Fable (video game)

Fable is a video game for Xbox. It was developed by Big Blue Box, a satellite of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft. Shipped to retail on September 14 2004, Fable was well-received by critics for the quality of its gameplay and execution, even as they lamented its failure to include many of the features promised by creator Peter Molyneux.

An extended version of the game, The Lost Chapters, was released for both Windows, Mac OS X and Xbox on September of 2005 (although the Windows and Mac version was leaked by a warez group in August).

Story overview

The game centers on the only playable character, a male referred to by his title or only as the hero (all of the members of the Heroes' Guild, even those who are evil, are referred to as "Heroes"). As a child, the hero's village was raided and destroyed by bandits. He was taken in by a Hero named Maze after being saved by him during the raid and brought to the Heroes' Guild to be trained as a hero, along with a girl named Whisper. He then embarks on a journey to discover the reason behind his village's destruction, discovering along the way the true fate of his family (especially his sister) and his own destiny.

Setting

The game takes place on the continent of Albion (which is much like Britain)-in a fictional period presumeably either replacing the Middle Ages or long before recorded history. The period itself is similar to medieval times, but the history behind it- the land being ruled by one king, though an ancient bloodline, leading directly into the current chaos- is clearly not. Some gamers note the influence of medieval Central Europe, mainly Germany and The Netherlands in the high ages of the Holy Roman Empire, on the design of Albion. Due to this bit of influence, many are confused into believing that the world depicted is completely fictional; the word Albion, though, is an archaic term for Britain (See definition here- Albion), and the geography of the region is clearly a representation of the British Isles. The town of Oakvale, for example, is geographically a match with Dorchester or Plymouth. Knothole Glade, similarly, is positioned to take the place of either Wexford or Dublin.

Character customization

Fable features a reasonably unique character customization system based on the concept that everything the character does should affect him. If he eats too much, he will gain weight. Many players are under the impression that if he swings his sword constantly, he will build muscle, this is untrue; the level of the hero's strength statistics is what actually builds the muscle. For example, the player could go through the game, not use a single weapon but use their extra experience to build strength. This will cause the character to become more muscular.

Every article of clothing the character acquires will change his in-game appearance. He can be further customized by a haircut, facial hair, and tattoo cards which allow for a range of body modification options.

The clothing, hairstyle, and tattoos the character wears will affect the way he is seen by the non-player characters. A character wearing bright clothes and clean shaven will be seen as more heroic by townspeople. In contrast, a character sporting dark clothing and frightening tattoos will be seen as more villainous by various characters.

The actions that the character makes will award either good or evil points. Killing monsters or saving villagers will result in achieving good points. Committing a crime, killing an innocent person, or getting a spouse to divorce you will accumulate evil points. These affect not only the responses of the non-player characters but also the appearance of the character. A hero with an abundance of good points will soon find a halo surrounding his head, butterflies swarming around him, and his hair will turn blonde. An evil character will sprout horns, emit a red haze from around their legs, draw flies, and have glowing red eyes, in addition to getting black hair that is balding. As he grows older, this hair will start to turn white.

The hero can have a social life. This is mostly affected by how good, evil or attractive the character is. The hero can flirt, propose, and even marry, provided he is romantic enough. The hero has no predetermined sexuality, so players are free to play as heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual, and the hero can get married to other men and can engage in sexual intercourse with them just like they can with the women in the game. Sexual scenes are depicted with a black screen while the partner can be heard commenting on the act.

Gameplay Information

Characters

Hero - The main character of the game, whose real name is never mentioned. His appearance varies on the player and is customizable. He is able to become the strongest Hero in Albion because of his ancient bloodline connected to Archon, the royal bloodline of the old kingdom.

Guildmaster - One of the oldest Heroes alive. The Guildmaster operates the Guild of Heroes and is in charge of training Hero apprentices. He watches over every step of the Hero's journey through the Hero's Guild Seal, often offering advice and issuing orders along the way. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Snowspire Oracle reveals that the Guildmaster's true name is Weaver, and that along with Maze he led a bloody revolt against the previous Guild due to his belief that the Guild should not force its Heros to walk the path of good, but rather should give them the freedom to choose their own destiny. At the end of Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Hero is given the option of killing the Guildmaster to collect his soul.

