Microprose SOTA v2.1

===========================================================

         MAGIC: THE GATHERING
        "Spells of the Ancients"
             Version 2.1

             Readme File
           21 October 1997
===========================================================

Table of Contents
=================
1) Changes from version 2.0
2) Important Customer Support Note
3) FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
4) New Features
     Shandalar
     The Duel and Gauntlet
     Dueling Table
     Deck Builder
5) Card Notes
6) Tutorial Errata
7) IBM ThinkPad Compatibility
8) Technical Notes


Changes from version 2.0
========================
The following issues have been addressed in this release:

*  Black Vise and The Rack no longer do double damage.

*  Cards such as Zombie Master no longer give their effect
   when only in the spell chain.

*  Kismet properly lets you target either player.

*  Several artifacts with continuous effects disable when
   tapped. These include Howling Mine, Soul Net and others.

*  Fast effects response is no longer allowed for the
   activation of Black Lotus.

*  City of Brass no longer orphans its one point of damage
   upon activation.

*  Contract from Below allows user to select order in which
   cards in hand are discarded.

*  Fastbond properly handles more than one Fastbond in play.
   Fastbond also now recognizes lands being put into play
   by means other than being placed from the hand (Untamed
   Wilds).

*  Nevinyral's Disk no longer taps if you cancel activation.

*  Argothian Pixies/Treefolk are no longer immune to some
   instances of direct damage.

*  Disenchanting an Animate Artifact which was cast on an
   artifact creature no longer removes the creature state
   from the artifact creature.

*  Farmstead now recognizes additional cost imposed by Gloom.

*  Serendib Djinn is correctly now a flying creature.


Important Customer Support Note
===============================
Do NOT call Wizards of the Coast Customer Service with questions,
problems, or other issues related to this computer game; contact
MicroProse Customer Support. The WotC folks will happily address
card issues, as always, but they will not help you with issues
specific to the computer game.


FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
================================
For further help for Magic: The Gathering, please read the Magic
FAQ included at the end of this file. The FAQ includes help for
installation, sound cards, video cards, graphics, gameplay,
Shandalar and specific cards.


New Features
============

The Duel and Gauntlet
---------------------
*  When you save a duel during a Gauntlet, you save the status
   of that current duel, and your progress through the Gauntlet.

*  The "Spells of the Ancients" installer backs up all of your
   deck files for Shandalar and the duel. The old Shandalar decks
   are copied to a new folder called 'old deck'. The old duel decks
   (including any decks you may have built in the Deck Builder) will
   be copied to a folder called 'old playdeck'.

Dueling Table
-------------
A few reminders of often overlooked features:

*  If you do not put a Stop (the red marker) on a phase, play will
   bypass that phase without bothering to ask you if you want to
   use optional effects (a Brass Man's untap or Land Tax, for
   example). This is a handy way to prevent the duel from bogging
   down, but if you are not careful, you could accidentally miss
   an opportunity. Thus, if you plan to use an optional effect
   (especially during the upkeep phase), make sure to Run To (by
   clicking on the phase bar) or put a Stop on the phase you have
   in mind.

*  Remember that creatures with negative power are treated as having
   a power of 0 for all purposes except raising the power. Thus,
   they are displayed during a duel as having 0 power.

*  Remember that all of the floating windows -- including the Ante
   and Mulligan displays, both hands, and the Situation Bar (but not
   the Spell Chain and Combat windows) -- are movable. Just click
   and drag them out of the way when necessary.

*  You can minimize both the Spell Chain and Combat windows. Just
   click anywhere on the title bar of the window to do so. To
   restore the Spell Chain window to full size, click on the star
   icon on the phase bar. To restore the Combat window to full size,
   click on the sword icon on the phase bar.

*  Hold the mouse over a particular thing (a card, part of the
   dueling table, or an ability marker, for instance) to find out
   what it is.

*  Right-click on things for a mini-menu of useful functions.

