You can also return to the MI Index or to the main Last Homely House.


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              m     m
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        ee    m m m m    oo    nnn     sss    t      ee    rrrr
       e  e   m  m  m   o  o   n  n   s      tttt   e  e   r
       eeee   m     m   o  o   n  n   ssss    t     eeee   r    News 11-25-93
       e      m     m   o  o   n  n      s    t     e      r
        ee    m     m    oo    n  n   sss      tt    ee    r         #19
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     Howdy, and welcome to another timely issue of the Monster Island email
newsletter!  Here we report the latest news and rumors, and compile
information from a vast number of players, all to help *you* have more fun
with your monsters!  Before we start, I would like to thank Morgan Hatrick
of the Blood Moon Tribune for telling players about us in his newsletter.
Circulation went up by almost 25% after BMT #8 came out.  Thanks, Morgan!
 
Headlines this time:   Temples!  We got Temples!
                       Far Inn Price List Update
                       New Departments; Capture, Stats, & Demigods                                     Group Update
                       Far Inns & Forges
 
     Publication data:
 
eMonster News is published ideally on the 25th of each month, come hell or
high water.  Publisher and Editor is warden@triton.unm.edu ;
send all submissions, questions, letters of comment, and subscription info
to that address.  eMonster News is distrubted free for the asking to anyone
able to receive it on INTERNET, CompuServe, GEnie, Delphi, America Online,
or any other service tied into the net.  Current press run: 97. To avoid
problems with my mailer, I send this out in batches; for a full listing of
players on the net, send a note to Scott (below).  Please copy, post,
print, or otherwise distribute this newsletter to as many players as you can;
especially if they have email access.  We want to promote this here game!
 
Editor & Publisher            Scott Micheel      warden@triton.unm.edu
Keeper of Blurbs              Aaron Fuegi        fuegi@cs.colostate.edu
Group Man                     Brian Derks        normandyknight@cup.portal.com
Monster Mapper & MI BBS       Jim Wuerch         71203.255@compuserve.com
Weapons/Armor Expert          Shawn Bilodeau     imaginos@imagesys.com  
Capture Creature Captain      Larry Barrows      lrdbear@aol.com
Statmaster                    Jack Vinson        vinson@unagi.cis.upenn.edu
Seeker of Demigods            Ben Vincent        bjvincen@mtu.edu
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
  Temple List (greatly expanded)
 
The following is a list of all known Temples.  All coordinates are in the
Fire Riders system.  A few Fire Rider landmarks are included to help you get
your bearings.  Note that temples marked with a * appeared on two or more
lists and are pretty safe bets.  There are some problems; if anyone has
actually visited these Temples please correct me.
 
Thanks to Aaron Fuegi, Chris Meyer, Ben Vincent, Robert James, and Joe
Henderson.  Note that monsters in the european games can at least use these
locations as Temple Ruins, or to verify an existing temple 'cause the maps
are similar.
 
y    x
496, 395        Odd Terepus Far Inn
439, 390        Grackle, Grouse, & Grail Far Inn
380, 403        Claw & Tooth Far Inn
329, 379        Grimley's Fiendish Spot Far Inn
252, 377        Crooked Nose Far Inn
 
--- Shroud -------------------------------------
 
y    x
501, 481       *English 2       North Kunbar
491, 368       *Shroud's Own    Upper Gwardon
478, 416       *Black Death     Jagged Mor North
468, 470       *English 1       North Kunbar
467, 445       *Fire Rider      North Kunbar
447, 491       *Shroud 1        North Kunbar
395, 390        Shriek          Jagged Mor Mid
368, 431       *Shroud 2        Jagged Mor Mid
354, 404       *Shroud 3        Jagged Mor Mid
337, 375       *South           Mid Gwardon     
                                                
329, 361        Shroud 9        Mid Gwardon     
298, 390       *Shroud 4        Jagged Mor South
298, 435       *Shroud 5        Jagged Mor South
288, 403        Twilight        Jagged Mor South
284, 474       *Shroud 6a       South Kunbar    <6a & 6b are too>
284, 484        Shroud 6b       South Kunbar    
272, 361       *Shroud 7        South Gwardon   <7 & 8 are too close>
250, 370       *Shroud 8        South Gwardon
 