Maze - An old wizard and head of the Hero's Guild. Maze rescues the young Hero from bandits during the Oakvale raid, and takes him to the Hero's Guild to be trained as a Hero apprentice. Maze becomes a father figure to the Hero, and helps to guide the Hero on his search for his missing family. However, the Hero eventually learns that Maze is in league with Jack of Blades, the man who destroyed Oakevale and killed the Hero's family. The Hero then proceeds to kill Maze in battle. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Snowspire Oracle reveals that as a young boy Maze was saved from certain death by Jack of Blades, and was never able to escape from Jack's shadow.

Whisper - The Hero's greatest rival, an acrobat who fights with a pole staff. Whisper and her older brother Thunder were stranded on Albion after a storm wrecked their ship, and subsequently were raised in the Hero's Guild. She trained with the Hero as a boy, where the two quickly develop a strong rivalry. As the game unfolds she and the Hero battle against each other during a few quests. Ultimately, the two cooperate in a battle against monsters inside the gladatorial Arena, only to be pitted in a fight to the death against each other by Jack of Blades. Whisper can either be killed or spared in the Arena, depending on the player's choice in the game. If she is spared, she will realize the Hero is a much greater hero and will leave Albion for her distant homeland.

Thunder - A huge and heavily armored mountain of a man, standing more than 7 feet tall. Thunder is one of the few Heroes who conquered the Arena without taking a break and is thus honored as Champion of the Arena. Thunder is initially distainful of the Hero, and continues to look down upon him throughout the game. He is in love with Lady Grey and obsessively courting her, and thus develops a grudge against the Hero when Lady Grey becomes interested in him instead. If the Hero kills Whisper in the Arena, Thunder hates him even more. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the player is given the option of killing Thunder to collect his soul.

Twinblade - An ex-Hero who left the Guild of Heroes and united a dozen bandit factions to become the King of Bandits. The Hero, searching for his missing sister, ends up infiltrating Twinblade's camp and defeating Twinblade in battle. He can either be killed or spared by the player; either way he or his loyal followers will hire assassins to try and kill the Hero.

Briar Rose - A very swift, powerful, and smart female Hero. From a noble background, Briar Rose's family fell into hard times when she was a child, and she ended up joining the Hero's Guild. She is more of a scholar than a fighter, and relies more on intelligence and magic rather than physical strength. Although she initially villifies the Hero, she slowly begins to respect him after the two fight together in a couple of quests against the forces of Jack of Blades. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, Briar Rose helps the Hero decipher the ancient glyphs in Archon's Shrine, and the player is ultimately given the option of killing her for her soul.

The Name 'Briar Rose' is the same name the Brothers Grimm gave the the heroine in their version of the Sleeping Beauty tale.

Lady Grey - The seductive, yet cruel and villainous mayor of Bowerstone. In her youth, she was convinced by Jack of Blades to murder her older sister so that she could inherit the position of mayor. In the original game, the hero is given the option of marrying her. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the hero may also expose her villainous deeds and take her place as mayor.

Scarlet Robe - The Hero's mother. She was once a famous Slayer of Balverines, and was respected as Champion of the Arena and the greatest female Hero. However, her age caught up to her, and she was injured in a battle with Balverines. She was found and nursed back to health by the Hero's father, and the two of them raised a family. She is ultimately killed by Jack of Blades to activate the Sword of Aeons. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Hero can ask her to give him her soul so that he can activate Archon's Shrine and fight Jack of Blades' new form.

