Welcome to the El Mythico II Gaming System. The book you are reading contains the rules which are common to all the games in this system. You will have a further booklet containing important information relevant to the module you are currently playing.
You should have a Rule book, a Module Book, a map and a starting position questionnaire. If you are playing over the Internet then you should have files that replicate these objects. A map will hopefully also be available online.
You should complete the starting position questionnaire and return it as soon as possible. This questionnaire allows us to find an acceptable position in the next available game. Allocation of positions is primarily based on a first come first served basis. The greater the range of selections you give us the greater the chances you will be in the next game.
If a suitable position cannot be found then your sheet will be held over for the next game that starts.
The module booklet contains specific information about the types of choices you have available to you in customising your starting position.
Once you have been allocated to a game a first turn will be sent to you detailing your starting position. This turn will also list the available options for customising your position in this particular game.
We plan to run two kinds of El Mythico games; the classical Play-By-Mail/Email games, and the newer (fingers crossed) internet based games. If you want to play by mail then you will need to contact an agent in your zone for details of the games offered. If you want to play by Internet then a number of the comments in this rule book will need to be interpreted to adjust for the change.
In each module there are a number of customable features. You have a choice of:
To choose option 3 tick the appropriate box on you starting page. Pre-generated characters come complete with leader name, faction name, vocation, type, starting location and dossier.
If you choose options 1 or 2 then any features that you do not fill in will be assigned values randomly, except for the dossier which will be blank for you to complete.
Each game is allocated a number and a module name, eg Balkania game 12. Players may make suggestions in the appropriate place on their starting turn sheet for a name for their particular game. This helps set your game apart from all others. The GM will select one of the suggestions received and this will become the name of the country being contested and as such will appear in the header of all turn reports. This name may be upto 20 characters long.
This represents the name of your group or faction and will appear at the top of your turn-replies. Your faction name will not change during the game. It may be upto 30 characters long.
This is an identifiable unit and represents your alter-ego in the game. The name of your leader will only change if they die and are then replaced. You can choose a name upto 30 characters long.
Each module has a number of different vocations available to your leader, representing their previous experience. Each vocation will have one or more special abilities. There are six levels available for each vocation, with players beginning at level one. Higher levels are gained by achieving certain victory point levels.
Some modules will require a choice to be made between different player-types, eg guerilla or government, rebel or establishment.
Each module will offer a range of political alignments to choose from. Political alignment can affect equipment purchases, alliances and population control.
Some modules allow you to express preferences for where you start on the map. Others do not.
A dossier is a summary of a player's leader and political party. Each player is asked to provide a character and background summary.
Players may provide an acceptable floppy disc with a standard ASCII Text format file (use Notepad in Windows) holding your dossier. This will simply be copied over and may be up to 50 lines in size.
Submissions over the Internet may also be up to 50 lines in size.
By specifying the player number in the appropriate place on the move sheet you will receive a printout of any ONE players dossier each turn.
Optionally you may specify player 99 and receive a printout of the current names, addresses, Leader name and faction name of every player in the game.
Starting at game turn 5 a players dossier will be updated automatically by the program to show the status of their position as of each turn in specific areas.
This report will come in three forms;
Your starting turn sheet will also ask you to nominate your preferences for the naming convention to be used for any new units you raise during the game. See chapter 2 for details.
You should now refer to section 1.2 of your module booklet and complete your starting turn sheet. Alternatively you may wish to browse the rest of the rules before customising your position. Please remember to complete and return your starting turn sheet.
Players may freely ally with other players, across political boundaries and alignment if they choose.
To ally, both players must simultaneously complete an Ally order. To dissolve an alliance only one player needs to complete a Denounce ally order.
The creation and dissolution of alliances is ordered during a turn but are not affected until the end of the turn. The only limit placed on allies is by the Ally Points system. Depending on the type of player that is being allied with, a different number of points must be used.
Ally points are never NORMALLY lost or gained, but are the constant limit on allies. Refer to the module booklet for your game to determine how many Ally points are available and what the costs are for various alliances. It some games you may actually lose or gain ally points.
