Back to section 4: Game Considerations (Advanced Game)

5. Lists, tips and other paraphernalia for the DARKLANDS voyager

Rare items and places in DARKLANDS (Holy relics, Devil's Bridge, etc.)

--This section provided by CMB--

  a. Holy Relics

These are found in evil monasteries, locked in chests. Once in the hands of the group, they are freed and can be returned to a cathedral (not just any church) in a city. The return of these holy relics does not appear to confer any direct benefits on your group in the way of improving individual characteristics, but each donation transfers 30 points or so to improve your local reputation. It would appear that a donation of more than one relic per day does not, however, grant more increases. If a player has more than one relic, he should spread the donations over a few days, or a few cities.

Some holy relics can be used by the group, others cannot. All those with 99q are not useable or saleable, and all weapons (with less than 99q) can be equipped and used as regular weapons. Other than their obvious quality, useable holy relics may or may not have other beneficial properties. Certainly, no items of such quality can be purchased anywhere.

Useable

  • S.Arnulf's Greatsword (55q)
  • S.Olaf's Battleaxe (55q)
  • S.George Greatsword (60q)
  • S.Dunstan Hammer (65q)
  • Spar [Club] of Erasmus (50q)
  • Spear of Longinus (65q)
  • Staff of S.Patrick (60q)
  • S.Hubert's Bow (55q)
  • Unuseable (99q)
  • Thorn of the Crown
  • S.Mary's Tears
  • S.Catherine Pain
  • S.Edward's Ring
  • S.Emydius Finger
  • S.Gabriel's Horn
  • S.Ita's Needle
  • S.Kessog Medallion
  • S.Odo's Testament
  • S.Odilia's Oil
  • S.Raphael's Water
  • S.Swithbert's Foot
  • S.Willehad's Shoe
  • S.Thealeaus' Spoon

  • b. The Devil's Bridge, the Good Witch

    --This section provided by CMB--

    The Devil's Bridge can be found before entering the village of South Nurn. 'Nuff said.

    The good witch can be found in a tower SW of Magdeburg. She will evaluate your level of training to determine whether you are capable of taking on the evil that lurks in the darklands. You can return to this place for a quick appraisal.
     

    c. Clothing Manufacturers in cities

    --This section provided by CMB--

    As was pointed out by Chris Meadows (robotech@eyrie.stanford.edu), clothiers will never sell you anything during the day, but if you go back at night...

    Back to Table of Contents

    List of cities with Cathedrals, Universities

    --This section provided by CMB--

    In Universities, you can combine most of the functions of some of the other learning institutions, the Kloster and the Alchemist. The University will allow you to learn about saints or purchase alchemical material (the physician also), and to upgrade your Philosopher's Stone. Furthermore, you can hire the services of a professor to teach the following subjects: Alchemy, Religion, Speak Latin, Read and Write and Healing. The first can also be obtained from an Alchemist, the middle three from a Kloster and the last from a Physician. Note that cities not listed here have neither a Cathedral nor a University.

    Cathedral: University: Back to Table of Contents

    Strange things in the game

    --This section provided by CMB--
    Grappling Hook, Rope

     
    (NOTE AvL) A rope is of use for leaving a town by the city wall, entering a cave on top of a mountain, getting yourself out of the pit in the mines and dragging a companion out of the quicksand when travelling through a bog. I believe a grappling hook supports most of these purposes as well. However, all occasions for using a rope include different options which will serve the special purpose more accurately. Leaving the pit with the help of a Stone-Tar potion is guaranteed success better than anything else, leaving the town by a sewer rather than climbing up the wall using a rope, and getting your comrade out of the mud is properly done with a Transformation potion.
    Harp, Flute

     
    (NOTE CMB) To be used in combination with prayers to St.Cecilia, Patron Saint of music, who, among other thing "enhances local reputation greatly if the person has a musical instrument".
    Superb Horse, Fast Horse, Average Horse, Pack Horse, Mule

     
    (NOTE DA) Superb horses increase the travel speed of the party. The best indicator for this is the night/day icon in the upper right corner of the display: it really slows down when the group has superb horses. It will speed up again in mountainous and forested areas or anywhere the going gets tough. I have never found whether the party needs only one superb horse or whether everyone needs one -- anyone know? I am not sure, but I think that the best places to seek out superb horses are in villages (that's where I usually find them) or monasteries.

     
    (NOTE AvL) With horses, you have the option to make an attempt to outrun boars, wolves and the Wild Hunt. Yet, I haven't figured out (or just can't remember) if this works if only one of your party members owns a horse. Nor did I find out if a fast or a superb horse increases your chance of success proportionally. But I guess your riding skill will affect this as well. Also, when meeting pilgrims, sick people or displaced villagers, you can offer your mules to them for easing their travellings, which increases your virtue. What I can say, is that horses and so on are significant only if your purse grows too heavy }-) I haven't noticed a better traveling speed or anything like that.

     
    (NOTE CMB) Furthermore, horses appear in towns. They don't seem to affect the price of your lodgings, but they are mentioned if you go to the port at night, as part of an attempt to escape from a city.
    Tusk of a boar Back to Table of Contents

    Things with no apparent purpose in the game

    --This section provided by CMB--

    If anyone knows of any use for these objects, please contact the authors.

