1.0 Introduction

In the Valley of the Great Sword stands a massive fortress. It serves as the refuge for the most powerful Mage in the world, X the Unknown. With the aid of an Orc army, he has transformed tumbled-down ruins into this, the strongest fort in existence. Once secure in the Citadel, however, the Mage betrayed the Free Peoples of the valley into the hands of the Empire during the Third War of the League of Ararlve. The Empire rewarded him richly for this treachery. Since that time, the Mage's power has grown steadily, spreading throughout neighboring lands. However, his success to date is as nothing when compared to the darkness he is now prepared to loose. His possession of the ancient and powerful Hellgate now poses a threat to the Empire itself.

Citadel of Blood represents a series of raids on X the Unknown's Citadel by a mixed force of Free People, representatives of the Empire, and mercenaries. The game is similar to many fantasy role-playing games, but it requires no gamesmaster. It may be played solitaire or with 2 to 6 players. The characters and premise of this game are taken from SPI's game, Swords and Sorcery.

Read This First: The rules to Citadel of Blood are organized by major topics arranged in the order in which they occur in the play of the game. Each such major topic is given a number and a name below which is given (usually) a General Rule or Description which summarizes the rules in that section. This is usually followed by numbered paragraphs called Cases, which give the specifics of the rules. Note that the numbering of the Cases is a decimal form of the Major Section number. Players should examine the map and counters and then quickly read the rules (without trying to memorize them). Then the game should be set up to play and a "trial run" made.

Rules Questions. Should you have any difficulty interpreting the rules, please write to SPI, phrasing your questions so that they can be answered by a simple sentence, word, or number. You must enclose a stamped, self-address envelope. We cannot guarantee a proper answer should you choose to phone in your question (the right person is not always available — and since SPI has published hundreds of games, no one individual is capable of answering all questions). Write to: SPI, Rules Questions Editor for Citadel of Blood, 257 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10010