Annihilator / OneWorld

Annihilator / OneWorld Rulebook

Table of Contents

ONEWORLD

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Scientists today postulate the existence of matter and anti-matter. This is only part of the truth. There are also space and anti-space, as well as non-space and neither-space. This I learned while studying in the Temple of Gatros, the commune of a unique cult in the hills of southern Montana.

During the time I was an acolyte among the Gatrosians, I became aware of the realms of neither-space. According to Sroo T'ar, the astrologer-priest of Thirteenth Century legend, an infinite number of these fragmented universes are scattered throughout the fabric of neither-space. They are islands of stability within the oceans of chaos, inhabited by the unusual and fascinating entities created on Morningafter by Geng Pot, the Master of Creation.

One day, after smoking the sanctified Pipe of Dreams, I was carried away in my astral body to such a neither-space domain. It was a land where singing grasses grew beneath towering pylons of crystal, while strange beings crossed the landscape to hurl themselves upon one another. Caught by the sweet refrain of the Grasses, I drifted until I came upon a god, motionless upon his throne. In some queer, quixotic manner of conversation that was not speech nor mindlink, I was given to know that I had intruded upon a universe whose name was OneWorld. There were two gods in this world— first, the one who communed with me, the mighty CHEZ, first among the Descendants of the Cosmic Egg; and the incomparable BORG, pretender to mysteries and last sprung from the Egg. It was a time of the War between the Gods, a titanic battle to see which God would rule supreme in their universe, for it was axiomatic that there could only be one Supreme God for OneWorld.

It was not long before I again found myself in the Temple of Gatros with the stale smell of smoke in my nostrils. But, I shall not soon forget the magnificence of that combat among the Gods. Indeed, though I am now cast out from the Gatrosians and left to wander the uncaring world, I have had the fortune to design a game to simulate that most marvelous vision. No longer will I alone have beheld mighty gods waging war in the arena of OneWorld.

2.0 COMPONENTS

2.1 Mapsheet. The mapsheet represents OneWorld. The plain hexagons are the flatlands with their soft singing grasses. The spotted hexes are the Crystal Pylons. The hollowed lines are the Faults of Chaos, while the dark, wavy lines are the Runelines. The small towers indicate the locations of the Towers of Balance. Beyond the mapsheet lies the lost vastness of Chaos Itself. Each hex represents three and one half million square kilometers.

2.2 Counters. The two sets of counters are identical except for color. A set comprises thirteen Stone, thirteen Blade, thirteen Fog, one Tower of Balance, and three god counters.

2.3 Other materials. In addition to those materials provided, players need one die.

3.0 SET-UP

3.1 Selection of counter set. One player chooses the BORG counter set (dark), while the other player uses the CHEZ set (light).

3.2 Die roll. Each player rolls the die. The player who rolls the highest number has the choice of setting up first or allowing the other player to set up first.

3.3 First player set-up. The player who sets up first selects one end of the mapsheet to defend. His three god counters can then be placed in any single hex which is not more than three hexes from that end of the mapboard. Thirteen Children of the Gods, of any combination of aspects, may be placed anywhere within seven hexes of the god.

3.4 Second player set-up. The player who sets up second may choose one of the two possible hexes in which to place his Tower of Balance. The remaining hex is then occupied by the first player's Tower of Balance. Set-up for the second player then proceeds as it did for the first player.

3.5 First move. The player who set up last has the first turn.

4.0 TURN SEQUENCE

4.1 General. One player begins the game by taking his turn, consisting of the three turn phases below. When that player has finished, the other player takes his turn. Play continues in this fashion until one player can satisfy the victory conditions.

4.2 Turn phases. A turn is made up of three phases, conducted in the following order:

Movement. Any, all, or none of the player's counters in play on the mapsheet may be moved, according to the movement rules.
Reinforcement. The player may receive reinforcements from his Tower of Balance.
Combat. All combat situations initiated in a player's move are resolved.

Note: the printed index lists "4.3 End of Turn", but no body text for that section appears anywhere in the scan (printed page 17 is missing from the scan). Nothing is supplied here for it.

5.0 TERRAIN

5.1 The Pylons of Crystal. The Pylons of Crystal are immense pinnacles which rise miles above the grassy flatlands. At the base they are sheer with polished sides. But, higher up, the Pylons branch out into an interconnecting series of bridges, escarpments, and odd crystalline growths. These structures make crossing from Pylon to Pylon easy. However, because of the smooth surface of the Pylon base, the only being which can move from the flatlands to the Pylon is Stone, which can bounce high enough to reach the Pylons. All beings may move from Pylon to Pylon and from Pylon to flatland.

