Background[]
Curiously in PQ games the events of KQ3 and KQ4 take place between 2 to 6 years apart.
In first two Police Quest games Daventry is treated as a contemporary land that Lytton's news reported on. This creates a rather unique timeline for the series compared to other sources. As it essentially places a year or two between KQ3 and KQ4, and places the events contemporary to events of those games.
Timeline[]
- c. 1970
- KQ1 (assuming the latest publishing date (placement or events of PQ1 in 1987)
- 1983
Earliest publishing date of The Lytton Tribune issue covering the invasion of the Three-headed Dragon in Daventry. Note: While bulk of PQ story takes place in 1987 as per later games manuals, and in-game referenced there are certain events that seem to take place as early as 1983 in the game itself.
- 1987
- Latest year that that particular issue of The Lytton Tribune issue was published. Jessie Bains is arrested.
- 1989
- Issue of The Lytton Tribune reports that Graham is near death, his daughter attempts to rescue him.
Notes[]
- PQ1 was released in 1987 (some timelines seem to link it to its real world release date), at least in part.
- PQ2 was released in 1988.
- According to dates given in PQ1, it takes place mainly in 1983 ("Marvin Hoffman" is arrested at 9/7/83). Strangely 1985 is mentioned twice once as the production year of a stolen motorcycle (1985 Yamamama 750cc) and as part of the Jason Taselli warrant number (#219293-1985), and a gun is said to have been stolen 12/4/86.
- According to dates given in Police Quest 2 events in PQ1 may take place between 1983-1987. However many of the dates mentioned in the game in the file cabinet and police computer are mixed up.
- The manual for Police Quest 3 moved many of the events (at least the hunt and capture of Bains) of Police Quest to around 1987. Bonds is promoted to narcotics and arrests Bains in 1987.
Behind the scenes[]
While there are other sources that kinda treat PQ and KQ as somewhat contemporary to their setting like Leisure Suit Larry series (c. 1980s-1990s, see Larry's Women Speak: The Rosella Interview), Conquests series (medieval times 1193-1194), Freddy Pharkas places KQ5-6 era (or a little after it) around c. 1888 (see Kay Graham). Space Quest might imply KQ takes place in the future c. 2400s or 3000s depending on timeline variants (see Daventry VIII and The Daventry Zone), Although time travel or interdimensional travel might be implied by the latter. Sources such as Hoyle 1/3/4, Hoyle 3 demo,, Rosella's First Quest, The Bookwyrm Investigates: Sierra Characters' Favorite Books, Strategy and Tactics: Hoyle Volume 3 (and various Sierra Magazine artwork) setting and timeline is more vague (seemingly contemporary 1990s setting).
While other crossover sources in the Sierraverse treat KQ as being in medieval past. Laura Bow and Hoyle I implies KQ setting is in the past in a medieval or renaissance times.
The Quest for Glory series is a bit all over the place some references are somewhat relatively contemporary to KQ (within a few years or decades of KQ series), though some might imply KQ is in the past (Rosella is dead and her sarcophagus is seen in HQ/QFG1EGA), while series is generally treated as roughly medieval based (within references to “present” 20th century being roughly 2-3 centuries in future), the hero himself might even be isekai hero from earth’s late 20th century (around the era of Dr. Brain) who essentially becomes his own ancestor putting some of the KQ references a few centuries in the future. Some references place the series post-WW1, or even 1950/60s, or even a far back as time of dinosaurs (though the series has been given later explanations that anachronisms exist in the world thanks to world gates), Refernces in QFG range between KQ4-KQ5. While KQ1SCI makes a reference to the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School.
Though time travel or inter dimensional travel maybe involved with Rosella's First Quest, and a few of these sources (such as in Hoyle 1) allowing modern or future characters to interact with each other in various settings or time zones.