SORCERER LORD (P.S.S.) [see end of file for control summary] READY REFERENCE CARD SPECTRUM LOADING LOADING - Use LOAD "" KEYBOARD CONTROLS MOVE MOVE OTHER KEYS E R T - Show terrain MOVE PICK UP MOVE G - Access garrison S D F M - Strategic map MOVE MOVE ENTER - Next unit (in stack) X C P - Display turn & phase O - End movement To attack an enemy unit, move your unit. UNIT INFORMATION DISPLAY LEADER: OLPHID OF IMRYTH READY ARMY: 550 WARRIORS 150 RIDERS LDR: 6 SOR: 1 FTG: 0 MOVE: 4 LDR - Leadership rating, adds to combat SOR - Sorcery rating, works best near Rune Rings FTG - Fatigue rating, caused by forced marches, etc. MOVE - Number of movement points left Possible modes are: READY, NORMAL, FORCED, HALTED, ENGAGED. TERRAIN AND UNIT SYMBOLS TERRAIN SYMBOL Plains Green Hills Green & Hill Pattern Forest Green & Tree Pattern Forested Hills Dark Green & Tree Pattern Desert Yellow Shaded Icy Wastes White & Cyan Mountains Green & Mountain Pattern Water Blue Fortress Castle Tower Symbol Citadel Castle Gates Symbol Rune Ring Bright Green & Ring ARMIES SYMBOL Shadowlord Blue Wolf on Yellow Galanor Red Emblem on White TERRAIN PREFERENCES The different nations which make up the Galanor forces fight better in certain types of terrain. NATION SYMBOL PREFERENCE Rovanium Half-moon & Star None Imryth Sun Forests Savantor Sword & Two Stars Desert & Plains Morgalion Axe Hills Herdach Cross Hills STRATEGIC MAP COLOURS Shadowlands Grey Rovanium Magenta Imryth Bright Green Savantor Light Green Morgalion Medium Green Herdach Dark Green SORCERER LORD The Player's Guide 1. Introduction ......................................... 1 2. Getting Started ...................................... 2 3. The Aim of the Game .................................. 2 4. A Quick Guide ........................................ 3 5. Detailed Guide to the Game ........................... 4 5.1 The Maps ............................................. 4 5.2 Unit Information Display ............................. 7 5.3 Armies and Garrisons ................................. 8 5.4 Shadowlord Movement Phase ............................ 8 5.5 Shadowlord Combat .................................... 9 5.6 Galanor Alliance ..................................... 9 5.7 Galanor Movement ..................................... 9 5.8 Combat ............................................... 10 6. Other Features ....................................... 14 6.1 The Strategic Map .................................... 14 6.2 The War Report ....................................... 14 6.3 Re-centre Map ........................................ 16 6.4 Terrain Type ......................................... 16 6.5 Turn & Phase ......................................... 16 7. Background Information ............................... 16 7.1 The Shadow Legions ................................... 16 7.2 The Elves of Imryth .................................. 18 7.3 [There is no section 7.3 in the manual. JimG] 7.4 The Barbarians of Savantor ........................... 18 7.5 The Mountain Warriors of Morgalion ................... 20 7.6 The Men of Herdach ................................... 20 7.7 The Men of Rovanium .................................. 21 7.8 Sorcery .............................................. 22 8. Strategy and Tactics ................................. 23 1. Introduction The old race stirred from their millennia of stagnation. The Shadowlord had died. The darkness of the shadowlands deepened as the new Shadowlord took up the mantle of power and flexed his immortal muscles. The new human races in the kingdoms of Galanor slept on, unaware that the evil that had been quiet for all recorded time was stirring. They knew of the shadowlands only as a place of ancient power, where the Old Race of powerful sorcerers followed their decadent and incomprehensible pursuits. They had never before shown any interest in the world outside the shadowlands, although it was known that any man who dared enter their lands might pay for his boldness with his life, or worse. Yet, over the years many men had entered that land, and made their way to the great and ancient Citadel, seeking knowledge. Some found what they sought, but were enslaved. A few escaped back to the southern kingdoms, where they became powerful lords, Sorcerer Lords. It was thus that the knowledge of Sorcery was passed to man. The new Shadowlord was young and ambitious. Not content with the contemplative decadence of his forefathers, he gathered the remnants of the power of his race, and turned his eye outwards on the world. He wanted the power of the Rune Rings, the standing stones enchanted by his race before man was created, when the Golden Empire ruled over all. With this power he sought to re-found the Empire, and make his race supreme once again. He used his sorcerous power to breed the Wolf riders and warriors, and since his people were few and reluctant to relinquish their immortality on the field of battle, he appointed men, warped and enslaved, as their commanders. By his will the Shadow Legions were formed. The world on which this onslaught was about to be unleashed was a quiet and pleasant place. Galanor was made up of the three kingdoms of men, Rovanium. Morgalion, Herdach. They fought occasional wars, as was the want of their race, and were constantly fighting