--- Fuvah --------------------------------------
 
y    x
500, 428       *Fuvah 1         Jagged Mor North
482, 458       *Fuvah 2         North Kunbar    <2 & 4 are too close>
467, 445        Fuvah 4         North Kunbar    <3 & 4 are too close>
447, 441       *Fuvah 3         North Kunbar
360, 382       *Kreegah         Jagged Mor Mid  
355, 378        Fuvah 5         Jagged Mor Mid  <5 & 6 are too close>
337, 375        Fuvah 6         Mid Gwardon     <6 may be Shroud>
314, 429       *Kickboot        Jagged Mor South
291, 398       *Banzai          Jagged Mor South
272, 361        Geronimo        South Gwardon    
258, 382        Glory           Jagged Mor South 
 
--- Kabuki -------------------------------------
 
y    x
512, 419       *Kabuki 4        Jagged Mor North  <4 & Blessed are too>
501, 392       *Blessed         Jagged Mor North  
452, 458       *Kabuki 2        North Kunbar      <2 & 3 are too>
445, 460        Kabuki 3        North Kunbar      
440, 428       *Virtue          Jagged Mor North
407, 447        Trust           Mid Kunbar
395, 390       *Kabuki 1        Jagged Mor Mid
370, 420        Wonder          Jagged Mor Mid
333, 443       *Sentinal        Mid Kunbar
329, 361       *Dawn            Mid Gwardon
309, 397       *Crusader        Jagged Mor South
279, 446       *Prophet         South Kunbar
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
  eMonster Departments
 
>>>>> The Search for Jim Wuerch <<<<<---------------
 
From: syhunter 
 
     Do you have the current mailing address of Jim Wuerch lying around, by
chance?  He is completely unresponsive to Email messages via the net so I
imagine contacting him by US mail may have better results (perhaps not, who
knows).  I am interested in buying a copy of the Monster Mapper.. So.. I
need to get in touch with him some how.  Let me know what you can dig up.
 
From: Bjorn Tore Bakken 
Subject:      Monster Mapper
 
In newsletter 18 Alan Hutton mentioned a MONSER MAPPER. If this is a
map generator for PC's, I would be grateful to recive one, if this is
possible. Any other mapping system would be of interest as well.
I'm recently using Excel 4.0 for mapping, but after seeing a map from
the White Nights of Kabuki (MI in UK), I realized that I had to start all over
again.  My slowmail adress is : BJOERN TORE BAKKEN, OSPELIA 7, N-1900 FETSUND, NORWAY.
 
From: "Dean A. Moneymaker" <73261.2651@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Jim Wuerch
 
Unfortunately, the only info the CompuServe Member Directory gives is the
following:
            Wuerch, James F.
            Richmond, IN
            United States
            73234,3410
 
However, I am the type of person that when I determine I am going to do
something, I get it done, and I've decided I would like to get ahold of a
copy of Jim's mapper.  When I got your letter saying you haven't had any
luck finding Jim on CServe or his BBS and seeing as I still haven't got a
reply on CServe I went to a bit of trouble and got ahold of Richmond
Directory Assistance.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't tell me his physical
address, but I did get his phone number.  I imagine that he is just
on vacation or something, in which case the number isn't going to help. 
If it does, please let me know (I don't want to call myself, because I've
had no correspondence w/ him whatsoever, and I don't want to look like I'm
fanatically tracking him down)
 
***** Now the Story Can Be Told! *****
 
Jim Wuerch, creator of the Monster Mapper for Windows (386 or better machine)
has been found!  Many of you have seen this, and the wonderful job it does
keeping track of mapping data.  You can get a standard version directly from
Advs By Mail (simply put Q3 or Q5 in the special codes area - thats 3.5" or
5.25" disk - it'll cost you 1 credit.)  Or you can get the full-blown
shareware version for $20, which is supposed to have import/export capabilities
(to share data with other monsters) and a blurb editor, and be much faster.
The hitch was, you had to send diectly to Jim to get it, and he moved from
his Maryland address months ago.  But he has finally been tracked down!
 
