			   Bandit Kings of Ancient China


BASIC TERMS

Before beginning play, there are a few terms you should be familiar
with.

Prefecture :  One of the 49 sections that divide the game map.
Territory  :  A Prefecture that is under someone's control.
Good Fellow:  One of the ten major characters that you may choose to
	      play.
Bandit	   :  A character in the service of a Good Fellow.
Chieftain  :  A bandit in charge of a Prefecture.
Minister   :  The villain of the game--the Imperial Minister of War,
	      Gao Qiu.
Official   :  A character in the service of Gao Qiu.  An enemy of
	      bandits.
Magistrate :  An Official in charge of a Prefecture.
People	   :  Characters that can become either Bandits or Officials.
Heroes	   :  Any Bandit, Chieftain, Good Fellow, Official, Magistrate,
	      or Minister.
Men	   :  Soldiers serving under Heroes.

Scenario 1
Lin Chong 1101 AD

The Leopard Headed kills the agents of Gai and is exiled to the
frontier.  Good Fellows:  Lu Zhi Shen, Shi Jin, Lin Chong, Wu Song and
Yang Zhi.

Scenario 2
Song Jiang 1103 AD

The Welcome Rain, against his wishes, murders his wife, the wicked Yian
Po Xi.	Good Fellows:  Lu Zhi Shen, Shi Jin, Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Wu
Song, Yang Zhi and Chao Gai.

Scenario 3
Song Jiang 1104 AD

The Welcome Rain writes a revolutionary song that leads to his capture.
Good Fellows:  Lu Zhi Shen, Shi Jin, Li Kui, Li Jun, and Chao Gai.

Scenario 4
Chao Gai 1105 AD

The Heavenly King is struck by Shan Ting Gui's poisoned arrow and falls
in battle.  Good Fellows:  Lu Zhi Shen, Shi Jin, Song Jiang, and Li
Ying.

WINNING THE GAME

Victory Conditions

Unlike past KOEI games, the objective is not to conquer the country.
This time, your mission is much more direct.  Stop Gai Qiu...
permanently.  However, as Gao Qiu begins the game in an almost
impregnable position, this is not as easy as it seems.	In order to
challenge Gao Qiu, you must become an equally powerful figure in the
Empire.  By taking territories, winning battles, and doing good deeds,
you will gradually become more and more popular.  In January of every
year, the Emperor will search the country for a champion with enough
popular support to defeat Gao Qiu.  If the Emperor decides that you are
indeed the one, he will issue you an Imperial Edict, giving you the
authority to confront Minister Gao Qiu, and hopefully, kill him.

LOSING THE GAME

You can lose the game in any of the following ways:

* If your Good Fellow dies
* If your Good Fellow is taken prisoner or becomes a Criminal
* If any Good Fellow other than your own kills Gao Qiu
* If the time limit is reached and the Northern Barbarians invade in
  January of 1127 AD

In multi-player games, when all of the players' Good Fellows are killed
or imprisoned, the game will end.  If someone decides to retire early,
the computer will take the part of that player's Good Fellow, and play
will continue.

USING THE KEYBOARD

Keys Used in the Game

Numeric Keys   :  You can use the numeric keys 0-9 freely.
Return Key     :  The prompt to hit the Return Key is represented by
		  the symbol.
Delete Key     :  You may use either the Del or Backspace Keys to move
		  the cursor back.
Alphabetic Keys:  Use "Y" and "N" when answering Yes or No Questions.
Space Key      :  Use when setting your Good Fellow's attributes, and
		  when flipping through a list of Heroes on the Main
		  Display.

Entering Responses

When entering your responses on the Main Display, numbers, and "Y" or
"N" must be followed by <Enter>.  When you are asked questions, you
will be prompted by the message "(Y/N)?" Use the "Y" or "N" keys to
respond.  You do not have to hit <Enter> in this case.	Note that you
may also use the number "0" key for a "Y" answer, and <Enter> for a "N"
answer.

On the Battle Display, use the Numeric Keypad to indicate the direction
you wish to move in.

