Dedications

From Tim: To my mother for courage, to my father for inspiration, and to both
for believing in my dream.

From Gerry: To my mother, whose discipline when I was younger allowed for
this game to be created. To my wife, whose understanding is a testimony to the won-
derous benefits of a good marriage.

Very special thanks...

An idea can start with one person but it cannot flourish alone. This idea started
with Gerry, was refined by Tim, and has been expanded by a multitude of others.
We tip our hats to Brian Bessey, Rod Drinnon, Pat Epley, Kay Evenwel, Jeff Go-
nion, Butch Kawalkawski, and Ron Robisch for all their advice and help. A very
special thanks to Scott Stevens, who became our mediator, motivator, and organizer
during the long writing process.
The artists gave us their time and talent freely and in the end, surpassed our expec-
tations. Special thanks to Jim Lasser and Heather Ancarrow for their work. Artist
Brian Sago is featured on the cover and throughout the book. He not only gave this
book a mood, he added invaluable advice to the end result.
Finally, we thank all the people who play-tested this game over the past 10 years.
To all the players who survived (or didn't) the original realms of Tar-su-lan and Gon-
dalin, we salute you. You played this game without a manual, so enjoy this luxury!

Electronic Version
Created with Adobe PageMaker 6.5 on a PowerCenter 150, exported as a PDF with
Adobe Distiller.
Send comments to Tim Dohrer (Poet22@aol.com)

Realms of the Unknown Player's Manual

© 1991, 1997 Timothy A. Dohrer and Gerry J. Evenwel
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Product number: 100000

2

I n the world of gaming, Realms of
the Unknown (ROTU) has set itself
apart. It is a simulation game which is
easy to understand, yet contains chal-
lenging components such as tactical
conflicts, macroeconomics, social man-
agement, and cross-cultural ethics. As
a simulation game it involves role-play*,
however, ROTU is unique in its appli-
cation.
To begin, you need to realize that a
realm is where all action takes place. It
can be thought of as a habitable world
where there is land, water, plants, ani-
mals, minerals, and people. There are
many realms in ROTU, but it is custom-
ary that each individual game concern
itself with only one of them.
Secondly, you need to understand a
few basic ideas about ROTU. It is not a
tournament game to be played at one or
more sittings, but rather it is designed to
be played without stopping from its
beginning to its end. Theoretically, the
game never has to end until you want it.
This feature allows the game to be played
by many people in different places and
at different times.
Third, the major difference between
ROTU and other role-playing games is
that the player runs a Player
Character(PC), who in turn runs a
population of men, women, and chil-
dren. The PC and their population all
live on the realm, as do other PCs and
their populations. In most role-playing
games, the focus is on an individual
character while in ROTU, the focus is
on the achievements of a large group of
people.
The realm you will be placed on
begins during a time of early civiliza-
tion. You will not own weapons, but
you will have strength and knowledge.
Bows and arrows will probably be your
first weapons, because the production
of these arms is common knowledge.
Axes and swords may be your next step
when metal is obtained. If fortune smiles
upon you, you may even find some gold
or the plans for building a warship. But
be wary! The other players on the realm
may get them first!
The last thing you should know is
that you will have a Realm Controller
(RC). This will be the person who you
will have the most contact with while
playing ROTU. You will give orders to
the RC, saying what you want to do with
your people. The RC will give you
details on the status of your people,
what’s happening on the realm, and
answer any appropriate questions you
may have.
3
Introduction
This manual is designed to give
guidelines to people who wish to play
Realms of the Unknown. It will give
examples of how to start your Player
Character and how to keep your popula-
tion alive and growing. This manual is
split into two general sections. The first
section is for beginners and the second
will have more advanced rules. Many
basic realms will incorporate a few ad-
vanced rules, while many advanced
realms may not be using all of the ad-
vanced rules. Consult with your RC to
find out what parts of the Manual you
will need to review. Charts and repre-
sentations of play are included within,
as well as real game statistics as ex-
amples. Those who wish to run a realm
of their own should consult the Realm
Controller’s Manual after fully read-
ing the Player’s Manual. But now,
without further adieu, let us enter Realms
of the Unknown...
* Role-play is when a person takes on
the identity and gives personality to a
fictional character. This is used in the
parameters of an illusory situation.
 The Basic Realm
The first step in starting up a player
character is to find a Realm Controller
(RC). In most cases, the RC will find
you in order to populate a realm. If you
have a group of friends that want to play
ROTU then one of you will have to be
the RC (experienced players make bet-
ter Realm Controllers). In the basic
game a group of eight to twelve players
is generally a good number. If there are
less than eight the realm may not have
enough action to promote a good game.
If there are more than twelve the RC
may be too bogged down to get the
game off the ground and keep it run-
ning. Running a game is a lot of work
for an RC. After an RC establishes a
realm, they will begin working with
each player to create a population and a
leader.
4
In this manual, examples from the
realm of Calmara will be used. The
realm is run by the god Mara, which is
the RC’s alias on the realm. A portion
of the realm of Calmara is included here
to help in understanding the material
which will be presented. The realm is a
basic realm using none of the advanced
rules, at least for now.