Jim Wuerch is now at 3101 Woodgate Way, Richmond IN 47374.  For those of
you who already have Monster Mapper, he hasn't made any changes in a long time.
BUT!  He is currently rewriting the whole thing!  A partial list of changes
that will be included:  Paths & Trails; Multiple Window & Database Support;
A functional Blurb Editor; User definable bitmaps for terrain; Faster
performance; Time stamping and originator infor for all database entries;
and it will be more generic - you will be able to use it for any game.
 
For the latest on Monster Mapper, and MI in general, Bif's Monster Resort
BBS is a great place to visit too.  Full of mapping data and a message
board with over two thousand messages in less than a year from players
like us.  (Late reports say that Bif's is soon to be upgraded to a better
computer, a larger disk drive, and maybe a new BBS system that does more.)
To connect with Bif's, set your modem to 8N1 and call 317-962-BIFS (that's
317-962-2437)
 
 
>>>>> Capture News <<<<<----------------------------
 
From: "lrdbear" 
Subject: Capture List
 
The capture list has been updated and includes all known creatures with a
few updates from the original list.  I have already distributed a few copies
over the network.  However, we only have information on 10 of the 200
possible creatures.  I need more data... If you have some, contact me!
"INPUT......MORE INPUT"....
 
>>>>> Demigod Newsletter <<<<<----------------------
 
From: Benjamin Vincent 
Subject: Re: MI/demigods
 
I am putting out a newsletter for the seekers of Demigods.  We will share
info, tips, rumors, and anything that might help us find our common goal.
Currently the first issue is available by slowmail (send me a SASE), and
once I figure out why it gets eaten every time I try to upload it, I hope
to make it available on the net as well.  If you are interested, send me
a note.
 
>>>>> Stat Stuff <<<<<------------------------------
 
From: vinson@unagi.cis.upenn.edu 
Subject: Re: Monster Stats
 
Remember the first MI Journal you received?  It had Statistical Goals for
monsters for the first 30 turns, so you could judge how well your monster
is doing.  These were fine for young monsters, but they only listed things
like Monsterliness and Blurbs Learned.  I thought it would be a good idea
to update the list, extend it to the older monsters, and add some new
categories.  Jack Vinson volunteered to do it.  Most of you have gotten
some mail from him.
 
We need stats for Toughness, Muscle, Badness, Stealth, Monsterliness,
Number of Blurbs, and Creatures Killed; for turns 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 50,
75, 100, 125, and 150 (has anybody reached that high yet?)
 
Jack says: "I've gotten a decent response, including some from the UK and
German games.  I'm not sure whether to include those in overall stats or to
keep them separate.  I haven't started compiling them yet."
 
We will keep all information confidential, and only release the averaged
data.  We need everyone possible to send stats in.  We have almost 100
players on the net, and many of us play more than one monster.  We can get
a decent sample size if everyone participates.
 
>>>>> Group Update <<<<<----------------------------
 
From: russcal@aol.com 
Re: Cult of Nine Lives;
 
As of now we are a multi-religious group.  Everyone is welcome but
Shroudians.  We feel that if we had both Lightsiders and Darksiders in the
group there would be too much potential for mayhem.  This way the Fuvites and
Kabukians can work together to eradicate the forces of darkness to both of
their mutual benefits.  We also have been actively recruiting those who are
in search of the Demigods.  So far we have a Group of about 5-6 "seekers"
including one original Cultist.  These people are in contact with our
Co-ordinator Of Demigod Affairs - Terry Hanna.  He can be written to at :
 
                             Terry Hanna
                        5037 San Julio Avenue
                      Santa Barbara, CA  93111
 
We appreciate any contributions that anyone can make to our search for the
Demigods.  Also, anyone who is interested in Joining The Cult can write me
at:
 
                             Russell Calkins
                             Attn: SILK
                             2611 Park Dr.
                             Parma, OH  44134
 
Also, we have an intergroup Quest in progress.  You don't get anything but a
Title but it gives you something to do when you haven't quite figured out
what it is that you want to do within the game yet.  No Cultist has to
participate but they can if they want to.
 
