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Gemfire (SNES)
A Guide by Greg Hartman
Contact: good_catholic_boy /at/ yahoo /dot/ com
aolim: goodcatholicboy9
-if you are lame, don't bother contacting me
-if using email, please indicate in the subject that you are asking me
about this guide. very rarely do i bother opening emails from people i
don't know that have blank subject lines. If contacting me via my aol
screen name, be warned that i check it sporadically so I very well might
not get your message. Email probably works best.
-the only language i can speak with any degree of clarity is english.
please, if you are contacting me, do so in english (although if you require
an answer that is only half-intelligible, german might work also).
definitely do not bother emailing me in any other language; i won't even
respond.
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Version History
Version 1.0 (8/15/04)
-first version - it ain't perfect, but what is in this life?
Version 1.01 (8/19/04)
-proofreading, some slight error corrections
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Contents:
I. Preface
II. Starting a game
III. State Commands
IV. Battle Commands
V. Fifth Units
VI. Events
VII. Tips/FAQs
VIII. Legal
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I. Preface
Gemfire is an early Super Nintendo strategy game released by Koei that
allows a player to control a specific faction in a fantasy-styled war
simulation environment. A player can control any number of ruling familes
that are in rebellion against the tyranical Lankshire family, the evil
and oppressive empire that has terrorized the people.
The game differs slightly from traditional strategy games by including a
kind of wildcard in the form of 6 different gems. Each gem allows the
holder to summon its particular spirit for use in battle. The game also
adds some variety by including several different monsters and
mercenaries that a ruler can hire for use in battle.
Overall, Gemfire is a relatively enjoyable simulation game that is not
extremely hard just to pick up and play for a short while. Hopefully, this
guide will make it even easier.
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II. Starting the Game
There are four different scenarios from which to choose. In each
successive situation, the Lankshire family becomes slightly weaker and the
rebellious factions become slightly stronger in terms of overall strength.
Your choices are as follows:
1. Erin and Ander: The first scenario - here, the Lankshire family is
by far the most dominant force, controlling a large portion of the map and
the extremely powerful dragon gem. You can play as the following familes:
a. Lyle - Probably the easiest ruler you can pick to play as here. They
start fairly secure in the northwest corner of the map and have a
good chance of eliminating the Chrysalis family early on to secure a
second (albeit lousy) gem. Ander himself is a very powerful ruler,
and the Pluvius gem is second only to the Dragon.
b. Blanche - These guys are a very close second to the Lyle family. The
Zendor is a second only to Pluvius as far as controlable rulers' gems
go, and Erin has almost identical stats to Ander. Not being able to
easily steal the Chrysalis family's garbage gem barely hurts them at
all.
c. Coryll - This family is a little more difficult than the Lyle or
Blanche. Lars is not quite as good as either Erin or Ander, and their
gem, the Emperyon, will have a much harder time standing up to the
dragon. They start close to the Flax family, which gives them a
chance to possibly snatch up another gem, but my experience has taught
me that 9 times out of 10 Lankshire will beat them to it. Still
playable, but probably not the best idea for your first time.
d. Chrysalis - These guys are the scenario's losers. Garth is only an
average ruler, and his gem, the Chylla is pretty much the worst. To
make matters worse, he has to expand outwards through Ander's domain
before he can do anything else. Really the only advantage they have
is that their state's island is very safe from invasion and relatively
easy from which to expand outwards.
2. Flax's shame: Here, the Coryll family has been eliminated and Lyle and
Blanche have gained some power. There is a new family, the Tates, in state
11. You can play as the following families:
a. Lyle - Ander has gained a state and a little bit of domestic
abilities. He has a good starting position, and, with the power of
the Pluvius, is still the best playable ruler.
b. Blanche - Erin has also gained a state and some war ability. He has
a slightly weaker position than Ander, but is still a close second.
c. Flax - Having defeated the Coryll family, Erik has a somewhat
secure position from which to expand. The main problem is, of
course, that any advances he makes will have to be into Lankshire
territory. The relatively weak Scylla doesn't help him much here,
although there are worse gems. Not the best choice for a beginner.
d. Molbrew - Prince Leander has gained a territory since the first
scenario, but he has a very weak gem in Skulryk and not much in the
way of talented officers. He can also make for a tough play.
