Introduction

Welcome to Darklands, a fantastic land where knights in plate armor rule from soaring, turreted castles; where an ordinary journey becomes a dangerous adventure; and where clerics can command miraculous powers while wizardly alchemists concoct awesome potions. This realm is chaotic and violent. The roads and rivers are unsafe. Justice is uncertain. Bribery and corruption are commonplace. People's darkest fears are real: awful dragons ravage the countryside, strange creatures infest underground mines, loathsome witches dispense crippling curses, and satanic cults seek to ensnare the unwary. Darklands is based on a real time and place: Greater Germany in the 15th Century. The strange, miraculous and magical elements simply reflect popular beliefs, superstitions and myths. This is an era before logic or science, a time when anything is possible. In short, if medieval Germans believed something might be true, in Darklands it may actually be true. Darklands is a fantasy role-playing game. You direct a band of heroes (your "party") in search of immortal fame. You can actually create the type of heroes you desire, using the character generation system, or you can use pre-generated characters. You travel across the Holy Roman Empire, as the realm was then called. The Emperor is weak, while the Princes constantly war among themselves. You can visit more than 90 different cities, as well as innumerable castles, hamlets and monasteries. You will find unique dangers and surprising terrors. There are many opportunities to perform heroic deeds--actions that people will remember long after you pass. Someday your fame might rival that of Beowulf, Roland, and other great medieval heroes whose stories are still remembered today. We invite you to enter the Darklands, a place where reality is fantasy, and fantasy reality. Begin now a lifetime of quests and adventures...

Written by Arnold Hendrick
Copyright © 1992, 1993 by MicroProse Software, Inc. All rights reserved.