*  Click on things to use them. Double-click to auto-use; that is, to
   have mana drawn from lands automatically (and indiscriminately).

Deck Builder
------------
*  Moving multiple copies of a card into and out of your deck can
   be a pain. Instead of moving one copy at a time, now you can move
   as many as you need, all in one step. Hold down the Shift key
   and double-click on the card. Enter the number you want moved.

*  You can now right-click on the area in between the sets of Filter
   Buttons to open a mini-menu. This menu has only one option: the
   Main Buttons toggle. If you choose to toggle the Main Menu Buttons
   On, all of the filters EXCEPT the Other Filters become active (are
   turned on). If you toggle Main Menu Buttons Off, all of the Set
   Filters, Color Filters, and Type Filters are inactivated (switched
   off).

*  When you're editing your deck in Shandalar or in the Sealed Deck
   tournament, you can also right-click on the background area behind
   the cards in your deck to get another mini-menu. This one has two
   options that let you to move cards according to their color. Use
   Move By Color Into Deck to put all the cards of the colors you
   choose from the inventory into the current deck, and Move By Color
   Out Of Deck to move cards from your deck into your inventory.
   You're prompted to choose which of the five colors, plus "artifacts"
   (not "colorless"), you want moved. Note that the basic lands that
   correspond to the colors you choose also move. (No lands move with
   artifacts, and you must move dual and special lands individually.)

*  The Deck Builder considers basic lands as having the same color
   as the color of mana they produce for the purpose of deck stats.
   (For example, 5 Islands count as 5 Blue cards.)


Card Notes
==========
*  A display issue: The name of artist Brian Snoddy should always
   have a line over the 'o'. (Sorry, Brian.)

*  In some places in the game, the name of El-Hajjaj is displayed
   incorrectly. There should always be an accent circumflex (caret)
   over the final 'a'.


Tutorial Errata
===============
*  Any time one of the wizards in the Tutorial mentions "points," he
   or she is being informal. There are actually no "points" in the
   game of Magic: The Gathering. Thus:

   - In Chapters 4, 6, 8, 9 and anywhere else, when the wizards refer
     to "points of damage," they mean simply "damage."

   - In Chapter 4 (and anywhere else), when they speak of "points of
     mana," they really mean "mana."

   - In Chapter 8, one of them says, "...the ogre does two points
     against the knight's two points of toughness." That should be
     "...the ogre does two damage against the knight's two toughness."

   - In Chapters 4 and 7, the wizards talk of "life points." They
     mean "life total."

*  In Chapter 7, the wizard mentions the "Heal Phase." Obviously,
   his information is out-of-date. Under the 5th Edition rules, the
   Heal Phase no longer exists. It has been replaced by the Cleanup
   Phase.

*  In Chapter 8, the wizard says, "...other special powers include
   regeneration, flight, and many more..." He means "...regeneration,
   FLYING, and many more."


IBM ThinkPad Compatibility
--------------------------
*  Those of you installing this game on a ThinkPad might experience a
   problem when viewing the Tutorial videos. This is caused by the
   video software attempting to use an incorrect driver. We've included
   a program on the Original Magic: the Gathering CD-ROM that corrects
   this problem.

   Run this file:

   autoplay\setindeo.exe

   and the Tutorial should work just fine.


Technical Notes
===============
*  Don't forget to take a look at the Magic FAQ (MAGICFAQ.TXT) on the
   program disc for further help with troubleshooting any problems.

*  If you normally use a screen saver, you should be aware that it is
   always running in the background. To prevent interference with the
   game, you must disable any screen saver before you start playing.

*  Some players might experience compatibility problems. Our tests
   lead us to believe that the most common cause of these problems
   is not the game itself, but out-of-date device drivers installed
   on the computer. If you experience compatibility problems, please
   make sure that you are using the most recent drivers provided for
   your hardware. If you have the correct drivers and the problem
   persists, call Customer Support.

