But this is an Ultima; Ultima VI twists its story around in a brilliant act of narrative subversion. The Gargoyles, we soon learn, have a legitimate grievance against Britannia, one which upends the Avatar's seemingly noble actions in Ultima IV and Ultima V.

For, as the player will soon learn, the Codex was not Britannia's to claim; it has, in fact, been stolen. And the rescue of Lord British precipitated a horrifying cataclysm that devastated the Gargoyle people and their home. Now, bereft of their holy book and reeling from the destruction of much of their world, they have set out to pay back Britannia in kind for its misdeeds. And it is only by finding a way to reconcile the warring sides that the Avatar can prevail.

In fact, Ultima VI gives players the option to almost completely avoid the use of violence. It isn't even necessary to level up to finish the game, and there are only two or three fights that are genuinely unavoidable. (The opening battle, notably, is not one of these.) Clever players can, for the most part, find ways to carry out each piece of the game's plot using non-violent methods, and some parts of the plot can even be skipped entirely.

Not that one can't find combat if one goes looking for it; there are plenty of random encounters scattered across Britannia. Ultima VI's monsters are usually not difficult to best even at lower experience levels, but some of them can be truly devastating in combat. (Battle-hardened Avatars can even test their mettle against the dragons of Destard... if they dare.)

Of course, you don't need to throw yourself out into Britannia alone. The Avatar's companions from previous games can be found all across the land, some of them eager to join you again. New NPCs can also be found, to further fill out the ranks, and up to seven party members can be recruited.