This single player quest was written for the Bioware writer's competition.
When King Agisaleus came to the throne, he made a declaration. Any of his subjects may come to him once in their lifetime to make a petition and be fairly judged . Now your daughter lies dying from an unknown disease. In desperation you have travelled to the capital to beg the audience of King Agisaleus. Here you hope to convince the king to send his healer to your daughter in an attempt to save her.
14th Feb - corrected 4 missing his/her tokens. No changes to mod.
Module List by this author (in reverse order of completion):
Wyvern Crown of Cormyr
Tales of the Sundering: Prelude
The Prophecy
The Wanderer II (CEP)
The Wanderer (CEP)
Level Up Module
The Wanderer II
The Wanderer
Birthright of the North
Birthright of the North (non Expansion version)
Posted by The_Krit at 2006-03-31 14:33:36 Voted 8.00 on 03/31/06
This is a nice story, one that forces a certain path without making the player feel as if control was stripped away. The ending did seem a little weak in comparison to the rest of the module. It would be interesting to see how the second half of the prophecy could be deduced (with hind-sight, naturally) from the literal prophecy. As it stands, it seems as though the Oracle made up the second part on the spur of the moment.
Posted by Arik at 2006-03-31 06:37:14 Voted 8.75 on 03/31/06
A very nicely written module with interesting, if not entirely believable characters. The main draw for this one is in the way the plot works towards its conclusion - there's a suitably epic feel in place and a sense of consequence. Very well executed.
Posted by wms at 2006-03-30 23:09:52 Voted 7.50 on 03/30/06
It was pretty well written but I have to echo what others have said about scope.
Posted by lastrite at 2006-03-30 11:01:36 Voted 7.75 on 03/30/06
Good, but I have seen it before.
Posted by Iwanttovote at 2006-03-14 02:56:14 Voted 9.75 on 03/14/06
Really enjoyed the characterization and the writing of the conversations. Allowed me to understand the way each character thought and behaved. The king wasn't quite such a jerk as he seemed on the surface - a bad day maybe?
Main complaint would be the ending. I figured that this was kind of hanging as it would be the hook for more in a main mod (like what was the consequence of the action you chose?). Under the specs for the competition this worked pretty well for me, so I didn't mark you down much for what was otherwise a very nice piece of writing, and that's after all what I'm scoring on.
Posted by imported_beer at 2006-03-09 11:31:34 Voted 7.50 on 03/09/06
My big problem with this module was the resolution. I mean, I didn't know enough and was just acting of the seat of my pants- I kileld the king because he was such a jerk, but that was the only reason I killed him. Perhaps clearer characterization and back story on individuals would have led to my making a decision backed with more conviction.
Posted by Firiel_of_Imrith at 2006-03-02 09:02:06 Voted 8.00 on 03/02/06
interesting beginning, good and convincing atmosphere and characters, liked the sacrifice aspect, but would have liked the consequence of each decision to be played out with some difference concerning the motivations of each character
Posted by Geistjaeger at 2006-02-28 21:31:15 Voted 6.00 on 02/28/06
Though there was involvement in the story, I felt the "ending" left you hanging considerably; however, that may have been a factor of a rapidly approaching deadline.
Posted by Althernai at 2006-02-27 17:31:16 Voted 9.25 on 02/27/06
A good mod overall, but I didn't like the fact that regardless whether the kind passes or fails his test, the same bad thing happens.
Posted by emperorzog at 2006-02-27 10:18:32 Voted 7.75 on 02/27/06
I liked this story idea. But I have to agree with some of the other players. It seems like a larger scope than could be dealt with in this contest.
I say this to you as a person who knows from my own failed experiment. Two of my modules which I entered into this contest dealt with large scale subject matter (one of them very large) and seemed to have failed me.
I fault myself in that while I maintain that my idea was very good, and even my execution of that idea was good, the fact remains that the contest is too small for the story. I found that you had a very similar situation here.
I like your idea, I even like your execution, but it just does not come across as believable to me. If you had more room to work in I feel you could have really done a good job here.