*  If you experience problems with any part of this game after you
   install new hardware or software, you might have updated a sound
   driver, video driver, DirectX driver or Indeo Video driver to a
   version that is not compatible with the game. To fix this, you can
   reinstall the DirectX drivers from the Magic: The Gathering CD-ROM.

*  We stongly suggest that you play this game in High Color (16-bit)
   video mode or better. If you are playing in a lesser mode (that is,
   you are using 256 colors or less), you might experience transitory
   graphic oddities. These are superficial and should not have any
   lasting effect on the game. Some machines that are below the
   recomended system requirements may experience problems with High
   Color (16-bit) video modes when playing in Shandalar.

*  This game is designed to work with the standard issue Windows 95.
   We do NOT support ANY of the beta upgrades to Windows 95.

*  If you experience problems with flickering video in Shandalar, it's
   likely you need to update your video drivers. Most vendors now
   supply Windows 95 versions of their video drivers. You can normally
   download these drivers from the vendor's BBS or Web site.

*  If you do not hear the sound effects in the game, you might not
   have selected to install the DirectX drivers. Rerun the install
   program, but do not select ANY game components to install. Allow
   the new DirectX drivers to be installed.

*  If you have the new Sound Blaster 16/AWE-32 driver for Windows 95
   (Revision 7), you may experience problems running this game. The
   new Sound Blaster driver updates the Audio Drive Component to
   version 4.33.00.0012. This version causes the game to crash
   with a fatal exception error in VXD VMM(01) and terminates the
   application. Reinstall the DirectX drivers (as in the previous
   paragraph). The DirectX Audio Drive Component is version
   4.31.00.0068, which functions correctly. Creative Labs also
   has a new driver, version 4.33.00.0014, which does not cause
   the problem.

*  If you try to manually delete this game using Windows Explorer,
   you might experience problems. (We suggest you ALWAYS use the
   Uninstall feature instead.) When you run the game, some game files
   temporarily become part of the Windows 95 system resources. These
   files cannot be used or deleted if they are currently being used
   by your system. If you experience this type of problem, you can
   reboot your computer to free the affected files. You should then be
   able to delete the files.

*  The Uninstall feature removes only those files installed by the
   Install Shield program. Any files created by the game, such as
   saved games, will be left on the system after you run uninstall.
   If you Uninstall "Spells of the Ancients" you must also Uninstall
   your Original Magic: the Gathering product. Some common files used
   by both applications are removed by the "Spells of the Ancients"
   Uninstaller. Please re-install the Original product before trying
   to re-install "Spells of the Ancients".


Additional Credits
====================

Original Magic: the Gathering Game Design

Richard Garfield

Original Magic: the Gathering Graphic Design

Jesper Myrfors
Christopher Rush
Lisa Stevens

Very Special thanks to:

Daniel Berner
Skaff Elias
Chazz Elliott
Karen Ffinch
David Lee
Brian Lewis
Johanna Mead
Joel Mick
Rob Stewart
Jennifer Clarke Wilkes
Darla A. Willis

================================================
   Magic: The Gathering "Spells of the Ancients"
   for Windows 95
   FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions and Answers)
   Last revised: 2 September 1997
================================================

System Requirements
===================
IBM PC 100MHz 80486DX/4 compatible or faster
Windows 95
16MB RAM
Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
Hard drive (25MB free)
Super VGA graphics for 640 x 480 x 256 colors
  (must be compatible with DirectX)
Mouse

Recommended
-----------
IBM PC 120MHz Pentium compatible or faster
32MB RAM
High Color graphics for 1024 x 768 x 16-bit color
  (2MB video RAM minimum)
DirectX-compatible sound card

General
=======
Q:  What is the latest version of Magic: The Gathering?

A:  Version 2.1 is the latest version of the game. This version
    is the update for the "Spells of the Ancients" expansion
    pack for the original Magic the Gathering.

