Playing Might and Magic

This is my blog. I like to play games. Sometimes very old games.

I created this blog so I could write about the latest game I've been playing: I enjoy old RPGs like this because they require more imagination to enjoy. I also enjoy creative writing, so I will give it a somewhat narrative bent.

Might and Magic: Secret of the Inner Sanctum.

Published 1986 by New World Computing.

Purchased through the fantastic Good Old Games company at GOG.com









Chapter 1: Character creation

 Jon Van Caneghem was pretty much the entirety of New World Computing at this point. Might and Magic was designed and made practically (if not absolutely) solely by him.

On this land we call Varn, danger has ever been a way of life. I can not recall in my lifetime any moment in which it was safe to go about one's business without the need to be constantly aware that the next man or beast you see passing you by might be the one who tries to stick a knife in your back.

Some of the oldest ones say that there was a time when Varn was in relative peace. When the cities were above ground and good King Alamar worked tirelessly to preserve safe trade and passage between the major cities. But if such a time did exist those days have long since passed. I have never seen a city above the ground. They have all been driven deep into caverns under the ground, so as to minimize the amount of danger that still inevitably creeps in from the unwalled land above. And even in the cities themselves, one must be wary to avoid inviting danger if you are unprepared to deal with the consequences. Yes, in Varn--it is not ideals and intentions that define your place in the world but rather your strength of might and magic that win the day.

My brother and I had just ducked away from a tavern brawl here in the city of Sorpigal. We had just finished eating and drinking our fill when we'd noticed that our last coin was already spent. We had hit rock bottom. A series of bad misfortunes had left us with nothing but the clothes on our backs. So -- I did the only natural thing and threw a punch at the nearest dwarf. In the midst of the mess we ignited, we grabbed all the food we could get our hands on and left quietly to regroup at the inn.

It was there that the paladin and his consort approached us. I didn't like the air of self-righteousness the human carried with him, but he was quick to assure me that he wasn't there representing the 'law'. What little 'law' remained, that is.

He introduced himself as Samuel, and his elven lady friend as Alicia. It was clear that Alicia was a magic user of some kind for her robes. I tended to be wary around magic users, including my own brother.  She didn't radiate quite the same determined self-righteousness as Samuel and was content to remain mostly silent.

Samuel stated that he had seen the way my brother and I handled ourselves at the tavern and was looking for crafty, strong people to come with him on a quest to find the Inner Sanctum.

I scoffed outright at the notion. The Inner Sanctum was an old grandmother's tale that every kid knew. The story went that an untold secret knowledge lied within a deeply hidden sanctum somewhere in Varn. That King Alamar had found the Sanctum and that whatever strange force was inside had changed him into the incompetent fool he was today. An aging do-nothing who languished in his castle who cared little for the rampaging men and beasts around the land and only sought more ways to fill his coffers with taxes and treasure.

Yet, Samuel was insistent. He was determined that the Sanctum was real. That time and strife had only rendered it forgotten. His argument was somewhat convincing. In these dark times men did not travel much and much of Varn seemed shrouded in mysteries. Could the Inner Sanctum truly exist? But if so--what good would it be given what had happened to Alamar?

There, Samuel said, was the crux of it. He was convinced that if the Sanctum could be found, whatever strange force had taken the Alamar we knew from us could be undone.

As I pondered this, Samuel made a final point that sealed the deal. Treasure--a fair and equal share for both my brother and myself. And more still, he insisted. He cared little for earthly rewards and offered at the end of our journey to split his own share among the rest of us.

We were at rock bottom, my brother and I. There were few options I could see for our immediate future that didn't involve slowly rotting here in the town of Sorpigal. After conferring with my brother, we agreed. Samuel was filled with a slightly infectious enthusiasm and bade us follow him to his quarters at the inn where Sam and Alicia introduced us to their other gathered ne'er-do-wells.

There are six primary attributes in Might and Magic-Of which only three or four are of pertinence to any one character class. Values of 9-12 are considered 'average'. Values below 9 get penalties, values above 12 get bonuses:
INTelligence: Affects spell point totals for sorcerors and archers.
Might (MGT): Adds extra damage to successful attacks.
PERsonality: Affects spell point totals for clerics and paladins.
ENDurance: Gives a small boost to your hit point gains per level. Is not weighted as heavily as character class.
Speed (SPD): Affects turn order in battle and gives a slight bonus to armor class.
Accuracy (ACY): Affects ability to hit successfully in battle.
LUCk: Affects might, endurance, and accuracy to a small degree. To a greater degree it affects your ability to avoid status effects and set off traps.
  

