Imperium is an interstellar war game set several hundred years in the future, a future that will witness Terrans reaching for the stars, only to find themselves infringing upon the vast sprawl of the Grand Empire of Stars, the Ziru Sirka, known to all as the Imperium. The heavy hand of the Imperium and the expansionist Terran policies bring the two powers inexorably to interstellar war. This is a game of that conflict.
Objective
In the game, one player assumes to the role of the Terrans, the other, the Imperium. Each may move forces to strategic positions, attack the enemy and invade enemy-held outposts and worlds.
A game consists of many Turns (rounds) of strategy, tactics and economics. A Turn consists of a series of Phases. The production of new and replacement combat forces depends upon the income generated by the territory a player controls and the financial decisions the player makes. Strategy and tactics are important in determining where, when, and with what forces to attack.
Winning The Game
Victory depends upon the accumulation of Glory Points. This is measured on the Glory Bar on the bottom of the Game Screen window and is based on territorial gains and losses. The Imperial goal is to move the Glory Level into the red area, thus accumulating enough glory in the eyes of the Emperor to declare victory. The Terran goal is to move the Glory level into the blue area thus convincing the Emperor to concede a Terran victory. The Imperial player gains glory by destroying Terran Outposts and neutralizing Terran Worlds. Glory is lost when Terrans destroy Imperial Outposts and neutralize Imperial Worlds. The Imperial player may attempt an appeal to the Emperor for military or economic aid, but accepts a Glory loss.
Creating A 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. Now select the door labeled Imperium. This will put you in the Imperium pub, from which you can talk, create games and invite players, as you would in other MPG-Net games.
To play Imperium you must first create a game. At the far right of the Gold Game Bar, you should now have a new icon, a train. This is the Imperium game icon. Click on this icon, and you will now 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). Click 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 (the Quick Start game settings). When you have finished, click OK.
This will automatically bring up the Invite screen, which is one of the functions of the Communications Screen. Play by yourself or invite up to five players. Select an online player and click Invite. The player(s) 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 Imperium games. To start the game, select the game you wish to play and then 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.
While the game is loading, you will see an Imperium Title Screen. Click on this screen to bring up the Game Screen. You will initially see a Map Window (star map screen), the Turn/Phase Window and other components.
The Game Screen
Menu Bar
At the top of the window is the Menu Bar, which controls basic functions. From left to right the buttons are:
End ends and saves game, returning you to the Imperium Pub
Zoom switches the Star Map between close and long range views
Music enables music
Sound enables SFX
About lists credits and future release info
Help online help
[ these last two functions are not yet available]
Map Window
The Map Window is located underneath the Menu Bar, and is the largest window on the screen. During Movement and Placement Phases, this window displays the Star Map, which you can zoom in and out by pressing the Zoom Button. During the Combat Phase, this area displays the Combat Screen.
The long-range view of the Star Map gives you a general picture of the entire star system. The short-range view presents details and makes it easier to Place and Move your ships.
Red and blue highlights on the planets and outposts indicate the presence of the Imperial (red) or Terran (blue) forces. Green lines represent jump routes between systems. Starships can travel an unlimited number of jumps between stars along these lines during the Movement Phase, and up to three in the Reaction Phase. Clear hexes define the space between stars. Except for fighters and missile boats, ships can move at sub-space speed, at a rate of one hex per turn. Fighters must be carried by a Mothership to enter a jump route.
Turn/Phase Window
The Turn/Phase window runs vertically along the far right of the screen, under the Menu bar and adjacent to the Map window. Your current Turn appears at the top of the window. Underneath are the Phases of each Turn (there will be more about this later), with the current Phase highlighted.
At the bottom of this window is the Load/Unload button. This button brings up the Load/Unload box, which allows you to load, transport and unload cargo (fighter, troops and kits) during valid phases. In the box, click the item you wish to transport from the left side of the box. Then click a transport from the right side of the box. When both are selected, click Load. Once you have moved the units, click on the Load/Unload box, click on the transport you wish to unload and click Unload.
This screen also shows the active player--Imperium (red) or Terran (blue). When this screen becomes your color, it is your turn. If it is your turn and a number of seconds pass without any action a message advisor will appear to prompt you.
Glory Bar
The bar at the bottom of the Map window represents Imperial Glory. The yellow indicator shows the current Glory Level. If the Glory level enters the red end of the bar and remains there until the end of a turn the Imperials will win the war. If the Glory Level enters the blue end of the bar and remains there an entire Turn the Terrans will win.
Player Window
At the bottom of the screen are another series of windows. On the far left and right are the Player Windows. These show each player's online face, name and an icon designating Terran or Imperial sides. This window also displays the number of Resource Units (RU's), representing accumulated income, and a button to bring up the Force Profile dialogue box.
