SPACE 2/SPACE - Library 2 - Volume 1.iso/demos/98/readme

Text File | 1987-01-15 | 10.6 KB | 232 lines

                   PIRATES OF THE BARBARY COAST

     PIRATES OF THE BARBARY COAST is a one-person, strategy/action
game based on the true factors of the Barbary Coast pirate days in
the late 18th Century.  It is basically a trading game,  in  which
the player is the captain of a trading frigate who has to trade in
the  various  Barbary Coast seaport towns in order  to  raise  the
ransom money to get his daughter back from Bloodthroat the pirate.
He  has a limited time period in which to do this.  The game  also
features  the option of finding a buried treasure on one  of  four
possible islands. Once the captain has located Bloodthroat, he can
go to Bloodthroat's hideout,  and either pay the ransom, fight the
pirate,  or both.  Along the player's travels,  he will  encounter
hostile pirate fleets who often attack his ship.

Setup and background:

     The player takes the role of Captain ( player's name ), owner
and  operator  of a trading frigate that normally sails  back  and
forth between London,  Lisbon, and Casablanca, carrying goods from
one port to another.

     While  anchored in Casablanca,  Captain ( player's  name  )'s
daughter,  the  lovely Katherine,  was captured and has been  held
prisoner by members of Bloodthroat the Pirates's crew. Bloodthroat
has sent a messenger to you, Captain ( player's name), saying that
he is willing to return the young maiden for  the "reasonable" sum
of only 50,000  pieces of gold.  It must,  however, be paid to him
within  the next thirty days or he will have to sell Katherine  to
one  of  the  many slaving crews that work off  of  the  coast  of
Africa, where he knows she will bring a very good price indeed.

     Bloodthroat also says that he will not reveal his whereabouts
until  the 25th day,  and then only to one of the Trading  Masters
that  lie outside of the pirate-controlled cities of  the  Barbary
Coast.  He also mentions that the Trading Master will have to have
a deposit of 25,000 gold doubloons before he will tell you  where
Bloodthroat lies awaiting.

     And so the game begins...

     Captain ( player's name ) has a 74 gun frigate,  the American
Star,  he  has  his crew,  and has at that time only  5,000  gold
doubloons'  worth of materials in his hold.  It will take him  too
long to sail back to Boston Harbor,  his home port, and borrow the
funds,  so  he is forced to begin trading up and down the  Barbary
Coast in an attempt to raise the ransom money.

     Captain  (  player's  name ) looks over  maps  of  the  North
African  coast  and sees that there are 7 major  ports  where  the
money can be made. These are...

          1). Casablanca, in Morocco

          2). Tangiers, in Gibraltar

          3). Algiers, in Algeria

          4). Tunis, in Tunisia

          5). Tripoli, in Libya

          6). Bengasi, in Libya

          7). Tobruk, also in Libya

     Due to the fact that the pirates have interrupted the  normal
flow  of goods in those areas,  ( in fact,  the pirates ruled  the
entire Barbary Coast area for most of the time from 1556 to 1867),
there  is much money to be made by having the right goods  at  the
right  place  and the right time.  Severe  shortages  and  natural
weather disasters,  along with pirate raids, often make the prices
soar  on  certain  items.  By buying at one port  and  selling  at
another,  a  shrewd trader can accumulate vast quantities of  gold
doubloons and other valuable items.

     However, this is not without its risks... the roving bands of
pirates  often  waylay and attack the  trading  ships,  plundering
whenever and wherever they can. Fortunes can easily be lost. These
roving  bands of pirates have hidden havens not only in the  ports
listed  above,  but  also in the islands off the  coast  of  North
Africa. Four of their major haunts are...

          1).The  Canary  Islands,  with its  many  uncharted  and
             uninhabited islands,  ( Lat.  28N30,  Long.   15W10);

          2) Cape Verde ( Lat.  24W00,  Long.  16N00),  where many
             of  the  most  famous  treasures   were  buried.  Its
             terrain was  barely accessible,  the seas were rough,
             and  it was surrounded by a coral reef that meant  it
             could only  be approached by rowing your long boat  a
             long way to reach its rocky shores.

          3). The Azores ( Lat. 38N03, Long. 28W00)

          4). Madeira Island ( Lat. 32N45, Long. 17W00)

     Sometimes, the pirates left treasure buried on these islands,
and it is also a good bet that Bloodthroat lies in wait on one  of
them. (You'll have to play the game to find out for sure, though)

     Very often,  roving bands of pirates will attack you as  when
you move from port to port.  Here's a few hints on  surviving
those battles...

     1).  Make sure you have plenty of cannonballs and  gunpowder.
These  items  are  very expensive,  so using  them  wisely  is  an
important  part of the strategy.  Your ship can carry only  thirty
rounds (cannonballs) and thirty kegs of gunpowder.  Once they  are
used up,  you must return to port and purchase more before  daring
to enter into another battle.

