textfiles/apple/WALKTHROUGHS/wime

                               J.R.R. Tolkiens

                             War in Middle Earth

                             Typed by Rusty Nail


INTRODUCTION
                Three Rings for the Elven-lords under the sky,
                Seven for the Dwarf-Lords in their halls of Stone,
                Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
                One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
                In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
                One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
                In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

The Wizard Gandalf the Grey has identified the ring bequethed to Frodo Baggins
by his Uncle Bilbo, who brought it back from an adventure long ago, as being
"The One Ring".  Forged by the Sauron, the Dark Lord, it is very powerful and
very evil.  It contains much of Sauron's power - with it he would defeat all
his enemies and subjugate the whole of Middle Earth.  Were it to be destroyed
he would be defeated.  Though it would be possible to use it against Sauron, it
would then corrupt the wielder turning him into a new Dark Lord.

Because of the magical nature of the Ring, it can only be destroyed by being
thrown into the Cracks of Doom, where it was forged.  This is the mouth of the
volcano Mt. Doom in the centre of Sauron's kingdom of Mordor far to the South
East.

Travel with the Fellowship of the Ring through Middle Earth.  The starting
group consists of Frodo, his servant Sam Gangee, and his friend Pippin.  Help
them find and gather more members into the party, to protect the Ring Bearer.

Do not delay.  Sauron is already amassing his forces of war.  He knows the Ring
still exists and is looking for it.  He has learned of the Ring's location, and
has begun to take interest in Hobbits and their "Shire".  Even without the One
Ring he is a powerful opponent.  He has armies of Orcs and evil men at his
command.  And to do his spying he has the Black Riders.  These nine wraiths,
also known as Nazgul, are each controlled by lesser rings.  Even now they are
heading for the Shire searching for the Ring and asking after Mr. Baggins.

Your first task is to guide the Fellowship safely to Rivendell.  The Nazzgul
will close in, and you must avoid them at all costs.  You must leave the shire
along The Great East Road, haed past Bree and on to Rivendell on the edge of
the Misty Mountains.  Then with the aid of the companions you will find there,
you must head South to Mordor and Mt. Doom.  You are heading into the very
heart of Sauron's power, so be prepared to face mortal danger at every step.

In addition to Sauron's forces, you will also be assailed by those of the
Wizard Saruman.  Though he was originally the leader of the Council of Wizards
opposing Sauron, he has been corrupted.  He has rasied an army of Orcs and
Dunlendings and he too is looking for the Ring, for he believes he can use it
to control Middle Earth.

You will need to mobilize the nations of the West, the men of Dale, Gondor and
Rohan, the Elves of Lorien adn Mirkwood and the Dwarves of Erebor and the Iron
Hills, or the forces of evil will win by force of arms before you can destroy
the Ring.  To do this you must find objects of power and present them to their
kings.  Listen to the words of the wise to discover the whereabouts of these
objects.

If any of the forces for good, which you control, can get the Ring to Mt. Doom,
you will win.  If the forces of evil obtain the Ring and take it back to
Barad-Dur, Sauron's stronghold in the heart of Mordor, you will lose.

PLAYING THE GAME

There are three levels:-

Full map level          This shows you the whole of Middle Earth, with forces
                        shown as dots, good in blue, evil in red, neutral in
                        green.

Campaign level          Detailed map of part of Middle Earth, this will scroll
                        if pointer is moved to an edge.  Characters are shown
                        as figures, armies as badges.  This is the level all
                        commands are given on.

Animation level         Full animation of characters.  Used for encounters.

To move up a level, use the map icaon.  To move down a level, select the
magnifying glass, position it over the area you want, and press fire.

SPEED

The game will run at three speeds: normal, hasty and very hasty.  To change
speed select the hour glass icon then click on the option you want.

MOVEMENT

You can only command characters or groups that are active, shown flashing on
the campaign map.  Select the arrow icon, position it over the force to be
ordered, and press fire.  A window will be opened listing the units in the
force - if you only want some to respond click on their names.  Then move the
arrow to the destination you want and press fire to set.  They will then
proceed to move there at their own pace, finding the best route around
obstacles that they can.

ENCOUNTERS

You will often be told of friendly encounters.  Select "Go There" to hear their
advice.  This will automatically take you to the animation level. When
characters meet, or forces meet commanders, they may follow or continue on
their way.  A window will open in the top right - select the option you want.
If they follow they will become a single force.  To see who is in such a force
just click on it.  This will open a window listing those present.  Those
following will be shown slightly indented.

COMBAT

Combat occurs when enemy forces meet.  You can ignore this and accept the
result, or go there and have some influence on the battle.  This opens a combat
window, listing all units on both sides.  Every friendly unit involved in
battle has four options:-

Charge          Move into combat
Engage          Fight where you are
Withdraw        Move out of combat, but stay close, you may rejoin combat later
Retreat         Leave the scene of battle, you cannot return.

