Having read the GI article today I have to say I am little bit worried. There was really no mention about lore or even the previous 200 years. The screenshots didn't show many interiors so there was no way to tell how pervasive books are. What I am scared is that they will not include an appropriate amount of lore accounting for the 200 years in between Oblivion and Skyrim. Now they could just recycle lots of texts from MW, OB and DF but how relevant would all of that be 200 years later, especially after all of the cataclysmic events of the Infernal City? To be realistic not that many books from the 3rd Era should be present in your average Skyrim NPC's home (if your average Skyrim NPC even owns a book ). Do you think they will fill in the gap with a massive amount of lore? Or will they just forget it all together?

Hopefully I am just over thinking, Bethesda probably wants to reach the widest audience possible in the GI article, meaning they want to appeal to fans who have never played the series and tons of lore might be intimidating to a TES virgin. I don't think Bethesda would ever do something so drastic as to remove lore books from the game, but there is still a lingering fear. What does everyone think?

Once again, the GI article is barely a skin-deep peek at the game, only talking about some of the most major changes. Like horses and many other features, more info about the game will be known later.

I hate how they are just skipping ahead when there is still so much to explore in the current timeline.

That's what the books are for. Plus, radically changing the look of a civilization/province doesn't happen overnight.

EDIT: Sorry for not clarifying, I was talking about how they usually write a bunch of in-game books for each new game that add on to the lore and intermediary events. Infernal city is also a part of that too.

Read IC? its canon, but doest cover the other hundred twenty odd year gap.

That's what I mean. Do you think Bethesda can come up with 200 years of lore just like that? I mean that's a lot of books. I sure hope they can, 200 years of untold lore makes me very happy.

No way.

There'll be tons of lore books and Im sure other sources detailing the past two centuries.

Even if it takes place in a "dark age" Im sure there'll be something.

That is no excuse. Bethesda's selling us an opiate, not a history book.


I'm content with whatever outcome.

Ya I read it. I hope some of the books present in the game will expand of some of the things hinted in IC, like the ending of the Mage's Guild and the destruction of Vivec etc. etc.

Wait and see how much the second book will cover. It might cover a big time spand.

In fact, after reading in the Dungeon thread about how the pictures of ruins may actually be one of the destroyed cities, another great way to fill up all this lore is by literally showing it with visible marks in the gameworld.

I honestly don't mind the game being set 200 years into the future, imagine how interesting it would be to (If the game was set in a previous area) go over a radically changed landscape and find a dangerous system of ruins over where one of your favorite, once thriving, cities used to be.

It might, but if it's of the same size as IC there probably won't be too much info.

I want books of Nord legends, descriptions on their deities as well as descriptions of the status of the other provinces. It would be cool if they included a storyteller aspect, verbal lore, as I can definitely imagine the Nords having a rich oral history. Just don't skimp on it Bethesda!

I think it gives gamesas a great opportunity to create, new awesome lore, wihtout it being involved in games, so we can only imagine. I like imagining lore.
Look at http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Skyrim#Notable_Places, it has seven eight cities. The GI said 5. TwoThree have gone.

What do you mean 'without it being involved in games'?

But ya, I agree, this does give Bethesda a great opportunity, I just hope the seize it.

I'd say that setting it 200 years after Oblivion seems unnecessary, but I'm not really complaining, because as long as we don't start getting cars and guns in the setting, Bethesda can set the games as far ahead as they want, besides, it was already a common theory that the game would be set 200 years after Oblivion. All I'm saying is that 200 years is a lot of time for interesting things to happen, they didn't need to wait that long to begin the story, unless the events required for the prophecy to be fulfilled simply could not have happened without those 200 years.

Still, the fact that there isn't much lore about what happened after Oblivion in the article really doesn't mean anything, because of course Bethesda is going to cover the basic features and overall storyline in the first article on the game, because this is the sort of thing that's going to attract the attention of most gamers. Having the whole article be a massive lore dump would probably not be very interesting to many who would read the magazine. I'm sure that we'll see some lore covering events between Oblivion and Skyrim in the game, because I doubt Bethesda would set the game 200 years after the last game and not give a single shred of information about what happened in that time. How much information they'll give waits to be seen though, or whether it will be enough to sate the fanbase's hunger. 200 years is a lot of time for some interesting things to happen, but it waits to be seen how well that will be used.

I completely agree.

While I have no doubt that they will include information on the past 200 years and the history, what I am more scared of is that the amount of content will be less than previous games. 200 years is a lot history to write about, plus is it kind of disallows recycling of books from past games. I guess the only thing to do is wait for more info.

Theres no way they would ditch the lore, Bethesda aren't that stupid.

I don't think they will ditch it. I am more scared they will tone it down.

Especially if that outcome involves a strong Shezzarine character appearing and reclaiming the Empire and firmly establishing uniformity across the continent.