The easiest way to get started on a case is to peruse the bulletin and public notice boards around town. LOOK ON BOARD to see what has been posted ... then READ <ITEM>. So if you see a poster, a green notice, a red notice and a note, you could READ GREEN NOTICE, or READ NOTE, etc. Start with something that catches your interest.

Another way to get started is to listen to the calls for help over the PBR communicators. The police dispatcher frequently alerts listeners to criminals that are on the loose. As well, people who are looking for assistance in 'certain situations' also give a shout over the PBRs at times.

Be sure to remember the criminal's name and appearance. DESCRIBE anyone you come across to see if they match the description.

Clues can be anywhere. Be sure to SEARCH the area. LOOK ON or LOOK IN things and listen very closely to what people say about the case. Some clues will take the form of evidence that you can sample, and some will be just what they appear to be - nothing hidden. Take your time, and examine the scene closely ... You never know what you might find!

There could be several reasons why an NPC won't respond to your questions ... here are a few:

1. Make sure you have typed TALK <NPC NAME>. This lets the character know that you want to have a "conversation."

2. Sometimes, if you have done an action between questions, you need to type TALK <NPC NAME> again, as the action has interrupted the processes.

3. If the NPC just gives you a blank look or doesn't understand what you are saying it could be that they truly know nothing about which you ask, or you need to rephrase your question. Most of the NPCs around Cape Marassas are knowledgeable only about the mysterious happenings that concern them. They won't usually discuss the weather.

4. Make sure your punctuation, capitalization of words, and spelling is correct. All these things can cause misunderstandings for the NPC.

Keep your questions simple. The best format is usually "Tell me about _________," or something like, "I read your note." So, although "The body was stabbed several times ... what do you know about it?" is colorful and natural, a simple "Tell me about the murder." may work best.

The easiest way to find a citizen of Morada or the address of a shop is to LOOK UP the name in a nearby telephone directory. Several phone booths are located through out both the New Marina and Downtown (one is outside of the Port Authority building, another just north of the Palm Frond Pub). GO BOOTH, and once there, type LOOK UP <WHATEVER>. For example, if you needed to find the Silken Thread, you'd type LOOK UP SILKEN, or perhaps LOOK UP SHOP. If you don't find an entry the first time, think of other ways to describe the place you are looking for. Many places are cross-referenced.

Once you have found the address, look up the street name on your map. As you move from area to area, pay attention to the street/area names at the top of the description. That will help you navigate around town using your map.

PBR Communicators (PBRs, or comms for short) use a few simple commands to make them run. TURN COMM will toggle your PBR on and off. ACTIVATE COMM will turn the PBR on, while DEACTIVATE COMM will turn it off. TURN and ACTIVATE/DEACTIVATE are interchangeable. If you have one of the more advanced units and you wish to change the channel that you are transmitting on, TUNE COMM to <#> (0-16). Channel 0 is only for scanning and can not be used for transmission.

To change batteries, first REMOVE COMM, then OPEN COMM and REMOVE BATTERY. Once you have disposed of the old battery and have purchased a new one, you can PUT BATTERY IN COMM, and CLOSE COMM. When you are all done, WEAR COMM to use it once again.