3. Terian's War: This scenario has relocated the Tate family to the far
west of the country, and eliminates the Chyrsalis and Molbrew families.
Erin and Ander both gain some territory, and the Tordin family springs up
in the south. Of those you can play:
a. Lyle - There isn't much new to be said here. The Lyle family has
gained control of some new lands as well as the Chylla gem, which
serves as a worthy backup to the Pluvius. They are still the best
choice out there.
b. Blanche - Erin has gained the Skulryk gem as his backup, and still
represents the next strongest choice.
c. Tate - Terian is in basically the same position he was in the prior
scenario, except that he has relocated to the land formerly of the
Molbrew family. The Empyron is a powerful enough gem for him to
do some damage.
d. Tordin - These guys are the losers of the scenario. They start with
no gem at all, and are on the fringes of the Lankshire family's
lands. It'll take some skill (and a lot of hired units) for them
to fight their way out.
4. Gemfire: This is the final scenario, and the one where the King is the
weakest. Erin and Ander are very powerful. Of those you can play:
a. Lyle - Basically the same as the prior scenario, except for the
addition of a new territory. By this point in the game, Ander is
more powerful than the King himself.
b. Blanche - Erin is roughly equal in power to Ander, as usual. His
brother, Pender, has defected to the Lankshire family.
c. Tudoria - More or less a repeat of the Flax family with a different
name. The Scylla will help them a lot, however, since they will
probably tangle with Terian before they engage the Lankshire family's
real strength.
d. Divas - Loryn, a former servant of the king, has taken up the role of
loser in this scenario. With no gem, they are going to need a lot
skill in order to win. Their best bet is tricking Pender to switch
to their side.
Once you pick your ruler, you will be given a brief commentary by a few
of your officers about the current war state. You will then be asked to
choose an advisor. Whomever you pick makes almost no difference at all,
since they all basically say the same thing with slightly different prose.
Having chosen these options you will next see the world map and,
eventually, your own turn will come about.
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III. State Commands
Upon your turn you will be presented with your particular state's info
screen. It lists the following statistics from top to bottom, left to
right.
a. Gold - The amount of gold in the state. The max is 999. Gold is
used to hire troops or monsters (and to pay their salaries), for
investing in your state's growth, or to buy food. Gold is collected
in September as a function of your city's economy and people's loyalty.
b. Food - The amount of food in the state. The max is 999. You use
food primarily to feed your army while it is in the field, but can
also sell it for cash or give it to your people to raise their
loyalty. Your army collects food in September as a result of taxes on
harvests (a function of your state's farmland development).
c. Troops - The amount of soldiers in your state. The max is 999. You
(obviously) use soldiers to invade neighboring territories. You gain
soldiers by drafting or through specific events. The plague or other
disasters will lower your troop count.
d. People's loyalty - The loyalty of the people in this territory. The
higher this value, the more taxes you will collect. You raise it
by giving food to the people. A disaster, such as the plague, will
lower it. The max is 100.
e. Farm - The development of your state's farmland. The higher this
value, the more taxes you will collect in September from your harvest.
You can increase this value by spending money to develop the
farmland. It decreases as the result of warfare or a disaster, such
as a flood, hitting your territory. The max is 200.
f. Protection - The protection of your state from natural disasters.
The higher this value, the less damage your state will suffer as a
result of a disaster. You can raise this value by investing gold to
develop it. It decreases in the event of warfare or a disaster. The
max is 200.
