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“The great Todd Howard says that great games are played, not made,” according to Bethesda’s Pete Hines, so Elder Scrolls devs changed Oblivion combat three times and no one spoke about it

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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…”

Anna Koselke

15 September 2025

“That’s where things like the Lusty Argonian Maid came in”

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(Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

It’s no secret that The Elder Scrolls series and Fallout games harbor some of the RPG genre’s silliest humor, from The Lusty Argonian Maid to the ever-annoying Adoring Fan in Oblivion – but former writer and quest designer Mark Nelson says most of it was sneaked in.

According to Nelson, that’s because Bethesda Game Studios director and executive producer Todd Howard – who is best known for his work on the Elder Scrolls series, Fallout games, and more recently, Starfield – instructed developers not to include any humor. Speaking in a new documentary on Morrowind from Filmdeg Miniatures, Nelson reveals as much when recalling how he added The Lusty Argonian Maid to the game.
“I don’t even remember why I wrote it,” he admits, referencing the now beloved Elder Scrolls book. “It may have been like after a happy hour or something, quite honestly.” Nelson says he was “giggling” about it, as “it was just one of those things [added to the game], because no one was paying attention. We could just put anything into the game.” That’s not what Howard wanted developers to do, though – in fact, his “rule was always, ‘humor has no place in games.'”

You may like

“The great Todd Howard says that great games are played, not made,” according to Bethesda’s Pete Hines, so Elder Scrolls devs changed Oblivion combat three times and no one spoke about it

I hope you like the tamer fantasy of Oblivion and Skyrim: lore master of 29 years says Todd Howard “gravitates not towards the weird stuff” and doesn’t expect Morrowind-grade weirdness from The Elder Scrolls 6

You’re alright, Todd Howard: Skyblivion dev says the Bethesda director “genuinely” wanted to talk to “every single person” working on the mod, despite “being in a position” to just not

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – An Oral History from the Game Developers – YouTube

Nelson continues: “That’s Todd’s rule. So, of course, that became, ‘humor has no place in games… if Todd doesn’t catch it.’ And that’s where things like the Lusty Argonian Maid came in.” I, for one, am thrilled that devs took matters into their own hands here and pushed on with their inclusion of some of the Elder Scrolls series’ most hilarious moments. It’s not just the Lusty Argonian Maid that comes to mind, either.

I’m instantly reminded of the random naked Nordic barbarians in Morrowind claiming that they’ve been tricked by witches stealing their clothes, and other similarly ridiculous moments – as brief as they may be. They’ve become a staple of The Elder Scrolls and have lived on to more recent entries like Skyrim. Here’s hoping things never change… after all, there’s a new RPG coming at some point, right?
Excited for other new games? Here’s everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls 6 after replaying gems like Morrowind and Oblivion.

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Anna Koselke

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms’ clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she’s not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she’s probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she’s spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you’ll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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“The great Todd Howard says that great games are played, not made,” according to Bethesda’s Pete Hines, so Elder Scrolls devs changed Oblivion combat three times and no one spoke about it

I hope you like the tamer fantasy of Oblivion and Skyrim: lore master of 29 years says Todd Howard “gravitates not towards the weird stuff” and doesn’t expect Morrowind-grade weirdness from The Elder Scrolls 6

You’re alright, Todd Howard: Skyblivion dev says the Bethesda director “genuinely” wanted to talk to “every single person” working on the mod, despite “being in a position” to just not

Skyrim NPCs are only as complex as they are thanks to a literal “napkin drawing” that Todd Howard doodled, reveals ex-Bethesda dev: “It’s actually a napkin story”

Former Bethesda exec Pete Hines “hated the confusion” around The Elder Scrolls studio “making a new game, and everybody thinking, ‘Oh, it’s Todd Howard’s team'”

“Less poo, more Shakespeare”: Baldur’s Gate 3 boss Swen Vincke had to ask the RPG’s writing team for more variety over Vicious Mockery’s many silly insults

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