Action RPG

The Elder Scrolls’ weird relationship with expansions began a full decade before the horse armour DLC, in the form of a 16-quest addon to Daggerfall exclusive to one US retailer

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The Elder Scrolls franchise has a thrilling journey marked by expansions and downloadable content (DLC). Bethesda’s fantasy role-playing game series boasts some of the most cherished additional storylines (like Bloodmoon and Shivering Isles) as well as infamous DLC blunders, such as the horse armor debacle. However, the connection between addons and this franchise goes beyond any of these releases; it can be traced back to The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, which was released many years prior.

When Daggerfall was released in September 1996, it initially came with an expansion pack that was only available with copies purchased from CompUSA, a now-defunct U.S. retailer. Known as the CompUSA Expansion or CompUSA Special Edition, this add-on included 16 additional quests within the game’s guilds and temples. Although Bethesda later made these quests available to everyone via a free update, they remain absent from the original version of the game.

For quite some time, the contents of the CompUSA expansion have been widely accessible, making it extensively documented. However, the events surrounding its conception, development, and public response are less clear. There’s a mystery about why it was made, how it was developed, if it was popular at launch, or if it was similar to the infamous ‘horse armor’ of its era. To uncover the story behind this expansion’s creation, I reached out to its original designer and dug deep into the internet’s archives to discover what players thought about it during that time.

During the creation process of the special edition, Kurt Kuhlmann – an experienced Bethesda employee who played significant roles in Skyrim as co-lead designer and Starfield as lead systems designer – designed the quests. However, when Daggerfall was being developed, Kuhlmann had been with Bethesda for only a short while, making him the least senior designer there at that time. As he shared over email, “At this stage, I was practically the most junior designer on the team.” After leaving Bethesda in 2023, Kuhlmann now serves as the principal world designer at Lightspeed LA.

In my gaming world, the origins of this special edition are somewhat hazy. From what I gather from the UESP wiki, it seems that the special edition was crafted because CompUSA, a name synonymous with unique versions, approached Bethesda and made it clear they wouldn’t stock the game unless an exclusive version was provided.

Outside of Daggerfall, there is limited information about any exclusive editions of the game sold by CompUSA. The UESP Wiki makes this claim without providing a source, suggesting that CompUSA refused to stock the game unless Bethesda complied with their demands. However, the expansion’s wiki page on Fandom only mentions that CompUSA had hundreds of stores across the country and speculates that Bethesda may have attempted to boost sales at these locations by releasing a special edition of Daggerfall.

As a junior designer at the company, Kuhlmann admits he wasn’t privy to high-level decision-making. However, he remembers that from Bethesda’s perspective, marketing struck deals with retailers. If they offered exclusive content, these retailers would offer special promotions in their stores. This could involve placing the game at the end of a shelf so it faced the storefront, making it one of the first things customers saw when entering the store.

Kuhlmann admits he’s unsure if similar special editions were widespread during that period. However, as far as his memory serves, this was the sole instance where Bethesda made such an arrangement, and he ponders why they chose to do so on this occasion. Perhaps it was because the company deemed it not financially viable (it likely involved more than just producing the content; custom packaging specifically for CompUSA would have added to the trouble).

Quest log

As a dedicated fan, I must say that I’m in awe of Kuhlmann’s swift work on the expansion, given the tight timeframe he had to work with. Joining Bethesda in May 1996, and with Daggerfall releasing as late as September 20, it seems the expansion was developed in a hurry. Although the exact duration of the project’s development escapes him, considering his short tenure at the time, he estimates that we’re probably looking at a timescale measured in weeks, not months. Impressive, indeed!

In contrast to their quick creation, the 16 new quests included in the special edition are far from insignificant. They encompass a wide range of ideas and aesthetics, with some even offering a deeper level of engagement compared to the main game. The expansion introduces six Fighters Guild quests, five Mages Guild quests, two Thieves Guild quests, two temple-related quests, and one quest for the Knightly Orders, which are scattered across Tamriel’s Iliac Bay.

Additionally, many of these tasks are interconnected into complex multi-story arcs that allow players to make choices. The missions incorporated into the Fighters Guild feature a series of three linked quests where you will face the decision to either aid Lord Ka’var in his bid for the throne of Sentinel, or support Queen Akorithi in dealing with this problematic figure.

In this game, the Mages Guild also presents a three-part adventure, focusing on the rogue sorcerer named Baltham Greyman. During these quests, players will face the choice between carrying out Greyman’s execution on behalf of the guild or assisting him in retrieving a powerful magical artifact hidden within Direnni Tower, claimed to be the oldest structure in Tamriel. Kuhlmann expresses that creating these Baltham Greyman quests was enjoyable (and an example of connecting multiple quests with a recurring character, which he found appealing), and adds that it was engaging having him converse as you both navigated through a dungeon together, albeit in the limited way of Daggerfall.