The Commands
There are 4 basic categories of commands for a state. Broadly, these are
Military, Domestic, Diplomatic, and Information and are symbolized by
a sword and shield, a statehouse, a flag, and a knight, respectively. An
* next to a command indicates that using the command expends the district's
turn for the month.
A. Military
1. * Attack a neighboring state. You will have to specify the number of
soldiers you want to send, as well as how much food to bring along
with them. Food (obviously) feeds your army in the field. If
you run out, you will lose the battle, so make sure to bring enough.
It costs roughly 22 gold per 100 soldiers you are going to deploy.
In my experience, battles (against the computer, at least) rarely, if
ever, exceed five days in length - keep this in mind when deploying
your army. See the section on warfare commands for more information.
2. * Recruit soldiers. This will hire soldiers immediately from your
current state. Each soldier costs 2 gold. There are no adverse
effects after recruiting soldiers.
3. * Move troops. Move a specified amount of soldiers to a neighboring
friendly state.
4. * Hire monsters. Hires a fifth unit of monsters or mercenaries. The
amount of money you pay up front is the same amount of quarterly pay the
unit will demand. For example, if you pay an ogre 50 gold to hire
him, you will also pay him 50 gold every season to retain his services.
If you cannot afford to pay a unit's maintenence costs, he/they will
desert you.
B. Domestic
1. * Develop. You have two choices here, cultivation or protection.
Both cost 10 gold and will raise the respective value anywhere from
2-5 depending on your governor's political/domestic ability (the one
that looks like a sheet of paper). Repeatedly developing your
territories is virtuous in Gemfire, and can result in random events
occuring that will either raise your officer's abilities or improve
your state.
2. Trade. This command allows you to trade food (either buying or
selling) with the local merchant. Prices can either be "high,"
"average," or "low." If you think back to your introduction to
economics class, you will probably remember to buy low and sell high.
3. * Give food. Distribute food to your peasants in an effort to earn
their loyalty. The higher your officer's charm, the greater the
increase in loyalty will be.
4. * Transport. Move goods to another city under your family's command.
C. Diplomacy
1. * Ally. Forge an alliance with another family. You and your ally
will not be able to attack each other. You can break the alliance
at any time with the break alliance command, which is also listed
here. Besides mutual non-aggression, there is no other advantage to
allying yourself with another power. The Lankshire family does not
enter into alliances.
2. * Negotiate
a. Defection. Try to trick another family's officer to switch sides
and join your force. If you select a family's capital, you can
recruit any officer who has yet to be deployed. This command works
very well and should be used often early in the game to recruit a
pool of officers from the Lankshire family. If you recruit a lord,
control of his state will switch to your faction.
b. Surrender. Try to force another family to surrender to you. This
only works if they are quite weak and you are quite powerful. Many
of the very powerful rulers (Erin or Ander, for example) probably
will not surrender.
3. * Sabotage. This command attempts to lower the quality of a
neighboring state. If the commanding officer of the state has a
high domestic ability, this command is more likely to fail.
Sabotaging is vastly inferior to plundering.
4. * Plunder. This command lets you steal a percentage (a large
percentage) of food and gold from a neighboring province. The higher
your abilities are in comparison to the leader of the target states
the higher the chances for success. This command is a great way to
increase your gold or food in a pinch.
D. Information (or miscellaneous commands)
1. View. Lets you view any state in the land for free. Once you select
the state you will also be given the following options.
a. One - view the data of one officer in this family. The number
next to the officer's name indicates the state in which he currently
resides. Any officer not currently ruling a territory as lord will
have your capital listed as his home state. There are four abilities
in which an officer can be rated (three if he is not a ruler).
i. Domestic/Political ability (represented by a slip of paper) -
this value shows how proficient an officer is at developing either
the protection or cultivation of a province, as well as how well
he avoids domestic type plots (such as sabotage).
ii. War ability (represented by a sword and shield) - this value
shows how proficient an officer is at fighting in the field. An
officer with high war ability will have sturdier troops that will
inflict more and take less damage when in combat.
iii. Charm (represented by a heart) - this value affects how well
an officer can win the loyalty of his subjects when he distributes
food. I think it might also affect the success of diplomatic
commands such as defections and alliances, but I am less sure
about this.
iv. Fame (ruler only - represented by a little badge) - this shows
how famous your ruler is throughout the land on a scale of 0-100.
