So, you think you've got what it takes to defeat Balkoth? Let me tell you something, my friend. Many have come before you. All of them are dead. I won't relate the manner of their deaths, but let us say that what little remained wouldn't feed a hungry crow. - Balathustrius

Lords of Magic is the quest to defeat the evil lord Balkoth. It combines some resource management, turn-based, real-time combat, and fantasy elements into one spectacular game.

You start out by choosing a lord from a choice of 3. You can be the powerful Warrior Lord, the mysterious Mage Lord, or the sneaky Thief Lord. Once you have decided on a lord, you choose the faith you wish to command. You have a choice of 4 elements - Fire, Earth, Water, and Air - and 4 others - Life, Death, Order, and Chaos.

Next you are brought into the world of Urak. Your first task as Lord of your faith is to clear out the great temple, which has been overrun by renegade armies. Once this is done, your people will build you a stronghold. You may then assign followers to gathering resources, not in real time, but on paper. They just give you the amount of resources per day. You don't have to keep enemies killing all your followers, just from killing you. You are to build up an army, then destroy the Death Lord, Balkoth. This is not nearly as easy as possible, because the six other faiths are not all allied with you. Some would rather see you dead for their own personal gain. You need to barter with them, and offer gifts to get them on your side. You can also free their great temple, at which point they will swear fealty to you.

The key to defeating Balkoth is managing resources wisely, strengthening your army, and gaining alliances with other faiths. After you have done all these, you are ready to face Balkoth himself.