About The Lords of Midnight

“The Lords of Midnight is not simply an adventure game nor simply a war game. It was really a new type that became known as an epic game, for as you play the Lords of Midnight you will be writing a new chapter in the history of the peoples of the Free. You will guide individual characters across the land of Midnight on vital quests but you will also command armies that must endeavour to hold back the foul hordes of Doomdark, the witch king. Yours will be no inevitable victory.” – Mike Singleton. 1984

The Lords of Midnight was originally released by Mike Singleton on the Sinclair Spectrum back in the summer of 1984. At the time it was a groundbreaking release, showing for the first time almost real-time full panoramic views of what the player could see from every location and in every direction. It was also accompanied by a novella and a map, that set the background story, and eased the player into the adventure.

Detailed HTML map of Midnight

The Lords of Midnight is probably the World’s first-ever Epic game. It more closely resembles a fantasy film than a computer game but the main difference is that you are in control of the main characters and whether you lead them to victory or defeat.

The player begins with four characters: Luxor the Moonprince, his son Morkin, Rorthron the Wise, and Corleth the Fey. With this group of protagonists under their control, the player must confront the sorcerer Doomdark, who seeks to conquer the lands of Midnight by militarily defeating the Free peoples, using both his hordes and spells capable of sapping the morale and strength of those who oppose him.

Doomdark, once known as Gryfallon the Wise, was a cunning advisor among the Wise—a group of powerful sorcerers. He rose to power by serving Lord Ushgarak, whom he helped become a King. Driven by ambition, Gryfallon betrayed and murdered Ushgarak, seizing the crown and ruling through fear and dark sorcery. Over time, his name changed to Doomdark, the Witchking of Midnight—a title that reflected the terror he inspired.

Doomdark’s power is drawn from winter’s dark magic, gaining strength from the deepest cold. His ultimate plan is to unleash this power during the Solstice, the longest night of winter, and launch a devastating assault on the Free —those who resist him— with both his icy legions and the Ice Crown, forged by Doomdark himself, which sends out an Ice-Fear that withers the minds of men.

There are two distinct ways of winning a victory over Doomdark. The first is by war, by sending armies north to the Plains of Despair and seizing the Citadel of Ushgarak from whence Doomdark commands his foul hordes. In such a strategy, Luxor himself will play a major part as a commander in the field.

The second way of winning is by quest, by guiding Morkin, Luxor’s son, to the Tower of Doom to destroy the Ice Crown, the source of Doomdark’s power. Morkin can have no army to help him on his journey, for the Ice Crown sends forth the ice-fear which withers men’s minds. By virtue of his birth, half-human, half-fey, only Morkin can resist the utter coldness of the Ice Crown’s power. This is the adventure you can experience in Morkin, the print-and-play game.

Both The Lords of Midnight and its sequel, Doomdark’s Revenge, have been adapted and released for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android by Chris Wild, so you have no excuse not to try them! Check them out at www.thelordsofmidnight.com

The official novels of The Lords of Midnight and Doomdark’s Revenge, written by Drew Wagar, are also highly recommended.

Finally, there is a very interesting multiplayer browser experience available in MidnightMU (https://www.midnightmu.com/).