The Bard's Tale series is one of the true classics in the genre. And now, after more than 10 years, it will get two (inofficial) sequels. We talked to Jon M. Starnes about the two Bard's Legacy titles, Devil Whiskey (the classic 2D version) and Dark Resurrection (a modern full 3D version):

RPGDot: Hi Jon - please introduce the team to us:

Jon Starnes: Here it is, basically in list form. Maybe in the future, we'll augment our team list with more personal information. As it stands now, we give the appearance of operating very clandestinely, except for maybe Rob (Art Lead), Justin (Game Dev Lead) and myself (Business Chair).

THE BARDS LEGACY TEAM:

Justin Binns: Game Project Leader / Lead Programmer
Jon Starnes: Business & Public Relations / Game Audio / Devil Whiskey Storyline & Concepts / Level Design (3D)
Rob Thomas: Art Lead / 2D Art / Webmaster / Level Design (3D)
Peter Cwienk: Storyline Writer and Concepts / 2D level Design
Wolfgang Diehr: Game Rules and System / Concepts
2D Graphics/Art Dept.: Jeff Doten & Peter Pieloor
3D Graphics Dept.: Sebastien Lukasczyk & Ranger Craver
Programming: James Holloway, Dennis Payne & Szucs Gabor

RPGDot: What is the background story of Devil Whiskey and Dark Resurrection?

Jon Starnes: I can tell you that they ARE interconnected. I don't want to release more than that, since the first game "The Devil Whiskey", which we call "BL2D", will very much be a story and plot driven game. The Party will have to make important choices that will influence it's experience in the Craggy windswept town of Rennibister. The most important of what happens, concerns the dealings of magical revolutionaries and the thickening political/tribal aspirations of Orkney Island's brightest, cruelest and most ambitious Chieftain Kings. "Devil Whiskey" sets up what is to come in "Dark Resurrection" (which we call BL3D) and some of Dark Resurrection revolves around Arcane and Necromantic knowledge that develops and eventually brings life to something known as a Spirit Orb or Godsphere.
BTW, The Orkney Islands are NE off the coast of Scotland and it is where the "real life" Skara Brae and it's ancient ruins still stand strong. Here are a couple of links that may interest gamers and archaeologists alike.

http://www.ehabitat.demon.co.uk/scotland/index.html
http://www.orkneyjar.com/

RPGDot: What characters and races can you build your party of? What professions are there?

Jon Starnes:
Races:
Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Hobbit, Half-Orc, Saurian (a large Reptilian that can be up to 7' in height) and another new one: the Senrats (a very dexterous "man-rat" at the size of a small man or woman.)

Classes:
Arcanist (includes: Magician, Thaumaturgist, Illusionist, Summoner and Warlock, at the top), Barbarian, Bard, Elementalist (includes: Aeromancer, Geomancer, Hydromancer, Pyromancer and Isomancer), Monk, Paladin, Psi Knight, Ranger, Rogue, Saurian Red Claw, and last, but definitely not the least: The Warrior

RPGDot: Will it be possible to perform class changes during the game?

Jon Starnes: In Devil Whiskey, Mages must change classes in order to complete all the knowledge of their path. After Devil Whiskey, we plan to start adding optional skills and some class changes for non-Mages.

A note about our class system: Each class has 5 ranks they must rise up to meet. They start at the bottom and work their way up to the highest position, which gains them access to the most powerful skills. Here are the paths for Psi Knight and the Warrior:
Psi Knight: Initiate, White Arrow, Herald, Psi Knight and Psi Lord.
Warrior: Squire, Bladesman, Knight, Champion and Warlord.

RPGDot: Can you advance everywhere or will there be the good old review board?

Jon Starnes: Most classes will have their own advancement/training facilities. The Paladin must use the Temple, in order to advance and the Bard has to visit the "Order of the Lyre" to learn new craft. The basic fighter types can visit the main adventurer's hall for advancement.

RPGDot: Can you save the game everywhere or just in the Adventurer's Guild like in the old games?

Jon Starnes: We are working on the "game state" right now, which allows one to save anywhere in the game.

RPGDot: Will there be an automap, a quest book, a journal ...?