Currently most of us are centered around The Grackle, Grouse and Grail but I
will soon be heading down to Drokorn's Stead and back up to The Broken Shield
on a quest for Disciplehood and spells.  Fuvites will be heading
Northeastward towards The Spotted Beak and Illuminated Torch for similar
reasons and the "Seekers" will be heading due East.  There will also be a few
members around our Fort which is 16 squares East and 1 square North of The
Grackle, Grouse and Grail.
 
 
From: "Larry Barrows" 
Re: The Shadow Guardians
 
Our totems are Pummel Bear, Xanxu Cave Spider and Blood Mummy, and we are in
the Jagged Mor North.
 
There is the dark, the light, and THE SHADOW.  Fuvah rules the shadow world
between dark and light.  You may hide from both dark and light, but the
Shadow Warrior is everywhere.
 
The Shadow Guardians are a new group dedicated to becoming the greatest
warriors on the Island.  Fuvah calls all to be mighty warriors and we follow
in his steps.  The group charter/constitution is available to all prospective
members.  Our group thrives on the the mix of individuals and group support. 
All members are free to pursue their common goal, while support of group
activities is rewarded with increased power/rank within the group.  As you
have asked, I will try to place a copy of the charter in a follow on message.
If you are interested in membership, send me a copy of your character data
In care of:
             Larry Barrows
             Quarters 78
             San Bernardino, CA  92409
             (909) 889-2729
 
The Shadow Guardians are looking for a few good Fuvites or potential
Fuvites to join us in becoming the ultimate warriors on the island. 
Interested parties should contact LRDBEAR@AOL.COM or CASBAHCARL@AOL.COM .
We aren't looking for just anyone...only the best.
 
 
>From Normandyknight@cup.portal.com Sat Nov 20 12:45:49 1993
Subject: group info
!Stuff deleted - ADF!
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
Subject: Inn Prices
!Stuff deleted - ADF!
 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
  Random Notes from our readers:
 
From: Benjamin Vincent 
 
One idea i've thought of trying to increse spell points or just to get 
get some bonuses: After you've already become a disciple, try sacrificing
a creature.  Neb will try it in a few turns when he visits his second temple,
but I don't know if anyone else has tried it.
 
From: Mark English
[paraphrased from his recent letter]
 
As many of you know, I am the organizer of a non-group of Shroudians up in the
North.  We have rebuilt two Shroud Temples and are headed to work on a third.
Any Shroudian up near Ribuld's Arm Far Inn in the Northern Kunbar who is
interested please contact me.  Our little gathering includes members of the
Fire Riders, the Black Death, and several unjoined monsters.
 
I have been scouting the third site with another of my monsters (who is a
ghost due to Kunbar Misfortunes).  East of Ribuld's is Korn's Far Forge, just
east of that is our Temple site.  Ghosts sense how many types of creatures are in adjoining squares.  There are *six* Loggerhead Camps within a turn of
the Temple, plus a hillock and a small cave that I've been able to find so
far.  This promises to keep us occupied in our spare time.  Anyway, we plan to
get started about December 1st.
 
Members of the Dark Knights just cleared out a Loggerhead Camp, and got a
bunch of stuff (Dragon Bone Necklace, Diamond Brooch, Trident (lvl 5 pole), and a Dragon Bone Sword (lvl 5 edged, but +2 to skill)).  It took them 40 Loggerheads.  Rumor says that it was only supposed to be 20, but that Jack reset the counter on them in mid-April.
 
I've heard from about five different players in the last week about the War
in the south!  Rumors of a battle between Light and Dark are true.  Here's
what I've been able to piece together.  Slightly south of the Blushing Lady
was a Temple Ruins, laid claim to by a member of the Guardians of Fuvah.
Unfortunatly, this claim was disputed by the Dark Knights.  In an attempt to
hold te Ruins, one of the Guardians was killed by a mass of ten or so Dark
Knights.  He yelled for help from the Stark Fist of Fuvah (who ignored him)
and then to the Disciples of Light, who responded.  With surprise on their
side, the DoL were able to kill at least one Shroudian (Zbignew) in the
first round.  I'm told that the Dark Knights plan to stay and fight.  My
own (godless) monster finds that very few monsters are left at the Blushing
Lady, they all seem to have run to join the fray.  *I'm* going to quickly
leave the combat zone.
 
