Today we present to your attention a little-known
our country the game "THE BARDS TALES". I must say, we have been for a long time
We were looking for this classic representative of the RPG genre.
Now "THE BARDS TALES" has become available to everyone, thanks to
publication of its disk version in our magazine. Below is published
translation of the company description of the game, without which it would be impossible to play
impossible - the list of magic spells is very long. Well
Now study the description and play...
THE BARDS TALE
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Based on materials from the magazine "EMULATE!" (C)1995
Kidderminster, England
The Bards Tale is the first game in
series "Tales of the Unknown". It takes place in the city
Skara Brae, who is threatened by a black magician named
Mangar.
GOAL
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Your main goal is to find Mangar and “convince” him
rid the once happy city of its evil influence.
Your second goal is to develop and train heroes capable of
survive in any circumstances, go through labyrinths and crush
evil followers of Mangar.
Your third goal is to explore the city and the entire world of The Bards
Tale. In the city you will come across many finds, as well as riddles
and special places likelike the legendary catacombs or towers
fortress wall.
HOW TO CREATE A HERO
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1. While you are in the Adventurers Guild
Guild), select the hero's race.
2. You will be shown randomly selected numbers - characteristics
hero.
3. If the "roll of the dice" satisfies you, choose
hero class and give him a name. If not, roll the dice again
times.
4. Having received a name, the hero will be recorded on disk or tape -
and ready for adventure.
READY SQUAD
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If you wish, you can use a ready-made
squad when you visit the Guild for the first time. It's called the A-Team.
The heroes of this squad are even equipped with weapons and armor.
HEROES
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Your hero can belong to one of seven races.
MAN (human). Just a person like you or me.
ELF (elf). Elves are usually of slight build, although
taller than people. They are quite capable of magic.
CAVE GNOME (dwarf). These tough little guys have
enormous strength and iron health, but not too much
intellectual. They make great fighters.
HOBBIT (hobbit). Nimble, dexterous, short - lower
Dwarves, hobbits are born burglars.HALF-ELF (half-elf). A little bigger and stronger than an elf,
although weaker in magic. Half-elves are the most versatile race.
HALF-ORC (half-orc). Luckily he didn't inherit
the meanness of his orc ancestors. This is a large and strong creature,
looking like a goblin, you can't call him handsome.
FOREST GNOME (gnome). These very irritable creatures
akin to cave gnomes, although more capable of magic.
HERO SETTINGS
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Each hero you create is characterized by 5 numbers,
determining his physical and mental abilities. These numbers
are selected randomly in the range from 1 to 18 (18 is the best
option). For each race, the minimum value of each
parameter. Higher parameter values can dramatically change
properties of heroes.
STRENGTH (Strength - ST). Affects the degree of damage
which a hero can inflict on his enemies in hand-to-hand combat.
INTELLIGENCE (IQ). High intelligence
adds magical energy to Mages.
AGILITY (Dexterity - DX). The more dexterous your hero is,
the more difficult it is to wound him in battle. In addition, the most dexterous ones get
right of first strike.
HEALTH (Constitution - CN). To the healthiest heroes
HP (Hit Points - damage points) are added, so that their
harder to kill.
LUCK (Luck - LK). HowThe luckier your hero, the more
the likelihood that he will not fall into a trap, will avoid influence
hostile magic and so on.
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF HEROES
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PROTECTION CLASS (Armour Class - AC). Indicates level
protecting the hero from physical attacks. The lower the AC number, the better.
Can vary from 10 (absolutely defenseless) to -10 (called
LO).
Hit Points (HITS). Show
how much damage a hero can take before he dies.
CONDITION (COND). Number of remaining
hero HP (damage points).
MAGIC POINTS (Spell Points -SpPt). Demonstrate the level
magical energy. Maximum number of magic points for a given
character is displayed in the View Character mode
Mode).
Experience Points. Measure the hero's experience in
his profession. The greater their number, the more experienced he is.
GOLD. A unit of currency in this world. He can't
be too much.
LEVEL (for example, LV 9). Measure of a hero's achievements
in his class. LV 1 is beginner and LV 13 is top mastery.
New levels are assigned to the hero by the Qualification Council (Review
Board), if the hero has enough experience for this. New level
usually means improving the hero’s parameters, including
amount of HP andSpPt.
