Introduction:
"Sword and Romance" is a computer rpg developed using the "Unlimited
Adventure"  construction set by SSI.  This game can be freely distributed.
This story-based adventure happens in the Dalelands region of 
the Forgotten Realms world designed by TSR Inc.
You will control a novice party of up to six characters to seek adventure
and glory in this fantasy world.
Your quest: Defeat an evil enemy even more powerful than the famous archmage
Elminister, and find a romantic and perfect lover!



Game features:
- The biggest ever frua adventure, consist of one overland map and 
  26 dungeon modules, and the game file is over 300k bytes even zipped!
- First ever AD&D gold-box adventure with multiple openings AND multiple 
  endings!
- With three sub-quest that can be done in any order you like, and one
  other optional small quest, this game offers truly a high flexibility
  in game play!
- Not a merely "combat oriented" game.  You must use your wisdom and 
  your dexterity in many circumstances!
- Most part of the game has 2-D Area view, so save up your time in 
  mapping.  ( However, there are still a few really awesome dungeons with
  no area option to please any mapping-likers. )
- A large number of stunning graphics from SSI's "Savage Frontier" series
  are selected and used in this game, give you the best vision!
- Random encounters (wandering monsters) are carefully limited, so you 
  will not be troubled by large numbers of wandering monsters when 
  travelling.
- Finally, a large variety of quests to give you an unforgettable gaming
  experience!  Quests include solving a mysterious murder, stealing an 
  ancient artifact from a well-guarded place, take a horrible test, and
  find a perfect and romantic lover!

Important notes:
- The game has two different openings that the programme will ask you to
  choose one when the adventure begins.  The first opening is for a newly
  created party (including the pre-built party) and the second one is for
  a party transferred from any other frua modules. Choose the one suits you.
- The game file when unzipped will contain a pre-built party.  Simply 
  copy all .CCH files into a save sub-directory if you don't want to 
  bother to create your own party.
- As this is a story-based game, please create a human male fighter type
  (fighter, paladine or ranger, or multiple classed) character and always
  sets it to be the active character, in order to be consistent of the 
  story.
- Sometimes, you need to walk around in some place for a while in order to
  "trigger" some events to happen.
- There are circumstances in the game requiring you to complete certain 
  action in a determined period of time.  Due to the bug of this construction
  set, it is possible to treat in these cases.  However, it is sincerely
  discouraged for doing this because it will lower much interest in playing
  this game.  (If you don't know how to treat, it's good!  Don't try to find
  it out!)
- This game has three different endings and you can try them all if you 
  like.


Author's words: The definition of "good"
Hello, all computer role-playing fans!  
This is the second frua adventure I've written.  Indeed, I have not planned 
to write a such long adventure when I started to write it.  It is tiring, 
but giving me a content feeling, when writing it.  
I really try my best to write a good adventure.  But what is the standard
of "good"?  I have got some frua modules written by others in ftp sites 
and played them for myself.  Through it, I have learnt in a player's eyes,
what a good adventure should look like.  Although you may think it is 
subjective, I will still talk about my opinion below.
I will divid the topic: "the definition of a good frua adventure" into 
several points.  The first one is about abuse of combat.  I've played an frua
module that gives my party a wandering monster (pick-one combat) every 
eight steps.  The opponents are too weak to be a threat, but they continue
to attack us, seems they are only robots not afraid of die!  It is truly
annoying.  Some may think that when in a situation such as in a enemy-
controlled castle, the party should very frequently running into guards.  
Yes, it makes the game real.  However, in my opinion,  players play games
to find fun and entertainment rather than to find a very real world, and 
much fun is lost when the player must deal with some threatless opponents
every few steps they travel.
Another thing about combat:  Almost all frua modules I've played require me
to enter a dungeon, kill all things there, and then enter another dungeon, 
kill all things there, and so on.  It seems in the fantasy world, the "hero"
has nothing to do except killing all evils on his way, and it seems that 
"killing" can solve all problems in a fantasy world.  Actually, I don't quite
like this kill-every-livings-you-see-in-your-way type of game.  Don't 
misunderstand me.  I don't mean that combat is not important.  I mean that
combat is an important part, even a main part, in crpg (computer role-
playing game), but should not be the ONLY part.  In this game (s&r), there
are at least two quests that the player can finish with very little, or even
no, violence.  I think this will add variety to the game and will make you
know that you are not a "cold-blooded killer".
Second point I state now is a controversial topic: about multiple paths.  
Many players state that they do not like a game with only one straight
predetermined path.  They think that it will be more interesting and 
meaningful if an adventure can gives them many path, and the story will
develope differently when they choose different paths.  Indeed, I must say 
that it is very difficult for an author to implement multple paths and a 
lot of options along playing because it requires the author to keep 
controlling every path and options the players choose, such that it will not
violate the whole story and will not make a party too strong or too weak.
In this game, I try to give the players some options and flexibility during
play, and carefully construct them so that no matter what path or option 
they choose, they will eventually reach the climax of the main story.
It is almost impossible to write different developments for all options 
the party takes.  You can try the game and give me your opinion.
The third point is story.  A good story, or script, is surely vital to an
adventure game.  I must admit that this is the weakest point of this game.
Originally I've planned this game to have a very rich story, with detail
description and development of the characters of all main NPCs of this game.
However, when the game develops, all things seem go out of control due to 
the limitation of this construction set and other reasons.  Finally this 
game becomes a very traditional type of game: finding some ancient artifacts  
to defeat a powerful enemy.  How I make it special is that there are differents
ways in acquiring every ancient artifacts.  Some need you to fight many
monsters in your path, while some need you to use your brain and 
dexterity to get them.
The final point is about puzzle.  Because I'm a foreigner, I don't quite 
like the "word-puzzle".  For example, I will never understand why must I
answer "cylinder" when someone ask what is the cousin of a circle.  Therefore
there will be no this type of puzzle in my game.  I will only use some 
physical conditions like maze,  buttons and levers, and mysterious murder as
puzzles in this game.  I don't know whether this will suit you.  Maybe the
native English-speakers will like the word-puzzle type more.  So you can 
tell me if you think so.
So that's all for my opinion.  I must state that my opinions above is 
subjective and only represent my personnal feeling.  I'm sure that some of
you will disagree it.  Feel free to e-mail me to discuss about it.  Of 
course, E-mailing me to tell me your opinion about this game, or any bug
you've found in this game, is always welcomed and encouraged.  I must once
again stress that I'm not a native English-speaker, therefore grammer or 
spelling mistake will be well expected, and hope you don't mind them.
Finally, I have get some really excellent arts from public ftp sites.
They are from SSI's savage frontier series, and I must sincerely thanks the 
person preparing them and put them in the ftp sites.  he have really
done a good job.  I think they are the best graphics ever appeared
in all gold-box games, and they must have enhanced this game.
Remember to e-mail me to say some words about this game, so I can write 
a better sequel to this game!  Thank you for your attention!

                                                             Uranus Seto
                                                           4th July, 1993

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