Arena Adventures!

[Gandoril Spellbinder]

Welcome to the Arena Adventures thread! It is here that I plan to chronicle my journey through the first chapter of what has been described as "the most successful RPG series of all time" (or something to that effect; I think I read it in GameInformer ). I decided to create this thread because I have noticed that more and more people seem to be playing old-school CRPGs, especially Arena and Baldur's Gate. This thread is also open to those others who wish to forever record their time in Tamriel as it was originally conceived. Your journaling may be recorded however you wish, whether it be through a simple reply to this topic or even a YouTube or Twitch video! There's really no guideline for how you wish to do this. I myself will be starting with simple textual messages formatted like a journal or diary (complete with in-game date and time and first-person perspective), which will be updated either daily (in real-life; I doubt that enough would happen to me within an hour to record) or whenever a special event happens, such as starting or finishing an artifact or main quest or arriving in a new town. Those who wish to record live gameplay can update their progress however often they like, just so long as they don't violate the forum rules! (i.e. no double-posting; keep that edit button in mind, if you so please!)

Well, without further adieu, let the (admittedly horribly-cheap-graphics-even-for-its-time) fun begin! I'll go first:

(Note that my current character, Ka'dar Namarri, is a male Khajiit Thief. This explains his terrible English/Cyrodiilic.)

Hidden:

Tirdas, 1 Hearthfire 3E389, 12:00 p.m.

Oww! Head of Ka'dar hurt! Yes, Ka'dar has headache. Very big headache. One thing Ka'dar not want. Wicked guards throw Ka'dar in sewer-cell. Ka'dar know not why. Not until friend Ria appear. Yes, Ria Silmane is her name. No, was her name. Yes, Ria Silmane is long-dead, but Spirit-of-Ria still remain on Mundus, but is only spirit, so have no gold, but is friend anyway, so Ka'dar no steal.

On any case, Spirit-of-Ria tell Ka'dar Imperial Battle-Mage Jagar Tharn send Emperor Uriel Septim VII to slow-time-world, then make evil Battle-Mage Jagar look like good Emperor Uriel, then make monsters look like guards. Spirit-of-Ria say she help Ka'dar escape sewer, first by making bright-red Ruby Key to unlock sewer-cell, then by making Shift-Gate to take Ka'dar away from City of Emperor. Spirit-of-Ria say it cost much magic to stay on Mundus, so touch Ka'dar on temple. This allow Spirit-of-Ria to come to Ka'dar in dreams, to give words-of-value, and cost less magic. Ka'dar now waste no more time! Ka'dar yearn to walk warm sand of Elsweyr again. Ka'dar no like damp brown-stone of sewer. Too watery. Too cold. Sewer much too dark for eyes of Ka'dar. Fortunately, guards and Jagar no think Ka'dar threat, let him keep shortsword. Hmm. Ka'dar is sneak-thief, yes. Spirit-of-Ria also mention treasure stolen from Emperor hidden here. Ka'dar no care for Emperor anyway, make life difficult for Ka'dar, so Ka'dar take treasure of Emperor for himself, then escape to warm sand of Elsweyr. Yes, Ka'dar now ready to plunge in to the Arena . . .

[Gandoril Spellbinder]

And I thought that more people would be willing to blog to their adventures. Remember, your post doesn't have to be very lengthy, just long enough to be considered o.k. by the mods (which, I believe, is about a paragraph long, maybe shorter. Just take DarkSpark, for instance: her posts always seem to be short, sweet, and to the point. Like herself (well, maybe; I don't know how tall she is)).

Anyway, the next update in my journey:

Middas, 2 Hearthfire 3E389, 5:03 p.m.

Ka'dar escape cell and find treasure right outside. Treasure contain gold, magic-armour-belt, sabre, and magic plate-mail-helmet. Ka'dar only take helmet so Ka'dar can sell to merchant later. Ka'dar then fight and kill two Goblins and four rats, have no loot. Ka'dar take much damage from Goblins and rats, so Ka'dar rest on platform. Ka'dar regain health and stamina. Spirit-of-Ria come to Ka'dar in sleep, tell Ka'dar about Chaos-Staff, how used to send Emperor to slow-time-world. Battle-mage Jagar then break Chaos-Staff in eight pieces, scatter around Empire in hidden and long-forgotten places. Spirit-of-Ria tell Ka'dar first piece in place called Fang-Lair, ancient home of Small-Elves [Dwemer/Dwarves] 'til dragon come along and drive off Small-Elves. Sound scary, but Ka'dar do so anyway, maybe sell Chaos-Staff after whole again, must be worth much gold. Ka'dar still explore sewers, hope to find more treasure, kill more Goblins and rats, have nice home-cooked meal of rat-tail and Goblin-liver. Or maybe rat-liver and Goblin-tail. Hmm. No-can-do, Goblin no have tail. Goblin-brain? Maybe, but Goblins no have much brain, Goblins very dumb. Ah, well. Ka'dar worry about food later, much sewer to explore. Also, Ka'dar feel more powerful, agile and smarter. Feel good, good like [CENZ0RS!!!11!!!11ONEone]. Anyway, Ka'dar stop writing now, time to explore!

[SheilaYates]

Great to read your post, seems you enjoy so much with your journey. This is my very time to the site, being a newbie I honestly confess that I have no experience yet in this kind of journey and I am hoping that I could possibly achieve whatever I wanted to.

[AKB]

I'm interested to see if you'll play it through, although, since you seem to have gotten into the series with a CD copy of Arena, I think you might be a bit better at the old games than most would be.