Apart from the primary storyline, Daggerfall offers only a few missions with multiple narrative paths. This is due to Kuhlmann’s swift mastery of Daggerfall’s mission designer. In his words, “At that time, I was likely the most knowledgeable person in the studio about the extremely complex and mystical Daggerfall ‘quest editor’.” He further explains that it was a DOS program, far from user-friendly, and it functioned by moving down a list of instructions from top to bottom.

In Daggerfall, the complexity of creating branching quests and linking their outcomes proved challenging. However, I had managed to find a way to accomplish this intricate task, as we didn’t have many examples of such design elements in the primary game.

The CompUSA Special Edition of the game, released simultaneously with the standard version, came on its own unique disc, featuring phrases such as “Free CompUSA exclusive” and “FREE! Extra Artifacts and Quests” inscribed on it. However, it’s interesting to note that while Daggerfall was a significant success for Bethesda, both in terms of critical acclaim and commercial performance, how was the reception for this official add-on, which could only be purchased at one major US retail chain?

Kuhlmann didn’t recall the response to the expansion because he wasn’t sure if many people even knew about it since it was exclusively sold at one store. However, although we can’t pinpoint how many players were aware of it, there is evidence that some did know about it. Furthermore, we can follow their responses to the CompUSA expansion throughout Daggerfall’s release.

This is made possible by the availability of existing Usenet archives – a network of Internet-based discussion forums that predates the World Wide Web and has been in use for many years afterward. There are numerous Usenet archives scattered across the web, such as the vast collection of discussions housed in Google Groups.

Digging through the past

Investigating ‘Daggerfall CompUSA’ online brings up approximately 500 hits, with many stemming from the Usenet forum called comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg. These discussions offer a wide perspective of the time when Daggerfall was released, as well as users’ responses to the CompUSA Special Edition version of the game.

Kick-starting our discussion as we gear up for the launch, let’s focus first on the release itself. On September 20, 1996, a user named Timothy Witter announced his excitement over acquiring Daggerfall at CompUSA in Columbus, Ohio. He wrote, “The shelves are stacked!” A day later, a user named Clad@netzone.com raised questions about the exclusive version of Daggerfall available at CompUSA. Intriguingly, the box stated, “CompUSA EXCLUSIVE! FREE ADDITIONAL ARTIFACTS & QUESTS.” The user asked, “What are these additional items? Is it worth buying from CompUSA to get these extras? Does anyone have information about this?

As more people learn about the CompUSA-exclusive version of Daggerfall, thoughts gradually shift into strong opinions. On September 26, in a discussion labeled “Daggerfall: CompUSA and musings”, user Todd A Carter expresses his discontent: “It’s disappointing to create an ‘enhanced’ version of Daggerfall specifically for one retailer (CompUSA for those not in the know)”. Following this, Nunya@m.f voices their stance: “I refuse to purchase Daggerfall due to this marketing approach… It’s simply a scam.

In a post on September 27, user ron…@eden.com initiated a discussion entitled “Daggerfall: CompUSA version – a genius move!”. Here, they express that their previous work experience in a computer superstore leads them to believe the exclusive CompUSA version of the game was one of the most strategic decisions for both CompUSA and Bethesda. The user explains that while the variations in the game are minor, they chose to buy it at CompUA, as they didn’t want to miss out on this unique edition.

This really angers me. I’m supporting Bethesda by pre-ordering from them, and what I receive in return is an incomplete game.

Additionally, some players who bought the Limited Edition of Daggerfall express dissatisfaction. They paid approximately $100, and received a t-shirt, a “World of Tamriel” mousepad, and a poster as extras. However, it lacked the CompUSA quests. User Lars Deutsch, who purchased this edition, shares his frustration: “I feel aggravated for having spent around 150 US dollars (including shipping) on an incomplete game.

As a passionate enthusiast, I found one particularly intriguing post that added depth to the game’s history. On December 28, user Jerry Caveney stepped in to clarify a misconception about the existence of a special version of the game. He wrote, “CompUSA does have a special version; they still advertise it, and Bethesda faced criticism for agreeing to this.” This exchange suggests that the conversation extended beyond what the archives suggest, and that players were still contemplating this aspect months after the game’s launch, adding an intriguing layer to the game’s post-launch narrative.