Names and Titles
To give identity to your people and a
little color to the game, begin by think-
ing up a name for your Player Charac-
ter, who will be your people’s leader
(example: William the Conqueror).
Then decide what type of people you
would like to lead. The RC will actually
choose this for you so that it fits into the
parameters of the realm, but make your
preference known.
Types of people fall into two basic
categories: Town and Band. A town
population is one that works from per-
manent locations. A band, on the other
hand, moves about and doesn’t stay in
any permanent settlements. There are
various subtypes of these groups and
each has its own way of doing things.
With each type there will be bonuses
received for performing various actions,
which the group would naturally excel
in (example: towns will excel in civil
defense). Here is a brief description of
the two major types:
Town - Permanent dwellings, agri-
culturally based, protective of imme-
diate surrounding territory, civil de-
fense oriented, expands by establish-
ing new settlements along its borders
to create a support network of city-
states.
Band - Mobile unit of people with no
permanent dwellings, control terri-
tory by occupation of their declared
areas, expand by inward divisions to
create new bands with the loyalties
being associated with a top tribal
leader, which can call upon any mem-
ber band to work in unison with the
others.
Next, you should think of a name for
your people (example: Normans). You
may also wish to give a name to your
first town (if you have one) otherwise
your RC will simply incorporate your
population name into the name of your
Thomas Williams
Address: 23 North Barton Street
Anytown, USA 00000
Phone Number: 555-1967
Player Character Name: Lord Zachary Alden
Title: Ruler of the Free City State of Bolson
People Name: Bolsonites
Type Preference of Population: Town
Town Name: Bolson
5
Start-Up Sheet
first settlement (example: Normanville).
Now, give yourself a title and be as
creative as you wish (examples are:
King of the Visigoths, Lord of Rome,
Emperor of China, Garbage Man Su-
preme of East Gutterland). Once you
have decided upon your PC name, PC
title, population name, and your prefer-
ence on the type of people you wish to
lead, write it all down and give it to your
RC along with your name, address, and
phone number. This is referred to as
your Start-Up Sheet. An example of a
Start-Up Sheet has been provided by
Thomas Williams, a player on the realm
of Calmara.
Example of a
Start-Up Sheet
 The Player Sheet
Now that you have created your PC,
your RC will give you people to lead.
With considerations from your Start-
Up Sheet, the RC will give you your
first Player Sheet, which may look like
Thomas Williams', shown here.
Population
At the top of the sheet you will see
the information that you have given the
RC in your Start-Up Sheet. The next
section is your your population break-
down. Your people are represented by
three numbers separated by slashes. The
first number is the Total Population
(TP), the second number is the Pro-
tected Population (PP), and the third is
the number of Men. All of your Pro-
tected Population and Men add up to
your Total Population.
The Protected Population (PP) is
made up of women and children. They
are general laborers who do the every-
day chores of society. Your population
will increase based upon the number of
protected population. They are non-
combatants, thereby giving them the
name “protected.”
The Men is the number of healthy
adult males in your population. This
A closer look at how time works in ROTU
Now that you have received your
Player Sheet and understand its basic
workings you are ready to start playing
ROTU. One of the things that will be of
concern to you will be the passage of
time in the game. Time is an important
aspect of the game, expecially since it
functions differently on a realm.
A seven day week passes on the
Realm for every 24 hour day in the real
world. This means that the realm is
moving seven times faster than the real
world. The result is that events will
happen more rapidly than would nor-
mally occur. This is to promote more
Player: Thomas Williams
Player Character: Lord Zachary Alden
Title: Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
Example of a
People: Bolsonites - 4327/2561/1766
Player Sheet
Raw Materials: Produced Goods:
Animals: Ships:
Cattle - 1,200 Warships - 1
Horses - 300 Weapons:
Metals: Arrows - 4,000
Copper - 12 Bows - 450
Iron - 29 Axes - 200
Silver - 5 Spears - 750
Natural Resources: General Goods:
Wood - 257 Shovels - 100
Settlements: Bolson - 5,000 capacity - semi-fortified
section is responsible for the heavy la- RC will calculate your population in-
bor tasks (i.e. Blacksmiths, Shipbuild- crease. This represents the births and
ers, etc.) and make up your armed forces. deaths of your people and domesticated
Your player character will be dealing livestock. In many ways, it is like a
with the men for the majority of your census and indicates growth or, in
orders, leaving the protected popula- some cases, shrinkage of your popula-
tion to take care of all the basic needs of tion.
your people.
At the beginning of each year, your
Simplified Realm Times Table
One Year = 12 months
One Month = Four weeks
One Week = Seven Days
One Day = 24 Hours (12 light, 12 dark)
action on the realm and do away with will be dated. Realm Time will be
long periods of time which would leave referred to by the name of the realm
players idle and bored, waiting to pro- and the word “time,” for example Mara
ceed. Also, the realm’s months and uses CT, which stands for Calmara
years are simplified to promote easier Time. Otherwise, items will have a
calculating. A list of these simplifica- real time date with an AD(Anno Do-
tions has been given here. mini ) after it.
There are often situations when items
6
 Raw Materials
When you receive your Player Sheet
you will notice that you have been given
basic resources along with your popula-
Food Gathering Table
tion. These basic resources are called Type of Time Units Manpower needed
Raw Materials and consist of: Ani-
mals, Metals, and Natural Resources.
Gathering Required Gathered
You have no control over the amount or
type of resources you will receive to Farming 4 months 900 2 men or 1 man, 4 pp
start off. Most resources will need to be Fishing 1 month 40 1 man
collected by you and your people. Foraging 1 month 50 4 pp
Herding 1 month varies 1 man
Animals

Animals are usually abundant in Metals

ROTU and are important tools not to be
wasted by any good leader. Animals in
the basic game are Horses, Cattle, and
Sheep. These animals are common and
domesticated and will increase in num-
ber at the same time as your population
increases. Horses are used for work and
transportation. Cattle are used for food,
milk, and leather production. Sheep are
used for food and wool production. All
can be turned into hides. Often new and
unusual animals will be found on the
realm; it is up to the player to domesti-
cate and find uses for these new crea-
tures.
The metals category contains all
metals and alloys. They are used to
produce metal goods or currency. A
metal unit is measured as a one foot
cube.
Natural Re-
sources
The natural resources category con-
tains all raw materials which are not an
Animal or a Metal. This may include
wood, diamonds, marble, and the like.
In the basic game, food and wood are
the only natural resources which are
available when you begin play. A wood
unit is one tree 20 foot tall and one foot
in diameter(after being cut down and
cleaned). A food unit is the amount of
food which will feed one person for one
week. If your population is 1000 people
then you would need 48,000 food units
to live through the year. A chart for
gathering food has been included. All
beginning players will need to tell their
people to set-up a food gathering sys-
tem, because your people won’t do it for
themselves. This should be one of the
first things you have them do.

Produced Goods
Common Knowledge Produced Goods Table
The production of goods is essential
for the prosperity of a population. Pro- Description Amount Materials needed Time required
duced goods are all man-made prod-
ucts. These products are manufactured
through orders using certain amounts of Armor, leather 1 1 hide unit one week
gathered resources. You will not al- Arrows* 100 1 wood unit one week
ways be able to make anything you Bows 10 1 wood unit one week
want, but there are many items which Clubs* 10 1 wood unit one week
are common knowledge. Your RC will
be able to better define what can be
Knives 10 1 metal unit two weeks
made and what is beyond the knowl- Shields, wood 5 1 wood unit one week
edge and skills of your people. A list of Swords 5 1 metal unit two weeks
a few commonly known items is given
here. * Protected population can produce these items in double the time required

7
 Writing Orders
Now that you have received your
Player Sheet and understand its basic
workings, it is time to start playing
ROTU. This is done by giving orders(i.e.
telling your population what to do).
Writing Orders
General Orders
The General Order is the most com-
monly used. It includes training, min-
ing, farming, general civil commands
and laws, and other miscellaneous con-
cerns for people. When in doubt, use
a general order. An example of a
general order has been provided. Each
bullet (•) indicates separate orders within
the general order.

When giving orders to your popula-

tion, simply write down what your
people should be doing and give that
information to your RC, who will then
process the orders and give you the
result(s). When giving orders it is im-
portant to remember the one RULE in
ROTU:
If the Realm Controller Doesn’t Know
About It, It Doesn’t Exist!!!
In other words, write down all orders
and give them to the RC for them to go
into effect. When writing orders, put
your PC’s name and the type of order it
is at the top. Types of orders for the
basic game are: General, Exploration,
and Production. When you submit
your orders, the RC will look them over
and point out anything which is unclear
or impossible to do. When everything is
acceptable the RC will date them and
the orders will immediately go into ef-
fect. Orders are what run the game.
Lord Alden has advised many new play-
ers by telling them, “Be specific. You’ll
be better off for it.” The following are
descriptions of each type of order in the
basic game. Lord Alden has graciously
donated some older orders of his to use
as examples.
Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
General Order
• Have 50 women from the protected population put in charge of
civil defense in the city of Bolson. They will be referred to as civil
officers during times of emergency.
• Send 125 men and 500 protected population to clear the land
around Bolson and plant crops. As soon as one crop comes in and
is gathered, they are to plant another crop. This is their primary task
and takes precedence over other duties which they may be assigned.
If there is a conflict, report to Lord Alden.
• Have 20 men begin to lay down the foundation for the temple of
Mara. This temple will be built to the north of the city. Plans to the
temple will be coming at a later date.
• Have 150 men begin training in metal surveying and basic survival
techniques. They will become Bolson's mining corp. Have them
prepared to meet whatever obstacles they expect to encounter while
being so far from Bolson.
• Have all the men begin basic training with swords and bows. Have
my administrators choose those men who will make good soldiers.
Awards should be handed out for excelling in their combat training.
Also, have my advisers watch for men who would make good officers
and those who excel in the military arts and will benefit from more
intensive training.
• Report any encounters with other populations immediately.