Theresa - The Hero's sister. During the Oakvale raid, Jack of Blades cut out her eyes. She was found by Twinblade and raised by bandits, eventually becoming Twinblade's right-hand minion due to her possession of prophetic powers (a result of her Archon bloodline). Despite her blindness, she possesses extrasensory perception due to her exceptional Will abilities, and is thus more than capable of killing all those who oppose her in her harsh bandit lifestyle. However, she leaves Twinblade's service after he is defeated by the Hero. Searching for their mother on her own, she is eventually captured by Jack of Blades. After the battle with Jack of Blades, Theresa tells her younger brother that he has a choice; "Strike me down now with the Sword of Aeons and gain the power Jack dreamed of, or cast it into the vortex..."

Scythe - An ancient Hero, Scythe is one of the oldest beings in Albion; only Jack of Blades has seen and done more. Obsessed with cheating death and kept alive only through supernatural means, Scythe is a withered shell of a man, resembling a tall mummified corpse. At the beginning of the game, he leaves for the distant North to guard the Oracle of Snowspire. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, he returns after the defeat of Jack of Blades to seek the Guild's help in battling a new threat to the North. Scythe is the only Hero in the game the player is never given the option of killing.

Jack of Blades - Known widely as the oldest and strongest of Heroes, as well as the most evil and feared, Jack's face is perpetually concealed by a white mask. The Hero ultimately learns that it was Jack who destroyed his hometown and family. Jack's ultimate goal is to destroy the world of Albion, and to that end he seeks the power of the Sword of Aeons, which can only be activated by the Archon bloodline found in the Hero's family. Once he uses Maze to gain the key to unlock the sword, he lays siege to the Guild of Hereos and nearly kills the Guildmaster. After Jack takes the Sword of Aeons, he kills Scarlet Robe and engages in an epic battle against the Hero, during which he is ultimately slain, thus ending the original game. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Snowspire Oracle reveals that Jack is not a mortal man, but rather an ancient entity that pre-dates humanity and even the age of gods and demons. Jack's spirit lives inside the mask, and has used countless host bodies to influence Albion from century to century. After his initial defeat, Jack's soul escapes and takes the form of a enormous dragon sealed behind Archon's Shrine. The Hero uses Jack's mask to gather 3 hero souls and open the Shrine, then proceeds to slay Jack's dragon form. The player is then given the final task of casting the mask into the volcano and destroying it, thus banishing Jack from Albion forever. If the player fails to act, the Hero will end up wearing Jack's mask and becoming Jack's next host.

In-Game Enemies

(In order of strength):

