The following guide is from the 3DO Meridian59 website.

A New Player's Guide

The world of Meridian 59 is a rich and complex environment. Survival can be challenging. This document is meant to help you gain a foothold in this new land so that you can begin your explorations in earnest. As a beginner, you will be weak and almost defenseless against many of the fearsome beasts in this harsh land. Over time, as your abilities and network of allies grows, you will begin to feel at home. In the meantime, study this guide, tread carefully, make friends, and keep some money in the bank!

Who am I?
In Meridian, you are defined by your stats, which are displayed on the lower right corner of the main game screen. These are set when you define your character and generally don't change once you begin play. Think about what kind of character you want to be before you set them. Everyone needs enough Might and Agility to be able to physically defend themselves. However, magic users will want to bump up their Intellect and Mysticism to ensure effective spell casting and quick learning of spells. A brief description of each stat follows:

Might: Impacts amount of damage you inflict per stroke for physical (non-magic) attacks.
Intellect: Impacts learning of spells and skills. Players with high Intellect can learn and advance more quickly.
Stamina: Players with high Stamina will be less affected by reduced Vigor than those with lower a Stamina.
Agility: Positively impacts hit scores for physical and magical attacks. Also affects dodge.
Mysticism: Crucial for mana replenishment, as well as spell learning. A high mysticism score will allow you to learn spells faster.
Aim: Impacts your chances of hitting with missile spells and weapons.
Karma: Karma is a very important part of your character. Unlike other characteristics, you don't set it. Karma is determined by your actions.

If you take the life of beings with good Karma, Centipedes for example, your Karma will turn negative. Killing another player will always give you negative Karma. Killing evil beings, such as Baby Spiders, will raise your Karma rating. Some spell schools are accessible only to those with good or evil Karma, so think before you strike!

When you begin playing, keep a close eye on the three bars in the upper right:

Health: Denoted by red cross symbol.
Mana: Denoted by holy symbol.
Vigor: Denoted by lightning bolt symbol.

These tell you about your current status. When Health drops below zero, you die. Mana is used when you cast spells. It regenerates slowly. You will want to use your spells judiciously in combat situations. Vigor measures your physical stamina and determines how fast your other stats regenerate. It is decreased by exertion such as combat and especially by running (accomplished by holding the SHIFT key down when you move). Vigor is regenerated by resting (use the REST command or click on the sitting figure icon) and by eating. There is a lot of delicious food in Meridian including healthy apples and tasty meat pies. When you have enough money, buy food and take it with you on your travels. When your vigor is low (it will turn red), stop for a bite to eat.

Your Home Town
You begin life in one of three cities in Meridian, each of which contains various shops and is the starting point for exploration. This is your "home town." Each has its own personality. Jasper is a rugged mining town, Cornoth is a busy trading town and Marion is a quiet, rural village.

Each of these towns has an "Adventurer's Hall" in which you will find a "newsball." (it looks like a short pillar with a crystal ball on top) which you can activate by right clicking on it. This will bring up a newsgroup where you can read messages from other players and post your own messages. Keep an eye out for notices of guild formation and recruitment. Joining a guild, or forming your own, is one of the best ways to survive and prosper in Meridian.

Guilds
What exactly is a guild? Guilds are organizations formed by people in the world of Meridian 59. They have many different themes and purposes. Some act as protectors, others as vindictive assassins and criminals. Most have meetings at one time or another. Almost all work together to help out their members.

Adventuring in a group is the safest and most entertaining way to explore Meridian 59. Ask around. Make friends. Offer money if you have to. But don't wander the world alone! Browse the guild web pages listed on the Meridian 59 Guild Hotlinks page for information about specific guilds you may want to join.

Dealing with a Deadly World
Life can be fleeting in Meridian and keeping body and soul intact requires forethought and planning. Don't leave town without a weapon; you won't survive. You will start with a mace. It is a serviceable weapon but get something better as soon as you can. A scimitar or short sword is the next step up. These weapons can be bought from the blacksmith in most towns for a few hundred shillings. Keep an eye on the ground as well, you may find a weapon discarded by another player. If you don't have any weapons at all, ask other players for help. Some kind-hearted players have been known to give a mace to a player in need.