8

Exploration Orders
An Exploration Order should be
used whenever sending a group of people
away from your direct supervision.
These orders are separated from general
orders in order to be handled more ef-
fectively by the RC. Exploration orders
should contain information concerning
number of people going(PP and men),
the supplies(such as food) they are tak-
ing, the direction they are heading, the
amount of time they are to be gone, the
goals they are to achieve (example: map
surroundings), and what they should do
under certain situations(example: they
run into an unknown town). Explora-
tion orders can take a lot of time, but the
time spent is worth the rewards gained
through exploration.
Being specific can be of great advan-
tage. Many tough situations will need
to be handled by your people while
exploring, and your PC won’t be there
to help out. To alleviate some of the
problems associated with exploration
Writing Orders
Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
Exploration Order
• Send 10 men, each armed with a bow and 40 arrows, on horseback,
to the east. They will carry enough food for a two-month journey.
They will travel for four weeks and then return to Bolson with the
information they have gathered. Their assignment is to map the area
and look for any interesting resources(animals, metals, or natural). In
particular, look for iron in the foothills.
• A standing order for all exploration teams: If they encounter an
unkown group of people, they are to have four members of the team
head back to Bolson and report it immediately. The others are to
observe from a distance and try to stay hidden.
• A standing order for all exploration teams: BUG OUT fast if
anything looks dangerous. If captured, do whatever possible to save
their lives, except giving away vital secrets. Lie a lot!
orders, a good idea is to make standing in a while. An example of an explora-
orders for all exploration groups to fol- tion order has been provided by Lord
low. These standing orders may in- Alden. He also has some standing or-
clude what should be done on all explo- ders included.
rations and what to do in certain situ-
ations which may arise only every once

Production Orders
The Production Order is the last
type of order used in the basic game.
The order is simple, but necessary. It is
issued to have something manufactured.
All you need to include is the product,
the amount to be produced, the raw
materials to be used, and the manpower
which is to be devoted to the project.
Lord Alden is trying to equip his men
with better weapons. He begins by
writing this production order to his RC.

Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson

Production Order

• 100 swords, 20 iron units, 10 men, 4 weeks

• 300 axes, 15 iron units, 10 men, 4 weeks
• 300 shovels, 15 iron units and 5 wood units, 10 men, 4 weeks
• 300 picks, 15 iron units and 5 wood units, 10 men, 4 weeks
• 500 bows, 50 wood units, 20 men, 2 1/2 weeks
• 10,000 arrows, 100 wood units, 100 pp, 2 weeks
• 100 clubs, 10 wood units, 20 men, 1/2 week
• 200 shields, 40 wood units, 10 men, 4 weeks
• 150 knives, 15 iron units, 10 men, 1 1/2 weeks

9
 Supplies & Combat
Supplies, Storage, Trade, and Perishables
Supplies are considered to be all
resources and produced goods not allo-
cated. They will be listed on your
player sheet. They will grow and shrink
as your people collect, produce, and use
them. The actual location of these sup-
plies can be established when they are
ordered into storage.
Items in storage are placed in a
particular location and are given some
kind of containing area (example: Horses
in a fenced off range north of town).
Storage areas are created only through a
Basic Combat
The driving force behind ROTU is
the interaction between people. Natu-
rally, some of these interactions may
not be of a positive nature. The ability
to fight is an essential skill for all play-
ers to learn. This skill is most desirable
when you are faced with unresolvable
conflicts. Outlined below are a few
basic points which you will need to
understand about combat on the realms.
First, a combat unit is comprised of
men who have been specified by the PC
using a general order. For example:
“Establish 3 companies of 100 men
general order to the RC. The supplies
within the storage area can be added to
and subtracted from at any time through
an order.
Trading supplies between popula-
tions is often needed to gain additional
resources, as well as to alleviate excess
inventory. Transportation of these sup-
plies will need to be handled through
general orders, as well as the specific
numbers of the trade agreement. The
RC needs to know only the physical
transaction(i.e. what is moving to where,
each as infantry.” The player will also
need to specify what the men are armed
with, i.e. shield, armor, weapon. Be
sure you have produced these items
already!
Combat in ROTU is run by compar-
ing the military power of the two oppos-
ing forces and determining the conflict
result under the situation and circum-
stances therein. Your RC will calcu-
late all conflicts. To give you a basic
idea of how the military power of a unit
is determined, here is an example.
10
and how is it getting there). The rest of
the negotiation does not need to be
written down for the RC.
There are many supplies that are
perishables. The RC will not always
notify the player of goods that have
perished, so watch the player sheets
carefully and keep good records. A
very perishable resource is food, which
Lord Alden has attributed to be a lead-
ing cause of many populations' down-
fall.
Basic Combat System:
Example calculation
100 soldier = 100 pt. base
Other factors(bonus)
swords(x2)
shields(x1.5)
mounts(x2)
Therefore, total unit military
power = 600

People have basic functions which
are common among all populations.
These functions are listed as general
labors. They include hunting, fishing,
farming, ranching, lumbering, and
mining. The following are short de-
scriptions of each labor and what they
involve.
Hunting is one of the oldest forms of
food gathering. A hunting party con-
sists of ten men. Equipment needed for
a hunting party are a bow, arrows, and
traps for each member. Hunting parties
can collect ten units per man per month.
The hunting party is not an effective
main source of food, but can be used as
a supplement to other food gathering
systems.
A fishing group consists of ten men
with nets and two fishing boats. These
groups can gather forty food units per
man per month from any neighboring
river or bay. Fishing groups may be a
good main source of food if there are
enough of them. Otherwise, they can be
used as a supplement of some of other
gathering system.
Farming is the most common source
of food gathering. Ten men and 40 PP
can produce 9000 units of food in four
months. Needed for this system is a
heavy plow for each man and seeds.
Weather and agricultural techniques will
affect this food production process.
Basic Wrap-up
With this basic information, you will
be able to begin play on a basic level
realm. These items are meant to be
guidelines only since there are very few
rules in ROTU. It is up to each individ-
ual RC and player to decide how these
guidelines are to be applied on each
realm. The result is a game that is
flexible and therefore, open to creativ-
ity, customizing, and, hopefully, lots of
fun.
This information also forms the foun-
dation for the Advanced version of
ROTU, which begins with these guide-
lines but incorporates more detail. The
General Labors
General Labors: Animal Production Table
Raw materials produced Type of animal and amount of units
Cow Goat Horse Pig Sheep
Milk units per month 10 4 0 0 1
Wool units per month 0 0 0 0 1
Food units per animal 10 3 7 5 4
Hide units per animal 3 1 2 0 1
Newborn % per year 10% 12% 8% 15% 12%
Populations with low technology levels shipping the wood to your storage loca-
may not be able to perform standard tions. A lumber camp consists of 25
farming. men, each with an axe, and can produce
Ranching produces food and cer- 150 units of wood per month.
tain natural resources, and promotes Mining provides your supply of
animal reproduction. Ten men make up minerals. Fifty men are required to set
a ranching team. Each team can handle up a mining camp. A pick, shovel, and
up to 1000 animals (numbers may vary axe are the required tools for each man.
with type of animal). The products The amount of materials gained from
which can be gained from ranching in- mining varies from month to month.
clude wool, hides, milk, food, and addi- Transportation from the camp must also
tional animals. The number of supplies be worked out. Mining is a risky busi-
gained are above, per one animal: ness and many deaths may occur from
Ranches can be fenced off areas or mining accidents. Mining camps can be
in wide open plains(more risk). Fences established in a variety of terrains. Sur-
will of course need to be built(production veying lands for their mineral wealth
order). and mining potential is a talent which is
Lumbering provides your supply of not common knowledge.
wood. A lumber camp needs to be set
up in a wooded area with a method of
next section of this book describes the
advanced game in detail and shows ways
that both levels can be used to create
realms of varying degrees of difficulty.
Basic realms should not be viewed
as a lower level game in terms of inten-
sity and enjoyability. In fact, some of
the most successful realms have been
basic level realms. These type of realms
pay less attention to fine details and
more attention to creativity and fun.
Even a detailed, intense Advanced level
realm needs some Basic level ideas to
make the realm enoyable and exciting.
11
 Advanced Game
A s we have seen, the Basic game
Player: Thomas Williams
is very basic. Because of this it is fairly
easy to learn and play but also limited in Player Character: Lord Zachary Alden
detail and creative options. The rest of Title: Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
this manual is devoted to the Advanced
rules of ROTU. These rules can be used People: Bolsonites - 9261/6390/2871(1352/101/8/2)
in full, creating a highly complex realm,
Alusians - 4365/3317(291)/1048(309/7)
or in part, adding more flavor to a basic
level realm. A mixing of the Basic rules
plus the Advanced rules results in an Raw Materials: Example of an
intermediate game which is recom- Animals: advanced player sheet
mended for most realms. These realms Cattle - 6234 Horses - 712
tend to include detail that players de-
mand but not so much that an RC be-
Pigs - 245 Sheep - 212
comes over-loaded. The bottom line is Warhorses - 35
that this manual presents two extremes Metals:
in ROTU. It is totally the decision of the Brass - 43
RC and players to decide which level to Bronze - 30
play, either Basic, Advanced, or some
kind of Intermediate level.
Copper - 57 12,000 copper coins in currency
Gold - 22 7000 gold coins in currency
Advanced Player Sheet Iron - 123
Silver - 45 5300 silver coins in currency
In the Advanced game, the popula-
tion breakdown gets a little more com- Steel - 3
plicated. The basic three divisions are Natural Resources:
the same (i.e. Total Population/ Pro- Coal - 7 Limestone - 23
tected Population / Men), but added to Rubies - 34 Wood - 737
this are categories concerning training
and combat specialization.
Also, in the Advanced game you Produced Goods:
may be leading more than one popula- Armor:
tion which will be recorded separately. Leather - 789 Shields, wooden - 1500
This will appear in parenthesis next to Ships:
the basic population divisions. As you
can see from this Advanced Player Sheet,
Merchant ships - 8
Lord Alden controls his own people, the Warships - 5 - including the "Pride of Bolson"
Bolsonites, and a conquered people, the Weapons:
Alusian. Arrows - 15,000 Axes - 429
Bolts - 6500 Bows - 700
Crossbows - 125 Daggers - 300
Shovels - 900 Swords(iron) - 1200