5.2 The Singing Grasses. The Singing Grasses present no movement obstacle to any of the beings.

5.3 Runelines. The origin of the Runelines has been lost in the sea of elapsed time. They are evidently not natural. The smooth markers lie nearly buried among the song-strewn grasses. Each marker is clearly inscribed with mysterious runes, which have never been translated. Runelines present obstacles to the progress of all beings except Blade. Blade, which travels swift and furious through the grasslands, is somehow immune to the magic of these ancient, weathered stones.

5.4 The Faults of Chaos. OneWorld is fractured by faults. At these places, the ethereal essence of neither-space seeps in to form thick pools and lakes. All beings which cross through these fantasmal regions risk being lost in the nothingness of foreverhood. Each time a being crosses a Fault of Chaos, the player must make a die roll to discover the fate of the being. On a die roll of "1" or "2", the being has been diluted into existenceless. The counter is removed from its former location and is placed beneath the owning player's Tower of Balance. Only Stone is an exception. Stone is able to bounce over the vaporous pools of dimensionlessness and therefore does not need to roll on the Fault Chart when crossing the Faults of Chaos.

5.5 The Towers of Balance. The Towers of Balance are surrounded by a form of drifting ectoplasm which prevents any beings from entering the hex. This ectoplasm works in one direction only—beings may leave the Towers of Balance without hindrance.

5.6 Chaos Itself. The ungridded regions on the mapsheet are the cold and featureless vacancies of Chaos Itself. Nobody knows what happens to beings which venture there. Players should not send their beings into it because beings that are sent there will be considered permanently out of play; i.e. units moved off the hex grid are removed from play.

6.0 CHILDREN OF THE GODS

6.1 General. Both BORG and CHEZ, the two gods of OneWorld, have thirteen Children. These offspring constitute the only mobile beings in the game. Each Child, although identical to every other Child, may appear in one of three aspects—Stone, Blade, or Fog.

6.2 Stone. Stone is the aspect which the Children of the gods use to symbolize power and strength. In appearance it is like a great white boulder that travels by bounding. On the mapsheet, Stone moves one hex in a turn. Stone may travel from flatland to Pylon. It may cross a Fault of Chaos without having to roll a die against the Fault Chart. However, Stone may not cross a Runeline.

6.3 Blade. The Children of the gods choose Blade as an aspect when they wish to illustrate the force of the mind. Blade is black as infinity, and half as fast, as it scythes through the flatlands regardless of the despairing cries of the uprooted grasses. On the mapsheet, Blade travels five hexes in a straight line in a turn. It must always move the entire five hexes unless a path is blocked by a Pylon, a Tower of Balance, or an enemy Child. Blade may ignore the presence of Runelines. Blade must roll on the Fault Chart when crossing a Fault of Chaos, and may not move from flatland to Pylon. "If Blade has movement remaining when it reaches the edge, it must continue on into Chaos Itself and become lost."

6.4 Fog. Fog is the aspect of mystery and unknown among the Children of the gods. Fog casually drifts across the OneWorld, humming a thoughtful breeze psalm, traveling to invisible purposes and fathomless patterns. Fog may travel one, two, or three hexes per turn in any direction or combination of directions. Fog cannot travel from flatland to Pylon, cannot cross Runelines, and must roll against the Fault Chart when crossing Faults of Chaos.

7.0 FRIENDLY ENCOUNTERS OF THE CHILDREN

7.1 General. An encounter is the meeting of two or more Children in one hex. A friendly encounter is a meeting among Children of the same god.

7.2 Limit on Crowds. The Children of the gods, having been raised in a rural environment, cannot abide crowds. Therefore, more than four Children of the same god may not share the same hex. This is the "stacking limit" in the game.

7.3 Parental Concern. To avoid the unseemly emotional displays which might result, Children may never enter the hex where their parental god dwells.

8.0 HOSTILE ENCOUNTERS OF THE CHILDREN

8.1 General. A hostile encounter is an encounter between Children of different gods. Such an encounter always leads to combat. This is not logical--after all, a hex represents 3.5 million square kilometers--but it is the way of life on the OneWorld.

