OGRE All-out war against a juggernaut fighting machine on the nuclear battlefields of tomorrow! OGRE (R) Game Design by Steve Jackson Original computer version (Apple II) designed & programmed by Steve Meuse Ogre Intelligence designed & programmed by Dallas Snell OGRE is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved. The portions of the rules reproduced from the original game rules are Copyright (C) 1977 by Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated and used by permission. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE The tank-type vehicle, considered obsolete by the end of the 20th century, ruled the battlefields of the 21st. Several factors led to the reappearance of mechanized warfare. The first was the development of biphase carbide armor (BPC). Stronger than any steel, it was also so light that even an air-cushion vehicle could carry several centimeters of protection. The equivalent of a megaton of TNT was needed to breach even that much BPC armor -- which meant that, in practice, nothing less than a tactical nuclear device was likely to be effective. Infantry, which had for a time eclipsed the tank, declined in importance. Although an infantryman could carry and direct a tactical nuclear missile, he had to be extensively (and expensively) protected to survive the nuclear battlefield. Thus, the "powered suit" was developed. Four cm of BPC, jet-equipped, it could guard a man for about a week (in increasing discomfort) from shrapnel, background radiation, and biochem agents. However, the cost of equipping infantry reduced their value. They were still more flexible and maneuverable than armor, and now they were almost as fast -- but they were no longer cheaper. Long-range nuclear missiles, which had been expected to make a mockery of "conventional" operations, likewise declined in value as jamming technology and laser countermeasures improved. Without satellite guidance, no missile could hit a less-than-city-sized target at more than 30 km -- and no combatant could keep a spy satellite operational for over an hour. Missiles big enough to carry jam-proof guidance systems were sitting ducks for the big laser batteries -- for, although lasers had proved too temperamental and fragile for battlefield use, they were fine as permanent antiaircraft units. Thus, the tank-type vehicle -- fast, heavily armed and armored, able to break through enemy positions and exploit disorganization -- returned to wide use. And once again, planners fretted over priorities. More guns? More armor? More speed? Increase one, and lose on the others? Increase all, and build fewer units? Some interesting compromises appeared. The 21st-century infantryman, especially with the later "heavy powered suit," was a tank in his own right, at least by 20th-century standards. The armed hovercraft or ground effect vehicle (GEV), equipped with multi-leaf spring skirts for broken ground, could attain speeds of 120 kph on any decent terrain, and 150 on desert or water. Conventional tanks were slower but tougher. All fired tactical nuclear shells. The ultimate development of the tank-type weapon, though, was the cybernetic attack vehicle. The original tanks had terrorized unsophisticated infantry. The cybertanks terrorized EVERYONE, and with good reason. They were bigger (up to 50 meters), faster (hovercraft models proved too vulnerable, but atomic-powered treads moved standard units at 45 kph or better) and more heavily armed (some had firepower equal to an armor COMPANY). And two to three METERS of BPC armor made them nearly unstoppable. What made the cybertank horrifying, though, was its literal inhumanity. No crew was carried; each unit was wholly computer-controlled. Although true mechanical intelligence had existed as early as 2010, and fully automated factories and military installations were in wide use by the middle of the century, the cybertanks were the earliest independent mobile units -- the first true war "robots." Once the first cybertanks had proved their worth, development was rapid. The great war machines aroused a terrified sort of fascination. Human warriors devoutly hoped never to confront them, and preferred to keep a respectful distance -- like several kilometers -- even from friendly ones. They were just too BIG. One fact, more than anything, points up the feeling that developed toward the cybertank. Unlike other war vehicles, they were never called "she." Friendly units of the speaker's acquaintance were "he;" others were "it." And the term "cybertank" was rarely used. People had another name for the big war machines -- one drawn