These are indicated by a grid of squares, with the selected options shown
filled.  To change options, just point at the appropriate square and press
fire.  The color in which a character's name appears indicates his health
during the battle.  Initially, names are shown in black (healthy) lettering,
turning red when the character is wounded and grey when he dies.  Forces do not
get wounded, but when finally destroyed the unit's name is shown in grey.
To find the status of any character or forces outside combat, click on the
character and then on the status icon.

OBJECTS

You will find objects to aid you in your quest.  Some of these strengthen your
characters, others can be used to mobilize the nations of the West.  To
manipulate objects you must be on the animaton level.  Select the provisions
icon (a gauntlet grasping a flask), then the options you require.

SAVED GAMES

To save or load a game go to the full map level and open the archive menu, then
select the option you want.

LOADING THE GAME

If you have two drives, insert disk 1 into the main drive and disk 2 into your
second drive.  If you only have one drive insert disk 1 into the drive.  You
will be prompted to change the disk regularly throughout the game.

Insert disk 1 into the drive and turn on the computer

When the desktop appears, launch War in Middle Earth by clicking on it with
your mouse.  When prompted, eject disk 1 and insert disk 2.

CONTROLS

Move cursor with a mouse.  Click on Icons, Windows, etc. with the button.
The following keys can be used instead of clicking on icons:-

Key        Icon                 Description

A         Scroll                Archive (Save/Restore)
G         Arrow                 Movement Commands (Go to)
M         Magnifying Glass      Move Down a level
O         Provisions            Object Manipulation (Get/Use/Drop)
S         Eye                   Status Display
T         Hourglass             Time
U         Map                   Up a level
N         Window Option         No-continue on
Y         Window Option         Yes-accept option
P                               Pause
X                               Exit Game
Q                               Quiet On/Off


OVERVIEW

This game is largely concerned with Hobbits, and from it a player may discover
much of their character and a little of their history.  Further information
will also be found in the pages of the Red Book of Westmarch, so wonderfully
translated by the late Professor Tolkien in his works "The Hobbit" and "The
Lord of the Rings".

For those who have not had the pleasure of discovering the world of Middle
Earth a word or two of information regarding hobbits, and the other inhabitants
of that place is in order.  Therefore in these few pages we have set out a few
notes providing a short history of Middle Earth, and brief notes on the races
and important personages that dwell there.

In order to make this booklet as easy as possible it has been divided up into
sections.  There is an introduction to Middle Earth, which should provide those
who have no knowledge of the story of the Lord of the Rings with enough
background information on each of the races, characters and place in the game. 
The gameplay section tells how you actually play the game, and gives you some
hints on the ways in which you may try to win.  However, with a game of this
complexity, it is impossible to give a single strategy that will work, or
indeed to say that any strategy is doomed to failure.  Finally, we have
included a biography of Tolkien and a reading list for thos people who wish to
earn more about Middle Earth.  Separate from this booklet you will find a map,
which has the grid reference system used in the game marked on it.

OF THE CREATION OF MIDDLE EARTH

First there was Eru the one, and from his thoughts came the Ainur.  The
greatest of these were named the Valar, who were fifteen; seven lords; Manwe,
Ulmo, Aule, Orome, Mandos, Lorien and Tulkas and seven ladies; Varda, Yavanna,
Nienna, Este, Viare, Vana and Nessa, last there was Melkor who was the most
powerful of them all.  To them Eru revealed a great musical theme.  Together
they sang in harmony, and from their music the lands of Middle Earth were born.
But Melkor chose to sing a theme of his creation, and so discord was brought to
the land.  Though the other voices tried to return the path of the theme to the
original intent of Eru, it was impossible, and the lands of Middle Earth
forever bore the marks caused by the discord, and life was marred by the evil
wrought in the beginning.  Melkor was banished from the Ainur and evermore he
was known as Morgoth the Dark Enemy.

OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF MIDDLE EARTH AND THE PEOPLES WHO DWELL THERE

The history of Middle Earth is long and contains many tales, that the Elves
tell long into the night in song and prose.  Here but a few words will have to
suffice, for here we are concerned with events late in the history of Middle
Earth.  Early struggles, though fascinating, are of little import save to
introduce the main themes.  The first born were the Elves.  Tall and fair they
are for the light of the stars is mirrored in their countenance.  Elves are
uniquely linked to the lands of Middle Earth, their lives are long and unless
they fall in battle they are immortal, for they suffer no ills save on, a
sickening of the spirit and loss of desire to live.  Even then they only choose
to lay down their life for a little while and spend some time in the halls of
Mandos, before returning once more to the fair lands of Middle Earth.  Their
history is long and full of incident and its telling must be left for others.
Those who wish to know more of this ancient race should seek enlightenment in
the "Silmarillion" where many of their tales are set down with an eloquence
that I, your humble scribe, cannot match.