8.2 Combat. Immediately upon meeting, hostile Children transform themselves and hurl themselves into combat. All fighting continues until one of the sides has been eliminated. Combat is composed of three phases.

Transformation. Children of the gods use their interior powers to alter their aspect. Each player removes his Children from the hex. The players may secretly change all, some, or none of their Children to different aspects, i.e. from Fog to Blade, Stone to Fog, etc.
Act of Hurling. After transformation, the Children throw themselves at their opponents. Each player reveals to the other player the aspects of his Children.
Resolution of Combat. Children are eliminated according to this formula: For every friendly Blade, an enemy Fog is eliminated; for every friendly Fog, an enemy Stone is eliminated; for every friendly Stone, an enemy Blade is eliminated.

8.3 Ending Combat. Combat is ended when one god's Children have been eliminated from the hex. If the first combat round has not accomplished this, players continue to transform, hurl, and resolve combat until one side is gone.

8.4 Dead Soldiers. Children of the gods which have been destroyed in combat are considered to have been rendered into an atomless state. However, the rules of this game require that players place each counter of a destroyed Child under the Tower of Balance counter belonging to the god of that child.

8.5 Battle Crowds. Since neither god may have more than four Children in a hex (see 7.2), the largest group of Children that can meet in combat is eight-four Children of BORG, and four Children of CHEZ. [Printed as "eight-four" in the source.]

9.0 TOWERS OF BALANCE

9.1 The Tyranny of Balance. The one thing which the universe cannot tolerate is lack of balance. The status quo must be maintained. This is the purpose of the Towers of Balance. Though no one now recalls why, when or how the Towers came to OneWorld (if, indeed, there ever was a OneWorld without the everlasting Towers!), it is known that the Towers of Balance suck out of the depths of Chaos Itself to produce replacement Children for those which die.

9.2 Reinforcements. When a Child is destroyed in combat or from crossing a Fault of Chaos, the counter is placed under the Tower of Balance counter which belongs to that player. As long as counters are beneath the Tower, the player will receive reinforcements in the Reinforcement Phase. During the Reinforcement phase, the player removes one counter from beneath the Tower, rolls a die, consults the Tower Chart to determine the aspect of the new Child, and places an appropriate counter on top of his Tower. Only one Child is produced in a turn. A player may never have more than thirteen Children on the mapsheet.

10.0 THE GODS THEMSELVES

10.1 General. There are two gods on OneWorld: CHEZ and BORG. Each contends that the other should recognize him as the most powerful god. The gods look like flabby, lethargic men sitting on massive three-legged stools.

10.2 God Lives. Both CHEZ and BORG have three lives. This is why each god has three counters. To destroy a god, all three lives must be annihilated.

10.3 Movement. The gods themselves do not choose to move. They could if they wanted to, but they never want to. The gods are content to lie in the sunshine and harmonize to the tunes of the Grasses Which Sing.

10.4 Combat versus God. Children may accost an enemy god in an attempt to take one of the god's three lives. Only one Child may attack the enemy god in a player's turn. Combat is initiated when the Child moves into the hex where the god dwells. That player then takes his Child and secretly transforms its aspect to Stone, Blade, or Fog. When that player has made the transformation, the god player announces which aspect, Stone, Blade or Fog, the god has assumed. The Child then reveals its aspect. Combat is then resolved according to the usual rules--Stone defeats Blade, Blade defeats Fog, Fog defeats Stone. If the god has been defeated, one counter (representing one god life) is removed from the mapsheet. It is not placed beneath a Tower of Balance. The Child is always eliminated, regardless of whether or not a god life was destroyed. The Child counter is placed beneath the owning player's Tower of Balance.

11.0 END OF THE GAME

11.1 Rationale of the War. Both BORG and CHEZ are striving to destroy one another. Their theory is that the death of either god will ruin the balance of OneWorld, destroy the Towers of Balance, and allow one god to rule in primacy.

11.2 Victory Conditions. Whenever all lives of a god have been killed, the game ends immediately. The player who has a surviving god is the victor.

12.0 OPTIONAL RULES

The following rules are offered as options for players who would like to experiment beyond the basic rules. The rules may be used as a group or players may choose to use only certain ones. Players should agree on optional rules before starting play.

The Singing Grasses Rule. Players may attempt to simulate the presence of the Singing Grasses by listening to soft lyric music. Light classical instrumentals are particularly recommended.

