The OVERVIEW: Long, long had the Master of Order struggled with the Mistress of Chaos. Ancient as time, changeless as death was their conflict -- waged in mundane realms by magically potent Adepts. No more. The old secure well-springs of magical energy are failing. To control the new sources, Adepts are bringing forth new armies of reluctent Demons and Elementals long onsummoned. Change is at hand and the battle would find an end.. This is that battle... The ending is yours... THE TWO SCREENS: The game is played on two screens. On one -- the main board -- you and your opponent (human or computer) take turns maneuvering your pieces called icons) into favorable positions. When you move to a space already occupied by one of your opponent's icons the game shifts to the second display, the battleground. There you must fight a fast-action battle to determine which icon will return to the board in possession of the disputed position. THE MOVES: You begin the game with 4 Adepts on a side. On each turn you may use whatever magical energy you have left to: 1) move an Adept, 2) use an Adept to cast a spell (including Summon which lets you bring new icons into the game) or 3) move an icon conjured up (with a Summon spell) on a previous turn. WINNING: You win if you occupy all six power points at once or if you win in the Apocalypse (evocable with a special spell). You also win if your opponent runs out of magical energy or icons. THE BOARD: The main board is composed of 4 bands representing the classical elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Additionally there are 4 squares which are not part of any band. Two are black, neutral squares representing the Void. The others are citadels, the home squares of Order and Chaos. While the void squares can be occupied by icons just like any position in the four bands, the citadels remain empty throughout the game. *********************************** * Fire * * ***************************** * * * * * * * * * * * <-the Void * * * * ********** *** ********** * * * * * **** * Air * **** * * * * * * * * ********* * * * * * * * * * C * Water * O * * * * * * * * h ************* r * * * * ********a* Earth *d******** * * * * o ************* e * * * * * * * * s * * r * * * * * * * * * ********* * * * * * * * * **** * * **** * * * * * ********** *** ********** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***************************** * * * *********************************** There are 6 flashing power points. Two are the Void squares. The other 4 move from turn to turn through the outermost corners of each of the four elements. Occupation of the 6 power points is the major goal of the game. MOVEMENT: If the hollow square (or "frame") is on your side, it's your turn. Use your joystick to move the frame atop the icon you want, and push the button. Next, use the joystick to move the icon (of frame, in the case of Adepts) to your intended destination and press the button again. (If you accidentally press the button over an icon you don't want to move, press the button again with out moving your stick to cancel the selection and start over. Once you've moved an icon at all, you cannot cancel your selection.) MAGIC SPELLS: Instead of a move, on any turn an Adept can cast any spell it has energy for. Simply select the Adept with the frame, press the button, and then press it again. Instead of canceling your Adept's move, this action produces the message "SELECT YOUR SPELL". Move the joystick forward and back to produce the choices described in the "SPELL LIST". Press the button to select the one you want. If you change you mind go to "CANCEL SPELL". To cancel a spell after you have selected it, move your frame to the citadel and press the button. Magic lies at the hart of the action -- and so does the fact that it costs. The amount of magical energy you have (shown by a vertical bar) varies throughout the game. You gain energy from each power point you occupy and -- for the first few turns only -- your home citadel. Moving icons is mostly free, but it costs energy to maintain each Demon and Elemental on your side and substantial amounts for spells. The cost for each action appears on the bar. You will not be allowed to take actions that you do not have energy for. The effects of spells is limited to the element the conjuring Adept is on. Adepts cannot cast from the void and Adepts are immune to all spells except 'Heal'. THE SPELL LIST: SUMMON -- This is the spell used most often. When you select it you may choose among 4 Elementals and 4 Demons by moving the frame from monster to monster. The cost rises with the column. Remember, Adept magic