A Map by Julia Skipper paladin1@istar.ca

Vital Statistics:

Magellan's Map Category: Medium Single Player
(Winter 1998 Coliseum Contest)
Map Name: Roc 'Round the Clock
Map Edition: Expansion
Size: Medium
Players: Single 1H/5C:
Human-Wizard
Computer-2 Sorceress, 
1 Warlock, 1 Wizard, 1 Necromancer
Victory: Capture Castle
Loss: Timed
Difficulty: Normal
(experienced players may find it Easy)
The Human Side has been Exhaustively Playtested.

Rhetorical Question: 
     We all know what happens to heroes defeated in battle. 
(They reappear at your castle, looking for work.)
But what happens to heroes defeated in a campaign? 

Narrative:

     For untold centuries, the Rocs of Roc Islands lived in 
peace and prosperity, under the benevolent rule of the Roc King. 
Then, a band of defeated adventurers landed on the shore.
With the Roc King's permission, they settled and built human 
style improvements: fortified towns, Towers to warn of invasion 
by sea, and magic gates to keep the wolves from the door.
The gates were no barrier to the rocs, or the other flying 
creatures that inhabited the land. The human magicians who lived
there, however, retreated into their own territory. With the 
breakdown in communication, the will to co-operate with each 
other also dissolved.
     Then an ancient evil arose in the land (It always does).
It caused the protective power of the Roc King to wane. His only
defense was to send out rocs to guard the wise ones who knew the 
secret of the magic gates, and barricade himself in his castle.
An evil necromancer, The Pasha Tisroc, discovered this weakness, 
using his divining magic.  He is gathering a vast army of undead 
to invade and subdue the island. He will surely be invincible in 
a year. That is, unless someone can find the source of the roc's 
curse, and capture the Roc King's Palace to employ the mighty 
magics sealed there. This, of course, is where you come in.

Dramatis Personae:

Pierre: (That would be you.) A young wizard, son of the warlock 
and sorceress who were instrumental in developing the defenses 
of Roc Island. Unfortunately, your parents disappeared while 
adventuring over ten years ago. You were raised by the family's
trusty retainers, including:

Nanny: The capable old roc-hen in charge of the roc nursery.
She's a real dear, but tends to treat you like a child.

Sir Roc-Chester: The garrison commander and your armsmaster.
He's been waiting for a nice war for a spot of excitement.

Cedroc: The castle wizard and your instructor in magic. He loves
making doom laden pronouncements, and performing dramatic 
entrances and exits.

Elt-roc: The town bard, and your music and history instructor.
He has recently gone off seeking fame and fortune, hoping to 
become a roc-star.

Roc O'Rolly: The Leprechaun, your childhood buddy. His love of 
practical jokes may get him into trouble.

Then there are the leaders of the other factions-

Lord Draco: A warlock with the power of polymorph, and a pet
peeve against people who pester his dragon.

FireOak: A sorceress who has named herself after a dryad, to 
show her kinship with the trees. She and her phoenixes have 
isolated themselves in their territory, and are especially at
odds with the other Sorceresses, who are led by -

Quicksilver: The Queen of the Sprites. She is the only other
Hero who is up on current events.

Cephas: A former warlock, this wizard is happy to contemplate
the perfection of his own lands.

Jewel: This Sorceress turned Necromancer has an axe to grind.

Traveller's Guide.

No spoilers here, just a few suggestions.

1. Don't Worry, be Happy! This map is actually easy for most, if 
played at normal difficulty. At higher difficulty settings, the 
computer advantage will kick in.

2. Take your time, enjoy your visit. This is an explorer style
map. Although you don't have to beat any of the other colours
to win, there are places you have to find. Don't worry about the
time limit, it is there primarily for storyline. There are lots
of (hopefully) interesting and amusing events scattered about 
the map. If you try to beat the map in record time, you'll 
probably miss them. 

3. One for the Road. Check your tavern weekly for rumours. 
It will be profitable at best, at worst worth a chuckle or two.

4. Bad news for builders. There is only one town you can build 
up to a castle, and somebody else will probably do it for you.
The main use for resources is converting them into cash for 
troops. This also means you can't recruit new hero for a while.

5. You'll have to wing it. Most of the troops you will come 
across are flyers. Adjust your battle tactics accordingly.

6. Don't get greedy! With only one hero, you can overload 
yourself with junk artifacts, and miss the event goodies.

7. Don't Jump to conclusions. You have very little chance of 
getting dimension door. If you do, be warned it will do little
good in reaching your goal.


Credit where credit is due: 

     The song lyrics for "RocK around the Clock" 
were found on the internet.
The song was originally played by Bill Haley and 
the Comets circa 1955. I don't have any further 
information on it. Trivia buffs may find references
to other popular songs and artists.

If you have any comments or constructive criticism, e-mail me
at paladin1@istar.ca

I hope you enjoy this map, and all the Winter Contest Maps!

Julia Skipper aka AngelA