Beetles - The weakest enemy in Albion. The hero meets somewhat stronger, flying, red versions later.
Wasps - Slightly stronger than Beetles, They are nimbler and can fly but are still very easy to defeat.
Scorpions - Found in Greatwood and the Arena. Slightly stronger than Beetles, but still very weak.
Undead - Undead are slow-moving skeletal soldiers wielding melee weapons, most of which serve Nostro. If your weapon has a fire or silver augmentation it is easier to kill them. They will attack unprovoked and appear in the Grey House, Lychfield Graveyard, the underground passage to Bargate Prison, Cliffside Path, The Arena, and Windmill Hill. They can also appear in Witchwood, if summoned by a Nymph first.
Hobbes - Hobbes are ugly goblin-like creatures that will attack or capture anyone that provokes them or tresspasses in their cave. They almost always fight in groups and are deceptively tough. There are many kinds, some that cast magical orbs at the hero, and some that are huge and red that are much harder to defeat than others.
Screamers - Screamers are banshee-like enemies that appear in Hook Coast. Screamers were once men who had dared to oppose Jack of Blades. Their screams and main attacks function as a spell of drain life, a spell the hero can learn.
Nymphs - Nymphs are flying enemies that can summon obstacles and enemies. There are 3 kinds. The Wood Nymph (green), the lake Nymph (blue) and the Succubus Nymph (red), the Succubus Nymph being the most powerful.
Town Guards - Town Guards usually are only the hero's foe if he provokes them by attacking them or committing a crime in town and not paying the fine. The ones guarding Bargate Prison attack unprovoked, however. There are several kinds: Blue Guards, Red Guards and Black Guards. The blue and black kinds are the weakest and strongest respectively. Blue Guards defend Bowerstone and Oakvale, red guards defend Knothole Glade and Bargate Prison and black guards defend Hook Coast. In Oakvale and Knothole Glade, if one begins to kill the town guards they will send in stronger Town guards.
Bandits - Bandits come in many kinds and are amongst the most common foes in Albion.
Assassins - Usually work with bandits, but are much stronger. They usually wield katanas.
Balverines - Balverines are powerful wolf-like beasts that are native to Darkwood and Witchwood. They evolved from an ancient even more powerful creature known as the Balvern. The Balvern killed many humans, but only one survived to become the first Balverine. When other humans are bit by a Balverine, they too evolve into a Balverine. Scarlet Robe, the Hero's mother was renown for being a powerful Balverine slayer.
White Balverine - Much larger, much more powerful rare Balverines. They are native to Witchwood and Oakvale. A White Balverine, along with many standard balverines attack Knothole Glade at one point and the Hero is to defeat it using weapons augmented with silver. On defeat, he gains entrance to the arena, where more are met. These beasts can also be located in Oakvale, after defeating many Town Guards.
Minions - The Minions of Jack of Blades are very powerful enemies that appear in the Bowerstone Jail area. They shattered into rubble when killed, suggesting that they are some sort of magical construct. During the battle against the human Jack of Blades, they appear all over Albion and they also apparently can appear in Witchwood according to an inaquirable quest card. There are two kinds of minions; a Wardog, which wields a double-bladed sword and a Dreadwing which wields a double ended staff which they use for both melee and ranged attacks by shooting magical orbs at the player. Minions are also arguably the best creatures that are able to be summoned in the game
Trolls - Trolls are very powerful enemies. They attack mainly by throwing rocks at the hero or sending shockwaves, if he gets too close for too long. There are two kinds; Earth Trolls and Rock Trolls. Earth Trolls are native to Greatwood, Darkwood, and Witchwood, and are the weaker kind. Rock Trolls are native to Witchwood and are much stronger than Earth Trolls. An Ice Troll is mentioned in one of the 'dummy' quests at the beginning of the game. Ice Trolls can actually be fought in the expansion of Fable, The Lost Chapters. Platinum Trolls are also mentioned in Lost Chapters, but are extinct. Their hide is the material which forms the legendary Archon Armour.
Summoners - Seen in Fable: The Lost Chapters, Summoners are giant creatures who are often seen near Minions. They are found near Snowspire and Hook Coast. They use extremely powerful magical orbs at long range and shock the player when they attempt to use close range weapons. They are feared in Snowspire, and with great reason. These creatures are extremely powerful, and should be fought with caution.

Bosses

Wasp Queen - This is fought in the Picnic Area after the hero accepts the first gold scroll quest and defeat a certain number of standard wasps. Every now and then the wasp queen will summon about 3 wasps to fight the hero. The wasp queen is most easily defeated by ranged weapons or spells.
Twinblade - A former hero who worked his way up to king of the bandits. He is fought in Twinblade's Tent. The hero must fight him in a circle of jeering Bandits who will attack him if he gets too close. The only way to harm Twinblade is with Flourishes and attacking his back (Assassin Rush works best) whilst his swords are stuck in the ground. Near the end of the battle, there will be a cinematic and the hero can either choose to kill him or show mercy. If the hero chooses to kill him all of the bandits will swarm in on him and he will get +200 evil points; but if he kills all of the bandits first, he will get good points for each bandit and then only +120 evil points for killing Twinblade.
White Balverine - This creature has a weakness to weapons augmented with silver. During the fight it occasionally howls to send standard Balverines to help it. It is fought in the White Balverine gold scroll quest in Knothole Glade and Witchwood Lake.
Arachanox - The gargantuan scorpion king. It is fought in the arena on the 8th round. It occasionally buries itself underground and sends small scorpions to fight the hero. Its weak spot is its face.
Whisper - Fought after Arachanox in the arena. Whisper defends a lot and is quite powerful. Like Twinblade the hero can spare her by walking out of the anteroom or kill her.
Thunder - An optional boss. the hero gets the opportunity to fight Thunder while doing the quest for Lady Grey's hand (the only alternative is to simply not do the quest). He can also fight him instead of taking a soul from the Arena in Fable: The Lost Chapters only.
Kraken - The Kraken is a huge snake-like fish creature that lives in a small body of water in the tunnels between Lychfield Graveyard and Bargate Prison. It appears once the hero has rescued his mother and almost has her out of the prison.
Maze - Maze is fought in Hook Coast. He does many powerful will attacks and wields a staff which allows him a physical shield. He will teleport throughout the town so the hero will have to chase him from place to place. During the battle, several screamers also appear and attack the hero.
Jack of Blades - The final boss. For the first part of the battle, the hero has to fight him using flourishes. Naturally, the Sword of Aeons gives him much strength, but once the hero has hit him with enough flourishes, he will rise to the air, and shoot beams of energy from the sword. While this happens, he may be hit by ranged attacks.