the fierce desert barbarians of Savantor. In the wooded glades of Imryth, the Elven Lords, distant cousins of the race of the Shadowlord, contemplated nature rather than the Sorcery of their cousins, and kept to themselves. But they were not without power. Even as the Shadowlord, by his will, ordered the Shadow Legions to invade Savantor, a Sorcerer Lord on the side of Men began, by his will, to direct the Armies of Man and Elf together, as the Galanor alliance, against the enemy. You are that Sorcerer Lord. 2. Getting Started To load the game follow the instructions on the cassette or disk. Once the game has loaded you are presented with 4 options: 1: RESTART 2: SAVE 3: LOAD 4: CONTINUE To play the game press 4. This menu will be presented to you at the end of each turn. The other options allow you to save game positions and return to them at a later date, or to go back either to the start of the game, or to the game position when the game was last saved. Select 2 to save the game position and follow the prompts. Select 3 to load in a previously saved position. Select 1 to go hack to the start. If you have saved the game during that session, the game will go back to the position at the last save. You may find it useful to save the game in the start position, since this will allow you to go all the way back to the start, after subsequent saves, without having to re-load the game. Having selected 4 you are presented with the choice: SELECT DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 1-3 This gives the choice of a beginner, advanced or expert game. After choosing the appropriate option (1, 2 or 3), the game begins. 3. The Aim of the Game You must mobilise and gather your forces, resist the initial onslaught of the Shadow Legions, and prevent the Shadowlord from holding any Galanor fortresses or any Rune Rings for a period of twelve days. If you fail to do this your power will be broken and Galanor will fragment and fall. The Shadowlord will also be victorious if the High Citadel of Galanor, in the southern land of Rovanium, falls. 4. A Quick Guide The control keys for the game are printed on the ready reference card for your machine, which you should have found in your package. Various other bits of useful information are also printed on the card, and will be referred to from time to time. No doubt some of you, eager to get on with it, will pick up the card and start playing. If you do, read the section below and good luck, but you will need to read the rest of the manual to get the best out of the game. The game is played around a fixed sequence of turns and phases. Each turn represents one day of events, and is divided into five phases: 1. Shadowlord Movement 2. Shadowlord Combat 3. Galanor Alliance 4. Galanor Movement 5. Galanor Combat The main action takes place on the tactical map screen which shows the terrain, units and fortresses on a hexagon based grid. A cursor can be moved around the screen using the cursor controls (see card), and placed over any hex. The map scrolls when the cursor nears the edge. A strategic map is available to get an overall view of the play area. During your movement phase you can move the cursor over a unit, pick it up (see card for controls), select forced or normal march and move it. When a unit starts its move in a fortress, you can use the Garrison option to transfer troops from a leader to and from the fortress garrison. In this way you can transfer troops between leaders and build up large armies. During your Alliance Phase, you do not do anything, but the mobilization of leaders is indicated on the strategic map. Only a few leaders are mobilized each turn. You can add to this by visiting unmobilised fortresses with your existing leaders during the movement phase. To attack a shadowlord legion. you simply move your army onto it. A battle marker is placed over the battle. During the Combat Phase the battle is resolved and the results displayed. 5. Detailed Guide to the Game There are a number of minor variations in the displays and functioning of the game on the different machines. The following sections describe the features common to them all. Later you will find a small section describing the differences between the different versions. Additional information on your version can be found on the ready reference card. 5.1 The Maps There are two levels of map available to the player: The strategic map The tactical map The strategic map covers the whole playing area, showing the terrain types, fortress positions and positions of various active units. Use this to get an overall impression of your position [screenshot] The Strategic Map (Nations) - some versions only [screenshot] The Strategic Map (Terrain) The tactical map is where the action is. There are several different terrain types, each of which imposes a restriction on movement: Clear - cost 1 movement point Woods - half movement rate Hills - half movement rate Wooded Hills - one third movement rate Mountains - one fifth movement rate Desert - one half movement rate The colour and pattern for each terrain type are shown on the card. Troops of different kingdoms have different bonuses for movement and combat in terrain types in which they feel at home. These are detailed in the section on the various kingdoms. The Shadowlord legions are, by