WASTELAND


Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION	2
OBJECTIVE	3
THE PARTY	3
CREATING CHARACTERS	4
CHARACTER PROFILE	4
      Attributes and Personal Statistics	4
      Items	6
      Skills	7
ONSCREEN STATISTICS	10
GETTING PROMOTED	11
RECRUITING ALLIES	11
COMMANDS	12
COMBAT	14
      Hand-to-Hand Combat	15
      Missile Weapon Combat	15
      Selective Fire	16
      Explosives	16
WEAPONS LIST	16
      Long Range Weapons	16
      Medium Range Weapons	17
      Short Range Weapons	17
INJURIES AND DEATH	18
TIME AND DISTANCE	18
SPECIAL PLACES	19
      Little Old Quartz	19
      Xenophobic Needles	19
      Lovely Vegas	19
      Deadly Deserts	20
PARAGRAPHS	20
COMMAND SUMMARY	46
CREDITS	51


INTRODUCTION


The following is an excerpt from The History of the Desert Rangers, The Early Years, by Karl Allard, 
2087, Allard Press, Ranger Center Hardbound pp. 293, $20 gold.

Tensions grew with the coming of 1998.  The United States’ Citadel Starstation was slated to be fully 
operational by March, Soviet charges that the space station was merely a military launching platform 
alarmed a number of nonaligned nations.  The right wing governments in the South and Central Americas, 
many of them set up by the U.S. during the Drug Wars  (1987-1993), pledged their support to the U.S.  The 
NATO nations, including the new African members also declared their alliance with the U.S.  That move 
forced most of the remaining neutral powers to join the Soviet protest.  In six short weeks, only Switzer-
land, Sweden, and Ireland continued to declare themselves neutral nations.

Two weeks before Citadel was due for full operation, the station transmitted a distress signal.  Immediately 
after the message was sent, most of the satellites orbiting the planet were swept clean from the sky, leaving 
the great powers blind.  In military panic, each sent 90 percent of their nuclear arsenals skyward.  Although 
the destruction was tremendous, it was not complete.  Pockets of civilization remained, some even oblivi-
ous to the military exchange. 

On the same day that the U.S. and  Soviet Union were attempting to extinguish each other, a company of 
U.S. Army Engineers were in the southwestern deserts building transportation bridges over dry riverbeds.  
They worked deep in the inhospitable desert valleys, surrounded by a number of survivalist communities.  
Located directly south of their position on that day was a newly-constructed federal prison.  In addition to 
housing the nation’s criminals condemned to death, the prison contained light industrial manufacturing 
facilities.

Shortly after the nuclear attack began, the Engineers, seeking shelter, took over the federal prison and 
expelled the prisoners into the desolate desert to complete their sentences.  As the weeks passed, they 
invited the nearby survivalist communities to join them and to help them build a new society.  Because of 
each communities’ suspicions towards one another, times were difficult at first.  But as time nurtured trust, 
this settlement -- which came to be known as Ranger Center -- grew to be one of the strongest outposts.  
Ranger Center even proved powerful enough to repel the hands of rancorous criminals who repeatedly 
attached in attempts to reclaim what was once “rightfully theirs.”

The citizens of Ranger Center, after first believing that they were the only ones who survived the nuclear 
malestrom, soon realized that communities beyond the desert’s grip had also survived, Because they had 
such success in constructing a new community, they felt compelled to help other survivors rebuild and live 
in peace.

Toward this end, the Desert Rangers, in the great tradition of the Texas and Arizona Rangers a century 
before, were born.


OBJECTIVE

Wasteland is a post-nuclear holocaust adventure.  Your party, the famed Desert Rangers, have been 
assigned to investigate a series of disturbances in the desert.  After  several strategy meetings, you’ve 
decided to search for clues in Highpool, the Agricultural Center, and the Rail Nomads’ Camp, all of  which 
are located to the west of Ranger Center.

The first thing you need to do is read the Command Summary section (page 46).  It tells you how to get 
Wasteland up and running on your computer.  It also contains a summary of the keystroke commands that 
you’ll be using.  Once you load the game, you’ll find a party waiting by the Ranger Center. 


THE PARTY

A party can have up to seven characters, four of whom you can create.  The four that you can create are 
called Player Characters (PCs).  The other three spaces are reserved for Non-Player Characters (NPCs), 
whom you’ll meet during the course of your adventure (see “Recruiting Allies” for more details on NPCs).  
It you don’t use all of the four slots for your player characters, you can fill them with NPCs.

A party of four awaits your command:  Hell Razor, Angela Deth, Thrasher, and Snake Vargas.  This is a 
well-balanced party quite capable of seeing you through the entire game.  You can use them or create your 
own characters.

There are no special advantages to the characters in the original party -- no divine insight, no super luck, no 
outrageous skills.  You could easily create characters who are just as -- or even more -- effective.  If you 
prefer to make your own characters, enter the Ranger Center to do this.  You’ll have to delete one or more 
of the existing characters to create your own.  But before you wipe out the existing party, take a look at 
their profiles first by pressing keys 1-4 to see each one.

At any time during the journey you can view your party roster by pressing the space bar.


CREATING CHARACTERS

Follow these steps to create a Desert Ranger.

1.	Enter the Ranger Center.  If this is your first time in the game, you’re already at the 
Ranger Center.

2.	If the current party already contains four PCs, press D to delete one and make room for 
your new character.

3.	Press C to create a character.  At the top of the screen you’ll see “Create a character.”  
Below are the character’s attributes -- the higher these values are, the better (see 
“Attributes and Personal Statistics” for details).  If you’re not satisfied with these values, 
press the spacebar to “reroll” the values.  When you’re satisfied, press <RETUREN>.

