->          Times of Lore          <-
                       ->    Docs typed by BlackKnight    <-
                       -> BlackKnight's Manor / 96oo Baud <-
                       ->     Big HI to all ST USERS!     <-

Im on a typing spree so expect some more docs soon, even though these
may have some typo's...... Anyway, ~F~F~ brings us a nice new one....
Times of Lore...

These are IBM docs by the way, but would you rather have nothing?

There are two books, one is the refrence sheet and the other is a
basic review...

                                    Review

      Getting Started

In your first glimpse of the rich and vast kingdom of Albareth, your
character is standing in an upper-story guest chamber of Eralan's
renowed Frothing Slosh Tavern. Eralan is Albareth's capital city; on
the map in your game package (Not in these docs, sorry...), it is
centrally situated in the wesernmost part of the continent, just
south of the Dark Forest and some leagues inland from the shore of the
Great Sea. Albareth is a vast land of high mountains, great forests,
sprawling plains and deserts, so your first few ventures out of the
tavern should be devoted to wandering around in Eralan and making
yourself comfortable with the game's commands and features.

Before proceeding, read the REFERENCE CARD for instructions on
starting on starting times of Lore and how to select commands.

      Conversation

Many kinds of inhabitants of Albareth's towns and cities can offer you
advice or assistance in your travels, and some may even send you on
great quests of valor and fortune. To speak with a villager, select
the TALK symbol and a menu of conversation options will appear (see
the REFERENCE CARD for selecting command options). Characters may
initiate conversation with you as well. When someone asks you a
question, the TALK command will be activated in anticipation of your
reply.

It is established custom in the Kingdom of Albareth to greet one's
acquaintances with a cheery "Nice weather we're having!" or perhaps "I
hope all is well with you." To hail a wayfarer in such a manner,
choose the Start chitchat option. Before long you will notice that
such a casual greeting is likely to set the mood for the exchange of a
word or two of friendly gossip, or even the imparting of vital
knowledge.

Ask question, the second choice on the menu, allows you to pose a
specific question to your acquaintance. After selecting this option,
the desired uestion must be chosen from a list of subjects that you
currently "know about" in the game. You can always ask about rumors
but the person you are talking to may or may not be able to answer
your query meaningfully. The list of other subjects you may ask about
is made up of important "key words" from prior conversations. Whenever
a person mentions a matter of obvious weight, a soft bell will sound
and that subject will be added to your character's list of "known"
question topics.

Some people, depending on the situation, may have additional options
in their conversation menus. Innkeepers, for example, have much more
to offer than the standard fare of pleasantries. If you have the money
to spend, they will give you a chance to replenish your provisions or
check into their hostel for a good night's rest. When you ask for
lodging at an inn, ***your characters position and status in the game
are saved to disk!*** The next time tyou boot up the game, you will
begin play in that same inn with all your possessions and "key words"
intact. It is usually a good idea to check into an inn at the end of a
long journey, or after you've accomplished a difficult or dangerous
task. During game play, you may revert to your last saved position by
selecting load game option.

You should make a habit of chatting with everyone you meet in the
cities and outposts of Albareth, king and knave alike. Subtle, but
important, events in the game can be triggered by talking with some
major figures, and vital key words may be lost by neglecting to save
the game before ending a session of play.

All conversation and other game messages will appear in the message
window near the bottom of the screen.

In a fictitious example of Times of Lore interaction, you might
approach a serf's wife as she busily plows her field.

 Activating the TALK option, you select Start chitchat from the menu.

 Gesturing at the serf's wife, you say, "You're looking rather well
today!"

 Looking you in the eyes, the serf's wife says, "Why thank you. Oh and
by the way, my husbands off fighting trolls somewhere."

 The bell will ring indicating that you have a new key word.
 You select the Ask question option from the menu and you see that
your question topics now include Rumors and Trolls. You pick trolls.

 Looking at the serf's wife you say, "What do you know about trolls?"

 The serf's wife faces you and says, "My husband's spent alot of time
away from home of late. He claims the trolls have stolen a treasure
beyond price, and he means to reclaim it!"

 The bell gongs again. Your ask question menu now includes Rumores and
the new word Treasure, which you select. The word trolls is now gone
because you have all the info on it.

 Looking at the serf's wife you say, "What do you know about
treasure?"

 The serf's wife says, "Sorry, but I can't help you there. Would you
like to come in for some nice warm turnip soup?"

 On the menu now are two more options, Reply yes and Reply no. Eager
to get on with the tereasure hunting, you select the latter choice.

 Peering into the eyes of the serf's wife you reply, "No thanks."

 The serf's wife says, "Oh, well."

You exit TALK mode and walk away.

Since the serf's wife was unable to elaborate on the subject of
treasure, you must now seek out other likely sources of information. A
visit to the tavern may be in order, or you might want to look around
for villagers who can tell you more.

      Combat

Depending on which character class you've chosen and how tough your
opponent is, two or three solid hits will often be enough to dispath
your foe. In the beginning you'll do your fighting with common hand
weapons, but who's to say what a hardy adventurer might stumble across
in these treacherous times?

During the daylight hours in fortified towns and most of the more
civilized villages, you will rarely encounter any of the wandering
monsters that plague the countryside. Until you are certain of an
approaching person's intent, stay your arms. Besides, attempting to
take over cities by slaughtering the peasants is one sure way to be
ostracized from society. When you venture out into the world, though,
it's a different story. Creatures ranging from ordinary brigands to
supernatural specters will confront you, turning a simple journey
from one town to the next into a deadly challenge. Dont hesitate to
attack - The monsters wont wait!