    Clock
    Gold Cup
    Wolfskin

    Back to Table of Contents

    Bits and pieces

    The following is quoted from Microprose, README.TXT distributed with patch 483.07

    CHARACTERS LEAVING BATTLE by STAIRS or LADDERS

    If a character uses a ladder or stairway (a "portal") to change floors, remember that the character is now inaccessible except through the appropriate number key (1 through 5) on the keyboard. Please review pages 35-36 of the manual if you're confused.

    Also note that "Multiple Portals" is more flexible than the manual suggests. If all survivors have left the original floor in different directions, the view shifts to the character who departed last. However, we still recommend that you rejoin the party immediately, since various functions (including group mode) may be confused by a party split onto various floors.

    UNCERTAIN FATES & PRISONERS

    Sometimes a character will suffer an uncertain fate. A series of "?" symbols appear in the blue character box. Such characters may be dead, may be a prisoner in a nearby city, or may have escaped their fate and be waiting for you at some nearby city inn.

    To rescue a prisoner, you must get into the dungeons of the city hall. If forced into a fight, you must kill ALL the guards. Accomplishing this will free your compatriot.


    --This part of the section provided by DA--

    1. Do you want to beat that bothersome knight who keeps challenging you to a joust or ride? Pray to Christoph (31) or George (23), defeat the knight, and increase your reputation.

    2. The person using a rope to climb up something should remove all armor and weapons before climbing.

    3. If the party is fighting just one strong enemy (raubritter, demon, etc.) he will fight with only one of your party. That means the other three may do battle using their berserk mode thus making short work of the enemy.

    4. Once the party has some experience and skill, they may gain money at an accelerated pace by scouring the countryside for castles with evil rulers. Using Roch and Reinold or other saintly combinations, the party can discern whether or not the ruler is a good man or an evil man and then sneak into the castle if he is evil. There are usually bountiful goodies inside.

    5. A note on the Wild Hunt. I think someone mentioned some specific saints who would stop the Wild Hunt. In my experience, the saint needed to end the hunt is never the same from one game to the next.

    6. Sometimes I think I am repeating myself. Has anyone mentioned that when a character retires, he or she takes 1/5 of the group's wealth?

    7. Here is what I know of the dwarf king mine question that Alex posed. On the second level down there are two ladders downward; one leads to the dwarf's treasure and the other leads to the dwarf himself. Take the treasure level first which consists of a couple more levels down before you reach the treasure. This path leads to the area where the gnomes keep multiplying as fast as you can kill them. The best thing to do is to run from them and escape to the next level down. This takes some dexterity and maneuvering since each member of the party must move as an individual. When you have retrieved the dwarf's treasure, return to the second level down from the surface and take the other ladder down to find the dwarf. The obvious thing to do when you meet him is to trade his treasure for returning the mine to the miners.


    Michael Nemeth (v-vsmn@microsoft.com) contacted us with the following information about how to use a "feature" of the game to cheat.

    	A few months ago, I very accidentally discovered a way to duplicate
    	any item that you have without the use of an outside editor. I'm usually
    	not one to cheat in games at all, but since this is the first "cheat" of
    	this type that I have found on my own, without any help, I can't resist
    	using it every great once a while.
    
    	You start by going to the Inn in any city. Select "Store an item with
    	the Innkeeper". Put whatever items you want to duplicate in the storage
    	cache.
    
    	Leave the the cache and then select "Store an item with the Innkeeper"
    	again. Retrieve the items you have in storage, and DO NOT LEAVE the storage
    	cache. Instead, hit ALT-L (for load game). At the Load Game menu, select
    	"Return to Game". You will be returned to your game, but instead of appearing
    	in the Storage Cache, you will notice that you are carrying the items you
    	wanted to duplicate. Select "Store an item with the Innkeeper" once again,
    	and the items will also be in the storage cache, ready to be picked up!!
    	This is a way not only to keep your characters in good equipment, but basically
    	have an unlimited source of cash. If you really want to tear through the
    	game, just make one of each 45 quality potion, and duplicate to your hearts
    	content. This can really be used for hard-core cheating if you're into
    	that, but it can also be a way to give yourself that one extra 45-quality
    	Composite bow that you can't find (or duplicate those holy relics, but
    	I think that is a little sacreligious ;-) )
    
    	I don't know whether many people know about this, but I figured I would share
    	it, just in case.

    In a later message, Michael adds:

    	Just to let you know, after a little experimenting, I've found that
    	this duplicating trick only works in version 483.06, but it has worked in
    	every install I've tried. I guess for version 483.07, they found it and
    	fixed it. (In version 7, there is no "Return to Game" option from the Load
    	Game screen.)

    Back to Table of Contents

    Stupid things about DARKLANDS

    --This section provided by CMB--

    1. Characters have no real limit on how much they can carry, even though weight for each object is given.

    2. There is never a shortage of any particular good for sale. No matter where you go, you can always buy any number of a particular item for sale. Considering that Germany was not yet the rich nation it later became, it seems unlikely there would be an unending number of all items for sale at any given time.

    3. There is no difference in size for various characters (Gretch can wear Gunther's armour and vice versa, an unlikely occurence in real life).

    4. There is no need to eat or sleep while on the road. Normally, I would say this has been abstracted for the sake of simplicity, but for a game that actually requires you to decide what your characters do every hour of every day, you would think eating and sleeping might be requirements, rather than simply optional. Also, travelling is continuous, with no stops at night, unless you desire to do so. Your characters will cross Germany from end to end without stopping to rest or eat.

