Instruction Manual
Several hundred moons ago, your ancestors migrated north through the dark forest of Chesterwoode. During their trek, they encountered dreadful basilisks, scores of worgs, a terrible wurm, and many other dangerous creatures. The legends of the past have long been lost but tales have been handed down by mouth for generations. In Chesterwoode, the voyagers began to think they would never see light again, and indeed, Chesterwoode is said to be eternal. After many moons had passed and the expedition had lost most of its voyagers, they came upon a shiny black river.
They pondered how to ford the river for days until a wooden raft floated downstream and the watchman stopped it. The expedition crossed the river on the raft, and then let it float downstream. After a day's hiking, they came upon a lush valley where food grew in abundance. Soon they found a wooden sign pointing to the river. The sign read, "The River Styx -- Those wno cross shall never return." After a survey of the area, the leaders discovered that they were on a tiny island surrounded by the River Styx. It became obvious that they could never ford tne river, so they began their civilization and founded small townships.
Cut off from perils by the world's most treacherous river, tne tiny island soon flourished. Food grew faster here than in any other place their civilization had ever been, and their numbers increased dramatically. The land was surveyed and divided into 63 provinces, each with six neighbors. (The provinces on the beach, however, had fewer than six neighbors.) As time progressed, the civilization became more and more prosperous.
And then the crops failed ... Massive food riots strained the government's power, and bands of robbers reaped havoc in the countryside. Pestilence, starvation, and disease claimed many lives and the robbers imposed their own tyrannical governments upon the peasants, and conducted dastardly wars . As the situation worsened, the tyrants were no longer able to wage war, so they built small fortresses to protect themselves from each other. As time passed, the tyrants died and war was forgotten.
As players in the game, you are all descendants of the ancient tyrants. You each want to unite the island under your rule. It is up to your tenets of good government and your abilities as a General to overcome your opponents.