Friendly Obstacle Rule. Blade may move less than five hexes in a turn if it ends its movement in a hex containing a friendly Stone. The Blade is considered to have run itself into the Stone. One Stone must be in the hex for every Blade which so attempts to stop its motion.

Pylon Movement. Movement from Pylon to Pylon is changed. Stone may travel three hexes per turn while traveling from Pylon to Pylon. Blade and Fog may each move only a single hex per turn while traveling from Pylon to Pylon. A being may not combine Pylon-to-Pylon movement and other movement in the same turn.

The Flee-While-You-Can Rule. After a god has lost one life, it may travel at the rate of one hex per turn. All god counters of that god must travel in the same hex. Gods may jump Faults of Chaos (immune to the Faults, just as Stone is), cross Runelines, and may move from flatland to Pylon. Gods may not enter hexes containing enemy gods or Children.

God Lives Alterations. For faster games, players may choose to use only one or two lives for BORG and CHEZ. Alternately, it is suggested that experienced players use only two god lives when playing against a novice. The novice uses three lives.

Tower Elimination. For very fast games, eliminate the Towers of Balance and use only a single god life for BORG and CHEZ. These games may end in a tie from loss of Children.

Frustration Clause. Combat can continue for long times without damage to either side. After three rounds of combat in a hex in which no damage has been inflicted, eliminate both sides.

Moving Towers of Balance. Before starting the game, players should choose either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. After each turn, the player moves his Tower along the edge of the mapsheet in the agreed direction.

New Geography. Alternate the set-up instructions for Towers of Balance and gods. This can greatly affect the play of the game.

More Balance in the Towers. The Towers only generate replacements for the player with the fewest Children in play on the mapsheet. In case of both players having the same number of Children in play, the Towers will not generate new Children.

Variant Stacking Limits. Players may choose to use different stacking limits. Alternately players may roll the die and use the number generated as the stacking limit.

Chaos Gambit I. Children of the gods may travel into Chaos Itself. Their counters are placed beneath the proper Tower of Balance as though they had been destroyed rather than lost in Chaos Itself.

Chaos Gambit II. The universe is curved. Beings which exit from one end of the mapsheet reappear in the corresponding hex at the opposite end. Likewise beings exiting from one side reappear in the corresponding hex on the other side.

Non-aligned Towers of Balance. The Towers of Balance do not associate themselves with either god. Players make a die roll: if odd, reinforcement for that turn appears at the left-hand Tower; if even, the right-hand Tower.

God Powers. Each god may transform the aspect of one Child who is not in combat per turn. For an interesting scenario, allow BORG only one god life but let him transform two Children who are not in combat per turn. CHEZ cannot make non-combat transformations but has three god lives.

13.0 CHARTS

13.1 Combat Results Table (OneWorld). Stone defeats Blade. Blade defeats Fog. Fog defeats Stone.

13.2 Faults of Chaos Chart.

Die Roll	Results
1, 2	Child Eliminated
3, 4, 5, 6	No Effect

13.3 Towers of Balance Chart.

Die Roll	Results
1, 2	Stone
3, 4	Blade
5, 6	Fog

APPENDIX: EXAMPLES OF PLAY (OneWorld)

A. Movement of the Children.

Blade. Blade moves five hexes per turn. The movement must be in a straight line. Blade must move all five hexes unless movement is blocked by (a) a Pylon, or (b) enemy Children. Blade can never move from flatland to Pylon, although it can move from Pylon to Pylon or from Pylon to flatland. When Blade crosses a Fault of Chaos, it must make a roll on the Fault Chart.
Fog. Fog moves one, two or three hexes per turn. Movement does not need to be in a straight line. Fog cannot move from flatland to Pylon, cannot cross Runelines, and must roll on the Fault Chart when crossing Faults of Chaos.
Stone. Stone moves one hex per turn. Stone can cross Faults of Chaos without having to roll on the Fault Chart, but cannot cross Runelines. Stone may move from flatland to Pylon.

Figure captions on the printed Blade example map (not reproduced as a diagram): "Stopped by Pylon"; "Freely crosses Runelines"; "Cannot stop from moving all five hexes unless blocked"; "Must stop if enters hex containing enemy children"; "Must roll on Fault Chart when crossing"; "Cannot travel in this direction because Blade cannot avoid running into Chaos Itself".