Q:  Is Magic: The Gathering compatible with Windows 3.1,
    Windows 3.11 or Windows NT?

A:  Unfortunately, because the program uses Microsoft's DirectX
    version 3.0, it does not work properly with any operating
    system except Windows 95.

Installation
============
Q:  I have the demo for Magic: The Gathering installed. Will
    this cause any problems when I install the complete game?

A:  We recommend that you either delete the demo directory or
    rename it before installing the complete game. By default,
    the complete game uses the same directory name (\MAGIC)
    that the demo uses.

Q:  While installing the game, my CD-ROM cannot be verified by
    the installer.

A:  If you have more than one CD-ROM drive attached to your system,
    you must place the CD in the drive that appears first in the drive
    list. For example, if you have two CD-ROM drives that are lettered
    D: and E:, you must place the disc into drive D for verification.
    The second drive (in this case E:) will not be checked.

Q:  While installing the game, I got an error message of
    "Assertion error, cannot open sprite file." I am using
    Corel CD-ROM drivers.

A:  Unfortunately, the installer is not compatible with Corel
    CD-ROM drivers. You must load Windows 95 drivers for your
    CD-ROM drive.

Q:  I got an error while uninstalling or reinstalling the game
    that says there is a file that is write-protected or otherwise
    cannot be deleted.

A:  Just reboot your computer and try again. Sometimes Windows 95
    thinks one of the files is write-protected until the computer
    is rebooted.

Troubleshooting
===============
Q:  I am experiencing DLL errors, assert errors or lockups.

A:  Do not run any other programs (such as Norton Crash Protector)
    in the background. The only programs that should be loaded are
    Magic: The Gathering and absolutely necessary Windows 95 programs.

    In addition, make sure that your hard drive has at least 30MB
    free for the Windows 95 swap file.

    Make sure that you have the latest versions of the DirectX
    drivers for your hardware. In particular, make sure that your
    sound card has the latest DirectSound drivers.

    Check your sound card to see if it is properly installed and
    functioning. You can check your sound card by selecting "System"
    from the Control Panel. Select the Device Manager tab at the System
    Properties dialog box. Double-click on "Sound, Video and Game
    Controllers." A description for your sound card should appear
    underneath. Double-click on this text to bring up a dialog box
    telling you if your sound card is functioning correctly or not.

    You can also try turning down the graphics acceleration by
    selecting the System control panel and clicking on the Performance
    tab. Then click on the "Graphics" button and slide the bar to the
    left in order to adjust the degree of hardware acceleration. We
    recommend lowering the graphics acceleration to "Most accelerator
    functions." If that doesn't help, try "Basic accelerator functions."

Q:  The game is locking up when I try to load a saved game, or I am
    experiencing "Page fault" errors.

A:  Magic: The Gathering requires at least 30MB of virtual memory.
    Please check your virtual memory by selecting the System control
    panel. Then click on the Performance tab and click the "Virtual
    Memory" button.

Q:  I am receiving an error message of "Error vids:iv41 decompression."

A:  This error is caused by the Indeo video drivers. Please run the
    SETINDEO.EXE program by inserting your Original Magic CD-ROM, changing
    to your CD-ROM drive and typing "\autoplay\setindeo" [Enter] at the
    DOS prompt. You need to restart your computer for this change to
    take effect. If you continue to experience this error message,
    please download the version of Video for Windows from Intel's Web
    site at www.intel.com.

Q:  I am having problems with "Assertion failed" or "Add card" error
    messages while playing in Shandalar.

A:  This problem has been mostly eliminated in this version of the game.
    If your graphics resolution is set to something higher than
    1024 x 768, please try lowering it to 1024 x 768. If that doesn't
    work, please try lowering it to 800 x 600.

Q:  When I try to run the game, the system crashes with an error message
    about MSVFW32.DLL.