    5. Travelling further by water does not cost more. Assuming it costs 3 groschen to go from Vordingbord to Naskskov, and it costs 3 groschen to go from Naskskov to Flensburg, it doesn't cost more than one fare to go from Vordingbord to Naskskov and continue on to Flensburg and even further, all the way to Thorn, if the opportunity arises.

    6. Germans are extremely honest people; nothing you carry with you is ever stolen without your knowledge, or being able to fight to keep it.

    7. You are never caught unaware, with your pants down and your weapons unready, unless the player has chosen to unequip his characters ahead of time.

    8. No one ever bolts from combat, everyone fights to the death, unless the player chooses otherwise. Non-player characters die with their boots (or hooves) on.

    9. A player character who has not been attacked will not involve itself in the defense of others, but a non-player character will.

    10. Characters on the point of death can still strike with full force.

    11. Armour and weapons never degrade as a result of regular combat. Only alchemical weapons cause armour to degrade.

    12. Characters can pass things to one another, even though they're rooms apart.

    13. The Archbishop of Trier has two capitals, Trier and Koblenz.

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    List of the First 40+ significant jobs and significant events in one game

    --This section contributed by CMB--

    This is the list of the first 40 jobs of a particular game. This is not intended to suggest that the events will take this course, but only as a guide to the types of jobs one can expect. This also does not include random events, such as wilderness or town encounters. Also, it should be noted that the game was on the easiest setting but not enhanced by save editors.
     
    No. Patron Task
    1 Fugger, Frankfurt M Raubritter Raban of Bar, W of Speyer, SW of Frankfurt M 
    2 Fugger, Frankfurt M Raubritter Endres Höltzel, NE of Bamberg, E of Frankfurt M 
    3 Medici, Frankfurt M Raubritter Raban of Bar, W of Speyer, SW of Frankfurt M
    4 Hansard, Frankfurt M Medici in Freiberg, letters
    5 Medici, Frankfurt M Raubritter Konrad of Thurgau, NE of Köln, NW of Frankfurt M
    6 Fugger, Frankfurt M Fugger in Gröningen, letters
    Witches' gathering, S of Goslar, 22SEP
    Knockers, Mines near Aachen 
    7 Fugger, Dresden Tarnhelm of Siegfried, SE of Worms 
    8 Hansard, Dresden Raubritter Ulderich Linck, N of Freiberg, W of Dresden
    9 Medici, Dresden Scroll of Walram, N of Fulda
    10 Medici, Fulda Raubritter Endres Höltzel, NE of Bamber, SE of Fulda 
    11 Hansard, Leipzig Medici in Linz, letters
    12 Hansard, Goslar Silver mace of Friedrich Barbarossa, Shrine N of Trier 
    13 Fugger, Koblenz Medici in Burglitz, document
    14 Medici & Hansard, Kuttenberg Raubritter Eike of Lenzburg, W of Olmutz, E of Kuttenberg
    15 Archbishop, Koblenz Raubritter Konrad of Thurgau, NE of Köln, N of Koblenz 
    16 Fugger, Koblenz Goods merchant in Gröningen, document 
    17 Alte Herr, Köln Raubritter Kaspar Linck, NE of Aachen, W of Köln 
    18 Fugger, Köln Fugger in Freiberg-im-B, document 
    19 Raubritter Diepold of Bar, NW of Xanten, N of Köln
    20 Fugger, Köln Tarnhelm of Siegfried, S of Leipzig
    21 Fugger, Frankfurt M noble relic (crown), W of Salzburg 
    22 Merchant, Salzburg Raubritter Boto of Nunnenbeck, N of Salzburg 
    23 Bishop, Salzburg Raubritter Leopold Osiander, N of Passau, N of Salzburg
    24 Fugger and Medici, Augsburg Raubritter Thom of Thurgau, NW of Ulm, W of Augsburg
    25 Hansard, Augsburg Fugger in Leipzig, document
    26 Medici, Augsburg Tarnhelm of Siegfried, N of Speyer
    Knockers, Mines near Kuttenberg
    27 Fugger, Heidelberg Raubritter Raban of Bar, W of Speyer, W of Heidelberg
    Witches' gathering, S of Freiberg B, 22SEP
    Discover location of Great Monastery
    28 Hansard, Freiberg B Raubritter Raban of Bar, W of Speyer, N of Freiberg B
    Witches' gathering, E of Strasburg, 13APR
    Witches' gathering, NW of Groningen, 22SEP
    29 Medici, Gröningen Raubritter Lienhard of Berlichingen, E of Paderborn, SE of Gröningen
    30 Fugger, Worms Raubritter Thom of Thurgau, NW of Ulm, SE of Worms
    Invoke St. Crispin to save team from Wild Hunt 
    Witches' gathering, N of Breslau, 11JUN
    Witches' gathering, SW of Teschen, 31OCT
    31 Hansard, Teschen N of Burglitz, Prayer Book
    32 Fugger, Teschen N of Frankfurt O, Crown
    33 Hansard, Dresden Raubritter Udalrich Linck, N of Freiberg, W of Dresden
    Knockers, Mines near Speyer
    34 Alte Herren, Hamburg Raubritter Joachim Hochstetter, NE of Luneberg, E of Hamburg
    35 Fugger and Medici, Hamburg Raubritter Lienhard of Berlichingen, E of Paderborn, S of Hamburg
    36 Teutonic Knights, Marienburg Raubritter Rupert Schuffelin, W of Danzig, W of Marienburg
    37 Fugger, Marienburg Medici in Stettin, document 
    38 Hansard, Marienburg Medici in Dresden, document
    Witches' gathering, SE of Görlitz, 25MAY
    39 Fugger and Medici, Prenzlau Raubritter Bernard Waas, NW of Prenzlau
    40 Hansard in Prenzlau Fugger in Thorn, document
     
