I think that by the time Planetfall was released, there was a desire to forget about Vietnam altogether. The men I knew who had gone (they were all my father’s age) never talked about it.
I do think the movie Stripes (1981) must have convinced a lot of people that laughing about the military was ok again. It was a big hit, and pretty funny at the time (some of its humor hasn’t aged well). I can imagine Steve Meretzky enjoying it. Its “I Want You” poster is pretty iconic.
One thing that’s changed is that Vietnam was staffed by the draft. Enlisted people (like the Planetfall protag and the gang from Stripes) often got other assignments. I think the “what I was promised” vs. “what I got” jokes would have made good sense during those days.
Until very recently, the majority of today’s enlisted folks wound up in Afghanistan, which is a different vibe.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog! I’m having a lot of fun with it, and it’s put me in touch with some great people.
Ah, but did you have the feelies? I don’t think I’d ever seen something phosphoresce purple before I saw Wishbringer, and the sealed envelope (complete with platypus stamp) is delightful.
“Stop reading and deliver that envelope!”
Just opened a copy one month ago to celebrate my first podcast. I was really worried about tearing the envelope!
(And the stone glowed after an hour under a lamp)
On topic: thoughts on where in the Zork timeline does Wishbringer takes place? After the age of science, I suppose. Presumably someone has cracked open the Coconut of Quendor. The last library check-out for the Zork III browsie is for the year 948, while the “Legend of Wishbringer” is stamped “57.” Its magic is definitely different in any case.
I’ve resisted the idea of an Infocom/Activision unified timeline, primarily due the role of Bivotar (of TOR’s What-Do-I-Do-Now young heroes Bill and June) in Nemesis. These plucky adolescents from our world watch Krill die, pull the old Odysseus trick on a cyclops, round up three palantirs, etc.
(The books are a lot of fun, as they were written by Steve Meretzky. I have links if anyone hasn’t seen them. If intent matters, he never intended them to be in the same universe as the games).
I’ve always guessed that the existence of Wishbringer (magic) meant that it came after the age of science ended, so Y’Gael had already popped the coconut.
But it’s true, none of this is clear and ultimately all we have is all we have.
E: I don’t like the browsies in the original trilogy, either, but it was their universe to tinker with if they wished.
