Centauri Alliance: Bard's Tale Author Returns
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uestBustef SM t The Adventurers' Journal Vol. VII,# 4 April, 1990 $2.50 Centauri Alliance: Bard's Tale author returns ... Capt. Xt!d wiped cold sweat from was doing here. Shaking his head, password, where no Adventurer had gone the back of his neck, then lowered he asked no ali before-boldly or the Riot Helmet onto his head and en in particular, """"~~~~---"""T""T:~~ otherwise. scanned the purple-walled hall. "What am I do Tactical combat of a After arriving -on Omicron VII ear ing in a fiction unique variety is the ly in 2214 A. D., he'd checked alized main element that dis into Alli- introduction to a tinguishes Centauri Alli- Type: Role-playing ance HQ game review? E~~~;==;:=::;=~~~~:::::::;::::o~ ance from Bard's Tale. This is Similarities between the Systems: Apple ~~~ers. QuestBusters!" two abound, which is no (64K; supports Hesi- surprise, since Michael mouse & joystick, tating Xdd may have Cranford wrote Centauri strongly recommend- now he- suddenly found as well as the first two ed by QB) fore he himself in the most Best Quest of the Month! Bards. (There is practi- Planned conver- set out to unlikely situation imaginable, but instinc- cally no truth to rumors it was originally _________sions: C64/128 .. gateinvesti- the tively he was doing at least one thing conceived as a Keef the Thief clone about right: ensuring his crew was ready for the a teenaged space pirate exploring space- lower re rigors of combat on the third level of Orn- in which case it would have been called gions of the planet, he checked his icron VII, a world where Grey Thieves Centauri Allowance.) Plasma9 pistol and counted his and Visuraeks unleashed a barrage of as- The plot concerns the Centauri Alli- crew's dwindling supply of Heal saults every step of the way, where rid- ance, a group of humans and members of ing Tablets. die-bearing robots grappled at his six alien civilizations bound together to It wasn't the pack of Skarvaks Combat Armor if he typed in the wrong defeat the Daynab confederation, headed or the Hydraen Lions lying in wait up by a traitor with inside knowledge of that had him wondering what he Alliance operations. Up to eight party By Shay Addams members, who may be part of the Alli ance, Mechanoids, illusionary creatures and alien volunteers, can participate in Ultima VI: The Official Update the quest. Robots can be purchased at Ar mories and black market outlets; they're "My sister just crashed it," Lord British aged to finish by his self-imposed March expedient in combat, selecting their own spoke from his Austin home, where he 1 deadline. (IV and V were both more targets and attack modes. was recuperating from the Attack of the than six months late, as we all know all It's easy to roll your own characters, Steel Plate Monster. His sister Linda, for too well.) That meant he could finally or you can just change the names of the whom a town is named in one of the ear shave off his beard-he had also vowed prerolled team members (but not their ly Ultimas, had been playing a beta ver not to shave again until Ultima VI was sex). Freshly rolled characters are saved sion of The False Prophet in late complete. to the Roster disk, and an entire team can February, just a few days after the Playtest and bug-fixing were in the fi be loaded with a batch command by typ accident. nal stages as we went to press, and most ing the group's name, as was done in When he had returned to the Ori of the IBM version was already in dupli Bard's Tale. gin offices the previous weekend, a five cation. (It should be on the shelves by Surprisingly, the package omits the pound steel plate slipped loose from the now, and QB subscribers who order it fact that you can import characters from top of the front door and smacked Garri from the journal will get up to three free BardI-111, Might and Magic, Wizardry 1- ott right on top of the head. After he issues added to their subscriptions.) 111 and Ultima. As usual, they will lose awoke in a pool of blood and was rushed Amiga and C64/128 versions are some of their capabilities, but many ob to the hospital for X-rays, he spent the scheduled for this fall. But it looks like jects will work (the Fire Horn from Bard next few days at home rather than wrap Apple gamers will miss out completely, becomes a ~aser pistol, says the manual) ping up the final bits and pieces of the since the program has so far proven im and spellcasters' magic abilities are trans next U/tima (Unfortunately Lord British possible to fit that machine. An ST ver formed into Psionic powers that function had left his helm at home.) sion might happen, but there was no similarly. But even with such a great excuse for official word on this possibility. Space travel is simple: choose one of falling behind on the project, he still man- three destinations from a menu, then sit Continued on page ten Letters Adventure Hotline . to the ~ Editor New Quests the same rate, but we can't accept credit Dear QuestBus~ers: Federation is billed as a "strategic space cards or "bill me next millennium"= or In April you said you were updating a trading and combat adventure" from Eng ders. Special thanks and a tip of the QB new system for selling computer games land. It plays like a combination of Elite helm to Michael Aurelius, who recently and would not be doing so for a "few" and Starglider and is for ST and Amiga. renewed for five years, saving enough to months. I've been waiting patiently for Access Software followed up on Mean buy himself a 40-foot yacht and a new those "few" months to pass. It seems to Streets with Crime Wave, but it looks Corvette. And to Kevin Kwan, whose me you may not do so simply because not three-year renewal enabled him to finally like it emphasizes arcade action far more enough of your subscribers have an inter take that trip to Bora Bora. than adventuring. Dragonscape from Free est in getting three free issues when buy Spirit is an Amiga shoot-'em-up in a fan ing a game! If your selling software again tasy setting. Infocom says Circuit's Edge, Ye Official-type Book of Ultima is dependent on a set response, you a science fiction RPG, should be out for The nightmare is over: the 73,000-word should have said so instead of saying you MSDOS by now. Same for Sierra's Official Book of Ultima will be out by Codename: Iceman and Conquests of June, maybe sooner. Written by QB edi were setting up a new system. I hope you Camelot. Bad Blood, Origin's follow-up tor Shay Addams and published by Com start selling software again and am more to Times of Lore, shipped for MSOOS in pute Books, it will reveal the secrets of than happy to get the three free issues. March, with C64 to follow. the Ultima saga (such as the true origin of I've been very happy with every issue, the Silver Serpent and the Codex of Ulti but would like to see walkthroughs and Conversions of Doom mate Wisdom), offer solutions to the first hints for older games. Some of us have The 64K Apple Champions of Krynn is five games and extensive clues and an gotten into adventures only recently, but on the shelves (so far it's the best in SSI's swers for Ultima VI, and tell everything usually on software that came with a used AD & D series.) An Amiga version is on else you wanted to know about Ultima computer, like the early Infocom games. the way. SSI,..s action adventure War of but were too lost in a maze to ask. QB Linda Gremillion the Lance is ready for C64 gamers. So is subscribers who buy it from us will get Wizardry V. The Amiga Third Courier two issues added to their third class sub, Our new system is finally in place and showed up. Mindscape has still not come or one issue for first class, Canadian and should enable us to provide much more up with a version of Star Trek V that will overseas. (But advance order it by April timely service than previously. We' re go run on XT and similar clones or Tandys. 10 and get three issues for third class, two ing to start off with a few new games for others. See back cover for details.) from Origin, then add more titles each Todd Mitchell: The Man, The month, and soon publish a complete cata Legend, The Running Retraction Industry Updates log of adventures for all systems. Sub Yes, we did it again. The March retrac Origin's Dallas Snell was just made VP scribers who order a game from us wilt tion that corrected the January issue sto of Product Development. He's been pro have three issues added to their sub (two ry-which confused Chris Porter with the ducing games there since 1985, after for Canada and 1 st Class, one for over author of Knights of Legend-incorrectly writing The Quest and Ring Quest for seas) and a packet of the appropriate stated K 0 L designer Todd Mitchell's Penguin Software.