234: SKALD: Against the Black Priory (with Phil Morgan - Deleted Saves)

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For some, the halcyon days of PC gaming involved D&D-based RPGs with unwieldy UI and gauntlet-shaped mouse cursors, and that is precisely what SKALD: Against the Black Priory (High North Studios, Raw Fury, 2024) is calling back to with its mix of sword-and-sorcery fantasy and cosmic/Lovecraftian horror. It's well-worth your time if you're nostalgic or even curious about that era of RPGs, while not being nearly as obtuse or and without relying on advance knowledge of early D&D systems. This episode's guest, Phil Morgan, has an extensive history with that bygone era of CRPGs, even appearing on this podcast to discuss the original Baldur's Gate, so we had a great conversation here. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Phil Morgan (he/him)

Listen to Deleted Saves https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/deleted-saves/

Check out Phil's art: https://philmorganart.com

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Podcast Start

0:18 Introductions

6:02 Our Histories with SKALD and Its Inspirations

10:11 Top-Level Thoughts about SKALD

18:15 Story Setup

22:13 Pixel Art and Writing

30:43 Subverting D&D Tropes

37:29 Role-Playing

48:38 Combat

56:54 Controller vs Mouse/Keyboard

1:04:54 Music and Sound

1:09:35 Closing Thoughts and Who Should Play?

1:13:48 Deleted Saves and Westland

1:18:37 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:23:08 Spoilers- Early Game Quests

1:38:27 Spoilers- Horryn

1:47:37 Spoilers- Firgol

1:57:06 Spoilers- The Story Expands

2:07:04 Spoilers- Ending Sequence and Thoughts

Music used in the episode is credited to Surt R. Tracks used: Against the Black Priory, The Curse of Knowledge, Sellsword's Honor, Horryn's Plight, Shores of Idra, Tomes Bound in Skin, Bane of the Starstrider

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures Support Tales from the Backlog