantasy) but upon reading seemed tempting enough I put it on my to-play list. Or there's this, an interesting historical and literary fact-check interleaved with a so-so game. <br /><br />I'm reminded, as I say to myself maybe once a year, that I should go back and reread The Once and Future King. It's been about 26 years, so I'm due. I remember liking it best of everything I read from that year of high school. I've also often told myself I should learn more about Arthurian legends. A while back I read a trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay that referenced it heavily, and I realized I didn't know half the things he was referring to.<br /><br />I used to work with a guy who spent a year in Wales during college doing an intensive program of Arthurian studies. He said it basically amounted to sitting with a small group of classmates by the seaside, with an instructor who looked like Gandalf and smoked a pipe, just talking about Arthurian legend and related books all day long. It sounded frankly amazing. <br /><br />Finally (I'm all over the place here) I think one of the reasons Arthur doesn't get much play in games is it straddles a line that's too fictional for those who like history but not magical enough for modern fantasy lovers. The stories are also thoroughly told and filled with conflicts among them, so that most attempts to work in this material is going to feel like both a rehash or, worse, go against the favorite interpretations of the player. The concept given by this game, of picking up after much of the primary legend, seems at first glance like it would be a great way to evoke the spirit of the era without railroading players. A shame the developers then decided to essentially make it a path-finding puzzle.Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46769446763290444462014-10-01T11:21:32.879-04:002014-10-01T11:21:32.879-04:00That blog actually kindled my interest in the tale...That blog actually kindled my interest in the tales of Arthur.<br /><br />I started my own blog, where I chronicle my reading experience.<br /><br />Some feedback would be appreciated, and I think I've got some interesting things, although I just started out.<br /><br />s-writing.blogspot.comArthurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01751792432423573241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85430292158898265472014-05-24T18:46:02.700-04:002014-05-24T18:46:02.700-04:00Nice to see someone else with a deep interest in A...Nice to see someone else with a deep interest in Arthuriana. I'm not as widely-read as you - having only read Caxton's version of Malory, Malory, de Troyes and the Mabinogion, as well as various individual prose/verse stories (the Prose Merlin, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, etc). I used to spend a fair bit of time reading Middle English texts at the TEAMS website.<br /><br />I've also read a lot on the historicity of various Arthurian characters, especially Arthur himself. I find myself of the opinion that there may have been some British (read: Romanized Celt) general or warlord who initially got the ball rolling, assuming the Annales Cambriae can be trusted, but that many different historical persons contributed aspects of their lives and achievements to the myths and legends surrounding Arthur, which were then elaborated on non-historically by later writers.<br /><br />I suspect that I would enjoy this game a lot with the aid of a walkthrough. I know those aren't part of how you're playing these, but it seems to me that what the game has to offer - variety, Arthurian legend - would be best appreciated in the present day by removing the obstacles you discussed in your posts, i.e. reading about who to send instead of trying and failing 9 times.<br /><br />That might not give the truest measure of how good a game it is, overall, but might better allow a player to get out of it what there is to be had.<br /><br /><br />Adrianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833179199794917143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49744000450553707072014-03-22T23:31:05.972-04:002014-03-22T23:31:05.972-04:001) No, I rarely see elements from Arthuriana in RP...1) No, I rarely see elements from Arthuriana in RPGs. Maybe the occasional obvious homage, like a sword in a stone. Lord British doesn't even come across much like a "King Arthur" figure, and none of the themes from the Arthurian saga--rescuing maidens, tournaments, even destroying oppressors--really appears in the <i>Ultima</i> series.<br /><br />2) I was strictly an Arthurian fan. I realized later that I probably needed to study other legendary traditions to really understand Arthurian literature in context, but I never got to it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34174952345739426402014-03-22T22:27:20.237-04:002014-03-22T22:27:20.237-04:001) Do you feel that Ultima shares some themes with...1) Do you feel that Ultima shares some themes with Arthurian legend? I feel some of the morality bits are inspired by Arthurian legends, but I don't know a ton about King Arthur. <br /><br />2) Have you studied any other old myths like Beowulf, or are you strictly an amateur Arthurian scholar?Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63249126740603795212014-03-22T22:19:00.591-04:002014-03-22T22:19:00.591-04:00I'm with you Nate; I'm a history geek, tho...I'm with you Nate; I'm a history geek, though the only Arthurian bits I know are from a kids translation I read, so this was always incredibly interesting for me, and, I agree, one of his best posts to date. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22396441119974101682014-03-22T22:13:47.037-04:002014-03-22T22:13:47.037-04:00For a general history podcast, the best one I'...For a general history podcast, the best one I've found is Hardcore History, while we are talking about history podcasts.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83290154215889291482014-03-22T20:34:54.167-04:002014-03-22T20:34:54.167-04:00And those are the smallest! The largest have them ...And those are the smallest! The largest have them seating 1600!<br /><br />At more manageable numbers, it works if you think of it less as a solid, intimate table at which you might have a board meeting, and more of a ring around an empty center, with servants and jugglers and such operating in the center.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53770306728663453292014-03-22T18:51:06.470-04:002014-03-22T18:51:06.470-04:00Hey! I own that one for either C64 or 386/Windows ...Hey! I own that one for either C64 or 386/Windows 3.1 or MS-DOS.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47402794901313052982014-03-22T18:22:51.768-04:002014-03-22T18:22:51.768-04:00Chet was in high school in 1988, the year I was bo...Chet was in high school in 1988, the year I was born. Also, Chet? An early comment of mine made you think that you were the same age as my Dad; Don't worry, you are decades younger them him then. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82508878794846825982014-03-22T17:34:11.740-04:002014-03-22T17:34:11.740-04:0050? That is a hell of a large table. How would the...50? That is a hell of a large table. How would the person opposite Arthur hear him?Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42502882879465732252014-02-19T12:35:25.101-05:002014-02-19T12:35:25.101-05:00Here is a link to some info on Vengeance of Excali...Here is a link to some info on Vengeance of Excalibur (the sequel to Spirit):<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vengeance_of_Excalibur<br /><br />MarkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83769907662137903652014-02-19T12:33:28.453-05:002014-02-19T12:33:28.453-05:00Great post! I spent many hours playing this game w...Great post! I spent many hours playing this game when I was in middle school. Have you played the sequel to Spirit of Excalibur, entitled Vengeance of Excalibur? It takes place shortly after Spirit, only now in medieval Spain. You can even import saved characters from Spirit. As I recall, the Spanish setting was fascinating--the Christian north was in conflict with the Muslim south, and the visuals and music were very atmospheric (for the time). It's worth checking out! <br /><br />MarkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47106337643650934032014-02-14T16:43:32.172-05:002014-02-14T16:43:32.172-05:00*Was* real. Single-use weapon, remember? :P*Was* real. Single-use weapon, remember? :Ptlhonmeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256644187305759072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46723882994423677452014-02-10T21:10:10.170-05:002014-02-10T21:10:10.170-05:00For Arthur and Guinevere? I seem to recall the Que...For Arthur and Guinevere? I seem to recall the Queen was also allowed a seat there in certain versions of the legend.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63119131233865161392014-02-10T21:05:09.855-05:002014-02-10T21:05:09.855-05:00The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch is real! Stop imp...The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch is real! Stop implying that it's not! Hallelujah!Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.com