The Force Profile box shows your units with their specifications (fire and shield power), the units you have on order, disrupted units, and unit locations. The numbers you see under each ship represents its beam strength, missile strength, and shield strength.
*NOTE* You may also use the right mouse button to click on any ship at any time to review this information.
Ship List Window
This window appears between the two Player Windows. The Ship List Window has several functions. During Place phases, it displays the ships to be placed. During other phases, it will show you what ships protect the selected planet or outpost.
Place Button
During the Place phase, this button will appear next to the Ship List Window. Clicking on the Place button displays the forces to be placed.
To select ships to place or move click on them. Once selected, they are highlighted by a green border. You can select multiple ships. To deselect a ship, click on it again. After you have selected ships to place or move, click on a destination in the Map window (a planet or outpost), to move the ship to that location.
The Imperium and the Terran forces receive different forces at the beginning of each game. Your forces, and their combat capabilities are detailed on the back page of this manual.
Done
This button is located next to the Ship List Window. After you have completed all the actions you wish to take in a phase, click the Done button. This will end your turn.
Communicating
To communicate with the other player simply type a message. This will bring up a message screen. To send your message, press return. It will appear on your opponent's screen as a balloon coming from your player window.
Playing the Game
Game Phases
As stated earlier, the game progresses in Turns, each Turn consisting of several different Phases for each player. The Terran player is always first. The general Phase sequence outline is as follows:
Turn 1
Terran Place Phase
Imperium Place Phase
Terran Maintenance Phase
Terran Build Phase
Note: This is the only time in which the Imperium Place Phase occurs directly after the Terran Place Phase, In all other Turns the sequence is:
Terran Place Phase
Maintenance Phase
Build Phase
Terran First Movement*
Imperium Reaction Phase*
Terran Second Movement*
Imperium Place Phase (already completed if it's Turn 1)
Maintenance Phase
Build Phase
Imperium First Movement*
Terran Reaction Phase*
Imperium Second Movement*
Completing this series ends the Turn.
*You may initiate combat in any Movement or Reaction Phase by moving your forces into enemy territory. The area of conflict appears as a yellow conflagration on the Map Window screen. The Combat screens will then pop up on the Map Window screen. The Combat Phases are:
Space Combat
Surface/Space Combat(if appropriate)
Surface Combat(if appropriate)
Combat will be covered in detail in a later section.
About the Phases
The following is a detailed breakdown of the individual phases.
Place phase
In the beginning of the game, this Phase allows you to place your allotted units on worlds and outposts. This Phase automatically ends when you have deployed all your ships.
Imperium. You have a number of Outposts which must be placed before you place your Worlds. Worlds must be placed on Primary (green) planets.
*NOTE* Imperial player! Make sure to leave enough Primary planets on which to place your Worlds.
Outposts, PDM's (planetary defense mechanisms) and Worlds cannot be moved once placed. All placements must be made to 'connected' worlds ( i.e. worlds with no opposing forces between them).
Maintenance Phase
During the Maintenance phase an advisor box will display your income. This depends on the number of Outposts you maintain and other economic conditions. The next screen will tell you the cost of maintenance for your units. You can choose to Maintain All or to Itemize. Itemizing allows you to individually select which ships you wish to maintain and those you don't. Choosing to not maintain some ships can increase the amount of income for you to use during the important Build phase.
Ships must be maintained to remain fully functional. When a ship is not maintained, it will probably become disrupted, and then will be unable to use high-intensity fire, will have its defenses reduced by one, and will have a random chance of being unable to make a hyperspace jump. Disrupted ships are indicated by a yellow outline.
There are two types of maintenance, civilized and frontier. Ships on Primary Worlds receive civilized maintenance; the player must spend RU's equal to the maintenance cost for each ship or that ship will be disrupted. Anywhere offworld there is a chance(related to maintenance cost) that ships will be disrupted. After selecting your options, click Okay. This will initiate the Build Phase.
Build Phase
This Phase activates the Build Window from which you may allocate any remaining RU for the construction of more ships or kits. This window consists of an RU Remaining box, an Info box, an Inventory list and an Order list. Select the ship or other unit you want produced from the Inventory list (right hand side of box) by clicking on it. This will place the ordered unit in the Order list (left hand side of box) and will decrease your RU's the appropriate amount. Some ships take two Turns to build and are so indicated on your Order list.
The numbers under the ships show you the defensive and offensive capabilities of each ship. You can also get this information if you use the right mouse button to click on the ship. The first number you see is the ship's beam strength, the second is for its missile strength, and the third is its shield strength. Combat encounters are decided by a dice roll based on these values. A chart at the back of this manual explains this in more detail.
If you wish to make changes, deselect items on your Order list by clicking on them. This will return them to the Inventory list. Click Okay when you are done.
