Arcanum: Day 6

Today was an especially productive day. I started it off by reporting what I had learned to Bates. He seemed to think that the dwarves may have been taken to the Isle of Despair, a remote island that serves as a penal colony, kind of like Australia. He also allows me to take Chukka, his half-orc bodyguard, along for the ride. Surprisingly, the game lets him join my party, even though I already had the maximum number of followers for my Charisma level. This must be a bug, but it is an alright bug!

Before heading for the Isle of Despair, I decide to do some quests. I decide to except Ms. Pettibone's quest to retrieve a headstone from an elven tomb. When I arrive there, I find a pack of elves that are hunting for graverobbers. The only way I can resolve this peacefully is to tell them who sent me. If I do that, Ms. Pettibone is, presumably, killed, (the character just disappears from the gameworld) and the quest is marked as failed. Interestingly (and annoyingly) this happens even if I turn around and kill the elves. Stupid game! Anyway, I dispatch the elves and loot the tomb (fighting some ghouls along the way). I report back to Pettibone in Tarant, get my reward, and head off to Ashbury.

Ashbury is nothing special; it just has a bunch of quests. The best part of Ashbury is the haunted castle sitting right in the middle. It is not part of any quests and is barely mentioned by the townsfolk, it is just there for players to gain some experience and a little loot. It is atmospheric, and the fight with the Lord of the Damned is very fun. The Lord himself is not too tough, but he has a bunch of Lord's slaves with him, which are the toughest undead I have encountered. I once again resort to luring the slaves to me one or two at a time. The Lord even has two voiceover, but I can't make out what he says.



After the lord is dead, I exit the castle and talk to Captain Edward Teach, who transports me to the Isle of Despair. After setting foot ashore, I arrive at the main encampment. Apparently, there is a dwarf living here, but to see him I have to win a fight in the pit, their arena. Since fighting solo would require me to leave my party member behind, which would not be good since I was already over the limit, I decided to chat-up the guard, and he decided to let me in anyway. This is one thing I like about games like Arcanum: there is almost always a nonviolent solution to a problem.



I then talked to Thorvald and convinced him to join me. I then did a few quests and learned about some political intrigue: apparently the rightful king of Cumbria is being held on the isle. I then left for the mainland. On the way back to Tarant, I was accosted by a specter that claimed to be Arronax, some evil elf-dude who was banished from Arcanum thousands of years before. Since he has a voiceover, he is probably important.



I then report back to Bates who suggests I head for the Wheel clan to find out why the dwarven king deported his people. The entrance to the Wheel Clan can only be seen using special dwarven spectacles. Fortunately, Thorvald had some, and when they were equipped, I could click on the entrance. This part was quite annoying because sometimes the entrance did not appear.

Anyway, when I get into the Wheel clan, Thorvald bids me farewell. The place looks big, and it is bound to have some sidequests, but for some reason I just don't like the place. I guess it reminds me too much of those damn dungeons I have been wading through, and it is a sprawling mass of corridors. I resolve to just speak to the dwarven king; however, only his son is available. I learn that the king is located in a cave that is accessible through a trapdoor in the throne room (otherwise I would have had to trudge through another mine, and since I was sure more of those weapon-damaging monsters would be present, I decided not to). If the main character has a high enough intelligence, he can learn dwarven philosophy, which proves useful for convincing the king to return to his duties. The king tells me that he only handed over the Black Mountain dwarves because a group of elves threatened war. He said they claimed to come from the elven capital, and I should go there to check. He said I should check in the village of Stillwater for a way to find it.

This pretty much brings us up to speed with my current position. I will play the game some more and get back shortly.

Arcanum: Day 4 & 5

Well, it has been a while since I last updated. I have been busy. I played Arcanum a while back, and I remember where I left off. This will be a double post since I did not do much on Day 4.

Well, I spent most of Day 4 at Liam's shack leveling up by fighting the portal monsters. Apparently, monsters from another dimension have started to invade Arcanum, and I have to close the portal. To do this, I can use either a Dispel Scroll (magic) or a portal closing gizmo (technology). However, I decided not to be so hasty. Since the portal constantly summons new monsters, it is a great place to level up. Those were some tough fights, though! The Lesser Void Lizards were not too hard; the Greater Void Lizards were a challenge, and the Infernal Araya (picture Giant Flying Jellyfish) were basically impossible to take down until I had leveled up a bit. The problem was that if I got too near to the portal, multiple monsters would attack, which was pretty much a Game Over.

I dealt with this problem with guile. Since an assault from the east (the direction the forest path leads to) proved too difficult, I decided to loop around and approach from the west. I then learned how to make effective use of the F1-F5 keys. I would leave my party some distance away from the portal. I would then creep up to the portal close enough to aggro a single enemy but not enough to summon the entire pack. When the enemy rushed at me, I would run back to my party members, and we would carve up the monster. I went solo because if I took my party members in too close, they might rush at an attacking enemy and draw the entire pack down on us. Even with my strategy, I still had to make good use of the Quicksave.