from the early Combine units and, before that, from dark myth. They called them Ogres... THE GAME OGRE is a game of mechanized tank warfare set in the 21st century. A cybertank fighting unit -- the Ogre -- has been sent to destroy the opponent's strategic Command Post, which is guarded by an armor battalion. The Ogre's primary objective is to destroy the Command Post; destruction of all other units is its secondary objective. The armor battalion has but one objective: Defend the Command Post. To do so, they must destroy the Ogre. MAKING CHOICES. Choices are made in OGRE through the use of the POINTER, a black, triangular object that can be moved around with a mouse, joystick or keyboard. CLICKING. Some selections in OGRE are made by first moving the pointer to the desired object or option, then pressing and quickly releasing the button. This is referred to as CLICKING. DRAGGING. Another method of designating choices is by DRAGGING. Dragging is accomplished by placing the pointer over the desired object then pressing AND HOLDING the button while moving the pointer to another location. Releasing the button completes the drag. PULLING DOWN THE MENU. In the upper right corner of the screen are two MENUS that can be PULLED DOWN. The first is titled 'Menu' and the second is 'OSI'. To pull down either menu place the pointer over the desired title and press and hold the button. The selected menu title will become highlighted and a list of COMMANDS will appear beneath the title. Releasing the button without moving the pointer will cause the menu to disappear. CHOOSING MENU COMMANDS. Menu commands are chosen by using the DRAGGING TECHNIQUE. Position the pointer over the selected menu title and pull down the menu by pressing the button. While holding the button down, drag the pointer to the desired menu command. As the pointer moves through the menu, each command is highlighted in turn. When the desired command is highlighted, releasing the button selects it. If you change your mind about choosing a command, move the pointer off the menu, or back up to the title, then release the button. Nothing is chosen unless you release the button while one of the commands is highlighted. USING THE KEYBOARD. A mouse (if available) or joystick is highly recommended for playing OGRE. OGRE can be played using the keyboard to move the pointer and to simulate 'clicking' or pressing a button, or it can be played entirely with 'pointing', 'clicking' and 'dragging' techniques using a mouse or joystick. The instructions and examples in this manual refer to 'pointing', 'clicking' and 'dragging' without reference to the various input devices. See KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS on the PLAYER REFERENCE CARD for complete information on how to use the keyboard to play OGRE. DIMMED COMMANDS. When 'Menu' is pulled down, some of the commands are less distinct than others. These less distinct commands are referred to as DIMMED. Dimmed options are ones that cannot be used at that time. DIALOGUE BOXES. Whenever additional information is required to complete a command, a DIALOGUE BOX appears. Dialogue boxes usually have special areas called 'buttons' to click, such as 'OK' or 'Cancel'. Sometimes they present further options for selection. Dialogue boxes are also used to warn you if you're about to do something that is irreversible. For an example of a dialogue box with general information, select 'About Ogre' from the 'OSI' menu. Clicking the 'OK' button removes the dialogue box. THE BATTLEFIELD GENERAL. The defender's Command Post has been located in the most defensible terrain available -- a battered stretch of land 22.5 kilometers (14 miles) wide by 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) long, bounded on three sides by impassable swamp and on the fourth by a very deep, wide river. A map representing the standard battlefield is displayed on your computer screen. The map is divided into hexes, each representing an area 1500 meters (0.93 miles) across. VIEWING THE MAP. Only half of the map can be viewed at one time. The map can be moved vertically by clicking on one of the arrows positioned at the four corners of the map. At the upper left and lower left corners of the map are arrows with horizontal bars at their tips. These arrows are used to display the top or bottom half of the map. Clicking on arrows in the upper right and lower right corners moves the map up or down one hex at a time. CRATERS. The battlefield is scarred with craters from past nuclear detonations. Craters are represented on the map by solid circles. Nothing may move into or over