sorcerous means. able to cross areas of water, whereas the forces of Galanor cannot. [screenshot] The Playing Map 5.2 Unit Information Display During the movement phase, information on leaders and the armies they command is displayed when the cursor is placed over a unit. The basic format is: LEADER: OLPHID OF IMRYTH READY ARMY: 550 WARRIORS 150 RIDERS LDR: 6 SOR: 1 FTG: 0 MOVE: 0 The LEADER field shows the name of the leader. Each Galanor fortress and citadel is the start position of one leader. The READY field shows the movement status of the unit. It is highlighted when the unit is picked up by the cursor. It shows one of the five possible movement modes: READY - Not selected. Move rate undecided Available for garrison transfer NORMAL - Move rate normal, some movement points left. Cannot now use the garrison option Unit is currently picked up if highlighted FORCED - Moving at a forced march - 1.5 x normal rate Some movement points left Garrison option not available Unit is currently picked up if highlighted HALTED - No movement points left Garrison option not available Cannot be picked up and moved ENGAGED - No movement points left Unit occupies same location as enemy unit Combat will be resolved in Combat Phase The ARMY field gives the number of warriors and riders under that leader's command. Note that this may not be the total army in that location. There may be garrison troops if the location is a fortress or citadel, or other leaders, with their own armies may be "stacked" with the currently displayed leader. Use the key indicated on the ready reference card to cycle through the leaders in a stack. The bottom line gives the personal statistics of the leader. They vary from 0 to 9. LDR: The Leadership ability rating (in battle) SOR: The leaders sorcery abilities FTG: The armies fatigue factor, caused by combat and forced marches MOVE: The number of movement points left 5.3 Armies and Garrisons Troops, consisting of riders and/or warriors can either be under the direct command of a leader, or else be stationed at a fortress or citadel as a garrison force. On the maps, only the armies under the command of a leader are shown. Garrisons cannot be moved, except by being recruited by a leader at the start of his move, and then moved as a normal army. The garrison option is available at any time during the movement phase (see the reference card for the key). The cursor is placed over a fortress and the garrison option selected. If there is no READY leader at that fortress or citadel, all that happens is the size of the garrison is displayed. If there is a leader ready. the garrison size is displayed, with three options: Return - Exits back to the map Recruit - Move troops from the garrison to the leader Station - Move troops from the leader to the garrison Having selected recruit or station, the computer will prompt you to enter the number of warriors and riders to move. You can enter any number from 0 to the number available. This option can be used more than once for each leader/fortress. 5.4 Shadowlord Movement Phase The first phase of the turn is the Shadowlord movement phase. The player sits back and watches as the shadow legions roll across the map, engaging in battle as they go. The shadow legions are fast and do not suffer some of the terrain restrictions the player has to put up with. 5.5 Shadowlord Combat Once the Shadowlord has finished moving his units, the combats are resolved. For each battle the totals of the opposing forces are displayed, the effect of any sorcery is determined, and the casualties are displayed. If any leader or legion is eliminated, a message to that effect is displayed. If an attack fails to eliminate all the defenders, the attacker is forced to retreat. More on combat in the Combat section. 5.6 Galanor Alliance This phase is also played without any input from the player. The computer determines which leaders are alerted to the Shadowlord attack, and thus spontaneously come under your control. The name and army size of each new unit is displayed. This method of mobilization is slow and unreliable, and must be supplemented by direct recruitment. This is achieved by moving leaders onto previously unmobilised fortresses or citadels, during the movement phase. The other component of the alliance phase is reinforcement. Each fortress and citadel recruits reinforcements from the surrounding countryside. These new troops arrive periodically, and messages are displayed to that effect. 5.7 Galanor Movement This is the phase in which the player is active. The cursor control keys shown on the reference card can be used to move the flashing cursor around the map. This is used to inspect, pick up and move units. To inspect a unit, simply place the cursor over the unit. The unit information display appears above the map. If the unit is a Shadowlord legion, the information is limited to either numbers only (if the unit is within visual range) or nothing at all. To move a unit, place the cursor over that unit and press the select key. If the unit has not yet moved this turn you are given the options NORMAL or FORCED. This is the speed at which the unit will travel. Each unit starts with a number of movement points to "spend" on movement (4 for warriors, 6 for riders). Selecting FORCED march multiplies this by 1.5. The unit