User manual GAMES PC MASTER OF ORION II-BATTLE AT ANTARES

[. . . ] ORIONS AND ANTARANS Introduction (Excerpted from "Pre-Psilonic Galactic Civilizations" Vol. II, by Ectron Victor, retired Master Adjudicator, Psilon Central History Institute. ) As a story is told and retold over the course of generations, no matter the attention paid to detail and no matter the importance of the tale, the truth is gradually nibbled away by little mistakes and innocent exaggerations. Carried off on these well-intentioned, tiny feet, the facts deteriorate softly and painlessly into a condition generally referred to as "shrouded by time. " The legends concerning the Orions and Antarans are shrouded by time. What is certain is that at one time both races coexisted in the galaxy. [. . . ] If a Colony Ship is traveling with a fleet and that fleet is destroyed, the Colony Ship retreats. A Colony Ship requires 1 Command Rating point or 10 BC in maintenance each turn until it is dismantled to build a colony. Freighters (Ship) Freighters are your chief means of transporting food and colonists between colonies. Each time you build a Freighter Fleet, you gain a group of 5 ships that automatically transports goods as needed between your worlds. Each ship can transport 1 unit of food, and a fleet of 5 ships can transport a unit of population. Each Freighter requires 1/2 BC in maintenance each turn it is in use. Unused Freighters cost nothing to maintain. Outpost Ship (Ship) An Outpost Ship is similar to a Colony Ship, except that it is used to establish a military outpost in a system, rather than a new colony. A military outpost extends the reach of your scanners and the range of your ships, but produces nothing. Since there are no full-time residents, an outpost does not need to be established on a habitable world; you can put them on gas giants and in asteroid belts. An Outpost Ship requires 1 Command Rating point or 10 BC in maintenance each turn until it is dismantled to build an outpost. 7. Research and Development Transport (Ship) The Transport Ship is a troop transport capable of carrying both troops and armor to other worlds. As a Transport Ship is built, 4 new Marine units are created to fill it. These ships have the best FTL drive you have researched, but have no weapons or shields and do not participate in combat. Transport ships are for one-time use; when the Marines are offloaded, they dismantle the ship to build fortifications and other equipment. If the Marines survive the attack, they will rebuild the ship and get back on board. You can also offload troops on a friendly planet, but the ship is still dismantled. Transports can only be built on planets that already have a Marine Barracks. A Transport Ship requires 1 Command Rating point or 10 BC in maintenance each turn. ADVANCED FUSION Fusion Drive (Ship) The Fusion Drive is the next step forward for interstellar drive capability. This drive is added to all your ships as soon as you complete your research. Fusion Bomb (System) The Fusion Bomb creates a more efficient explosion than the Nuclear Bomb. This device delivers 4­24 points of damage to its target. Augmented Engines (System) This is simply a larger, more powerful version of the standard engines used for sub-light movement. Augmented Engines increase the combat speed of a ship by +5. ION FISSION Ion Drive (Ship) The Ion Drive is something of an advancement and a step backward in interstellar travel. Taking advantage of a quirk in the physics of fission reactions, this engine system moves a ship 4 parsecs per turn, but it's an inefficient reaction that spews toxic byproducts into space. This drive is added to all your ships as soon as you complete your research. Ion Pulse Cannon (System) 7. Research and Development The Ion Pulse Cannon discharges a violent wave of charged particles designed to overload ship shields and control systems, disabling them. [. . . ] When a new turn begins, it's almost as though you were playing alone. You make your decisions, give orders, and so on just as you would during any other game. Meanwhile, every other player is doing the same--all of you at the same time. Once you signal that you're done with your turn, the Turn Monitor screen appears. [. . . ]