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Text File | 1995-03-27 | 25KB | 574 lines

                          Barren Realms Elite   -  BRE

                                                       By  Mehul Patel


 Barren Realms Elite : What is it?
 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 BRE  is an empire based game of strategy and thought.  As a Baron in a vast
kingdom, your goal is to, ultimately, become supreme to all others.  Using
everything from diplomacy to war, you must build an empire both economically
and militarily, all while facing stiff competition from your opponents.

This alone makes  BRE  enjoyable, or so we hope.  However, the premier feature
of the game is the ability to link over 200 systems throughout the world and
bring anywhere up to more than 6,000 players together in a single game.  No
longer is your goal to become the strongest barony, but instead, the strongest
world.  Your BBS must come together, facing competition from other planets
instead of local barons.  Teamwork is the only way to win this type of war.


  The Game Itself:
 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Barren Realms Elite is divided into a series of menus which appear during
each turn of play.  The following are the major sections:

Diplomacy (appears only on first turn of the day)
Status Screen
Payment / Food Market
Covert Operations
Bank
Spending Menu
Attacks
Trading
Interplanetary Operations (For InterBBS Games)
Messages
System Menu


 ───────── Diplomacy ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The art of diplomacy is a major factor in a successful empire.  Defense
pacts for local attacks (non-InterBBS) are vital for challenging and
defeating larger enemies.  Intelligence alliances can multiply the total
power of Intelligence agencies.  Trade agreements provide tanglible
benefits in the form of extra cash - if you have a large population.

 Tariff Trade Agreement
   Tariff Trade Agreement  - This is an agreement allowing trade between two
    realms with government taxation of all goods passing boundaries.  It
    brings an extra income to each empire involved based on population.  This
    agreement is promising for those empires with large numbers of people.


 Protective Trade
   Protective Trade Agreement  - This agreement installs guards along trade
    routes between the two realms, preventing bombing of trade deals and
    making trade deals cheaper to sendand maintain.


 Free Trade Agreement
   Free Trade Agreement  - This pact declares that people are free to
    travel between boundaries and trade goods without taxation.  Large
    amounts of income are gained through income taxes, but due to the
    contact of peasants between empires, bad morale and support will
    spread throughout other realms if not controlled quickly.


 Terrorist Prevention
   Terrorist Prevention Plan  - The terrorist prevention plan is an alliance
    between two powers' intelligence agencies to aid each other in finding
    and preventing terrorist and covert actions against the two realms.


 Intelligence Alliance
   Intelligence Alliance  - This is an agreement between Realms giving
    covert aid in terrorist and covert operations to other empires on
    the planet and in Inter-planetary conflict.


 Protective Alliance
   Protective Alliance  - This is an official alliance declaration in which
    military aid will be sent to defend either realm when attacked.
   NOTE:   This is effective only in Local Games


 Full Defense Alliance
   Full Defense Alliance  - This plan, the most balanced and powerful alliance,
    puts forth a large amount of all of your forces in defending an ally in
    need.
   NOTE:   This is effective only in Local Games


 Declaration Of War
   Declaration of War  - This is used to break an agreement with another empire
    without causing internal troubles in your realm.  The treaty is not
    officially broken until the other realm is notified.


 View Treaties
   View Treaties  - This option allows you to view relations with the other
    empires in the game.


 ───────── Status Screen ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

At the beginning of each turn, you will be shown your production for the
year, including gold, food, and industrial output.  After this, you will
see the current status of your barony, including military, regions,
your support throughout the realm, etc.


 ───────── Payment / Food Market ──────────────────────────────────────────

Paying to maintain your empire is a critical exp iture for any government.
You must support your military, maintain your land, and pay taxes.  Often,
you will also need to use money to increase your popular support or military
morale, lest you risk civil disorder.

Feeding your empire is also critical.  In order to ensure the health of your
entire populace, the government controls all food supplies, providing to the
people as necessary.  To aid your empire, there is also a food market
managed by the entire planet from which you can buy and sell food.  However,
the supply is limited, and dep ence upon the market is dangerous.
Coordinated attacks can destroy your reserves and the general market, leaving
you in a dangerous situation.  Without food, morale and public support will
quickly fall and may lead to internal revolts.


 ───────── Covert Operations ──────────────────────────────────────────────

Covert Operations are the heart of any successful campaign.  Attacking an
empire requires only military supremacy.  However, to successfully wage war
and minimize damage, one must be able to strike at the heart of the enemy
and remove the opponent's ability to fight back.  Well timed and coordinated
covert operations can immensely help in this task.  By weakening an enemy
internally, one takes less losses fighting externally.

 sendSpy
   sendSpy  - Allows you to attempt to get military information on another
    realm.  This operation takes place immediately.


