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[Wulfram]

http://www.comicbook...rticle&id=34930

The 'Dragon Age' miniseries follows Alistair of
'Dragon Age: Origins' and Isabela and Varric of 'Dragon Age II,' Gaider
told CBR. "The three of them have traveled to Antiva, an exotic land of
assassins, to chase a secret from Alistair's past that will draw all
three of them into danger -- and also reveal a surprising truth about
the nature of dragons in Thedas.



"It follows a few things that fans of 'Dragon Age' have probably been
wondering about for some time, and a few plot threads that we haven't
been able to pick up elsewhere," Gaider continued. "I'm writing it, and
as the Lead Writer on both of the 'Dragon Age' games I can say pretty
confidently that it fits seamlessly into the overall narrative. These
are characters the fans love, and there's some lore here that they won't
find anywhere else. It should be a treat."

Obvious question is, is this King Alistair, Drunk Alistair or Warden Alistair?   And is this post DA2 endgame or set in one of the gaps?

Also, I don't really like how Alistair looks in the picture.

Modifié par Wulfram, 18 octobre 2011 - 02:48 .

[David Gaider]

For those concerned about how the comic affects the "canon" of their playthrough: it doesn't. If we feel the need to refer to the events of the comic in the course of a game (and that's if), it would depend on what the particulars of that import were. If Alistair was alive and the other details matched up, then perhaps it happened. Otherwise it didn't, or it happened slightly differently. That's the luxury that a game allows.

As for why I chose to use already-existing characters, it's because lots of people like them-- including myself. We want to see more of them, and in this case the story happens to pertain specifically to them. They're not incidental to it. It's that simple.

If someone doesn't like the idea, nobody's forcing them to read it. That should go without saying. I'm gratified that so many people are excited, however, and I'm looking forward to showing them what we have cooked up.

[David Gaider]

KennethAFTopp wrote...
I prefer a default Bioware Canon, that's just me, my characters and their choices are just in a different universe. I read an essay that talked about Alistair being the true protagonist of DA:O and I kinda liked that idea. I dunno.

There always has to be a "default" world state, in that we have to choose what happens when a player doesn't import a saved game (or imports one that is incomplete). That is, in fact, the majority of players. I would not call that canon, however, as it doesn't impose itself upon those who do import a saved game-- and that's what canon is, a set version of past events that ignores anything the player did previously (as with BG2, for instance).

[David Gaider]

RagingCyclone wrote...
I don't think the fear of "canon" comes from comic to game, but from game to comic. Already using that Alistair is king has some people...some not posting in this thread that I have talked to, that has them concerned.  And although it's correct nobody is forcing people to read the comic...the use of these characters will still be out there.  And as much as you may tell us to ignore the man behind the curtain...you being the lead writer...it's pretty hard not to ignore the man behind the curtain. Your standing in the DA universe is much like Lucas in the Star Wars universe. What you write, whether intended or not, will be accepted by the majority to be "canon" in DA. My concern is not so much the comic itself, but is the franchise setting itself to fall into the same traps that the SW franchise suffers from?

Sorry, but from my perspective this seems to be hand-wringing without much basis. The characters are already "out there"... everyone who played the game knows that Alistair can be king, or a drunk, or still a Grey Warden, or dead. The alternate universes are already in play, so to speak, so that particular Pandora's Box has already been opened. It's not closing back up anytime soon.

Insofar as what the majority of people consider to be "canon", that really has no effect on the individual player. Who cares if the majority of players consider Alistair to be alive and king if he's dead in your particular playthrough? Your game's story will continue to reflect your choices, when it can. Outside of the game, that's all but impossible short of us outright avoiding any and all places in the world where a player's game might have touched. We're not going to do that-- I'd avoid specifying any specific interpretation of a player character (so materials that dictate who a Warden or Hawke might have been are out of the question), but beyond that it's fair game.

If someone feels this is something a franchise can "suffer" from, then so be it. Opinions on that will no doubt abound. I look forward to seeing the reaction from fans when the comic actually comes out.

[David Gaider]

Brockololly wrote...
Out of curiosity, do the comics/books/anime all go along with one set "default" version of the DA universe? Like in Asunder, is that the same version of Thedas which the comic takes place in? And so, does the comic/books/movies "default" world state match up with the one "default" world state import option from DA2 (Alistair as King, Human noble warden who did the Dark Ritual)?

