Bard's Tale IV

Electronic Arts

Now we come to one of the most legendary unproduced games ever - the RPG equivalent of my comic SCORPIO ROSE #3.

When I left Activision I went directly to work writing the fourth installment of Electronic Arts' classic Bard's Tale series. I did my bit, then waited for the product to appear - and it never did. And no one has ever explained exactly why. Unlike other companies that went out of business before producing games in the pipeline, EA is still here and stronger than ever. Cyberspace is crawling with sites devoted to this unpublished story, and over the years I've run into plenty of other designers, artists, et al, who had a hand in BT4, but nobody knows nothink (none of them is anyone associated with the first three games, for what that's worth). The cover of the game is popularly thought to have been turned into the cover of a Bard's Tale novel which is shown below, but that's a guess, too.

My story involves a young Bard who's making out with a serving wench when she's murdered by someone with a cloak...or wings...whom no one else sees. Thrown into the dungeon, he is rescued by the Lord Chamberlain. It seems Prince Amber has run off with his own serving wench and the king wants him brought back without any formal involvement. The Bard wanders through Silver City gathering allies and weaponry, then his little band begins a trek toward Cloemann's Tower, home of the prince's uncle in the dark marshes. On the way, however, they're lured into the underground Castle of the Fairy King. And then...


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