I continued fighting these monsters for an hour or so and went from level 11 to level 20. I then decided to continue on, which was a good thing since my armor was almost destroyed.



After repairing my equipment, I headed for the Black Mountain mine. This place was a piece of cake with two notable exceptions: the abundance of traps and the rock golems. Since they are made of stone, you damaged your weapon with every strike. This made for a harder fight, since I refused to use my nice magical weapons on them.



To reach Gudmund Ore-Bender, the last dwarf in Black Mountain, I had to navigate through a long-corridor on the second floor that was laden with traps. To make it through, I had to use my Scroll of Sense Invisible Traps, and I still ran in to some. Having reached the last dwarf present, I learned that all the dwarves had been carted off by a pack of elves and the dwarven king. Their crime was sharing their technology, specifically the steam engine, with humans, specifically Gilbert Bates. This is an interesting development, but we will have to wait until next time to see where it leads.

Arcanum: Day 3

Well, this day was not as epic as the last one. Mostly, I hung around and did various quests in Tarant, then I headed for Black Root, which is a town torn between the feudal kingdom of Cumbria and the rapidly modernizing Tarant.

When I spoke to the Mayor, he tried to get me do find his lost dagger, but I was having none of it, so I showed him a newspaper (Did I forget to mention there are little front-page newspapers in the game a la Sim City? Nice touch, by the way) that urged Tarant to declare war on Caladon, the magic-technology kingdom. The mayor panics and decides to pay Cumbrian taxes after all. Hooray for Despotism!

Anyway, there is one other quest of note: Mrs. Cameron's son has not returned home in a while, and she wants you to visit his workshop in the forests to make sure he is okay. It seems rather simple, but that quest can prove to be a major timesink (though it is worth it).

I will save the story of that quest for Day Four.

Arcanum: Day 2

Alright, this day was much more eventful. After exploring the crash site and dispatching a bunch of creatures, I did the Arbalah curse quest. Then I went on to explore Shrouded Hills. It was quite fun. I especially enjoyed the quest where you help Doc Roberts stop a bank robbery. The best part of it is that you can then turn around and rob the bank yourself! Here is the screenshot to prove it.



She will only believe you if you have a gun in your hand, however.

To find out more about the ring, I talked to Ristezze the Importer. He told me the ring was made by P. Schulyer & Sons, a jewel company located in Tarant.

I must admit that I did use some foreknowledge and placed a point or two into the Persuasion skill so that I could deal peacefully with the ruffians charging a toll on the bridge because that fight is quite hard early in the game and they will tell you about the Thieves Guild.

I then moseyed on over to the Toone mine where I talked to Percival Toone. He mentioned that the ghost of his mother was haunting the mine; he then asked me to go into the mine and see what was happening. Whohoo! My first dungeon!

As dungeons go, the mine was short and easy. When I found the ghost, all she mentioned was 'Sarah'. I reported back to Percival. He then told me that Sarah was the name of his sister, and that she now lives in Dernholm but would not say where that is. To find out, I just talked to a random person in the street (Shrouded Hill is full of nameless NPCs) and that person pointed out Dernholm's location on my map.

I then traveled to Dernholm. What a dump! Anyway, the only two quests of note right now are collecting taxes from Blackroot and talking with Sarah Toone. Sarah says her brother has sold the rights to the mine to a merchant company in Tarant. I agreed to help her reclaim the rights.

Well, since a few quests involve Tarant, I went there. I wandered around the city doing various quests and finally came upon P. Schuyler & Sons. In the front of the building, I met Magus who is seeking an audience with the Schuyler's because they may have information on his lost clan. Unfortunately, it seems that no one gets in to see the Schuyler's. The man upfront is mostly unhelpful until I threaten him, which gets him talking, and he gives me the cellar key and flees. Well, down we go!

The cellars are overflowing with zombies! If you hurry through and let too many gang up on you, it can be quite a challenging fight.



Well, after two levels of that, I finally come to a dwarven tomb complete with undead dwarves! They don't become hostile, though. Moving on I finally meet the elusive P. Schuyler & Sons, a family of necromancers/jewel merchants (don't ask). Unfortunately, Magnus is seething with rage over the defilement of the dwarven corpses, and he pushes us into battle. Since I think he is a useful companion, I decided to go along with it. It is a shame, really; the Schuyler's did not seem all that evil. I can see how Necromancers would be misunderstood and be the subject of vicious rumors, so I understand their desire to be left alone. The only thing that bugs me is what were they doing with those dwarven zombies? They did not attack me, so I assume they were not meant as security. They seemed to be working in a workshop. I guess they were making jewels for the Schuylers.

