Might and Magic – The Secret of the Inner Sanctum box possibly has the most iconic RPG front cover of the 80s… All time?
I vividly remember the day, browsing at Babbage’s, when I stumbled onto it. Enthralled. The map’s paintbrush style, the colors, the monsters guarding their dens and promising nail-biting encounters against dragons and… scorpions? The castles and towns suggesting hidden mysteries waiting to be discovered…
And then, flipping the box…
“A strange moaning sound echoes ominously through the cavern”. I was hooked long before then but I absolutely had to know what was doing that moaning!
Insta (begging mommy to) buy!
It was kind of a downer when I realized nothing in particular was actually moaning.
Nothing short of a treasure trove. Beautiful.
When you’re 10 yrs old, chances are your parents are keeping close tabs on your screen time.
That’s where a cool manual with a short background story and plentiful illustration comes in handy. Dad said no? No worries. Time to read through the manual again. It’s legit, I’m reading a book.
Much of the fun in those reading sessions is imagining the effects of spells yet to be unlocked. I takes a long time for a 10 year old to reach level 13, especially when forgetting to stop by the inn and then dying causes the loss of hours of wandering around without a clue. That hurt sometimes. Not cool, JVC.
A few samples from the manual:
I believe the world map deserves its own dedicated page. Or go straight to the gameplay!