4.	Name your character (up to 13 letters).

5.	Choose a sex.

6.	Select a nationality.

7.	Select the skills you want your character to have (see “Skills” for complete details).  
Press <RETURN> when you’re done.  If you make a mistake while allocating skills, 
press <CONTROL>-R to re-allocate them.

8.	Press Y if you want to keep this character.  Press N if you don’t want to keep him or her.

9.	Press S to leave the Ranger Center and start the game.





CHARACTER PROFILE

To view any character’s profile -- personal statistics, possessions, and skills -- enter the character’s roster 
number.  When you’re done viewing each screen, press the spacebar <RETURN> to go to the next screen, 
or <ESC> to return to the previous screen.

Attributes and Personal Statistics

The first screen lists your character’s attributes and other miscellaneous personal statistics.

Strength (ST):  The ability to overpower enemies or to lift, move, and break items.  This is important in 
hand-to-hand combat and in physical tasks such as breaking down doors.

Intelligence (IQ):  How well a character thinks and solves problems.  This is probably the mot important 
attribute because it determines which and how many skills a character may master.  Certain skills can only 
be master by characters with an IQ of a certain level or above.  Characters start with skill points equal to 
their IQ.  During the course of the game, you’ll definitely want to raise your IQ.

Luck (LK):  Lucky characters tend to find more things and avoid more damage then unlucky ones.  Luck 
also improves your odds in hand-to-hand combat.

Speed (SP):  How quickly you move, which helps you escape tight situations.

Agility (AGL):  How deftly you move.  High agility enhances your acrobatic ability, so you can do things 
like dodge blows and jump on tables  The higher this value, the better you’ll perform in  hand-to-hand 
combat.

Dexterity (DEX):  Ability to master fine movements like picking locks or aiming weapons.  Dexterity is 
very important in combat, and extremely useful in mastering the “thiefly” arts.

Charisma (CHR):  This attribute lets you know how likeable or persuasive a character is.  Although it 
may seem like a trivial trait. it might well make the difference between life and death as you try to 
convince someone that you’re trustworthy.  Charisma also affects how an NPC will react to you when you 
want to hire him or trade equipment.

Skill Points (SKP):  When you first create a character, this value is identical to IQ.  The more skill points 
you have, the more skills you can learn.  You can acquire more skill points during the game (see “Skills” 
for more details).

Rank:  Each character starts out as a private.  As you acquire experience points, you can radio back to 
Ranger Center for a field promotion.  Each time you’re promoted, your rank changes, your maximum 
constitution goes up by two points, and you get an additional two points to invest in any attribute.  Rank 
does not affect how orders are given or taken since your characters are equal member of a team.  A high 
rank, however could impress civilians enough so you can get into places where regular folks can’t go.

Maximum Constitution (MAXCON):  The higher this is, the more of a beating you can take before you 
die.  This value is the same as MAX on the onscreen statistics.

$:  The total cash this character is carrying.

Sex:  Sex only affects what bathroom he or she has access to

Nationality:  Choose from U.S., Russian, Mexican, Indian, or Chinese.

P)ool:  Press P to command all the party members to pool their cash and give it to this character.

D)iv cash:  Press D to have this character evenly distribute his cash among all the party members.  If you 
have disbanded into several groups, only those in the same group as the character who is dividing his cash 
will share in the wealth.


ITEMS.

The second screen lists what items your character owns.  You can carry up to 30 items that you find or buy 
during your travels.  Don’t immediately toss away items that seem useless.  It can actually be an important 
fragment from a greater, more powerful item.  Many items can be sold for cash at various stores.

A precaution about picking up items:  once you pick something up, you have to keep it or drop it.  If you 
drop it, it will vanish into the depths of Wasteland, never to be seen again.  If you have no intention of 
picking up an item to keep (maybe because you’re already carrying the maximum amount and you don’t 
want to drop anything) you should leave it where it is.  That way, you can come back for it later (and you 
better remember too, or you may miss out on some loot hidden beneath the item.)

To give or show something to someone who is not a party member, use the item on the space that you’re 
on by pressing the spacebar.

Press the number that represents the item you’d like to use, and you’ll get the following choices:

Reload:  If you select an ammo clip that fits your currently-equipped weapon, you’re asked it you want to 
Reload.

Unjam:  If you choose a jammed weapon, you’ll be asked if you want to unjam it.  If you successfully 
unjam the weapon, you’ll lose the clip that was in it, leaving you with an unloaded weapon.  Don’t forget 
to reload before you’re ambushed by a bunch of bikers.

Drop:  Drop removes something from your list forever.  You’ll probably only use this command if you’re 
carrying a full load, and need to drop something in order to pick up another item.  You can also use this 
command to drop something that’s broken (but keep in mind that broken items can be repaired or sold).

Trade:  Trade lets you give items to another character.  Enter the number of the intended recipient and the 
trade will be made.  NPCs have a mind of their own and may not always want to give their items away.

unEquip:  To equip an item so it’s ready to use, press E.  If you use this while you’re already equipped, 
the chosen item will replace the previously-equipped item.  You can only have one type of armor and one 
type of weapon equipped at any given time.  The weapon you equip shows up in the onscreen statistics 
below WEAPON.  When a piece of armor is properly equipped, your armor class reflects the change.


Skills

The third screen shows this character’s skills and skill levels.  The skills you posses weigh heavily in your 
success.  Each character should have a slightly different repertoire, so the whole party benefits from a 
greater variety of skills.  One character could specialize in gambling, lockpicking and forgery, while 
another could excel in demolition, brawling, and climbing.