     2).  Your cannons can change their trajectory by winding  the
cannon  sights up or down,  so it is wise to fire a round and  see
where  it  lands  before firing a broadside.  Your  ship  has  the
capability of firing one round,  five rounds,  or a fifteen  round
broadside,  so here again,  strategy in how you fire your  cannons
will play an important part in winning the game.

     3).  You have the choice , if you are lucky enough to win the
battle,  of either boarding and retrieving booty, valued at varied
amounts, or retrieving the Ship's Log.

     4).  Ship's Log:  THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT APECTS OF
THE GAME. A PIRATES SHIP'S LOG WILL CONTAIN MANY THINGS, INCLUDING
WEATHER INFORMATION,  INFORMATION ON PORTS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVASTED
( WHICH MAKES TRADING THERE VERY PROFITABLE),  THE LOCATION OF THE
PIRATE  ISLANDS  AND  THEIR  BURIED  TREASURE  IF  ANY,   OR  MOST
IMPORTANTLY, THE WHEREABOUTS OF BLOODTHROAT HIMSELF.

     5).  Damage  control:  In  a sea battle,  your  ship  may  be
damaged.  You  must return to one of the seaports which  have  the
facilities  to repair a 74 gun frigate.  If you  don't,  you  risk
being overpowered by the pirate fleets, which have fewer guns, but
superior numbers. Remember, the costs of ship repair may also vary
widely,  possibly taking a large part of your holdings,  so  there
are times when it will be prudent to break off a fight and run  to
port for repair, thus being able to live and fight another day.


The Strategy of Trading:

     Each of the seven ports you will encounter in your quest will
have  a  Master Trader who will come on board  the  American  Star
after  you  anchor  in the harbor.  He will ask you  if  you  have
anything you wish to sell,  and he will offer you various  amounts
for  certain goods,  and the offers  will vary from port to  port.
Remember the strategy of the Ship's log...  if you found out  that
all  the silks in Tripoli were burned in a pirate raid,  then  you
would  want  to ask a higher price for those  goods,  and  not  be
buffaloed  by  the shrewd Master Trader.  He will try to  buy  the
goods  at  HIS price,  so use the  skills  you've  aquired;  trade
shrewdly.)

     Trading Post:

     Each  port has its own Trading Post and  Repair  Center.  You
can either get your ship repaired,  or buy items at the  Post.  In
the Trading Post,  you will find the items at various amounts  and
prices.  Remember what you've learned from the Logs when buying at
these Posts.  For example. Casablanca may have had a plague and is
in desperate need of medicinal plants,  etc.,etc., etc. Also, this
is the only spot where you can buy gunpowder and  cannonballs,  so
be  sure to carry with you the amount of money you wish to  spend.
You  will  not have time to return to the ship that day  for  more
money.

     Trading Post manifest: (a sample)

          1). Gunpowder  and  Cannonballs ( which  are  purchased
              together in lots of ten.)

          2). Muskets and handweapons

          3). Medicinal plants ( which can help heal wounds  from
              battles).  Note:  these could be poppy plants, which
              would be quite valuable in some pirate havens.

          4). Bags of cocoa

          5). Sheep's Wool

          6). Tobacco

          7). Tea

          8). Spices

          9). Silks

          10). Rum

     Some of the pirate ships you meet will have the  information
that  there is a substantial amount of booty buried on one of  the
pirate's islands, and they will have a map of its whereabouts. The
map will have to be deciphered.  A typical example would be, " Out
of the North,  the winds will blow;  the whistling winds will blow
through the fork in the rocks. The hazards of the Cave can be seen
from there.  Thirty paces may be the way,  or the pitfall may tell
the tale" ( This could mean that you must go South on the  island,
as the winds blow FROM the North, go to the fork in the rocks, and
look  towards the Cave.  If you go the full thirty  paces,  you'll
fall  into the pit,  but from the ledge of the pit,  the  treasure
spot can be seen.)

     The Final Battle at Bloodthroat's Island:

     You've made it this far,  but now the real trauma begins. You
might have raised all the money,in which case you could decide  to
pay  the  ransom and get the lovely Katherine back.  You  see  her
dangling  from a tree in a gilded cage,  tears streaming down  her
face and your heart goes out to her.

     However,  that  same sight could easily enrage you,  and  you
might    decide,   hang  the  money,   you're  going   to   fight.
Bloodthroat's ship,  however,  is a 100 gun ship-of-the-line,  but
its  crew doesn't have the experience that YOUR crew has  gathered
in these last days of fighting.  You figure that a  broadside,  if
fired first,  might sink him, but if you are wrong, the last thing
you will know,  as you sink into the sea,  are the screams of your
daughter  as she sees the terrible life to which you  have  doomed
her.  Furthermore, you might not have any choice... If you haven't
raised the 50,000 doubloons for the ransom, fighting is your only
option.

              Good Luck and Good Sailing, Captain!!!


                                             From the CREW at

                                                STARSOFT.