Hijacked from a DoL newsletter:  "Nightrunner was able to get inside a Shroud
Temple using a LV order, but wasn't able to get into the treasure room or do
any damage, just loot the storeroom.  A message said a Spell might be
neccesary, and a PS at the end of my turn said the spell is Seal/Open Temple
Door.
 
Any Shroudian in the North or anyone interested in exchanging data please
write.
 
Mark English
339 E 600 S #1104
SLC UT 84111
 
From: usvkn7xn@ibmmail.COM 
 
Each time that you kowtow for new spells (only at this time) you will receive
an increase in your SP max and the regen rate.  You also regain enough SP to
put you at your Max.  Therefore it is advised that all Disciples issue a seal
temple door for all of their SP before kowtowing for more spells...
  
SM> "How many bit coins and 'talismans' were there?"
 
I am not yet convinced that the Treasure Trove in the Treasury of the Temple
 affects the SP gain significantly.  I am willing to
compile all of the info I have in regards to my own spell gains if someone is
interested in compiling this with other peoples info.
 
Warning: if you want to encounter enemy monsters 'tween turns you should NOT
buy advanced stealth.  About 10 of us were sitting on the Shroudian Temple in
an attempt to catch a few Shroudians.  Unfortunately we were all too stealthy
and only 1 or 2 of us would encounter the Shroudians visiting the temple for
their sacrifices.
  
??> I was going over blurbs and came across the Sea blurb. Has anyone built a
??> raft and been to an island on the coast?? I would really like to know if
??> this is posible.
  
I have talked to Jack about this (quite some time ago).  He indicated that the
Bori tree was indeed used to make a raft but that he had not yet activated the
required coding to add it to the game.  He indicated that he did not yet want
monsters "floating" all over the place.
  
From: cfjones@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (jonesey)
 
I want to answer the person who inquired about making a raft.  a few months
ago, I was on the north coast in jagged mor, and I found (twice) a Bori
Tree.   I have never seen this guy anywhere else, and nobody seemed to know
anything about it.  During the discussion, it came up that Jack had not
worked on the raft travel section of the game yet.  Also, I quested three
or four times at the Bori Tree, but to no avail.
 
I figured out how monsterliness is calculated.  If this is old news, kill me:
To get the increase, add up your increases in: toughness, muscle, badness,
stealth, blurbs, kills (maybe more obscure stuff) then add or subtract: your
net change in total number of items. e.g.: toughness +1, badness +3, blurbs +4
and kills +3 along with a net loss of 2 items would be a monsterliness change
of: (1+3+4+3-2)=(+9)
 
From: JHAGEDORN@VAX1.UMKC.EDU
Subject: saddle bags and stuff
 
YES...I have word from Jim McClure that Jack has decided to put saddle bags
in the game (so he requests that people stop 'bugging' him about them).  We
will have to wait a while though, since Jack is working with demigods and
the unkown region.  Here is what I know about them..
 
1) you will have to xfer items into you saddlebags and take things out
2) items in saddlebags will be invisible as far as questing and using
3) different mounts will be able to carry different number of saddlebags
4) saddlebags will be a purchasable item (far forge??)
5) it will be possible to snatch saddlebags (one drawback)
 
I want to thank everyone who wrote ('bugged') Jack and got this in the game.
 
Another thing that I found out is that weapons training at a Far Inn raises
your monsters skill the amount it would take to go from the bottom of one
skill level to the bottom of the next level.  So what does this mean?  It means
that if you are close to getting skill level 4 in edged weapons and pay to
get skill level 4 in edged weapons you will end up being somewhat close to
getting skill level 5.
 
Here is a bit of information that will sicken those of you who have failed
to bring down loggerheads...
 
Sam (Mike Overstreet's monster) hit two different loggerhead camps this turn;
the first time he hit the loggerhead with one rock for 5 pts then cast
a fireball spell for 23 killing the loggerhead...He did not even touch it!!
Later in that same turn he hit another camp he killed this loggerhead after
hiting it with a fireball for 22, one hit with a smite pike for 10, & one
hit with a smite pike for 1 pt....
 
Some people are so lucky...
 