Medical skills are something that more than one character should possess.  All the skills in the world don’t 
amount to anything if a character’s flat on his back, too weak to use them.  The more characters who 
possess medical savvy, the safer the party is.

Since you must have a minimum IQ to be able to learn certain skills, the higher you IQ, the more skills you 
get to choose from.  You simply can’t learn the more technical skills if you’re not smart enough.

LVL:  The level of your skill.  The higher this is, the better you are.  You can invest skill points in any skill 
as many times as you like, each time you invest in a skill, the skill level goes up  Skills also improve as you 
use them.  Since the cost of each successive skill level rises dramatically, improving a skill by using it is a 
cheap, effective method of gaining skill levels.

NOTE:  When creating a character or when visiting a library, you’ll see the total available skill points at 
the top of the screen.  (Your skill point value is the same as your initial I Q value).  To select a skill, enter 
its number.  If you make an error, you can start your selecting over again by pressing  <CONTROL>R.  
Press <ESC> to exit this character profile entirely.

IQ:  The minimum IQ you must have to use this skill.

PTS:  How many skill points it will cost to acquire this skill.  Initially, you can select a skill more than 
once; in fact, this is how you become more adept (or advance in levels) at this skill.  Once you select a 
skill, the point cost doubles as each successive skill level becomes more costly.

Don’t be stingy with your skill points when you’re creating your characters.  You’ll have the chance to 
acquire more skill points as you move up in the ranks (see “Getting Promoted” for details on how you can 
accumulate skill points).  You can save a few, if you’d like, since there are several special places outside of 
the Ranger Center where you can learn more skills.  But keep in mind that picking skills at the Ranger 
Center is a one-shot deal; once you leave, you can’t come back to pick more.

Below are descriptions of the skills grouped according to their minimum IQ requirement.  After each skill 
name is a number in parentheses; this is the number of skill points needed to buy the first level for that 
skill.  Each successive level doubles in cost.


IQ 3

Brawling (1):  Any fighter who can wander through a full-fledged bar fight without getting much more 
than a scratch is either very lucky or highly skilled in brawling.  The higher your skill in brawling, the 
more attacks you get per round in hand-to-hand combat.

Climb (1):  Gives you the ability to climb over fences, up sheer cliff faces, and out of pits.

Clip Pistol (1):  A must-have skill since your initial weapon issue will be either the M1911A1 .45 caliber 
or a VP91Z 9 mm automatic clip pistol.  Without this skill, you won’t be very accurate with the weapon or 
have much luck fixing it if it breaks.

Knife Fighting (1):  When fighting with knives, this give an advantage to a skilled fighter over an 
unskilled one.

Pugilism (1):  One of the oldest forms of fighting, it teaches you how to dish out punches as well as avoid 
them.  Handy for those close-up battles where the fists start flying.

Rifle (1):  A good basic skill to have since many of the weapons sold by raiders are serviceable M19 rifles.  
You’ll rue the day you didn’t pick up this skill as you look helplessly at the rifle you can’t shoot 
accurately.

Swim (1):  The desert sands don’t blanket the entire earth.  This will come in hand in those spots where 
you have to swim.


IQ 6

Knife Throwing (1):  A tricky skill that comes in handy when fighting gets heavy.  You use up all your 
ammo and resort to throwing knives.

Perception (1):  Helps the character find concealed items and notice when things are out of the ordinary.  
No one should be without it.


IQ 9

Assault Rifle (1):  If you’re using an AK-97 or M1089A1 assault rifle, this skill helps you fire, load, and 
unjam it quickly.  A skill that ranks up there in importance with walking and breathing.

AT Weapon (1):  Helps you recognize and use anti-tank weapons like LAW rockets.  A handy skill to 
have should you encounter something far tougher than your Ranger instructors ever told you about.

SMG (1):  Lets a character control basic submachine guns like the Uzi or Mac 17.  May make a big 
difference when you’re outnumbered three to one by bandits who’ve decided that they want the gold from 
your teeth.


IQ 10

Acrobat (1):  This skill for the agile can get you out of a tough situation -- like leaping off of bar counters 
while you’re surrounded by a hostile crowd.

Gamble (1):  The skill that built Vegas, you’ll do well in all games of chance, and you’ll; also be able to 
spot a crooked game from a mile away.

Picklock (1):  This can get you into places where you want to go, but where other don’t want you to go.,

Silent Movement (1):  This helps you move unnoticed past a guard post; making it tough for enemies to 
catch up with you.


IQ 11

Confidence (1):  For an already charismatic person, good confidence can enable one to talk to a miser out 
of his fortune.  It’s particularly useful for getting information from people who are suspicious of you.


IQ 12


Sleight of Hand (1):  A thieving skill that lets you perform sleight-of-hand tricks -- perfect when you need 
to amaze those you meet.


IQ 13

Demolition (1):  Teaches you how much of an explosive substance you can use without blowing yourself 
up.

Forgery (1):  Helps you recognize or create a forged document.  Someday you my just need to whip up a 
security pass to get by some vigilant guards.


IQ 14

Alarm Disarm (1):  Trains you to recognize and disable alarms.  If you want to get into a place without 
getting caught, this a good skill to have.

Bureaucracy (1):  Even though most of civilization ended with the bomb, an inordinate number of petty 
bureaucrats managed to survive.  This helps you deal with them so you can get when you want.


IQ 15

Bomb Disarm (2):  Allows you to defuse most explosive devices.

Medic (2):  A vital skill that lets a character stabilize a badly-wounded comrade so he or she has a chance 
to recover.

Safecrack (2):  An experience practitioner of this art can open safes sealed even before the holocaust.


