Governmental order is collapsing. The country is under siege, and Dark forces are moving in. Vast tracts of rural America have been declared Out-Law---places too wild to be governed any longer. Whole cities have been taken over by business cartels that parcel out life and death by the profit margin. Bandit bands prowl the rural roads. Heavily armed street gangs battle corporate security forces within the decaying suburbs. A spreading leprosy called pollution blots the land. Demongrounds, rife with monstrous mutants, plague the countryside.
Symptoms of the disease, nothing more.
The true cause of the nation's illness is an evil that dates back to the dawn of time, an evil whose minions feast on human suffering. These are the creatures that spawned humanity's darkest legends--tales of blood drinkers, flesh eaters, shape changers, and soul stealers. Now the tales have risen to live and breathe. Ever plotting, these dreaded hunters stalk our land, driving humanity to madness and despair.
In these dark times, rare individuals work to uncover the plots behind the nation's slide into ruin. Fate is about to turn against the agents of evil, for they are no longer the hunter...... they are the prey.
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Objective
In Minion Hunter, you take the part of one of these intrepid individuals. While the Dark Minions pursue their evil plots, you direct the growth of your character---gaining attributes of stealth, combat, contacts and perhaps most important of all, empathy. Thus trained and armed with a variety of equipment, you send your character to root out and destroy the Dark Minions. The best among you will acquire the most Fame. But you must act quickly, or the minions will bring their plots to fruition, and the country will fall completely into their hands.
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Winning the Game
If one of the four Major minion races reaches 20 points or more on the Plot Points track, that race has taken over the nation, and all of the players lose.
If the players manage to negotiate through the Plot Card deck of 60 cards before the minions can reach 20 points, the humans are victorious. In a multiplayer game, the player whose character has won the most Fame points wins.
Minion Hunter is a balancing act. The minions continue to hatch their plots while you race to build a character strong enough to defeat them.
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Creating the Game
After you have successfully logged on to the MPG-Net Lobby, click on the Games door. At the next screen, click on the Board Games door. Select the door labeled Minion Hunter. This will put you in the Minion Hunter pub, from which you can talk, create games and invite players, as you would in other MPG-Net games.
To play Minion Hunter you must first create a game. At the far right of the Gold Game Bar you should have a new icon... a ghoul. This is the Minion Hunter game icon. Click on this icon, and you will see three icons on a blue bar. From left to right is the Create Game icon (a bust being sculpted), the Run Game icon (a running shoe), and the Invite icon (a card on a plate). Select Create Game and the Create Game screen appears.
You can change the parameters of the game from this screen, but we suggest playing with the standard settings at first. When you have finished, click OK. This will automatically bring up the Invite screen, which is one of the functions of the Communications Screen. Select an online player, if you wish, and click Invite. (You do not need two players to run a game of Minion Hunter. You may enjoy the quicker pace of playing the game solo.)
The player you have selected will receive your invitation and may reply. When you receive the 'RSVP' from the person you have selected, acknowledge and click the Run Game icon. This will bring up a menu of Minion Hunter games. To start the game, select the game you wish to play and click Play Game. The other player(s) you have invited will receive instructions to proceed to the pub, select, and play the selected game.
If you create a game but can find no one to play at this time, or, if you decide not to play at this time, the game will be automatically stored unless you delete or cancel it. If you create a game or play halfway through a game before stopping, this menu will allow you to Load, Select, and Play the game in the future. After the Minion Hunter Title screen you will be in the game.
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Career Track Screen
After the Minion Hunter Title screen, you will see one part of the Game screen, the Career Track. Here you can build your attributes and buy the equipment that will allow you to successfully defeat the minions.
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The Career Track
This square scene depicts a jumbled and overgrown cityscape, with a road threading through it. After selecting training, the next game move is on this track.
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Plot Points Track
Directly underneath the Career Track Map is a series of windows. The square box on the left, with the four heads, is the Plot Points Track. This shows the advancement of the minions. You can view this in either condensed or expanded windows. Condensed, minion advancement shows as bright dots circling ever closer to the center of the circle. If you expand this Track by clicking on the upper right hand side, it will show the numerical advancement of the minions and the number of Plot Cards remaining in the game.
