,A\ ALON 1III.L'S TRADEtMARK NAME FOR ITS G,\ME OF YOL'NG KINGDOMS ADVENTLTRE. 1) THE WORLD OF ELRIC There were many heroes in those days. Foremost among For 10,000 years the mighty Melnibonean Empire ruled them was ELRIC, the White Wolf, Kinslayer, the Red- the world. It was an inhuman race, originally peaceful in Handed Reaver. His saga is powerful and bitter, the story of a their ancestral homeland of R'lin K'ren A'a. When the Gods man whose life was a curse and whose blessing left evil and needed their city as a neutral meeting ground to create a lull death in its wake. in their Cosmic strife, the ancient peoples were blessed with Elric was the last of the Melnibonean Emperors. As if to great powers and sent into the world. They found their way to personify the decadence of his race, he was born a weak and the Isle of Melnibone, mastered the Dragons which lived sickly albino able to remain alive only with the powerful there and began to build their empire. magics and drugs produced by Melnibonean sorceries. Yet, ~hrou~hsorcerous research and experimentation, the he had a degree of curiosity and intellectual vitality that was earliest Emperors established mystical bonds and pacts with alien to the somnambulists that surrounded him. His people the Gods and spirits of the planes. Armed with this saw him as a brooding, nearly alien, King. knowledge and power, they easily conquered the known Elric sought, and suffered from, mighty magics. Through world. Secure, they settled into their long reign, entertaining his knowledge, and his Fate, he came to find the mystical themselves with all known, and several unknown, sword STORMBRINGER. This eldritch blade was a tool of experiences until their centuries passed in jaded dreams. the Gods. Instead of merely taking the life of its victim, it Then the Gods moved again, setting Cosmic forces into drew the very essence of their souls into its wicked being. Yet motion. The Young Kingdoms rose and cast off the Melnib- this power was useless without one to wield the weapon. In onean yoke. Once free, they squabbled over petty human return for Elric's hand upon the hilt, the sword was bound to pursuits. The Melniboneans continued to decline, their share the bounty of souls which it harvested. Elric, needful of Dragons slept longer after each battle and their race drifted such vitality, accepted the hoary black sword as his own. into a slumber akin to that of the Black Lotus Eaters. Each became slave to the other's need. None could tell the Then the Cosmic Balance grew more unstable, as the true master. struggle between Law and Chaos transcended philosophical It was Elric's destiny to be tossed about by Fate and the discussion. Nations rose and fell, the ancient monsters and warring Gods. He was bandied about like a toy, forced into deities again stalked the world. The new times of danger and dangerous and foolhardy positions and tormented by his legend demanded a new breed of person to confront the grave eternal doom. Thus he went forth from the shrouded halls of dangers, thus began the Age of Heroes. Melnibone into the Young Kingdoms. - . -. - - - - - - -~ --- Combat I 1 2) THE EQUIPMENT This game includes: l Mapboard 4 Counter Sheets MOvement l Rulebook 1 Six sided die Value +Capadty 2.1) THE BOARD 2.22) FLEETS-Organized shipping ready for combat or The Mapboard is a representation of Elric's world and is transport duty. The Fleet's Combat strength applies when it is divided into land and ocean. The land areas of this world con- at sea. Its Movement Value, the number of Seas that it may sist of four major continents and several islands. The move in a single game-turn, is located in the Lower-Lett Northern continent is home to Ilmiora, Vilmir, Eshmir, Nad- corner of the unit. The number found in the Lower-fight sokor and the City State of Bakshaan. The wilderness areas of corner of the unit is its Carrying Capacity, i.e. the number ot the continent contain the Weeping Waste, the Sighing Desert, Armies that it can carry. [Any number of personalities may be Org and the Forest of Troos. Spell placement symbols can be carried by a fleet). found in Tanelorn, Mordaga's Castle and the Forest of Troos. The nations of Pikarayd, Argimiliar, Filkhar and Lormyr Com bat lie on the southern-most continent. In its wilderness areas are Value Oin, Yu, the areas about Kaneloon and the wastes of Dorel. Spell symbols are found in Dhoz-Kam, Kaneloon and Dorel. The nations of the Western lands include Shazaar, Name Jharkor, Dharijor and Tarkesh. The Silent