Specialists: 2nd Ring Forger, 3rd Ring Scribe

Settlements:
Bolson - 9,000 capacity, semi-fortified, port(5), shipyard(2)
New Alusia - 5,000 capacity, unfortified
Miner's Town - 750 capacity, fortified

12

Trained Troops
Training your men to fight is a high
priority with many Advanced game
players. Trained troops make your
people much more difficult to conquer
since even the most basic training will
double the effectiveness of your fight-
ing forces. To train your troops, a
military order is needed. State the
number of men that will go through the
training program and when they are to
start. Basic training takes about three
months followed by a drill session ev-
ery two weeks. The drill sessions which
come after basic training can be placed
in a standing order. Basic training needs
only to be done once. All new people
gained through population increases will
automatically go through basic training
before they are added in.
The three-month initial basic train-
ing will decide which men will become
trained soldiers(Level A). The standard
number of men who leave basic training
with a Level A rating is about 1 out of 2
(50 percent). The rest will have to
suffer through life as blacksmiths, ship-
builders, farmers, and the like. This
does not mean the trained men cannot
do general labor. They are often as-
signed to many construction tasks and
other heavy labor chores. Keeping a
unit together will help their combat abil-
ity when it comes to fighting, therefore
assigning a company to a single large
task is always best.
Training does not stop at Level A.
Leaders can request their trained troops
to enter into a second training session to
find the number of men able to achieve
combat Level B. The standard amount
of Level A troops able to achieve Level
B is approximately 1 out of 10 (10
percent). A Level B soldier is a special-
ist at combat, and should be considered
a “professional soldier.” Level B troops
are good as Non-Commission Officers
of Level A troops or as special patrol
units. This specialized training requires
the soldiers to have another two-month
training session. At the end of this
training period, the number of soldiers
achieving Level B status will appear on
your Player Sheet.
Some Level B soldiers may even
achieve higher levels of combat train-
ing. Another two months of training is
required to do this. Level C soldiers
make excellent spies and scouts, as well
as an elite unit of infantry or cavalry.
Level D or higher should be considered
the “perfect warriors.” There is seldom
more than one or two of these in anyone’s
initial population, but if one achieves
this level, use them as freelance spies,
personal bodyguards, and espionage
assignments.
These combat specializations are
recorded on the Player Sheet by paren-
thesis after the number of men in a
population. In Lord Alden’s Bolsonites,
he has the numbers 9261/6390/
2871(1352/101/8). The number of Level
A soldiers is 1352, the number of Level
B soldiers is 101, the number of Level C
soldiers is 8, and the two Level D sol-
diers act as his personal guard. These
numbers are not subtracted from the
total number of men, but are simply a
subclassification(i.e. 1463 of the 2871
of men have some kind of military train-
ing).
Women within the Protected Popu-
lation can also have combat training but
with greater restrictions. Their training
is much more extensive and, when
trained, they will not be included as
Protected Population during population
increases, due to the amount of time it
takes for them to keep up their training.
Approximately one out of 20 (5 per-
cent) of the Protected Population will
complete basic training. Under restricted
circumstances, additional training will
allow one out of 10 (10 percent) Level
A trained women may achieve Level B.
The trained troops within the Protected
Population will be recorded separately
on the Player Sheet but will have the
same abilities as their male counter-
parts. Lord Alden’s Alusians have some
13
Military Training
PP who are combat trained. They are
recorded in parenthesis next to the Pro-
tected Population. There are 291 Level
A trained women among the Alusians.
Trained soldiers should be organ-
ized into military units to increase effi-
ciency and receive additional military
bonuses. These units will vary in size
and assignments. The basic divisions
are cavalry or infantry. The division
between cavalry and infantry depends
solely upon whether the troops have
mounts or not. Within these two divi-
sions, units will be classified as light,
standard, medium, heavy, or extra heavy,
depending upon how they are equipped.
To achieve the different equipment di-
visions, refer to the table below to get a
rough outline of what is required.
Unit Equipment Classifications
Light - Level B training, leather
armor, bow
Standard - Level A training,
sword or bow
Medium - Level A training,
sword or bow, shield, leather
armor
Heavy - Level A training, metal
armor, two main weapons
Extra Heavy - Level B training,
all metal equipment, exceptional
mount(if cavalry)
Assigning officers to units will
also help, if they are available. To
understand more about officers and
how they are assigned, consult your
RC.
 Population Status
The Population Status(PS) is an in-
dicator of the overall condition of your
people. The PS can range from Excel-
lent to Poor and is made up of three
components: physical, loyalty, eco-
nomic.
The physical component deals with
the overall health of your total popula-
tion. This component will be affected
by food production, public health, and
physical fitness.
The loyalty component deals with
the overall trust your people have in
their leaders. This will be affected by
the outcome of major battles, the suc-
cessful fulfillment of their needs, and
good public relations.
The economic component is the most
erratic part of the Population Status.
The economic component will reflect
the status of the economy you are run-
ning under. There are two types of
economies, barter and currency. Both
systems can be successful and contrib-
ute positively toward your Population
Status.
The barter economy is the simplest
of the two since it is trade without a
medium of exchange(for example, trad-
Population Status Chart
Poor Fair Good
ing six chickens for three swords). It is
affected by the amount of trade which
your people actively engage in. The
best way of increasing a barter econ-
omy is by increasing your trade, thereby
helping your Population Status. How-
ever, a barter system will weaken your
Population Status when it is unable to
attain specialized goods and compete
with neighbors, because it lacks a me-
dium of exchange.
As your population grows economi-
cally, you may find it necessary to set up
a currency based economic system.
This has great advantages over the bar-
ter system because a medium of ex-
change allows people to trade more
easily and accurately. It also allows
governments to introduce loans, inter-
est, taxes, and investments. However, a
currency based economy can fall prey
to the devalument of the coinage, de-
Specialists
Another part of your Player Sheet
which you may find in the Advanced
Game concerns Specialists within
your population. These Specialists range
from blacksmiths to administrators.
Specialists have extraordinary abilities
to perform particular tasks in the soci-
ety. Specialists should be experimented
with and utilized by every successful
leader.
A Specialist will come with a degree
of ability within their field. These lev-
els of degree will vary from one to ten.
Those at the lowest levels can perform
only the simplest of tasks while the
higher level Specialists can perform
more complex tasks. These levels are
known as Rings, which correspond to
actual rings worn on the hands of the
Specialist. For example, a fifth level
14
Great Excellent
pending on the rarity of metals used to
mint coins. Leaders should be aware of
problems like inflation, recession, over-
taxation, and tampering with the econ-
omy.
When your Population Status is Ex-
cellent, your people are at the peak of
their abilities. This is a time to try some
new and creative projects because your
people are behind you. However, main-
taining an Excellent PS is difficult so it
is imperative to take advantage of this
status while it is available.
A Poor PS indicates that your people
are very dissatisfied with their situation.
A Poor status is just as fleeting as an
Excellent status but it brings with it the
possibility of rebellion, which would
terminate your leadership. Most popu-
lations will fall into the Fair, Good, or
Great category.
Scribe will have five rings, known there-
after as a Fifth Ring Scribe. The RC will
assign the number of Specialists a popu-
lation has and their ring levels.
The Specialist classes in a non-fan-
tasy environment are: Forgers, who
handle metallurgy and blacksmithing;
Engineers, such as architects and mathe-
maticians; Theologians, who are teach-
ers and priests; Military Science, who
are officers of combat units; Scribes,
who act as administrators, tax collec-
tors, historians, and diplomats. These
classes can do much more than just
those stated here and oftentimes they
will work together on projects. Other
classes may also be created depending
on the need in your society. Work with
your RC to explore the possibilities
with the Specialist.