Attributes list
This vivid green list shows your attribute points, fame points and cash.
Equipment locker
Initially, this is a blank black rectangle on your screen. Equipment you have enabled will appear here. To review all the equipment you have in your possession, click on this window and you will be out in the Locker Room. Some equipment is automatically activated as you buy it, and it is entered in the appropriate area on this screen. To activate other items, drag them out of the 'storage' box in the bottom right corner of the screen to the appropriate area. If you are already wearing equipment and you purchase another item in that category it will be stored here automatically. You may switch weapons by dragging your new choice from the storage box to the box with the item you want replaced. Only worn items are enabled and add to your attributes.
Some items of equipment, "breaks on / empties on" a die which is rolled on every turn the equipment is active. You may wish to leave this equipment in "storage" until you are in conflict.
Netcard
On the far right is your netcard with your online identity. Click on your face to change your appearance within the game.
Remote Control
This is the game control area that lets you Quit, control music and sound effects, and review your equipment.
*Note* You can drag and move screen elements around. Click on the other players Netcards to discover more about them.
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Playing the Game
Game Turns
Each Game Turn in Minion Hunter consists of two sub-turns: a Player Turn, followed by a Plot Card Turn. During a Player Turn, a single player performs character actions, depending upon which portion of the game (or Track) you occupy at the beginning of each turn. After movement is finished, and any resulting effects are resolved, the Player Turn ends.
During a Plot Card Turn, each Plot Card moves a step closer to its destination, one of the Metroplexes dotting the continental United States. It is your job to try to stop each plot from coming to fruition. The four Major minion races, the Morlocks, ET's, Fey Folk and NuKids, gain plot points for every Plot Card they successfully complete. Other minor minion races surface from time to time. They have no effect on the Plot Points track but do create Fame opportunities for your character.
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Training
First select your training. You can choose from Empathic Training, Street Training, Security Training or Corporate Training. Each concentrates on its own set of attributes. After you have selected your training, you will be on the Career Track. You should see your icon on one corner of the Track.
The four corners of the track correspond with the four basic training types. You will have the opportunity to get additional training at any training center on the Career Track.
*Hint* Frequent career changes will allow your character to build up a good mix of attributes, money and equipment.
Plot Cards
In the center of the Career Track are two squares. These are the Minion Plot Cards. The city name identifies the Metroplex the minions are heading for. The number in the upper right hand corner displays the number of turns it will take for the Minions to reach that Metroplex. This number decreases each Turn as the minions near their destinations.
Career Track
Along the career track are many different spaces, which you are moved to randomly by the game. You should see two highlighted now. These spaces represent the different types of experiences you can select on the Career Track that will enable you to build your resources to fight the Minions. Place your mouse pointer over one of the two highlighted areas (but don't click down, yet!), to access information about that space. When you've made your choice, click on the space to select it. The spaces on the Track are:
Contact spaces
The player gains a Contact.
Equipment spaces
The player gains the indicated number of equipment cards. If you choose this space, or choose to train in an area that gives you equipment cards, the Pawnbroker will appear on screen. You may choose to Buy or Pawn weapons. At first you will have to pawn since you start the game with no cash. Notice that the weapons add to your attributes---this can make an important difference during encounters. Players may also use equipment (vehicles) to increase their movement on the Dark America map and gain a bonus on their map encounter rolls.
Attributes / Attribute Test Space
These spaces on the track begin with the words "Easy vs." or "Average vs." followed by an Attribute.
Each character in Minion Hunter has four Attributes: Empathy, Combat, Stalking and Contacts. The higher your Attributes, the better your chances in encounters. Characters begin the game with 1 point in each Attribute and add to that by Training and Tests.
The Attribute Test Spaces give you an opportunity to increase your Attribute points, based upon a SUCCESSFUL test of an Attribute. There are three testing levels; Easy, Average, and Difficult. The statement "Easy vs. Combat" means an Easy test against the Combat attribute. If you fail a test you might suffer Attribute point losses, a trip to the Hospital Track or loss of equipment.