Appeal Phase
If you are the Imperial player, you may appeal to the Emperor for increased military or economic aid. Please refer to the charts in the back of the manual for more information.
*NOTE* The granting of an appeal is random, and always results in a loss of Imperial Glory points.
First Movement Phase and
Second Movement Phase
Select a planet or outpost in the Map window to display all ships in that area. In the Ship List window, click on the ships you wish to move, then click on a destination. Ships cannot pass through systems with enemy ships in orbit, or pass through the Sirius system without a friendly tanker at Sirius.
Troops and kits must be loaded onto transports to move. Capital ships can also carry troops. Fighters can be loaded on Transports and Motherships, but, only Motherships can load and unload fighters in space. Monitors can only move by sub-space movement, one hex per turn.
Reaction Movement Phase
During Reaction Phase, the active player can move ships from only one location. Ground and air forces, even when based on the same planet, count as two locations. Ships may be moved to multiple locations.
After all Movement Phases are over, the following Phases complete the Turn.
Construct and Replacement Phases
Construct
If you have placed Outpost Kits or PDM's and unloaded them to the planet's surface a Construct Dialogue box will appear. This will allow you to select the items you wish to construct. Remember, once an Outpost or PDM is built, it can't be moved again.
Replacement
At the end of the Movement Phases the Imperial player will receive the option to replace destroyed forces. You only get one replaced vessel per turn, though if you make multiple selections, the first one you select will be the first to be replaced, the second, at the next Place phase, and so forth.
Combat
There are three types of combat in Imperium: Space, Space-to-Surface, and Surface.
Space Combat
Space combat occurs when a player moves ships to or thru fight capable enemy ships during a Movement or Reaction phase. Again, this conflict shows as a yellow conflagration on your Map window. The Map window switches to a space combat display. On this screen, the Imperial forces line up to the left and the Terran forces on the right. The Combat Message box (Advisor) will prompt you for a variety of decisions.
Range
The first round of combat takes place at long-range. After that, a random roll determines who selects range, with some advantage going to the side with fewer ships. Range affects what weapons you use. Missiles are most effective as long-range weapons, and beams can only be used as short-range weapons.
Retreat
Players now have the option to Retreat. If a side retreats, the opposing force will get one free shot at the retreating units. During a Retreat the defending player will be asked to Select a defender and to allocate resources as described in the combat section below. If the retreating forces survive, the Advisor (combat message screen) will ask you to select a system to retreat to. You may click on any star highlighted in yellow. Disrupted ships may not be able to retreat.
Combat
If you choose not to Retreat you will be asked to Select a Defender. Click on a ship to commit it. The attacking player will be asked to Select an Attacker to match that defender. The matched ships are placed in a green box in the center of the window. This process continues until one side has run out of ships.
Allocate Remainder
A side that has ships remaining, will have the option to Allocate Remainder. To allocate any remaining ships, click on the green box for the conflict you wish to allocate your ship to. You do not have to allocate all ships. Click Done when you are finished.
Attack Type
After players have allocated their Attackers and Defenders they will be asked to choose an Attack Type. Click on a ship to cycle through the attack options of Missile, Beam, High-Intensity Missile and Suicide. The attack type is designated by an icon on the front of the ship; missiles for Missile attack, lasers for Beam attack, and three missiles for a High-Intensity attack. Suicide attacks are designated by moving the ship closer to its opponent.
A hi-intensity attack doubles a ship's missile factor for one attack, but depletes its missile bays for the remainder of this combat. Missiles can be used at both long and short-range, but all missile factors are halved at short-range. Beams are only viable at short-range. At short-range a ship can also make a Suicide attack, which increases the chance of destroying the opponent. However, the opponent is allowed one defensive shot before the suicide attack begins. Click Done when you are finished.
Select Targets
After Attack Types have been selected, ships with multiple opponents will have the opportunity to select whom they wish to target. Click on the opponent you wish to target. If you do not target an opponents suicide ship, you will not get a defensive shot against it but will be allowed a normal shot on your selected target. Click Done when you are finished.
An animated sequence will now show the ships launching their attacks and the corresponding results. Remaining ships can engage or retreat, and the cycle will continue until all ships on one side have either retreated or been destroyed.
Space-to-Ground Combat
Space-to-ground combat occurs when one side's ships control the orbit around an opposing planet, which then attack the opponent's ground forces. The Space-to-Ground combat screen lists the attacking ships in orbit at the top of the screen and defending ground-forces along the bottom. There are two options in Space-to-Ground combat: Bombing and Landing.
Bombing
During the Bombing Phase, attacking ships launch missiles to neutralize or destroy ground units. As in space combat, click on the attacker and then the defender. You can allocate more than one attacker to a defender. Ground forces are well-defended; it takes at least a missile factor of 7 to even have a chance. While you are bombing, PDM's, Worlds, and Outposts, will return fire with great effectiveness. You do not have to engage in a Bombing run! Click Done to advance to the next phase.
