Welcome to Grendel's Revenge, the game of monstrous roleplaying. If you've always wanted to play a vampire, an orc, or a troll — and wreak terrible vengeance on those pesky human adventurers who violate your lairs and kill your fellow clan members — this is your chance. The following quick start offers a thumbnail reference to starting out in Grendel's world. More detailed information is available elsewhere in this player's guide.

Uthgol: The World of Grendel

Long ago the world was at peace. Grendel's children burrowed in the ground and stalked across the earth and flew through the sky. They battled against each other and they lived together. They built lairs; they collected treasures. Grendel looked upon his children from faraway. All was well in the world.

But then, the pink skins came. The uglies. The humans.

The humans made all that was right wrong. They looted lairs, but did not understand the ancient rules of warfare. They lived upon the earth, but only took without giving. They passed screaming into death, but could not see the beauty that it held. They maimed the lord Grendel himself and were not repentant for their heresy.

Grendel's lands were once at peace. The chimera lived and were part of the land. The undead skirted the boundaries of life and death. The humanoids formed their own societies deep within the earth.

But now, everything has changed.

Playing Grendel's Revenge

In Grendel's Revenge you will take on the role of a monster, become part of monster society, and ward off the assaults of annoying Uglies.

1. Get into the Game

To start off, point your computer's web browser to:

http://www.skotos.net/games/grendel/

This is the overview page for Grendel's Revenge. It contains the latest news and plenty of player information. If you're not a member of the Skotos community, click "Create Free Trial Account"; otherwise select "Play Now". Grendel's Revenge uses an ActiveX? client which requires you to run Internet Explorer under a Windows OS.

2. Create a Character

The first time you enter Grendel's Revenge, the ActiveX? client will pop up for a moment, but then you'll be forwarded on to the "Monster Construction" page. This is where you begin to imagine your monstrous alterego. You'll be asked a number of questions.

Choose whichever of humanoid, undead, or chimera is the most interesting to you. Humanoids include orcs and trolls; undead include ghouls and vampires; while chimera include gryphons and phoenixes. You'll want to be a social monster, as these are the easiest to play at start.

As you continue through character generation you'll be asked which specific monster to play, what his primary role is, what his secondary role is, what his attributes are, and what his special ability is.

Again, make whichever choices interest you. Builders or warriors are easy roles to play, and thus suggested for your first exploration of Uthgol. Try buying Basic Structures or Trap Making if you're a builder; Creeping Crud is a terrific warrior skill as are the various abilities that allow you to wield weapons, like slash or crush.

You'll also get to choose what your monster looks like and its gender, which are purely decorative choices. When you're done, name your monster and you're ready to start!

3. Learn to Communicate

When you enter the game you will be at Grendel's Shrine, a place of serenity and peace. There will sometimes be other monsters that you can talk to here, using a quote:

> 'Grendels blessings up you!

4. Learn to Move

You will eventually need to start moving about, to get out of Grendel's Shrine. The main exit is eastward. To move through portals such as doors or stairs, you must use the go verb:

> go stairs

- or -

> go east

Once you are out of the shrine and on the plains, you can walk about just using the appropriate direction:

> ne

5. Find a Clan

As a social monster, you should find a clan to join. By doing so you will be welcomed into a lair and gain the benefits of comraderie. The best way to find a clan is to wander Uthgol and talk with members of your caste. Eventually either one will point you to a lair, or you'll stumble upon one.

You should consider a clan carefully before you join it and may wish to first find a few alternatives.

6. Learn to Fight

While journeying across Uthgol you will probably encounter uglies. Their only desire will be to mount your head above their hearth. If you're outclassed you should "retreat" and then move away using the directional functions as quickly as possible.

If you think you can take an ugly, you should approach them, then claw them:

> approach wizard

> claw wizard

If you have other attacks, like firebreathing, you'll be able to use those as well.

Uglies are frequently very annoying in fights. You may need to continuously track them down, and close in on them, until they're very dead.

7. Play Your Role

Once you've found your clan you'll be able to start participating depending on your role. Builders will build, warriors will war, magicians will magic, leaders will lead, and shamans will ... sham. Talk with your other clan members to get pointers on how to best fulfill your potential.

8. Gain Grendel's Favor

Monsters better themselves through Grendel's Favor. This is tracked by the bar at the left. You will gain favor points for killing uglies, but also for engaging in actions appropriate to your roll, such as building, healing, or leading.

When you have sufficient favor points, they will turn into favors. Type "favor" to spend them; favors can also be turned in karma at Grendel's Shrine, which is then spent with the "karma" command while you are awaiting reincarnation.

9. Make Your Own Way

In the end you will have the opportunity to roleplay your monster and find your own way in Uthgol as you see fit. Remember that the main goal is to have fun.