Roundheads ========== Roundheads ---------- It is October 1642. England has been plunged into civil war. After a long dispute with Parliament, King Charles I has gathered his cavalier forces for a military showdown. Parliament has brought together an army of its own (nicknamed "Roundheads") under the leadership of the Earl of Essex - before the rise of Oliver Cromwell to prominence. The Roundheads have their greatest strength in the South and East and they are lobbying for military support from the Scots. Each major city has been forced to back either the Roundheads or Cavaliers in the war... Up and down the country, people have deserted their work in the fields to fight. A key problem for each army is to secure adequate food supplies. Each side has its own regular army, but it must also rely on trained brands from the towns. These bands can be ordered to fight in open battle, but they have different degrees of allegiance to their side. They are, therefore, liable to defect to the other side if they move too far from their home town, or if enemy armies move too close. At the beginning of the war, the Royalist army is slightly stronger and better trained than the Parliamentarian, and it is in the interests of the Royalists to exploit this advantage before the entry of the Scots. The war is fought on two levels. On the strategic level, each side must jocket for position and territory, laying siege to key cities and towns, and moving food hungry armies around so that they may forage for supplies. In general, battles are fought at the tactical level. Each side may lay down a challenge to battle when hostile armies or trained bands are close to each other. If accepted, the action will shift to tactical mode. The field of action will appear on the screen, and forces will appear in random form. After the battle, action will shift back to the strategic level. It is possible for battle to take place at the strategic level, but in this case, the attacker is at a disadvantage unless the defending force is relatively weak. It is advisable to make battle at the tactical level. The command cursor(s) are the flashing red or green crosses (BBC) or flashing red or blue squares (Spectrum). These are moved using the joystick or keyboard. Giving Orders ------------- At both strategic and tactical levels. Move the cursor onto one of your army or trained band icon, and press Fire. The computer will emit two tones, and await the next part of the order. The icon will flash to show that it is awaiting a command. If the Fire button is held down too long, and the computer emits three tones, the order will be rendered ineffective. The order can be to move or to attack. The order can be to move or to attack. To Move: Direct the cursor to the required position, and press Fire again. Two tones will follow, and the icon will stop flashing. To Attack: Move the cursor onto an enemy icon and press Fire. The range is 5 squares at the strategic level, and ten squares at the tactical level. If the attacking icon is artilery (tactical level only), it will open fire immediately. If it is another icon, the order will be acknowledged with two tones, and the enemy icon will be pursued until an attack or the order is changed. Battle At The Tactical Level ---------------------------- A close artillery barrage on an enemy icon in open territory will reduce its strength by one point if it is a weak unit, or by slightly more if it is strong. With a more distant barrage, no more than two points can be lost. The strength of the firing artillery icon is reduced by one point each time it is fired. Cavalry icons are more destructive in attack than infantry, particularly against other cavalary. Infantry are best in defence or against weaker units. Attack your enemy with artillery and cavalry first. All combat in the game is governed by a slight element of chance. This is most crucial when the unit icons are large and of roughly similar strength. However, don't trust in luck! Your tactical skills matter most of all. Another element of uncertainty is that the strength of unit icons is revealed only when it is given an order, or after an attack. You must remember the strengths of your opponents icons. Artillery cannot move into defensible areas. In defensible areas unit icons can be combarded by artillery and attacked by another infantry icon, but not by cavalry. When in a defensible area, an infantry icon is stronger against attack. The effect or artillery on the infantry icon is much reduced, and it can result in a zero reduction of a defender's strength. Also, damage done by an infantry attack is much reduced. Incidentally, as food supplies dwindle, troops are liable to revolt! Moving From Strategic To Tactical Level --------------------------------------- 1. Three minutes must have elapsed. 2. Your cursor must be placed on one of your unit icons. 3. Either the Copy or the Shift Lock keys (BBC) - W or U keys (Spectrum) must be pressed. 4. An enemy icon must be immediately adjacent to your chosen piece. Moving From Tactical To Strategic Level --------------------------------------- 1. Fifteen minutes must have passed. 2. The Copy or the Shift Lock keys (BBC) - W or U keys (Spectrum) must be pressed. If both players agree a rapid move from the tactical level to the strategic level, then this can be achieved by simultaneously pressing the Copy and Shift Lock keys (BBC) - W and U keys (Spectrum). Two players may play the game, using keyboard or twin joysticks. There is an option for a single player to take the part of King Charles (Cavaliers), against the computer, which plays on the Roundhead side. Game Controls ------------- Roundheads: A - Left, S - Right, Z - Up, X - Down, D - Fire Cavaliers: L - Left, + - Right, > - Up, ? - Down, * - Fire Key Strategic Level Tactical Level P Pause game and give points count Pause game Return Restart game Restart game Escape Record game and Edit (during pause) None Copy Cavalier move from strategic to Cavalier move from strategic tactical level to tactical level Shift Lock Roundhead move from strategic to Roundhead move from strategic tactical level to tactical level Loading ------- Tape: CHAIN"" (RETURN) Disc: SHIFT-BREAK