CHAMPION OF THE RAJ
The Mogul emperors ruled India for two centuries. They brought law to the
people and graced its cities with marvellous buildings like the Red Fort of
Agra and the Taj Mahal. But by 1800 their empire is collapsing, riven by
feuds and rebellions, and India has reverted to a host of warring states.
The Thugs have taken bloody advantage of this chaos. They are evil fanatics
who murder thousands of people as sacrifices to the goddess Kali. By ruthless
terroism, they are rapidly winning power over the whole of India. No single
state can fight the Thugs, who are quickly increasing in numbers and power.
So it is vital that a strong leader emerges to unite India against them,
before they can plunge the land into a bloodbath.
You are one of six rival leaders, each fighting to unite India:
* Viceroy of the British East India Company,
* Company of the French East India Company,
* Emperor of the remnant of the Mogul Empire,
* Maharajah of the Maruthras,
* Maharajah Singh of the warlike Sikhs,
* Chief of the Gurkhas
(If more then one person is playing, you each pick a leader).
The rivals each have their own advantages and disadvantages. You should
probably try winning as the Viceroy first, and leave the Gurkhas until last;
they have great problems expanding their fledgling state in the mountains.
Whoever wins must both defeat his rivals and smash the Thugs. It will not be
easy.
PLAYING THE GAME
CONTROL METHODS
This manual describes how to play "Champion of the Raj" entirely with a
joystick, but there are three alternatives:
* Joystick: push it in the appropriate direction and press "fire" to act.
* Mouse: on menus and maps, use it as you normally would; elsewhere, move
the mouse slightly in the same direction as described for the joystick and
press the left button for "fire".
* Numeric Keypad: this is used like a joystick; press keys to move (8=up,
9=up right, 6=right, 3=down right, 2=down, 1=down left, 4=left, 7=up left).
To "fire" press 5, enter or the space bar.
You normally use the joystick/mouse/keypad to move a hand around the screen.
Most of the game is controlled by icons (little pictures for eg. Yes, No,
Talk, Fight, etc..) and you move the hand so that its finger-tip is on the
icon you want, and press fire to select it. (This is also called "clicking
on" the icon).
Only icons which make sense are shown; eg. you will not get the chance to
attack if you have no troops available. Champions of the Raj also includes
six arcade games, with different types of Indian action. Instructions for
these are displayed on the screen the first time you encounter them.
The following special functions, controlled from the keyboard work on most
screens:
* The + and - keys adjust game speed.
* The M key switches the music on/off.
* The P key pauses the game; press R to resume or C to continue.
* The S key toggles sound effects on/off.
* ^C cancels the game and quits to the operating system.
CHOICE SCREEN
The game starts at a banquet, where the six rivals to govern India have met
before going their separate ways. Select + and - to adjust the number of
players (1-6 people can play). Next, point at a sitting ruler and press fire
to make him stand, or do the same to a standing ruler to make him sit. The
standing rulers are the ones you have chosen to play. There can never be more
rulers standing then the number of players chosen, so any excess sit
automatically. When you are happily with the ruler(s) standing, select "play"
to start the game. A window opens for each ruler, so you can enter the name
of the person playing him (click above or below each letter to adjust it,
then click on OK to continue). And then the game starts...
HEADQUARTERS SCREEN
You have a headquarters appropriate for your rank and nationally, and run
your empire from here. It includes a map of India, a book (or scroll) on the
table in front of it, icons on the wall and a bell to end your turn.
MAP
The map shows about 20 Indian states and 4 port cities (which are controlled
separately from the surrounding states). Independent states have no flags or
plane blue flags while others have the national flags of there current
emperor. Capital states have crowns on top of their flag poles.
When you click on any Indian state on the map, its flag flutters, its
details appear on the book and appropriate icons appear on the wall. Clicking
on the champion, sitting on one side of the headquarters, is the same as
clicking on your own capital state. Click on the bar above the map to roll it
up or down (revealing move icons on the wall behind).
BOOK OR SCROLL
The book shows details (icons and numbers) of the current Indian state...
* State - Name
* Army - Size
* Defensive - Weaponry
* Gold
* Attacking - Weaponry
* Industry
* Minimum - Defenders
* Treasury
* Law and Order
Click on any of these nine pieces of information to find out more.
For Example, click on...
* State Name for details of religion and current status.
* Attacking - Weaponry icon for what percentage number the icon means.
* Gold icon for precisely how much tax the emperor will get next turn.
If the state is part of an empire, the Army - size, Income and Treasury
information are for the empire as a whole. If the state is your own capital,
clicking on the book lets you invest for the future.
For example, click on...
* Army Size for the chance to hire more troops, or
* Industry for the chance to invest in industry (your tax income is
proportional to the population, industry and law of your empire, so
investment is worth considering).
RUNNING YOUR EMPIRE
ECONOMY
Your tax income depends on the population you rule, and the level of your
empires industry and law.
You pay one gold for each of your troops each turn, but troops who you use
to capture another state last turn are "living off the land" and cost
nothing.