 Knight: Your basic tank. Can use all weapons and armor. Highest melee output and hit point growth.

Half-Orcs: Get a slight boost to might and endurance and a slight penalty to intelligence and personality.

I am Volkmeir. The bastard child of an orcish mother and a human father I never knew. I'm not quite as strong in the arm as one would expect of a half-orc, but I take care of myself all right. My brother and I make a good team. Where I shine is my aim. I might not be the strongest, but when I hit you--it's always precisely where I want it to hurt the most.

At my agreeable disposition to his quest, Samuel was surprised to discover through his paladin-senses that I am in fact quite evil. I later explained to him that being evil didn't necessarily mean being bad. No tormenting kittens or terrorizing small children. I simply am a firm believer in number one and have no compunctions at all about intending to destroy anything that gets between me and whatever I desire. Furthermore, I believed and still believe that the constant danger like that looming over Varn now is bad for everyone. It drastically limits opportunities for growth and makes settling in anywhere a tenuous proposition at best. I am evil, not insane.

Alignment is selected at character creation, between the usual L/N/C. It has little effect in-game. Some uncommon bits of equipment have alignment restrictions. Alignment is fluid in this game and can actually change under some circumstances. However, there are also spells and merchants that can restore a character's original alignment if so needed.
 

 Paladin: Can also equip all weapons and armor. Trades off a bit of endurance and fighting proficiency for the ability to cast clerical spells as they level up. Paladins don't gain as many spell points as Clerics, and they learn new spells more slowly.

Human: No affect to stats.

Samuel is a paladin in the service of a temple who's name escapes me. His self-righteousness and tendency to see the world through morally 'good' eyes is a bit tiresome at times, but once you get a few drinks into him or a few monsters at our throats I find that he's able to get as down and dirty as the rest of us. As travelling companions go, we could do worse. And in fact have--several times. But those are tales of a different time.

 Elf: Gains a slight bonus to accuracy and intelligence, and a slight penalty to endurance and might.

Archer:  Archers in Might and Magic are like the 'paladin' equivalent of sorcerors in that they learn mage spells. Except they have a few more equipment restrictions. However, they also have the unique ability to use their ranged weapons even at close range.

Elves are a strange lot. The first companion Samuel introduced us to was another sylvan woman, but unlike Alicia, this one seemed much more furtive and suspicious in behavior. I suspect that she is on the run or hiding from some agency which wishes to do her harm. I highly doubt that the name "Betty June" as she called herself is a proper sylvan name. I do not know what she seeks to gain from our travels except to get away from Sorpigal.

 Dwarf: Bonus to luck and...something else. I forget.

Robber: They melee slightly worse than archers and slightly better than the spellcaster classes. In all they are pretty unremarkable in all aspects except that they are the only class that can pick locks and disarm traps.

The dwarf who introduced himself as Finn seemed more like a character my brother and I could relate to. His motives were obvious--he wanted to come away from this adventure with as much treasure as he could get his hands on and thought the Inner Sanctum would surely contain the priciest of them all. His skill with a lockpick and tool kit would prove invaluable.

 Cleric: Can surprisingly use some pretty good gear, all the way up to splint mail and shields and various maces. However, their melee and hit point output makes them ill suited for the front line. A group without a cleric is insanity for need of their healing spells.

My brother Faulkner is the only person in the world I trust implicitly. Since the day we were thrown out of mother's house we've had each others back through the most trying times that Varn has given us. He's a little more frail than I, but he has a silver tongue when it comes to prostrating himself before the Almighties and sweet-talking favors from them. I shudder to think what horrible recompense he has promised them but he assures me that I don't need to worry about it. We shall see.

Sorceror: Limited to staves and padded armor. However, mage spells at higher tiers are among some of the most useful in the game. Clerics and Sorcerors both benefit really well from high Speed. Going first in battles allows them to open up right away with their nukes and buffs.

Alicia does not favor talking about herself but did mention that she was among one of the first people Samuel met when he first started on his crusade for the Sanctum. It is clear from the way the two interact that they share a certain fondness for each other. However, the story of their meeting and relationship to each other is of no interest to me and I have not pursued it further.

There was one important quality that we all shared, despite our varied backgrounds. We were all utterly destitute. And we had all wound up here in Sorpigal--the armpit of Varn. It was here  at the Inn that we were at our lowest, and there was nowhere now to go but upward in the world.

It was time to start our precarious adventure.