Minetown
Minetown is one of seven different maps, located on the 3rd or 4th level of the Gnomish Mines. Monster creation on this level is biased towards lawful monsters.
In most games, Minetown is also the largest collection of shops; some players call it the "toll plaza". (Random Number God might be cruel enough to give you only Izchak's shop.) There is a division between retail and security; shopkeepers do retail, while watchmen and their captains do security.
Contents
Maps
There are seven different minetowns, each with their own maps and guaranteed monsters. Note that Minetown is eligible to leave bones, so the monsters (and the map) may be in a different state than is shown below.
Also bear in mind that, as elsewhere in the Gnomish Mines, if you are playing a dwarf or gnome, two-thirds of the dwarfs or gnomes respectively that are listed in these descriptions will be made random monsters instead.
Frontier town
--------------------------------- |...............................| |.------------.....------------.| |.|...|...|..|.....+..|...|...|.| |.|...|...|fd|.....|G.|lgt|...|.| |.|gen|...|..|.....|..|...|...|.| |.|...|...|+--.....----+----+--.| |.-+---+---.....................| |.............{......{..........| |.-+----+--....---+--...........| |.|...|...|---.|....|.-----+---.| |.|...|...|..+.|....|.|..|....|.| |.|too|...|.G|.|.._.|.+..|....|.| |.|...|...|..|.|....|.|..|....|.| |.------------.------.---------.| |...............................| ---------------------------------
Izchak's light shop (marked "lgt") is guaranteed, but the general store ("gen"), food shop ("fd") and tool shop ("too") have only a 90% chance of existing.
This level contains two random traps.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomish Wizards | GG | In temple |
Gnomes | GG | In rooms marked with G |
Gnomes | GGG | Outside mapped area |
Dwarf | h | Outside mapped area |
Town Square
--------------------------------- |.+..|..|..+....+..|..|..|G.+...| |.|..|..|..|....|..|..|..|..|...| |.----+-----....----+--+-----...| |...............................| |.-+-----+--.......--+---+---...| |.|..|..|..|......{|....|...|...| |.|..|..|.G|.......|....|...|...| |.----+-----.......|.._.|foo|...| |.............{....|....|...|...| |.-------+-------.----------|...| |.|....|...|....|.|....|....+...| |.+.gen|.G.|lght+.+....|tool|...| |.|....|...|....|.|....|....|...| |.---------------.-----------...| |...............................| ---------------------------------
Izchak's light shop (marked "lght") is guaranteed, but the general store ("gen"), food shop ("foo") and tool shop ("tool") have only a 90% chance of existing.
This level contains two random traps.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomish Wizards | GG | In temple |
Gnomes | GGG | In rooms marked with G |
Gnome lord | G | In room opposite light shop |
Gnomes | GGG | Outside mapped area |
Dwarf | h | Outside mapped area |
Alley Town
--------------------------------- |...............................| |.----....-----.----+--..-----..| |.|..|---.|...+.+..|..|..|...|..| |.|..|..|.|._.|.|..|..|..|lgt|..| |.-+-|tl|.|...|.--------.|...|..| |....|..|.|...|....+...|.--+--..| |.{..-+--.----|....|wan|........| |..........+..|+--.-----..-----.| |....-+--..|..|..|........+...|.| |.-+-|..|.----|G.|+---....|foo|.| |.|..|..|.+...|--|...|---.-----.| |.|..|---.|gen|..|too|..+.......| |.|.G|....|...|..|...|G.|.......| |.----....-----+---------.....{.| |...............................| ---------------------------------
Izchak's light shop (marked "lgt") and the general store ("gen") are guaranteed, but the tool shops ("tl" and "too") have only a 30% and 40% chance of existing, respectively. The food shop ("foo") and wand shop ("wan") have a 90% and 30% chance, respectively.
This level contains two random traps.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomish Wizards | GG | In temple |
Gnomes | 3 random G | In rooms marked with G |
Gnomes | GGG | Outside mapped area |
Dwarf | h | Outside mapped area |
College Town
-------------------------------- |..............................| |...--------.......-----------.| |...|...|..|------.|.G|...|G.+.| |...|boo|..|.....|.|..|lgt|..|.| |...|...|+-|.._..|.-+-|...|---.| |...-+---..|.....|....--+--....| |..........|.....|.............| |........{.---+---.{...........| |..............................| |...--+--...........-+---+--...| |...|...|-------.---|..|...|...| |...|too|kk|foo+.+..|.G|gen|...| |...|...|ff|...|.|..|--|...|...| |...-----+------.----..-----...| |..............................| --------------------------------
Izchak's light shop (marked "lgt") and the book shop ("boo") are guaranteed, but the general store ("gen"), food shop ("foo") and tool shop ("tool") have only a 90% chance of existing.