From: "Kenneth H. Mitchell" <73424.2560@compuserve.com>
 
A question: I haven't joined a religion because I am very interested in
the Demigods and heard a rumor that *not* already having a religion might be a
prerequisite when they're found. Now in this issue of your newsletter somebody
says you might NEED to already be in a religion. Any clue as to what I should
do?  Is it really worth waiting anyway? Do you need a religion just to survive
farther East where the Demigods are going to be found anyway?
 
From: jmh@anubis.network.com (Joel Halpern)
 
For those interested in Jazzercising, at 222 Muscle starting, three Jazz
for 26 each netted 1, 2, and 1 muscle.
 
Question:  There is a note in the Far Inn blurbs that if one stays at
the Inn for more than 1 week, the rates may go up.  Does this mean that the second consecutive stay is more expensive, or the third?  And does this apply to I7 as well?
 
From: JHAGEDORN@VAX1.UMKC.EDU
 
I got a turn back for Norm.  He did not get any spell pts regenerated this turn
eve though he has only 12 out of his 21 max pts.  Has this happened to anyone??
 
Joel asked about increased prices for staying more than one week.  I think that
that refers to ending your turn at an inn and not haveing a turn run for two
or more weeks.  I am not positive of this as I have not paid to stay at an
inn for two consecutive weeks.  I do know that working (I7) at an Inn for two
consecutive weeks does not affect the money you receive.
 
Finally I am looking for maping information around the Blazing Arrowhead Far
inn.  If you have mapping info for that area or might know of someone who would
please let me know.
 
From: INT201A49@orion.depaul.edu
 
I also run a group in Adventurer's Guild, another game from ABM. I know there
are a lot of people who use internet in that game too. If you know anyone in
the game please let me know.
 
Sender: "lrdbear" 
 
The  America on Line service is developing a rather large MI group.  There
is an on-line Bulletin Board and even a company rep who signs on
occasionally.
 
I like the idea of non-church ranks Jack has mentioned.  However, isn't
that maybe the function of the group instead?  My group is developing a
rank structure and have published draft guidelines.  I can send a copy of
what we have if you're interested.
 
From: Thingfish 
 
Do Hillocks recycle after getting cleaned out?
What are the benefits of wearing a TOMK necklace?
Where the *&^%$#@!! can I find Brawn Elixer or an inn that will teach me
the secret?
 
From: jmh@anubis.network.com (Joel Halpern)
 
Jazzercised 3 times for 26 each, getting 1, 2, and 1 muscle.
(I did not receive any muscle for my I7.  I had seen one note which
said that one does.  Is that only sometimes?)
 
(Three swuares lined up, 2 with dactyls, one with a Smite)
T 4 - Entered Square, Killed Dactyl
A 116 - Can not find another one (not surprising)
T  6 - Enter Square, Kill Dactyl
A 116 - Can not find another one (not surprising)
T 6 - Enter Square, Kill Smite
T 2 - Re-enter Square
A 116 - Still can not find Dactyl.
      A message in one of the newsletters suggested that exiting and
re-entering a square would let you find the creatures in the square again.
 
From: fuegi@cs.colostate.edu (Aaron D. Fuegi)
 
        Do you know if geyser squares provide water to satisfy thirst, and do
you know if geyser squares can be used as not only the spot for using Reptron
Salve but also the place for making it?
        The only way I know of to get multiple kills of the same creature in
a square in a single turn is to put capture on for that creature and do kill
captures (KC) and of course this will only work for the type of creatures you
have the equipment for and can easily capture immediately.
 
ps. I haven't tried the leave the square and come back trick but would think it
might work???
 
From: INT201A49@orion.depaul.edu
 
Anyone know when the new MI instruction book is coming out?
Also, if you capture and kill a creature do you get a kill?
 
To: obleman#d#eric@ssdgwy.mdc.com (Obleman.Eric)
 
>Scott, I represent a group of
>seven monsters all around 30 turns into the game.  We are not interested in
>joining a group or following a god; however, we are concerned about the 
>general attitude of those who do.  As leader of the band and the only 
>monster with outside contacts, and indeed access to internet, I would like 
>some advice on how to prevent unfortunate conflicts.  We are only interested
>in surviving the creatures, not other monsters.  Thanks - EO
 
*****Editor gets long-winded...
You raise a thorny issue.  I can tell you that the situation is not as bad
as it looks.  The main place for those of a fanatical bent to posture is
the Blood Moon Tribune; indeed it is edited by the only player to ever
boast openly about killing two monsters in his own group.  It tends to
attract the most vocal, rabid players.  Not everyone is like that.
 