a crater. It is possible, however, to fire across craters. RUBBLE. The battlefield is further obstructed by great piles of earth and rubble. These piles of rubble are represented on the map by solid black lines along the edges of hexes. Only the Ogre and infantry are capable of moving across this rubble. Other armor units cannot cross. Any unit can fire across rubble. AREAS. The standard battlefield is divided into two basic areas. The majority of the map (the top 16 rows of hexes) is referred to as the 'obstructed' area. This is the area containing all of the craters and rubble. The bottom 6 rows of hexes, free of craters and rubble, are referred to as the 'clear' area. Both the left-most and right-most column of hexes contain only one crater. These craters are located in the 7th hex down from the top. A line drawn between these two crater hexes is referred to as the 'crater line'. The obstructed area, clear area, and crater line are referred to during initial deployment of the defensive forces. THE COMBATANTS The combatants are rated by COMBAT FACTORS. The main combat factors are a weapon's ATTACK STRENGTH, ATTACK RANGE and DEFENSE STRENGTH. Attack Strength reflects a weapon's destructive power. The effective distance a weapon can reach is its Attack Range, and a unit's capability to withstand an attack is referred to as its Defense Strength. These factors will be further expanded upon when discussing combat. OGRE There are two types of Ogres, the Mark III and the Mark V. The Ogre is a cybertank, approximately 30 meters in length, equipped with guns, missiles, antipersonnel weapons and 3 meters of biphase carbide armor. An undamaged Ogre can travel at about 45 kph, i.e., 3 map hexes per turn. The Ogre's goal is to destroy the defender's Command Post and, if possible, the entire defensive armor battalion. OGRE MARK III ATTRIBUTES DEFENSE ATTACK ATTACK PART QUANTITY STRENGTH STRENGTH RANGE ---------------------------------------------------- MISSILES 2 3 6 5 MAIN BATTERY 1 4 4 3 SECONDARY BAT. 4 3 3 2 ANTIPERSONNEL 8 1 1 1 TREADS 45 1 0 0 The Mark V is a larger, more formidable version of the Mark III. OGRE MARK V ATTRIBUTES DEFENSE ATTACK ATTACK PART QUANTITY STRENGTH STRENGTH RANGE ------------------------------------------------------ MISSILES 6 3 6 5 MAIN BATTERY 2 4 4 3 SECONDARY BAT. 6 3 3 2 ANTIPERSONNEL 12 1 1 1 TREADS 60 1 0 0 COMMAND POST ATTACK STRENGTH : 0 ATTACK RANGE : 0 DEFENSE STRENGTH : 0 MOVEMENT : 0 This is the defender's strategic communications center. The Command Post, once positioned, cannot be moved. The Command Post is incapable of attacking the Ogre, or of defending itself. An attack from any of the Ogre's weapons automatically destroys the Command Post. At times the Ogre will, with seeming cruelty, elect to destroy a Command Post, not quickly and mercifully with one of its nuclear weapons, but instead by crushing it and its inhabitants beneath the cybertank's massive treads. ARMOR UNITS. There are four types of defensive armor units: the heavy tank, the missile tank, the howitzer and the Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV). HEAVY TANK ATTACK STRENGTH : 4 ATTACK RANGE : 2 DEFENSE STRENGTH : 3 MOVEMENT : 3 This is the defender's main battle tank. A heavy tank is big, powerful and heavily armored. Its speed is such that it can keep pace with the Ogre, except when maneuvering around rubble. Unfortunately, a heavy tank must get within 3 kilometers (2 hexes) of the Ogre in order to fire upon it. This leaves the heavy tank vulnerable to almost all of the Ogre's weapons, including the possibility of being crushed beneath the Ogre's treads. MISSILE TANK ATTACK STRENGTH : 3 ATTACK RANGE : 4 DEFENSE STRENGTH : 2 MOVEMENT : 2 A missile tank is smaller and less heavily armored than a heavy tank. The broad, sturdy surface from which the missile tank commander fires long-range missiles sits atop a set of wide crawler treads that move the missile tank slowly across the battlefield. The missile tank cannot keep pace with the Ogre, thus requiring the missile tank commander to continually anticipate the Ogre's movement in order to keep it within range of his missiles. The missile tank's saving grace is that it can fire upon the Ogre from 6 kilometers (4 hexes), allowing it to pound the Ogre while staying out of range of most of the Ogre's weapons. HOWITZER ATTACK STRENGTH : 6 ATTACK RANGE : 8 DEFENSE STRENGTH : 1 MOVEMENT : 0 The howitzer is the defender's hardest hitting and longest range weapon. A howitzer can reach an Ogre up to 12 kilometers away (8 hexes). This allows a howitzer to get 2 to 3 shots at an Ogre before