Super Momotarou Dentetsu (Famicom) Guide by E. Phelps, ver. 1.0 (aka LastBossKiller) - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - - - - = = = === Disclaimer === = = = - - - - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - This document may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission by the author. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Copyright 2014 E. Phelps ---Viewing This Document--- This document contains Japanese text. To view it correctly, set your browser or word processor to view "Shift-JIS" format. For example, if you are using Internet Explorer, using the dropdown menu, go to View -> Encoding -> More -> Japanese (Shift-JIS). You could, instead, open this document with Microsoft Word, and it will ask you about the encoding automatically, allowing you to select Shift-JIS. - - - = = = =================== = = = - - - - - - = = = ====== Intro ====== = = = - - - - - - = = = =================== = = = - - - Super Momotarou Dentetsu is the second installment in a long running game series that has continued into the modern gaming age, such as Momotarou Dentetsu 16 for the PS3. There are at least 30 games in the series on multiple gaming systems, and it all started here on the NES. The name itself is sort of a joke. Momotarou Densetsu ("The Legend of Momotarou") is an old Japanese folk tale, familiar to all Japanese people just like English people are all familiar with Jack and the Beanstalk. This game's title, Momotarou Dentetsu, sounds a lot like the name above, but is translated ("Momotarou Electric Railway"). It's sort of like naming a game Jack and the Jeanstalk and making a game based around Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and making him a blue jeans salesman. The game is essentially a board game centered around making more money than the other players, with a train tycoon premise, and a picture of Momotarou every once in awhile. It's pretty easy to get the hang of, and it's pretty good as far as these type of games are concerned, so you may like to give it a try. The game is in Japanese, so you may have trouble figuring it out, but hopefully this guide will help you understand the game mechanics and get you on your way to building your train empire. - - - = = = ==================== = = = - - - - - - = = = ===== Contents ===== = = = - - - - - - = = = ==================== = = = - - - Search words are given in square brackets []. 1. Getting Started [sec1] 2. The First Turn [sec2] 3. How to Play [sec3] a. Overview [sec3a] b. Locations [sec3b] c. Assets [sec3c] d. Cards [sec3d] e. Loans [sec3e] f. God of Poverty [sec3f] g. End of Year [sec3g] h. Menus [sec3h] 4. Major Train Stations [sec4] 5. Random Events [sec5] 6. Strategies [sec6] 7. Endings [sec7] - - - = = = =================== = = = - - - - - - = = = = Getting Started = = = = - - - - - - = = = =================== = = = - - - [sec1] When the game is loaded, you are prompted with the following choices: いつもの - "Usual". Begin a new game. つづき - "Continuation". Continue from where you left off. If you choose a new game, you will be asked to choose the number of human players: にんげん ひとり - "1 human" にんげん ふたり - "2 humans" にんげん 3にん - "3 humans" にんげん 4にん - "4 humans" You will then be asked to choose the number of computer players. The available options depend on the number of human players you chose. You can have a maximum of 4 players (human and computer combined), and you must have at least 2 players minimum (human or computer). The options you might see are: コンピュータ なし - "No computer" コンピュータ ひとり - "1 computer" コンピュータ ふたり - "2 computers" コンピュータ 3にん - "3 computers" You will then be asked if you are sure about your settings: はい - "Yes" いいえ - "No" You will be asked to enter the names of each player. You will be presented with the Japanese "alphabet" and the options: もどる - "Return". Backspace, essentially. おわり - "End" You will then be asked to set the number of game years you would like to play, between 1 and 99 years. It will ask if you are sure about your settings so far: はい - "Yes" いいえ - "No" It then tells you an approximate game play time estimate. For example, on four player, with a 10 year game play length, the game estimates 4 hours of real life play time. It then asks if you are sure again: はい - "Yes" いいえ - "No" Then it shows all of your settings again and asks again if it is ok: はい - "Yes" いいえ - "No" It asks you if you want to save a backup of this game: はい ("Yes") or いいえ ("No"). If you say yes, your game will automatically be saved after every month, and you can load your game later to continue playing. You will be asked to choose a slot to save your file in. - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - - - - = = = = The First Turn = = = = - - - - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - [sec2] Once the game actually starts, you will be shown a picture of Momotarou and text telling you which month it is. The game randomly chooses a destination (もくてきち), which is the goal location that you want to reach before any other player, netting you a nice sum of money. You start at Tokyo (とうきょう) Station. On the first turn, you are given no