You may purchase extra ally points if you wish, these will remain constant till the end of the game once purchased.
NOTE: A diplomat character type could get 2 extra ally points. Players with sufficient political points could buy extra ally points. Players who defy UN orders may lose ally points. Acts of international condemnation will result in loss of ally points.
What happens to current allies if you lose points? Do they remain until dropped, or is the most expensive lost until within point limit.
While a player is your ally your troops will not attack their forces and their troops count as friendly. All non-allied troops count as hostile. Allies may use each other's equipment entry points (but they would be considered two separate ammo dumps still), Airports and Ports for the basing of units requiring these facilities (including Air and Sealift capacity - ie a player may give an order to use their capacity to move an ally's units - requires matching orders). This includes air and naval units.
Paratroop, Marine and Commando elite units may use an ally's airfield or port as a staging base for their special orders, as appropriate.
Allies cannot directly combine their influence in Population control.
Note that minefields will not attack allied troops as long as they remain "friendly".
Allied troops present at the same battle use the supreme commander's combat bonus.
NOTE: added complication - order for a player to submit unit command to another commander, and thus follow that players commander around. This could be implied by the COPY order if the object is set. If not then each force fights as a seperate entity. How will multi-way battles be resolved? How are they done now?
Allied forces may use each others fortifications, and if the only troops left will take control of them.
Control of Ammo dumps and installations may be transferred to an allied player via the ?? order. Allied units searching a hex (?? order) will not claim an ally's ammo dump and allied units entering an unoccupied installation owned by their ally do not gain control of that installation. Allied units are not exempt from the various reports players receive, that is they show up on incidental intelligence reports from units and urban centres, recces and spy reports.
Players may try to ally to several players at the one time if they wish to. The method of processing will examine each ally order one at a time, accumulating points, until you exceed your point limit. Further ally orders will automatically fail. It then checks to see which of the remaining accepted allied orders can be successfully completed.
Note that all could fail at this time. You cannot put down spare ally orders in case earlier ones fail due to this system.
Each game will run for a number of turns specified for that module, normally 25 to 35 as randomly chosen by the computer. Players will not know the exact turn a random length game will end on. Some modules allow games to end earlier if certain conditions are met or all players agree to end the game.
A player can leave a game before it ends in three ways.
They can be eliminated.
They can formally concede defeat.
They can drop-out.
A player is eliminated if they do not control 1 population centre or 1 military unit, other than leader units, at the end of any turn. Players may also ask the GM to eliminate them if they feel their position is hopeless and they do not wish to use the Concede option. This decision is at the discretion of the GM.
A player may concede if they meet the following conditions;
It is after turn 10.
They have economic control of 'less than one-quarter of the current turn number in population centres, and control 'less than one-quarter of the current turn number in military units, excluding Leader units.
Example: It is turn 10. If you have 2 population centres and 2 military units you may concede. If you have 3 population centres or 3 military units you may not.
A player can always play on even if they meet the above requirements, conceding is optional and does not mean you have left the game.
A player concedes by using the CONCEDE miscellaneous order. NB you are still playing in the game but you can no longer win.
Conceding has the following effects:
You may no longer denounce allies.
You may no longer Ally to anyone new.
Your unit AF is limited to a maximum of 5.
Your turn fee is reduced to half the current rate.
Once you concede you may not return to normal play, even if things take a miraculous turn.
The third way to leave the game before the end is to drop-out, that is to advise you are no longer playing, or to stop sending turns, or if your account reaches a negative value. This is to be discouraged.
Dropping out gives your enemies an unfair advantage and disadvantages other players, particularly your allies. If your position is untenable you should use the concede option explained above. Drop-outs do not have their victory points recorded for the high score table. If a player drops out of more than one game the GM may refuse to allow that player to enter any further games.
Victory is achieved by the player with the most victory points at the end of the game.
Victory points are awarded at the start of each turn.