Distribution Orders
The distribution order is a census
of your population that your RC will
request of you. It shows where every
person in your population is located as
well as the distribution of raw materials
and produced goods. This order will
also contain special projects currently
in progress. Include the date that the
distribution order is effective. Lord
Alden has provided a distribution order
here.
Development orders
Here is your chance to be really
creative as a player. A development
order will allow you to invent NEW
items(produced goods). These orders
will contain a diagram and a description
of the item in as much detail as possible.
The RC will accept these plans and
process them to your specifications ac-
cording to the guidelines available in
the Realm Controller’s Manual(RCM).
Once processed, the RC will be able to
Advanced Orders
Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
Distribution Order
Bolson: 9261/5830/1946(802/101/8/2)
New Alusia: 4365/3317(271)/1048(309/7)
Miner's Town: 350/50/300(50), 20 horses
North Outpost: 125/0/125(125), 20 horses
South Outpost: 125/0/125(125), 20 horses
East Outpost:: 125/0/125(125), 20 horses
West Outpost: 125/0/125(125), 20 horses
Temple of Mara: 30/10/20
Bolson suburbs: 625/500/125 - Farming corps
Effective date: 1/8/91 A.D. - 2/27/9 C.T.
give you updates on the progress of the realm. For example, there will be no
your distribution order. After the item nuclear warheads! If an item you are
is developed for the first time, the player trying to develop goes over the limit, the
character will then use a production RC will not allow its development.
order to manufacture additional items. However, we encourage players to de-
Often, you will receive one of the prod- velop right up to this mysterious “limit.”
uct as a prototype. Lord Alden was requested to give one
There are limits to development in of his development orders to us for this
the game of ROTU. These limits are manual but he declined. However, he
known to the RC and are designed to sent along this common development
keep players within the framework of order for the bow & arrow.
15
 Advanced Orders
Military Orders
When your people are involved in
some sort of conflict or potential con-
flict, a military order must be submit-
ted. It should include the amount of
men used, their training, their equip-
ment, and their individual and group
assignments. A good leader must be
detailed about military situations. Try
to cover as many scenarios that you
think may occur. Once the military
order is submitted, the RC will use it to
guide the actions of your people through
the conflicts that arise. In the absence of
clear orders, the RC will follow guide-
lines established in the RCM. Lord
Alden, provided us with a small mili-
tary order, which he claims he never
actually put into action.
Special Orders
These orders are used for certain
specific individual events. Individual
events would include assassinations,
spying, espionage, and generally secret
situations. Special orders can also be
used to request special information from
the RC. Basically, this type of order
should be used with items that don’t fit
into the other categories of orders. This
report was recently uncovered but it is
obviously old(Calmara Time) since the
city mentioned was destroyed years ago.
Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
Military Order
• Send 500 soldiers, equipped with any weapons they can find, to
go and destroy the 50 man exploration party my scouts informed
me of. They are coming from the west, therefore, I want to wait
until dawn and attack from the east as the sun is rising. Take no
prisoners, kill every man, take their supplies, and then return to
Bolson.
A response from Calmara might have been:
Lord Alden, your men attacked the party at dawn and killed all 50
warriors. They spat curses at your troops and took many of your
poorly equipped soldiers with them. 153 of your men were killed
and 73 were seriously injured(transfer to protected population).
You did, however, gain 35 steel breastplates, 48 steel longswords,
and 18 horses. Nice first battle!
Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
Special Order
• I want to send four spies into the northern town of Cendex.
They are to come from the west and establish themselves as resi-
dents. A scout from Bolson will be sent to the outskirts of Cendex
once a month to get a report from the spies. The spies' assignment
is to keep their eyes open and report current events in the city.
Also, try to get in good with the government and discover some
secrets. Steal all new ideas whenever possible. Keep a low profile
and have limited contact with their fellow spies. Good luck!
16

Produced goods are not limited to
swords and bows. They also include
mobile catapults, ships, exotic weap-
ons, domestic products, transportation
vehicles, and even food and clothing.
The point is that in producing goods,
you can show off some creativity and
introduce many items into the realm.
They not only help your population live
better but they can also be sold to other
groups, thus helping your economy.
The major factor in producing new
items is the technology level of your
people. Their base technology level is
established by the RC as you begin
playing, depending on the design of the
realm. Producing goods within your
present technology level is far easier
and less time consuming than produc-
ing goods of a higher technology level.
However, you are not limited to the
technology level that you start with.
The more often you attempt to develop
more sophisticated goods or spend time
studying items from a higher technol-
ogy, the better your chances of increas-
ing your whole population’s technol-
ogy level, even if many of your attempts
end in failure.
The technology level of your popu-
lation puts limitations on what your
people can produce. These limits may
prevent your people from understand-
ing products produced by a population
at a higher technology level than your
own.
When you reach a new technology
level, many items which were previ-
ously unproducable become available
for your population to develop and build.
For example, a group submits designs
for a crossbow to the RC. The RC
approves the plans, thereby raising the
technology level of the group. Now, the
group can not only build crossbows but
are also capable of designing and build-
ing ballistas and other similar missile
weapons.
Produced Goods
Technology Levels
Level Weapons & Military Metalurgy Naval
1 spears, stone axe, stone toothsaw none none
2 bows, slings, stone tipped arrows, none leather canoes
wooden armor
3 metal tipped spears and arrows, copper small reed and
knives wooden sailing
vessels
4 sword, chariot, cavalry, militias bronze large wooden
metal armor barges(oars)
5 wooden siege engines, phalanx, iron war barges,
permanent armies ramships
Currency Settlements
The economic health of your popu- Another large expenditure of raw
lation is an important factor of ROTU. materials is the construction of settle-
The economic status of your popula- ments. Settlements fall under two gen-
tion is based on the amount of trade, eral categories: military and civil. Mili-
currency, and taxation. Trade involves tary settlements are fortresses, such as
such things as creating a trade list of castles, forts, and border outposts. Civil
items, placing prices on the items, and settlements can be unfortified, semi-
advertising this to other groups. Most fortified, and fortified towns, palaces,
trade details are handled by the RC with educational institutions, and ports.
the player constructing the basic lists When you begin playing, your popu-
and prices. lation may begin as an unfortified town.
Most populations start off using ba- As you begin to organize you may build
sic bartering systems of natural resources walls around the city, create a castle for
or produced items. As the economy your leader, or build outposts to mark
progresses, a player may want to intro- your territory. These can be upgraded
duce currency into the economy. and improved as your population grows.
Currency is under the direct control These projects will take time and re-
of the player. Metals such as gold, sources to build. Each settlement will
silver, platinum, copper, iron, and al- be constructed by using a production
loys, like steel and brass, are commonly order.
used as currency. One unit of these
metals and alloys equals 1,000 coins. Settlement Construction Costs
The coins are then put into the market as Type Stone Wood Metal
a medium of exchange by a General Unfortified 5 100 2
Order from the PC. Removal of these Semi-fortified 2 0 150 5
coins from the economy is done through Fortified 50 250 15
taxation. Starting up a currency based
system will often be very difficult but in Fortress 50 200 20
the long run will dramatically increase Ultra-fortress 100 300 30
the economic health of your people. Castle 35 200 10
Note: All costs here per 100 person
capacity

