MONSTER ISLAND - NEWS FLASH

(Message in a Bottle - Issue 68)

Please forgive the basic format of this newsletter but we seem to have lost another Newsletter Editor and there is a lot to report in Monster Island at the moment.

• The post of Editor is once again available which is a real shame as the last Editor was exceptional and even set up a Monster Island related website. Ah well. If you think you are up to the job, just send us an example of your work in the form of a newsletter that could be sent out if you are successful, as your first issue. It will be issue 69. Go on, your effort has got to be better than this. Please make sure it is a word document and no more than 16 A4 sides, without any very small text because we will be shrinking it down to A5. Send your newsletter to cathy@kjcgames.com or to the normal postal address.
• In response to requests from players, waiting eagerly for their next turn, we have decided to shorten the turnaround for Monster Island. It will now be a seven day turnaround game but will be processed Monday to Friday. The Day Cycles are now 1 to 5 instead of 1 to 8. If your Day Cycle number was 6 or 7, it will now be 1 and if your Day Cycle was 8 it will now be 2. This has already been changed for you. If you are unhappy with the day you are processed on, all you have to do is issue the 'D#' order to change it (where # = the Day Cycle number). This order goes in the 'Special Orders Box' of your turncard.
• On-line Order Editor. This is a really exciting development for Monster Island as it will make it much easier and quicker to enter your orders. This should also encourage new players into the game. The only other game that has this at the moment is Phoenix, so you can consider yourself very important to us.
  Just sign up to the Order Editor at http://ccgi.kjcgames.com/orders/login.php and your monsters will be uploaded on their next turn (or immediately if you drop an email to cathy@kjcgames.com).
  Each monster shows all the orders available to it. Eventually we will upload all the items the monster knows, but this is still quite tricky.
• How to use the editor: First of all click on Register New Account.
  You will be emailed a password, use this to login.
  You can change this to something more sensible once you have logged in for the first time.
  Your Monsters, once available, will be in the dropdown box next to the Add Registered Turns (these are uploaded after every turn). Just select the one you want and click the Add Turn box.
  Once your monster appears in the Turns box, you can double click it in order to edit the orders for it.
  Use the dropdown on the left to select the order category you want.
  Double click the order, fill in the parameters and click the issue button.
  (all this should be fairly straight forward)
  Once you are happy and have clicked finished, your monster still needs the turns to be sent.
  To send the orders, once you have turns created for all your monsters, just click the Send Turns button. You can even see the turns prior to them being downloaded here and delete them if you suddenly realise you have made a ghastly mistake.
  You can even compare your turn results with the orders you submitted as the orders are kept until you clear the turns on the editor.
• New players should have been told about the 'PR' order and haven't. So for their benefit; The format of this order is PR - Item Number - Quantity. This order will permanently rid a quantity of an item for you and you can use it anytime.
• The not too distant future of Monster Island is looking very exciting at the moment. We are planning to Database the Monster Island Map, which will allow us to introduce a GM to the game who can add new locations and an almost endless amount of new things to discover. Although we cannot give a schedule for these improvements, we think it will certainly be sometime this year.