the Ogre can get within striking distance. Howitzers are permanent installations and cost twice as much as any other armor unit. The fact that a howitzer cannot move is its greatest weakness. In addition, it is all but defenseless. The defenders must try to buy a howitzer time with the mobile armor units so that the howitzer may wreak considerable damage upon the Ogre. GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE (GEV) ATTACK STRENGTH : 2 ATTACK RANGE : 2 DEFENSE STRENGTH : 2 MOVEMENT : 4, 3 Propelled by air-cushion suspension, the GEV is the defender's fastest moving vehicle. It can move more than twice as fast as any other unit, including the Ogre. GEV's move once in the defender's regular Movement Phase -- and again, after firing, in the GEV Movement Phase. The seasoned GEV commander will swoop in close enough to fire at the Ogre and then dart away, just beyond reach of the Ogre's weapons. INFANTRY ATTACK STRENGTH: 1, 2 or 3 ATTACK RANGE: 1 DEFENSE STRENGTH: 1, 2 or 3 MOVEMENT: 2 Infantry travel in groups of one, two or three squads (6-8 men to a squad). Infantry are armed with conventional and anti-tank weapons and use powered 'battlesuits' to greatly increase their mobility (allowing them to cross rubble that stops other armor units) and provide some protection from shrapnel and radiation. Infantry cannot move as fast as a fully functional Ogre, and a squad leader will, if not careful, find his squad falling behind the Ogre, unable to reach it before the Command Post is destroyed. Infantry must get within 1500 meters (1 hex) of the Ogre in order to fire at it. This makes them extremely vulnerable to the Ogre's antipersonnel weapons, as well as to being overrun by the Ogre. Many infantrymen swear the supposedly emotionless Ogre derives great pleasure from the feel of battlesuits being crushed beneath its treads. DEPLOYMENT The defending player must deploy forces in anticipation of attack. Battlefield alterations and force deployment are controlled in the Field Editor. A detailed discussion of the Field Editor can be found in 'THE FIELD EDITOR' section. To quickly get started playing OGRE, use one of the predesigned fields or battles. LOADING/SAVING FIELDS. There are five predesigned fields from which the player may choose. In addition to the five predesigned fields, the player may save five fields of original design (see SAVING FIELDS in THE FIELD EDITOR section). To load a field, select "Load a Field" from the Menu. A dialogue box will appear from which one of the original or preset fields can be selected for loading. Click on the field of choice and then click 'OK'. The selected field will be loaded in and displayed. LOADING/SAVING GAMES. A previously saved game can be loaded at any time. If a battle is in progress when another game is loaded, the current game will be lost unless it is saved first. To load a game, select "Load a Game" from the Menu. A dialogue box will appear from which one of five saved games can be selected. Select the desired game and then click 'OK'. The selected game will be loaded in and the battle will proceed from where it was saved. The current status of a battle can be saved for continued play later. To save the battle status, select "Save a Game" from the Menu. A dialogue box will appear, from which one of five games can be selected for saving. Select the desired game and then click 'OK'. The game will be saved and play can continue. Alternate tactics for a given encounter can be explored by saving the battle status prior to performing the tactic in question. After the outcome has been determined the prior battle status can be loaded in, allowing an alternate tactic to be employed. PLAYING OGRE STARTING A GAME. Once the player chooses the field configuration and weapon deployment, then selecting 'Play a Game' from the Menu will start the actual battle. A dialogue box will appear asking which battle option the player desires. There are two battle scenarios: Mark III or Mark V. Either scenario can be played with two players or the computer can control the Ogre. Select the desired option and click 'OK'. If this is a continuation of a previous game a dialogue box will ask whether to start a new Ogre or continue the game with the original Ogre. Select the desired option and click 'OK'. When starting a new game under the two-player option, the player controlling the Ogre must select one of the hexes at the bottom of the map as an entry point for the Ogre. Click OK on the dialogue box asking for an entry hex and then select an entry hex by clicking on it. Once it has entered, the Ogre can move two more