IQ 16

Cryptology (2):  Gives you the talent to encode and decode messages.  Useful in helping you determine 
what a password might be.


IQ 17

Metallurgy (2):  Increases your ability to spot, identify, and work with some basic metals.

To reorder your skills, view them and press <CONTROL>R.  Enter the number of he skill that you want at 
the top of the list, the skill that you want second, and so on until you’ve selected all the skills.  The new list 
won’t appear until you’ve selected all the skills.


Onscreen Statistics

In addition to the information that you can call up by entering the character’s number, the following 
character statistics are always displayed on the party roster.

	Armor class (AC):  The level of protection a character has against weapons, physical attack, and 
other forms of damage.  The higher the armor class, the better.

	Ammunition (AMM):  The amount of ammunition you have left in you equipped weapon.  When 
it’s down to zero, it’s time to reload.  Reloading takes a full combat round, so establish a healthy 
habit of reloading after each battle.

	Maximum Constitution (MAX):  The maximum “health” points that your character can have 
(see “Constitution” below for more details).  This is the same as MAXCON.  If this number is 
highlighted, then your character has picked up a life-threatening illness. like radiation poisoning.  
This illness won’t go away with the passing of time, so get this character medical help as soon as 
you can.

	Constitution (CON):  This shows the character’s current condition.  Compare this value to MAX 
to determine your character’s relative health.  The closer this value is to MAX, the closer your 
character is to full strength.  When CON drops below 1, the character becomes UNConscious.  If 
the character’s condition becomes SERious, constitution continues to drop and the character will 
die unless he get medical assistance soon.

	Weapon:  This shows the weapon that your character is currently armed with.  FIST means the 
character is unarmed.


Getting Promoted

You’re awarded experience points each time you accomplish a difficult task or win a difficult battle.  When 
you think you’re accumulated enough experience points to warrant a promotion, you should radio back to 
Ranger Center to have your instructors review your accomplishments.  Since it doesn’t cost you anything 
to radio in, you can do it as often as you like.  If you’ve progressed enough (and only your instructors 
know when this is), you’re given a field promotion.

As a promotion reward, two points are automatically added to your maximum constitution (MAX, 
MAXCON).  You’re also awarded an additional two points that you can add to any attribute your choose 
Put both points on the same attribute or put one point on two separate attributes.  If you’d like, add them to 
maximum constitution to boost that value even higher.

If you wish to use these two points to acquire a new skill, you must apply them to IQ.  Remember, IQ 
points translate into skill points.  If you don’t increase your skill points via IQ points, you won’t be able to 
add new skills.


Recruiting Allies

Wasteland is populated with people who have, like you, survived the nuclear holocaust.  From time to time 
you’ll run into non-player characters (NPCs) whom you can hire.  You may wish to enlist their services to 
add skill, strength, or intelligence to your party.  Refer to the Encounter command below on how to hire an 
NPC

NPCs are not robots who obey your every command.  They don’t always do as told in combat.  They don’t 
always trade something when you ask them to.  While you may not like their autonomy, and think that 
they’re more trouble than they’re worth, remember that they may be able to get you things that you can’t 
get for yourself or get you into places where you can’t normally go.

To dismiss an NPC, use the disband command.


Commands

During normal play, a menu of commands are listed across the button of the screen:

	Use:  This lets a character use an Item, Skill, or Attribute to accomplish a task.  Enter a character 
number and select an Item, Skill or Attribute.  Then, enter a direction in which the character will 
use the Item, Skill, or Attribute (press the spacebar if you want to use something right where 
you’re standing).  Certain skills offer additional prompts.  For example, when you use a medical 
skill, you will be asked which character you want to heal.

	After you use something you may get the message “That doesn’t seem to work.”  This suggests 
that this particular item or method doesn’t work, but that another might.  Also, if you use a skill or 
attribute and it doesn’t seem to work -- but you’re really sure it should -- keep trying.  Sometimes 
persistence pays off.

	Enc:  Encounter calls up the same commands that are available to the party during combat.  You 
may want to use Encounter to attract someone’s attention, so you can get information or try to hire 
them.

	You can also use this command as a short cut to perform certain actions on several characters..  
For instance, you could have a couple characters reload, while another uses an item.  In this case, 
using Encounter would be faster than calling up each character individually.

	Order:  This changes the marching order of your party.  There are times when you’ll want to 
change the order to maximize your party’s talents.  For instance, if you’re travelling through a 
dangerous area, a character with high perception or silent movement would make an excellent 
point man.  In another situation, a character carrying an item that could forestall an attack should 
be in the lead.

	NOTE:  When you select Order, you’re shown the current marching order.  Select the number of 
the character you want in front, then second, then third, and so on until the whole party has been 
reordered.  Being placed in the back of the ranks does not shield a character from combat.

	Disband:  Disband lets you break your party into separate, smaller parties (up to four).  This en-
ables each party to travel independently of the other parties.  The parties can be spread apart as far 
as you’d like.  Disband also offers many tactical advantages in combat.

	Disband has a number of important uses.  If you have dead party members, use disband to bury 
them.  You could also use disband when you’re under attack; one person could split off to distract 
the attackers.  Some places can only be passed through by one character at a time, so each person 
will have to split off into their own party.

	CAUTION:  Before you can disband NPCs, you’re asked if you want them permanently dis-
missed.  If you answer  “yes,” then they are gone forever -- you’ll never , ever see them again.  If 
you want them disbanded -- and not dismissed -- answer  “no.”

	When you select Disband, enter the numbers for those characters who wish to split off from the 
main party, and press  <RETURN>.  Next, indicate the direction that the disbanded party will 
move.  Use View to shift control between parties.