A:  You need to install Video for Windows. To do this, you must go to
    the Control Panel and double-click the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.
    Click on the Windows Setup tab at the top. Click to put a check mark
    in the Multimedia component. Then click the "Apply" button to
    install these components. You will probably need to have your
    Windows 95 CD-ROM or disks handy.

Q:  The game crashes when I get to the Wizard Statistics screen (showing
    the five major wizards) or when the coin flip animation starts.

A:  We recommend downloading the latest version of the Indeo video
    drivers from Intel from their Web site at www.intel.com.

    You can also try turning down the graphics acceleration by selecting
    the System control panel and clicking on the Performance tab. Then
    click on the "Graphics" button and slide the bar to the left in
    order to adjust the degree of hardware acceleration. We recommend
    lowering the graphics acceleration to "Most accelerator functions."
    If that doesn't help, try "Basic accelerator functions."

Q:  Sometimes the game quits back to Windows unexpectedly.

A:  Applications running in the background may cause the game to close
    without notice. Please shut down all other applications before
    running Magic: The Gathering.

Sound
=====
Q:  I don't have a Windows 95-compatible sound card, and the game
    crashes on me.

A:  You can play Magic: The Gathering without a sound card if you have
    version 1.1 or greater. Unfortunately, version 1.0 requires a Windows 95-
    compatible sound card. Without one, the game will crash in certain
    parts of the game (usually when you try to duel in Shandalar).

Q:  I am having problems with the sound in Magic: The Gathering.

A:  Please note that the game requires DirectX version 3.0 or greater
    working in order to hear the sound and music. If you are not hearing
    any sound, the problem is most likely caused by a problem with DirectX not
    working with your sound card. Please contact your sound card
    manufacturer for the latest drivers that are compatible with
    DirectX.

Q:  I am hearing white noise when I play a duel.

A:  You may have an older version of the drivers for your sound card.
    Please contact your sound card manufacturer to obtain the latest
    DirectX-compatible drivers.

Q:  I am experiencing glitches in the game due to the sound repeating.

A:  Please try first uninstalling the game and then reinstalling the
    game using the full custom install. This will sometimes take care
    of the problem.

Q:  I'm having problems with sound in duels.

A:  Try renaming the folder "DuelSounds" in the MAGIC\PROGRAM directory
    to something else. You will no longer hear any sounds in the duel.

Q:  I am having some problems with sound in the game.

A:  If you have a Sound Blaster AWE32 card, please download the latest
    drivers from the Creative Labs Web site at www.creaf.com or contact
    them directly for the latest version of their Windows 95-compliant
    sound card drivers.

    If you have an Ensoniq ViVo sound card, please download the latest
    drivers that should fix this problem from Ensoniq's Web site at
    www.ensoniq.com or contact them directly for the latest version of
    their Windows 95-compliant sound card drivers. You can also try
    downloading the Ensoniq Soundscape ViVo driver installer from
    Gateway which is called "Soundscape InstallWizard for Windows 95
    version 1.00.09" (SSIWIZ.EXE dated 2/97). This installer is
    supposed to make sure your Ensoniq sound drivers are up-to-date
    and correctly installed.

    If you have a Packard Bell computer with an Aztech Sound Galaxy
    Washington 16 sound card, please download the latest drivers that
    should fix this problem from Aztech's Web site at www.aztechca.com
    or contact them directly for the latest version of their Windows
    95-compliant sound card drivers.

Q:  I have an IBM Aptiva with an MWave sound card. Every time I run into
    a creature in Shandalar, the game crashes.

A:  Unfortunately, the MWave sound card is a proprietary sound card that
    is not explicitly supported by Microsoft's DirectX technology.
    Please contact the manufacturer of your sound card or Microsoft
    for details.

Graphics
========
Q:  I am having video glitches or seeing graphic anomalies.

A:  Please try changing your display resolution to either a lower
    resolution (such as 640 x 480) or higher resolution (such as
    1024 x 768).

    If at all possible, we recommend running the game in High Color
    graphics (16-bit color).