17
 Advanced Combat
Combat in ROTU differs slightly
from other games that involve military
simulation. Since many parts of ROTU
are meant to mirror reality, combat is
handled in the same way. That is, com-
bat is not something that happens every
five minutes with the players always
coming out on top. In fact, combat is
one of the most random and dangerous
things your people can face.
When an RC is determining combat
results, he will consider factors which
include: training, equipment, terrain,
random factors. The RC has the option
of using some or all of the factors avail-
able in calculating combat situations.
This might seem like you have no
control over combat situations. How-
ever, there are several ways of prepar-
ing your soldiers and people for these
“do or die” situations.
Training
A crucial part of providing adequate
military defense for your people is es-
tablishing rigid training guidelines.
Training is a year-round project and
should be a standing military order.
Initially, your men will have to go
through a mass basic training course.
After which, they will need to go through
periodic drills to maintain their train-
ing. The basic training program will
continue to be used at the beginning of
every year for new recruits, which you
will gain through population increases.
The better trained your troops are, the
more effective they will be in combat.
Not every man is cut out to be a
soldier. Those who are not able to train
will need to be assigned to other tasks in
your population. Trained troops will
need to be distributed into military units.
A general order will assign these units
to a certain duty or task. Lord Alden has
given us an example of a military order,
which specifies duties of Infantry Com-
pany D.
Lord Alden, Ruler of the Free City-State of Bolson
Military Order - training
• Have my men begin basic training to discover those who are able
to effectivily fight in an organized military force. The training will
take three months and is to consist of mount combat, hand-to-hand
combat, archery, sword and armor training, basic formation drills,
and extended campaign simulations. Commendations and promo-
tions will be awarded for excellent achievements during basic train-
ing.
• Standing Order: As population increases come every year I want
the new men which are added to undergo basic training to discover
who is able to join the armed forces.
Equipment Land Combat
Equipment in the ROTU combat Land based troops must be trained in
system includes weapons, armors, land combat in order to be effective in
mounts, war engines, and warships. The battle. Training should include hand to
production of these items will need to hand fighting, military formations, and
be handled through development and physical fitness to endure the rigors of a
production orders. Enough items must prolonged military campaign. The more
be available to equip your soldiers so completely trained your troops are the
you will need enough natural resources better their chances of success. Ad-
to produce them. Creating an army and vanced training should include fighting
equiping it is an excellent item to in- from mounts, missile warfare, and gen-
clude in your first set of orders. eral field experience through military
maneuvers. Good leadership among
Terrain your military units will also have a big
impact on the success or failure of a
Military conflicts can take place in a military campaign.
variety of environments. Each environ-
ment requires a specific military ap- Naval Combat
proach that is tailored for that environ-
ment. For instance, land combat de- Naval combat utilizes many differ-
mands the use of hand to hand combat, ent military factors than land based com-
mounted combat, and land based mili- bat. Hand to hand weapons and armors
tary formations. Naval warfare demands play a very small role in naval combat.
the use of ships, specialized war en- Instead, the ship itself and the experi-
gines, and naval tactics. However, in a ence of its crew will decide the outcome
siege, army size and equipment matters of a battle. Leaders who want to excel
very little while fortifications and siege at naval combat need to concentrate on
engines matter a great deal. Good lead- developing ships which are faster, stron-
ers must understand these situations and ger, and more maneuverable. They also
how to approach with them. need to train crews who excel in naval
tactics and seamanship. Leadership and
missile warfare may also play an impor-
tant role in this type of combat.
18
 Combat & Terrain
Siege Combat Weather and Terrain

Siege combat is a very unique form Terrains on a realm are often simpli- movement. Weather is also a factor but
of land combat. It requires a great deal fied for easy understanding and play. plays a relatively small role in day to
of planning and patience. Armies and Terrains fall into the categories listed day affairs, except in such major events
generals matter very little in determin- below and have some restrictions on as a natural disaster.
ing the outcome of a siege. The crucial
elements of this type of combat involve Terrain Movement Restriction Table
the amount and sophistication of the Terrain Type Land movement Sea movement
siege engines attacking, along with the Bay/Shore none slow
courage and skill of their operators,
Desert slow none
versus the walls and civil defenses of
the besieged settlement. Innovation on Flatland(prairie) normal none
both sides of the siege can be the deter- Forest slow none
mining element as to who will break the Hills slow none
siege first, e.g. a Trojan horse or getting Impassable mountains none none
word out to a helpful ally.
Mountain very slow none
Special Areas of Combat Ocean none normal
River slow slow
Just as there are men who make Swamp very slow very slow
lousy soldiers there are also men who
excel in it. These men, when properly Alliances, Treaties, and Borders
trained and motivated, can become “su-
per soldiers.” Your RC will indicate After you have sent out scouts, met come in handy during times of war. The
how many of these soldiers you have other populations, and discovered your RC does not need to be aware of any
and what level they have achieved. The general location on the realm, you should alliances, treaties, or borders but if your
higher the level, the more deadly and try to stabilize yourself. Becoming people need to know it, then the RC
effective they will be in combat. These friends with your neighbors can be use- needs to know it also. Alliances and
soldiers should be placed into special- ful. Written treaties and alliances come treaties are not enforced by the RC, they
ized units, which can better utilize their in handy during times of war. The RC are enforced by you and your people.
abilities. You may want to save these
soldiers for special missions or assign-
ments of great importance.

Fantasy Combat

On fantasy realms, magic can be-

come an added factor in combat. Spell-
casters, magical animals, and magical
equipment can increase your military
strength significantly. Obviously, on
these types of realms, your opponent
will probably also have magic based
items to counter yours. Also, gods
tend to appear more during combat on
fantasy realms to lend divine assistance
to one side or the other.