	To reunite separate parties into a single band, move them onto the same spot and they will auto-
matically regroup.

	View:  View lets you shift control between parties.  If you have more than two parties, and you’re 
not in control of the party you want, keep entering V until you reach the right one.  If  the party is 
on another map, you’re asked to confirm if you want to shift to them.

	Save:  Saves the game.

	Use this command anytime you find something you don’t want to lose.  Even before the great 
nuclear war, computers were known to shut down at inopportune moments.  See the Command 
Summary section for more important details on the Save command.

	Radio:  Contacts your instructors at Ranger Center so they can evaluate your performance.  If 
you’re done well, you’re given a field promotion.  When you select Radio, you’re asked to con-
firm your choice.  If you choose to continue, all your characters are evaluated at the same time 
and are apprised of any changes in rank.  Because a Ranger once slept through his promotion, the 
instructors now require that all characters be conscious for this procedure; consequently, any 
injured, unconscious Rangers will be passed over.  Promoted characters get a chance to modify 
attributes at this point (see “Getting Promoted” for more details).


Combat

Often, when somebody or something comes into your range, you will enter the Encounter mode.  An 
encounter is frequently the precursor to a fight.  Your party roster and a text window will appear.  The text 
window will contain a short description of the encounter; press <RETURN> when you’re done reading it.  
(If you want to temporarily remove the party roster and text window to see where the encounter is located, 
press the spacebar.  To return to the party roster and text window, press any key.)

Your options during an encounter are:

	Run:  This lets the entire party or a single character run towards or away from an encounter.  
Enter the direction that you want the party or character to move.  If a single character successfully 
runs away, the he’s disbanded from the party  (This is impossible if there are four separate parties 
already).

	Use:  This lets a character use an Item, Skill or Attribute to accomplish a task.  Depending on 
which you choose a list will appear.  You’re then asked to enter a direction in which the Item, 
Skill, or Attribute will be executed.
	
	Hire:  Not everybody you meet has turned hostile under the hot desert sun.  Some are quite 
pleasant, and may even offer you valuable services.  If you meet an NPC that you would like to 
try to hire, enter the number of the desired recruit.

	Evade:  This makes you much harder to hit in combat.  Use this command when your comrades 
initiate a firefight, and you don’t have a missile weapon, or when you’re injured and wish to 
minimize the risk of further physical abuse.

	Attack:  In the battle-ridden wastelands, this is a command you’ll often use.  When you select it, 
you’re given a choice of targets.  If your weapon is an automatic weapon capable of selective fire, 
your’re asked if you want to fire Single, Burst or Autofire.  If the encounter is at an extended 
range, and you have no missile weapons, you’re told that there are no attackers within your range.  
If there’s only one group of attackers, they’re targeted automatically.

	Weapon:  Lets you ready a new weapon, which is useful when your gun jams in the heat of the 
battle and you don’t want to fix it.  Or, once you assess the current battle situation, you may want 
to use a weapon that’s more effective.

	Load/unjam:  Loads or unjams a weapon.  This command takes a full combat round, so it’s a 
good idea to keep your weapon loaded at all times, otherwise you’ll have to reload in the first 
round of a firefight.  (You can load or unjam at any time by selecting Enc from the Main Menu, or 
by choosing the weapon or appropriate ammo.)  When a weapon jams, you lose the ammo that 
was in the weapon at the time.  Unjamming a weapon during combat automatically reloads it.

Press <ESC> if you wish to return to a previous character’s options.  Once you’ve made all your combat 
selections you’re asked if you want to execute the commands you chose.  Press N to abandon your choices 
and start the procedure over again.  Press Y if you’re satisfied.  You’ll then see a rundown on the effects of 
the encounter in the text window.  Use <CONTROL>K or the up arrow to speed up text scrolling.  Use 
<CONTROL>J or the down arrow to slow down text scrolling.

Since parties can disband and more to different maps, there will be times when one party is locked in 
combat while another party is on an entirely different map.  In these instances, the game asks if you want 
the other parties to enter into an encounter.  If you answer “yes,” you’ll get one combat round for each dis-
banded party.  This is a slow and time consuming process, so you should only run combats on multiple 
maps in emergencies.  If you decline the invitation to have combat on multiple maps, the party you are 
currently viewing will execute their combat round before you can view the other parties.


Hand-to-Hand Combat

Because the Rangers are trained soldiers, they have an advantage over the citizens in hand-to-hand combat.  
In general, hand-to-hand combat is not as deadly as a firefight, but you can still easily die from a good 
throttling or from a dead-on punch.  Hand-to-hand combat can only take place at a distance of 14 feet or 
less.


Missile Weapon Combat

Missile weapon combat is combat that takes place with weapons capable of range fire.  From guns to 
grenades, there are numerous missile weapons at your disposal.  Area-effect weapons, like TNT, plastic 
explosives, and grenades, are auto-loading, which means that each time you use one, you automatically get 
another until your supply runs out, so you won’t be unarmed in the middle of a fight.  Anti-tank weapons 
such as LAW rockets must be re-equipped after firing Automatic weapons -- assault rifles and submachine 
guns -- can shoot Single, Burst, or Autofire.  All guns are clip fed and come in .45, 9mm, or 7.62mm 
calibers.  Always carry the proper ammo unless you want to pistol-whip your enemies.

Keep in mind that all missile combat is simultaneous.  Sure, it’s exciting when you burn a clip of AK-97 
ammo into an onrushing horde of mutant bikers, but your excitement may diminish somewhat when you 
find that the mutants are returning fire with equal fervor.  You shoot, they shoot.