SPELL LEVEL (for example, MAGI 3 -
third level of Magician spells). He points
the highest level of spells available to the hero. There are 7 in total
spell levels for each of the four mage classes. New
The level of spells is given for new levels of experience. For example,
A sorcerer with LV 1 corresponds to MAGI 1; at LV 3 he gets MAGI 2,
and so on until LV 13, at which he gets MAGI 7, at which
stops.
ITEMS are divided into 10 categories: weapons;
shields; armor; helmets; gloves; musical instruments;
figurines; rings; wands and miscellaneous. A hero can have no more
one item of each type.
HERO CLASSES
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There are 10 different hero classes in total, but when you
When creating a new hero, only the first eight can be selected.
WARRIOR - Can use almost any weapon.
For every four levels of experience after the first, the Warrior receives
the possibility of an additional attack in battle.
PALADIN - a fighter sworn to fight evil
and maintain honor and purity. He can use most
types of weapons, even those that are inaccessible to other fighters. On
At higher levels, the Paladin gains the ability to make multiple attacks and
increased resistance to black magic.burglar (Rogue) - a professional thief, he can
find traps and disarm them. He's only a so-so fighter;
The burglar prefers to hide in the shadows.
HUNTER - can use most types
weapons and has a unique ability (growing with experience)
deliver a fatal blow that instantly kills the enemy.
MONK (Monk) - trained to fight without weapons or armor. On
at higher levels he turns into an almost inhuman machine for
murders.
BARD - once a warrior, Bard is now a
wandering minstrel. Although he can still use
Most weapons and multiple attacks are not available to him. Bards
know 6 magic songs that they can play in full
option; such a song can continue to sound even if in battle
The bard plays others. All songs have shortened versions for
battle, the effect of which may differ from the effect of the full song.
These short songs only last one round of combat.
Any Bard can only sing one complete song at a time
times; if he begins to sing another, the first must stop.
A bard can sing as many songs as his experience level before
than his throat gets dry. Then he must freshen his voice,
drinking in a tavern.
CONJURER - works with physical creatures
real things: fire, light. Can also heal.SORCERER (Magician). His specialty is magic
impact on physical objects. For example, he can curse a sword
or make the armor stronger.
Sorcerer - creates illusions and manipulates them.
This class cannot be selected when you first create a hero.
WIZARD - summons and controls
supernatural beings from the negative planes of the universe.
This class cannot be selected when you first create a hero.
COMBAT SYSTEM
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"The Bards Tale" is a game where you constantly have to
fighting is the only way to gain experience. Fortunately,
Mangar and his henchmen are extremely evil, so kill them
without remorse at every opportunity.
When preparing for battle, your enemies are divided into several
groups. The maximum is 4 groups of 99 monsters each.
The battle takes place in rounds. When the next one starts
round, each hero must decide what to do if,
Of course, your entire squad will not prefer to run away. The hero can
choose from the following options:
ATTACK ENEMIES (Attack Foes) - physically attack
enemies from the first or second group;
ATTACK PARTY (Party Attack) - attack someone from
his own squad, including special members;
DEFEND -do not attack; probability that
enemies injure you goes down;
Use an Item - apply
any item owned by this hero;
BARD SONG - The bard can sing a short
a song to help your squad;
Cast a Spell - code must be entered
spells (4 letters) and determine the target;
Hide in Shadows - Burglar can
try to help the others hide and avoid the fight.
The first three heroes in your squad can be physically
attacked by monsters and can attack themselves. The last three can
can only be attacked by magic and can only attack
magic. Of the enemies, only the first two groups of monsters can
physically attack or be attacked.
The most agile heroes or monsters usually get the right
first strike, although luck, level and class of the hero also play a role
role.
When the combat round is over, killed monsters disappear and
dead heroes are automatically moved to the “tail” of the squad. A
when all enemies are destroyed, treasures and items are earned
experience is divided equally between the surviving heroes.
SPECIALISTS
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Special Squad Section (marked "S")
provided for monsters that can join your squad
or byown desire, or being created/caused by
help of magic. Specialists cannot be controlled, but they will
fight for you until they are killed (or dispersed, if this is
illusion).