(In The Lost Chapters only)

Briar Rose - Briar Rose may be fought during the Soul of Heroes quest. The alternate to fighting Briar is claiming your mothers soul by going to the Oakvale Cemetery. Briar is weak, but makes mirror images of herself, so you must find the true Briar.
The Guildmaster - May be fought in the Soul of Heroes quest. The Guildmaster does not fight you himself, rather he sends huge factions of guards to fight you off. He sometimes casts physical shield of some of them as well. Once you kill all the guards, you can kill him, though he does give you the opportunity to warp to Lychfield Graveyard to take Nostro's soul instead, which is the initial alternate.
Nostro - The alternate to fighting the Guildmaster. He sends Undead soldiers to serve him. You must kill them before you can harm Nostro. Nostro openly allows you to take his soul unlike the Guildmaster, but not without a battle.
Jack of Blades-Dragon - The Real final boss. In "The Lost Chapters" after you beat Jack of Blades there will still be more to do, and after awhile you will reach Jack of Blades in his dragon form. He will summon enemies and fly around, and if you shoot arrows while he is flying he will merely dodge them. Eventually he smashes down, when he does this start attacking his head, but watch out, he has many physical attacks.

Property development

In Fable, the player is able to buy property, or rent it out, and, of course, live there. In each relatively big town, there are a handful of houses that the player can buy, though if the character happens to be evil, he can kill citizens of the town and often the deceased person's house will appear for sale. When bought, the player can decorate the house and put trophies on trophy mounts to increase the value of the home (e.g. the Wasp head can be put near the fireplace). The player will eventually make back the money paid for the house in rent. Every three days, the player gets one sixth of the total house value. This is split into three money bags that are found outside the house. This means that if a house is worth 18,000 gold, a bag worth 1,000 gold will appear outside the house every day. After three bags have appeared, no more rent will appear until the rent is collected.

Experience and leveling-up

The experience system used in Fable is rather simple yet unique and follows the general concept of the game: every action has a consequence.

Points are gained in four categories: General, Strength, Skill, and Will. General points are gained through completion of quests and killing enemies and creatures. How the player goes about killing those creatures will affect in which of the other three categories they will gain points. The player may use their favorite sword or axe to hack an enemy apart or eat lots of healthy foods and gain Strength points. They may fire their bow or engage in trade and acquire Skill points. They can zap enemies with lightning or a fireball to gain Will points. These in turn can be used to purchase or upgrade abilities and statistics. General experience can be used in any category (Strength, Skill and Will). The experience the character gains can be multiplied during combat. As the character kills more monsters, their combat multiplier increases. For example, if twelve experience is gathered and the combat multiplier is ten, the actual experience awarded is 120. Using the spell Physical Shield, it is possible to get multipliers of up to 500.

Magic spells

There are three categories of magic spells in Fable: Attack, Physical and Surround.