Selective Fire

Single, Burst and Autofire have different effects.  Single uses one bullet per round, which is great if you’re 
low on ammo, but not so great if you need to hit your target with the first shot.  Burst consumes three bul-
lets per round and gives the shooter a slight advantage in hitting and killing his target.  Autofire uses up all 
the bullets in the clip, which greatly increases the chance of hitting a particular target and others in close 
proximity.  A good choice if you really need to kill somebody, but not so good if you’re looking at your 
last clip.


Explosives

If you want to do a great deal of damage over a wide area, go with explosives.  You get more impact per 
target area, which can be a lifesaver when being eyed hungrily by a pack of nuke pooches.  Remember, 
ammo doesn’t rain from the heavens.  Running your gun on full auto all the time may kill the bad guns in a 
hurry, but you’re likely to run out of ammo just as the last nuke pooch lunges for your throat.


Weapons List

Missile weapons come in three range categories :  short, medium, and long.  You’ll find that using a clip 
pistol to hit a target 80 feet away is not too effective.  Be sure to choose the appropriate weapon for the 
appropriate distance.  Here are some of the more common weapons and their characteristics.


Long Range Weapons

AK-97 Assault Rifle:  Created in the image of the legendary AK-47, the AK-97 is the latest in the assault 
rifle line.  It was created for the Comintern Combine nations of Europe and Africa, but saw large distribu-
tion throughout the world before the war.  It is chambered for 7.62mm ammo and fires from a 30-bullet 
clip.  This highly-respected weapon is fairly commonplace.

M1989A1 NATO Assault Rifle:  The M1989A1 is big brother to the original M16A1.  It was 
rechambered to accept the same 7.62mm ammo that the AK series of rifles uses so troops could use 
captured Soviet ammo.  Although assault rifle users greatly preferred the American ammo for its damage 
capabilities, the military implemented this change in anticipation of front-line ammo shortages.  With this 
arrangement, a solider could kill an enemy and replenish his supply at the same time.

M19 Rifle:  The M19 rifle is a single-shot weapon firing an 8-shot clip of 7.62mm ammo.  When rumors 
of a  Soviet invasion of the U.S. spread through the states, survivalists demanded a weapon that could use 
Soviet ammo (necessary, said the survivalists, if Americans were to be able to use captured ammo).  The 
invasion never took place, but the M19 remains a high-profile weapon.  Although it can’t fire more than 
one bullet at a time, it does have greater range than pistols.

M17 Carbine:  The M17 Carbine is a lighter, short-barreled version of the M19 rifle.  Its 10-shot clip of 
7.62mm ammo gives it a faster fire rate than its big brother, but the barrel length makes it slightly less 
accurate at a maximum range.

LAW Rocket:  The LAW rocket is a small, armor-piercing explosive rocket contained in a disposable 
firing tube.  It was first developed to destroy tanks.  The mass of the tip (made from depleted uranium) 
enables the rocket to blast through the armor so the explosive shell can burst, once inside.  Some knowl-
edge or skill in anti-tank weaponry is useful when employing rocket.


Medium Range Weapons

MAC 17 SMG:  The Mac 17 is the sturdiest of the compact submachine guns developed in the early 
1990s.  It shoots .45 Caliber slugs from a 30-shot clip and is known for its man-stopping capabilities.  This 
small weapon is well-suited for close-up firefights.

UZI 27 SMG:  The Uzi comes from the highly-skilled gunsmiths of Trans-Palestine.  Its magazine holds 
40 9mm bullets and is capable of burning a full clip in five seconds.  This weapon was built specifically for 
fighting terrorists has has proven very effective on mutant bikers or religious fanatics.


Short Range Weapons

1911A1 .45 Pistol:  The 1911A1 was the standard sidearm of the previous two world wars.  The .45 slug, 
held in an 8-shot clip, was first developed to stop Moro rebels in the Phillipines.  In its current role, it has 
no trouble slowing down desert raiders or the occasional mutant cactus.  Many Desert Rangers find this a 
perfect weapon to take with them when they first head into the wastelands.

VP91Z 9mm Pistol:  As well liked as the .45 pistol by Desert Rangers, the VP91Z is a variation on the 
West German design, featuring an 18-shot capacity of this weapon reduces the need to reload, making it 
ideal for extended firefights.

Grenades:  Grenades are small, hand-tossed explosive devices useful for inflicting damage on an entire 
group of foes at one time.  Grenades have a wide area of effect, so be sure your character has a good throw-
ing arm!


INJURIES AND DEATH

Death is permanent.  If your characters get seriously injured, get them medical attention quickly or kiss 
them goodbye.

If a character is lightly wounded, they’ve taken a few hits, but are still awake and functional.  A few points 
have been knocked off his constitution.

Characters become unconscious when their constitution dips below 1.  While unconscious, they are unable 
to move.  Over time, an unconscious character will regain consciousness and heal to full health.  An 
alternative to waiting is to find a hospital and pay for a quick heal.

Seriously-wounded characters are in a whole different class of medical trouble.  Like unconscious 
characters, whey can do nothing, but unlike unconscious characters, they don’t heal with time -- they 
worsen.  Without medical help, seriously-wounded characters deteriorate to critical, to mortal, to comatose, 
and then  to dead.  Another character with medical skills may be able to stabilize the wounded character 
enough so he can improve to the unconsciousness category.  If this happens, the character will recover with 
time.

Remember that time waits for no one.  Disbanding one character and sending him off across the desert to 
find a doctor will not freeze time for a seriously-wounded character.  When that character finally returns 
with a doctor, they may be back in time to bury the body.  (This is why your party should contain some-
body -- preferably two -- with medical skills.)  Should the worst happen, you can bury a dead character by 
using the Disband command.