This level contains two random traps.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomish Wizards | GG | In temple |
Gnomes | 3 random G | In rooms marked with G |
Kobold shamans | kk | In southwest room |
Kitten | f | In southwest room |
Feline | A random f | In southwest room |
Gnomes | GGG | Outside mapped area |
Dwarf | h | Outside mapped area |
Grotto Town
----- --------- |<..--- ------.......-- ------- --------------- |.....---|.........--..| |.....| ------- |.............| --..|....|.---------|..| |.._..| |>....| --+---+--.----+| --.|-.....---- ---- |.....| ------ --....---- |..|...|-.|.+..| --|.........|--- ----- ---+--- |..+.| ---..-..---|..|--+-..--|..| ----.|....|..----...-- |.| |..|.| ---+-.....-+--........--+| -----..|....|.....---- |.| |..|.------......--................| ------ |..|.............---.-- ---|.+..||.......-|..--------+--..-- |food| --......---...........----- |.|..||...{....|--|.........|..-- |....| |........|...|...........---|.|..|--.......| |.general.|...| ---+--------....-------...---......-|.|------....--| -----------...| ------.---...-|...-|..|..|-...|..---...|.--..|...|....------- |.......-- |..|-.........|..--|..|..|--.....|-....|........---...-|....| |.------- |..+...............-+---+-----..-|..........--....|-...+tool| |.|...S. -----.....{....----...............|...........|-...|...-|....| |.|...| |..............-- |-+--.---------.........--..|........|------ |.--+------- |+-----.........| |...|.|....| --.......-----|...|....|--------.....|....| |...| --..------- |...|.+lght| ---...--- --..|...--......|...{..+..-+| |...| ---- ------|....| ----- -----.....----........|..|.| ----- ------ ------- ---------------
Izchak's light shop (marked "lght"), the general store ("general"), the food shop ("food") and the tool shop ("tool") are all guaranteed.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomes | GGGGGG | Random |
Gnome lords | GG | Random |
Dwarfs | hhh | Random |
Gnomish Wizards | GG | In far southwest room, in front of secret door |
Gnome lord | G | Larger southeast room |
Gnomes | 2 random G | Opposite light shop, in room at top of central corridor |
The room with the down stair contains a random tool, the secret door hides a random ring, the far southeast closet contains a chest, and there is a statue of a gnome king in the wide open lit space in the south.
Bustling Town
-----................----------------.- |...|................|...|..|...|...|.. |...+..--+--.........|gen|..|...|...|.. |...|..|...|..-----..|...|..|-+---+--.. -----..|...|--|...|..--+---+-.........- .......|...|..|too+.............-----.. .......|---|..|...|......--+-...|...|.. ----...|...|+------..{...|..|...+...|.. |..+...|lgt|.............|..|...|...|.. |..|...|...|-+-.....---+-------------.- ----...--+-|..|..-+-|.................. ..|........|..|..|..|----....---------. ..|..T.....----..|..|...+....|......||. ..|-....{........|..|foo|....+...._.||. ..--..|....T.....--------....|......||. ......|-.....................----------
The mapped town area is surrounded by empty cavern level, which is lit and contains the upstair (to the left of the town) and the downstair (to the right).
Two trees are marked ("T").
Izchak's light shop (marked "lgt"), the general store ("gen"), the food shop ("foo") and the tool shop ("too") are all guaranteed.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomes | GGG | Random |
Gnome lords | GG | Random |
Dwarf | hhh | Random |
Gnomes | GG | In room between light and tool shops, in room east of fountain |
Gnome lords | G | In room between light and tool shops |
Bazaar Town
-------------------------------- |..............................| |.------+--------------..-----.| |.|....|..|...|....|..+..+...|.| |.|....|..|...|.n..|fd|..|too|.| |.-+------|...|+------|..|...|.| |......|..|...|.|.G|..|.-----|.| |.----.|..|-+--.|..|..|.|....|.| |.|..+.-+--..{..-+-|..|.+.._.|.| |.|..|.............-+--.|....|.| |.|----+--.----+--......|....|.| |.|..|...|.+..|..|-+---------|.| |.|tl|lgt|.|..|gn|....|K.|fd.+.| |.|..|...|.---|..|....|..|...|.| |.-+------..{.---------+------.| |..............................| --------------------------------
Izchak's light shop (marked "lgt") is guaranteed, while there is a 50% chance each of two food shops ('fd'), a 50% chance of one tool shop ('tl') and 30% chance of a second ('too'), and a 60% chance of a general store ('gn').
Outside the mapped area are two random traps.
Monster | Symbol | Location |
---|---|---|
The Watch | @@@@@ | Patrolling randomly |
Priest | @ | In temple |
Gnomish Wizards | GG | In temple |
Gnomes | GGG | Random |
Gnome lord | G | Random |
Monkeys | YY | Random |
Gnome | G | In room north of central fountain |
Monkeys | YYY | In room north of central fountain |
Nymph | Random n | In marked room |
Gnome king | G | In marked room |
Gnome | Random G | In room north of lower fountain |
Gnomes | GGG | Outside mapped area |
Dwarf | h | Outside mapped area |
Strategy
Because Minetown always has an altar and shops, it is an excellent location for a first stash. The altar provides BUC identification while the shops provide price identification, especially if your Minetown has a general store. There is also a significant 1/3 chance that the template is co-aligned, which makes it a sanctuary (and a useful altar). Many players unload some excess loot in the Minetown temple before going on to Mines' End, and the consolidate upon their return. The disadvantage is that you might not be putting your stash in a container.
Minetown often has a deli and a tool shop. (Remember not to let pet eat all the tripe rations.) Minetown can be a good place to increase your food supply if you are low. Players who are missing a skeleton key or other cheap tool can buy one. Be aware though that the Gnomish Mines has several tools for free sitting on its other levels.
The popularity of Minetown means that players spend a long time there, and hence have a greater than average opportunity of dying there. Thus Minetown is often a bones level.
Reaching the Minetown priest is the objective of the protection racket.
This page is based on a spoiler by Dylan O'Donnell. The original license is:
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