options other than to roll thr dice and move the number of spaces you roll. Push "A" to roll. See the "Menus" section for details on how to navigate the menus for further actions. - - - = = = =================== = = = - - - - - - = = = === How to Play === = = = - - - - - - = = = =================== = = = - - - [sec3] ---Overview--------------------------------------------------------[sec3a]--- The main objective of this game is to accumulate the most wealth by the end of the time limit you set. Your wealth is the sum of both your in-pocket money and also the value of the assets you have purchased. Money in this game is given in units of 万円, which is 10000 yen. 10000 yen is about 100 dollars. So, you can imagine all values in the game are given in hundreds of dollars. If you have 10000万円, it will be displayed as 1億円 instead. 1億円 = 10000万円 = about 1 million dollars. Each player takes one turn per month. At the beginning of each turn, you can either roll the dice and move the number you roll, or you can use a card. But you can't just wander around the map to accumulate wealth and hope to win. There is also an unending race with the other players to reach the next "goal location". The goal location is chosen randomly at the beginning of the game and changes every time a player reaches a goal. It is always the train station of a major city. The player to reach this location first gets a large sum of money. The player farthest from this location when another player reaches the goal is doomed to be followed around by the God of Poverty. Be aware that, to reach a goal location, you must roll exactly the right number on the dice to land on that location. For example, if the goal is three spaces away from you and you roll a four, you will go past it and not reach the goal, requiring you to try again next turn. There are other ways to accumulate wealth in the meantime. If you land on a spot with a plus sign (+), you will gain a randomly chosen amount of money. Conversely, if you land on a spot with a minus sign (-), you lose a random amount of money. There are also cards in this game that you can use on your turn which have various effects, some of which net you money, others make you go farther distances. See the "Cards" section for more info. Another way to gain money is to purchase assets. These are businesses at train stations, such as restaurants, that you invest in by purchasing them for a set cost. At the end of each year, every asset you own will return a profit to you. This is explained in further detail in the "Assets" section. Two Japanese words of utmost iimportance in this game: プラス ("Plus") and マイナス ("Minus"). If you're confused about what's happening from time to time, just pay attention for either of those words so you know if you or another player are gaining ("Plus") or losing ("Minus") money. ---Locations-------------------------------------------------------[sec3b]--- As you move around the board, you can land on a few different types of squares. The effect of each of these locations is described in detail here: Plus Sign (+) - Landing here gains the player a random increase in money. Minus Sign (-) - Landing here depletes the player of a random amount of money. Letter C (C) - If you land on the letter "C", you will receive a randomly chosen card. Train Station (駅) - There are train stations scattered about the map that are represented by the Chinese character for station. At these locations, you can purchase assets. You are given the following options: ぶっけん - "Article". See and purchase assets at this station. しさんひょう - "Balance Sheet". See the assets you currently own. かわない - "Don't buy". Quit purchasing assets. Star - Card shops are represented by a star symbol. You can purchase and sell cards at these locations. At the card shop, you will have the following menu options: うる - "Sell". Sell a card. かう - "Buy". Buy a card. かいせつ - "Explanation". Be told the effects of the cards sold at the shop. およびでない - "Done" Ferry ( フェリー) - The ferry boat locations are always on paths that lead from land to water. The ferry port itself is a blue box with the Japanese word フェリー in the middle of it. Landing on this location has no effect. Major Train Station - Major train stations have a city name next to them. For example, you start on the train station in Tokyo (とうきょう). At these locations, you can purchase assets like at any other train station. However, only major train stations are chosen as "goal locations", which you must race to before the other players. ---Assets----------------------------------------------------------[sec3c]--- Assets are purchased in the hope that they will net you an end of year profit. Every asset has two values, one is a percentage representing the yearly profit, and the other is the asset's total value. To purchase an asset, you must pay the asset's total value. Although you spent money, the value of the asset still counts toward your total wealth, so purchasing assets doesn't reduce your score relative to the other players. If you are in debt (your total money is negative), then you are forced to sell some of your assets until your money is