If you have a big army, its cheaper to use it!
New troops cost twice this much to hire.
You may decide to use the Book to invest money in your economy (industry and
law) to increase your future taxes, or in weaponless, (so your troops fight
better). Costs depend on the population of your empire, so it sometimes pays
to keep small.
When adding a state to your empire, it is better to capture states with good
economies, as they will benefit the average figures of your empire.
Unfortunately, the best places tend to be other peoples capitals.
STATUS
Alternatively, you can invest in a high status and select the Durbah (or
parade) icon to invite your fellow rulers to a festival. The more elephants
you hire (click on the up icons) the better. The idea is to impress people,
so they are more likely to join your empire peacefully in the future.
Select talk to negotiate with another prince. If your status is good enough,
and if there are no religious obstacles, the prince will probably invite you
to a sporting occasion. And if you prove your prowess at his chosen sports
(Elephant Racing or Tiger Hunting), he will ally his state into your empire.
ATTACKING
Click on a state next to one of yours, and the Attack icon will usually
appear. You can attack providing that you have not already been defeated this
turn, and still have some troops available (victorious troops from previous
battles stay where they are, living off the land, and can't be used again
until next turn).
Select the attack icon, then click on up and down icons to adjust your
troops, and finally on OK. As a general rule, attacking troops need at least
2:1 odds to do well.
If the defender is also a player, let them adjust their defending troops in
the same way. (You also get to do this, if you are the defender and eg. the
computer is attacking you).
If the battle is likely to be a walk-over, the computer handles everything
without bothering you.
When you capture the capital of an empire, you must capture the rulers
palace in order to gain full control. (see later for the game). Succeed, and
all the vassal states of the empire are captured with its capital. Fail, and
you only get the capital.
ARCADE GAMES
Your decisions in the "random" events in the game often lead to arcade game
sequences. The guru appears whenever the game loads, initially to give you
instructions and subsequently with wise advice.
TIGER HUNT
Even today, tigers kill dozons of Indian people each year. At the time of
the Raj, much of India was plagued by rogue tigers. These man-eaters must be
shot, to save hundreds of lives and what greater proof of your skill and
courage can there be then to kill an animal which is willing and able to kill
you and others?
Steer the cross-hairs to aim and press fire to shoot. The recoil kicks the
gun sideways, but you have a second barrel still to fire. Miss twice and you
are in trouble, because reloading takes several seconds.
ELEPHANT RACING
Climb atop your elephant and you are ready for off.
This is a vertically scrolling game, where two elephants race south along a
wide earth track between grandstands of spectators. And the first elephant to
get a nose past the winning post wins.
Push the joystick left and right to steer, up to slow amd down to speed your
elephant. Or press fire and move the joystick to whip in the corresponding
direction. Watch out for dirty tatics from your opponent, and don't go to
fast for the ground underfoot.
CAPTURING THE PALACE
You have captured the capital state of an empire, but your troops are still
dealing with the remnants of the defeated armies (those who have not
already run away).
Then news reached you that the former rulers are preparing to leave thier
palace and lead the vassal states of the empire against you. Unless you can
reach the palace soon, you will find that you have captured the capital but
lost your empire.
You must make your way up the screen and enter the palace gates. Push the
joystick in any of the eight directions to move, and push fire to shoot.
Avoid the enemy bullets, and don't shoot women.
BATTLE IN THE THUG TEMPLE
You rule all India and your armies, freed from the need to battle your
rivals, are driving back the Thugs on all fronts. But the fight is far from
won. The Thug priests are plotting a coup against your govermant tonight, and
they could yet seize power unless you stop them. There is no time to gather
your troops.
The only chance is for a lone attacker to creep into the Thug temple, seize
Kali's jewel which symbolizes their power, and escape safely with it. The
Thugs obey whoever controls this artifact, so you will have broken their
power forever.
Find the statue of Kali, grab the jewel she guards (just walk up to it) and
escape from the palace alive. Push the joystick in any of the eight
directions to move, and push fire to shoot. Avoid the Thugs and their knives.
SWORD FIGHTS
I suspect that more Indian royalty have lost their lives to assassins then
all the other causes of death put together. There are plenty of people who
would like you to die suddenly and mysteriously.
In the sword fight game, you need not control indivdual blows. Even if you
were to do nothing but watch, your champion and his Thug opponent would
attack and parry each others blows roughly alternatively. Control is by
moveing a highlight across a 3*3 grid...
Left to right movement controls wether your hero tried to attack stand or
retreat. In turn these effect the probality of parrys working (retreating is
safest, but a hero can only retreat so far).
Up down movement selects high, middle or low blows. Each opponent is move
vunerable to one attack type then others, and your aim is to learn his
weaknesses and exploit them. Press fire to replace the next blow (or parry)
which the computer has picked for you by the blow that you prefer. Keep a
watch on the wounds you have suffered. It is better to retreat a little and
live, then to attack valiently and die or your injuries.