This value might have some effect on surrendering or defections,
but I am unsure about this. It goes up as you conquer more land
or as positive random events occur.
b. Many - views all the family's officers. A large crown indicates
that the officer is the ruler, a small crown indicates the officer
is a lord (ie rules a state) and a helmet signifies that the
officer is not currently assigned to rule anywhere. Hitting A will
toggle pages if there are more than one.
c. Land - view all the lands currently controlled by this family. All
of the info here has the same labels as it does on the state info
screen. A shield indicates that a province is the capital of your
empire, whereas two cross swords indicates a province ruled by a
lord. A picture of a flag means that there is currently no lord
assigned to the territory, but that you are ruling it from another
location. This is generally bad, because your stats will be
lowered greatly in any province you rule that is not the capital.
A picture of a tower indicates that a territory is currently
entrusted to the care of its governor.
d. 5th Unit - view all the fifth units currently employed by the
state. The number next to the flexing soldier indicates the
strength (in either numbers, or, in the case of gems, the HP) of
the unit. The number below is the quarterly salary currently paid
to the unit. Generally, the better the unit, the higher the
salary. A graph to the right indicates the range of the unit. The
areas that are red indicate areas where the unit can attack if
positioned in the center. A Gem will sometimes have a number
listed next to its name. This indicates how many months must pass
before it can be used again, as a gem can only be used once every
three months. You can't view the fifth units of a foreign state
without using the search command.
2. Change lord. This command allows you to change the current lord of
any state underneath your control. Once you pick a state you'll be
asked who you want to rule the territory. You get three choices:
a. You - your ruler will rule the state from afar (and suffer stat
penalties). Generally, you do not want to do this unless you don't
have enough vassals to rule all your states or you are trying to
quickly build up your ruler's stats by having him rule many states
at once (see the tips/faq section).
b. Lord - the lord of another state will change the state he rules to
this one. Lords can only govern one state at at time. The lord
of this state will then rule the state the second officer is
vacating.
c. Vassal - a vassal who is currently not ruling any other state will
assume control of this province.
3. Entrust - This command allows you to delegate control of a state to
its lord. Generally, you do not want to do this to border states
unless you are very lazy, because the computer will not impress you
with how it chooses to govern your provinces. The cancel command
allows you to regain control of an area that is currently entrusted
to its lord.
4. * Search - This allows you to investigate another enemy controlled
province to determine what fifth units are currently stationed there.
Sometimes the use of this command will result in you finding a rare
item that will increase the abilities of an officer. It costs 5 gold
to use this command, and it expends the current state's turn.
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IV. Battles
A Battle breaks out (not surprisingly) when one army invades the state of
another family. The attacker (in red) begins on the left and the defender
(in blue) on the right. In the top corners of the map are the names of
each sides' commanding officer and the total amount of food each army has
in its possession. The number in parentheses represents how many more
days each side can remain in battle with their current supplies.
Immediately after the battle starts, the total amount of soldiers are
divided equally into quarters, with each segment of your army being
assigned to four (really three) different units types, as follows.
1. Horsemen - These guys move three spaces instead of two. They attack
adjacently.
2. Archers - Archers have the advantage of being able to attack from
long distances, but they have no close range attack at all. They move
two spaces.
