A R C H O N I I - A D E P T T H E M A N U A L Typed by SIDEWINDER/LSD Another golden oldie doc. INTRODUCTION 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 portent Adepts. No more. The old, secure wellsprings of magical energy are failing. To control the new sources, the Adepts are bringing forth new armies of reluctant Demons and Elementals long unsummoned. Change is at hand and the battle would find an end. This is that battle. The ending is yours. GETTING STARTED: Plug a joystick into port 2 for a one player game, or plug joysticks into port 1 and 2 for two player games. Joystick 1 controls Order and joystick 2 controls Chaos. Kickstart your Amiga, then insert the ARCHON: ADEPT disk in the internal disk drive. The game will boot automatically. Press the SPACEBAR to page through the title screens and bring up the options menu. USING THE MAIN MENU: Use the joystick to move the onscreen pointer and make selections from the main menu. Press the joystick button when the pointer is on the currect choice. You can choose from the following player options for each side. HUMAN: You make all the moves for your side. CYBORG: You control your icons on the strategy board and the computer controls combat on the battleground. You can override the computer by pressing the joystick button when prompted, before the battle begins. COMPUTER: The computer makes all the moves for its side. HANDICAPPING: Before starting your game, select your play level; Beginner, Standard, or Advanced. Beginners start with more magical energy, Advanced players start with less. The lower a player's level, as compared to an opponent's, the slower the opponent's icons, missiles, and attacks will move. In the case of Adepts, missiles not only move slower, they're also harder to control. Choose Advanced for the most skillful, and Beginner for the least skillful player to obtain the maximum possible handicap. STARTING THE GAME: Select the START option for the side you want to move first. If you wait for a little while without making any menu selections, the computer will begin playing a game against itself. Press Q to interrupt a computer-against-computer game. NOTE: Because the player who moves first has an advantage, the player who moves second receives additional magical energy to maintain evenly balanced play. MOVING ICONS ON THE STRATEGY BOARD: The selection frame appears on your side of the board when it's your move. Use the joystick to place the frame over the icon you want to move and press the button. Next, move the icon (or the frame again in the case of Adepts) to the desired location and press the button again. If you change your mind, press the button again before moving the icon. If you change your mind after already moving your icon, return the icon to its original position beneath the frame and press the joystick button. For additional information about about board movements see chapter on MOVEMENT. MOVING AND FIGHTING ON THE BATTLEGROUND: You must fight for disputed territory when you enter a space occupied by an opposing icon. Use the joystick to move your icon. To fire, move the joystick in the direction you want to aim and press the button at the same time. See COMBAT TIPS for more information. NOTE: Your Wraiths are visible when you play against the computer. Because the computer knows where they are, it's only fair that you know as well. CASTING SPELLS: Place a frame over an Adept and press the button twice. Move the joystick forward and backward to scroll through the list of spells. Press the button to choose the spell you want. Choose 'Cease Conjuring' if you change your mind. Move the frame over your citadel and press the button if you change your mind in mid-spell. To change your mind during a Summon spell, select the blank square at the bottom of the listed icons. Casting spells cost magic energy. Occupying power points increase your energy. Your total energy is displayed on the bar that appears next to the board during your move. NOTE: The Apocalypse spell is automatically invoked when you lose all your Adepts. STARTING OVER IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME: Press Q to return to the player/move menu choices. PAUSING A GAME IN PROGRESS: Press the SPACEBAR. Press it again to resume playing. AN OVERVIEW THE TWO SCREENS The game is played on two screens. On one - the main board - you and your opponent (human or computer) takes turms manoeuvreing your pieces (called icons) into favourable 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 poosition. 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 or 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 triumph 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 four bands representing the classical elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. Additionally there are four squares which are not part of any band. Two are black, neutral squares representing the Void. The others are citidels, 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 citidels remain empty throughout the game. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | Fire | | +-------------------------+---+-------------------------+ | | | | | - The Void | | | | +---+ | | | | +-----------------+ +-----------------+ | | | | | | Air | | | | | | | +-----------+ | | | | | | +---------+ +---------+ | | | | | | | Temple | Water | Fortress| | | | +---+---+---+---+---+ +-------------------+ +---+---+---+---+---+ | A | A | A | A | T | Earth | F | A | A | A | A | +---+---+---+---+---+ +-------------------+ +---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | of Chaos| | of Order| | | | | | | +---------+ +---------+ | | | | | | +------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +----------------+ +-----------------+ | | | | +---+ | | | | | | - The Void | | | +-------------------------+---+-------------------------+ | | | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ A = Adept T = Temple F = Fortress 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 (or the frame, in the case of the 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 without moving your stick to cancel the selection and start over. Once you've moved an icon at all, you cannot cancel your selection. NOTE: The rule for cancelling an Adept move is different. See Magic Spells below.) 