Attack spells

Enflame: A wave of flame that ignites foes while knocking them off their feet. Incredibly effective against undead enemies
Fireball: A fiery attack that can be charged to increase damage. A sound will play when each level of charge is reached. It is a powerful spell, but at higher charges has splash damage that may harm non-player characters.
Battle Charge: Thrusts the hero at enemies at high speeds and knocks them to the ground. Damage depends on the spell's level and how far the enemies are thrown.
Multi Strike: Imbues a weapon with the ability to strike targets multiple times. If the user is quick enough, you can change your target during the attack. Higher levels increase the amount of strikes.
Lightning: Creates a stream of lightning which attacks a target. With higher levels, chain lightning occurs, attacking multiple enemies. However, this reduces the amount of damage done to the target. It can be used to gain large amounts of Will and General Experience.

(In The Lost Chapters only):

Divine Fury: Possibly the most powerful spell. Causes a huge blue ring to form around the Hero, and enemies inside the ring are thrown into the air by blue shafts of light, and their health is drained. This spell increases the Combat Multiplier of the Hero at a very high rate.
Infernal Wrath: This spell is the same as Divine Fury, but the ring and shafts of light are blood-red, and would probably be used by the more evil character.

Surround spells

Force Push: A wave of energy that knocks enemies and friendly units back. Damage dealt is dependent on how far the enemies are thrown rather than the level of the spell. Spell's level only determines how far enemies will be thrown. This can sometimes can make friendly units (especially guards) become adversaries, since the energy wave causes damage to them.
Turncoat: Slowly turns the enemy into an unwitting ally for a certain period of time. Higher levels allow the enemy to be taken over quicker and controlled for longer.
Slow Time: Enhances the speed of the hero by slowing down time around him. Can be used to cheat in certain timed card playing mini games when collecting the dolls for the teacher in Bowerstone.
Drain Life: An evil spell that absorbs life energy from a target and transfers it to the player. However, it does not work on certain enemies.
Summon: Yanks a creature's soul from the netherworld to do battle for the caster. The spell initially summons a wasp, but as the summon kills stronger enemies they will then be used instead, for example, if a summoned wasp kills a bandit, the spell will then summon a bandit. The summoned creature will not change to become a weaker creature, however. Certain monsters, such as trolls, cannot be used as a summon.

''Note: If a creature has already been summoned and the user keeps casting this spell, he will get lots of Mana Experience while only using a very small amount of Mana. When the Hero has a high Combat Multiplier, this trick can be used to get a head start in the game. ''

Physical spells

Physical Shield: A barrier that trades physical damage for mana. Higher levels use less mana when hit. This spell is useful for heroes who aim to increase their combat multiplier, as while it is active damage will not decrease the multiplier.
Berserk: An evil spell that pushes the hero into a hulking frenzy while reducing civilized manners and common sense. Although it increases the hero's physical strength his defense is also lowered considerably.
Assassin Rush: A quick burst of speed that puts the hero behind the enemy as long as he is locked on. It costs little mana and a good mana regeneration rate can cancel it out, making it a good way to move around and also put some distance between the hero and the enemy.
Heal Life: A spell that trades mana for health. It also heals friendly units nearby. It is especially useful during escort missions, where it is the only way to heal the hero's convoy.
Ghost Sword: Summons a spectral sword that battles enemies for the caster. Higher levels summon more swords. Although not incredibly powerful, they are useful for distracting the hero's enemies and can be used to great advantage.
Multi Arrow: Once this spell is cast, each arrow fired is magically transformed into a multitude of lethal projectiles, causing much greater damage. Higher levels generate even more arrows. This spell is ineffective in close quarters, as the arrows will splay out initially then hone in on enemies, and are stopped by walls and other obstacles. This spell can also damage friendly characters.

Weapons

The weapons in the land of Albion fall into three main categories: Light, Heavy, and Ranged. All the weapons in these catagories have versions in different heirarchies. There are also legendary or epic weapons hidden throughout the realm. These weapons fall under these three main categories but are more powerful than their average counterparts. They are one-of-a-kind, worth a lot of money and are powerful.