Figure captions on the printed Fog/Stone example map (not reproduced as a diagram): "Must stop if enters hex containing enemy children"; "Cannot cross a Runeline"; "Cannot move into Chaos Itself"; "Cannot move from Flatland to Pylon"; "When crossing a fault, must roll on fault chart"; "Does not have to move all 3 possible hexes"; "Can move into Pylons from Flatlands"; "No need to roll on Fault Chart".

B. Examples of Combat.

In one hex are two BORG Children: Stone and Fog. The CHEZ player moves three CHEZ children into the hex: Fog, Fog, and Blade. It is a Hostile Encounter.

Transformation. BORG switches his children so that both are Stones. CHEZ changes to have Fog, Stone, and Blade. Neither player has shown his transformations to the other.
Act of Hurling. Players now reveal the aspects they have chosen.
Combat Resolution. BORG has two Stones. Stone defeats Blade. BORG can therefore remove two Blades from CHEZ's Children. Since CHEZ only has one Blade, only one Blade can be killed. CHEZ, with a Fog, Stone, and Blade, can kill one Stone, one Blade, and one Fog. Since BORG has no Blade or Fog, only the one Stone can be killed.

First round of combat: Fog kills Stone. Stone kills Blade.

Since both sides still have Children living, another combat round is begun.

Transformation. BORG keeps with the Stone. CHEZ selects one Fog and one Stone.
Act of Hurling. Each player displays his aspects.
Combat Resolution. BORG's Stone kills one Blade, but CHEZ has no Blades. CHEZ may kill one Stone and one Blade. This eliminates BORG's Children. Combat is over in this hex.

Second round of combat: Fog kills Stone. CHEZ is left with a Fog and Stone in that hex.

C. Combat versus a God. BORG is quietly sitting in his hex when an enemy Stone moves into it. Combat is begun.

Transformation of the Child. The Child is transformed into Blade.
Transformation of the God. The BORG player states his selection of aspect. "Stone," he says.
Hurling of a Child. The aspect of the Child is shown.
Resolution of Combat. BORG's Stone defeats the Child's Blade. BORG does not lose a life. The Child automatically is destroyed and placed beneath the appropriate Tower of Balance. The Child is always destroyed, even when it wins the combat.

ANNIHILATOR

1.0 INTRODUCTION

ANNIHILATOR is a two-player game which simulates an assault by space marines on an asteroid-sized cybernetic planet killer.

Sometime in the late 23rd century, a vast, intelligent killer robot, named Annihilator by the Pan-Human Alliance, swept out of the galactic core and pulverized the Eridani colony into dust and vapor. World after world of the human-colonized systems crumbled under the dispersion field beams of Annihilator. Only Earth and a handful of her colonies remained intact. Conventional attacks with the nuclear missiles and proton beam weapons of the Allied fleet proved useless. Annihilator's protective version of the dispersion field reduced missiles to ions and scattered proton beam particles long before either could reach its kilometer-thick surface armor.

Capt. "Mad Jack" Griggs of the 2nd Hesperan Marine Company came upon the idea of ramming Annihilator with small, specially shielded assault spacecraft. Microseconds before impact, a shaped thermonuclear charge in the draft's prow would pierce Annihilator's armor. Afterwards, the hatches would be blown and Marine demolition teams equipped with milliton shaped fusion charges would attempt to destroy Annihilator from within. No opposition was expected. It would be a piece of cake....

2.0 COMPONENTS

2.1 Map. The map represents the interior of Annihilator. All play occurs within the confines of Annihilator. The irregular-dotted hexes represent the ship's armored hull. The dark hexes are impassable hexes. The parallel lines represent passageways. The unmarked hexes are obstructed, passable hexes. The regular-dotted hexes near the center are armor auto-defend hexes. The two hexes at the center with the square patterns are the ship's brain core.

2.2 Unit Counters. Die cut playing pieces represent combat units and reference markers. These pieces need to be cut apart for use. Combat unit pieces are coded with a unit symbol, Attack Strength, Defense Strength and Movement Factor. Each reference marker is labeled with an appropriate legend.

2.2.1 Combat Units. Human player units consist of Assault Squads and Demolition Squads. Annihilator player units are Security Robots and Repairbots.

2.2.2 Reference Markers. Reference marker counters consist of Clear markers denoting hexes cleared of all obstructions; Obstructed Passable markers denoting impassable hexes converted to obstructed passable hexes; Nuclear demo charge counters that mark location of placed charges, and Assault Ship counters that mark the location of initial assault impacts.