We haven't done enough of these sorts of projects for that to even be a consideration just yet. I don't think we've restricted ourselves to only using the "default" version of the setting, if that's what you're asking.

but I'm curious how certain characters like Alistair are going to be portrayed regarding their past without referencing a PC like the Warden who can have a massive impact on how somebody like Alistair ends up where ever they might be.

It depends on the situation. At some level I suppose I must mentally choose which Alistair I'm writing, but that's true for any time I wrote the character and needn't be explicitly stated. A lot of it is open for interpretation by the reader.

I guess it would depend on the story being told, but wouldn't that kind of cheapen the PC by just avoiding them in the sort of alternate universe of the books/movies/comics?

Stories outside of the game aren't about the PC. Seeing as your PC already has an entire game to themselves, I don't think it "cheapens" them to write stories where they aren't playing a role. Hawke and the Warden are special snowflakes, but they need not be the center of the universe.

Like Alistair may be King, but is he married to a Queen Cousland who would presumably be an important person in his life? Or if Morrigan cam back into the fold, wouldn't a Warden that romanced her and had a kid with her and went into Eluvian Land be important in how her character was portrayed?

See, you're deliberately imagining ways that it wouldn't work. Instead what you could do is try to imagine ways that it would. I'm not about to create a story which is going to run up against those walls-- that would be silly. Thankfully I don't need to do that.

[John Epler]

TheJediSaint wrote...

I would like to point out that while all three of them are humorous characters; Alistair, Isabella, and Varric all have there own "flavors" of humor. So I think there should be enough variety to keep the humor from going stale.

Not to mention that all three have shown that they are quite capable of being serious and contemplative if the situation calls for it. Varric's Act 2 quest, for example.

[John Epler]

Xewaka wrote...

JohnEpler wrote...

TheJediSaint wrote...
I would like to point out that while all three of them are humorous characters; Alistair, Isabella, and Varric all have there own "flavors" of humor. So I think there should be enough variety to keep the humor from going stale.

Not to mention that all three have shown that they are quite capable of being serious and contemplative if the situation calls for it. Varric's Act 2 quest, for example.

You enjoyed yourself far too much in that one. Heh.

Well, I meant more towards the end of the quest  Particularly if you brought Anders along. Nothing humorous there.

[David Gaider]

ElvaliaRavenHart wrote...
Since Alistair is so popular a character, why was a comic book chosen instead of another expansion for DAO or dlc for just Alistair alone (even with the new engine)?

While I'd love to do a DLC like Leliana's Song based around Alistair, it's 10x less complex to create a comic book then it is to put together an entire game-- even one with the amount of content in a DLC. There's approximately four or five people working on a comic, and up to sixty working on a game. I'd have thought that'd be obvious, but perhaps not.

I'll also point out that you can do different stories in a comic or novel than in a game. We can have someone visit an entirely new and different location without having to create reams of content to make the areas or character models for it. You also don't have to worry about player agency-- this is a simple tale about Alistair, one that you'll be reading and not playing. That's really the point.

Modifié par David Gaider, 21 octobre 2011 - 03:42 .

[David Gaider]

Provo_101 wrote...
I suppose it's too much to ask for a Warden/Leliana romance and Hawke/Isabela romance to STAY that way. <_<

I guess this is difficult for a few people to wrap their heads around? So, once again: all the versions of Alistair -- whether he died, ended up a drunk in Kirkwall, remained in the Grey Wardens, became the King of Ferelden and/or continued his romance with the Warden-- are equally "true". They all exist. That's part of the nature of a narrative that involves choices.

Your choices will continue to be reflected in future games, where possible-- so if you import a game with a drunken Alistair then you can reasonably expect that he will continue to be so.

Since you cannot import your personal save into a comic book or a novel, they will have to select a version of the world in which to reside for any part of the narrative that intersects with characters or choices that appeared in the games. This does not affect your future games, and if the version we've chosen doesn't match up with yours (or one of yours-- some people have many "canon" saves, I imagine) then you'll either have to imagine it as a "what if" or simply ignore the tale if that's insufficient. Either way, it won't affect your game-- if Alistair is dead in your game, for instance, then obviously he never went on this adventure.

The comic book is just a story taken from a piece of the DA continuuity, not an interactive video game. It's that simple.

Modifié par David Gaider, 21 octobre 2011 - 03:53 .

