WIKI
Wiki/How to play

The guide

How to play

The king went down alone after his stolen spellbook and lies on the deepest floor. The book lies halfway down. Descend, take them. Then climb back out while the monsters hunt you all the way up.

A party going down a spiral stair

Start here

  1. Build a party. One to four members, each with a name, a class and a color. A party of two or more goes after the king; one adventurer alone goes after the hero, and may go as the king. The classes.
  2. Outfit it at the surface. Nobody starts with equipment. Buy weapons, armor and plenty of rations at the general store, and practice at the training ground. What is for sale.
  3. Go down. Find the maps on each floor to open the stairs down, fight or bribe what you meet, and open chests with care. Walking the dungeon.
  4. Find both prizes, the stolen spellbook and the one who went down before you, then climb back out while the dungeon hunts you. Every torn page you carry back puts a spell back in the book. The quest.

Below is the game's own manual, a chapter at a time, with what this wiki can add beside it. In the game, F1 opens it from anywhere.

  1. 01The DescentWhat this game is, and how a run ends.
  2. 02The PartyWho goes down, and how they grow.
  3. 03The QuestThe king, the hero, and the torn spellbook.
  4. 04Walking the DungeonHalls, rooms, stairs, and the maps that open them.
  5. 05Time and SupplyTravel moves the clock, and food keeps you healing.
  6. 06What a Room Can HoldGold, chests, Baths of Fates, statues, vaults and stalls.
  7. 07BattleTurns, attacks, and where a fight happens.
  8. 08Flight and BriberyTwo ways out of a fight that do not end in blood.
  9. 09Arms and ArmorWhat members carry, and what each class may wear.
  10. 10MagicSix kinds, who may use them, and what they cost.
  11. 11Gold and the StoreOne shared purse, and stores that never buy.
  12. 12Death and What RemainsWhat death costs, and what the next run keeps.
  13. 13ControlsEvery key, and the mouse and touch.
  14. 14The four reportsMember status, quest status, the bestiary and the compendium.
  15. 15TipsWhat the game tells you on the way down.