only works within the element of the conjuring Adept. An Adept in Fire cannot summon an icon to the band of earth. You may summon an icon and directly attack an opposing icon, but it takes extra energy to do so. And Adepts are immune from such attacks. From them, you must use icons already on the board. HEAL -- This spell cures half an icon's wounds and all paralysis. WEAKEN -- Use this to cut an enemy icon's current lifespan in half. IMPRISON -- Cast this spell and the imprisoned icon cannot be moved. The cost of maintaining imprisoned icons fall on the imprisoner and not the original conjurer. RELEASE -- Use this when you can no longer afford to keep an icon imprisoned -- or no longer need occupied power points on elements without Adepts make very tempting targets. APOCALYPSE -- This spell begins a battle that ends the game. In that apocalyptic battle, your icons lifespan missile power, and speed depend on energy, icons and Adepts left, respectively. Use to put a hopelessly overwhelmed enemy out of your misery or as an act of suicidal desperation. THE LIFE LINE: The lifelines at either end of the arena indicate the current lifespan (health/strength) of the two battling icons. When an icon is wounded, its matching lifeline is reduced. When its lifeline is gone, the icon is dead, the battle over. IMPORTANT: Except for the Juggernaut and the Wraith, you cannot move icons while pressing the button. COMBAT: Combat is fast, but you can't just fire away as rapidly as your finger twitches. It takes a moment after all to conjure a whirlwind or generate a tidal wave. At the exact moment your joystick button can launch another attack, the computer rings a bell -- a high note for ORDER and a low note for CHAOS. THE ELEMENTS AND DEMONS: (Conjured up with the summon spell) slide freely along the element they are on. You may slide them as far as you like with 2 restrictions: they cannot pass another icon and they cannot end there move atop a "friendly" icon. Alternately, you may jump them from one element to an adjacent one on a turn. No icon may slide and jump in the same turn. BEHEMOTH -- Massive as mountains. As subtle as a pile-driver. Reducer to rubble. SIREN -- Murderous mermaid. Singer of songs. Sirens don't have to aim Press the button and they start to sing and their opponents start dying. IFRIT -- Dark spirit of storm and air Scion of cyclones. Genie. Raksaha FIREBIRD -- Crafty child of ARCHON's Phoenix. Fire is its weapon and its armor. When the FIREBIRD explodes it cannot move or be hurt. You can stop a explosion by releasing the button. GIANT -- Earthborn cousin of Troll and Golem. Walks slowly and carries a big rock. KRAKEN -- Strong, slow giant of the deep. So big its tentacles cause tidal waves. THUNDERBIRD-Skyrider, hurler of thunderbolts. Symbol of Order, defender of law. SALAMANDER -- Little lizard made of flame. Scutter skulker, flinger of fireballs. DEMONS: Demons are conjurable by both sides: JUGGERNUT -- A melding of master and missile, monster and machine. Hell on wheels. Pure force. They are in effect thier own missiles. In "missile" mode they only travel in straight lines and they are invulnerable -- except to the song of the Siren. WRAITH -- Leech of the lifeforce. Feeder on wounds. Now you see it, now you don't. Wraiths are not nice. They are invisible except when they're trying to hurt you (and to "reload"). They can move even while they attack. Their circular attack aura steals the lifeforce from all caught in it. GORGON -- Fragile paralyzer of life and limb. Hard on everyone, especially the slow moving. He does not wound; he paralyzes. After every hit from a Gorgon's eye beem, an icon moves more slowly. When it can no longer move it dies. THE ADEPTS: They can teleport anywhere on the board, but it costs them a bit of magical energy to teleport from one element to another. ADEPT-missiles can be, by holding down the joystick button and using the joystick, redirected slightly twice for every firing round. After it has been redirected twice, you may maintain the missile's position, and after the bell indicating that you may refire rings, you may then shoot off the missile from its current position and may again redirect it twice. This process repeats until the missile is dissolved. Note that you cannot move while the button is down. Nothing comes free Effects of Elements: ** ICON * MISSILE ************************** ************************** EARTH **Blocked *Dissolved ************************** WATER **Slowed *Slowed ************************** AIR **Slowed *Deflected ************************** FIRE **Weakened*No effect ************************** VOID ** --- * ---