positive again. If you don't have any assets to sell, then there is no further punishment for having a negative balance. If you sell an asset, you only receive half of the asset's value. This is a very bad thing to have happen too often, so don't purchase assets if it will drain your money too close to zero. The reason it's bad is because, say you have an asset worth 1000 万円. This counts toward your total score as 1000 万円. But, if you sell it, you only get 500 万円, so your total score has been reduced by 500 万円. The percent value on each property determines how much profit you gain from that asset at the end of the year. The profit you receive from a particular asset is the percent value shown of the asset's total value. For example, if an asset has a total value of 1000 万円 and it gives a profit of 50% each year, then you receive 500 万円 from that asset every year. If you own all of the assets at a particular train station, your will gain double the profit from the assets at that station. If an asset is part of a local monopoly, it will have the phrase かいしめ ("cornering the market") next to its name on your asset list. Sometimes you can't sell certain assets. If this is so for a particular asset, it will have the phrase うれない ("can't sell") next to it on your asset list. ---Cards-----------------------------------------------------------[sec3d]--- Cards can be used during your turn to produce different results that are generally beneficial to you, but sometimes they can harm you as well. You receive a random card by landing on the "C" symbol, or you can purchase cards by buying them at the card shop, represented by the star symbol. you also receive cards sometimes from the God of Poverty if he is following you around, which are generally cards you don't want. You can hold a maximum of 6 total cards at one time, including duplicates. Below is a list of all the cards in the game and their effect. They are listed in Japanese "alphabetical" order. There are some that I have yet to understand their effect, so if anyone know how to use these, please pass it along to me (lastbosskiller@gmail.com). 1すすめるカード (Advance 1 Card) - Move 1 space without rolling dice. 2すすめるカード (Advance 2 Card) - Move 2 spaces without rolling dice. 3すすめるカード (Advance 3 Card) - Move 3 spaces without rolling dice. 4すすめるカード (Advance 4 Card) - Move 4 spaces without rolling dice. 5すすめるカード (Advance 5 Card) - Move 5 spaces without rolling dice. 6すすめるカード (Advance 6 Card) - Move 6 spaces without rolling dice. イトーヨーカード (Itouyou Card) - When stopped at a train station, you can use this card to purchase assets with a 25% discount. When you land on a train station, the new option イトーヨーカ will be availabe. Select it to use the card. You can purchase multiple assets at the same time with the discount in effect. うんちカード (Poop Card) - Place poo on a path to prevent passage for a limited time. エンジェルカード (Angel Card) - Receive money every month. オナラカード (Fart Card) - Blow your opponents to a different location. きゅうこうカード (Express Card) - Roll two dice and move the sum total number of spaces. ぎゅうほカード (Slow Pace Card) - A random opponent is selected and they can move only one space per turn for awhile. They also can't use cards during this time. クリスマスカード (Christmas Card) - This card can only be used in December. You receive a free asset. クレジットカード (Credit Card) - Purchase an asset on your credit card. You will then have monthly payments to make to pay it off. I highly recommend never doing this. セミットカード (Semitto Card) - Effect? しんかんせんカード (Shinkansen Card) - Roll four dice and move the sum total number of spaces. じしんカード (Earthquake Card) - I might have the name of this card spelled wrong. It causes a natural disaster than damages some players' assets, causing them to spend money for repairs. テレホンカード (Telephone Card) - You are given the option to buy a random asset from a distant city. デビルカード (Devil Card) - Subtracts money from the possessor each turn for several months. Worse than the Little Devil Card. とうみんカード (Hibernation Card) - Put a randomly chosen player to sleep. They can take no actions for several turns. God of Poverty doesn't take any actions on a sleeping player. とくせいれいカード (Tokuseirei Card) - Effect? とっきゅうカード (Special Express Card) - Roll three dice and move the sum total number of spaces. なすりつけカード (Blame Another Card) - Effect? ばいきゃくカード (Sale Card) - Can sell assets for 125% of their value. バキュームカード (Vacuum Card) - Removes all poo from the game board. ぱろぷんてカード (Paropunte Card) - Has a random effect, such as allowing the user to move a large number of spaces, take money from the other players, or change which city is the goal destination. ふういんカード (Seal Card) - All opponents can't use cards for several turns. ふくびきカード (Lottery Card) - Gives you a lot of money. ぶっとびカード (Buttobi Card) - A helicopter transports you to a random location. マルサカード (Martha Card) - A randomly chosen player loses a lot of money. やすいほけんカード (Cheap Insurance Card) - When one of your assets is damaged by a natural disaster, you get some of your money back. リトルデビルカード (Little Devil Card) - Subtracts money from the possessor each turn for several months. リニアカード (Linear Card) - Roll 5 dice and move the sum total number of spaces. レンタルカード (Rental Card) - Effect? ---Loans-----------------------------------------------------------[sec3e]--- Loans are obtained when you purchase something on a credit card. Usually you have loans because the God of Poverty is purchasing useless junk on your credit card. You can also use the Credit Card card to purchase assets that you don't currently have the money for. Either way, you will have to make a payment each month to remove the debt. To view your current loans, select ヘルプ ("Help") during your turn, then select ローンリスト ("Loan List"). Each loan you have will be listed, with the following information: Amount to pay each month > Remaining times payments must be made. For example, if you have a loan listed that says: 5710万円 > のこり 3かい it means you have to pay 5710万円 every month for the next 3 months. ---God of Poverty--------------------------------------------------[sec3f]--- When a player arrives at the goal location, the player farthest away from the goal will have the God of Poverty start following him around. There are two ways to get rid of him. Firstly, you can wait for a player to arrive at the next goal location, hoping that another player is farther from the goal than you at that time. Or secondly, you can pass another player on a train track, and the God of Poverty will then start following the player you passed. At the end of every turn, the God of Poverty will have the chance to take an action. The actions he might take are listed below: (1) Do nothing. (2) Sell one of your cards. (3) Sell one of your assets. (4) Call one of his friends to quiz you. (5) Buy an asset on your credit card, aquiring you a new loan to pay off. (6) Give you a card. The quizzes happen fairly often. If you get the correct answer, you will gain money, but if you get the wrong answer you will likely lose money. In both cases the amounts are small, so don't worry too much about doing well on the quizzes. ---End of Year-----------------------------------------------------[sec3g]--- At the end of every year (during the 3rd month of each year, actually, since the game starts in March), you will gain a profit from each asset you own. The profit amount is explained in the "Assets" section above. The game will then rank each player in order of who has the most total wealth, meaning money + assets. This way you can see your wealth in comparison to your opponents. ---Menus-----------------------------------------------------------[sec3h]--- During your turn, you usually have the following menu options: サイコロ - "Dice". Roll the dice and move the resulting number of spaces. カード - "Card". Brings up the following submenu: つかう - "Use". Use a card. かいせつ - "Explanation". Learn the effects of cards in your inventory. ヘルプ - "Help". Same as the help option below. つかわない - "Don't Use". Exit submenu. すてる - "Discard". Throw away a card. ヘルプ - "Help". Brings up the following submenu: ちいきデータ - "Area Data". Allows you to scroll around the map. ローンリスト - "Loan List". Shows your current loans. およびでない - "Done". Exit submenu. During your movement phase (after rolling the dice), press "A" to get the "Help" submenu, described above. Press "B" for a list of players and their in-hand money. Press "Select" for the following menu: メッセージのスピード - "Message Speed". Set the speed at which text is displayed. The options are: はやい ("fast"), ふつう ("normal"), and おそい ("slow"). プレイヤーのへんこう - "Player Modification". Change players between にんげん ("human") and コンピュータ ("computer"). しゅうりょうのとし - "End Year". - Make the maximum years of play time longer. You can't make it shorter. ゲームにもどる - "Return to Game". Displayed onscreen during your turn is the following information: もち金 (Current money) (Goal destination) まで (distance from goal) マス カード (# cards obtained) (Year) ねんめ (Month) がつ のこり あと (Remaining years) ねん - - - = = = ======================== = = = - - - - - - = = = = Major Train Stations = = = = - - - - - - = = = ======================== = = = - - - [sec4] These are the train stations that may be chosen as goals for you to reach before the othe players. Better start learning your Japanese geography! ながさき (Nagasaki) - On the large island of Kyushu, located in the very Southwest of Japan. Nagasaki is on the West coast of that island. かごしま (Kagoshima) - South of Nagasaki. はかた (Hakata) - Northeast of Nagasaki. おおさか (Osaka) - Located at the halfway mark on the long horizontal part of the main island. おかやま (Okayama) - West of Osaka. いずも (Izumo) - Northwest of Okayama. こうち (Kochi) - South of Okayama. しんぐう (Shinguu) - South of Osaka. なごや (Nagoya) - East of Osaka. とうきょう (Tokyo) - In the Southeast end of Japan. If you imagine Japan is a shoe, Tokyo is in the heel. にいがた (Niigata) - North of Tokyo. せんだい (Sendai) - Northeast of Tokyo. あおもり (Aomori) - At the very Northeast end of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. さっぽろ (Sapporo) - Located on the large island of Hokkaido in the Northeast of Japan. Sapporo is toward the Southwest of that island. くしろ (Kushiro) - East of Sapporo. わっかない (Wakkanai) - North of Sapporo. - - - = = = ================= = = = - - - - - - = = = = Random