hexes. Most player options are locked out at this point until an entry hex has been selected for the Ogre. The map can be moved in order to scan the battlefield. CHANGING BETWEEN ONE AND TWO PLAYER GAMES. It is possible to change from a one-player game to a two-player game and vice versa. To do so, enter the Field Editor by selecting 'Edit the Field' from the Menu, during actual game play. Select 'Play a Game' from the Menu. When the battle option dialogue box appears, select the desired scenario and click 'OK'. When the next dialogue box asks to start a new Ogre or continue with the old one, select the 'Keep old Ogre' option. This process allows the battle to continue but with someone (or something) else controlling the Ogre. This operates somewhat differently when changing between Mark III and Mark V scenarios. If 'Keep old Ogre' is selected when changing between Mark III and Mark V scenarios then the number or players will change but the original Ogre type will be maintained. If 'Start new Ogre' is selected then the new Ogre type will enter at the bottom of the map with full weapons and no damage. GAME PHASES. The Phase window near the top of the sidebar displays the current phase of game play. The first phase is the 'Ogre Entry' phase which only occurs at the beginning of a game. During a player's turn, that player may move any or all of his units, and fire with any or all of them. The phase sequence is: 1) Ogre enters 2) Ogre moves 3) Ogre fires (AFTER THE OGRE FIRES, ALL ARMOR UNITS DISABLED THE PREVIOUS TURN BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN.) 4) Defense moves 5) Defense fires 6) GEV's complete their movement THE SIDEBAR. The sidebar is different while playing the game than when in the Field Editor. The area directly beneath the OGRE caption is the Phase Window, which shows the current phase of the game. Directly below the Phase Window is the Tactical Display. The Tactical Display is used to show the various attributes and conditions of the pieces. Clicking on a piece will display that piece's attributes. In addition, the tactical window is used to display messages in response to any erroneous actions performed by the player(s). Beneath the Tactical Display are the command buttons. Just as in the Menu, if a button's text is dimmed then the button is inactive. The 'Range' and 'Done' buttons are always present (although not always active). During a Movement Phase the top buttons are labeled 'Undo' and 'Group'. During an attack phase the same top buttons are labeled 'Clear' and 'Fire'. The buttons work as follows: RANGE BUTTON. The 'Range' command is used to view a piece's movement and attack range. To view a piece's range, select the piece by clicking on it; then click the 'Range' button. All of the hexes within a piece's movement value (disregarding having to move around rubble) are turned green. All of the hexes the piece could potentially fire upon (once again, disregarding having to move around rubble) are turned blue. Any piece that falls within this 'umbrella' is highlighted. Clicking anywhere on the screen will remove the umbrella. DONE BUTTON. The 'Done' button is used to end a phase. If a player has not moved or fired all of his pieces when the 'Done' button is pressed, a dialogue box will require verification from the player before proceeding to the next game phase. UNDO BUTTON. The 'Undo' button allows any piece's move to be undone, or restarted at any time during the Movement Phase. To undo a move, select the desired piece by clicking on it: then click the 'Undo' button. The piece will move back to its original location. The 'Undo' button remains dimmed unless a piece that has moved is selected. If the Ogre has rammed or overrun a defender it can only be undone back to the hex where the ram or overrun occurred. CLEAR BUTTON. The 'Undo' button changes to the 'Clear' button during an attack phase. The 'Clear' button is used to deactivate weapons that have been aimed at a target. GROUP/SPLIT BUTTON. Explanation of this button is covered in GROUPING INFANTRY and SPLITTING INFANTRY in the MOVEMENT SECTION. FIRE BUTTON. The Group/Split button changes to the 'Fire' button during an attack phase. Once weapons have been aimed at a target, clicking the 'Fire' button fires them. MOVEMENT MOVING A PIECE. To move a piece, click on it, and while holding the button down, drag the pointer to another hex and release the button. If an illegal move is attempted (i.e, moving onto a crater, across rubble, off the map, moving a piece that has already moved, or moving a piece farther than it can) you will hear a beep and a message