Lands, Marshes of Mist, Myrrhyn, Xanyaw and Nihrain are its wilderness. Spell 2.23) PERSONALI'I'IES-Powerful individuals, the symbols are found in Xanyaw, Nihrain and the Silent Lands. heroes and leaders of the world. Each personality has a Coxn- Civilized islands include Melnibone, Pan Tang and the Isle bat Strength listed in the upper left corner. If the value is of Purple Towns. Ashaneloon, Sorceress Isle and the Islands parenthesized, the personality may not fight in combat. It is of the Unholy Fortress are wilderness islands. R'lin K'ren A'a only used for its influence with Elric. Personalities that have is considered a continent. It is often referred to as the Jungle a value in the upper-right corner of the unit are Magicians. Lands and is a wilderness area. R'lin K'ren A'a, Sorcerer's Isle, The number is their Spell Capacity, i.e. the number of spells Ashaneloon and the Unholy Faress contain Spell symbols. that the personality can carry at one time. The oceans are divided into smaller areas, called Seas. All Magical seas are treated identically except for the Straits of Chaos, the Effect Serpent's Teeth and the Boiling Sea. The restrictions that , Alignment apply for these are delineated in section 6.5. Dispel Magic In all cases, Cities are marked as either a black dot, un- Spell Musters Fvloondurn..~ Name walled cities, a black dot within a partial or whole circle, (in red) 012b . .Id walled cities, or by a Black Star, a national capital. The effect J of cities are delineated in sections 6 and 9. 2.24) MAGIC SPELLS-These counters represent the Ports are identified by Anchor symbols. The symbols are various spells that Magicians can use. Each counter bears the located in SEA areas adjacent to the city. If the symbol is Spell Name andior description, its Combat Strength, its Align- parenthesized, the owning nation is capable of building ment and the musters possible when using it in the Muster fleets, as delineated in section 5. Phase. The Sword symbols located in Ashaneloon, the islands of the Unholy Fortress and the Sighing Desert [Mordaga's Castle) denote special places. These areas are not cities. The special place is located where the Sword appears on the map. 2.25) MARKERS-There are three types of markers NOTE-The small, unmarked islands just off Melnibone have no effect in this game. They are not used. Likewise, the illustrations found in the Dragon Sea, the Straits of Chaos and La w/Chaos the Straits of Vilmir (A Dragon, Octopus and Large Fish -Marker respectively) have no effect on the play of the game. Ignore them. 2.2) THE PIECES There are four types of counters used in this game, plus 2.251) LAWICHAOS MARKER-This marker is used to various types of markers. keep track of the status of the Cosmic Balance. It is placed on the Turn track when the Cosmic Balance is tipped, through the use of magic of the various alignments. Army I 1 Turn Marker- 2.21) ARMIES - Army counters represent trained men ready for battle. All army counters have the silhouette of a soldier on them. All armies have a Combat Strength of ONE. The Combat Strength of all counters is printed in the Upper- 2.252) TURN MARKER-This marker is used to keep Left corner of the unit. track of the number of game turns remaining to pia!.. These symbols are found in the following locations: Vale of Xanyaw Nihrain The Silent Lands Sorcerer's Isle R'lin K'ren A'a Ashaneloon Dhoz-Kam Kaneloon Dorel The Unholy Fortress 2.253) STACK MARKERS-The Stack Markers, four Mordaga's Castle Tanelorn groups of six counters each, can be used by players to identify The Forest of Troos their stacks during play and thus preventing any possible 3.2 1) When all spells have been placed, place the container confusion. next to the board within easy reach of all players. 3.3) Place the Turn Marker on space 1 of the Turn Track. 2.26) THE COLOR CODE Place the LawIChaos marker on the NEUTRAL space of the Except for the Magic Spells and Markers, all counters have Cosmic Balance table. a Color Code representative of their nationality. The codes 3.4) Distribute one set of stack markers to each player. that are applicable are: 3.5) Except for ELRIC, place all Melnibonean counters on NATIONlAREA COUNTER COLORS ALIGNMENT the island of Melnibone. ARGIMILIAR Black on Red CHAOS 3.6) Each player rolls the die. The player with the Highest, BAKSHAAN LYl~iteon Brown LAW UNTIED roll will go first. DHARIJOR Brown on Yellow CHAOS EXAMPLE-With four players, if the rolls are 6,6,4,2,the player DHOZ-KAM White on Red CHAOS who rolled the 4 will be first.