Playing DM-like games using CSBwin in a Windows

You start the game by changing your default directory to the directory containing the file 'CSBwin.EXE'.

Run CSBwin.EXE.

You will be presented with a choice of 'DUNGEON', HINT', 'UTILITY', 'QUIT'.

DUNGEON

'DUNGEON' takes you to the door to the prison.  If you are just starting a new game you should click 'ENTER' to enter the prison and gather a party.  Later, after you have saved a game you should click 'RESUME' to resume the game where you left off.

Once in the prison you can wander about and select your champions by clicking on their portraits.  Once you have at least one such champion, you can select the Inventory screen by right-clicking on the viewport area.  In the inventory screen you will see a small icon representing a floppy disk and you can initiate saving your game by clicking on it.  Another right-click will return you to the adventure screen.  At the top of the screen are the four small areas representing the four champions, what is in their hands, and their current health.  A right-click on one of these four areas selects the inventory screem for the associated champion.  Left-clicking a champion's name will select that champion to lead the party.

Your leading champion can pick up objects and place them or throw them by left-clicking in the approriate spot in the viewport of inventory screen.  The name of the object is shown just above the spell controls.  Placing the object on the champion's eye in the inventory screen will tell you more about that particular object.  The contents of chests can be examined/manipulated by placing it in the hand of a champion in the inventory screen.  You can see more details about a champion's status by left-clicking the champion's eye with an empty cursor.

CSBwin allows you to save into four separate files.  They are named 'CSBGAME.DAT', 'CSBGAME2.DAT', and so on.  When you resume, you can select anyone of these saved games.

UTILITY and HINT

'UTILITY'  and 'HINT' are generally used only for the original Chaos Strikes Back game.  The description of the particular game will describe how to use these options if it they useful at all.

Playing the Game

The 'Config.txt' file describes keyboard shortcuts for playing the game.  You can change them if you choose. The defaults are used as follows

• 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', comma, and period.  These keys are used to move around the dungeon.  They turn left, go forward, turn right, slide left, go backward, and slide right respectively.
• F1, F2, F3, F4.  THese keys select the party member for casting spells.
• '1', through '6'.  These select the spell runes from left to right respectively.
• 'Q' through 'V'.  This is a rectangular grouping of keys.  Four wide by three high.  The four colums of keys are used to select the champion who will attack.  Any key in the first column will select the first champion, etc.  The three rows of keys are used to select the particular type of attack.  With an empty hand, for example, any key in the top row will select 'PUNCH', any key in the second row will select 'KICK', etc.