This playthrough was originally streamed over on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/justbackgroundnoise
You can also watch the VODs here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrogNYqt_DpBxmgqsv0TNCFO4Jkg8tBHv

Also, any odd text appearing in the video is 100% intentional and not just because pressing 'T' in Premiere adds a text layer.

The idea that Clavicus Vile is so old that the concept "Vile" is named after him is a really cool one.

I love how Khajiit sound speaking their language

That was refreshing. Cyrus was refreshing. I miss having protagonists who have actual personality and agenda, who don't let anyone boss them around. Cyrus talking back to everyone was great.

Woah, different languages, distinct ethnographic subgroups, actual sload, airships, this is like a completely different setting from what modern TES is.

"Blood drawn straight as iron, tempered by death, we rise as swords" is the hardest shit anyone has ever said in TES

Crazy that bethesda seemingly leaned on the talent of Just One Guy to be The Redguard voice all the way until Skyrim when they decided Redguards just sound the same as Imperials. Great work Michael Mack, we will always remember you as the one black voice actor who worked for Bethesda

Cyrus is a criminally underrated character for how great he is. I'm glad someone's bringing attention to Redguard

What a career path to play the Redguard guy so well that you’re later cast as every male Redguard.

1:32:57 I think finding out that Cyrus is the younger sibling is such a potentially huge recontextualization because it makes you reconsider his deeper motivation for his actions. A big brother protecting his little sister is easy to imagine; it's his baby sister and in all likelihood he'd feel a deep responsibility to protect her or something akin to paternal love. But a little brother protecting his big sister seems more likely come from a place of admiration or idolization as he doesn't have the obligation to protect her that would come from him being the older sibling (he might not even believe she needs to be protected). It also reframes him killing her husband and running away. I could imagine an older brother killing to protect his little sister and being confident that he did the right thing, but still deciding to distance himself from his little sister because he's afraid she wont understand (In this scenario it's also easy to believe that he has always been the talented criminal that he appears as in the game) But if it's the little brother that did it then I can imagine that maybe he's afraid that he acted rashly and he feels guilty; maybe he ran because he doesn't want the older sister he admires so much to hate him for it, and perhaps it wasn't until after this event that he even became a criminal in the first place.

Not to say that all of these motivations and events are mutually exclusive to one or the other of course but in terms of expected family dynamics, things seem more or less likely depending on which one is the older sibling. At least in my mind anyway

A game like this is heartbreaking. The story, the characters, the dialogue...it is all so good, but it is held back by the game. This is exactly the kind of story that deserves a remake with modern technology. One that is faithful and well-made would be amazing. It would introduce a new generation to a story that often gets written off as "just bad" when it really isn't. It deserves better.

Honestly, one of the things that made me love Redguard when I first played it was how it handles language. In the Elder Scrolls, despite all the diverse groups and locales we see, we never really see anyone speaking other languages besides a few words here and there.

JBN: About to play Redguard
Everyone else who's played it before: "Reconsider your options, Knave!"

Todd's performance as Clavicus Vile is better than I thought it would be. The switch he does between high and low tones really sells a manic disposition. There's a video on how Skyrim/TES represents pagan gods in an authentic way. Additionally, I can't believe you didn't point out the necromancer that has Clavicus Vile's helm in Morrowind also has a copy of N'Gasta's book presumably in the Sload language. Another random bit of trivia: the Andrano Ancestral Tomb in Morrowind has a book that references Battlespire/the Soul Cairn/the Ideal Masters.

This was actually really cool story wise. You're totally right, if this was a Sierra or Lucasarts game it would be considered an absolute classic and might have gotten a remake or followup

In another universe Cyrus became a breakout sensation and we got an Elder Scrolls Saturday morning cartoon written by Kirkbride

1:36:58 According to UESP, the character Dreekius was supposed to have dialogue mentioning that his village killed a dragon by dipping their spears in Dragonfire (and that's where the dragon head on the wall of his Inn comes from) but it never actually plays due to a bug.

“Well met, stranger!”
🦅
💥
“Magnificent”

In a perfect world, we'd get more Elder Scrolls spin-offs like this. And it wouldn't take 15+ years to get a new mainline game.

It's impressive to hear all the voice actors we've come to love make their start in this game! You've got Baurus as Cyrus, Dagoth Ur as the Governor, Jiub as Dram, and even the khajiit and Argonians VA's got their start here!

It's really weird to hear natural conversations between characters in Elder Scrolls, especially between voices I recognize. It's a shame that the gameplay was made as poorly as it was, because this game's story is really a treat! It's doubly a shame that the era of experimentation has ended because I too would love more Elder Scrolls Adventures. I know Bethesda is mostly chill about fan content, so it's not impossible to eventually see an ESA fan game, but that is always a big if.