Posted by Mister_Leebo at 2006-02-25 10:07:55 Voted 8.75 on 02/25/06
There are elements of the story that seemed to fall apart for me. In general, everyone's reaction to the prophecy didn't seem too natural to me but I realized the king was just bloody stupid with fear. I suppose I didn't find him very King-y. Hector, on the other hand, was a fine character.
Each of the endings deserved a little more description about the results of your actions. Especially choosing the King or the Oracle. Most had a single line or a few lines that described the immediate events but in the overall picture I don't see the King becoming the "Greatest King Ever" after most of the endings so I'm left wondering how the prophecy gets completed in those instances.
The actual writing was quite good. This is a writing contest and most of my complaints are story-related. This module was good, I could see something like it appearing in a game.
Posted by Ryuujin at 2006-02-16 15:06:03 Voted 9.50 on 02/16/06
I was impressed with the setup, the scene and setting was perfect for the job, and the characters showed believable traits - the self absorbed king, the loyal and giving right hand. There was a bit too much theeing and thouing in the by the Oracle, thee's and thou's were never used that extensivly, even in old English (In fact, Old upper class English was more colloquial, than modern upper class English).
But anyway that's a small point, the plot, the concept, and the realisation came together nicely, and I love these morality based plot scenarios that test a players thinking and resolve.
So, top marks, cut down to 9.5 because dialogue in a writing contest is very important, and the Oracle's theeing and thouing did grind on me, but it was a minor flaw in otherwise perfect module and easily correctable in practice (ie. don't do it again ;p).
On a side note, my primary/first choice was to kill the king :)
Posted by Gimlet at 2006-02-16 04:18:26 Voted 10.00 on 02/16/06
I�ll be honest, thought this was a regular mod right until I found it so short! Shows how often I visit the vault. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and now I�ve read the rules for this contest, I�m even more impressed. I�m going to download some other contest mods now�
Posted by MikeLM9215 at 2006-02-15 21:28:53 Voted 7.00 on 02/15/06
All roads lead to the oracle. Makes the endings feel flat. Execution and death in combat without the oracle appearing would have made me like it better. Why isn't Hector made king if you kill the king? He would make a much better king. His reign I could see as being glorious, the guy on the thrown I want to push into a pit of lava. Talk about cowards! _________________________ The road to Ravenloft is paved with good intentions.
Posted by WormysQueue at 2006-02-15 00:13:36 Voted 7.00 on 02/15/06
This module has a nice touch of greek tragedy; no matter what you choose, in the end there's suffering. I don't like those ends too much, but that's a matter of taste, so I won't hold it against the module.
I have updated the module to include 4 missing his/her tokens (3 referring only to males, 1 referring only to females) because this sort of thing can cause offence - apologies if it did. If you find any more please let me know.
In case it matters to you, I have not changed any of the writing, as I prefer to stick to the orginal guidelines as laid down, and leave the writing unchanged from the original submission. This is a personal choice, not a criticism of others! _________________________ Works of B G P Hughes: Link
Posted by Kirian at 2006-02-13 14:28:06 Voted 8.00 on 02/13/06
This module is well written and the story unfolds in a way such that the player is drawn into it right from the start. The author managed to give the module a less linear feel than many of its competitors, for which I commend him. However, the story had a few weaknesses: for example, it wasn't clear why someone had to die at all - it did not follow from the propheshy; so why? Also, I was annoyed by the fact that my female character kept being addressed as 'he' and 'this man'.
Posted by happyfish at 2006-02-13 13:59:06 Voted 8.50 on 02/13/06
Echos Lance.
Posted by Berra at 2006-02-11 05:57:58 Voted 10.00 on 02/11/06
Very good plot with different choices/endings. I liked the moral questions in that you just cannot please or save everyone. Sometimes you have to choose. Well done! _________________________ /// Berra (Hall of Fame, Reviewer's Award and Golden Dragon Winner):
Everyone: your VOTES are highly appriciated. A vote is like gold for an author. No kiddin'. ;)
Posted by Lance Botelle at 2006-02-10 08:12:44 Voted 7.00 on 02/10/06
7.0 THE PROPHECY: (86TH TESTED MODULE)
My intention is to give feedback on both the writing (competition) and design (not necessarily competition) for every module I have the chance to play. NB: Judging any material is always subject to personal taste. I have tried hard to be as objective as possible and apologise if I have appeared harsh in any of my scores. Also remember this is only my opinion; Bioware�s is the one that counts!