status is highlighted, showing that the unit has been "picked up". Once a unit has been picked up, when you move the cursor, the unit will move with the cursor. As it moves through the various terrain types, movement points will be deducted, until it runs out. The unit is then automatically dropped and marked as HALTED. The unit can be dropped at any time by pressing Select (there is a separate de-select key on some versions). It will retain any movement points left, and can be picked up and moved again in the same turn, until all movement points are used. Moving at a forced march increases the FATIGUE factor of the troops. This can seriously impair their fighting ability, if it gets high. If a unit is moved on top of a friendly unit, they are said to be stacked. They then fight together if attacked. Only the top unit in the stack is displayed. On the reference you will see there is a key "NEXT UNIT". Use this to cycle through the units moving each to the top of the stack in turn. If a unit is moved on top of an enemy unit, it engages in battle. A battle marker is placed on the map and the combat is resolved in the combat phase. When you have completed all movement for the turn, press the END MOVEMENT key to proceed to combat. 5.8 Combat There are a large number of factors taken into account during combat resolution: 1. Relative numbers of Riders 2. Relative numbers of Warriors 3. Fatigue factors 4. Leadership values 5. Terrain type 6. Leader nationality 7. The effect of Sorcery The relative strengths of warriors and riders is the main factor. Numerical superiority is generally required to win. A large numerical superiority is required to inflict the heaviest losses with the minimum casualties on your side. Fatigue is very important. It seriously impairs the troops fighting capacity. When fatigue reaches 9, the troops cannot move at all, and have little or no fighting capacity. Leadership values add to the combat rating. The leadership values of the Shadowlord Legions vary, and are not known to the player. Certain terrain types restrict the fighting ability of troops. This effect is negated in certain terrains for certain nationalities of leader. For example, Elves fight well in the woods. Some racial types have a bonus in attacks on fortresses and citadels. Sorcery adds to the combat power of the troops. It ranges in power from weak to devastating, and is determined by the leader's sorcery skill, and the distance to the nearest Rune Ring. It is described in detail in the section on Sorcery. Engaging in Battle [screenshot] Looking at Shadowlord Unit First choose which unit you are going to attack by looking at the strengths of possible targets. [screenshot] Looking at Your Unit Move onto your chosen foe. A battle marker is placed on the map, and your units status changes to ENGAGED. The battle is resolved when all other movement is completed. [screenshot] Battle Sequence First, the strengths of the forces are displayed. Here the player gets a nasty shock. What he thought was one unit with 1800 warriors is in fact a stack of units totalling 9700 warriors and 7100 riders. The player should have cycled through the stack. [screenshot] Since the battle is close to a Rune Ring. and the Galanor leader has a good SOR of 7, the player is probably disappointed that only STRONG SORCERY was summoned. [screenshot] The losses are now displayed. Alas the player's losses are heavy. [screenshot] In fact, the player lost all the warriors and riders in the unit. When this happens, the unit is destroyed and the leader eliminated. 6. Other Features During the movement phase there are a number of features which you can access by pressing the indicated key on the reference card. 6.1 The Strategic Map This can be accessed at any time during movement. It gives a map of the whole playing area. 6.2 The War Report This gives a detailed report on how the war is going. The current day, losses on both sides, and details who is in control of which fortresses, citadels and Rune Rings. The exact layout may vary from version to version, but the information is the same. Note that some versions do not give you a key to bring this display up, but put it up automatically after each combat phase. [screenshot] The Strategic Map (Terrain) [screenshot] The War Report 6.3 Re-centre Map Some versions give you the option of re-centring the map on the current cursor position. This can be useful while moving, since it allows you to see where you are going. 6.4 Terrain Type A key is provided which allows you to enquire exactly what terrain type is under the cursor. If the cursor is over a fortress or citadel, the name of the owner is displayed. 