    You can also try turning down the graphics acceleration by selecting
    the System control panel and clicking on the Performance tab. Then
    click on the "Graphics" button and slide the bar to the left in
    order to adjust the degree of hardware acceleration. We recommend
    lowering the graphics acceleration to "Most accelerator functions."
    If that doesn't help, try "Basic accelerator functions."

    In addition, make sure that you do not have any other programs (such
    as Norton Crash Protector) running in the background.

Q:  When I run the game, the screen turns black but I can still move my
    mouse.

A:  If you are running in 256-color mode, we recommend switching the
    graphics to 16-bit or 24-bit mode.

Q:  Sometimes when I exit Magic: The Gathering, the colors on my Windows
    desktop are messed up.

A:  Unfortunately, running Magic: The Gathering in only 256 colors will
    sometimes cause this problem with the color palette. If at all
    possible, please switch to High Color graphics (16-bit color).

Q:  I am having problems with the game returning to Windows
    unexpectedly.

A:  This problem may be caused by graphics hardware acceleration. Please
    try reducing the graphics acceleration hardware by selecting the
    System control panel. Then click on the Performance tab and click
    the "Graphics" button. Slide the bar to the left to lower the
    graphics acceleration. We recommend lowering the graphics
    acceleration to "Most accelerator functions." If that doesn't
    help, try "Basic accelerator functions."

Q:  I am having some problems with my video card in this game.

A:  If you have an ATI Mach 64 video card, please download the latest
    video drivers from the ATI Web site at www.atitech.ca or contact ATI
    directly for the latest version of their Windows 95-compliant
    drivers.

    If you have a Diamond Stealth 3D video card, please download the
    latest video drivers from the Diamond Web site at www.diamondmm.com
    or contact Diamond directly for the latest version of their Windows
    95-compliant drivers.

    If you have a Chips and Technology video card, please download the
    latest video drivers from the Chips and Technology Web site at
    www.chips.com or contact Chips and Technology directly for the
    latest version of their Windows 95-compliant drivers.

    If you have a Matrox Millennium video card, please download the
    latest BIOS update from the Matrox Web site at www.matrox.com or
    contact Matrox directly for the latest version of their Windows
    95-compliant drivers. This BIOS update fixes many DirectX-related
    issues.

Q:  When the coin flip animation starts, the colors become corrupted.

A:  Magic: The Gathering is designed to work in higher color depth video
    modes. The problem is due to running the game in 256 colors. If at
    all possible, we recommend running the game in 16-bit or 24-bit
    color mode.

Q:  Sometimes I get the error message "Video not available, cannot find
    decompressor."

A:  Go to the Control Panel and double-click the "Add/Remove Programs"
    icon. Click on the Windows Setup tab at the top. Select the
    Multimedia component and click the "Details" button. Scroll down
    the list and click to put a check mark in the box next to "Video
    Compression." Click the OK button. Finally, click the OK button
    again. You will probably need to have your Windows 95 CD-ROM or
    disks handy.

Q:  When I play a game in Shandalar, I am having various problems
    including with graphics (particularly fonts). For example, text is
    appearing outside their boxes and I am getting invalid page faults.

A:  The problem is caused by a font conflict. To check for font
    conflicts, double-click the Fonts control panel. Delete any font
    that shows a file size of 0K (zero kilobytes). You may also want to
    copy all the fonts from your MAGIC\PROGRAM folder (TTxxxx.TTF) into
    your WINDOWS\FONTS folder.

Gameplay
========
Q:  Will you add multiplayer support to the game?

A:  Yes, our goal is to add multiplayer support to Magic: The Gathering
    by the end of this year. We are exploring various options as to the
    exact specifics.

Q:  The computer AI is making strange or seemingly stupid decisions in
    how it plays its cards.

A:  The computer deliberately makes some mistakes at the easier levels
    of the game in order to give beginning Magic players a fighting
    chance. If you feel these AI decisions are annoying, please try
    increasing the difficulty level.

