Midgard

Midgard is a play by maiI (PBM) strategic game for 21 players. Each player will control a single country and its' forces, submitting instructions to the Games Master (GM), who will respond and advise when the next move is due. Moves are bound by deadlines. If it is not received by close of mail of the nominated day then the GM will process the move as he sees fit. Processing of players moves will be simultaneous, they are all processed together, movement and resolution of actions being resolved together.

The aim of the game is to create a historical (albiet fanatastical) wargames campaign. Each player will act as the supreme ruler of their country, directing its forces and commanders within the limits of the rules, trying to conquer, and expand their empire. The first player to increase thier taxation income at a quarterly interphase to 30,000 talents will be declared the winner. Alternatively the first player to hold in any fashion 5 capital cities by themselves will automatically win the game. The game wiII exist primariIy as a miIitary campaign but pIayers may undertake poIiticaI activities via treaties and pIayer to pIayer correspondence, and in the game magazine.

Each move will represent from 6-8 days, nominally called a week, and the actions and movements that can occur in that period of time. No scale will be given for the map, movement speeds are given in the rules. Time, movement and distance are unspecific, the system will allow for some shrinking and stretching to suit the situation as it arises. What can and can' t be done is stated in the ruIes and a rationaIe is not required. All ruIes appIy equally to every pIayer and hopefuIIy IittIe change wiII be required during the game pIay.

As stated above, the game will have 21 players and 21 countries. Each player will have a country that will match a historical listing in relation to its army. No country has a name in the beginning, this is Ieft to the pIavers to choose. Cities have had their names predetermined, but new cities may be named by their creators. Rivers and other significant terrain features have no allowance within the program for naming.

The map, depending on the game, has been covered by a hexagonal grid to regulate movement and position. Each hex is identified by a unique number created from a co-ordinate system. The bottom left/south west corner hex will be identified as OO1,OO1 or simply 1,1. There are three maps in use at this time and each has a different size but generally around 100 hexes in each direction. The map sheets provided come in pages that can be fitted together. Each sheet however overlaps two hexes on the adjacent sheet. Each map page will have the rows and columns indicated, players are required to pinpoint exact hex positions and numbers.

There are four seasons per game year each is Called a quarter (qtr), several events and checks are made at the end of each qtr. Weather can be expected to follow a logical pattern in a European styIe - coId and wet during winter etc.

Each qtr will be 10 weeks, or moves, long. During winter however there will only be 5 moves the hard weather being assumed to retard all forms of military activity. Further effects from winter can be found elsewhere in the rules.

Cities.

Cities are probably the most important features of the game. At the beginning each country wiII 'own' their Iisted cities . Cities are basically in three states of possession.

OWNED - a city you began the game with, or a city you have occupied for 20 weeks, or an allied city you hove held for 20 weeks.

ALLIED - a city you have occupied for 10 weeks and have accepted as an allied city. If an allied city falls to another player it tests to see if it remains loyal, failure and it returns to its last OWNER (although still controlled by the occupier). A city ceded as part of a treaty agreement begins as 'alIied' also.

CONTROLLED - a city belonging to another player that you occupy, it will still remain 'owned' by another player at the same time. An allied city that becomes controlled will test its aIIiance immediately, returning to its last OWNER or remaining aIIied .

A city can thus have Three different types of owners at one time. It can be CONTROLLED by an occupier, remaining loyal to its ALLIED owner but still remembering its last OWNER.