Why is it in Ultima I-III players steal, cheat, kill “innocents”, and commit other non-virtuous actions, yet that all changes in Ultima IV and on?
In each of the first three Ultimas, players found themselves in a time where survival was of the utmost importance. Because of the great threat that the Triad of Evil represented to Sosaria and Earth little importance was placed on virtues and principles. Thus players found themselves doing some un-avatarish things such as stealing, lying or even killing “innocents” (Remember the Clown in Ultima I)! Despite what traditional history tells us, it was not the Avatar who saved Sosaria and Earth from the Triad of Evil, but it was other brave individuals who sometimes had to do wrong things for the right reasons. (Stealing food in Ultima II was a necessity if the player wished to live)! This all changed after Exodus was defeated and a new age came into being. Lord British rediscovered the ancient ways of Avatarhood that existed in ancient Sosaria, and called out for the players to now embody this new philosophy. Thus the eight virtues and the three principles became a new way of living for B
