Lord British


Lord British, whose full name is Lord Cantabrigian British, is the name of the fictional ruler of Britannia, a kingdom in the fictional world of Sosaria, created by Richard Garriott for his computer game series Ultima. Garriott himself is also known to his fans as Lord British.

Origin of the name

Ultima series creator Richard Garriott acquired the nickname "British" as a teenager from friends at computer camp who claimed his greeting to them, "hello", was distinct from the usual American "hi". The Lord title was later added when he played the dungeon master in Dungeons & Dragons games.
When his first published game Akalabeth was released, the president of the publishing company suggested he use the name in the game, since it was more memorable than his real name.
Garriott released and all other Ultima games under the pseudonym, and occasionally appeared in Ultima Online playing as Lord British and meting out justice to his players. He is still known as Lord British. Garriott retained the trademark rights to the name Lord British with its associated symbols, and the character appears in his game Tabula Rasa as General British.

Origins of the character in the Ultima games

Neither the Avatar nor Lord British were born in Sosaria, but came from Earth via the moongates. The name Cantabrigian British is taken from his birthplace's name, Cambridge in the United Kingdom, given to him by his friend, Shamino, and British abandoned his old name in favor of the new one.
When British came to Sosaria, the evil wizard named Mondain was still young. They had an epic battle deep within the labyrinth of dungeons, where British, the "Champion of the White Light", was victorious, driving Mondain away from the kingdom, and receiving the title of "Lord British, Protector of Akalabeth". Mondain was seeking revenge in Ultima I. The stranger dealt with Mondain this time, but three-fourths of the world mysteriously disappeared for causes unknown.
Numerous plotlines and side quests in the Ultima games revolve around one of Lord British's adventures or public works projects. He had a key role in founding the Museum, Conservatory and other institutions of the Britannian society.

In the Ultima series

In the Ultima series, Lord British rules from his throne inside Castle Britannia, and continuously provides healing, resurrection and other miscellaneous help for the Avatar and his adventuring party. In the first three Ultima games, British charged a significant sum of money for his services, but would provide them for free from Ultima IV onwards.
Throughout the Ultima series, Lord British never leaves his castle, except for Ultima V, where his absence constitutes the main storyline, and at the end of Ultima VI, when he uses a red moongate to travel to the Isle of the Avatar. Instead, he relies on heroes like the Avatar to go forth and correct the various crises that crop up in Britannia. In Ultima IX, the Guardian comments on this behavior, accusing Lord British of always hiding in his castle while his land suffers. In the climax of the same game, Lord British finally ventures outside the confines of his castle to help the Avatar in a final showdown with Lord Blackthorn.

Assassination of Lord British

One of the most famous attributes of Lord British is that he is almost invincible. In every Ultima game in which he has appeared, he is designed to be almost impervious to a player's character predations. However, there are ways for a player thinking outside the box to assassinate him.
This phenomenon is the origin of the Lord British Postulate which states: "If it exists as a living creature in an MMORPG, someone, somewhere, will try to kill it." Virtually every MMO game displays numerous instances of this, with players attempting to kill virtually every NPC or monster, howsoever powerful, meek, friendly, or ethereal.
The event reverberated through the gaming world, giving players an unprecedented ability to change and influence the game. Scads of protests brought the phenomenon of player killing – whereby experienced players prey on new gamers, killing them to collect points in the game and keep them from progressing to new levels – to the attention of game designers.

The death of Lord British in the Ultima'' games is something people remember and are affected by. Professor Megan Winget of the University of Texas is the coordinator of a project to study the best way to preserve video game history. A BBC interview with her revealed:
During preliminary work many people mentioned the importance of the murder of Lord British — actually the avatar of Richard Garriott, co-creator of Ultima Online. "A lot of people have mentioned that to me as a pivotal moment in their lives," she said. "I would like to talk to people who experienced that, saw it happen or where they were when they heard about it."