Events = = = = - - - - - - = = = ================= = = = - - - [sec5] In addition to the normal events described in the above sections, there are several "random events" which occur unpredictably and rarely during the course of play. Even if you land on a Plus square, one of these random events might get triggered which could cause you to lose money instead. Below are listed some of the random events that I have witnessed. They occur so rarely, that there are likely several more that I haven't seen. (1) Pickpocket disguised as a cop steals a lot of money from you. (2) You find a gold mine and get a ton of money. I got 14 億円! (3) You simulate a game of baseball where a random number is chosen for how many runs you score each inning, and the same for your opponent. You win or lose money depending on if you win the baseball game. (4) You are asked to sponsor a project to build a grand monument. You have the option to pay or not. I'm not sure if any good ever comes of paying. (5) You are asked to make a commercial and have several options for how the commercial should be made. I think your commercial will periodically bring in more revenue. (6) A restaurant, hotel, or some other asset you own receives a good review, bringing in some extra revenue. (7) Natural disasters, such as a storm or Mothra, will occur, damaging some of the players' assets and causing them to spend money for repairs. - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - - - - = = = === Strategies === = = = - - - - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - [sec6] Winning the game takes a lot of luck, especially if you are challenging multiple opponents. If one opponent gets far ahead of you in wealth, it can be exceptionally difficult to climb back to the top. Below are listed some strategies to keep in mind while hoping the dice are also on your side. (1) It is of utmost importance that you avoid the God of Poverty. Perhaps the worst thing he can do is sell one of your expensive assets (which only returns half its value, of course). If you anticipate having the God of Poverty following you around for awhile, don't buy expensive properties because you'll lose a lot of money when he just immediately sells them back. (2) To quickly get a lot of money and avoid the God of Poverty, try your best to reach the goal location before everyone else. Even if you feel like you are astronomically far away from the goal compared to your opponents, you never know how lucky you might get, so don't give up! (3) Memorize the ferry lines since they are a fast way to travel from one end of Japan to another. (4) Use the Martha Card to deplete an opponent's wealth. She might even put them way into the negative, forcing them to sell many assets. This is one way to get ahead of an opponent who has significantly more wealth than you. (5) The #すすめるカード cards are a good way to control your ability to land on a goal location. If the value of your dice roll doesn't allow you to arrive at the goal, see if you can position yourself with that dice roll so that you can use one of these cards on your next turn to arrive. (6) Cards which allow you to roll multiple dice, such as the Shinkansen Card, are valuable for reaching a goal location before your opponents. You may want to make a stop at a card shop to buy some. The opponents will make use of them, so you better as well. (7) It doesn't do you any good to purchase assets if you can barely afford them. If you go into the negative and are forced to sell assets, your net wealth will decrease. Make sure you leave some emergency money. (8) Over the long term, owning a lot of assets will gain you a good chunk of money every year. Start building up assets as you are able to afford them. If an opponent has a lot more assets than you, he can be hard to catch up to after a few years. - - - = = = ================= = = = - - - - - - = = = ==== Endings ==== = = = - - - - - - = = = ================= = = = - - - [sec7] When the game ends, there are bonuses handed out for the players who cultivated the most industry, farming, and restaurants. I'm not sure what criteria is used to decide these things, but whoever is chosen gets a 1000 万円 bonus for every year of play. So if you played for 15 years and receive the industry bonus, you get a bonus of 1億5000万円. If you want to see a longer ending, where the game design credits are shown, you need to play at least 15 years of game time. If you play for the entire 99 year maximum, you will visit a hot spring during the ending with some scantly clad women. Seems strange for a game based on an old folk tale for children! - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - - - - = = = === Conclusion === = = = - - - - - - = = = ================== = = = - - - I hope you found this guide useful. If you have information that you'd like to contribute or other suggestions for how the guide can be made better or if you find any mistakes, please send it to lastbosskiller@gmail.com. I will give you the proper credit for your help. Thanks to the NES FAQ Completion Project regulars for providing a fun environment for exploring old, obscure games!