Series
Q: What is the Echoes Series?The Echoes Series is a collection of (arguably) 8 scenarios. These scenarios are Echoes, Echoes: Assault, Echoes: Black Horse, Echoes: Pawns, Echoes: Combat/Skirmish (?), Bandits II: Ballad of the Red Star, Corporeus and Echoes: Renegade.The Echoes Series is indisputably the most bizarre series for Blades of Exile/Avernum. Most people who played it all of the way through still can't describe what the plot is. It is the only series to be criticized for giving players both too much and too little information. It's an effort of somewhere around three years. It will not be easy. It is at times easy, but more often maddeningly difficult. It boasts some of the most insane combat in all of Blades. It proves that, if nothing else, the designer knows how to kick a man's derriere. Q: What is the plot?Many powerful people, some good, some evil and some confused, are acting around you and conspiring to gain their portion of the world. History repeats itself as ancient beings confront one another directly and by proxy. The party in the scenarios works for a being named "Katothen", often split into his two seperate entities. Enemies range from Karl Gottfried, candidate for the Emperor's throne and leader of the Empire's military, to Deacon, ancient Rakshasic mage bent on torturing the globe. Echoes is the history of a world that is far more absurd than could ever be plausible, a world almost as implausible as Earth.If you want plot summaries for each individual scenario, click here Q: What's the deal with Echoes: Combat/Skirmish(?)?I finished that scenario six hours after I started on the day of a contest deadline. In that six hours, I spent roughly an hour going out for mexican food. Small details were left out, including continuity in my title choices and a plot. On the other hand, I did manage to crush Brett Bixler with a giant foot. Take that as you will.Q: In which order should I play the Echoes scenarios?Echoes: Assault and Bandits II: Ballad of the Red Star are both easily accessible without any previous experience in the series. Echoes is accessible without experience in the series as well, but don't expect it to be comprehensible in any case whatsoever. Echoes: Renegade relies on the events that took place in Mad Ambition. Echoes: Combat/Skirmish (?) is similar, but is more comprehensible at the cost of not having a plot. Echoes: Pawns, Echoes: Black Horse and Corporeus are both benefitted by having played previous scenarios.So what's the ideal order? Hell if I know. Q: Bandits II is an Echoes scenario, and yet Bandits isn't?Yeah... About that. I opted not to make Bandits an Echoes scenario since I had no intention on making it an Echoes scenario when I was making it. Also, it has none of the "key players" of Echoes other than Icabod, and he's only present as a cameo. (For that matter, Mad Ambition's protagonist plays a large role in Echoes: Renegade, Two Strands stars Wasazore as a cameo, Inn of Blades has Karl Gottfried as a cameo, and Roses of Reckoning (BoA) assumes the events that happened in Bandits II.)Okay. You haven't daunted me yet. Where do I get 'em?If you're willing to take the plunge...My BoE Scenarios
(The Echoes scenarios are marked as being as part of the series. You can also check which scenarios they are at the top of this page.)
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