    Back to Table of Contents

    Cities of Germany

    --This section contributed by CMB--

    (modern names, where applicable, given in square brackets, IFC = Imperial Free City)

    CITIES OF THE DANUBE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Augsburg Mod IFC, Home of Fugger Bank Frager/Rat of the Reichstadte Ulm, Regensburg 
    Brunn Brno Sm Obervogt/Margrave of Mähren Olmutz, Pressburg
    Graz Mod Capital/Duke of Styria Pressburg
    Kufstein Sm alpine mines Obervogt/Duke of Tyrol Passau, Salzburg 
    Linz Sm Richter/Duke of Styria Passau, Steyr, Wien 
    Munchen Munich Mod Capital/Duke of Bavaria Regensburg, Passau
    Olmutz Olomoue Sm bowyers Capital/Margrave of Mähren Brunn, Pressburg
    Passau Mod Capital/Prince-Bishop of Passau Regensburg, Munchen, Salzburg, Linz
    Pressburg  Bratislava Mod Erbvogt/King of Hungary Olmutz, Brunn, Wien, Graz
    Regensburg Mod IFC Schultheiss/Rat of the Reichstadte Passau, Munchen, Augsburg, Ulm
    Salzburg Mod armourers Capital/Archbishop of Salzburg Passau, Kufstein 
    Steyr Sm swordsmiths Landhofmeister/Duke of Styria Linz, Wien
    Ulm Lge Altere Herren/Rat of the Reichstadte Regensburg, Augsburg
    Wien  Vienna Mod Free City Losunger/Rat of the Reichstadte Linz, Steyr, Pressburg 
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF THE UPPER DANUBIAN BASIN
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Teschen Sm importer of superlative bows Capital/Prince of Teschen  n/a
     

    CITIES OF THE NECKAR
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Heidelberg Mod University Capital/Count Palatine Worms, Speyer, Stuttgart
    Rottweil Sm Free City Burgermeister/Rat of the Reichstadte Stuttgart
    Stuttgart Mod armourers Capital/Duke of Wurttemberg Rottweil, Heidelberg
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF THE UPPER DANUBE/RHINE AREA
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Freiburg B Mod swordsmiths Capital/Count of Freiburg  n/a
    Hall Sm Free City Alte Herr/Rat of the Reichstadte n/a
    Nördlingen Mod IFC, gunsmiths Schöff/Rat of the Reichstadte n/a
     

    CITIES OF THE MAIN
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Bamberg Mod Capital/Bishop of Bamberg Nürnberg, Würzburg
    Frankfurt M Mod IFC Schultheiss/Rat of Reichstadte Würzburg, Mainz
    Nürnberg Lge IFC, finest metalworkers in the Empire Schultheiss/Rat of Reichstadte  Bamberg
    Würzburg Mod Capital/Prince-Bishop of Würzburg Bamberg, Frankfurt M
     

    CITIES OF THE UPPER RHINE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Basel Mod Free City Alte Losunger/Rat of Reichstadte Strassburg, Zürich, Konstanz
    Koblenz Sm Capital/Archbishop of Trier Köln, Trier, Mainz
    Konstanz Constance Sm IFC Schultheiss/Rat of Reichstadte Zürich, Basel 
    Mainz Mod Capital/Archbishop of Mainz Koblenz, Frankfurt M, Worms
    Speyer Mod Independent bishopric Capital/Bishop of Speyer Worms, Heidelberg, Strassburg
    Strassburg Lge Ancient Roman City Erbvogt/Duke of Burgundy Speyer, Basel
    Worms Mod IFC, fine craftsmen and great churches Burgermeister/Rat of the Reichstadte Mainz, Heidelberg, Speyer
    Zürich Mod crossbows and guns Oberste Hauptmann/Swiss Confederation  Konstanz, Basel
     

    CITIES OF THE MOSEL
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Nancy Mod large armour and gunmaking industries Landhofmeister/Duke of Burgundy Trier
    Trier Mod wealthy city Capital/Archbishop of Trier Koblenz, Nancy
     

    CITIES OF THE MIDDLE RHINE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Duisberg Mod metalworking centre Obervogt/Count of Cleve Wesel, Xanten, Köln
    Köln Cologne Lge Free City, largest in Empire Alte Herr/Rat of the Reichstadte Duisberg, Koblenz
    Wesel Mod Landhofmeister/Count of Cleve Xanten, Duisberg, Paderborn, Nymwegen
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF THE MIDDLE RHINE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Aachen Mod Free City, craftsmanship Schöff/Rat of the Reichstadte n/a
    Kempen Sm Landhofmeister/Archbishop of Köln n/a
    Luxemburg Luxembourg Mod Vogt/Duke of Luxemburg n/a
     

