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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!bbnccv!ldenenbe
From: ldenenbe@bbnccv.UUCP (Larry Denenberg)
Newsgroups: net.games.rogue
Subject: How to win Rogue 5.3 **SPOILER**
Message-ID: <115@bbnccv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Mar-85 18:14:24 EST
Article-I.D.: bbnccv.115
Posted: Wed Mar  6 18:14:24 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Mar-85 20:12:49 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 37

I just won for the second time, and I have concluded (based on two
winning games and two zillion non-winning games) that, in order to
get the Amulet and get out, you need the following:
   (a) A ring of stealth,
   (b) Enough food to use it, or a ring of slow digestion,
and not a whole lot more.

Skeptical?  Well, in the game I just finished,
   (i) I was using my original mace, enchanted only to +2,+2---I never
       found anything better,
  (ii) My strength was never higher than 19 (and was 17 at the end),
 (iii) I never found a scroll of scare monster and only one hold monster,
  (iv) Nor did I ever have wands/staves of teleport away or slow monster,
       and my staff of polymorph proved useless,
   (v) I never found a potion of raise level, and only one haste self,
  (vi) The only other rings I had were see invisible and regeneration,
       and I hardly used the latter for lack of food.

In fact, the only super good thing I had was armor: class 12 and protected.
It helped a LOT.  (You could win for sure with nothing more than armor of
class ~24---it wouldn't even have to be protected---but you'll never get it.)

I did have some useful stuff.  Scrolls of confuse monster got me out of a tight
squeak or two, my Hp was decent (reaching 80 by the end), I think I know
all the tricks and strategies, and of course I was VERY lucky.  But I've
lost games that looked much better, with several scare monsters, +2,+3 two
handers, strength 23, reasonable Hp and armor, etc.

The same thing happened in my other winning game, although I had somewhat
better weapons and magic.  But I see the common point.  The sine qua non
is the ring of stealth.  I therefore suggest to the creators of this
superlative game:  weaken the ring of stealth, or at least make it consume
food faster.  (First fix the saved-game and nymph bugs, though.)

/Sakr-el-Bahr, aka larry@bbn

P.S.  Keep trying.  It feels good when you finally win.