wesnoth/GAME_RULES

In the Battle for Wesnoth, you take command of an army in a fantasy world,
and have to maneuver the army to accomplish one or more goals. The game is
divided into scenarios. Once you complete one scenario, you move onto the
next. A story sequence during which the key players in the game discuss
the situation occurs at the beginning and end of each scenario.

Basic controls:

    * Escape: Exit game
    * z: Zoom in
    * x: Zoom out
    * d: Default zoom level
    * Arrow key: Scroll
    * Left click: Select unit/move unit
    * Right click: Main menu, cancel action
    * u: undo last move (only moves which have a deterministic outcome may
         be undone)
    * r: redo move

When you complete a scenario, your game is automatically saved, so that it
can be loaded later. A game may not be saved during a scenario at this time.

The map is made up of hexagons. Each army is divided up into units. Up to 1
unit can be in each hexagon.

Every scenario will have your army fighting against one or more enemy armies.
The scenario will be divided up into turns. You move your units and decide
who to attack on your turn, and your enemies do the same on your turn.

At the start of each scenario, you will start with one unit, your commander,
and perhaps a few other key units. You will usually start on castle terrain.
While you're on a castle, you can recruit units into your army. Each unit
has a cost associated with it, which is deducted from your gold balance
displayed on the right. You recruit units by right-clicking and select the
'recruit' option from the menu that is displayed.

If you have successfully completed previous scenarios, and have surviving
units in those scenarios, you may re-recruit them into your army with the
'recall' option. The recall option has a cost of 20 gold pieces for each
time it is used.

Scattered around the map are villages. If you move a unit onto a village, it
will turn to your army's color (red). For each village you control, you earn
revenue of 2 gold every turn. For each unit your army has fielded, you pay
expenses of 1 gold every turn.

Each unit can move a certain number of hexagons every turn. Typically foot
soldiers will be able to move 5 hexagons every turn, but this will vary
depending upon the unit. However, some terrain types are more difficult for
some units to traverse than others, and units may move at half, a third, or
a quarter of their normal speed over some types of terrain. Additionally,
some types of terrain cannot be traversed at all by certain units.

If you click on a unit, all the hexagons it can move to this turn are
colored, while all the hexagons it cannot move to are displayed in black and
white. You may then click on the hexagon you want the unit to move to, to
move it there.

If a unit moves next to an enemy unit, it must stop moving immediately.
A unit that moves next to an enemy unit may attack the enemy unit. You can
do this by clicking on the unit, and then clicking on the adjacent enemy you
want to attack.

Every unit has one or more attacks it can use. Every attack has a rating for
how much damage it does, and how many times the unit can strike with that
attack in a turn. When you attack an enemy, they will be able to strike back
at you.

Some attacks are short range, and some attacks are long range. If you attack
with a short range attack, then the enemy you are attacking will strike back
at short range. If you attack with a long range attack, they will strike back
with a long range attack, if they have one. If you attack a unit that has no
long range attack with a long range attack, it will not be able to strike
back at all.

When a unit attacks another unit, it will be given a % chance that each
attack will hit its target. This chance to hit is based on the terrain the
defending unit is standing in. Different units have better defense in
different types of terrain.

When a unit is hit, it loses some hitpoints. If a unit runs out of hitpoints,
it is killed and removed from the game. Units are rewarded experience for
each battle they are in, and especially for each unit that they kill.
If a unit reaches its experience needed, it will become a more powerful unit.

If a unit is injured, it may move onto a village to heal itself. It will
receive 8 hitpoints back every turn it remains on the village.

Every attack has a type. For instance, swords are 'blade' attacks.
Bows are 'piercing' attacks. Each unit has different vulnerability to
different kinds of attacks. For instance, horsemen are especially vulnerable
to piercing attacks. The more vulnerable a unit is to an attack, the more
damage it will suffer against it.

On the right of the screen, an image is displayed which shows what time of
day it is. It may be dawn, day, dusk, or night. Every unit is Lawful,
Neutral, or Chaotic. It is possible for evil units to be lawful and good
units to be chaotic. For instance, a soldier might concentrate on how they
can lawfully do as much evil as they can.

Lawful units fight better at day, and Chaotic units fight better at night.
Neutral units are unaffected by day and night.

Some units may have special skills or abilities that allow them to operate
in ways which distort the normal game rules. If you right-click on a unit
and select 'Description', the abilities of that unit will be described
(This is not yet fully implemented for all units).


David White
davidnwhite@optusnet.com.au


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