    CITIES OF THE LIPPE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Paderborn Sm swordsmiths Capital/Bishop of Paderborn  Wesel
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF THE LIPPE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Dortmund Sm IFC, gunsmiths Altere Herren/Rat of the Reichstadte n/a
    Soest Sm Free City, armourers Frager/Duke of Westphalia n/a
     

    CITIES OF THE LOWER RHINE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Deventer Sm clothmaking centre Erbvogt/Bishop of Utrecht  Zwölle, Nymwegen, Xanten 
    Nymwegen Nijmegen Sm Dutch Free City Losunger/Duke of Guelders Deventer, Xanten
    Xanten Mod Free City Alte Losunger/Archbishop of Xanten Nymwegen, Wesel, Duisberg
    Zwölle Sm Vogt/Bishop of Utrecht Deventer, Elberg, Leer
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF UTRECHT
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Munster Mod Capital/Prince-Bishop of Munster n/a
    Osnabrück Mod Capital/Bishop of Osnabrück n/a
     

    CITIES ALONG THE COAST OF THE NORTH SEA
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Bremen Mod swords Vogt/Archbishop of Bremen Hannover, Braunschweig, Kassel, Hamburg
    Elburg Mod imports English cloth and bows Erbvogt/Duke of Guelders Zwölle
    Gröningen Sm controlled by Dutch nobles Vogt/King of Danemark n/a
    Hamburg Lge IFC, English imports Altere Herren/Rat of the Reichstadte Lüneberg, Brandenberg, Magdeburg, Bremen
    Leer Sm Free City, missile weapons Alte Losunger/Rat of the Reichstadte Bremen, Zwölle
     

    CITIES OF THE WESER
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Fulda Sm strategic city Capital/Prince-Abbot of Fulda Kassel
    Kassel Mod Capital/Landgrave of Hesse Bremen, Fulda
     

    CITIES OF THE ALLER
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Braunschweig Brunswick Mod Capital/Duke of Brunswick Bremen, Goslar, Hannover
    Goslar Sm Free City Altere Herren/Rat of the Reichstadte Braunschweig
    Hannover Mod Burggraf/Duke of Brunswick Bremen, Brunswick
     

    CITIES OF THE ELBE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Berlin Sm Burggraf/Margrave of Brandenburg Fürstenberg, Brandenburg
    Brandenburg Sm Capital of Prussia Capital/Margrave of Brandenburg Berlin, Hamburg, Magdeburg
    Burglitz Sm Burggraf/King of Bohemia Prag
    Dresden Mod armourers, gunsmiths and artisans Capital/Margrave of Meissen Wittenberg, St.Joachimsthal, Prag, Kuttenberg
    Freiberg Mod silver mines Vogt/Margrave of Meissen Magdeburg, Wittenberg
    Fürstenberg Sm Landhofmeister/Margrave of Brandenburg Berlin
    Kuttenberg Kutna Gora Sm great mining centre Landhofmeister/King of Bohemia Dresden, Prag
    Leipzig Mod Free City Burgermeister/Margrave of Meissen Magdeburg, Wittenberg
    Lüneberg Mod Free City Frager/Rat of the Reichstadte Hamburg
    Magdeburg Mod Capital/Archbishop of Magdeburg Hamburg, Leipzig, Wittenberg, Freiberg
    Prag Prague Mod Capital/King of Bohemia Bürglitz, Kuttenberg, St.Joachimsthal, Dresden
    St. Joachimsthal Sm surrounded by mines Obervogt/King of Bohemia Dresden, Kuttenberg, Prag
    Wittenberg Mod Capital/Margrave of Meissen Magdeburg, Leipzig, Freiberg, Dresden
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF THE MIDDLE ELBE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Erfurt Mod IFC, modest armament and great craftsmen Schöff/Rat of the Reichstadte n/a
     

    CITIES ALONG THE COAST OF THE BALTIC
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Danzig Gdansk Lge Baltic seaport Richter/Teutonic Knights Marienburg, Thorn, Stettin
    Flensburg Sm many Danish residents Erbvogt/King of Danemark Schleswig, Naskskov
    Lübeck Lge IFC, Centre of Hanseatic League Oberste Hauptmann/Hanseatic League Wismar, Schleswig
    Naskskov Sm Small Danish trade and fishing port Burggraf/King of Danemark Vordingbord, Flensburg
    Rostock Mod Free City, guns Schöff/Duke of Mecklenburg Wismar, Stralsund
    Schleswig Mod Capital/Duke of Schleswig Flensburg, Lübeck
    Stettin Sczcecin Sm Burggraf/Duke of Pomerania Frankfurt O, Posen, Bromberg, Danzig
    Stralsund Mod Free City Burgermeister/Duke of Pomerania Stettin, Rostock
    Vordingbord Sm Small Danish trade and fishing port Obervogt/King of Danemark Naskskov
    Wismar Sm Capital/Duke of Mecklenburg Lübeck, Rostock
     

    CITIES OF THE ODER
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Breslau Wroclaw Mod Great trading city of Silesia Vogt/Duke of Silesia Frankfurt O, Posen, Görlitz
    Frankfurt O Mod Free City Frager/Margrave of Brandenburg Stettin, Görlitz, Posen, Breslau
    Görlitz Mod Capital/Count of Görlitz Frankfurt O, Breslau
     

    NON-RIVERINE CITIES OF THE ODER
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Prenzlau Mod Richter/Duke of Pomerania n/a
     

