Mine

Mines are constructed on ore veins to extract metal ores such as Iron Ore, Copper Ore and Tin Ore from ore veins, as well as various Gems and Coal. Ore veins are discovered using the Dowsing skill with a Dowsing Rod.

Unlike previous tales, mines in Tale 5 do not collapse.

Mines not built on an ore vein produce sand, though they still can produce gems and coal.

Cost

• 100 Boards
• 300 Bricks
• 100 Leather
• 10 Pulley
• 75 Rope
• 100 Water in Jugs

Operation

You must have learned the Mining technology to operate a mine. When worked, a mine produces a number of stones on the ground in front of it with varied shapes, colours, bases and crystals. Each ore type has different rules for which properties vary and which are fixed.

The principle of mining is to find groups of these stones as "workloads" according to certain rules. Each workload of at least three stones yields ore, and stones from a single pull on the mine can be re-used in multiple workloads. Miners can use a given workload once each.

For each varying attribute (e.g. body colour and crystal shape for iron), the stones in the workload must be all the same, or all different. So as an example, three stones with red patterns on the body (all same colour) and three different shapes of crystals on top (all different) would qualify. Two red stones and one blue would not qualify regardless of crystal shapes.

Further workings on the same mine pull, and larger workloads, produce more ore.

Table of ores

Each ore has different attributes that matter for forming workloads. Any attributes that do not matter are fixed to random values when the mine is built.

Ore	Stones	Varied Attributes
Sand	9?	5? Body Colours
Iron	7	3 Body Colours, 3 Crystal Shapes
Copper	8	3 Body Colours, 4 Body Shapes
Tin	9	4 Body Colours, 4 Body Patterns
Aluminum	9	4 Body Colours, 4 Body Shapes, 4 Base Colours

Gems

Using the same stone in different workloads for the 7th time will collapse it, producing a gem and coal in addition to the usual ore.