3. Shield Knights - The units move two spaces and can build fences.
4. Knights - Same as Shield Knights, but with a different avatar.
Battle commands are incredibly simple. You move a unit by selecting it
and then designating where you would like them to move. If, at the end
of their turn an enemy unit is in their attacking range, you can select
that unit and launch an attack on it. Your attack does more damage (and,
likewise, you take more damage) based upon the direction from which you
attack. A frontal assault does the least damage and leaves your unit open
to take the most casualties, whereas a flanking or rear assault can do
more damage while limiting damage to the attacker. The game's AI is very,
very poor, so you should be able to almost always attack from at least a
flank.
Knight units have the added skill of being able to build fences. Fences
serve as temporary barricades which prevent any unit incapable of flight
from moving onto or through a battlefield square. The more soldiers there
are in a unit, the more likely they are to be able to successfully erect a
fence.
Any unit that ends their turn next to a fence can attempt to knock it down
with the "break" command. Again, the greater the strength of the unit, the
higher the chances of succcessfully knocking down the fence.
You can end your turn, toggle the unit animations, or withdraw your entire
army at any time by pressing B and selecting the corresponding command
from the menu.
The battle continues until either one side is totally defeated, one side
captures the other's flag, or one side runs out of food. After a battle is
over, there is a chance that the victorious side will capture the losing
commander. The captured general can be either ransomed, released, or
banished. Sometimes the other family will refuse to pay the ransom and you
can hire the captured officer. Othertimes, the officer will refuse to
join you, even after his family has refused to pay the ransom. Banishing an
officer removes him from the game completely. Finally, if you capture the
head of a family and recruit him the rest of the family will surrender to
your army.
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V. Fifth Unit Types
*Note: Gems (and the Pastha) have hit points instead of a soldier count.
Also note that every time they attack they lose a set amount of hit points
(about 10%) regardless of whom they are attacking and what kind of assault
it is. The more hit points the gem has when it attacks, the more damage it
does. These units cannot be defeated, but rather retreat when they are
in danger of possibly being destroyed. Finally, note that gems can only
be used once every 3 months.
*Alright, another note: in the descriptions, a range of "adjacent" means
that a unit can attack a unit directly next to it. "Long" means the unit
can attack a unit at long distances only (basically an extention of
adjacent). "Box" means the unit can attack any unit that is two squares
away from it, in any direction. Basically, this means any unit within two
squares that isn't either next to or diagonally bordering it. "All" means
the unit can attack any unit within two squares of it, including diagonals.
These are the fifth units available in the game:
I. Gems
Name: Dragon
Hit Points: 160
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: All
Movement: 2
Game's Note:
Commentary: The best fifth unit in the game. The only way to get it, of
course, is to conquer the Lankshire family, which generally takes a long
time unless you are playing the last scenario. Still though, if you have
it, it will be hard to lose.
Name: Pluvius
Hit Points: 160
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Box
Movement: 2
Game's Note: The supreme sorcerer
Commentary: The best gem you can possibly start with. Very powerful, and
all the dragon has over it is a slightly more flexible range.
Name: Zendor
Hit Points: 150
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Box
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Master of Lightning
Commentary: Basically the same as the Pluvius, but better mobility and
slightly lower HP. Still a great fifth unit.
Name: Empyron
Hit Points: 140
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 2
Game's Note: Shoots jets of blue fire
Commentary: Not nearly as good as the previous three gems, the Empyron is
still a respectable fighter and better than most of what you are going to
be hiring. Used correctly, he can match up against almost any other fifth
unit.
Name: Scylla
Hit Points: 130
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 2
Game's Note: Sets the winds free
Commentary: Basically the same as the Empyron, just not as powerful.
Name: Chylla
Hit Points: 120
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Unleashes a deadly chill
Commentary: The Chylla...isn't that great. Her low hit points and
inability to strike from a distance make her pretty much the worst gem.
Just about all she has going for her is that she is free, which isn't much.
Name: Skulryk
Hit Points: 110
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Box
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Blows a cloud of poison
Commentary: Well, the long range attacks make the Skulryk slightly better
than the Chylla, but he is still pretty lousy. He has a very low amount
of hit points, so the amount of damage he does is always pretty crummy.
