Talk:Pool of Radiance (game)

A sidenote on PossessedPriest's edit. The games and novels do not cover the same events. Consider them to be separate. Example - the CoAB takes place after the book, in the game, Alias, Dragonbait, Giogi, and  Akabar all reference the events of the book. The game is an adaptation of the CoAB Adventure though from what I've seen when scanning through it.Artyom.pavlov (talk) 13:14, July 14, 2020 (UTC)


 * That is absolutely correct, but this issue goes even further than that. These games cannot fit in the actual timeline of the Realms as we know today. We know the first game (Pool of Radiance) explicitly takes place in 1358 DR (it states that it happens two years after the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR). The novel, however, takes place in 1340 DR. Considering there are 10 years between the first game and the last, it is impossible to have the PoR->CoAB->SSB->PoD order. The Time of Troubles (forcing the novel's date to be shifted backwards) also screws things up, making the original timeline impossible now. ~ Possessed Priest (talk) 13:25, July 14, 2020 (UTC)


 * I wonder if it's easier to shift the dates or make an assumption that its something else pretending to be Bane in PoD.Artyom.pavlov (talk) 13:46, July 14, 2020 (UTC)


 * I have tried, but alas, have not come to a satisfactory solution. For me, the only logical (and sad) conclusion is that the novels are canon, and the games are not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ~ Possessed Priest (talk) 13:59, July 14, 2020 (UTC)


 * I was planning on looking into Curse of AB game and adventure next to add to AB novel im almost done with. So will be able to say more once i dive into. I know that in game and in manual the story continues from the previous game with the same characters, but the events in the adventure are fairly similar to a new group of PCs which makes me think the games can be considered stand-alone... Sidenote back in the 90s i conflated "bane" from the games with the unnamed "evil god" who was in the Eye of beholder games who has a separate entry on the wiki. But there is another contradiction - Moander, who was banished from the realms by the time PoD game starts, even though the presence of cultists can be explained, no reason why they wouldn't exist... Rant over. haha Artyom.pavlov (talk) 15:17, July 14, 2020 (UTC)
 * actually, my last point, looks like Moander was depicted as dead in PoD.Artyom.pavlov (talk) 16:36, July 14, 2020 (UTC)


 * The games are certainly not standalone. It explicitly states in the provided material that it is the same set of characters. Otherwise, the journal entries and things you can encounter in the game do not make sense. Sure, you can start the game with any set of characters, but those set of characters are assumed to have completed the previous events (even if the player did not). Take these parts of the Secret of the Silver Blades adventurer's journal:


 * Pool of Radiance:
 * "Maybe you were right, maybe I shouldn't have followed those crazy adventurers. I was such a young fool - chaffing to escape from the thumb of that officious council clerk, my head filled with the bards' songs of the great heroes who had destroyed the Pool of Radiance..."


 * [Hillsfar happens here]


 * Curse of the Azure Bonds:
 * "When I heard that they had turned up in Tilverton, dazed and cursed with some kind of azure bonds, I could no longer restrain myself... "


 * Secret of the Silver Blades:
 * "Now I am told that my heroes have appeared, naked and unconscious, in some frozen part of the Dragonspine Mountains..."


 * Following it up, the Pools of Darkness adventurer's journal states:


 * Pools of Darkness:
 * "For ten years your glorious band has fought Evil wherever it has threatened the Realms. Lord Bane has suffered many defeats at your hands and new peace washes over the lands. Now your path comes full circle - back to the thriving city of Phlan..."


 * From this, it is very clear that the games are not at all standalone and are totally connected, just like other series.


 * Note: With regards to Bane, that's totally understandable as the character is known as the Dark God in the Eye of the Beholder games. ~ Possessed Priest (talk) 17:37, July 14, 2020 (UTC)


 * Counterpoint. In actual playthrough of the games, NPCs always react like they don't know you even though they have met you in previous installments. I can dig around for video examples later if you want. But i think the problem here is TSR's licensing and story editors. All they needed to do is not name a year hah.Artyom.pavlov (talk) 18:07, July 14, 2020 (UTC)