The Secret Rebellion Against Todd Howard’s ‘No Humor’ Rule That Turned Morrowind Into a Comedy Gem

From the very beginning, Bethesda was pitched as a studio that would indulge in making just serious, immersive fantasy RPGs, and the plan was the same for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, until one of the writers decided to head the other direction.

As directed by Todd Howard, the game was supposed to serve the usual package of lore, myths, and exploration. Yet, among these serious themes arose one of the series’ most enduring jokes, and more, all because of Mark Nelson, one of the writers who worked on the game.

Why Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Writers Had to Sneak in Comedy Elements

As revealed by Mark Nelson, a writer and quest designer for Morrowind, the humor in the game was smuggled past the “no humor” directive from Todd Howard. And hence, what began as a subtle joke became one of the most iconic humor moments in the whole franchise. Nelson reveals all this in his recent interview with Tom Evans on the creator’s YouTube channel, Filmdeg Miniatures.

The writer publicly stated that Todd Howard maintained a simple no-humour principle for Bethesda. However, according to Nelson, that rule effectively became the “humor has no place in games if Todd doesn’t catch it” rule. Given that it was the early days, and oversight was not perfect during production, it was easier to sneak in jokes and other elements into games than it is today.

Because no one was paying attention we could just put anything into the game – Nelson

One prime example of the same would be The Lusty Argonian Maid in-game text, which was a short and risky play, but ended up becoming totally worth it. It remains very much possible that had it caught Howard’s oversight, it would have been cut entirely from the game.

How Todd Howard’s Rule Might or Might Not Have Shaped Bethesda’s Ultimate Success

At first glance, a rule outright banning all kinds of humour might seem counter-productive if you wish to be successful. And while Bethesda’s later games would eventually adopt a more quirky tone, the initial tension and the enforcing of high standards of seriousness might have just played a hand in making the studio more successful.

With the high standards came the feeling that writers had to earn every joke, making the rare comedic moments in the game more meaningful than just a filler element, like how it is in other games. Todd Howard’s rule also helped build on the serious fantasy theme, which ultimately helped them conquer the whole genre and gave Bethesda the much-deserved authenticity.

A workspace where writers have to find clever ways to keep the tone lighter than expected gave the early Elder Scrolls games the X factor gamers were looking for at the time. Todd Howard’s rule is definitely part of how Bethesda managed to stand up on its own two feet, and it’s now etched into the books of history forever.

How do you find the renowned director’s rule of including just serious writing in his games? Let us know about it in the comments below!