 Stir Revolts
   Stir Revolts  - Through propaganda, your intelligence agency can
    create doubts in your opponent's populace, causing rioting and revolting,
    reducing popular support and placing the enemy government in jeopardy.


 Set Up
   Set Up  - This operation will work to make two other empires
    believe they have declared war on each other, possibly leading to
    actual combat.  If successful, any treaty between the two empires is
    void.  Used against empires with defense pacts could make attacking
    one notably easier.


 Support Dissensions
   Support Dissensions  - Using extremely strong propaganda, your
    agents may be capable of internally sabotaging an opponent's military,
    causing a portion of Troopers to flee.


 Demoralize Forces
   Demoralize Forces  - This covert operation infiltrates an enemy's
    military camps with agents set out to reduce the effectiveness of
    his or her forces.


 Spy On Relations
   Spy on Relations  - Your agents will work to learn of all treaties
    of a particular empire.  This is useful pre-war intelligence, in that
    you can learn of vast alliance networks and/or trade partners.


 Bomb Enemy Targets
   Bomb Enemy Targets  - Using terrorist methods, your intelligence
    agency will randomly bomb different targets, causing widespread
    destruction in your opponent's barony.


 Bribery
   Bribery  - Bribing an enemy agent gives you the benefit of learning
    useful information on the tactics of an opposing intelligence center,
    allowing your forces to more effectively prevent incoming covert
    operations.


 Expose Enemy Ops
   Expose Enemy Ops  - This operation takes full advantage of your
    bribed agent.  By relaying all known information, your bribed agent
    effectively gives you almost 100% immunity from incoming covert
    operations from his home empire.  However, because of the level of
    risk to your agent, this operation is only effective for 24 hours.



 ───────── The Bank ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The bank provides both a safe storage of money and an interest-gaining
environment.  In addition, you can get cash relief loans from the planetary
leadership as well as make investments for the future.  Investments provide
their own interest rates, which often fluctuate dep ing on the amount of
investing at any particular time.
   NOTE :  Interest, Loans, and Investments are only accessible in the
    registered version of this game.


 ───────── Spending Menu ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

The heart of your empire is centered upon having a strong defense and large
amount of land.  At this menu, you can buy and sell both, dep ing on the
setup of the game.  In many setups, the amount of military you can purchase
is limited or even non-existant, in which case Industrial production is your
primary or sole option (Industrial production is explained below).

 System Menu
   System Menu  - This menu offers a variety of options, explained in
    a later section of the documentation.


 Buy / Sell
   Buy / Sell  - This lets to switch between selling and buying.  Dep ing
    on your immediate goals, it may be in your best interests to sell off
    excess equipment, although it can only be sold at a fraction of the
    buying price.


 Troopers
   Troopers  - Troopers serve as both offensive and defensive battle
    units.  While not very strong on either  , they are fairly cheap both
    to buy and maintain.  One drawback is the added need for food, as
    compared to other units.


 Jets
   Jets  - These units serve as offensive-only military units.  About
    twice as powerful as a soldier on offense, they make a formidable attack
    weapon.  However, they cannot defend and, while cheap to buy, can be
    relatively expensive to maintain.


 Turrets
   Turrets  - The counterpart to Jets, Turrets are defensive-only weapons
    about twice as powerful as the Trooper.  Like Jets, however, they are
    relatively expensive to maintain.  Nevertheless, Turrets can make a
    strong, full-time defense and are impossible to destroy through terrorist
    operations.


 Bombers
   Bombers  - Bombers are special attack forces.  They have no offensive
    or defensive strength, but can be used in special missions. Interplanetary
    bombings require bombers to drop the payload, and in attacks, they can
    be used to target and destroy grounded enemy jets.


 Headquarters
   Headquarters  - Your command headquarters is essential in coordinating
    your military attacks.  A strong HQ gives tanks better coordination and
    can improve the effectiveness of tanks drastically.


   Region Buying -
    You can buy the following types of regions:

 COASTAL
       Coastal  - Coastal lands are excellent for the tourism and resort
        industry.  In good conditions, they are an extremely effective
        money generator.  However, with low public support, your populace
        loses interest and Coastal territory production slumps drastically.


 MOUNTAINS
       Mountains  - The mountains are an excellent source for mining
        natural resources.  Because there are few factors affecting
        production, mountains provide the most stable source of income, but
        at the same time, they do not average as much as other regions.


 DESERT
       Desert  - Dry desert land supports the development of solar
        power generation extremely well.  Profiting from these generates
        fluctuates greatly due to climate conditions, but, on the average,
        produce more gold than do mountains, but less than Coastals in
        good conditions.


 INDUSTRY
       Industry  - Industry is the basis of a strong economy.  While
        in some setups you can buy any and all military goods you will need
        during war, others do not allow purchasing at all.  In those cases,
        Industry is your only source of military power.  Industry, forced
        into free-market competition, is also more efficient at producing
        military than you buying from the market.


