There has been a lot of off hand discussion regarding bards in Skyrim as well as the Bard college and all that, but no real central discussion that I've seen thus far. I think it's little coincidence that we got to see someone holding an instrument in the trailer and that they were framed in such a way that we could see it instead of behind the player character or even in first person. Whilst there is no specific implications from Todd Howard that bards will be integral to the game, so much speculation here leads me to believe that they just might be.

The idea of a bard, were you to explain it to a non-fantasy lover, is boring. They're minstrels that have the magic power to cheer you up, at least in D&D terms, and anywhere else it's basically the same. Why exactly does one need to go to a bard college? Couldn't you just learn the instrument yourself and the magic would just come with it? There isn't a heap of information regarding the college because we've never been there in game, and we are unaware of the processes within. Though, perhaps, there could be something amiss within the halls of such a pristine facility.

I have no doubt that if the college is fully in the game that there will be some sort of faction represented to it, though I would hope that Bethesda doesn't go all Harry Potter on it. I think that there are secrets that just might pertain to the main questline within those halls; most likely some macguffins or other. This sounds like such useless speculation to you all I know, but just think of how the factions were (technically) integral to Morrowind's main storyline and how they impacted the journey of the Nerevarine prophecy. Skyrim is a very unexplained province, even regarding the other provinces we've never focused on, and the Bard's college is the only thing that we know very definitely about the region.

Just mindless speculation, or is there some credence here? Discuss away my friends.

To my understanding, Bards were also lore keepers in real life. So perhaps the college has something to do with that.

The Bard's in DnD didn't svck until the 3rd edition came out and turned them into a comic relife, for crack jokes (they got the same treatment as the bosmer did). Before that they were actually quite epic and more inspired by the historical Celtic bards than musicians with an OCD.

But I digress, I'd love to see a the bard expanded upon, however since classes are effectivly dead; how would you know that your character is a bard? A Jack-of-all-Trades? Part warrior, part mage, part thief, that's as far as I know been the staple bard type since the dawn of RPG's.

As long as they don't chase me around playing the Morrowind music in my face and wanting money like the bards in one other game in particular then I'd have no problem with it.
You know the game and bards I'm talking about too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooj25_j3k1E&feature=fvwrel kick [censored].

As we see a guy plaing an instrument in trailer I'm guessing bard are gonna be about.

Anglaise Cantabile, the name of a bardess I have planned to role-play in Skyrim. As soon as is practical in the progress of the game, she will visit the bard college near Solitude. If she cannot simulate playing in instrument, she will recite poetry, tell tall tales, and dance close to the fire.

I'll be right there with you, lighting the fire.

In the meantime... :foodndrink:

O Dragon-born, the pipes the pipes are callling...

My thoughts exactly! :foodndrink:

Haha, that's awesome. If the bards are like that, I will totally like them in Skyrim!

Fixed. LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B3nloST8Xc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzYof5GjhQ8

I love bards, hope they get some spotlight in this game. Truth be told "Jymjak" was originally the name of a ficktional bard character I had. I might get a chance to resurrect him again!

Oh, and heres one of the great bards of this day and age that inspired me to creat Jymjak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m3oIu8hMc8

I'd like Bard's in the game, the ability to play an instrument should technically be no different to any school of magic, since most spells are created through a simple utterance of words. However, I'd prefer to see Bards as traditional gatherers of lore, tall tales and legend's. This would give any melee character a plausible reason to join a mage orientated guild or faction without having to use magic.

I am old enough to remember when bards weren't jokes, which I suppose is saying something. However, they are really only useful when you have a party, IMHO. Sure, they can develop interesting magical attacks with their music, but in most games, they are terrible at actual combat or magic. They are more similar to priest characters (though a well developed priest can kick some serious a**) They are most useful for getting your warriors worked up for battle, rousing spirits during the battle, and for assisting in healing afterward.