All weapons and weapon types listed are in order of weakest first.

Light Weapons

Pickhammer: A weapon commonly used by miners, the weakest weapon type.
Mace: Often wielded by bandits, this weapon is not very powerful.
Axe: A one bladed axe with less attack power than the great axe.
Cleaver: Melee weapon styled after a butcher's blade.
Longsword: A light and powerful melee weapon.
Katana: A dangerously sharp melee weapon from distant lands.

Heavy Weapons

Greataxe: A double bladed axe much more powerful than it's smaller counterpart which has only one blade.
Greatmace: Being heavier than the standard mace, this weapon is still not very powerful.
Greathammer: A massive hammer that pulverizes enemies.
Greatsword: Two-handed blade, slower than a standard sword but with more attack power. The strongest buyable weapon type in the game.

Melée Weapon Hierarchy

Iron: The most common and cheapest of weapons.
Steel: Stronger and slightly more expensive than Iron.
Obsidian: Much more powerful than Steel weapons. They are blackened and dark.
Master: These weapons are rare, expensive and immensely powerful. They are golden and are the best weapons a Hero can buy apart from the Solus Greatsword.

Ranged Weapons

Longbow: Fairly powerful ranged weapons with quick reload times.
Crossbow: Slightly more powerful ranged attacks with slow reload times.

Ranged Weapon Heirarchy

Yew: The weakest and most cheap ranged weapon type.
Oak: Slighty stronger and more expensive than Yew.
Ebony: Quite a bit more powerful than Oak. Much darker in colour.
Master: As with their Melée counter-parts, Master Longbows and Crossbows are expensive and powerful. They are golden in colour and are the best buyable ranged weapon.

Legendary weapons

Frying Pan: Gained by following the treasure clues. The less treasure clues the hero has when gained, the less power it has. With all 6, it has 100 power and 5 augmentation slots. (Note: Only 4 augment slots show on the weapon, but 5 augments can be equipped)
Wellow's Pickhammer: Found behind the Demon Door at Greatwood Gorge.
The Dollmaster's Mace: Found behind the Demon Door at the Abandoned Road.
Orkon's Club: Only in The Lost Chapters. Found in Chest in Northern Foothills
The Cutlass Bluetane: Found behind the Demon Door at the Greatwood Caves.
Ronok The Axe: Found behind the Demon Door at Grey House.
The Avenger: Only in The Lost Chapters. Found in Silver Key Chest in Lost Bay. This chest needs 30 silver keys, the highest amount in the game.
The Harbinger: Stuck in the stone at the Temple of Avo. To get it out the hero needs to max out health, toughness, and physique.
The Katana Hiryu: Found in the Silver Key Chest in Lady Grey's bedroom.
Arken's Crossbow: Found inside the Silver Key Chest at Darkwood Lake.
Sword of Aeons: ( The Lost Chapters version). Available to the hero if he kills his sister after fighting Jack of Blades. This version has only 230 damage and only the Experience, Health and Mana augmentations.
Avo's Tear: Only in The Lost Chapters. This is identical to the Sword of Aeons. Gained by casting the Sword of Aeons into the vortex, a quest will pop up allowing the hero to obtain this sword that rivals the power of the Sword of Aeons. Due to the circumstances required to obtain this weapon, the hero cannot have both this weapon and the Sword of Aeons.
The Murren Greataxe: Found in the Silver Chest at the top of the Lighthouse at Hook Coast.
The Sentinus: Gained by donating enough gold to the Temple of Avo in one setting so that the player gains at least 1000 good points, about $40,000 if the hero is completely evil, or $300,000 when neutral.
Skorm's Bow: Gained by Sacrificing people until the hero gains 1000 evil points at the Chapel of Skorm. Also, when the player's alignment is good, sacrificing one person exacly at midnight can allow access to this weapon. It is the most powerful ranged weapon in the game.
The Murren Greathammer: Found in the Silver Chest in the Hero's Guild.
The Bereaver: Found in the Demon Door in Necropolis. The hero must give this Demon Door ALL his silver keys for him to pass. It has a Health Augmentation attached and 2 more slots. (Note: In the P.C. version, there is a Flame Augmentation instead of a Health Augmentation.)
Solus Greatsword: Purchased in the shop at Bowerstone North. The strongest sword in Lost Chapters. It has a Health Augmentation in the original Fable, but an empty augmentation slot in The Lost Chapters.
Sword of Aeons: (Original game version). Available at the end of the game if the hero decides to kill his sister. This has 550 damage and a Sharpening Augmentation as well as the Experience, Health and Mana augmentations available in the Lost Chapters expansion.