Testing is based on a 10-sided die roll. To pass an Easy-level test, the computer must roll a number less than or equal to double the Attribute. For example, if you have a character with a Combat Attribute value of 4, you would pass the test with a die roll of 8 and under. To complete the Average level, a number less than or equal to the Attribute must be rolled. To complete a Difficult level test, the player must roll a number less than or equal to half the Attribute (rounded down...it's a dark world). A roll of 1 always succeeds, and a roll of 10 always fails, regardless of Attribute value or level.
Proto Dimension Encounter Space
The Proto Dimension is a weird place where good OR bad things can happen. First a test of the player's Empathy is made, to determine if the character can somehow control the portal into the Proto-Dimension. The higher the Empathy the more chance the character will have an advantageous experience.
Corner Space
When you land on any corner space, you may choose to train (even if you've trained here before). Or you may move to any Metroplex on the Dark America Map, giving you a chance to encounter either of the two Plot Cards in play.
Dark Encounter Space
Landing on this space allows you to encounter one of the Plot Cards currently in play. Selecting this card will move you to the Dark America map and the encounter you choose.
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Dark America Map
Here you will encounter (and hopefully defeat) the minion Plot Cards. While you are on the Career Track you will come across Dark Encounter spaces. Clicking on this space will allow you to choose the Plot Card you wish to encounter. After you choose a Plot Card, you move to the Dark America map. At this point you can choose to fight or retreat from this conflict.
A successful test or retreat places you at the Metroplex of the Plot Card on the Dark America Map. From here you can move on the Dark America Map to encounter other Plot Cards or return to the Career Track.
After every encounter, you will have the option to train. There is a training center in each corner of the Dark America map. Selecting one of these will put you back on the Career Track.
On the map you will also see purple, yellow, and red spheres. Red and yellow spheres are described below in "Map Encounters". The purple spheres are the metroplexes. Pointing the mouse cursor on a metroplex will identify its name. The lines connecting the metroplexes are the travel routes.
Map Encounters
The red and yellow spheres are Demonground and Out-Law spaces respectively. As you pass over these spaces along the travel routes, the computer checks for an encounter. If there is no encounter, you will keep moving. But if there is, you will have to halt in that space this turn. You might also lose vehicles or end up in the Hospital.
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Movement
Effective movement on the Dark America map is key to the game. You move one metroplex at a time, with the number of moves per turn depending on your mode of transportation.
On foot:
If you have no transportation, your character can move one metroplex per Turn.
Personal vehicles:
If you have purchased a personal vehicle, and have it activated in the transportation window of your Equipment Locker screen, you can move the number of metroplexes listed on the vehicle each Turn. Personal vehicles also give a bonus to Map Encounter rolls, making travel across the Out-Law and Demonground areas safer.
Public Transportation:
Directly underneath the map of Dark America is a box that says "Go To Travel" . Click on it to access public transportation. As long as you have enough money for the ticket, you may opt for public transportation. Select an appropriate number of metroplexes to travel. Check if you can afford the Total Cost and click Buy. You can now move that number of metroplexes on the Dark America map.
Dark Encounter spaces:
Another option to consider is a Dark Encounter space. Suppose that you are in Tampete (one of the two metroplexes in Florida), and the Plot Cards at the top of the screen indicate that the next minion plot comes to fruition at Las Vegas in two Turns....Tampete is 6 metroplexes from Las Vegas, more than you can buy or travel in one turn:
* If you have enough money you could buy a plane ticket with 5 moves, move, and then move the additional space the next turn.
* If you have a personal vehicle you can move your limit, and move the next turn.
OR... you could select a training center, which moves you back to the Career Track. Here you hope one of your encounter choices is a Dark Encounter space, which would allow you to select the Las Vegas Plot Card and move directly there.
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Hospital Track
While your character recovers from injuries, you will be sent to the Hospital Track to heal up. Play continues for the minions and other players while you are recuperating.
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Communication
To communicate with the other players in the game, begin typing from your keyboard. This will activate a message screen. You can either send the message to everyone or to a single player. To send the message to all the players in the game, click All and then hit return. If you only want to communicate with one player in a multiplayer game, click on the triangle in the upper right hand corner of the chat screen. This will enlarge your message screen to show the individual net cards of the other players. Select the one you wish to send your message to and press return. Your message will appear on their screen as a balloon coming from your player window. The clear command clears the message bar.