Jon Starnes: No automap for the 2D game, "Devil Whiskey", but there will be a clue book and manuals for those who register for the full game.

RPGDot: Can you describe the magic system? What books of magic are there, what kind of spells can we cast?

Jon Starnes:
Arcanist
Magician - The first school of the Arcanist, involving simple manipulations and tricks.
Thaumaturgist - Here they learn to conjure arcane forces to heal aid their fellow adventurers in combat.
Illusionist - High powered illusions and advanced effects and fireworks.
Summoner - Exactly as it's name implies; powerful summoning of forces and creatures from the unknown.
Warlock - Can cast all spells and combos of the above schools as well as high powered arcane spells learned only in this path.

Elementalist
Aeromancer - Manipulates and controls the forces of air.
Geomancer - Controls the earth and the manipulation of the minerals. Can heal with dirt or destroy with Earth.
Hydromancer - Controls the workings and functioning of anything water based. Can make drinking water or deadly "waves" of destruction.
Pyromancer - Controls the natural forces of Fire.
Isomancer - Can cast combo elemental spells and has mastery of all known elements.

Each school can summon it's own elemental; i.e. Geo (Earth), Aero (Air), Hydro (Water), Pyro (Fire), etc... The Isomancer, can call on them all.

RPGDot: And the inevitable question for the combat system: Are there random encounters or fixed spots for the monsters? Will they respawn ? Is the combat system in general more sophisticated than in the old games?

Jon Starnes: Each monster will only appear a "set" amount of time, so no respawning. We are very dedicated to immersion and realism, which precludes the "respawning" of just destroyed monsters. There will still be plenty of random encounters AND set encounters. Don't worry about not having enough to hack down.

RPGDot: Can we recruit NPC's in our party?

Jon Starnes: Yes. A party can have as many as 2 NPCs, though we may allow more than that. It depends on how many slots you leave open in your party.

RPGDot: How large is the gaming world & how long do you expect an average gamer to take to finish the game?

Jon Starnes: I don't want to allude too much to the old Bards Tale games, since we are ONLY making a tribute and NOT a sequel of anything that is officially related to the old series. Our first game, BL2D, will be on par with the size of Bard's Tale 1. I can't estimate on the amount of time it will take, as we still need to test the game plot quests.

RPGDot: Is the game free- or shareware or a full price product? How can you get/buy/download it and what will it cost? When will it be released?

Jon Starnes: There will be a free-to-download "shareware version" that will have game play limitations and no tech support. Registration will get the player access to the manuals, spellbooks and a registered users area of the website, where they can get periodic updates and enhancements. The Shareware version will be available online at numerous sites and both versions will be available at our www.bardslegacy.com website. Expect the full BL2D game to cost between $20-29 and will hopefully be ready in a couple of months. <fingers crossed>
We are being thorough with our game development and want to do everything right BEFORE it's released so we can spend more time on enhancements for registered users and NOT worrying about releasing patches.

RPGDot: And some question reg Dark Resurrection only: What's the game to do with Bard's Tale?

Jon Starnes: Not much aside from having a Bard around and the ability to revisit ancient Skara Brae.

RPGDot: The screens are looking very nice. Can you describe gameplay, since there must be changes due to the full 3D environment?

Jon Starnes: We haven't progressed that far yet, but it will be like a modern First Person, with turn-based combat and
animations of each battle. We still have much to think on concerning that, so nothing is set in stone at the present time.

RPGDot: How far into development is the game, since there is no interface and no monsters yet?

Jon Starnes: We do have several interfaces, which allow for a larger "world view" than BL2D. We have a good set of models/animations of monsters too. Most of the code for BL2D will be right into BL3D. The only significant things that will change are the size of the game (A whole Island), a new class or two and the visuals for combat. We already have most of the background work and story mapped out for BL3D. After BL2D is released, we will start fleshing out BL3D with 3D creatures, levels and landscapes. It will be exciting to combine a party turn based system with True 3D. It's something that hasn't been accomplished with any real success. We ARE listening and we DO have the desires of devoted gamers foremost in our inspirations.

RPGDot: Thanks fot the answers and good luck with The Bard's Legacy!