Although this is a very complex game the sophisticated interface makes it easy to play. There are advanced intelligent commands for exploration and other activities which allow you to give high level commands to your forces so you can concentrate your attention on the areas where crucial decisions must be made. Supply lines can be defined through cities to move your units automatically up to the front. Your pilots will keep track of their own fuel limits automatically, refueling when needed. Your effort goes into strategy and crucial battles rather than trivial details.
Getting Started
To get started you must install the game and a rules file in the same folder. If you are familiar with other computer strategy wargames then go ahead and start playing Empire Master but periodically review the command summary on the back cover. There are many options and details so you will enjoy the game more if you read the manual eventually.
If you are not familiar with computer strategy wargames you should read at least the section on terrain, commands, the command summary and production . Go ahead and start playing, but keep this manual handy at first. Whenever you find yourself thinking that there should be an automatic way to do something look at the manual. There probably is! If there is something you don’t like, then look at the manual. There may well be a way to change it.
If you have played a demo version older than V1.9 you may want to glance through this manual to see what is new.
 
Terrain of the map.
There are four basic types of terrain: land, sea, lake and city. Except for each player’s home city all cities are initially neutral. Your home city and the other cities you capture belong to you and produce your units. The enemy will have a home city and try to capture more to build his empire.
There are eight types of units and up to eight more could be defined. The currently defined units are armies, fighters, bombers, destroyers, transports, submarines, carriers and battleships. Armies move only on land or on transports. Fighters and bombers can move anywhere within range of fuel. Destroyers, transports, submarines, carriers and battleships can only move on sea squares or into port cities.
 
The picture shows a section of the map as it may appear early in the game. White squares are land, gray squares are sea and black squares are unexplored. The player's home city is near the middle surrounded by three armies and there are two neutral cities visible. The player's fighter has just discovered one of the neutral cities, and it is flashing to indicate that it is time to move the fighter. No enemy units or cities are visible.
Features on the map are identified by small pictures as shown below. The actual icons that you see depend upon the rule set you use.
