The object of the Black Curse is to collect Magical Shards and Points. To do this you must travel across a map in search of these and other items. Along the way you will encounter several enemies. But enemies are not your only challenge--you must also be wary of The Black Curse.
To start the game you must be using the Micorosoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Browser or later version (The game was programmed in JavaScript and only designed for that browser). The game is still in development, and changes are probable.
You must decide on the difficulty of the game. Click on one of the buttons labeled "Easy", "Medium", "Hard" or "Expert". Be warned, "Expert" is nearly impossible.
Once you've selected a difficulty, the map will present itself and you must start by rolling your Chance Roll.
Every turn you must roll the chance roll. You will see a button in the navigation panel that says "Roll". To roll, you can click that button with your mouse, press ENTER, or press 5 on the keyboard's number pad.
The Chance Roll does several things. It first sets your movement for the turn. It also determines if you can pass through walls with your Phase Force. It also determines if you get The Black Curse.
Each time you make a Chance Roll, the current value is displayed in two places. See the example above.
Determining the effect of the roll is simple. Match up the current Chance Value against the value of the Phase Force row and The Black Curse row.
A special circumstance occurs on a Chance Roll of 1 or 20. When a 1 is rolled, you automatically get The Black Curse, and your Phase Force level automatically increases by 1. On a roll of 20, your Phase Force level decreases by 1.
Your Phase Force is a special magical power that allows you to walk through walls. It's very useful in your quest to collect all the required Magical Shards... however, the power is not stable. Due to black magic, your Phase Force fluctuates each turn. If ever your Phase Force Level reaches 20, you will no longer be able to go through walls until that value goes below 20. Your Phase Force level starts at 10.
If your current Chance Roll is greater than your current Phase Force value (expressed with black boxes and white "X" in the example above) then you may pass through walls with impunity. If, however, your Chance Roll is less than or equal to your current Phase Force Level, you may still go through walls this turn (if your Phase Force Level is still less than 20); but going through walls on a turn when your Chance Roll is less than or equal to your Phase Force Level will put you in jeopardy--for each wall you pass through this turn, your Phase Force will increase by 1.
The Black Curse is an evil spell created by the warlocks of the Evil Swarm. This spell was created to make the quest to collect Magical Shards nearly impossible. Every time you get The Black Curse the amount of Magical Shards and Points you need to win increases by a random number. Depending on the difficulty of the game, the potential increase varies.
Getting the The Black Curse is dependant on your Black Curse Level and your Chance Roll. If ever your Chance Roll is less than or equal to your Black Curse Level, you will get the Black Curse--unless, however, you still have a ring of protection.
Your Black Curse Level (indicated by the Black Curse Row in the Chance Table) increases by one whenever you move onto a space tainted with the Black Curse. The value starts at 1. The higher the value is, the more likely you will get the Black Curse on a Chance Roll.
Every turn new spaces are randomly infected with the taint of the Black Curse. You must be wary of them... as it is sometimes difficult to see the Black Curse when it infects walls. It's easier to spot other tainted spaces by the dark backgrounds that appear behind them. Some tainted spots become garbled. Also, some treasure chests are tainted.
A ring of protection will stop your Black Curse Level from increasing when you move into a tainted space.
Each turn you can move a random number of spaces. The potential distance increases as you gain levels. The maximum movement begins at 6. Your current movement is displayed at the top right of the window under "Player Stats".
You can also use the Keypad on your keyboard to navigate the map. Press "8" to move up. Press "4" to move left; Press "6" to move right; Press "2" to move down.
Whenever you move onto a space occupied by an enemy, you must battle. When this occurs, the move buttons are inactive, and the roll button says "Fight". You must repeatedly hit the "Fight" button until the fight is over.
Battle is carried out until either you or the enemy runs out of energy. If the enemy dies, you gain points equal to the number of the enemy's original energy--the more powerful the enemy, the more points you get.
Future upgrades to this program will allow you to use weapons during battle.
Wall :
Origin :
Player :
Money :
Treasure :
Energy :
Points :
Merchant :
Magical Shard :
Exit Portal :
Worm :
Guard :
Centurion :
Dragon :If you would like to learn more about this game or its creator, please visit www.shawnolson.net.
Contact Shawn Olson if you would like to order a copy of the Black Curse Board Game or wish to place a banner advertisement on the online game.
Copyright © 2004 by Shawn Olson. All Rights Reserved.