One victory point is received for each AP of income you receive from urban centres & installations.
Victory points are also awarded for casualties inflicted on enemy forces at the rate of 1 point for each strength point killed by your forces for each level of training they have. Thus new units will yield 1 point per casualty whilst Elite units will yield 3 points each.
No victory points are awarded for APs received from investments, gifts from other players or from special leader abilities, eg extortion.
Each time your primary leader dies you will lose one vocation level in victory points. The number of VPs lost will be equal to your current VP total less (the number of VPs required for your current level +1). Eg: if you had 310 VPs and your current level began at 250, you would lose 61 VPs.
Each time a unit is reduced to 0 strength via combat or attrition (by 'withholding' maintenance), you will lose 5 VPs. (You will not lose VP for disbanding a unit or from reducing a unit to 0 while reinforcing another.)
Your turn sheet will include a score table listing all players' scores in each of these categories - VPs, wealth, military power and population control (number of population controlled). These will be listed from highest to lowest in each category. This table will not indicate which player has which score except for your own, which will be printed in bold.
At the end of the game victory points are adjusted according to criteria specific for your module, see Module rules.
Your moderator has an option to record the scores of all finished games on a High Score Table. All players who finish the game and all players who conceded during the game have their scores added to this table. Scores on this table are cumulative - every score you get in any game of El Mythico Gaming System is added to your score on the high score table. Lists of the top players will be distributed periodically and you will be notified of your current ranking.
Players have at their disposal a large number of playing pieces. They start with only a few, and through their own efforts gradually build up their forces.
Playing pieces are:
Activity points (AP),
Military units (Land, Naval and Air)
Espionage units.
The playing area is the entire map. The degree of access to areas of adjacent countries is module dependent.
Each hex is around 5 Km across and each turn represents roughly 1 week. APs are an abstract unit of power. New military units are company strength - 100 men or 10 machines; espionage units and leaders represent individuals or teams.
This is a correspondence game, played as a series of turns over a long period of real time (measured in months).
Each turn consists of two distinct parts.
The first part is the player's contribution. Each turn players send in their instructions to the game master (GM). These instructions are their turn-orders and are sent in on the Player Submittal form supplied.
The second part is the computer's contribution. It processes everyone’s Turn orders and then generates an individual reply for each player, known as the Player Report.
Players then react to this report and send in their next set of turn- orders. This cycle is repeated until the end of the game.
Each player report contains a Due-Date which sets the last possible day that a player's submittal will be accepted for the current turn.
Playing El Mythico II gaming system means accepting the GMs decision at all times, feel free to question events that you feel are incorrect, but the decision of the GM is final. We also reserve the right to alter the game during play if deemed necessary. Players will normally be advised of any impending changes before they are implemented.
Your GM may have a Code of Play that lays out the ground rules he works by, please ask for a copy.
Each turn you will receive a turn report sheet and a submittal sheet. The report sheet will advise you of the events that occurred during the turn and your status at the present time. The submittal sheet is to be filled out by you and sent to us by the due date shown.
At all times you are limited to what is on your submittal sheets. Players usually get 10 Economic orders per turn and 20 Misc Orders per turn, plus one order line for each unit you own. Please take note of the comments in each section to make sure you have the correct orders present.
Occasionally changes will be introduced to the game. The movesheet will always be more up to date than the rule book you may have. If you find a contradiction then use what the move sheet tells you.
The following is a general sequence of play. It is primarily used by the GM/computer when processing player submittals, but it will also help players to know in what order their turns are processed.
I: Victory points are allocated from last turn, test for end of game (turn number or election).
Orders read in and checked.
Leaders attach to other units for the turn (order ??)
Ambush orders rejected for units in combat.
Order ?? splits up Battlions & Regts.
Units load onto boats and planes (order ??), inlcuding infantry component of AirCav units.
Initial control of villages determined for Admin Movement.
II: Economic orders, expenditure: the following orders are acted upon and the required amounts deducted from player treasuries.
All FIX orders are executed first.
Buy and pay for new equipment.
