Todd Howard told Bethesda designers that “humor has no place in games,” a rule they didn’t follow in RPGs like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Morrowind: “If Todd doesn’t catch it…”

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The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games are known for their quirky and often silly humor, like the infamous ‘Lusty Argonian Maid’ and the relentlessly enthusiastic Adoring Fan in Oblivion. According to Mark Nelson, a former writer and quest designer, much of this humor was intentionally added as a bit of a hidden surprise.

According to Nelson, Todd Howard, the director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios famous for series like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield, specifically told developers to avoid including any humor in their games. Nelson shared this in a recent documentary about Morrowind made by Filmdeg Miniatures, explaining that this was the context when he originally added the popular in-game card, The Lusty Argonian Maid.

He confessed he’d completely forgotten the reason he originally wrote the popular in-game book. He jokingly suggested it might have been after a few drinks. Nelson explained it was added to the game on a whim, because developers figured no one would notice, allowing them to include almost anything. However, Howard, the game’s director, had a strict policy against humor in their games.

So, Todd Howard had this unwritten rule – basically, if he didn’t notice a joke in the game, it was okay. That’s how things like the infamous Lusty Argonian Maid even made it in! Honestly, I’m so glad the developers weren’t afraid to add some humor, even if it was a little cheeky. It’s not just that one bit, either; the whole series is full of these funny moments, and I love that they kept them in.

The funny, random encounters with naked NPCs in Morrowind – like those claiming witches stole their clothes – always stick with me. These quirky moments have become a beloved tradition in The Elder Scrolls games, appearing in later titles like Skyrim too. Hopefully, they’ll continue to be included in future installments, especially since a new RPG is supposedly in development.

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2025-09-15 13:11