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 two restrictions: they cannot pass another icon and they cannot end their move atop a 'friendly' icon. Alternatively, you may jump them from one element to an adjacent one on a turn. No icon may slide and jump on the same turn. ADEPTS can teleport anywhere on the board, but it costs them a bit of magical energy to teleport from one element to another. MAGIC SPELLS Instead of a move, on any turn an Adept can cast any spells it has enough energy for. Simply select the Adept with the frame, press the button, and press the button again. Instead of cancelling your Adept's move, this action produces the message 'SELECT YOUR SPELL'. Move the joystick forward and backwards to produce the different choices described on the next page. Press the button to select the one you want. If you change your mind and decide you would rather move the Adept (or another icon) instead, select 'CANCEL SPELL'. To cancel a spell after you've already selected it with a button push, move the frame over your citadel and press the button again. Magic lies at the heart of the action - and so does the fact that it costs. The amount of magical energy you have (shown by a vertical bar next to the board when it's your turn) varies throughout the game. You gain energy from each power point you occupy and - for the first few turns only - from your home citadel. Moving icons is mostly free, but it takes magical energy to maintain each Demon and Elemental on your side and substantial amounts to cast spells. The cost of different actions is shown by the mark which appears next to the energy bar as you explore your options. You will not be allowed to take actions you do not have enough energy for. The effect of spells are limited to the element of conjuring Adept is on. Adepts cannot cast spells from a Void square and Adepts are immune to all spells except Heal. THE SPELL LIST SUMMON - This is far and away the spell you will use 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 in energy goes up as you move up the column of choices. Remember, Adept magic works only within the element of the conjuring Adept. An Adept in Fire cannot, for instance, summon an icon to the band of Earth. You may summon an icon and directly attack an opposing icon, but it takes extra magical energy to do so. And Adepts are immune from such attacks. For them, you must use icons already on the board. HEAL - This spell cures half of an icon's wounds and paralysis. WEAKEN - Use this to cut an enemy's icon's current lefespan 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 conjuror. RELEASE - Use this when you can no longer afford to keep an icon imprisoned - or no longer need to. BANISH - Very expensive to cast. On the other hand, an icon you can't defeat can be very expensive to live with. And 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 icon's lifespan, missile power, and missile speed depends on your magical energy, icons remaining, and Adepts left, respectively. Use to put a hopelessly overwhelmed enemy out of his or her misery or as an act of suicidal desperation. COMBAT TIPS ATTACK METHODS - On the battleground, icons hurl, hammer, flame, sing, fling, stare and otherwise harass the enemy in whatever direction you move the jpoystick while simultaneously pressing the button. (See the hints under Attack Styles below for some exceptions and variations.) 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 joystick button. THE ATTACK INTERVAL - Combat is fast but you just can't 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, a lower one for Chaos. ATTACK STYLES - Each icon is most effective when it is used in friendly - or at least neutral - elements and when its special strengths and weaknesses are understood and exploited. The hints below are intended only to help you begin thinking about how to use the 6 icons which have the most unusual attack styles. 1. ADEPT missiles can be steered as long as you hold the button down. Of course, Adepts cannot move as long as the button is down. Nothing comes free. 2. THE GORGON does not wound; it paralyzes. After every hit from the Gorgon's eye beam, an icon moves more slowly. When it can no longer move, it dies. 3. 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 steal the life force from all caught in it. Wraiths can leave battles stronger than when they entered them. They can be devastating in the hands of the skillful. 4. When the FIREBIRD explodes it cannot be hurt nor can it move. But unlike Archon's PHOENIX, you can early end the explosion by releasing the button. 5. SIRENS don't have to aim. Press the button and they start singing and their opponents start dying. If you're attacked by one, don't waste time wondering what to do or the problem will be solved for you. 6. JUGGERNAUTS are in effect they're own missiles. In 'missile' mode, they only travel in straight lines and they are invulnerable - except to the song of the Siren. MAGICAL ENERGY CHART ADDED BY PAZZA AND SHAGRATT! X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X O X O X O X O X X O X X O X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Normal | Income | Income | Elem | Demon | Maintain | Maintain | Starting | Corner | Void | Summon | Summon | per icon | per icon | Energy | | | | | per full | per full | | turn - | turn - | | Elem | Demon | -------------------------------------------------------------------- O O O O O O O O X O X O X O X O X O X O O X O O X O O X O O X O O X O O X O O X ----------------- O X X | KEY | O X X X | | O X X X | X = MINIMUM | O X X X | | O X X X | O = MAXIMUM | O X X X ----------------- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X O X X X X O X X X X O X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Normal | Heal | Heal | Banish | Banish | Apocalypse | Starting | Weaken | Weaken | Elem | Demon | | Energy | Imprison | Imprison | | | - Elem | - Demon | | --------------------------------------------------------------- BATTLEGROUND EFFECT OF CONTACT WITH BARRIER ELEMENT MISSILES ICONS Earth Destroyed Stopped Water Slowed Slowed Air Deflected Slowed Fire No Effect Wounded Void --------- ------- end.