informing you of your error will be in the Tactical Display. Once a piece has moved at all, it appears dimmed (green). This alerts the player that any solid (black) pieces have not moved yet. A piece can move up to its maximum movement value. It is not necessary to move a piece at all if it already well located. OGRE MOVEMENT. The Ogre's movement depends on the number of treads it still has intact. A Mark III starts with 45 treads; a Mark V with 60. When the Ogre's treads are reduced to 2/3 their original total (30 for Mark IIIs and 40 for Mark Vs), the Ogre's movement value is reduced from 3 to 2. When the treads are reduced to 1/3 their original total (15 for Mark IIIs and 20 for Mark Vs), the Ogre can move only 1 hex per turn. When the Ogre's treads are completely destroyed it can no longer move. IT CAN STILL ATTACK ANYTHING WITHIN RANGE. Selecting the Ogre will display 'Ogre Summary' in the Tactical Display and will show the Ogre's current movement value as well as the number of treads remaining. MOVEMENT THROUGH OCCUPIED HEXES. In general, only one unit at a time may occupy a hex. Any unit may move through a hex occupied by a friendly unit. When moving onto a hex occupied by a friendly unit the top piece will be highlighted. Clicking on this hex brings the bottom piece to the top. One of these pieces must be moved before any other action can be taken. Attempting any other action (except moving the map, undoing, or moving one of the stacked pieces) elicits a beep and the message 'Please move from full hex'. GROUPING INFANTRY. The maximum number of squads of infantry that can occupy a single hex is three. Two 1-squad units may be grouped into a 2-squad unit. Three 1-squad units, or a 1-squad and a 2-squad unit may be grouped into a single 3-squad unit. To group two infantry units, move them to the same hex and click the 'Group' button. WARNING: WHEN TWO INFANTRY UNITS ARE GROUPED TOGETHER THE NEWLY MERGED UNIT WILL HAVE A REMAINING MOVE VALUE EQUIVALENT TO WHICHEVER OF THE TWO ORIGINAL UNITS HAS MOVED THE FARTHEST. ALSO, GROUPING INFANTRY CANNOT BE UNDONE. EXAMPLE: AN INF1 USES ITS FIRST MOVE TO MOVE ONTO AN INF2 THAT HASN'T MOVED AT ALL. AT THIS POINT, THE INF1 HAS MOVED ONE HEX AND HAS 1 MOVE REMAINING. THE INF2 HAS NOT MOVED AT ALL, THEREFORE, HAS 2 MOVES REMAINING. IF SO DESIRED, THE INF1'S MOVE CAN BE UNDONE AT THIS POINT. CLICKING THE 'GROUP' BUTTON COMBINES THE INF1 AND INF2 INTO AN INF3. THE TACTICAL DISPLAY WILL SHOW A 3-SQUAD INFANTRY UNIT THAT HAS MOVED 1. ALSO, THE 'UNDO' BUTTON WILL BE DIMMED, INDICATING THIS PIECE CANNOT BE UNDONE. THE PIECE CAN, HOWEVER, BE SPLIT. SPLITTING INFANTRY. 2-squad or 3-squad units may be split into two infantry units. Whenever a 2- or 3-squad infantry unit is selected, and is not currently sharing a hex with another piece, then the 'Group' button will change to the 'Split' button. Clicking the 'Split' button will cause a 1-squad infantry unit to be split off and share the hex with the remaining squad unit. The two new infantry units will have the same moved status as the original unit. (Example: if an INF2 is split after having moved 1 hex, then the two new INF1 units will both have moved 1 hex and can be undone back to the same hex as the original INF2). The 'Split' button will immediately change back to 'Group', allowing the two infantry units to be recombined if so desired. RAMMING. An Ogre can damage or destroy an armor unit by ramming it. This is accomplished by moving onto its hex. Any IMMOBILE armor unit (i.e., a howitzer or any unit that has been disabled) is destroyed when rammed by the Ogre. Any MOBILE ARMOR UNIT has a 50% chance of being disabled and a 50% chance of being destroyed when rammed. The Ogre, however, pays a price. Ramming a heavy tank, the Ogre loses 2 treads. Ramming any other armor unit costs the Ogre 1 tread. An Ogre can completely destroy the Command Post with a single ram at no tread loss to itself. If the Ogre disables a piece when ramming it, then the Ogre will be highlighted to indicate that a piece is underneath it. If the Ogre has any movement left it can ram the piece again, thus destroying it. If the Ogre moves off the disabled piece, the piece will be dimmed (blue) as an indication that it is disabled. THE OGRE CAN ONLY RAM TWICE IN ONE RAM. Armor units may, in turn, ram the Ogre. This ram, however, sacrificial and destroys the ramming armor unit. The Ogre loses 1 tread due to this. This ploy is not recommended except in dire emergencies. WARNING: A RAM CANNOT BE UNDONE. THEREFORE, ANY TIME A PIECE MOVES ONTO AN OPPONENT'S HEX A DIALOGUE BOX APPEARS REQUESTING