For this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue, we continue to take the episode structure in a bit of a different direction, at least in part. This is the third episode drawn from a discussion between Withstand the Fury Dragon and an friend old friend of his, Paul, whose philosophical musings he has consistently enjoyed and respected. And rather than talk about any specific Virtue or Principle from Ultima, or its real-world equivalent, they will be tackling a range of topics that…well, you’ll just have to listen.

Listen to the Episode

In this episode, we discuss violence — in a real-world setting, which is something Paul is not unfamiliar with in his occupation. Donald Trump also comes up for a brief mention again, as do some of the recent foreign policy initiatives undertaken by the United States. And we wrap up with a bit more discussion about video games…and how, in particular, morality-driven storytelling in western RPGs owes a significant debt to Ultima 4.

Fun fact: this week is known as Holy Week in Christian religious observance; Friday is Good Friday, which for many will be a statutory holiday. In the Catholic tradition, Good Friday is also the only day of the year in which no Mass is said. That isn’t to say that there aren’t Catholic services on Good Friday; there are. But these are not full Mass celebrations; they are a modified service. In fact, Catholic priests are forbidden from saying the Mass on Good Friday — this is the only day of any given year where such a prohibition is imposed.