Fast Travel
 

OK, maybe I'm just missing something obvious, but since there doesn't seem to be an English manual, how does Fast Travel work? I get the messages that it has been unlocked for an area, but how do you use it? There's nothing in the controls menu.

It's a bit stupid: You can only travel from one Fast-Travel-Point to another, so you have to find a second one :)

I have lots of them 'unlocked' on my map, but do I have to actually be at a specific point in say the marketplace to travel to the north gate?

Yes, that's it; click on the appearing text when at the market place and the area map appears. Click on your destination and you are there.

Yes, it's as simple as that.

I'm playing through it too, Corwin. It's a really nice gem. I've been playing 60+ hours and I'm still not done. I haven't even been to the last place you can unlock on the map, though I might head there tonight. This game should have some replayability too. There are a handful of origin quests and those quests aren't open to the other three archetypes. As far as I know, you can play a warrior, thief, mage, or elf origin.

I personally didn't like that haggle wasn't available to everyone, so I used an editor to give my battlemage that ability. One thing that I didn't realize at first, is that on expert mode you can choose your advantages and disadvantages. I basically stripped all the points off my character at the beginning and handcrafted him to be what I wanted. I found the default settings to be much less than optimal.

For instance, a default Battlemage has 11 strength and yet has the skill feint. I wanted the skill mighty blow for my mage, so I took one less point in cleverness instead. I'm glad that I did it. It gives me a valid use for endurance while my Astral Points are recharging. I also sacrificed almost all my beginning points so that I could have the advantage of AP recharging. It makes me depend on my weapon a bit more in the beginning, but it's been extremely useful now that I can cast several spells. Don't forget to use the online codes for some good starting gear if you're so inclined.

Thanks for the advice on fast travel. It should have been detailed somewhere. There seems to be very little help in English available for the game. For example, I have no idea how to unlock the Lab in the Magicians tower as everything I've tried isn't working. I've likely missed something somewhere, but I find the game doesn't always make things clear. I was REALLY p'd off with the so called 'choice' of your first real companion. Following the red ? I totally messed up who I wanted and had to replay that entire section. I was just fortunate I'd made a good save game prior to the 'choice'!!

The Game has a lot of "Quest-Chains" that have no logical connection. IIRC you can open the lab after you solved the Quest with the Toll-Fortress. There are a lot such situations - some teachers are able to teach you new Feats when you follow the main-quest, merchants get better items, side-quests become available… often without reason or clues…

Oh, I have the quest to unlock it, it's just that every combination of allignments I've tried don't seem to work.

Have you picked up the missing tile from the floor ?

There is no reason necessary for that. It just shows you that you progress on your path and that you may need better stuff in order to survive.

When I go to the local market here, I also don't ask whether there's a reason behind them having new cabbages or mushrooms to sell.

Should I ?

You must take the object the magician holds desperately in his hands.

Oh, I did and placed it in the puzzle. My problem was not understanding how the puzzle was to be solved. It's dark there and my char was standing back so I couldn't see clearly. I didn't realize after you alligned the circles you had to 'push' the wedges into place.

Master Mage Brookbeard is kind of a goof. He's constantly screwing up and you have to bail him out :)

Yes, and the background book says he "disappears under unsolved circumstances" in 1015 BF … ;)

His novice, Hesindiane, which you can meet in he tower as well, "takes over the tower", then (in 1015, that is). Before that, she made her - what's the word ? examination ? - as a full-fledged magician in 1012.