The Avatar

The Avatar stands for Honesty,
Compassion, Valor, Justice, blah blah blah

Mine just likes to kick ass.

Since I got my first PC back in '95 or so I have been in love with the Ultima series (Ultima VII is still ranked as the best PC game of all time IMO, though Skyrim comes perilously close to knocking it off the top spot).

The lore, humour, sheer size of the world, and the fact that (in Ultima VII especially) you can live another life inside there captivate me, and I'm amazed that even to this day - after so long - nobody has created a PC game that comes as close as Ultima VII does to making a virtual world. Every NPC has schedules. They all go home, sleep, have breakfast, go to work - you can even watch the baker make bread or get a job and do it yourself. Then it's off to the tavern for supper, listen to a lecture at the temple, and finally back to bed. It feels like a living breathing world, and even 20 years later it's never been beaten.

Sure the graphics nowadays are better. Thousands of times better, but gameplay wise ... unbeatable.

The Ankh isn't my greatest work, but it was
my first attempt with Green Stuff

So I made myself a little tribute to this wonderful game. The inspirational picture comes from Ultima VI, and the Reaper miniature is one of their Dark Legionnaires. I sculpted the Shield to remove the rams head, did a bit of green stuff work (my first ever attempt) to make an Ankh on his tabard and the shield, and hey presto! One Avatar.

One day I intend to find models to suit his constant companions, Iolo, Shamino and Dupre. Skirmish game set in Britannia, anyone??