The Duel
========
Q:  The game isn't stopping at my upkeep phase. Therefore, I can't do
    optional upkeep effects such as paying to untap my Brass Man or
    paying to untap my Paralyzed creature.

A:  You must put a Stop marker on your upkeep phase for the program to
    stop there. Otherwise, the game will only stop at your upkeep phase
    for mandatory effects (such as a creature getting a counter for
    Unstable Mutation or taking damage for Cursed Land). To put a Stop
    marker on any phase, right-click on the Phase Bar at the phase that
    you want the game to stop at and select "Mark this phase to always
    stop" from the pop-up menu. This will mark the Phase Bar with a red
    dot which means that the program will stop there if you have a
    valid action. For example, if you want to use a Land Tax or pay
    to untap your Brass Man, put a Stop marker on the upkeep phase.
    Please refer to pages 116-118 of the manual for more information.

Q:  When I double-click a card to cast it, it's tapping some lands that
    I don't want to tap.

A:  You can instead single-click on a card in your hand to cast it. If
    you single-click, you'll be prompted to click on your mana sources
    manually. Or you can right-click the lands that you don't want to
    be automatically tapped and choose "Don't auto tap this card" from
    the mini-menu.

Q:  I clicked on the title bar of the Spell Chain Window, and it
    disappeared. How can I get it back?

A:  Just click on the staff icon that's between the two phase bars to
    make the Spell Chain Window reappear.

Q:  I clicked on the title bar of the Combat Window, and it disappeared.
    How can I get it back?

A:  Just click on the sword icon that's between the two phase bars to
    make the Combat Window reappear (see page 126 of the manual).

Q:  I have more than four creatures in combat, but I can't see beyond
    the first four in the Combat Window.

A:  To scroll the Combat Window, just click on the little white mouse
    (that's between your creatures and your opponent's). Drag the mouse
    icon to scroll the Combat Windows so you can see the creatures on
    the right-hand side.

Q:  When I bring up the Duel, the program isn't listing any decks in
    the opening dialog box.

A:  When you install the game, the directory name must be no longer
    than eight (8) characters. Exit the game and rename the directory
    in Windows 95 to fix this problem. This problem has been fixed in
    version 1.1 of the game.

Shandalar
=========
Q:  I am just starting in Shandalar and am getting beaten up on a
    regular basis by all those creatures that keep attacking me. What
    can I do?

A:  One of your first steps should be to run to the nearest village or
    city as fast as possible so you can edit your starting deck. You
    want to edit your deck to the best cards possible while remembering
    the minimum deck size depending on your difficulty level (30 cards
    for Apprentice, 35 for Magician, 40 for both Sorcerer and Wizard).
    If at all possible, reduce the number of colors in your deck to two
    or at the most three.

    Next, pick your battles wisely. As the manual says on page 41, the
    weakest creatures are those that walk. The next hardest are those
    that are mounted, and the toughest are those look like dragons or
    other flying creatures.

    Try to run away from the more powerful creatures until you build up
    a stronger deck. You can run away by moving to a terrain type that
    the creature can't follow you onto. Each creature sticks to the
    terrain type corresponding to its color (for example, red creatures
    stay near mountains). Of course, some creatures are multicolored
    and can survive on two different terrain types. Once you cross a
    terrain boundary, the creature will be unable to follow you.

    Stay on the roads if at all possible. You will move much faster if
    you walk on roads and can many times outrun the other creatures.

    Don't forget that you can bribe many creatures. Discretion is
    sometimes the better part of valor, and if you can afford the gold,
    it's probably better than losing a card from your deck in ante.

    As your deck becomes stronger and you beat more creatures, you'll
    notice that the weaker ones will start running away from you! In
    addition, you don't have to face as many creatures in version 1.1
    of the game.

