When examining Conan's life span, as Howard told it, the need to have Conan himself present for every player was paramount to us. Creatively, using the time after the novel The Hour of the Dragon was by far the best setting. Conan is king. He has been weakened, and we know his vassals are not 100 percent behind him.

The setting of the Baracha Isles is the canvas for the first part of the game. You are completely alone in the beginning, but gradually you meet others, perhaps in a tavern or other places where being social is important. The game remains single-player, though, with four different story arcs tied together--one for each archetype class. This gives you replay value if you care to create more than one character.

There is a lot of lore that I need to explain in order to describe the game, but for those interested in learning more, there are a lot of good sites on the Internet. So read up on these dark locations, their cruel peoples, and sinister gods.

Add to this the guild classes that you choose at level 40. There are four different guild classes accessible to you, regardless of what your main class is. The guild classes are like an overlay class, with mostly social functions.

We hope it will add a lot of action to the game. The need to understand the opponent, including his or her weaknesses and strengths, and then exploiting them should be paramount in the game. This hands-on direct combat system also plays well with a tactical system of formations and teams, as well as in larger siege combat.

Naturally, this fight will seem completely different when Atzel's Fortress sends its own army to avenge the bandits and the players are forced to defend their fledgling village against a tide of mongrels.