3.0 SEQUENCE PLAY

Each game turn provides both players an opportunity to move units and conduct combat. Each player conducts several actions constituting his turn. The sequence in which these events occur are as follows:

1.) Human player moves some, none, or all of his units. 2.) Human player conducts close combat. 3.) Human player places Nuclear Demolition Charges and detonates those charges that had been set in the previous game turn. 4.) Annihilator player moves some, none, or all of his units. 5.) Annihilator player engages his units in close combat and may use Mind Weapon. 6.) Annihilator player may repair damage with Repairbots. 7.) Each player has now finished a turn and the human player will start at number 1 again.

4.0 INITIAL SET-UP

4.1 Annihilator Player Set-up. The Annihilator player has ten Security Robots and six Repairbots. He may place these anywhere on the map.

4.2 Human Player Set-Up. After the Annihilator player sets up, the human player must determine the impact hexes. Each side of the ANNIHILATOR map has a number from one to six. For each of the three impact hexes, a die is rolled to determine which side the impact is on. Then, the human player rolls two dice to determine the exact hex of impact. The sum of the two dice determines the numbered hex of that impact on that side. Two Assault Squads and one Demolition Squad is placed in each of the three impact hexes.

5.0 MOVEMENT

5.1 General. Each turn, a player may move all, some, or none of his units. Each unit may move in any direction or combination of directions. A unit may be moved through a number of consecutive hexes determined by its Movement Factor. A unit may be moved less than its Movement Factor, and does not have to move at all. Unused movement may not be transferred to another unit or saved for next turn.

5.2 Movement Costs. Each type of hex has a Movement Cost associated with it (see Hex Type Chart). In some cases, this cost is different for human units than for robots. The cost of a hex is the number of points of a unit's Movement Factor that must be used to enter the hex. EXAMPLES: A human unit (Movement Factor of four) may enter two Obstructed Passable hexes (2 movement points each) or four Passageway hexes (one movement point each), or one Obstructed Passable hex and two Passageway hexes.

5.3 Friendly Units. A unit may freely move through hexes occupied by friendly units. However, it may not end its movement in a hex in violation of stacking restrictions.

5.4 Enemy Units. A unit must immediately end its movement for the turn when it enters a hex occupied by an enemy unit.

6.0 STACKING

Three human units and six Annihilator units may be in a single hex. Both may be in the same hex. The human player may violate the stacking restrictions in the impact hex.

7.0 COMBAT

7.1 Close Combat. If a player has units in the same hex as enemy units during his close combat phase, he may attack those units. Attacking is always voluntary. First, the Attack Strengths of all attacking units are totaled and the Defense Strengths of all defending units are totaled. Then, the total Attack Strength is divided by the total Defense Strength to form an odds ratio. This odds ratio is rounded in the defender's favor to one of the simplified odds ratios shown on the Combat Results Table. EXAMPLES: An Assault Squad (Attack Factor of four) attacking a Security Robot (Defense factor of two) is 4-2, or 2-1. Two Assault Squads attacking three Security Robots is 8-6, or 1-1.

After the odds are computed, a die is rolled. The corresponding line of the proper column of the Combat Results is consulted, and the results are applied to all units of that side in that hex. See the Combat Effect Table for an explanation of the result.

7.2 Annihilator Mind Weapon. Each turn, the Annihilator player may attack one hex anywhere on the board, regardless of whether or not he has robots in that hex. The human units in that hex are attacked at 1-2.

7.3 Annihilator Auto-Defend Hexes. Any human unit which enters an auto-defend hex immediately undergoes a 1-1 attack, during the human movement phase.

8.0 DEMOLITION

8.1 Procedure. During a demolition phase, the human player may announce that some or all of his units are setting Nuclear Demolition Charges in their hexes. He must also announce which of the four patterns (see Demo Chart) each charge is in. During the human movement phase of the next turn, the units which set the charges must move out of the hexes. During the demolition phase after the one in which the charges were set, the charges detonate.

8.2 Detonation Effects. The demolition charge attacks hexes in its pattern at various odds, as indicated on the Demolition Charge Table. A die is rolled for each hex, and the Combat Result Table is consulted to see what the demolition did to that hex. The Combat Results, in conjunction with the Combat Effect Table, explains the results. An OB-PAS marker is placed on each hex reduced to clear. Units move through clear hexes as if they are passageways.

Any units in a hex that is attacked by a demolition charge are eliminated if the result is a D or X. This is an addition to the damage done to the hex.