TIME AND DISTANCE

The maps in Wasteland vary in scale.  The large desert map contains the various city maps, which, in turn, 
contain building maps or whole underground levels of sewers and hideouts.  In combat, distances may 
seem a bit off for the map you’re on, but these are tactical distances and are valid in combat only.

Because of the difference in scale of the maps, time passes differently on them.  Though a single keystroke 
on the computer will move you one space north in both the desert and in a building, the amount of time 
that each move takes is different.

If you want time to pass without moving, press <ESC>.


SPECIAL PLACES

You begin your adventure in the desert along the California-Arizona border.  The area you’ll cover extends 
from the Ranger Center in the south up to the Grand Canyon in the north.  The towns of Quartz, Needles 
and Las Vegas are three places you’ll surely want to visit.


Little Old Quartz

Quartz is a small town that suffered extensive damage from the nuclear attacks, yet managed to survive.  
Although located far from the large military targets, this tiny community was affected by earthquakes and 
low-level nuclear fallout.  But in its feisty, small town way, Quartz quickly resumed normal life.  About the 
only trouble Quarts has these days is with bandits.


Xenophobic Needles

Needles is bigger than Quartz.  Aside from the flood that resulted when Hoover Dam was hit, life has not 
changed much in Needles.  Needles is big enough to defend itself from roving bandits.  However, it has 
become home to a couple of odd cults.  The folks in Needles don’t really like strangers that much, but 
they’ve welcomed Desert Rangers in the past and are always willing to trade goods with them.


Lovely Vegas

Vegas is the city of Las Vegas.  No one is quite sure how the Soviet missiles managed to miss the city, but 
most folks figure it was because the “house” was betting against a missile landing -- and no one wins 
against the house.  There was an international rumor about some Russian general’s markers being torn up 
after the attack, but that has yet to be confirmed.

Undaunted by its brush with perdition, Vegas is still open for business and does very well for itself.  The 
city is large enough to avoid conquest, and many elements of the desert rabble have even found gainful 
employment as enforcers or casino employees.  Despite the relative success of the city, however, there are 
dark rumors about horrors descending from the north to taking up residence in the city sewers.  All may not 
be extremely well in the jewel of the Desert.


Deadly Deserts

The desert is just as formidable as it was before the holocaust.  In addition to the lack of water and the 
fierce heat, there are reports of radiation zones that have melted the flesh of unwary travellers.  Along with 
the irradiated human element -- left-over biker gangs, rabid survivalists, crazed religious zealots -- all sorts 
of mutant animals make their home in the desert.  Some say that travelling in the desert nowadays without 
an experienced guide is plain suicidal.


COMMAND SUMMARY


Game Play

IMPORTANT:  Wasteland is a dynamic game and it’s very important that you understand how it saves and 
keeps track of the fame.  The game changes as you play and updates changes to the disk permanently.  If 
you take an item, it won’t be resurrected just because you leave and return.

The game takes place in many locations.  As you explore, you’ll often be asked “Enter New Location 
(Y/N)?”  If you answer “yes” the game will save any changes to that location, your party’s status, and 
become your new saved game locations.  If you switch to another location to view a disbanded party, the 
status’s of all parties are saved.  You should save the game before ending each session of play.  Then when 
you go to play again you can pick u where you left off.  However, if your computer will search for the last 
place it saved.  This way, you’re unlikely to lose any important recent acquisitions.  What can you do if a 
character dies?  DO NOT ENTER A NEW LOCATION OR SAVE THE GAME!  Turn off your 
computer and reboot, and your character will live again, but without anything they acquired since you last 
saved.  If all the characters die in the midst of general carnage and mayhem, your computer will state the 
obvious:  “Your life in Wasteland is over.”  Don’t get depressed, just reboot and the game will return your 
characters to either the last time you saved or the last time the game map changed.  (This assumes, of 
course, that three’s someplace to return to.)


Time and Distance

Wasteland’s maps vary in scale.  The desert map contains the city maps which in turn contain maps of 
buildings and underground locations.  In combat, distances may seem a bit off for the map you’re on, but 
these are tactical distances valid for combat only.

Because the maps differ in scale, time passes differently on them.  A single keystroke will move you one 
space in both the desert and in a building, but the amount of time each move takes is different.  Time 
passes more quickly during overland travel, which the game takes into account for healing and deteriora-
tion purposes.  And remember that time passes for both the main party and disbanded characters.  If you 
send a disbanded character off to find a doctor for an injured comrade, that comrade will keep on bleeding.

If you want time to pass without moving your party, press <ESC>  or place the mouse icon directly on 
your party and press the mouse button.  If you wish time to pass more quickly, hold down the <ESC> key 
or keep the mouse button depressed.


Reviewing Messages

Wasteland involves a great deal of text.  This text includes descriptions of your surroundings, descriptions 
of non-player characters, clues and references to the Wasteland paragraph section included in this manual.  
If you wish to refer back to or review a previous message, press the Pg Up key and keep it depressed until 
the desired message appears.  To return to the most recent message, press the Pg Down key and keep it 
depressed until that message reappears.


Selecting Options

Whenever you need to select an option, press the first letter in that option (unEquip if the exception; in this 
case press E) or click on it with your mouse.

Whenever you need to select an item, skill or attribute from a list, press its number or click on it with your 
mouse.  To scroll through a list use the up and down arrows, the right or left arrow, the I key to scroll up or 
the K key to scroll down, or use the mouse to click on the next option or click on the up or down arrows on 
the right side of the option window.