[Lukas Kristjanson]

tmp7704 wrote...
Out of interest, is something like that considered even a vague possibility by you guys? Because yeah, it'd be lovely.

It was a possibility, yes. I posted about it some time ago, but I did a pitch for an Alistair DLC along with Leliana's Song. I pictured it as kind of a Grey Warden “Easy Company” thing, playing the rookie Alistair in his first few months with Duncan. Would have loved to write it, but it takes a lot to line up all the resources for these things. Maybe elements of it will poke up somewhere else.
So, sorry for the tease, but we do know the appreciation for the character. Oh boy, do we know.

Modifié par Lukas Kristjanson, 21 octobre 2011 - 06:32 .

[David Gaider]

ShadowAussie wrote...
when will the trade paper back or hardcover be out for release???

The first six issues will be collected into a HC edition which is to be released in July.

[David Gaider]

Addai67 wrote...
I dunno.  Maybe I am expecting too much.  Who needs character motivations and plot developments that make sense when you have bursting corsets and swashbuckling mayhem.

Alistair wasn't seeking out Yavana. He was searching for his father. Yavana says that she will help him find his father, yes... if he's willing to get drawn into her web. The same web that caught up Maric and thus Ferelden itself. This is a woman who has been manipulative from the moment they met, using him as bait to get Aurelian Titus' name-- for Alistair's sake? Highly unlikely. The idea that him saying "no thanks" and trying to walk away, or somehow holding out hope that he could get more information out of her that wouldn't be some kind of deception, would be somehow the more mature and sensible path is a bit hard to credit (considering how well that worked out with Morrigan-- from his perspective).

Is Alistair doing the compassionate, white-knight thing here? Hardly. But, hey, if someone doesn't like what a character does, it's easier to just say it doesn't make any sense. Who needs to stop and think about something when you can just just declare that it's stupid "swashbuckling mayhem"?

Sorry you didn't like it.

And thank you to those who read the entire series and enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy the story arc as it continues-- and, before someone asks-- yes, there is a finite length to this arc and a definite ending.

Modifié par David Gaider, 03 mai 2012 - 09:01 .

[David Gaider]

Addai67 wrote...
I am thinking about it- aloud, as it happens- I was asking others who read it and found it badass, cool etc. to explain their reasoning since I don't follow how killing her was at all justified.  Let alone "white knight."

Why couldn't he have just walked away?  Yavana never once used coercive, blood magicky means or threats of violence to try to force him to help her.   He's the one who shows up in her swamp demanding answers.   I help you and you help me is how it works- surely as king he would have had to learn that that's how deals are made.  And it was a deal that, for all we and he knew, he was free to walk away from.  If she then had done something threatening, I could see the murder knife as being called for.

There's a big difference between it being justified and it being senseless-- or, as you intimated, bad characterization.

Let's not forget that, after reaching Yavana, she enticed him with answers and then sent him off into the swamps... presumably as bait to draw out Prince Claudius. She said as much. Then she offers him more answers, along with help to find Maric... why? And only if he does what she asks, but towards what end? Would she tell him? Could he believe her, or trust her even if he accepted her offer?

And could he have said "no" and just walked away? Possibly. I'm not sure I would say what he did then was justified or even moral, but it's not without reason. Consider that Yavana rescued Maric from the Crow prison... but not to free him. To use him in her rituals. Which got him captured by someone else. Her, Morrigan, Flemeth-- you don't think someone might get a little angry at the web of deceit these witches have spun? Might want to do more than just walk away? It's not a question of whether you agree with his actions, but whether they fit the character he is-- or whether they're really so astoundingly stupid that you can't imagine anyone doing them. With which I disagree.

But it's your dime. Still, you seemed quite insistent.

Modifié par David Gaider, 03 mai 2012 - 11:40 .

[David Gaider]

Kavatica wrote...
Maybe because he didn't realize what she was up to until the end?

She was attempting to seduce him with an offer she thought would work-- freedom from the responsibilities of his blood. One might consider what that offer looked like from his end, and what it cemented her as in his mind. It's meant to be surprising, but I'm not sure it could be said to come out of nowhere.

[David Gaider]

Wiedzmin182009 wrote...
David, who is the mysterious woman in the picture? This priestess? Oracle?

Andraste, unless I'm misremembering. Being led by magisters of Tevinter off to her burning. It's part of a religious tapestry.