19
 Population Background
Population of the Realm
Many players never fully understand
that there are people everywhere. Most
of the realms within ROTU are well
populated. Only some of these people
are under your control. When you con-
trol a town, realize that a town’s
economy is dependent upon not only
the folks that live there but also the
travellers roaming around the realm.
Not only are these folks good for busi-
ness but they are also your principal
source of information. People love to
gossip.
Races and Racial Conflicts
There are a variety of races in the
many realms of ROTU. A race is a
method of classification through which
physical attributes reveal an individual’s
place of origin. Race becomes impor-
tant when two populations merge, often
as a result of a conqueror trying to gain
control over the defeated foe. Popula-
tions of radically different racial stocks
will naturally resist merges, while folks
of similar or identical races will merge
easily.
Settlements
Controlling a town is the most popu-
lar request of starting players. Even if
your people don’t have one, chances are
you will have dealings with one while
playing the game. Listed here are the
primary components of a town and how
they will affect the game.
The first component is town de-
fense. Each town will have a physical
fortification classification. The class
can range from as high as ultra-fortified
to as low as no fortification at all. For-
tification classes can be increased by
the player to a certain degree, but the
cost of these improvements goes up
very quickly. Construction of new for-
tifications is done through a production
order.
The second component is the option
of having a port. Obviously, you must
be on a body of water, i.e. a river, bay,
lake or ocean. To have a port added to
your settlement, docks will need to be
built through a production order. You
may add battlements and war engines to
the port facility to defend your town
from sea attack. Port size, shown as a
number in parenthesis next to “port” on
your Player Sheet, is an indicator of the
number of ocean going vessels which
can be docked at one time. Initial build-
ing and any future increases of a port is
done through a production order, be-
cause dock building is common knowl-
edge.
The third component available to a
town is a shipyard. This is a primitive
dry dock where the production of sea-
going vessels takes place. The cost of
building a shipyard is high and the
knowledge for its production must be
developed. Expanding a shipyard is
done through a production order and the
capacity is listed in the same way a port
capacity is listed. Battlements for a
shipyard may be added for protection.
Having a shipyard does not mean that
you are able to build a ship, but it does
mean that you are able to give it a try, i.e.
you can begin to develop ships.
Educational Institutions
Many highly civilized populations
will endeavor to promote higher educa-
tion. A logical progression of these
pursuits will produce the founding of
educational institutions. When estab-
lishing an educational system, players
should include the ages to be taught, the
curriculum, and who will do the teach-
ing. At the younger ages, a successful
system will simply include details as to
the curriculum and administration.
Educational systems beyond this kind
of “basic training” require additional
attention.
20
Successful colleges or universities
are products of societies that promote
intellectual and social freedom, where
ideas can be discussed and exchanged
freely. The society is also very active in
the areas of exploration and technol-
ogy, constantly discovering the world
around them and inventing new items.
Information, current and ancient, is the
cornerstone of these institutions. The
end result will be individuals with spe-
cialized expertise in a variety of disci-
plines.
Guilds are a specialized extension
of educational institutions and will play
an important role on the realm. Guilds
are groups of specialists in a particular
area who have organized themselves
for the exchange of ideas and informa-
tion. Guilds interact heavily with col-
leges and universities, where their mem-
bers are initially trained. Guilds are
established by the RC, who will notify
players of existing guild chapters among
their people.
History of Populations
Another way to become more in-
volved with your people and make them
more realistic is by creating a history for
them. Be imaginative with this! It
doesn’t necessarily have to be accurate.
History may even be useful in the game
as seen from the way Lord Alden used
it in this section of the “History of the
Noble Peoples of Bolson.”
“... the deity Bolt, wise and faithful
brother of Mara, did bless the people of
the blue lands and gave them the name
Bolson. And from that day forward, the
Bolsonites strove to achieve greatness
in knowledge and teaching, as to the call
of their fief. Bolt smiled upon...”
This section is often quoted by Lord
Alden’s development teams as they
work diligently on new technologies.

Theology
Your RC plays the role of the main
god of the realm. The RC may choose
to create a theological system to go
along with the realm, but otherwise the
player should make up their own. Sys-
tems can be as extensive as the player
and the RC wish to make them. For
example, on Calmara, Mara is the only
true god of the realm. There are also
realms which are strictly atheistic and
still others which have elaborate, poly-
theistic systems. A new player should
ask the RC for a description of the
theological system when they start the
game. Political ties between a people
and their leader are strong, but religious
ties can be even stronger.
Creativity
It is fun to discover mountains,
oceans, lakes and other such things on
your realm. When you find them, you
have the honor of naming these land-
marks, so be creative when doing so.
The name you use may stick around.
Being creative also includes think-
ing of new ways to add color to the
game. For instance, building new and
exciting facilities for your people, such
as public parks, playhouses, and even a
summer resort can improve their stan-
dard of living. Treat your people as if
they are real. It is what a simulation
game is all about. By being creative in
this and other ways, you will get a better
feeling for the game and be more suc-
cessful.
21
Beyond the Basics
Relics
Relics are unique items that people
identify as symbols of power, beauty,
and strength. A relic may be a sword,
crown, septre, holy artifact, or any other
unique, man-made item. Players can
create a relic easily through a special
order. When creating a relic, remember
that the more rare and unique an item,
the greater the social and spiritual sig-
nificance will be attatched to it.
A relic will be used primarily by the
PC, with a few exceptions. Be creative.
This will add a lot of color to the game.
Lord Alden has the Emerald War Helm
of Sythryl, which is rumored to give the
Bolsonites victory whenever the ruler
of Bolson wears it into battle. To date,
he has never lost a battle while wearing
it.
Magic on the Realm
Unlike many role playing games,
ROTU does not contain magic (the major
exception to this is explained under the
section “Fantasy ROTU”). Spells, wiz-
ards, and the like have no place in this
simulation game. However, supernatu-
ral occurances can happen and a good
leader will be prepared for anything. It
also doesn’t hurt to keep up your every-
day homage to your local gods, just in
case.
 Beyond the Realm
Inter-Realm Travel

One of the more interesting aspects

of ROTU is inter-realm travel. Realms
are connected by Gateways, which can
be traveled through. Gateways were
created by the gods to protect safe travel
through the chaotic substances between
realms. Originally, only the gods and
their minions used these specialized
pathways but in time, mortals discov-
ered the Gateways and have begun vis-
iting other realms.
A Realm Gate is a kind of portal, or
door, that can be found on realms. These
Gateways can take on many different
shapes and sizes. Some are even invis-
ible. Most are protected by riddles,
monsters, or simply physical obstacles
and all are dangerous to the ignorant
and unwary.
Upon entering a Gateway, the char-
acter will see a large, neon sign telling
them that they are leaving the realm and
wishing them well. As they travel
through a Gateway, the pathway will boring realms, new technological infor- The Library of Ar is, in fact, a li-
often be a river or road which will mation can be brought back, and new brary. Each branch on the individual
wander through the chaotic substance economic arenas can be exploited. Time realms has one thing in common: it is
of the Multiverse, which is called Astra. can also be different on another realm. run by a head librarian. This head
Gateways are the only way to safely For instance, building a ship on your librarian, a person of unknown origin, is
travel through the Astra. Stepping off home realm might take four weeks but anything but cooperative. The head
the gate would mean instant destruc- only four days on another realm. The librarian may run a huge staff of librari-
tion. possibilities are endless! ans or run the library alone. A character
There are many adventures that trav- When characters travel to another will be greeted immediately upon enter-
ellers may encounter while in a Gate- realm which is run by a different RC, ing the library and will soon notice that
way. There are strange creatures who the characters are then run by that realm’s this is no ordinary library.
make their homes in these Gateways RC. Don’t be surprised if you change Inside, the library appears to be big-
and await realm travellers. Characters RC’s when changing realms. ger than its outer shell. Experts theorize
should always be prepared for the un- that the library is a realm unto itself but
known. no one has ever been able to map any
Upon reaching the destination realm, Library of Ar part of it. In fact, it is so large and
another neon sign will tell travellers labyrinth-like inside that unwary visi-
what realm they are approaching and The Library of Ar is probably the tors, searching for a book, may find
welcome them to it. If this is the most unique item in the entire Multiv- themselves lost and never return. Only
character’s first trip to the realm, he will erse. Most gods don’t even understand with the help of an official Library of Ar
not know where the Gateway is on the it. It appears on most realms in a variety librarian can a person get out safely.
realm. of shapes and sizes. Some will be huge, The character may not always find what
Obviously, Gateways can be dan- ornate buildings while others may be a he wants, either. There is never any
gerous items. However, they can be of small wooden shacks in the middle of a assurance that the information he seeks
great advantage, too. New and rare forest. However, inside it will be filled will be available.
resources can be obtained from neigh- with treasures of information.

