The Lords of Midnight

AN INTRODUCTION

       The Lords of Midnight is not simply an adventure game nor simply a war game. It is really a new type that we have chosen to call an epic game, for as you play the Lords of Midnight you will be writing a new chapter in the history of the peoples of the Free.
       You will guide individual characters across the land of Midnight on vital quests but you will also command armies that must endeavour to hold back the foul hordes of Doomdark, the witch king. Nor will your task be easy for your computer is programmed to play the role of the Witch king and provide a guiding intelligence for the forces of evil ranged against you. Yours will be no inevitable victory.
       Above all. at every stage of the game, you will only see the land of Midnight through the eyes of the characters and commanders you control. You will see no map plotting with unerring accuracy your own and the enemy's dispositions. Instead, as you switch your attention to each of the characters you control, you will see only what they would see from the spot where they stand: a panoramic view drawn in full perspective. Looking into the distance, you will see the mountains and forests and hills of the lands of Midnight: you will see armies camped on the plains. great citadels rising in the distance, the forlorn ruins of long-forgotten fortresses. And if you wish to see what lies beyond that mountain range, beyond that dark forest, you must move forward and look for yourself!
       We have called this unique feature "landscaping'', for it gives you the power to journey through the landscape of Midnight in the very same way as any traveller or captain of war, as you move forward and your path twists and turns, the landscape changes just as it would if you were really walking through Midnight. To achieve this effect, the Lords of Midnight program can create no less than 32,000 different panoramic views!
       On the following pages, you will find the prelude to this epic game, the first passage of the chapter you must write in the long Book of Midnight. The story sets the scene for the events that will unfold in the game. It contains no vital clues to the defeat of Doomdark but serves to remind you of the desperate nature of your task and of the price of failure. We recommend you read it before embarking on your quest for victory. Further on, you will find our "Guide to Play": this is vital reading.

       Good luck go with you on your quest and fare thee well!

Mike Singleton

The Manual

CONTENTS Chapter One