TERRAIN
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To find your way around Skara Brae and its surroundings,
make a map.
UNLAGGED BUILDINGS
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Most of the buildings are not marked in any way, but in some of them
they are inhabited by evil creatures. So look in every door and
look for them.
When you leave the building, it will be directly behind you.
ADVENTURER'S GUILD
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The Guild is the place where all adventures begin and where you
recruit your squad.
GARTH STORE
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Here heroes can buy (buy), sell (sell) or
identify objects, or chip in and lay out everything
squad gold for something especially expensive (pool gold).
Unique items found in castles remain with Garth only
until he sells them, unlike ordinary things,
the stock of which is unlimited in the store.
QUALIFICATION BOARD
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ByYour request Qualification Council (The Review
Board) will determine whether a given hero has enough experience to
get a new level. In addition, the Council trains new
spells of Mages who have increased their magical level, but for this
you have to pay.
You will have to look up where the building is located in the city
Qualification Council. And remember - it closes at night.
TAVERS
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Taverns are Bards' favorite places where they
gather to refresh themselves and exchange new rumors. Yes
even a tavern named after the Bards.
ROSCO ENERGY STORAGE
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If you urgently need magic points, visit the Vault
Roscoes Energy Emporiu. But be prepared - y
his prices are unusually high.
TEMPLES
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Temples are sacred places where you can
completely heal or even resurrect your fighters. But all this
only for a fee!
WANDERING IN CASTLES
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Castles (dungeon) is a general name for any
closed labyrinth, from towers to catacombs. In every such
the maze can have a different number of floors, up and downbetween
with which you will move using stairs, portals and
teleportation.
Stairs are invisible from a distance, unlike portals.
Portals are simply holes in the floor or ceiling. You don't
fall into the portal, standing on it, you must give it to the hero
command to go through it. If he jumps down through the portal -
he will be crippled if he does not use teleportation spells.
The only way to climb into the portal is levitation.
The location of the entrances to the castles is kept strictly secret, but
In Skara Brae you can find many clues.
MAGIC SYSTEM
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Magic is power and strength. However, not in all
situations it is necessary or wise to rely on it, for magic is not
is in no way protected from fools, and with its help you can do
a lot of nonsense. In some places magic never works
and some monsters are perfectly protected from spells.
If your squad wanders into the anti-magic area of effect, all
long-lasting spells, except incantations
lighting stop working.
Long lasting spell effect lasts
some time (or all the time). When that time comes
end, a graphic symbol lights up on the screen warning
player that the spell is about to end.
Allspells have their price in magic units
energy; the magician, pronouncing them, is forced to spend his inner
energy. It can be restored under direct sunlight
rays, as well as in Roscoe's Energy Storage or in special
recovery areas.
To cast a spell, dial the 4-letter code -
abbreviation of its name.
In addition, there are magical items stored in
castles or owned by monsters. And the most powerful of
these items are hidden in the most dangerous castles and are guarded
ferocious monsters. If you get at least one of them - you
there is something to be proud of!
CHANGE CLASS
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Mages who have earned at least the third level in their
magic class, can move to another class. If the magician changes
his class, his experience is reset to zero, but he retains all points
damage, magic points and magical knowledge. However, he is more
cannot advance in or join his previous class
again.
The magician can choose the profession of Spellcaster, Sorcerer or
Sorcerer as his second class, and anyone else - in
as a third. A mage who has mastered all 7 levels of spells in
all four classes, called ARCHIMAG (Archmage). Archmage -
the most powerful creature in the world of The Bards Tale.
SONGSBARDOV
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1. FALKENTYNES FURY - enhances the attacks of your fighters
battle.
2. THE SEEKERS BALLAD - lights up your surroundings when you're in
darkness. In combat, increases the chance that your weapon will hit
enemy.
3. WAYLANDS WATCH - relaxes your enemies and their attacks
in battle they cause you less harm.
4. BADHR KILNFEST - heals wounds while traveling
Barda. In battle, heals the wounds of the entire squad.
5. THE TRAVELERS TUNE - makes your squad more agile,
so they are harder to hit in battle.
6. LUCKLARAN - sets up around the squad
anti-magic field, which improves your squad’s protection from
hostile magic.
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