A DUNGEON & DRAGONS STYLE GAME FOR THE MC-10 AND COCO The following are instructions for my DUNGEON.TXT game for the MC-10 and MC-10 Emulator. I'm still working on the CoCo version, which I hope will be available for the 2009 Asimov Awards. This game is based roughly on the original basic rules of D&D. On the dungeon screen, red walls definitely contain no secret passages, while the orange walls are ones you haven't searched yet. The letters in the dungeon have the following meanings: M=WANDERING MONSTERS P=PARTY X=TRAPS D=DOORS (run into these to make the first character "bash" them. Try again if necessary. The strength of the first character determines the rate of success) I=MAGIC ITEMS $=GOLD Use the arrow keys to move your party, or select one of the letters listed on the main menu bar to perform actions. Remember that every move and action takes up time in the dungeon and increases the possibility of attracting wandering monsters, so be selective about what you do. Don't, for example, just search for traps or secret passages indiscriminately. Bashing doors rather than picking their locks attracts monsters, but takes less time. Picking locks takes more time, but the doors can then be relocked. Monsters cannot go through locked doors or enabled traps. Locked doors and enabled traps appear in reverse video. The following actions are available from the main menu bar: SE(C)RET Pressing C searches for hidden passages (having a dwarf in the party helps). T(R)AP Pressing R searches for hidden traps (the more live members the better). There is a chance you might not discover a trap, even when searching, so sometimes searching multiple times can help. This is also true for the thief actions that are decribed next. Traps must be visible for thieves to disable them. (T)HIEF If you have a thief in your party and hit T, he or she will try to pick any locks or disable any traps in spaces next to the party. If doors are already unlocked or traps are disabled, then the thief will try to lock a door or re-enable a trap. Sometimes, the thief's actions will have unwanted effects on nearby doors and traps. (M)ISSILE+ Pressing M cycles through all the living party members and allows you to choose whether they will fire their ranged weapons or use magic. Choose a direction to fire (W,A,S,Z) or press N if you wish not to fire or use magic. (O)RDER Pressing O allows you to change the marching order of the party. In melee combat the first two members are the ones who do the fighting. The rules of combat are similar to original basic D&D. Dexterity bonuses & armour class are factored in. Damage varies according to weapon type. The order of who strikes first is determined by who has the higher dexterity number (a character or the monster). Characters get EX points for the monsters they kill. On the party member information screens, the codes have the following meanings: NM=CHARACTER NAME (Up to 6 characters in length) ST=STRENGH (High scores for this add to success in opening doors and hit damage) IN=INTELLIGENCE (Pre-req for magic users and elves) WI=WISDOM (Pre-req for clerics) DX=DEXTERITY (High scores for this quality add to your chances to hit) CO=CONSTITUTION (High scores for this add to your hit points. Pre-req for dwarves) CA=CHARISMA (Pre-req for elves) HP=HIT POINTS AC=ARMOUR CLASS (Determined by the armour you buy and any dexterity bonuses) LV=LEVEL EX=EXPERIENCE (High scores for the pre-reqs for a character earns bonuses here) MO=MARCHING ORDER (The order of the character in the party for melee combat) $$=GOLD The number after the CA (Charisma point) number is the amount of EX points and $$ gold pieces needed to obtain the next level. As the party members increase in level, the dungeons should get tougher. When you buy items the old items are simply replaced. Shields cannot be used with two-handed weapons (and will be discarded if you select them). The two handed weapons are the sword and the axe. You can load parties at the beginning of games. You can save parties when you exit a dungeon by way of the main entrance where you came in, or by any passages you create in the outer walls of the dungeon by using the Blast spell. Magical characters must choose spells to re-memorize before each game if they used them in previous games. Magic items can have multiple "charges", but otherwise they act the same as spells. The spells that can be used by magic users, clerics and elves are as follows: REVEAL=REVEAL SECRET ROOMS, TRAPS AND TREASURE HEALING=RESTORE FULL HIT POINTS TO A PARTY MEMBER LOCKING=LOCK ANY NEARBY DOORS SHIELD=CREATE A SHIELD OF LOCKED DOORS AROUND PARTY MISSILE=MAGIC MISSILE (Not recommended for Clerics) BLAST=DESTROY WALLS TURN=TURN UNDEAD MONSTERS APARATE=TELEPORT TO RANDOM LOCATION IN DUNGEON REVIVE=RESURRECT A DEAD PARTY MEMBER (Success depends on level of caster) Reveal is a good spell to use at the beginning, when your party is just starting out. It shows where to find gold (so you can buy more and better equipment). It also shows you where to find magic items. When you first create a party, make sure to choose characters with a good starting number of hit points. Certain characters get various bonuses, for example, halflings have automatic +1 on dexterity, while elves help improve your party's chances of avoiding being hurt by traps. After you have rolled and selected a party of five characters, you will be taken to the dungeon. You have a choice to load a dungeon map you have created using the MAKEDUNG.TXT program (also available on this site). Or you can select N and you will be able to explore a randomly generated dungeon. Every random dungeon has at least one treasure room, which will usually contain some treasure and possibly a magic item, and at least one protecting monster. All the monsters have different characterisitcs. You must learn these as you go. Magic wands can have up to 3 spells stored in them, while rings can only store up to 2 spells. Good luck in exploring the dungeons. I am looking for feedback, so please pass on your comments about the game. Jim Gerrie 2009 Programmed in honour of the memory of Gary Gygax. Thanks for all the fun!