If I spend $49.99 on this game....

[SurvivalistMerc]

I do remember staying up late at night reading about spells and items.

One thing I like about the manual: It is written in such a way that it hints at certain powers of items and does not give full details of the spells. This can be quite frustrating to some players, but it makes discovering what things do quite enjoyable.

I actually somewhat agree with Karacan that the first pages of the manual are essential reading. It covers province defense quite well. And it discusses certain attributes of fortress defenses by race.

I know my first post was relatively negative about the manual. It really could be much better, but the first 20 pages do provide as good an introduction to the game as could be provided in that much space. Things just aren't that easy to find.