6.5 Turn & Phase For those of you who forget what day it is, in some versions a key is provided which causes the current turn and phase to be displayed. This can be useful at the end of the game. 7. Background Information This section gives details of the races, troops and nations involved, and of Sorcery. It is not essential to read this before playing the game, but it is essential if you wish to play the game well. 7.1 The Shadow Legions The troops of the shadow legions are of a new race created by the Shadowlord, using men, elves, wolves and more sinister beasts as source material. They are grotesque featured, short and heavy. They breed fast and have an in-built love of fighting. The troops are heavily armoured in chain and scale mail (of crude manufacture). Their stamina, and ability to forage and eat almost anything, makes them fast, and they do not fatigue as easily as men. Their warriors are armed with wickedly barbed pole arms and morning stars. The riders favour heavy spears and morning stars, and ride into battle mounted on huge wolves, specially bred for the purpose. They all carry the wolves head emblem on their shields. [illustrations] They are commanded by men, enslaved by the Shadowlord. and trained in the arts of Sorcery. This sorcery allows the legions to cross water and other barriers, as well as being useful in battle. 7.2 The Elves of Imryth The Elves are descended from the immortal race that created the Golden Empire, and are thus related to the Shadowlord. They turned away from the lure of worldly power, and spend their time in quiet contemplation in the woods that they love. They are tall, slim and elegant, but when war threatens, the accumulated knowledge of the centuries makes them skilful and powerful warriors. They wear finely worked shirts of chain mail under their camouflaging cloaks, and fight with long bows and swords. Their riders carry shorter bows and spears. The woodcraft of the Elves is legendary. They move faster through woods than anyone would think possible, and can use their bows through the trees unlike less skilled troops. They strike without warning, wreak havoc, and then melt back into the woods. Their method of fighting makes it difficult to estimate their numbers. What may seem to an enemy or an ally to be a unit of a hundred men may only be twenty. But who cares - they look and fight like a hundred. They carry the sun emblem of the Golden Empire on their shields. 7.4 The Barbarians of Savantor These men have historically preyed on the other mannish kingdoms, but are now united against the Shadowlord. They are all riders, riding their white and nimble horses into battle with unrivalled skill. They are armed with lances and swords, but wear no armour. They are completely at home in the desert and plains, and prefer to fight in the open. They carry the sword and star emblem on their shields and pennants. [illustrations] 7.5 The Mountain Warriors of Morgalion These sturdy men look as if they have been carved out of the mountains themselves. Their long hair and beards adds to their fierce appearance. They wear tough armour of chain mail and carry huge battle axes into battle. Indeed, they are so fond of the axe that they have adopted it as their emblem. They are very skilled at warfare in mountainous areas, but dislike the open plains. They have also developed considerable skill in the art of siege-craft, and their siege engines generally accompany them around the battlefield. This makes them slow. and useful when taking fortresses. 7.6 The Men of Herdach These men, cousins of the mountain men of Morgalion, inhabit the colder mountain areas to the north. They are thus generally seen wearing the traditional fur jerkins rather than cumbersome armour. Like their cousins, they do not use horses in battle, but prefer to go on foot. They are armed with spears and axes, and carry the cross emblem on their shields. [illustrations] 7.7 The Men of Rovanium Rovanium is the most developed of the mannish nations, and their troops are well equipped and equally able to cope with any conditions. Their warriors wear full length chain mail coats, and fight with sword and spear. Their riders are fewer in number, since they are fully armoured knights with lance and morning star. Some of their leaders are well skilled in the art of Sorcery. [illustrations] 7.8 Sorcery There are two main factors which affect the effectiveness of sorcery in battle. These are the skill of the sorcerer and the distance to the nearest Rune Ring. The sorcery generally consists of the summoning of a number of demons who will attack the sorcerer's enemies. The power of the sorcery varies as follows: Weak - No demon is summoned, but the weather conditions are altered in the caster's favour. Mild - A single minor demon is summoned. Strong - A number of minor demons are summoned. Very Strong - A single major demon is summoned. Devastating - A host of demons is summoned. The major demons may well change the course of the battle, but they often merely inflict additional casualties on the enemy, and ignore the plight of the summoning sorcerer. Many battles have been lost despite their aid. 8. Strategy and Tactics This section is deliberately short, since the whole purpose of playing the game is to develop a winning strategy. You should start off playing the beginner game, and when that is mastered, move up a level of difficulty. When playing, keep in mind what your resources are: Troops Leaders Fortresses & Citadels Terrain Rune Rings Try to arrange it so that the right number of troops, with the right leader are in the right place at the right time. Use the racial bonuses of the leaders to full effect. Try to mobilise as quickly as possible. Never fight a battle if there is no chance of winning. Retreat, gather your forces, and counter-attack. Beware of forced marches and fatigue. Use forced marches only when essential. Read these instructions to get clues as to how to win. Play to win, and enjoy it.