To use a weapon you must first equip it. You do this by double clicking with the left mouse button on a weapon in your inventory or by right clicking and then selecting "use." A highlight will appear around the weapon you have chosen and you will see it appear in the first person graphics window. When you are near a valid target your mouse cursor will change to a cross-hair. You can attack by hitting the CTRL key. You may have to get pretty close. Be careful, some monsters have a long reach!

No matter how skillful or careful you are, it is likely that you will lose your life at some point in the game. When you die you will find yourself in the Underworld. While this can be traumatic, take heart that the consequence is not final. You will lose your equipment and some of your strength but you can easily rejoin the game by stepping through the glowing portal in the Underworld. Players with good Karma will get a Mace when they re-enter the world. Wise players will keep their excess cash in a bank as insurance against death. Other players may return some of your belongings to you once you make it back to the land of the living, but don't count on it. The moral disposition of the inhabitants of Meridian varies widely.

Advancing Your Character
Just like the real world, you get better at fighting and magic by practicing. You can build your Health (shown in the upper right corner of the game window), as well as slash, block, and dodge skills (lower right corner of the game window) by engaging in combat. Be careful at first; some monsters are simply too powerful for beginners. Start with Giant Rats, Centipedes, and Baby Spiders. As you build your Health above 25 you can start attacking Zombies and Fungus Beasts as well. Stay clear of Spiders, Ants, Scorpions and other strong creatures until you are well above 30. Trolls should be avoided until you are at 50 or more. Rook, the fighting skills teacher in Cor Noth, can give you more details.

Player Killing
You can't attack another player directly until your Health is 30 or higher. Likewise, other players can't attack you. Once you've crossed that threshold, beware. There are more than a few bloodthirsty inhabitants of Meridian. If you don't want to attack other players accidentally in a combat situation, you can turn on a "safety" in the "Options" box under the "Game" pull down menu.

Other Equipment
You will likely come across many types of weapons and armor in your travels. There are three basic ways to get equipment:

Kill monsters and take their loot.
Some items are for sale at the shops in the various towns.
Arrange trades with other people.

As a rule of thumb, grab whatever you find. You can sell most items at shops in the towns. There are two important exceptions- you should never take items from a monster another person has killed (they may come after you next), and you should beware of magic items which are sometimes cursed.

Once you have sold off any items you don't need, replenish your supplies and then put your remaining money in one of the banks (located in Jasper and Tos). Use you money to upgrade your equipment. Spare no expense in getting the best armor and weapons. Meridian can be rough place and the quality of your weapons and armor can be the difference between life and death.

Magic
Meridian is a world filled with magical energy. Learning how to harness it takes diligence and time. There are five schools of magic in Meridian:

Shal'ille, the Peace: The god of harmony.
Qor, the Vile: The god of Unadulterated evil.
Kranaan, the Fist: The god of war.
Faren, the Storm: The god of nature's violent forces.
Riija, the Fool: A god forgotten by most, but not without power.

You will start the game with two magic spells. Practice them! Each time you cast a spell your ability in that spell improves slightly. Casting spells consumes Mana. After a couple of spells, you will have to take a break to allow your Mana to regenerate. Meridian survivors learn to make the most of the magic they are given. Think of creative ways to use your spells. Observe their effect on your stats- some, like Super Strength, yield powerful enhancements. To learn more spells you will have to visit one of the magic temples in Meridian. These are not easy places to go, in general. Once you have gained some experience and a few shillings, ask around for help in getting to the Temple of Shal'ille or Qor. Make an accurate map when you go so you can find your way back. Once you have chosen a school, you can help other players learn about it too.

The fastest way to develop as a magic user is to stick to one school of magic. Learning spells in multiple schools will slow your advancement.

Quests
The Innkeepers, Barmen, and other characters in the game sometimes know more than they let on. If you talk to them, they may ask you to carry a message to another character or they may hint that another character is in need of a certain item. Try saying key words such as "message" or "hint." These quests are a great way to advance your character and to gain additional equipment and abilities. If you are chosen, do the quest! Ask for help from other players if you have to.

That's it. This guide is intended to allow you to get started. Your adventures in Meridian will extend far beyond anything described here. Much of the drama and intrigue involves events generated by players such as yourself. Meridian has seen marriages, break-ups, blood feuds, assassinations, vampirism, and even wars. The world is yours for exploration, conquest, and interaction. See you in the game!