II. Other units
Name: Pastha
Hit Points: 160
Upkeep: 0
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 2
Game's Note: Fights for moral rulers
Commentary: You can't hire a Pastha, but if you develop your state for
several turns in a row, eventually one will volunteer to fight for you.
Pasthas work like gems in that they have hit points, but will only fight
one battle before leaving for good. Pasthas are quite powerful and make
a very good fifth unit, but are still slightly weaker than the Pluvius or
Dragon, due to their limited range.
Name: Ogre
Hit Points: 100
Upkeep: 50 gold/month
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 2
Game's Note: Club-swinging giant
Commentary: Well, the ogre isn't a bad fifth unit in battle, but he's
hardly great. He is hardly a good deal at 50 gold per season, so I would
recommend passing on him.
Name: Lizards
Strength: 110
Upkeep: 60
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3?
Game's Note: Legendary fire beasts
Commentary: Not really worth the pricetag. I'd pass.
Name: Bugbear
Strength: 100
Upkeep: 30
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Throws enemy into a panic
Commentary: Similar to the Ogre, but still not a great choice.
Name: Wyvern
Strength: 150
Upkeep: 60
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3 (flying)
Game's Note: Dragon with deadly wings
Commentary: Not bad at all. A little expensive, and probably not the
ideal unit with which to challenge the dragon, but still a good choice. It
can also fly over obstacles on the battlefield, which is also pretty useful.
Name: Skeletons
Strength: 100
Upkeep: 20
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 2
Game's Note: Sword-bearing skeletons
Commentary: Well, you get what you pay for. Among the worst fifth units
in the game, skeletons are better than nothing and have a low upkeap cost.
Early in the game they are at least survivable if nothing else is available,
but later on they suck.
Name: Lancers
Strength: 180
Upkeep: 50
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Fearless footsoldiers
Commentary: Lancers are a very powerful unit in terms of numbers, and are
quite a good deal at only 50 gold/season. The problem is that early in the
game when your ruler's fame is low they will probably desert you
immediately after you hire them. If they'll stick around though, they're
among the best.
Name: Orcs
Strength: 100
Upkeep: 20
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Axe-wielding brutes
Commentary: Again, cheap but weak. For some reason it seems as though orks
are the most likely to go on a rampage (damaging your state) of all the
fifth units, but it might be my imagination. Only use these guys if you
absolutely must.
Name: Pikemen
Strength: 150
Upkeep: 40
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Zealous crusaders
Commentary: Not a bad price for what you get. Again, the biggest problem
is they'll desert you just as easily as any other mercenary group, which
make them harder to use until late in the game when your family has more
fame.
Name: Olog-Hai
Strength: 110
Upkeep: 30
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 2
Game's Note: Sharp-clawed savages
Commentary: Basically, a better version of Orcs. If you can afford the
extra gold, there's no reason not to prefer them. They also are quite
likely to terrorize your state by rampaging.
Name: Spearmen
Strength: 150
Upkeep: 20
Attack Range: Long
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Spear-heaving mercenaries
Commentary: Definitely a bargain at the price. If you have the fame to
keep them and need a fifth unit, they're a very good choice.
Name: Fachan
Strength: 100
Upkeep: 40
Attack Range: All
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Rock-heaving cyclops
Commentary: A very interesting unit, and the only unit in the entire game
that can be attacked head on by a melee unit, then just walk around them
and get a rear assault. It does have a rather low HP, so it's really not
super useful, but i still like it for some reason.
Name: Gunners
Strength: 150
Upkeep: 40
Attack Range: Long
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Expert cannoneers
Commentary: Similar to spearmen, but a little more costly. Not bad, but
not great either.
Name: Warriors
Strength: 180
Upkeep: 60
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3
Game's Note: Elite Highlanders
Commentary: Another great fifth unit, but costly and eager to desert you.