A number of groups are multi-deity, like the Fire Riders and Order of the
White Rose, and get along among themselves quite nicely.  While there are
those like Shroud's Own and the Disciples of Light who will attack on sight,
they are fairly few and far between.
 
If you are non-aligned religiously, you will avoid most of these attacks.
The religions are mainly hostile to one another, not to neutrals.
 
If you do not belong to a group, you will be less of a target to anyone
in a group... the feeling is that neutrals don't pose a threat, while
those of any other colors just might.  A reflection on our own society,
in some ways.  Who says games aren't educational?  Sad, but true.
 
Anyway, the best way to avoid conflict is to set your friendliness high.
If you are at F 5, you will avoid almost all random monster fights.  You
do miss out on a few creature fights, but this is a small price to pay.
My own Stompin Rocksoul went about with F5 and Riskiness 9 for many a
turn (to avoid monster battles and attack even the toughest creatures.)
 
If you do find yourself attacked, especially if your attacker is part of
a group, I would suggest marching elsewhere.  It is very hard to kill a
monster, but if you wander into a group of 3 or more, you can be in deep
trouble.  Run to a Far structure; the Jossmen will break up any monster
fight in the square.
 
And contact every monster you meet.  Compare notes about what areas seem
to be inhabited by nasty monsters, and avoid them if you can.
 
Going the non-group, non-religion route is noble, though it is a hard road.
Jack has said that he is adding a number of commands *only* for monsters
that are not it a group, and you will be some of the few who can take
advantage of whatever he comes up with.  Good Luck!
 
From: "Obleman.Eric" 
 
I am interested in getting map info, especally around the Cracked Skull and
south.  Could I get a call out to anyone who can help?
 
***** Editor: Eric, meet Chris...
 
From: vmjc67a@prodigy.com (Christopher J DeMille)
 
I don't know if anyone has had this problem or not and would like to give
a warning to others.
 
I recently purchased skill lvl. 3 with pointed weapons at the Cracked
Skull Inn and as we all know, the training takes place 'tween turns. Well,
I left my monster at the inn for quite a while after that turn due to money
problems . I finally sent in my next turn and when I
recieved it, I was told that I had overstayed my welcome at the inn and
discreetly left, *without* my new skill lvl. That was already paid for!
 
I figured that ABM had made a mistake so I wrote a letter explaining the
problem and sent it in with my last turn that just came back. Let me quote
Jack, "I've made the adjustment but I shouldn't have - if you abuse your stay
at the inn, you forfeit all privileges." Now, besides that being somewhat of
a rude statement, where does it say I lose money for items and/or services
purchased at the inn for overstaying? Not in MY manual nor any of the
blurbs that I have recieved on the far inns does it say such; all I have is
a statement that the jossmen will raise the prices if I stay too long and
that they have the right to deny services to anyone, but without any
reasons. So, I just fired off another letter to Jack asking him for a
clarification of the rules on this matter, meantime, it might be wise to
warn others of this "hidden pitfall" at the inns.
 
From: jmh@anubis.network.com (Joel Halpern)
Subject: Interesting Update
 
I received yesterday an envelope from ABM. Since I had just received
my turn, this was interesting.  After examination, there was no text, just
my current character stats and my last map.  Comparison indicated that I
had lost 38 health (out of 115 at the end of the previous turn).  A call
to ABM revealed that this means that I was attacked by another player
in between turns.  Jack says that he has improved the update mechanism
so that, in the future, when such notices are mailed, they will include
the inter-turn information which covers the battle.
 
Sender: "Larry Barrows" 
 
You might want to list it in the newsletter that Turns can oficially be
submitted by Electronic Mail to:  abmbob@aol.com
 
From: Michael Powell <74146.2211@compuserve.com>
 
Hi, I'm a young monster operating near the Crooked Nose and I'm interested
in obtaining files for importation into MMapper. Anyone care to share or
trade?
 