Q:  When I defeat one of the creatures, I see an animation of the
    five major wizards. What do all those things represent?

A:  As noted on page 32 of the manual, each skull represents a victory
    by you against one of that wizard's creatures. The wizards' staffs
    represent their total life points. Each red dot represents one
    fewer life point for that wizard. (You can only knock them down
    by 10 points, though, to a minimum of 20 life.) The tiny floating
    spheres represent mana taps (see page 46 of the manual). You will
    lose the battle to save Shandalar if any one wizard accumulates
    enough mana taps to be able to cast the Spell of Dominion.

Q:  Every time I receive a notice that a wizard is attacking a
    particular town, I don't arrive in time to save it.

A:  If a wizard gains control of a city, it will be converted into
    a mana dome. You can still battle the wizard there to free it.
    You will not regain your mana link, however, if you had one
    there before.

Q:  My character keeps moving when I'm walking in the main map of
    Shandalar even after I stop pressing a directional key.

A:  You can stop your character in two different ways: either press the
    Spacebar or click on your character's head with the mouse.

Q:  Can I speed up movement while walking around on the main map?

A:  Try pressing Shift-U. This may improve performance on slower
    computer systems.

Q:  At the Status screen, my Record vs. the Creatures of Shandalar isn't
    keeping track of all the creatures I have won against in Shandalar.

A:  Only creatures you encounter in the main map count toward your
    Win/Loss record. Creatures you vanquish in dungeons and castles
    do not count.

Q:  Is there any way I can load a saved game from within Shandalar
    without having to quit the game first?

A:  If you update to version 1.1 of the game, you can right-click to
    bring up a mini-menu with options to save, load, quit, etc.


Decks in Shandalar
------------------
Q:  I'm building a deck in Shandalar but there seem to be limits on how
    many duplicates of one card I can put into my deck.

A:  The number of duplicate cards allowed in your Shandalar deck
    depends on the total size of your deck and whether you have the
    Tome of Enlightenment (one of the World Magics). If you don't
    have the Tome of Enlightenment, you can only have one card if
    your deck has 19 or fewer cards, 2 duplicate cards if your deck
    has 20 to 39 cards, 3 duplicates if your deck has 40 to 59
    cards, or 4 duplicates if your deck is over 60 cards.

Q:  Even though I've edited my deck and know exactly which cards
    are in it, I keep getting random land.

A:  If your deck does not have the minimum number of cards in it,
    random basic lands will be temporarily added to your library
    (after the ante but before the shuffle). Your deck must have
    30 cards at Apprentice level, 35 at Magician level, or 40 at
    both Sorcerer and Wizard level.

Q:  Every time I try to look at my deck or edit my deck in Shandalar,
    the game crashes.

A:  The game will now notify you when you approach the 500 card limit
    and advise you to sell some cards.

The Cards
=========
Q:  How can I use my Mishra's Factory to attack or block?

A:  You must turn your Mishra's Factory into an Assembly Worker before
    you try to attack since no fast effects are possible between
    declaring an attack and declaring attackers. If you wish to
    attack with your Mishra's Factory, in your Main phase (precombat),
    single-click the card and choose "Change to Assembly Worker." Pay
    the 1 colorless mana and your Mishra's Factory will then turn
    into an Assembly Worker (a 2/2 artifact creature). As long as
    your Assembly Worker is not suffering from summoning sickness,
    you can attack with it by clicking the Combat phase on the Phase
    Bar. When prompted to "Choose attackers," click on the Assembly
    Worker card.

    You can also use your Assembly Worker to block the computer's
    creatures. Just turn your Mishra's Factory into an Assembly Worker
    in the "Attacker fast effects phase."

Q:  Why does Naf's Asp continue to damage me turn after turn?

A:  According to the latest rulings by Wizards of the Coast for the
    Naf's Asp, you must pay to get rid of the Naf's Asp legacy to avoid
    further damage. Otherwise, you will continue to take damage turn
    after turn.