[Gandoril Spellbinder]

Oh, welcome and thank you a million times over, Sheila, to UESP and for responding to my topic! While I had planned on writing more journal entries whether people responded or not (and there have been twenty-some views which was initially good enough for me), now I know that there really are a few faithful fans who wish to experience TES from its origins. If you would like to play Arena, I recommend the UESP Wiki's 'Arena CD Version 1.07, which adds new dialogue for NPCs (and seems to replace the old responses), remastered sounds and music, and speaking lines for Ria Silmane, your one and only companion in Arena, who provides a rather lengthy introduction to the game immediately after creating your character, and tells you the names of the dungeons where the eight pieces of the Staff of Chaos can be found. For a computer-voice, she sounds very beautiful (and looks it too, even if you can only see her face, and even that is done in the cheap video quality of the time). That version can be found here, and installs via a handy Windows InstallShield installer, and also boasts a French version that can be used to easily learn French if you're not fluent in it already (and who doesn't want to know a little French?). It also comes with a set of documents, including the original instruction manual (which covers everything in the game, including monsters and their strengths and weaknesses) and a guide for using DOSBox (an 'emulator' which simulates a virtual DOS environment on Windows 7 and prior). Note that this last item can be a little tricky to understand, but, fortunately, it's fairly easy to edit the 'dosbox.conf' file which tells DOSBox how to run the game, and I'd be more than happy to help with virtually anything in the game, from correct configuration of DOSBox to how to complete a quest; just send me a Private Message (or PM, as they're referred to on fora), if you can (I don't think that new users can send PMs).

Just to keep this topic alive, I'm going to have to start playing this again (I've been re-organising UESP's charts for Arena for the past few days and haven't played ever since). Expect another update shortly!

[Gandoril Spellbinder]

Actually, AKB, I started playing TES back in 2009 with Oblivion; I just so happened to have downloaded the ArenaSetup programme, since I noticed that it had a higher patch version than the one that Bethesda provided in the Anthology. Also, a quick note to everyone who's reading this: I will have at least one character from each class, and at least one character from each race and gender (minimum of eighteen characters, one per class). After I have played the game in almost every possible way (minus mismatched race/gender and class), I will move on to Daggerfall, which I'm sure will prove to be even more fun than Arena!

Also, I have just escaped from the Imperial Dungeons, which means that it's time once again for a journal entry!

Sundas, 6 Hearthfire 3E389, 6:09 a.m.

Shew! Ka'dar is very lucky sneak-thief, barely escape sewer alive. Ka'dar go through Shift-Gate, end up in home-town Chasemoor. Is small hamlet, but close to big cities, so easy to take carriage and pick-pocket nobles. Ka'dar also find much treasure in sewer, just as Spirit-of-Ria said, including magic-baubles, sabre, bucklers, and much, much gold. Ka'dar ask around town, re-familiarise himself with home, see where merchants are, who have best prices, so he can sell things not wanted or needed. Ka'dar then search nearby caves and crypts, perhaps find decent armour. Ka'dar is Khajiit sneak-thief, and is quick, silent, and deadly, and prefers like armour, such as leather. But not fur, oh no. Nord-fur give Ka'dar chills colder than Skyrim-wind. Heathen barbarians, probably take fur from brother-Khajiit. Ka'dar not go to Skyrim, not unless Spirit-of-Ria ask him to go there. Ka'dar write enough, have much to do now free.

[Ebotchl]

Your entries are very well written, although for the time being they lack substance. I was definitely able to read this in a Khajiit voice. Keep posting! I've just started playing Arena for the first time two weeks ago. Guls Aryon is a Dark Elf and a battle mage who used to study under Ria. I may post some of my own tales when I have more time.

[Gandoril Spellbinder]

Hey, man (woman?)! Glad that I now have someone else willing to blog with me! I'm always up for advice! Would you mind to elaborate on how you mean that my entries 'lack substance'? I will admit that these entries have been somewhat short, but there's hardly anything happening to my character; still, any and all help is greatly appreciated! I do actually hope to write lore and dialogue for my own video-games some day. Also, everyone should be able to expect an update soon! Expect further entries to have a little more humour!

[Ebotchl]

Well that's what I was getting at, you haven't really done much in the game so far, so naturally you're still working on what's going to happen. I wasn't trying to be critical or anything, just pointing out my thoughts so far.

[Gandoril Spellbinder]

Yeah, I'm only Level 5 and haven't even been out of the Imperial Dungeons for a week (in-game). My next update will feature my character's stats, something that I wanted to do since I started (I don't even know why I didn't). I will also post a pic of Ka'dar in full get-up at that time, along with his ARs for each part of his body (basically a pic of my inventory's second page, minus the inventory; easy to do in MS Paint). Now that I think about it, I won't put his helmet on, since each basic helmet changes your character's face to a generic one. I will hopefully have my next entry either today or tomorrow.

Also, little typo I made in an earlier post: I will have a minimum of 34 characters, as I am going to mismatch races/genders and classes, just to show that it can be done quite effectively in TES.

Also, Ebotchl (would you mind if I call you Eb?), I knew you weren't be critical, but I do occasionally take advice (especially in areas where I think I need some). I am glad that everyone enjoys my writing; I recently met my 7th/8th-grade English/Language Arts teacher, and even she complimented me on my writing!

[Ebotchl]

Well if you think you have the endurance to go through this game 34 times and writing what I imagine would be somewhere around 50-100 diary entries (it's a fairly long game, and at the moment you're writing entries on minor details, with the exception of the intro) then more power to you! I just hit level 12 today, and I've got 2 pieces of the staff and I've been in game for roughly a year. Unfortunately the game forces you to fast travel, or walk for weeks (out of game) in order to get to your destinations. I read somewhere that going from one town to the next nearest town is about 24 hours of real life time. So it's really easy once you have to travel across entire countries quickly to accumulate days and days of game time. Which sucks when you miss a good holiday!