    CITIES OF THE WARTHE
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Bromberg Bvdgoszcz Mod Burggraf/Teutonic Knights Stettin, Frankfurt O, Posen
    Posen Poznan Sm Teutonic-Polish fortress Erbvogt/Teutonic Knights Stettin, Frankfurt O
     

    CITIES OF THE WEICHSEL
     
    Name Mod name Size Noted for Ruled by/for Docks lead to
    Marienberg Malbork Mod Fortress capital for the Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order Capital/Teutonic Knights Danzig, Thorn
    Thorn Torun Mod Teutonic fortress city Vogt/Teutonic Knights Marienburg, Danzig
     

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    Enemies

    --This section contributed by CMB--

    All these characteristics vary a lot from one group to another, but I'm not sure what effect it actually has on combat.

    Ordinary Humanity:

    Rather than show all the possible variations, let's say that humans of all ilk usually wear leather, padded or scale in the 10-15q range and will have weapons ranging from 5q (for city bandits) to under 15q for Sergeants of the guard.  Raubritters will have a good weapon (25q) and also good armour (V Plate and L Chain, 20q). Expect to find 25q items in chests in raubritters' towers. Knights Templar appear below.

    The values which appear below are not fixed in any given event (except for weapon quality where given). The ones given here are intended as examples, not fixed values.

    Beasts and Monsters:

    Supernatural:

    Human servants of Evil:

    Rather than show all the possible variations, let's say that human servants of Evil usually wear leather, padded or scale in the 10-15q range and will have weapons ranging from 5q (for villagers) to under 20q for Schulzen and cultists. High witches will have a good weapon (30q) and very good potions, although none are likely to survive the combat.

    Human servants of Evil at Great Monastery:

    These have armour and weapons in the 20-25q range. Alchemists are weaker.

    Evil Minions at the Citadel of the Apocalypse:

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    Saints

    --This section contributed by DA--

    The party needs to have knowledge of certain saints in order to get along comfortably in Medieval Germany. Some saints have very high Virtue requirments and are usually only useful to foil the Wild Hunt. I have compiled a list of saints, which I have found useful and which do not require extreme Virtue (listed in parentheses) to learn.

    A. Saints who increase local reputation.

    Name Virtue Increase Condition
    Agnes 19 10-20 must have woman in group
    Alexis 28 10-20
    Cecilia 41 20-60 person praying must have musical instrument
    Florian 17 15-25 if city is Austrian
    Odilia 25 15-25 in Strassburg & Basel

    B. Allow party to pass over large bodies of water.

    C. Increase anyone's Virtue to 20 if less than 20

    D. Cure the Plague

    E. Prevent ambushes

    F. Prevent animal attack

    G. Scaling walls

    H. Detecting evil in castle encounters

    I. Purify evil sites

    J. Dealing with travelling clergy

    K. Improve Speak Latin/Read/Write for University training

    L. Improve Artifice for picking locks, etc. in mines, castles, & the Fortress

    M. Make armor impenetrable to flame weapons

    Various other saints could also be listed, but for their high virtue requirement. In general, I try to visit the Monks in each town in order to check out the saints available for study. When the Wild Hunt comes, maybe you will be lucky and already have the saint you need -- virtue does not matter in this instance. Also, many saints temporarily increase strength, endurance, weapons skills, armor value, perception, etc. Reading the saint's "biography" will advise you of the improvements. There are a couple of saints that actually are bad influences; Giles of Portugal is one I can think of. He will permanently decrease strength and endurance.
     

    NOTE (CMB): The information given on each saint is fairly accurate when dealing with game information. Unfortunately, you can't read that until you've learned about the saint. In the Basic and Standard settings, it isn't necessary to read them carefully as the game will give you the list of saints for each situation, but in the Advanced mode, you must be aware of the characteristics of the saints from reading their blurbs. The info provided in the manual is not really enough, although it does give you the level of virtue required.

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    Summary of Darklands Hint Book
     

    NOTE (CMB): All material quoted from the DARKLANDS HINT BOOK for the purpose of this review has been identified by indenting the text. Identification of provenance will not be given in each individual case.

    --This review contributed by GRL--

    Darklands Clue Book:

    I have purchased many hint/clue books over the years for computer games. I made it a policy to buy books for those games that I enjoyed completing enough to want to have a hard copy of what completing the game entailed. The Darklands clue book stands forth as one of the best I have owned. It covers the details of the game in depth. At 124 soft-bound pages, it encompasses everything from character generation, to what bonuses every Saint gives, and to the answers for every riddle. The version I purchased included a 3.5 disk which had the Version 6 Upgrade, a Character Editor, a program that allowed visualization of all Screen Backgrounds, and a program that allowed you to play all the Darkland
    Tunes. The date of printing is 1992 and the book is textual in nature with no illustrations.

    The layout of the clue book is as follows:
     

    1. Introduction
    2. Ebhard's Guide to Adventure
    3. Character Creation
    4. The World
    5. Equipment and Combat
    6. Enemies
    7. Alchemy
    8. Religion
    9. Quests
    10. Puzzles and Answers
    11. Final Notes

    Below is a brief summary of each chapter with relevant examples.

    EBHARD'S GUIDE- A few pages of fiction which describes the making of a game party.