WARNING

While the game is in progress, please be careful not to: Turn off the
Power
SAVING A GAME

Making a Save Disk

1.  Format a disk to be your Save Disk.
2.  At the opening menu, select Option "3:  Create a Save Disk."  If
    you wish to cancel this process at any time, press the Esc Key.
3.  When instructed to, insert your disk, press <Enter>,
    and wait.
4.  Hit <Enter> and start the game.

If you do not create a Save Disk before beginning play, you will not be
able to save your game data during play.  Your Save Disk can hold up to
10 Saved Games on a single diskette.




CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES

Understanding the Character Attributes

There are 255 characters in BANDIT KINGS, and although all are
represented by the same attributes, their strengths and weaknesses make
each one unique.  Also, some of the attributes will change as the game
progresses.  For a complete listing of a character's attributes, use
Command 15 <View>.

Attribute			  Meaning
Name				  The character's name
Age				  The character's age
Position			  The character's social rank
Serves				  The Hero the character serves under
Men				  The number of followers the character
				  has
Steersman			  Whether the character can steer a
				  ship
Ship				  Whether the character has a ship or
				  not
Body				  The character's present stamina and
				  health
Strength			  The character's physical strength
Dexterity			  The character's physical ability
Wisdom				  The character's mental ability
Integrity			  The character's moral fiber
Mercy				  The character's mercy
Courage 			  The character's bravery
Popularity			  The amount of popular support for the
				  character
Loyalty 			  The character's loyalty to the
				  Chieftain or Official he serves

Prefecture Attributes

Attribute			  Meaning
Prefecture			  The Prefecture's number and name
Shipyard			  Whether this Prefecture has a
				  shipyard or not
Smithy				  Whether this Prefecture has a smithy
				  or not
Gold				  The present amount of gold in the
				  Prefecture
Food				  The amount of food in the Prefecture
Metal				  The amount of metal in the Prefecture
Fur				  The amount of fur in the Prefecture
Rate				  The Prefecture's current market rate
Heroes				  Number of Heroes present in the
				  Prefecture
Men				  Total number of Men in the Prefecture
Skill				  The training level of the Men
Arms				  The arms level of the Men
People				  The number of free characters in the
				  Prefecture
Castles 			  The number of fortified lairs or
				  castles
Support 			  The Prefecture's support for its
				  Ruler
Flood				  The level of Flood Control
Land				  The productivity of the land
Wealth				  The wealth of the citizens




EVENTS

Throughout the game, events such as Floods, snowstorms, Riots, and
Epidemics will occur.  Read this section to learn how to minimize the
damage caused by these untimely occurrences.

Yearly Events

The following will occur every January:

Taxes	    :  If your Support is 40 or greater, you will receive taxes
	       in the form of Gold and Food.
Depreciation:  Skill, Arms, Flood, Land, Wealth, and Support will all
	       suffer a slight decrease due to the passage of time.
Aging	    :  The date will advance one year and all characters will
	       age 1 year.
Unrest	    :  All Good Fellows will suffer a decrease in Loyalty among
	       their Chieftains, and all Chieftains will suffer a
	       similar decrease among their Bandit followers.  The same
	       applies to Gao Qiu and his Magistrates and Officials.
	       The amount of the decrease depends on the compatibility
	       of the characters involved.

Seasonal Events

The Season will change every March, June, September, and December.

Typhoon   :  In Summer, Typhoons can occur.  A typhoon will decrease a
	     Prefecture's Flood, Land, and Wealth values, while raising
	     the Rate Value.
Snowstorm :  In Winter, heavy snows can occur.	A snowstorm will make
	     any movement (Command 4 <Move>) or fighting (Command 1
	     <Fight>) impossible.  Land and Support will decrease,
	     while Rate will increase.	In Spring, the snow will melt
	     and its effects will end.
Epidemic  :  An Epidemic can hit during any season.  Wealth, Support,
	     and Body values will decrease.  Men will die and Market
	     Rate will increase.
Festival  :  Spring and Fall bring Festivals to the Song Empire.  The
	     origin and effects of these boisterous event remain a
	     mystery even today.

Wild Beast:  This is the occurrence of bears, wolves, leopards or
	     tigers of unusual size terrorizing the citizenry.	They
	     will remain for one season.  You can hunt them down.  If
	     you are successful, your Popularity will go up.  If you
	     fail, you will risk a decrease in Popularity as well as
	     serious injury.