Of course, that's D&D - and as a previous poster mentioned, bards have become the bosmer of those worlds. Total jokes.

For the TES world, which is entirely single-player, most of the things bards are known for in combat are kind of useless. Further, it would require an entirely new kind of magic. Thuum is the first new magic introduced in TES lore to date, to my knowledge, so while a bard's musical spells would be supremely awesome, I wouldn't get my hopes up. That said, it shouldn't be hard to mod in - so perhaps a true bard mod?

I do hope there are NPC bards, though. I think it would be awesome to hear a bard singing tales of recent events in taverns.

Bards sing right?

When the Bards sing, they sing in FIRE!..errr Dragon shouts...Immensely useful and nothing to laugh at imo.

The bard in DAoC was pretty useful, and a nasty demon if played right.


Sing your shouts, while playing guitar, and destroying this dragon.

Assassin's Creed II?

In response to the topic, yes, in-fact i've always thought it'd be cool to see bards actually doings bard-like things, like singing songs and telling tales

BARDS . . . . . . BARDS . . . . . . . . IN SKYRIM!!?!?!?!?! Screw being a Dragonborn.


"MA, PA, IM OFF TO START MY YEARS IN COLLEGE AT THE BARDS UNIVERSITY!!! SEE YOU IN 4 YEARS!!" IM GOING TO BE A BARD!!!!

"Im off to be a bard if I play the right cards at the table. Fu** me tryin to be a guard, the bards are where it's at, im not even gonna be a horse stayin at the stable. Im a bard, this is who I are's tell that to the warden behind the bars of life, im a bard till the end of the knife. Cant stop with nothing, even an arrow to tha face is worthless for a bard like me, im not joking, dragons im not even bluffing. No one can stop me from be a bard, im gonna go the whole ten yards. A ram charging at me with its horn, im just laughing as I smack it away and I scorn, a thorn of the foot aint gonna stop me, even if I mourn, this is my day, get out of here Dragonborn. Im a bard, im going hard, i will never be barred away from college, I got all this knowledge, I will never be scarred. Im a bard going hard that wil never be discarded, Im staying here at college. Im here like travelign like im always been, im not gonna sin. I dont care about loot, not even a shiny tin jug, im gonna win. Im gonna kick the shin and pin this line to the chin of the not-so-great Dovahkiin. I wont stop this rhyme this this dream is mine, ive got al the time, and am not giving not signs of defeat, so just take a seat! I will never whim out since i hit the gym, im a bard thats never grim, I just got a trim for my beard to look that part, I dont care if i lose a limb, im a bard, LOOK OUT SKYRIM!

Bravely bold Sir Roderic rode forth from Wayrest.
He was not afraid to die, O brave Sir Roderic!
He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways,
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Roderic!
He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp,
Or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken;
To have his kneecaps split, and his body burned away;
And his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Sir Roderic!

His head smashed in and his heart cut out
And his liver removed and his bowels unplugged
And his nostrils [censored] and his bottom burned off
And his pen--

Playing a bard would most definitely be an interesting sort of thing to do, especially as the Dovakiin. Unique shouts to compensate for the lack of focus on offensive abilities? Higher restoration? The possibilities could be quite staggering if played right, though I doubt Bethesda is looking to use harps as a weapons.

Whilst we can still have fun, what do you say to the idea about bards being an important plot element?

Yep.
Imagine if the bards were minstrels like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsfG02DJ3Hc&feature=related
I'm wondering if the Bards in this game will be like that or more scholarly poet and writers. Maybe the younger attendees at the college will be like that. We did see some young looking bards with instruments in the trailer, the part with the sneak attack.

I would love to be able to join the Bard's College and play instruments, I would definitely have a bard playthrough if we had that. And a mod to make music magically would be cool, but I doubt they'll do it in the vanilla.


In the frozen land of Skyrim, they were forced to eat Roderic's bards. And there was much rejoicing. (Yay!)

And now for something completely different.

AC?