Purchase and place new Agents and Informers.
Pay for Investments (order ??).
Pay for Transfer orders (order ??).
Pay for PAY orders (order ??)
Pay for and install new security (order ??).
Disband (??) orders actioned if not in combat.
Check validity of NEW orders (order ??).
III:All Sabotage orders executed. (Note: will still stop equipment delivery to ports & airports successfully sabotaged.)
IV: Check Air units, units at sabotaged airports revert to Hide orders.
V: Determine Air Superiority.
VI: Logistical movements actioned -
Training bases moved (??).
Change ownership (??) of ammunition dumps.
Change ownership (??) of installations.
Move light equipment by sea (??) or air (??).
Hide ammo dumps (??).
VII: Kill orders (??) for Agents executed.
VIII: Agents Move (??) to new locations.
IX: Pre movement static orders.
Units camouflage (order ??)
Split units (order ??)
Merge units (order ??)
Destroy Installations (order ??)
Add Boats (order ??)
Add Planes (order ??)
Add equipment (order ??)
Pickup equipment (order ??)
X: Movement, Combat and Order Activation (6 phases per turn).
MISC orders phase.
Replacements (order ??)
Take (order ??)
Drop (order ??)
Add land Equipment (order ??)
Change Mech Mode (order ??)
Air Phase.
Test aircraft availability.
Change airborne aggression and Change air response to attack are executed if appropriate.
Aircraft on Air Superiority Deploy
A/C on Air Superiority are set aside.
Aircraft on Ferry orders move Aircraft and helicopters deploy to new bases.
Aircraft on other missions deploy Aircraft and helicopters on strike, recce, interdict, airlift or airborne assault orders deploy to target hex.
Pseudo aircraft deploy
Each Airlift, parachute and Airdrop order, is converted into a temporary cargo plane and set aside with A/C on Air Superiority.
Air to Air Combat
One round of combat takes place involving A/C and cargo planes deployed to Air Superiority zone.
Airdrops are delivered
Phase 2 only. Airdrop and Airlift deliveries are made regardless of presence of hostile troops.
Land and Naval Phase.
Change mode orders Change mechanised mode
Breakup units
Split and Detach are actioned.
Ground units are loaded onto naval units
Miscellaneous order actioned to load ground units onto vessels.
Naval units move Move one sea area toward destination OR move to destination hex if already in adjacent sea area.
Pseudo Naval units move
Each ground unit or ammunition dump being moved using Sealift capacity is converted into a temporary cargo vessel and is moved one sea area toward destination OR is moved to destination hex if already in adjacent sea area.
Physical Control determination.
Physical control of population centres, installations and transport infrastructure is determined.
Ambush, Camouflage and Defend set & update.
Ambushes/Camouflage/Defenders are set in place if unit is in correct hex. If in place they are updated.
Miscellaneous Orders
Orders Combine, Reinforcements, Take, Leave, Camouflage ammo dump and add equipment are checked and actioned if appropriate.
Lift equipment
Order Lift is actioned.
Ammo Resupply
Those units which are eligible are resupplied with ammo using the following priority:
Ammo held as surplus by unit.
Ammo dump in same hex.
Ammo held as surplus by others in hex.
Ammo dump within 3 hexes.
Land Movement Phase One
Ground units on tactical movement orders do so if able. Admin moves actioned.
Miscellaneous Orders
Orders Combine, Reinforcements, Take, Leave, Camouflage ammo dump and add equipment are checked and actioned if appropriate.
Control determination
Land Movement Phase Two
Ground units on tactical movement orders do so if able.
Miscellaneous Orders
Orders Combine, Reinforcements, Take, Leave, Camouflage ammo dump and add equipment are checked and actioned if appropriate.
Control determination.
Admin Movement Phase.
All units that have NOT performed a TACTICAL move may now perform and Admin move.
See below for expanded sequence. Hostile units, A/C, boats or ground forces, in same hex initiate combat.