VERIFICATION OF THE RAM. CLICKING 'OK' ALLOWS THE RAM TO PROCEED. CLICKING 'CANCEL' WILL ABORT THE MOVE. OVERRUNS. Infantry are not rammed by an Ogre, but overrun. If an Ogre moves onto a hex occupied by infantry, that infantry is reduced by one squad IF THE OGRE HAS ANY ANTIPERSONNEL WEAPONS LEFT. If the Ogre does not have any antipersonnel weapons, the infantry is not reduced. There are no limits on overruns; the Ogre can overrun for as many moves as it has. In addition, overruns do not cause the Ogre any damage. An infantry unit may move onto a hex occupied by an Ogre without any immediate effects. The infantry will, however, be reduced by one squad at the beginning of the Ogre's Movement Phase, providing the Ogre has any antipersonnel weapons, WITHOUT THE OGRE HAVING TO EXPEND MOVEMENT POINTS TO DO SO. WARNING: OVERRUNS CANNOT BE UNDONE. THEREFORE, ANY TIME AN OGRE MOVES ONTO A HEX CONTAINING INFANTRY, A DIALOGUE BOX APPEARS REQUESTING VERIFICATION OF THE OVERRUN. CLICKING 'OK' ALLOWS THE OVERRUN TO PROCEED. CLICKING 'CANCEL' WILL ABORT THE MOVE. GEV DOUBLE MOVEMENT. A GEV may move twice per turn -- once (up to 4 hexes) during the defender's Movement Phase, and again (up to 3 hexes) during the GEV Movement Phase following the defender's attack phase. ENDING MOVEMENT. To end the Movement Phase, click the 'Done' button. If all of a player's pieces have not been moved when the 'Done' button is clicked, a dialogue box appears requesting verification to end the Movement Phase. ONE-PLAYER OGRE MOVEMENT. During the Ogre Movement Phase in the one-player game, the pointer will disappear while the Ogre is thinking about where to move. When done, the Ogre automatically moves. If the Ogre rams a piece, the results will be displayed in the sidebar. If the Ogre destroys the piece, there may be another pause while the Ogre considers a different move. COMBAT A Combat Phase occurs after each Movement Phase (except for GEV second-phase movement). During a Combat Phase, the Undo and Group/Split buttons in the sidebar change to Clear and Fire, respectively. These buttons are dimmed initially, and remain so until weapons have been aimed. WEAPONRY. Most weapons are heavy rapid-fire cannon using tactical nuclear shells, capable of fire in any direction. Each unit may apply its attack strength once per turn. Each intact Ogre weapon may apply its attack strength once per turn, with the following exceptions: ANTIPERSONNEL. The Ogre's antipersonnel weapons are effective against infantry and the Command Post. No infantry unit may be attacked more than once per turn by antipersonnel. When all antipersonnel weapons are gone, an Ogre can no longer reduce an infantry unit's strength by overrunning it. MISSILES. Each of the Ogre's missiles are one-shot weapons. Once fired (or destroyed before firing), they are gone. OGRE ATTACKS. An Ogre may attack an enemy unit by dragging from the Ogre's hex to the enemy hex. If the Ogre has any unfired weapons that can reach the enemy, a dialogue box will appear offering the available weapons. Weapons that have been fired, destroyed, or are out of range will be dimmed and cannot be selected. Clicking on the desired weapons highlights it and displays the weapon's attributes in the sidebar. Clicking on the up arrow in the dialogue box will increase the number of the selected weapon to be fired (up to the maximum number of this type of weapon available). Clicking the down arrow will decrease the number. At the very bottom of the sidebar is a window displaying the probability of killing the target with the selected weapons. Any number and type of weapons can be fired in combination to increase this chance. The probability of killing will not always be increased by combining weapons. This probability is derived from the ratio of the total ATTACK STRENGTH of the attacker(s) to the DEFENSE STRENGTH of the target. Sometimes the combined attack strengths are not enough to reach the next highest ratio. The following table contains the probabilities for all the possible ratios. Ratio of Attack Strength Probability of Killing Probability of Killing to Defense Strength an Active Piece a Disabled Piece ------------------------------------------------------------------------ less than 1-2 0% 0% 1-2 17% 33% 1-1 33% 67% 2-1 50% 83% 3-1 67% 100% 4-1 83% 100% greater than 4-1 100% 100% If, for example, the Ogre was firing a main battery at an active missile tank, the ratio would be an attack strength of 4 to a defense strength of 2. This gives a 2-1 ratio, which would give the Ogre a 50% probability of destroying the missile tank (or an 83% probability if