The following is a list of the characters you are likely to encounter
in Albareth:


Guard - The Guards in the castles and larger cities are brawny sorts
        armed to the teeth. You'll have no trouble with these
        mercenaries, as long as you stay on their good side.

Peasant - Albareth's humble, cheerful Peasants are the lifeblood of
          the kingdom's towns and cities. Talk to everyone you meet
          the common folk usually welcome the chance to share their
          folklore and companionship.

Innkeeper - The innkeepers of Albareth can be very accommodating, 
            especially when you're in need of a stiff drink or a 
            quick game-save.

Rogue - Archers of lethal skill, these cloaked highwaymen are the 
        nightmare of every tradesman and caravan leader. Beware, for
        in troubled times many strong men have joined their ranks.

Orc - In the not-too-distant past, these unwashed, pig-visaged barb-
      arians were seldom encountered outside their territories in
      the northern mountains, but in recent times, the hated orcs
      have begun to invade Albareth's forests. They have since
      become the nightmare of every traveller and caravan scout.

Skeleton - The living Skeletons that haunt the land, viciously
           hurling their daggers at wayfarers, are said to be
           magically animated by malevolent wizards who seek to
           spread disorder and evil throughout the kingdom. Skeletons
           are formidable opponents in battle, for they feel neither
           pain nor mercy.

Ghost - Shades of evil men and monsters once slain in battle, Ghosts
        can be the most difficult to overcome of all dark
        creatures... they have more to prove!

Slime - No one knows the origin of this hideous creature. Though un-
        armed, this creeping fungus can still pose a deadly threat to
        careless adventurers. A Slime creeps along dungeon walls
        toward its enemies, secreting a corrosive fluid that turns
        swords and daggers into tasty hors d'oeuvres. Then it goes
        after its main course.

Cleric - The good Clerics of Albareth are renowned for their devotion
         to the preservation and sanctity of life, while the evil
         ones tend to attack first and ask for donations later.

      Survival

Be sure to keep an eye on the candle in the lower right part of your
screen. The candle will burn down as you grow weak from battle wounds
or lack of food. If the flame ever goes out, your character will die,
and you will have to start over from your last saved postition.
Sleeping at an inn will restore your health. Standing still to rest in
a safe place will also restore your strength, although it will be long
in returning. Ceratin magical items can help as well. Don't be afraid
to experiment with the effects of various potions.

      Treasure

Monsters sometimes carry assorted and sundry treasures, which they
will readily give to you as long as you kill them first. Gold, food,
magic potions, and scrolls may be found lying about in the bloody
aftermath of a battle. A peculiar property of magical treasures is
that only one scroll or potion of each kind can be carried at a time.
this means that if you're carrying a blue option, you won't run across
any more blue potions until after you drink the one you've got. Some
of these arcance items are very hard to come by, so you should always
use discretion when employing their effects.


                              Reference Card



      Playing Time of Lore

1. Insert the Times of Lore disk and turn on the computer. The program
is auto boot.

2. After a short while, select between English, French, or German.

3. The next screen is the intro, choose start new game or restore.


      Movement

The upper middle of the game screen is the view window, and your
character is always shown in the center of this window. All movement
is controlled by mouse, joystick or keyboard (IBM only I think... St
is Joystick, But I haven't messed with it). At the bottom of the
screen is the Command Window. People will stop moving once you enter
the command mode (although monsters suffer no such restriction). When
the Command Window is accessed, a hand shaped pointer will apear over
the icons. The hand pointer can be moved using one of the three
movement modes. The keyboard mode is always active.

      Using the Joystick

Plug the joystick in the Joystick port.  Use the button to attack and
the joystick to move (what else).

      Commands

Each of the following commands may be executed by hitting the space
bar or pressing the correspoding function key (IBM only?).

Starting with the leftmost symbol, the commands represented by the
different icons are as follows:

(Mouth): Talk - Use the mouth icon to strike up a conversation with
         another character in the game. The person you wish to talk
         to must either be right next to you or very close by;
         shouting in public places is considered rude. (F1)

(Eye): Examine - Occasionally you'll want to examine a nearby object
       to identify it, or perhaps take a closer look at something
       you're carrying. The eye works on special items such as
       scrolls, potions, and one-of-a-kind artifacts, and it also
       enables you to search nearby for things not immediately
       visible. (F2)

(Bag): Pouch - The pouch icon displays a list of the items you are
       carrying, as well as how much money and food you have. (F3)

(Hang getting object): Get - Use this command to pick up gold, food,
                       treasure, and other assorted items that may
                       be found after battles or encountered while
                       exploring cities or dungeons. (F4)

(Hand dropping object): Drop - You can only carry a limited number
                        of objects. If your pouch is full, you will
                        need to drop things that are no longer
                        useful before you can acquire new items and
                        treasure. (F5)

(Hand reaching out): Offer - Attempt to hand an object to nearby
                     person. If the person has no use for that part-
                     icular item, he or she will probably accept it
                     anyway as a token of goodwill. (F6)

(Hand holding scroll): Use - This command allows you to drink a
                       potion, cast a spell from a scroll, or
                       otherwise make use of something you're carry-
                       ing. (F7)

(Atari Symbol): Options - Power without the price! Score, restore,
                or pause. (F8)

      Combat

To attack, face the opponent and press the button. When he is killed
a treasure will fall.


                                           Good luck,
                                                 Bk