
The Bard's Tale
a game by FCI
Lend me your ear, young lad, and I'll tell you the tale of a brave minstrel, his band of merry men, and how they rid our fair town of the mad wizard, Mangar. In fact, this tale can be your own if you play the game known as "The Bard's Tale".
A New Role to Play
FCI's The Bard's Tale, a computer classic, combines some of the best elements of other adventure games with new innovations. Your team consists of six Dungeons & Dragons adventurers, a Warrior, a Rogue, a Hunter, a Sorcerer, a Wizard, and of course a Bard. They've got great tricks up their sleeves, like the Bard's songs and the Sorcerer's instant illusionary allies (who fight by your side). Magical abilities are based on a spell point system, so you can divvy up enchantments as necessary. Combat, like the rest of the game, is menu-driven and easy to conduct.
As in most such scenarios, Bard's Tale requires lots of beastie-bashing to build experience and add new powers to your party's arsenal. You explore dozens of map-making-required mazes, and unlike most similar titles, here you get two play views, a first-person 3-D look and an overhead perspective. While BT's visuals and music aren't much to talk about, the diverse locations throughout Skara Brae, such as the Wine Cellar and Kylearan's Tower, are a definite high point.
ProTips:
- Cast the Scry Site spell to determine your compass coordinates (north and east) on a 16x16 gird map.
- In order to enter the Wine Cellar, the first dungeon, request Grape Juice at the Scarlet Bard. Find the Cellar's stairs to the Sewers at 2 North and 15 East Next, battlee the Sewer Spider at 4 North and 9 East, and finally claim the Heretic Proof at 2 North and 10 East. Use the Proof to enter Tarjan's Temple.
A Tale to Remember
Bard's Tale isn't the best-looking or sounding RPG around, but maze trail-blazers will find this musician's song is worth a listen.
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