Monthly Events

The following occur monthly:

Rate Change:  The Market Rate will change, affecting the prices of
	      Food, Fur, Arms, Ships, and Men.
Expenses   :  Lack of Gold or Food can lead to mass desertion among
	      your Men.
Recovery   :  Body values will automatically recover.  Body will never
	      rise above the Body Maximum.
Riot	   :  A riot can occur when a ruler's Support is between 40-55.
	      This can sometimes be averted by paying Gold to quiet the
	      citizenry down.  A mistake can easily mean the chopping
	      block for that Prefecture's Ruler.



Desertion  :  When a Bandit's Loyalty to his or her Chieftain gets too
	      low, there is always the chance that Bandit (or
	      Official), will leave his or her master.

MAIN COMMANDS

Command List - This is a list of the Main Commands and Exile Command
that you may use on the Main Display.

Main Commands

     1.  Fight		Go to War
			Go on Expedition
     2.  Service	Flood Control
			Cultivation
			Construction
     3.  Make		Ships
			Weapons
     4.  Move		Hero
			Provisions
			Go into Exile
     5.  Negotiate	Ally
			Invite to Lair
     6.  Travel 	Return to Lair
			Go to Marketplace
			Go Downtown
			Go to Smithy
			Go to Shipyard
     7.  Solicit	Gold
			Metal
     8.  Hunt		Food
			Fur
     9.  Personnel	Swear Brotherhood
			Promote
			Exile
    10.  Organize	Hire Men
			Assign Men
			Assign Ships
    11.  Train
    12.  Feast
    13.  Rest
    14.  Give		Citizens
			Hero
    15.  View		Your Home Prefecture
			Other Prefecture
			Your Territories
			Alliances
    16.  Interrupt	Save
			Wait
			Sound
			Animation
			Fixed Displays
			Quit
Exile Commands

     1.  Flee
     2.  Recruit Hero
     3.  Settle
     4.  Rest
     5.  View
     6.  Interrupt





How to Enter Commands

Game Turns - Every month, every Prefecture will get a turn in which to
execute one command (aside from Empty Prefectures).  The order in which
a Prefecture's turn comes up is random and will change every month.
However, you will only be able to input commands for those Prefectures
under your direct control (your Home Prefecture, and any Territory
ruled by your Sworn Brother or Sister).  All of your other Chieftains
will execute orders on their own.  You can exercise some control over
what kinds of commands your Chieftains will be executing by sending
them standing orders using Command 9 <Personnel> Option 4<Issue
Orders>.

Entering Commands - Use the numeric keys to enter the number of the
command you wish, and press <Enter>. Sub-commands are entered
similarly.  If you make a mistake, you can go back by using the Delete
Key before you hit <Enter>. You can view a list of all possible
commands by pressing <Enter> instead of a number.  You can return to
the Main Display by pressing "0" key. Invalid commands, 
such as going to a Shipyard in a Prefecture that has no
Shipyard, will be highlighted in red.

Who Will Execute Commands - When you enter a command, you must
sometimes select someone of your band to carry these orders out.  Often
it will be yourself (your Good Fellow) but sometimes you will want to
use Sworn Brothers or Bandit followers instead.  As all commands
require different abilities, you will want to be careful in making your
selection.  All commands will cost the executing character a certain
amount of Body points.	If the characters's Body is too low to pay this
cost, the character will be unable to carry out your orders.  The
amount of Body required varies according to the difficulty of the
command.  When a command is successfully executed, the character who
carried out the command will receive an experience bonus.  The
attribute that will increase depends on the type of command completed.
For example, successfully completing a <Make> command will cost the
character 15 Body Points, but will increase his Dexterity Experience by
15 points and his Wisdom Experience by 10 points.  When Experience
reaches 100 points, the corresponding attribute will increase by 1
point.	Experience will return to 0 and must be built up again.  For
example, if a character's Strength Attribute becomes 100, that
character's Strength Attribute will immediately increase by 1 point.
Strength Experience will return to 0, and must by built up again.  This
is to reflect a character's growing experience in using his or her
attributes to the best advantage.