Movement Commands

There are three ways to move your party:  Use the cursor keys, the mouse, or type I to move up, J to move 
left, K to move down or L to more right.  When you use a mouse, a directional arrow will appear on the 
screen pointing forward, left, right or backward.  Move the mouse in the direction you want to go until the 
directional arrow points in that direction.  Then hold down the mouse button to more in that direction.  The 
Spacebar toggles the view of the party roster on and off.


Ranger Center

The following options appear at the bottom of the screen when you’re at Ranger Center.

Create		Creates a character

Delete		Deletes a character

Play		Begins Play outside Ranger Center


Non-Combat Commands

Except during combat, you can use the following commands by pressing the first letter of the command or 
clicking on it with your mouse.

Use	Use a skill, item or attribute.

Enc	Simulate an Encounter.  This calls up combat commands, which you can use to 
initiate combat or use the Hire command to hire a non-player character into your 
party.

Order	Establish a new party marching Order.

Disband	Disband the party into two or more groups.  This command can also be used to 
permanently dismiss a Non-Player Character from your party.

View	Alternate the View between two or more groups.

Save	Save the game.  When you use the Save command, the computer will ask “Save 
Game(Y/N)?”  If you answer “yes” the computer will save the game at that 
point and ask “Quite Game (Y/N)?”  If you answer “yes” the computer will 
return you to the DOS screen and if you answer “no” the computer will continue 
the game.  If you answer “no” to “Save Game(Y/N)?” the computer will still ask 
“Quit Game(Y/N?)”  If you answer “no” the computer will continue the game.  
If you answer “yes” the computer will return you to the DOS screen, and the 
next time you reboot the game, it will start at the last point you saved.

Radio	Radio Ranger Center to see if any party members have earned promotion.

Print	Prints party information when the roster is displayed.

<SHIFT>-#	Call up the Use command for a specific character.

<CONTROL>R	Reorder items and skills for a selected character when those menus are 
displayed.

PgUp & Pg Dn	Scrolls through the messages at the bottom of the screen.


Combat Commands

Note:  Some weapons have a limited range in combat situations.  Contact weapons, such as knives, axes, 
fists, etc., are ineffective against opponents more than 14 feet away.  Attacking opponents more than 14 
feet away requires projectile weapons, such as throwing knives, pistols, rifles, etc.

When you engage in battle, choose from the following options by pressing the command’s first letter or 
clicking on the command with your mouse.

Run	Move party or individual character one space.

Use	Use a skill, item or attribute.

Hire	Hire a Non-Player Character to join your party.

Evade	Evade an enemy.

Attack	Attack an enemy.

Weapon	Change Weapons.

Load/Unjam	Load and/or Unjam a weapon.

<SPACEBAR>	Show map of immediate area during combat.

<CONTROL>A	Show list of enemy groups and their distance from the party.  This will only 
work with player characters, not hired NPC’s, and only when your foes are 
within range of your weapons.

<ESC>	Cancels commands.

To speed the combat scrolling rate, press the up arrow key on the keyboard or click on the “fast” command 
on the screen with the mouse.  To make it slower, press the down arrow key on the keyboard or click on 
the “slow” command on the screen with the mouse.


Viewing Characters

Enter a character’s number to view their statistics.  The options you can use in this mode are:

From the first screen

This screen shows a character’s attributes:

Pool	Pool all the party’s cash and give it to the character you are viewing.

Div Cash	Divide cash evenly among the party.

<ESC>	Cancels commands.

(Press <enter> to go to the next screen.)


From the second screen

This screen shows what items the character has.  Enter an item number and the following options will 
appear:

Reload	Reload weapon,  (Only appears if you choose an ammo clip for the currently 
Equipped weapon.)

Unjam	Unjam weapon  (Only appears if your currently equipped weapon is jammed.)

Drop	Drop an item.

Trade	Trade an item.

Equip	Equip or unequip an item.

<CONTROL>-R	Reorder items.

<ESC>	Cancels commands.

When prompted Y/N, press Y or <enter> to accept the option.

(Press <enter> to go to the next screen.)

From the third screen

This screen shows the character’s skills.

<CONTROL>-R	Reorder skills.

<ESC>	Cancels commands.


Macro Functions

Macro functions condense the several key strokes needed to give certain commands into one key stroke.  
To create a macro function, press <control> and any one of the function keys, F1 to F10, simultaneously.  
A message, REC.MAC. (with a number from 01 to 10 corresponding to the number of the function key 
you are pressing), will appear in the upper left corner of the screen; when it does, release the <control> 
and the function key again, the message in the upper left corner of the screen will vanish and the macro 
function will have been created.  Pressing the appropriate function key thereafter will repeat the entire 
command or series of commands.  (Example:  If you want time to pass more quickly, press <control> and 
F1 and then release them when REC.MAC.01 appears in the upper left corner of the screen.  Now press 
<ESC> several times, and then press <control> and F1.  Every subsequent time you press F1, time will 
pass as if you had pressed <ESC> several times.  A macro function can be erased by pressing and holding 
down <control> and pressing the appropriate function key twice.


CREDITS


	IBM version	Michael Quarles

	Original program	Alan Pavlish

	Design	Brian Fargo, Ken St. Andre
		Alan Pavlish, Michael A. Stackpole

	Maps	Bruce Balfour, Elizabeth T. Danforth
		Chris Christensen, Jeff  “T.G.” Berman
		Bill “Weez” Dugan, Nishan Hossepian
		Stance Nixon, Alan Pavlish
		Ken St. Andre, Michael Stackpole
		Mike Williams, Daniel Carver

	Graphics	Todd J. Camasta, Charles Weidman
		Bruce Schlickbernd

	Directed by	Troy P. Worrell

	Playtest and Development	Bruce Schlickbernd
		Thomas R. Decker

	Moral Support	Susan Quarles