22

The Library of Ar cannot be attacked.
It is protected by an unknown force.
Any kind of violence or vandalism can-
not occur on Library grounds. No ma-
terial can leave the Library of Ar. They
can be copied by hand but they cannot
be removed. Also, the information dis-
covered is not assured to be valid. Since
the Library collects every kind of infor-
mation it can, some information may be
only partially true or outdated. The
Library of Ar is notorious for this.
Finally, since each branch of the
Library of Ar is somehow connected to
the others, it is quite possible to exit
onto a different realm than the one you
entered from. This can be frustrating
since it is almost impossible to find the
route back to your realm. Many re-
searchers have been lost due to this.
Don’t be surprised when one of yours
disappears, too.
Use of the Library of Ar costs money.
The assistant librarians and guide li-
brarians must be paid a fee for leading
you around the Library. The cost varies
from branch to branch. See your local
head librarian for a cost breakdown.
The Library of Ar is politically neu-
tral. It exists only for cataloguing infor-
mation and nothing else. Even when a
branch appears inside a city, it will
remain totally neutral from the city poli-
tics. The advantages of this is that many
warring cities or countries have used
the Library for a neutral meeting place.
Hundreds of treaties and agreements
have been signed in Conference Room
A, a room designed especially for this
purpose.
You and your RC
Death of a Player Character
If your PC is killed in the course of
events, you are out of the game. Your
RC will probably let you start over
again with another group. However, it
will mean starting from scratch. Most
players are despondent over the pros-
pect of having all their hard work de-
stroyed just because their PC got killed.
The makers of ROTU thought of this
and have provided a possible solution.
If you plan ahead of time and work with
your RC, you can set up a list of heirs.
By doing this, you can at least get a
portion of your people back by re-enter-
ing the game as the heir of your former
PC. This does not mean that the transfer
will be easy. You may have to fight off
some other contenders to the title and
office of your ex-leader.
The positive side is that you do have
a chance of getting your people back
without having to start from scratch.
Many of Lord Alden’s enemies have
had to do this more than once. “A few,”
boasts Lord Alden, “simply choose to
start over rather than take control of
what was left.”
You and Your Realm Controller
A special relationship should be de-
veloped with your RC. Always remem-
ber that they are having as much fun as
you are with the game. Through the
realm controller, you will talk to other
group leaders, scouting parties, and gods.
In a loose way, the RC is the god of your
realm. He created the realm and your
character along with it. Something else
23
to remember is that the RC is a bundle of
information. Press him(but not too hard)
for details on your scouting reports,
general rumors, and technological de-
velopments. Ask lots of questions and,
of course, act on the answers with writ-
ten orders. It is up to you to act. It is not
the RC’s responsibility to keep you in-
formed about current events.
Remember also, that you play your
PC but your RC plays everyone else, i.e.
scouts, soldiers, general population, etc.
Therefore, talk to your people. They
may know things that you don’t.
There are also RC run PCs and popu-
lations. You will be encountering these
groups just as you would a player run
group. These RC run populations will
be used to get things moving and offer
new challenges to you and your people.
Treat them as you would any other
unknown people. Remember that one
of the RC’s responsibilities is to pro-
mote interaction and play. These RC
run groups are excellent color for the
game.
The RC Supplement
When RCs design realms, they will
often make decisions and interpreta-
tions of the guidelines governing the
ROTU system. They will let you know
about these interpretations in a RC Sup-
plement. The supplement may include
the history of the realm, legends of
importance, and variations of the guide-
lines established in the Player’s Man-
ual. On Calmara, the RC supplement
contained this section, which we se-
lected to use as an example of a guide-
line variation.
“...On the realm of Calmara, there
will be little attention paid to the amount
of food units a people will have. In-
stead, the amount of food will be re-
corded as the number of weeks the sup-
ply will last at its present levels. This
number may be increased or decreased
according to the conditions of the
realm...”
 Fantasy Realms
A fantasy realm uses all the imagi-
nation and creativity which a realm con-
troller and his players can muster. Fan-
tasy realms can be compared to the
worlds created by such people as J.R.R
Tolkien, Piers Anthony, Michael
Moorcock, Homer, Tracy Hickman &
Margaret Weis, Anne McCaffery, Isaac
Asimov, and Frank Herbert, as well as
worlds created in fantasy role playing
games. Even though these realms go
beyond the boundaries of reality and the
structure of a typical “fiction” realm,
the RC will follow certain guidelines to
keep the game organized and enjoy-
able.
This section will deal with different
aspects of a fantasy realm that a suc-
cessful leader will need to keep in mind.
Playing a Non-Human Race
More often than not, a player will be
the human leader of a human popula-
tion. But on a fantasy realm, there is the
chance that the RC will allow you to
play a non-human race. There are ad-
vantages and disadvantages to running
a non-human group. For example, an
elven race will have a strong constitu-
tion, prolonged lifespan, and orienta-
tion toward the philosophical and intel-
lectual. A disadvantage would be that
elves are notoriously slow moving, in-
dependent, and egotistical. Players
should be aware of the advantages/dis-
advantages to these races before choos-
ing one. Consult your RC on this.
Fantasy Animals
Animals on a fantasy realm range
from the bizarre to the magical. Popu-
lations who encounter these animals
should take great care in studying their
behaviors and attributes in order to util-
ize them successfully as resources. It is
not uncommon to find on a fantasy
realm, the presence of winged horses
and fire-breathing dragons, as well as
cute little fish that can talk.
Fantasy Elements and Resources
Although players will find the usual
minerals on a fantasy realm, such as
gold and iron, they will also encounter
new minerals which contain magical
properties. Extensive testing of these
new minerals may yield some surpris-
ing, and possibly advantageous, results.
These minerals should be studied and
catalogued for possible use in the soci-
ety. Your RC will have information
concerning mineral descriptions and
attributes.
Magical Specialists
In order to deal with the ever-in-
creasing complexity of a fantasy realm,
your population may have Magical Spe-
cialists. Similar to their “fiction” coun-
terparts, each has an individual area of
expertise and levels of
achievement(rings). The three major
classes of Magical Specialists are:
24
Druids, who are animal, plant, and envi-
ronment experts; Alchemists, who can
identify and properly mix magical ele-
ments; Wizards, who are adept in
spellcasting.
Producing Magical Goods
Magical goods fall into two different
categories. First, normal “fictional”
items can have enchantments placed on
them, thus giving them magical proper-
ties. The others are items molded from
magical elements into a form which can
give them power. Whenever producing
these items you should utilize your
magical specialists to handle the very
delicate details of production.
Magical Realms
The fantasy realms themselves also
tend to be a bit bizarre. They can be
riddled with strange terrains (example:
the weeping sea, a sea which sounds
like it is crying) or have certain attrib-
utes which will need to be addressed by
an adapting, successful leader (example:
The land is broken up into many small
clumps of terrain which float around a
huge blue beach ball, and all travel is
done with the use of gigantic lighter-
than-air floatwhales). Obviously, the
possibilities are endless and a player
should therefore keep in close contact
with his/her RC.
Extra Creativity Needed
The purpose of having a fantasy
realm is to test the player’s creativity.
Therefore, successful leaders will need
to devote extra creativity toward their
orders and projects. The demands on
players of a fantasy realm are greater,
but so are the opportunities for fun and
excitement. This type of realm should
only be attempted by players with some
previous experience in ROTU.
 Back Cover

Realms of the Unknown

Player's Manual
You hold in your hands a gateway into a new
realm. This manual includes important
information for leading a population through
the trials and tribulations of Realms of the
Unknown. You will need strength, creativity,
intelligence, organization, and even some luck
to take your people from a society based upon
sticks and stones and transform them into a
thriving population advanced in technology
and lifestyle.

The guidelines inside are straightforward and

easy to learn. They will establish your leader,
begin your journey, and even give you tips on
more advanced ideas. This manual is a must
for players interested in joining a game that
goes beyond typical board games and role-
playing games.

©1991, 1997 the walnut group

All rights reserved
$ 8.00 US Printed in U.S.A.

the walnut group

P.O. Box 631 Itasca, IL 60143

25