Clothing

The primary method of defense in the game comes from the types of clothing that can be found. In addition to providing defensive properties, clothes also affect the way the hero is perceived by the various NPC's throughout the game.

Light colored clothing will portray the hero as a more righteous character while dark clothes will have villagers cowering in fear at the hero's presence. Even if the player's character is evil, they may want to wear brighter clothes in towns and such simply because they have a better chance of wooing a future spouse.

Hype

"Project Ego", Fable’s working title throughout its early development, was hyped from the beginning as being the most open-ended game in history, with an incredibly vast array of gameplay and character customization options, and also with an incredibly dynamic world, where every single thing players do could change the outcome of the game.

In a GameSpot preview for "Project Ego," dated April 19 2002, several features of the game were listed, including:

Admiring townsfolk who mimic the character's dress and style
Competing heroes who can actually beat the player to a quest
The ability to carve the character's name into a tree
A heroes guild in every town
The ability to vandalize all manner of public and private property (the example used was a sundial)
The ability to have children
...and more

Other features mentioned in other previews and interviews included..

Finding a unique item called the "Singing Sword" by Peter Molyneux in an interview a few weeks before the game was released (the game had already gone gold)
The ability for players to have their own personal unique weapon that could be upgraded and enchanted as to make it more powerful as they played through the game
NPCs with other NPC relatives (a given example by Peter Molyneux was a tester of the game had married the daughter of a rich town mayor. The player then killed the mayor secretly and ended up inheriting the mayor's wealth)
The ability to become a were-balvarine
A vibrant, living world where NPCs didn't have strictly scripted actions to perform each day (somewhat like the 'Radiant AI' found in Oblivion)
Freedom of exploration throughout the world of Fable, often labeled as "If you can see a place in the distance, you can go there", this was likened to the world exploration found in games such as The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Few of these features appeared in the final game, and those that did were only vaguely similar to the original features mentioned. For example, only windows, doors, and barrels may be broken. Fellow heroes can beat the player to a quest; however, this only takes place for three specific quests near the beginning of the game, and is prescripted and unavoidable (Briar Rose is in the map room when she tells you that, "You're too late, all the good quests are already gone.").

When the game was finally released, most reviewers conferred high ratings but complained of the lack of promised features. On the one hand, many thought the game was fun to play, but they believed that it could hardly live up to the hype generated by project leader Peter Molyneux. Peter Molyneux later publicly apologized online for overhyping Fable.

Awards

E3 2003 Game Critics Awards: Best Role Playing Game
GameSpot Best & Worst of 2004: Most Light Bloom, Biggest Disappointment

Trivia

The game's music was scored by Russell Shaw, whilst the opening title theme was composed by Danny Elfman.
Many of the gamemaker's names can be found on the gravestones throughout the game. In The Lost Chapters, Peter Molyneux's grave can be found in Snowspire village. A gravestone of Russell Shaw can be found in Hook Coast.
A grave of someone named George W. can be found in the necropolis in The Lost Chapters. The grave mentions that this person gave support until the end...
While trying to open the demon door near in Avo's Temple, instead of hitting the correct stone sequence (H->I->T->S), players may try hitting S->H->I->T. They will hear the door say something angrily and a pack of balverines will attack them at once.

External links

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