Summary: <h4><font>Spam Spam Spam Humbug gets group! WtF Dragon is joined by Boolean Dragon, Linguistic Dragon, and others to discuss Obsidian Entertainment's new RPG, <em>Pillars of Eternity</em>.</font></h4><a id="more-5774383"></a><div> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id978223252">Subscribe on iTunes</a> | <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/spam-spam-spam-humbug">Subscribe on Stitcher</a> </div><h4>Intro</h4><p><em>Title Theme</em> - <em>Pillars of Eternity</em> Soundtrack (Justin Bell)</p><h4>Podcast Topic(s)</h4><p><strong>Pillars of Eternity: </strong>Obsidian Entertainment's <em>Pillars of Eternity</em> (<a href="http://eternity.obsidian.net/">http://eternity.obsidian.net/</a>) was released a couple weeks ago. It casts players in the role of The Watcher, a uniquely gifted individual who can perceive the souls of others.</p><p><em>Pillars of Eternity</em> is also designed, in part, as a throwback to the Infinity Engine RPGs of the late 1990s and early 2000s (e.g. <em>Baldur's Gate</em>, <em>Planescape: Torment</em>, and <em>Icewind Dale</em>). Obsidian's stated mission with <em>Pillars of Eternity</em> is to "recapture the magic, imagination, depth, and nostalgia of classic RPG's that we enjoyed making - and playing." Although built with the modern Unity 3D engine, <em>Pillars of Eternity</em> strives to recapture the isometric, essentially 2D look of the old Infinity Engine games, adding modern conventions only sparingly and where it will improve the overall "old school" experience.</p><p><strong>That Controversial Poem: </strong><em>Pillars of Eternity</em> was, of course, crowdfunded via Kickstarter, and many backers submitted small pieces of content that were included in the game at various points. One of the rewards for pledges of $500 and up was "[the backer's] name and a personalized message on a MEMORIAL STONE IN-GAME".</p><p>One such backer, Firedorn Lightbringer by handle, penned a somewhat off-colour poem for his in-game tombstone:</p><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>"Here lies Firedorn, a hero in bed<br>He once was alive, but now he’s dead<br>The last woman he bedded, turned out a man<br>And crying in shame, off a cliff he ran"</p></blockquote><p>This inclusion greatly upset Twitter user @icequeenerika, who called out Obsidian for allowing what she termed "transmisogyny" to be included in <em>Pillars of Eternity</em>. After some deliberation, Obsidian elected to contact Firedorn Lightbringer about the poem, who subsequently elected to change its wording:</p><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>"Here lies Firedorn, a bard, a poet<br>He was also a card, but most didn’t know it<br>A poem he wrote in jest was misread<br>They asked for blood, so now he’s just dead"</p></blockquote><p>Was this the right course of action for Obsidian to pursue?</p><p><strong>Pillars of Eternity Tabletop RPG and Card Game: </strong><em>Pillars of Eternity</em> has seemingly been a monumental success for Obsidian Entertainment, so much so that expansions to its universe are being considered in the form of a tabletop RPG and a card game (<a href="http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/04/06/obsidian-entertainment-looking-to-expand-on-pillars-of-eternity-with-tabletop-rpg-and-card-game/">http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/04/06/obsidian-entertainment-looking-to-expand-on-pillars-of-eternity-with-tabletop-rpg-and-card-game/</a>).</p><p>"[Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart] specifically detailed that the card game would release first under the guidance of another development company, and mentioned 'This isn’t like a [collectible card game] or anything like that, but it’s more just a fun, kind of, four people get around and play a single session card game.'</p><p>In terms of the tabletop RPG, details around the game are still vague and in more of a conceptual state, with Urquhart detailing that the studio is still 'absolutely' investe</p>