    CHARACTER CREATION- This chapter is divided into tables which give all the information about each choice made in character development. I have copied excerpts from each table type to give you a sense of the information contained.
     
     
    Childhoods: Wealthy Urban Occupations: Monk/Nun
    EPs 90 EPs 23
    End -1 End __
    Str __ Str __
    Agl __ Agl __
    Per +1 Per -1
    Int +1 Int +1
    Chr __ Chr __
     
     
    Attrib Start Free Buy Total
    wEdg 4 0 4 4
    wImp 3 1 4 5
    wFll _ 2 6 8
    wPol 3 0 6 6
    wThr _ 1 4 5
    wBow _ 0 4 4
    wMsD 3 0 4 4
    Alch 2 1 4 5
    Relg 5 4 5 9
    Virt 1 5 5 10
    SpkC 5 1 4 5
    SpkL 1 3 9 12
    R&W 5 3 9 12
    Heal 1 2 8 10
    Artf 1 1 4 5
    Stlh 1 0 2 2
    StrW 2 0 0 0
    Ride 2 0 1 1
    WdWs _ 1 4 5
                            

    Special 1 x Saint

    So, a Wealthy Urban character would start with Heal=1 and would get Heal +2 free by becoming a Monk with the possibility of buying up to +8 more for a total of +10. Every occupation is covered in the same complete detail.

    These tables are followed by a Occupations and Age section. This lists the bonuses for early ages and penalties for older characters.
     
    Ex: 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
    Agl -1(-1) -2(-3) -2(-5) -2(-7) -3(-10) -3(-13) -4(-17) -4(-21)

    Reaching age 50 would reduce your Agl by 3 and you would have lost 10 total by age 50.

    The next section deals with occupation requirements. E.g.:
     

    Physician - Character must have healing 15+, and experience as either a student, clerk, professor, physician, alchemist or master alchemist.

    Therefore, mapping out a strategy for developing a specific occupation is easily accomplished using this information.

    The chapter concludes by listing the equipment each profession begins with and a suggestion of important skills.

    THE WORLD- This chapter contains an extensive list of the cities in the game. E.g.:
     
    City Map Size Cath Univ BkSm SdSm Arm Bwy Artf Clth Slm Lhaus
    Danzig H1 7 Yes No No 26 25 25 25 26 Yes Yes

    Sizes range from 1-8 and the numbers below the various weapon shops are the quality of wares that they sell. Of note, Clothmakers sell non-metal armor in versions higher than 6 only. Squinting at the map in order to find a city is alleviated by the location numbers. Finding which cities offer those wonderful 40+ weapons and armor is also a breeze.

    The Saints offered by each location are randomized at the beginning of each game.

    The end of the chapter describes the various locations found with in cities and in the countryside. The descriptions are short and concise.

    EQUIPMENT AND COMBAT- Once again, tables are used to cover the specifics of each weapon and armor. E.g.:
     
    Weapon Speed Pen Dmg Skill Str Wgt Rarity Price
    Falchion 45 2 10 14 15-29 4 4 170

    Where lower # for speed are faster, and str above the range receive bonuses.
     
    Area Armor Thickness Wgt  Rarity Price
    Vitals Scale 3 21 5 900
     
    Other mundane equipment is briefly described, as are the encumbrance levels.  The chapter goes on to describe combat in great detail (6 pages). All "To Hit" and "Damage" probabilities based on str, weapon skill, equipment quality, type of weapon/armor, situational effects and speed are spelled out. Admittedly,
    this section is a bit tedious. I prefer to just build up my skill, buy good weapons/armor and just assume that this is a good thing to do.

    ENEMIES- A very interesting chapter. After all, we all want to know just what is behind all those nasties that have been trashing our party. Replaying the game after buying the manual, though, I did notice that some levels of enemies are not covered. The information is presented entirely as tables, E.g.:

    Templar or Preceptor:
     
     

    Name  Type End Str Agl Melee Missile
    Templar A 50 40 50 90 60
    B 38 35 20 70 50
    C 35 33 20 50 40
     
     
    Name Type Weapon Shield Vitals Limbs
    Templar A 2H Sword 99q L 35q Plate 55q Plate 55q
    B 2H Sword 35q L 30q Plate 30q Chain 30q
    C 2H Sword 25q L 25q Brgdn 25q Chain 25q

    Templars in Darklands are demon-worshipping monks. Types B and C are formidable warriors, with type B sometimes carrying noxious aroma potions. However, type A is the Preceptor, the Templar overlord and leader. He may have noxious aroma and/or eater water potions. The Preceptor also carries one of the most powerful weapons in the game. Unfortunately, over half of it's quality comes from satanic attributes unavailable to you (if captured it is 45q).

    Each enemy has such a table and description. Quite thorough and interesting reading.

    ALCHEMY- Have a question about alchemy? Then, this is the chapter for you!  Nothing is left out. There are three parts: alchemical formulas, probability of success equation and potion effect description. As always, I provide an example of each below.
     
    Formula Qual Value Potion Value Compon Magic# Risk Ingredients
    iY  Hardarmor 25q 378 264 151mn High  1 Manganes,  
    1 Aqua Regia,  
    2 Nikel,  
    3 Zinken,  
    4 Sanguine Base
    BE  Hardarmor 35q 497 249 160mn Mod 1 Zincblende,  
    1 Aqua Regia,  
    3 Nikel,  
    2 Zinken,  
    3 Sanguine Base 
    LM  Hardarmor 45q 615 225 167mn Mod  1 Solanaceae,  
    1 Aqua Regia,  
    3 Nikel,,  
    2 Zinken,  
    1 Sanguine Base
                                 

    Probability of Success = k + ps + int + alch + mn, where k is a constant and the max is 99%.