8.3 Movement after Demolition. After human units have detonated a Nuclear Demolition Charge, both players' units may advance into the hexes that were cleared (or reduced to obstructed-passable). The human units advance first. Units may not advance farther than their Movement Factors allow, using the normal movement point costs of the hexes. Neither player may enter hexes that were not just cleared by the demolition.

8.4 Supplies. Each Demolition Squad carries three Nuclear Demolition Charges. Each Assault Squad carries one Nuclear Demolition Charge which it may detonate in Pattern A only. No other charges may be detonated during the game.

8.5 Recovery of Charges. When a Demolition Squad is eliminated in close combat, players should note the hex in which it was eliminated. When an Assault Squad enters that hex, it may try to recover the unused Demolition Charges. A die is rolled. If a 1, 3, or 5 is rolled, the demolition charges are permanently lost. If a 2, 4, or 6 is rolled, the Assault Squad is replaced with a Demolition Squad. It has the undetonated charges from the old Demolition Squad, plus its own charge (if undetonated), up to a maximum of three charges. These charges may all be used in any pattern.

The unit may continue moving, if it has not already moved its full Movement Factor, and it may attack or set charges that turn.

9.0 ANNIHILATOR REPAIR

Each turn, each Repairbot may repair the hex that it is in. Any OB-PAS or CLEAR marker in this hex is removed, and the hex restored to its original form. Brain core hexes may not be repaired.

10.0 VICTORY CONDITIONS

The human player wins if he destroys both of Annihilator's brain core hexes. The Annihilator player wins if he eliminates all human units. If neither player achieves victory in ten game turns, the game is a draw.

11.0 PUBLISHER'S NOTE

ANNIHILATOR is primarily an introductory game for novices. It is also fun for "beer and pretzels" play by experts. If you enjoy the game as an introduction to science-fiction gaming you'll surely find other MicroGames enjoyable. Write for a catalog and for information about The Space Gamer, our bi-monthly magazine.

Good Gaming!

COMBAT RESULTS TABLE (Annihilator)

Combat odds across; die roll down.

Die Roll	1-2	1-1	2-1	3-1	4-1
1	NE*	NE	NE	D	D
2	NE	NE	D	D	X
3	NE	D	D	X	X
4	D	D	X	X	X
5	D

NE* — No effect. D — Units Disrupted; Eliminated if Demolition Charge Attack. X — Units Eliminated.

COMBAT EFFECT TABLE (Annihilator)

Columns: Unit/Hex Attacked. Rows: Result Explanation.

Result	Humans & Robots	Armor, Auto-Defend & impassable hexes	All other hexes
NE – No effect	No effect	No effect	No effect
D – May not move or fire for one game turn. Disrupted robots eliminated	May not move or fire for one game turn. Disrupted robots eliminated	Reduced to obstructed-passable hex	Reduced to clear hex
X – Eliminated	Eliminated	Reduce to clear hex	Reduced to clear hex

HEX TYPE CHART (Annihilator)

Type	Human	Robots
Outer Armor	Not allowed	Not allowed
Impassable	Not allowed	1 MP
Obstructed Passable	2 MP	1 MP
Brain Core	Not allowed	Not allowed
Armor: Auto Defend	*Treated as obstructed passable	1 MP
Passageways	1 MP	½ MP

*Armor; Auto Defend Hex — treat as obstructed-passable for human movement purposes. Human units in these hexes undergo automatic attack at 1-1 odds.

DEMOLITION CHARGE TABLE

NOTE: Hex no. 1 is always reduced to a clear hex. Hex no. 1 is the hex the charge is placed in.

Pattern	Hexes attacked (combat odds)
A	no. 2 / 4-1; no. 3 / 2-1; no. 4 / 2-1
B	no. 2 & 3 / 3-1; no. 4, 5 & 6 / 2-1
C	no. 2–7 / 2-1
D	no. 2 & 4 / 2-1; no. 3 / 4-1

Diagrams: Pattern A is a straight line of four hexes, numbered 1 (bottom) to 4 (top). Pattern B is hex 1 with hexes 2 and 3 above it and hexes 4, 5 and 6 across the top. Pattern C is hex 1 at the center, surrounded by hexes 2 through 7. Pattern D is hex 1 at the bottom, with hex 3 above it, hex 2 to the left and hex 4 to the right.

UNIT TYPES (Annihilator)

Security Robots; Repair Robots (Repairbots); Marines Assault Squads; Demolition Squads.