As a devoted fan, I couldn’t help but wonder if the apparent disagreement between Todd Carter and Bethesda had any impact on their decision to roll out the extra content in a patch. However, upon reading Robert Berryhill’s post on September 26, it appears that Bethesda had planned all along to make these additional quests more accessible. Intriguingly, he mentioned in his post that this ‘extra’ content would be made available on their website a few months prior. Considering the long lead times associated with magazine publication, if this article was indeed published before Daggerfall’s release date, it suggests that Bethesda had already decided to share this information well ahead of time.

Despite some confusion among Daggerfall fans, I must share with you that Bethesda has reached out to clarify the situation. On September 28th, user Clark S. Smith reported receiving communication from Bethesda stating, “Indeed, CompUSA carries a retail version of the game featuring extra quests and artifacts. Rest assured, if you didn’t obtain it from CompUSA, we aim to make these quests/artifacts accessible to others in the coming future.

Sharing is caring

Back in October 4th, a fellow enthusiast named MoJo announced the arrival of the Daggerfall Patch! However, this patch didn’t seem to include the additional quests as promised. In a follow-up post, MoJo mentioned, “P.S., if you got your game from somewhere other than CompUSA, you can find those extra quests and artifacts on Compuserve (GO BETFORUM) or AOL. It appears that Bethesda, for contractual reasons I suppose, can’t officially release them yet. But the community has come to the rescue and uploaded these extras onto these platforms!

It appears that users were sharing the quests from the CompUSA version of the game ahead of when Bethesda officially released them. Moreover, there’s evidence suggesting that Bethesda may have permitted this. A few days before MoJo’s post, a user named Sinslpmn commented in a thread saying “I know that on AOL, yes, some of us use AOL, the rep from Bethesda will let someone upload the missing files from the un-CompUSA versions.

It seems that the agreement between Bethesda and CompUSA, making the game content exclusive, was largely met with disapproval among players. While Bethesda intended to make this material available for all eventually, they ignored instances where players illegally uploaded it early. However, let’s delve into the opinions of players regarding the quests themselves.

As a devoted fan, I’ve noticed that this particular content isn’t extensively detailed, but there are a few users who share their experiences. On October 26, user Nancy Walsh chimed in on a query about the CompUSA version, stating that she completed the ‘fetch the tiger’ quest and found it enjoyable, despite the tiger biting her three times before it responded to the bell. In another thread, on October 29, user James Rosinski expressed his appreciation for the CompUSA quests, labeling them as one of the intriguing random quests in the game. He also voiced his disappointment that Bethesda chose to exclude them from the general release.

Essentially, much like how the infamous horse armor from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was criticized for being overpriced and unnecessary content, the Daggerfall CompUSA edition stirred up a similar storm in its time. However, unlike horse armor, the issue wasn’t about poor quality, but rather the exceptional quality of the expansion that some players felt was unfairly priced or not included as part of the base game.

One interesting point the archives highlight is worth mentioning. Various posts discuss unique versions of games available at different stores, like a special Lemmings edition found at Electronics Boutique. This suggests that such exclusive editions were popular among US retailers during that period. However, there are also detailed accounts about how the Daggerfall special edition was created.

On October 3rd, user Sith Dragon posted an entry titled “CompUSA’s Special Edition of Game: Reasons Behind”. In this post, they mention that a representative from Bethesda revealed on AOL that CompUSA only carries the special edition of the game because they would not stock the regular version at all unless Bethesda agreed to this arrangement with them.

This supports the assertion by the UESP Wiki, which implies that CompUSA exerted pressure on Bethesda to release the special edition of the game. While it’s important to note that this is not definitive proof that CompUSA coerced Bethesda into creating the expansion, it does suggest that there was a widespread belief at the time that such pressure existed.

Today, the Daggerfall CompUSA edition might be just a minor note in Bethesda’s extensive collection of works. Regardless, it holds significant significance in the studio’s history. According to Kuhlmann, his work on the expansion influenced his methods when designing extra content for Bethesda’s future games.

For the first time, I discovered how enjoyable working on Downloadable Content (DLC) can be. You’re at the pinnacle of your abilities with the tools, and you become keenly aware of missed opportunities – ideas that should have been part of the main game but ran out of development time, or techniques you didn’t grasp until it was too late to include new content. Often, DLC like this offers some of the best content, as it allows us to fill in gaps and utilize underutilized features within the game’s toolset.

In essence, the manner in which expansion was perceived and debated demonstrates that the dynamic between players, developers, and publishers has remained remarkably consistent over the years. Although platforms like Steam and social media have amplified these discussions, the underlying tensions, disagreements, and contentious issues still bear a striking resemblance to those from nearly 30 years ago.

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2025-07-26 18:04

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