Order activation
The action part of each unit's orders is acted upon providing they are in the required hex, they have not performed the required action previously in this turn and there are no hostile units present in the same hex - unless specifically exempted (eg defending to level 1).
The following orders are actioned during this phase - Camouflage, Defend, Garrison, Train, Destroy Installation, Occupy, Support, Recce, Search, Mine, Evacuate, Scout.
Order Recovery - units that have less then their full order will try to recover order.
XI: Equipment Delivery.
Test for naval blockades or patrols.
Test for ambushes along rivers.
Test for presence of hostile troops in delivery hex. No deliveries can be made if there are any hostile troops in the delivery hex. If this is the case the delivery is cancelled and APs are refunded, OR it is captured and lost. (Units on certain orders will have improved chances of doing this.)
Deliver equipment.
XII: Leader Orders actioned.
XIII: Agents Subvert order executed.
XIV: Ammo Depletion: all units engaged in combat are checked for ammo depletion.
XV: Transfer of APs to Population Centres: (NOTE: this means you can not spend money with a 48 order to try and buy out a village and then try to admin move to it all in the one turn.)
XVI: Control changes: changes to population control are recorded, manpower is reduced to 0 if ownership has changed this turn.
XVII: Agents Assassin order executed.
XVIII: Changes to targets of leaders' special abilities are actioned.
XVIX: Withhold orders actioned.
XX: New Units raised.
XXI: Allocate manpower points to population centres. (If total game manpower for this centre is not exhausted and this pop centre does not have maximum allowed manpower points.)
XXII: Test for random increase in available manpower points
XXIII: Test for increase as result of Leader special ability.
XXV: Agents perform Search orders (order ??)
XXVI: AP income: turn income is calculated and credited
XXIV: Denounce and Ally orders implemented.
invest orders results added (order 50)
income from population centres added
income from installations added
income from leader type added
income from special leader abilities added
income from pay orders received
XXVII: Unit maintenance: maintenance costs are paid for all units, except those withheld.
XXVIII: Leaders detach from units they were attached to for this turn (order ??)
XXIX: AirCav infantry components unload from helicopters.
XXX: Last turn only: End of game enacted, winner selected.
It is EXTREMELY important that you understand the sequence of the game. Without it you will find many of your actions failing.
Activate any air support orders - deploy supporting aircraft and helicopters to hex
Air to Air combat.
Air defence - AA guns, Radar-guided missiles, all-aspect Infra-red SAMs (eg Stinger) and naval vessels engage enemy aircraft
Air to ground - aircraft deliver payloads
Air defence - Infra-red SAMs who have not fired (eg SA-7) do so.
Aircraft check retreat settings
Aircraft who are ordered to avoid AD positions abort mission and return to base for the rest of the turn
Land units disembark from aircraft.
Naval vs Air combat.
Naval vs Naval combat
Naval vs Land combat.
Land units disembark from naval units.
Minefield attack vs non-searching, non-friendly units.
Engineers clear minefields
Ambush round (once per contact only - ambusher fires, ambushed does not)
Ambusher disengages (if appropriate)
Test for end of combat (if ambusher has disengaged this is end of combat)
Indirect artillery fire attacks targets (harassment and support).
Allocate targets
Direct fire is exchanged (exclude infantry mortar factors) - including ground vs ground, naval vs naval, ground vs naval and naval vs ground.
Total Casualties inflicted and received are determined (although casualties are removed as they occur)
Retreat thresholds are tested
Units failing retreat tests withdraw one hex in retreat direction, abandoning all surplus equipment, AF reduced to 1
Disengage orders are actioned, units withdraw one hex in retreat direction keeping AF and all equipment
Pursuing units test to see if they successfully chase retreating or disengaging units - only if that unit's target retreated and pursuit option is set to yes.
Units are NOT pinned by the presence of other enemy units as long as one other friendly unit remains in the hex (not retreating and not pursuing).
Loot is gathered - if all enemy units have left the hex the remaining units automatically capture any abandoned equipment, no search is required. Player with largest force has priority.