Landing
Invading Transport ships can land their tanks and troops without a Bombing run. To land, click on the ship you wish to land, and then on the landing pad icon on the ground. You can select multiple ships to land on one site. Jump troops unload automatically at this point, and can land by themselves. While you are trying to land, the defending ground forces will be firing at you, but landing troops are fairly well-protected.
After all Bombing and Landing options have been selected, click the Done button. If you have chosen to bomb, bombing is resolved first, then landing is attempted. All surviving designated troop deployment and landing units are automatically moved to the ground.
Ground Combat
Ground combat occurs when both sides have ground units on the surface of the same planet. The process of selecting and allocating is the same as for the other combat phases.
Hints
Terran Hints
Barnard's Star is a bottleneck to your stellar territories. If you Place ships here, you can block Imperial access as well as protect the Outpost in this system.
Sirius is another vital blockade point. You will need a tanker to move through this system. Terrans do not begin with a tanker, but the Imperium does.
Remember to move your Outpost Kits to uninhabited worlds and to unload them so that they can become active outposts.
Imperial Hints
The Aggida and the Nusku/Dushaam systems are good blocking points to the Imperial area of the Map. Placing an Outpost or World in one of these systems will allow you to place ships in these systems to block entry into your area on the Terran first move.
Sirius is another bottleneck. The Terrans cannot pass through the Sirius system until they build a tanker. Your forces begin the game with a tanker, so you can attack through this system on the first turn.
Stay on the offense. If eight turns pass and no outposts have been destroyed, and no worlds have been neutralized, the Emperor will lose patience with this war and the victory will go to the Terrans.
General Hints
Monitors cannot use jump routes. It takes a long time to move a monitor from its initial Place location. Monitors make a good static defense at bottlenecks such as Barnard's Star.
You may elect not to maintain all ships to save your RU for building.
PDM's only shoot ground-to-air, not ground to ground. Without ground troops to support them, they are vulnerable to ground attack.
Charts
Planetary Defense Fire
This is fire from the planetary defenders against space ships
Die World Outpost Planetary
Roll Marker Markers Defense Marker
1 D D D
2 D D D
3 D -- --
4 -- -- --
5 -- -- --
6 -- -- --
D result destroys target.. If target screen is 7+, add one to the die roll. Basically, spacecraft don't have much of a chance against Planetary defenders. Ground troops are far more effective, jump troops have a shield strength of 7.
Starting the War
All encounters in Imperium are decided by a
12 sided dice roll
Terran Forces List
Force Location
3 Worlds(at Sol, Alpha Centauri A and B)
3 Outposts(at Junction, Barnard's Star, and Proxima Centauri
3 Outposts(Unplaced)
2 Planetary Defense Markers
1 Monitor
1 Missile boat
6 Scouts
2 Destroyers
1 Light Cruiser
6 Transports
2 Regular troops
1 Jump troop.
Imperial Forces List
Force Location
3 Worlds(at Dingir, Gashidda, Ishkiur and three other systems)
3 Worlds(Unplaced
7 Outposts
3 Planetary Defense Markers
1 Monitor
2 Scouts
4 Destroyers
2 Light Cruisers
1 Heavy Cruiser
1 Tanker
4 Transports
3 Regular troops
1 Jump troop
Imperial forces begin with 23 RU, Terran forces with 27
Imperial income is based on:
Imperial Budget 10 RU per turn
Tribute from Worlds 1 RU per turn
Connected outposts 1 RU per turn
Imperial Intervention Various
Terran Income is based on:
Connected Worlds 8 RU per turn
Unconnected Worlds 6 RU per turn
Connected outposts 1 RU per turn
Imperial forces can also appeal to the Emperor for increased resources. The following are the charts for failure and success.
APPEAL FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION
Die Result
Roll
---------------------------------------------
2 Further appeals prohibited
3 Further appeals prohibited
4 Further appeals prohibited
5 No response
6 No response
7 Production accelerated
8 CR production permitted
9 B1 production permitted
10 B2 production permitted
11 BB production permitted
12 Any three ships granted
APPEAL FOR INCREASED FINANCES
Die Result
Roll
---------------------------------------------
2 Further appeals prohibited
3 Further appeals prohibited
4 Further appeals prohibited
5 No response
6 No response
7 10 RU granted
8 +1 RU budget increase
9 +2 RU budget increase
10 +3 RU budget increase
11 +4 RU budget increase
12 +5 RU budget increase
With a beam factor of 1 and a defensive screen factor of 1 a die roll of four or better must be made to penetrate the screen and destroy the enemy. Offensive factors run vertically, defensive factors run horizontally