 RIVERS
       Rivers  - Rivers are both an excellent source of revenue
        through hydroelectric power and a source of food through fishing.
        While most years the rivers produce vast supplies of gold, more so
        than any other region, they are often wrought with problems and
        used instead for fishing to bring extra food into the empire.  The
        people of the land determine what will be produced yearly, without
        your input.


 AGRICULTURE
       Agriculture  - Self-sufficiency in terms of food production is
        almost a necessity in a world wracked by constant conflict.  Without
        a stable global market to buy and sell food, you may often find
        yourself with no source of food outside of your barony.  Agricultural
        regions provide you with a solution to that problem, and in times of
        global food shortages, could give you bargaining power in selling
        off surpluses.


 URBAN
       Urban  - By building strong urban centers, you vastly increase
        the number of people able to live in your empire.  These people
        bring in more tax revenue, and with strong trade agreements, provide
        empires with vast new markets from which to produce even more
        cash.


 TECHNOLOGY
       Technology  - Technology regions are a powerful source of
        longterm enhancements.  Maintaining these research centers early
        may prove costly, but with time, they allow you to vastly increase
        the productivity of your empire economically and militarily.
        Technology regions lead to the following improvements
          - Increased military efficiency
          - Increased region output
          - Decreased maintenance costs on regions, military, and SDI
          - Decreased Food spoilage
          - Increased Tax income
        As the game progresses, your costs will slowly decrease and efficiency
        will increase (there will not be specific discoveries).


 WASTE
       Waste  - Enemies can use various technological weapons (such as
        Nuclear Missiles) to reduce your once productive regions to waste.
        These regions, while still requiring maintenance, produce nothing for
        your empire.  They can, however, be decontaminated at a much lower
        cost than buying new regions.


 Covert Agents
   Agents  - A strong Intelligence Agency is based upon having a
    large supply of agents.  In general, the larger number of agents you
    are armed with relative to an opponent, the more successful your covert
    operations will be and the less successful enemies will be against you.


 Tanks
   Tanks  - The tank is the most advanced general purpose military
    weapon of your army.  About the equivalent of four Troopers, tanks
    be used both on offense and defense.  Their low yearly maintenance
    costs make them a strong long term investment.


 Carriers
   Carriers  - Carriers are a necessity only in the support role.
    In order to trade with other realms, often carriers must be sent for
    transport.  In combat, Jets have to be transported to the battle field
    as well, and one carrier serves to transport 100 jets.



 ───────── Attacks ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The strength of an empire is often determined by its ability to wage war.
The final blow in waging war is the actual combat between two militaries, and
here is where you get that opportunity.  All of the building and developing
to create the most powerful empire is tested in war.

 Regular Attack
   Regular Attack  - This is the only true military battle between two
    realms.  A successful assault an opposing empire brings you extra regions
    which you can then recolonize to build as you wish.


 Nuclear Attack
   Nuclear Strike  - Nuclear weapons are a good source of crippling an
    opponent.  While costly, the nuclear missile transforms a percentage of
    an enemy's regions into waste, which then must either be dropped or
    slowly repaired.


 Chemical Attack
   Chemical Attack  - Similar to nuclear strikes, these missiles affect
    less actual land, but also infect millions of people with deadly chemical
    gases, significantly reducing an opponent's population.


 Biological Attack
   Biological Attack  - Biological attacks are similar to the other
    special attacks, except that they do not damage the land itself.  Instead,
    they are effective against both the general populace and military
    Troopers.


 Attack Pirates
   Attack Pirates  - Pirates often steal military equipment from your
    empire.  Pirate Raids provide you the opportunity to strike back,
    stealing away military equipment as well as land from them.


 Alliance Strength
   Alliance Strength  - This option allows you to see the amount of aid
    military alliances will provide you if attacked.



 ───────── Trading ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Trade between nations is a centerpiece of growth.  In addition to helping
those in need, many realms with specialized industries coming together and
trading their goods can build a network of power unattainable individually.
Besides normal trade between empires, you also can put items for sale on a
general market at any price you choose.


 ───────── Interplanetary Operations ──────────────────────────────────────

In Interplanetary Games (Games setup to run between several BBSes) you
experience the most exciting and challenging aspects of BRE.  Instead of
playing against up to 25 local players, you are now immersed into a universe
filled with anywhere up to more than 6000 players scattered throughout the
world.  Instead of being a single entity, you are now part of your BBS, your
team, working with them to become the most powerful BBS in the league.

 View IPScores
   InterBBS Scores  - This option allows you to view the top players
    and BBSes throughout the league ranked by various statistics.