    Fleadust: Anyone within the relatively small cloud loses skills based on the thickness of vitals and limbs armor. Amount varies from 10% lost (if leather and/or padded) to 50% (if all plate). The exact formula is:
     

    Skill lost = 5*(vitals thickness + limbs thickness)

    Duration of fleadust effects varies with the potion's quality:
     

    As stated, this is a very complete listing. As in the chapter concerning combat, the specific information about potion lengths of effect, % increases to stats, etc. is not really something that you need to know. However, the fact that the information is there to be referenced is a definitely appreciated.

    RELIGION - A brief description of the factors influencing prayer success and the length of the effects gained through prayer. This is followed by the complete listing of Saints. E.g.:
     

    St. Peter [53v, 25-75df, 55%]: Str +(12-19), Chr +(8-15), SpkC +(10-19), SpkL +(10-19), Heal (skill) +(10-19), wEgd +(15-29), but Per halved (temporarily). If imprisoned, this Saint may aid in party's escape.

    So, it is all there. Need to know what a Saint does, calculate how effective you would be at praying to a Saint, or find a Saint that gives the best particular bonus? Then, just look it up.

    QUESTS - 20 pages detailing then various quests and objectives of the game.  Some minor spoilers are given in these pages. An example would be particular Saints that might aid in a given situation. For greater spoilers, you are referred to a particular number in the answers section of the next chapter. Larger quests (Dragon Dens, for instance) are subdivided (intro, dragon lairs, dragon fighting, dragon causes, rewards). For instance, the Dragon Lairs section tells you that finding dragon lairs is mostly a matter of blind luck.

    It also refers you to the answers section of the next chapter where you find:

    	Dragon lairs may be found in the following areas:
    
    	(a) south of Bremen and Northeast of Hannover, in the middle of the geest;
    
    	(b) east-northeast of Köln, in a Sauerland valley almost halfway to the
    		Paderborn-Frankfurt road;
    
    	(c) southeast of Goslar, deep in the Harz, a tiny bit southeast of the
    		river source in the central part of these mountains;
    
    	(d) northeast of Frankfurt an der Order and south-southwest of Stettin,
    		in the middle of the great forest on the north side of the Warthe River;
    
    	(e) north of St. Joachimsthal, at the top of an Erzgebirge peak (the
    		specific mountaintop is just a tiny bit west of a line running directly
    		north of the city);
    
    	(f) north of Passau and south-southwest of Burglitz, on a mountain peak
    		in Böhmer Wald just south of the source of the west branch of the
    		Moldau River;
    
    	(g) west-northwest of Freiberg-im-Breisgau and north-northwest of Basel,
    		in the mountains west of the Rhine, on a west-slope hilltop between the
    		two river sources (the rivers run north-northwest toward Nancy);
    
    	(h) in the Tauren southeast of Steyr, southwest of Wien, and west-northwest
    		of Graz, in the alpine range along the south side of the small river that
    		eventually runs to Steyr and Linz. The specific mountain is near
    		the eastern end of this range.

    This information is nicely described and only read it if you choose to go to the next chapter and look it up. I am very fond of the approach that allows you to peruse the general info without major spoilers present. The information that is given is well constructed and thought out.

    Actually, I found Dragons in the two games that I completed before buying the book. Kept on refighting them too ;) The book mentions locations (it also mentions the High Sabbat locations, etc.). When replaying the game after buying the book I visited one of the locations and got the "burned out and lifeless area message", but I could not track down the lair in that location. I think you just have to look at each until you find the right one(s) in a given game.

    PUZZLES AND ANSWERS - This chapter is structured much like the last. Each puzzle is listed out with a verbal work through. The answers are not given directly, but are referred to in the latter half of the chapter. E.g.:

    	Puzzle #3:
    
    	The path is blocked by an iron door. Flanking it are two paintings of
    	grotesque dwarfs. One painting animates and speaks aloud, pointing to the
    	other: 'Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man's father is my father's
    	son. Tell me who that man is, and the door opens.' What is the answer?
    	The wrong conclusion may release a dwarf trap!
    
    	You consider carefully, then answer...
    
    	...himself
    	...his father
    	...his son
    	...his grandson
    
    	Hint: If I have no siblings, who is 'my father's son'? Answer: See #27"

    Look up #27 and you get "#27: 'My father's son' must be me. Thus, the painting is saying '...that man's father is 'me'.' Hence, the other painting is his son."

    Wow! Not only the answer, but an explanation to boot. All answers in this section are handled in this manner.

    The book concludes with a description of the various versions of the game, minor system tweaking, the use of type mem.log to check the power (1-10) of your party (sixth column) and thanks to those individuals that worked on Darklands without being mentioned in the original manual.

    I hope that my examples have given you a feel for why I rate this clue book so highly. It essentially removes all the blindspots from the game and gives you solid information to fill them. The writing is excellent and great effort is given to make all the material easy to interpret and a pleasure to peruse. My only complaint is that it appears as though the authors of the book were never listed and they did such an excellent job. Kudos.

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    On to section 6: Additional files