If you have high fame, however, there's no reason not to use them.
Name: Gargoyles
Strength: 120
Upkeep: 40
Attack Range: Adjacent
Movement: 3 (flying)
Game's Note: Winged monsters
Commentary: Not a bad choice, but not great either. At least they can fly.
Name: Shooters
Strength: 150
Upkeep: 35
Attack Range: Long
Movement: 3
Game's note: Sharpshooting mercenaries
Commentary: Similar to Gunners, but a tad cheaper. Not bad.
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VI. Random Events
For the most part, you get "good" events if you develop your territory and
give to the people. If you ignore these tasks, you get "bad" events. The
only exception to this is the "The X went on rampage, ravaging the
land" and natural disaster events, which are totally random. Disaster events
occur only in specific seasons, whereas other random events can take place
between any month. Anyway, here is the list.
I. The "bad" events
1. Flooding - Occurs randomly in June and damages the development of any
province in the southeast.
2. Plague - Can occur every quarter randomly and damages any random state.
3. Fires - Occurs randomly in September and can damage any province in the
western middle of the country.
4. Heavy Snows - Occurs randomly in December can damage any territory in
the far north of the map.
5. Earthquake - Occurs randomly in March and damages any territory in the
southwest.
6. Durhan rides through with the shadow of death - lowers the protection
in your state.
7. Black Annis frightened the people of x - lowers the people's loyalty
in the affected province.
8. A Banshee brought an evil omen to x - lowers the protection in the
affected state.
9. Micheviouis pixies dug up the fields of x - lowers the cultivation
value of the affected state.
10. X went on a rampage, ravaging the land - lowers all the developmental
values of the current province.
II. The "good" events
1. A unicorn empowered the ruler of x - increases the affected province's
lord's political ability and war.
2. Kind recaps cast good spells in x - increases the protection of the
affected province.
3. A captured Leprechaun left a pot of gold in x - gives the affected state
a small amount of gold.
4. A gwraig brough a charm to the ruler of x - the affected state's lord's
charm increases
5. A far gorta gathered food for x - the affected state gets a small
increase in food.
6. A fairy rounded up troops for x - the affected state gets a small
increase in troops.
7. An elvish troubadour sang songs of praise in x - the people's loyalty
of the affected state increases.
8. A Pastha offered to fight for x - you gain a pastha as a fifth unit,
free of charge.
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VII. Some Tips
1. Generally, you are much, much better off running your provinces yourself
rather than entrusting them to their lords. The AI for entrusted
territories assuredly won't impress anyone.
2. Take advantage of the fact that gems can only be used once every three
months, especially if you are fighting with the Lankshire family. Take
note of the first time they are involved in a battle and then try to attack
them within three months of that time. This way, they won't be able to
use their gem and will have to resort to either using no fifth unit or a
hired monster that is probably not nearly as powerful. You will have a
huge advantage fighting with your gem if they don't have theirs.
3. The battle AI is incredibly simple. Basically, every enemy unit will
simply bum rush your flag. This makes it quite easy to score flanking and
rear attacks on your opponents, since they don't care at all about leaving
themselves exposed.
4. If you want to power your ruler up quickly, simply let him rule several
provinces. Although he won't be a powerful governor, he can keep
developing the states and will still get the bonuses if a unicorn or gwraig
empowers him. You can max a ruler out this way fairly quickly.
5. Play against another human. It's more fun that way.
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VIII. Legal
This guide is copyright 2004 by Greg Hartman.
The game is copyrighted by Koei. Although my vast knowledge of this game
might lead one to believe otherwise (ha ha), I was not affiliated in any
way with its production or release.
As of 8/19/04, the only site that may post this guide is:
http://www.gamefaqs.com
If you are interested in posting this guide on your website, simply contact
me and I will entertain (and probably allow) your request. It is illegal
to post this guide without permission, and only a jerk would do so.