 Terrorist Ops
   Terrorist Operations  - These can be highly beneficial in any assault.
    Combining the forces of espionage and terrorism, you can do heavy
    damages to your enemy right before s ing the final devastating
    attack.  As in local covert operations, these operations are vital in
    destroying an enemy's ability to wage war.


 Send Trade Deal
   Send Trade Deal  - As in local play, you may sendtrade deals to other
    empires on other planets.  However, unlike local trade deals, you may not
    make any demands in return for the goods you provide, and the target
    always has to accept that which is sent.


 Create Group Attack
   Create InterPlanetary Attack Force  - This will set up a new attack force
    to be sent to either an entire planet or a single Barony.  You can
    set when the attack leaves and before that time, anybody on your
    planet can join in the attack.  Returns will be divided according to
    the amount of forces you each put in.


 Join Group Attack
   Join Interplanetary Attack Force  - This lets to join any of the attack
    parties waiting to leave.


 Indiv. Attack Force
   Create Strike Force  - This allows you to sendyour own strike force to
    a single player on another planet.  You get twice as many returns if
    you sendthe attack yourself, but you can't attack an entire planet.


 sendMessage
   sendMessage  - As in the local messages (mentioned below), this
    option allows you to sendmessages to other systems involved in the game.


 Special Operations
   Special Operations

     Bomb Enemy Food Market  - This operation gives you a chance to bomb
      the central food market of another planet.  Many of these, combined with
      other effective operations, have the potential to put enemies through
      civil war.

     Undermine Investments  - This option allows your forces to covertly
      weaken an enemy planet's basic economy, reducing returns on investments
      due back in the next few days.  Note that only registered systems offer
      investments.

     Bomb Enemy Trade Market  - If successful, this operation destroys
      a portion of all goods stored in an opposing planet's trading market.

     Bomb Enemy Trade Routes  - This operation attempts to destroy
      portions of all trade deals in transmit throughout an opposing planet.

     Nuclear/Chemical/S3-Sabre  - These attacks launch powerful missiles
      against their targets damaging a variety of areas of the realm.

     Spy Guy  - This option will senda spy to another BBS.  He(she) will
      report information on all incoming group attacks and Gooie Kablooies
      allowing realms to prepare for the incoming onslaughts.


 Gooie Kablooie Ops
   Gooie Kablooie  - The Gooie Kablooie is the ultimate weapon of
      destruction.  Only one can be created at a time, and it takes a great
      deal of funding by all members of the BBS.  Once funded (funding dep s
      on the size of the target), the Gooie Kablooie will begin construction.
      Once construction is complete (a few days), it will be launched to
      meet it's target.  Immediately upon arrival, 10% of the regions on the
      planet will be destroyed instantaneously.  Every day of it's existance
      after the first day, another 5% will be destroyed, up to a max of 5
      days at which time it will self-destruct.  The only way to destroy this
      "thing", is to keep battling it with Jets until destroyed.  The
      destruction of this weapon requires the cooperation of the entire
      planet, as the amount of jets required is enormous, and the damage
      irreversible.


 SDI Program
   SDI Program  - Technology has developed space-based protection
      against a great deal of enemy forces in the form of a Strategic
      Defense Initiative program.  Building an SDI, however, is fairly
      expensive and maintaining it will only cost more.  The more
      territory you control, the larger your program will need to be as
      well.  The potential benefits of an SDI including destroying up to
      50% of incoming enemy missiles as well as weakening enemy jets
      attacking your realm.


 Spy Database
   Spy Database  - Because your planet is working as a team, any spy
    reports obtained about an empire on another planet is stored in a global
    database, which can be accessed by this option.


 Travel Times
   Travel Times  - This option lists the approximated time for data to
    travel to another BBS and back.  Generally, most operations you do will
    take about this long.



 ───────── Messages ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Communication is often a centerpiece of cooperation, whether between
individual empires or between planets.  Use the messages to coordinate,
plan, and organize your offenses, alliances, and general plans.


 ───────── System Menu ────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The system menu is a special menu accessible from the Spending menu.  It
supports a variety of options that aren't accessed frequently, such as
controlling the tax rate in your empire and setting industrial production
levels.  In addition, it allows you to access a variety of other menus
such as the Covert Ops and Trading out of sequence.  The Preferences
submenu also allows you to normally skip a variety of menus that aren't
used often.  The option to abdicate will immediately delete your empire
from the game so you may start over the next day.  This menu is constantly
changing in each version, so various options may appear as time goes by.


Barren Realms Elite  is a game which has been designed to be simple to
learn initially, but success is based a great deal on experience and
cooperation.  Much information has been left out of the documentation so
that you can learn by experience rather than reading instructions.  Used in
InterBBS mode, BRE is a much more competitive and enjoyable game, requiring
a great deal of cooperation and organization between players.  We hope you
enjoy the game, and good luck!