Anyway, a letter in one of the drawers reveals the identity of the Boy: Gilbert Bates, Arcanum's Vanderbilt. His house is the giant mansion in the north of town. I have to do a little quest for the guard to be let in; it is no big deal. I finally get to talk to GB, and he tells me that the gnome who gave me the ring was actually a beardless dwarf. Apparently, ol' Gilbert had spent several years of his youth with the dwarves. This dwarf was his best friend, Stennar Rockcutter. Bates then sends me to their mines to find out what happened to his clan.

That is enough adventuring for one day.

Arcanum: Day 1

NOTE: This 'day' actually happened three days ago, but my recollection of it is still good.

Arcanum is an RPG (role-playing game) in the spirit of the Fallout series (which should not be surprising since several members of the staff worked on Fallout 1). It was developed by the now-defunct Troika Games, a company that also made the Temple of Elemental Evil, a CRPG adaptation of the classic Dungeons & Dragons module, and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. While they only made three games, many CRPG connoisseurs believe that Troika should have a seat next to Black Isle and Origin in the halls of CRPG greatness. Arcanum was their initial product, and it is the only one to feature an original setting.

The game takes place in the world of Arcanum (bet you did not see that one coming, eh), which is a typical semi-medieval fantasy world in the initial stages of an Industrial Revolution. The world is wedged between the two conflicting forces of magic & technology. This magic-steampunk setting is a refreshing vacation from the high-fantasy or high-technology settings of most other RPGs, and the setting is one of the things that people like about this game.

Another strength is the effects on the player of the conflict between magic and technology. If you have a lot of magic skills, spells and scrolls (and maybe potions too) will be more effective, but technological devices (guns, contraptions, etc.) will have a tendency to malfunction with sometimes deadly results. If you have a lot of technological skills, technology will be more effective, but spells will have a tendency to malfunction on you.

Anyway, enough with the intro. Let's move on to the game itself! When I start a new game, I am asked to choose a pre-made character or make one myself. Since I want to have control, I decide to create a new character. The first screen (shown below) lets me choose my gender, race (human, dwarf, elf, half-elf, gnome, halfling, half-orc or half-ogre) and background.



While it is not surprising that different races have different base statistics, it is somewhat surprising that gender also affects starting statistics.



As you can see, females have a -1 penalty to Strength and a +1 to Constitution. Females are also limited to four races (human, half-elf, elf and half-orc). I guess that the other races just aren't as enlightened as these four and do not allow their women to go adventuring.

Picking a background just gives you a mix of bonuses and penalties that can help you fine tune the character you want. Some backgrounds will give you a useful item; some will affect your starting amount of gold pieces (the unit of currency in Arcanum); some will affect your attributes; many will do more than one of these things.

Anyway, I decided to straddle the magic-technology divide by creating a well-rounded fighter. Here is the character I created.


On the next screen, I was able to raise or lower my attributes or starting skills. Arcanum is a classless game; this means that if you want to play a fighter, you cannot just pick a fighter class; you have to allocate points to attributes and skills that would be useful to fighters. Arcanum uses the same point system for an attribute, skill, technological discipline or spell. So when you are given extra points to spend, you can raise one of your eight attributes, raise a skill, or learn a new spell or technological discipline. There are eight attributes, sixteen skills (with five levels of proficiency per skill), eight technological disciplines (with seven choices per discipline) and sixteen schools of magic (with five different spells per discipline). Technological disciplines seem to function as a crafting system that allows you to create certain items given the right ingredients. Spells are self-explanatory.

I assign my points as follows.



The next screen is a shop screen where you can purchase items with your starting gold. Since I had 400 gold (the default I think), I purchased a Quality Sword and a Jacket (that had better AC than the suit I was wearing).



The opening cinematic shows the IFS Zephyr, a zeppelin, on which my character has booked passage.




Suddenly, out of nowhere, two orcs with primitive flying machines attack the Zephyr, causing it to crash.



When my character regains consciousness, he lifts some wreckage to see a dying gnome. The gnome mumbles something about an evil being and tells me to "find the boy a give him back his ring." The gnome then hands me the ring and dies as the opening cinematic ends.



When I get into the actual game, I encounter Virgil, who appears to be a member of a religion he calls Panarii. He appears to be a new convert and does not know much about it, but he says that my survival of the crash shows that I am the reincarnation of some ancient Elven hero who is supposed to fight some evil. Anyway, he joins me and tells me we need to find his superior, Elder Joachim, who is in Shrouded Hills, a village not far from here.



This concludes the first day of Arcanum. I played this right before I went to bed, so I did have much playtime. Plus, my fingers are getting tired. Anyway, the next day's session will be much longer.

Introduction

Welcome to My Game Blogging Blog! In the spirit of Blogging Ultima, this blog will mostly feature me blogging my way through games. I will then discuss the game and what I did or did not like. My first game will be Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magicks Obscura, an RPG from the early 2000's. Enjoy!