The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

PLUNDER

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade; Strategy; Elizabethan Trading Game

Author             : D. G. Evans

Standalone Release(s)   : 1984: PLUNDER, CCS, £5.99

Compilation Release(s)   : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron

Actual compatibility    : Electron, BBC B, B+ and Master 128

Supplier            : CASES COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, 14 Langton Way, London SE3 7TL

Disc compatibility     : ADFS 1D00, CDFS 1D00, DFS 1D00

Instructions

"A game of Elizabethan strategy. The year is 1587 and Spain is preparing a massive Armada. To finance this enormous fleet, the Spaniards are running gold from the American continent back to Spain. Your task is to patrol this area and prevent the gold reaching Spain in the time allocated. Ferocious sea battles are enacted. After each salvo, damage and casualty reports are shown so that you may decide to re-engage the enemy or retreat. If you win you will need the gold you plunder to pay for the damage to your ship and shangai more crew. You are determined to be more successful than your hated rival Sir Francis Drake. There are three levels of difficulty and two types of game."

1. Object Of The Game

You are the captain of a British galleon. You have been commisioned by Her Majesty to stop the Spaniards running gold from the New Lands to Spain. To earn a knighthood you must achieve one of the following:

                                                    Gold pieces stopped

    Short Game          Level 1                            20,000

    (60 turns)          Level 2                            40,000

                        Level 3                            60,000

    Long Game           Level 1                            40,000

    (120 turns)         Level 2                            60,000

                        Level 3                          120,000

2. Information Available

A high resolution chart of the Atlantic Ocean is displayed showing your position. Continuous reports showing:-

GOLD ST          -   Number of gold pieces stopped.

TURNS            -   Number of turns elapsed.

GOLD             -   Number of gold coins on board.

WEATHER          -   Weather conditions in the area of your ship.

MORALE           -   Number of victories. This factor will affect the morale of your crew and their fighting effectiveness.

WEAPONRY         -   The number of annons operational. Note: maximum number allowed is 30.

MEN              -   Number of men on board. Note: maximum number allowed is 400.

SHIPS            -   A measure of the soundness of the ship.

CAN'LOST         -   Number of cannons destroyed in last attack.

MEN LOST         -   Number of men lost in last attack.

D.P. LOST        -   Number of Damage Points lost in last attack.

3. Decisions Required

When to attack or not.

Whether to fire cannons or go alongside and board the enemy vessel. (If the enemy is too damaged the enemy will sink and the gold will be lost.)

When to return to a port to make repairs and replenish the crew.

Whether to explore uncharted islands or abandoned ships.

Whether to trade in the bazaars of the port.

4. Playing The Game

When the game starts you are in command of a ship which appears on a high resolution map of the west of Europe, the Atlantic, northwest Africa and the east coast of America. Through use of the cursor movement keys, you ship is manoeuvred about the map. What the weather is like determines how easy it is to find the Spaniards. When one is found though (and there are four types of ships) the lookout informs you that one has been spotted. You are then given the option of attacking/retreating and then firing/boarding. If you decide to attack a graphic display of your choice of combat is then enacted. The fight is conducted over a number of rounds. At the end of each a result of the action is shown.

Dotted around the map are seven ports masked in red. On entering the location of a port a graphical representation of the harbour is displayed. The player must then manoeuvre his ship through the other ships in the harbour and land against the dock. At the dockside is a marketplace where various services/goods can be purchased. The various prices are all set up at the start of the game and vary from port to port. Trading goods from one port to another is one way of obtaining gold to finance repairs.

5. Hints On Play

If your ship has less than 11 Damage Points left, it will sink. If your crew falls below 20 then the crew will lose control of the ship and the ship will sink. Spanish ships are easier to find when the weather is calm or mild than when the seas are stormy.

Spanish warships have more fire power than galleons or merchant ships or troop ships. Avoid engaging in early stages of the game.

Instructions' Source   : PLUNDER (Cases Computer Simulations) Back and Inner Inlay

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