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Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura (2001)

Posted at 16:33 on January 24th, 2015 | Quote | Edit | Delete
Herr M.
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Feel free to share anything about Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura (2001) here!
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[color=darkblue][i]The known is finite, the unknown infinite.[/i] - Thomas Henry Huxley[/color]

Posted at 17:59 on January 27th, 2015 | Quote | Edit | Delete
Mr Creosote
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This is only semi-related to the game, but maybe there is somebody here who can enlighten me. I'm really curious how this phrase 'Of X and Y' sounds to the native ear. Because to me, it sounds horrible, and the literal German translation (also used for this game on the local market) is truly appaling!

I'm aware there is a certain tradition in the Anglo-Saxon world (Of Mice and Men), but I never understood this. Why not just call that novella Mice and Men and this game Arcanum: Steamworks and Magick Obscura? This 'of' seems grammatically and context-wise superfluous and the only possible explanation I have is the attempt to make it sound more fancy. It just comes across as pretentious. Or is all this just me?
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Now you see the violence inherent in the system!

Posted at 18:20 on February 5th, 2015 | Quote | Edit | Delete
Herr M.
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Originally posted by Mr Creosote at 17:59 on January 27th, 2015:
[…] the only possible explanation I have is the attempt to make it sound more fancy. It just comes across as pretentious. Or is all this just me?


But I guess this is exactly the reasoning behind it (at least in this case): It is supposed to sound pompous or archaic, which seems quite fitting for Arcanum.
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[color=darkblue][i]The known is finite, the unknown infinite.[/i] - Thomas Henry Huxley[/color]

Posted at 02:35 on November 4th, 2017 | Quote | Edit | Delete
NullVoid
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the "Of X and Y" phrase (as well as the related "On X", where X is often long-winded) does make it sound (read?) Victorian, which with the setting's steampunk/industrial revolution vibes, is probably on purpose
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