WRITING: The opening scene was quite good and I was instantly involved from the start. However, I found the story weak and contrived. The characters were quite well done, but the seriousness of the decision I was being asked to make upon my knowledge of them was too important for the scope of the story. While I appreciate a fantasy story, a degree of �realism� is still required. There were a clear number of endings, although none of them were really satisfying. (Perhaps, the oracle one.)
DESIGN: A castle interior. Nice summoning and death visuals.
FINAL: This module was above average overall, but is not up with the top entries in my opinion.
MY SCORE SYSTEM (IMHO):
< 5 Not up with the competition.
5 - 6 Average.
7 - 8 Above average.
> 8 An exceptional piece
SCORING FACTORS (IN ORDER OF MY PRIORITIES):
GRAB FACTOR: How quickly am I involved in the action? Do I have direction?
PLOT: Is the story engaging? Is subject interesting? Varied conversation choices?
CHARACTERS: Are they easily identifiable? Are they rounded/memorable?
SPELLING & GRAMMAR: Is the text easy to read? Are there quite a few errors?
OTHER FACTORS (MINOR INFLUENCE): Design for atmosphere & scenery, including sounds & props. Quality of module stability; does it break easily? _________________________ World of Althéa Blog: Link
Posted by thegeorge at 2006-02-08 21:30:42 Voted 9.00 on 02/08/06
It's always a treat to play an entry from one of the regular builders. In this case I believe the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Posted by roane242 at 2006-02-07 20:41:47 Voted 9.00 on 02/07/06
Very well written module. The characters are interesting and distinct, and the player is swiftly presented with a problem that grows into an interesting dilemma. The fact that it can be resolved in multiple ways is a plus. Although not relevent to the contest (and thus my rating), the scripting was well done and the module had a very polished feel. Another writer dinged the author for the exchange at the beginning, and I have to as well; I found it irritating, and the fact that the player was frozen in place, watching the action, broke the immersion for me.
Overall, great job!
Posted by LordNiah at 2006-02-07 16:55:03 Voted 8.25 on 02/07/06
Good basic story and some nice writing in places, but the plot was not fully developed and it seemed that this module relied too much on scripting for it's effect. Also noted a few grammar errors, such as using thou in the objective case (should be thee as in "to thee"). Still, I thought the interaction between the King and player was very well done and that you also have some good characterizations. Nice job.
Posted by Xeyra at 2006-02-05 14:37:32 Voted 8.50 on 02/05/06
An interesting module that explores the paths of destiny (are you fated to walk a certain path or do you have a choice) and ethical and moral decisions. There was some confusion with the whole gender issue, though (I played with a female character who was at turns referred to as she and at others as a he) but a lot of choice was presented in the dialogue and it was, overral, a very interesting story.
Posted by mattd at 2006-02-05 03:42:04 Voted 9.00 on 02/05/06
Good quality, plenty of paths for the player to take. Style of writing stopped me from zoning out even though plenty of information was put across.
Loses a point for the exchange at the start where the player has no control and the fact that the PC character was fixed.
Posted by nexusjnr at 2006-02-04 11:33:47 Voted 9.25 on 02/04/06
Enjoyable little tale, killed the oracle as she rudely interrupted our little talk. nicely written, kept my attention and was fun. :)
Posted by herrjeff at 2006-02-04 10:04:26 Voted 8.75 on 02/04/06
Strong scenario, leading to a difficult dilemma that offers a lot of RP options to the PC. General background and NPCs might need further development to provide better guidance with respect to the final decision though. The lack of alignment shifts or anything more than a journal entry brings you to an inconclusive end...which fits well with a mythical Greece setting ;-)
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