I'm also looking for information about the easiest way to acquire the
sacrifice blurb.
 
Michael Powell
8678 Castlemill Circle
Baltimore, Maryland 21236
 
From: "Robert Kazmierczak" 
 
Something to note:  You have to Equip Shingle Poison (E 62), not Use it.
Sith made that mistake this last turn, and would've probably killed four
Loggerheads if he would've had that substance on his pike.
 
Another Note: My monsters didn't get any of the Loggerhead battles added on
to their Monster vs. Monster battle history.  I called Jack and he said that
it was a bug that resulted from him reprogramming the 'Tween turns
subroutines.  If you've noticed that your histories were not credited
properly, just write a note to send along with your turns telling ABM how
many battles you should have gotten and mention the programming bug.
 
From: Robert James
[paraphrased from The Fortnight, the Order of the White Rose Newsletter]
 
Jack the Gaming God and I had a long conversation, the highlights of which
I relate here;
 
* Musical instruments may eventually be added to the game
* He's probably going to publish a list of all group addresses in the next
  issue of BMT.
* Group Leaders will probably get a list of all group members' addresses,
  as well as a list of which of them is activly playing.
* It may be possible in the future to combine two groups of like alignment
  (i.e.; Fuvah-Fuvah, or nonaligned-nonaligned).  Morgan Hatrick of Shroud's
  Own seems to be adamantly opposed to this idea though.
* The Demigods will be 'abundant' in the next region past the Starth.  The
  followers of a Demigod will have to follow one Demigod only.  But when
  asked him about Temples, he declined to say whether or not each Demigod
  would require a Temple to itself, or whether one Temple would serve
  multiple Demigods.  The next rulebook will have details of the Demigods,
  and there will be lots of them.  You do *not* need to follow one of the
  Big 3 gods to follow the Demigods, any monster may find a Demigod item.
  The fact that only followers have done so so far is mere coincidence.
  Jack is still open to suggestions about the Demigods, and said that
  it may be 6 to 24 weeks before he's finished with this section.
 
Far Inn Locations; in Fire Riders coordinates (see Temple List for Landmarks)
 
 y    x     First Line
----------------------
496, 395    Odd Terepus                 Jagged Mor North
468, 399    Spotted Beak                Jagged Mor North
439, 390    Grackle, Grouse, & Grail    Jagged Mor North
407, 404    Drokorn's Stead             Jagged Mor Mid
380, 403    Claw & Tooth                Jagged Mor Mid
359, 383    Cracked Skull               Jagged Mor Mid
329, 379    Grimley's Fiendish Spot     Jagged Mor Mid
302, 394    Twisted Tablar              Jagged Mor South
274, 395    Dragon's Tale               Jagged Mor South
252, 377    Crooked Nose                Jagged Mor South
 
 y    x     Second Line
-----------------------
504, 427    Speckled Phesant            Jagged Mor North
471, 437    Illuminated Torch           Jagged Mor North
433, 430    Broken Shield               Jagged Mor North
401, 442    Dark Eagle's Nest           Jagged Mor Mid
366, 428    Spear & Club                Jagged Mor Mid
331, 426    Happy Junglemon             Jagged Mor Mid
294, 428    Lion's Fill                 Jagged Mor South
259, 427    Bottom Hill                 Jagged Mor South
234, 417    Hamilton's Cove             Jagged Mor South
 
 y    x     Third Line
----------------------
489, 472    Ribald Arms                 North Kunbar
440, 484    Black Swan                  Central Kunbar
387, 484    Blazing Arrowhead           Central Kunbar
356, 484    Jolly Ogre                  Central Kunbar
288, 482    Blushing Lady               South Kunbar
240, 478    Cocked Spyglass             South Kunbar
 
 y    x     Far Forges
-----------------------
500, 477    Korn's Hammer               North Kunbar
448, 475    Polished Rod                Central Kunbar
398, 483    Spigot Red's                Central Kunbar (may be 399y)
?    ?      Silver Hook's               Central Starth
300, 473    Boarsthead                  South Kunbar
250, 471    Dark Anvil                  South Kunbar
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 And that does it for this time.  Jeez, almost 50K.  Set your printers on
 'fast draft' folks.  Keep those letters coming.  See you next month.