the missile tank were disabled). A more complete discussion of this can be found at the end of this manual. If 'Cancel' is clicked no weapons are selected. Once the desired weapon(s) have been selected, clicking OK removes the dialogue box. The kill percentage remains displayed and the Clear and Fire buttons become available. Clicking the Clear button clears the selected weapon(s) and the current target. Clicking the Fire button fires the selected weapon(s) at the chosen target and the results of the attack (hit, miss or disabled) are displayed at the bottom of the sidebar. DISABLING. When the Ogre attacks a defender it has an additional chance to DISABLE that defender; this is not reflected in the kill probability displayed at the bottom of the sidebar. A disabled piece will appear dimmed (blue), and will not be able to move or fire during the defender's next turn. Due to the tremendous strength of the Ogre's three-meter-thick biphase carbide armor, defenders do not, unfortunately, have any additional probability to disable the Ogre. When a defender's shot gets a result that would have been a "disable" on a normal unit, the sidebar will display the result "Glanced". This has no effect on the Ogre. A "disable" result against infantry is shown as "reduced". One squad of infantry is destroyed whenever the Ogre gets a "reduced". Any remaining infantry squads in the unit are capable of normal actions during the defender's next turn. ONE-PLAYER OGRE ATTACKS. During the Ogre Fire Phase in the one-player game, the Ogre will automatically fire its weapons at the defenders. The selected target becomes highlighted while the target's name and the weapon the Ogre is using is displayed. The Ogre then fires and the results are displayed. The pauses while the messages are displayed can be changed (see PREFERENCES) and can be bypassed by clicking or pressing a key. DEFENDER ATTACKS. A defender attacks the Ogre by dragging from the defender's hex to the Ogre's hex. A dialogue box appears, permitting the attacking unit to specify which of the Ogre's remaining weapons or treads to target. Those parts of the Ogre that are destroyed will be dimmed and cannot be selected. When a particular weapon or treads are selected, the probability of killing (destroying) them is displayed at the bottom of the sidebar. Once the desired target is chosen, click 'OK' to exit the dialogue box, or click 'Cancel' to abort the command. Once a target has been selected, other defender units can be aimed at the Ogre by dragging from their hex to the Ogre's hex. Combining weapons may increase the probability to destroy the selected target (i.e. a higher ratio of Attack Strength to Defense Strength is reached). Clicking the 'Clear' button clears the selected weapon(s) and the current target. Clicking the 'Fire' button fires the aimed unit(s) at the chosen target and the results of the encounter (hit or miss) are displayed at the bottom of the sidebar. As soon as a piece fires it will appear dimmed (red) to indicate that it has fired. ATTACKING TREADS. If the Ogre's treads are targeted, the attack always has a 33% probability of success. With the exception of infantry, multiple units cannot be combined against treads. If the treads are hit, the number of treads destroyed is equal to the attacker's Attack Strength. INFANTRY ATTACKS. A 2-squad or 3-squad infantry unit is treated as a group of individual units when attacking the Ogre's weapons. If the defending player wishes to attack an Ogre's weapons with all of the infantry in a unit, the player must drag from the infantry's hex to the Ogre's hex once for each squad. Infantry also have the ability to combine attacks on the Ogre's treads. This does not increase the 33% probability of hitting, but it does allow more treads to be damaged when a hit occurs. This is the only situation where more than one defending unit can target the Ogre's treads at the same time. ENDING THE GAME The game is over when: a) all defending units are destroyed: b) the Ogre escapes off the bottom of the map: or c) all of the Ogre's weapons and treads are lost. Six formal levels of victory are possible: COMPLETE OGRE VICTORY. The Command Post and all defending units are destroyed. OGRE VICTORY. The Command Post is destroyed and the Ogre escapes from the bottom of the map. MARGINAL OGRE VICTORY. The Command Post is destroyed, but the Ogre is destroyed (all of its weapons and treads destroyed) before it can escape. COMPLETE DEFENSE VICTORY. The Command Post is not destroyed and the Ogre is destroyed and at least 30 attack points (Mark III scenario) or 50 attack points (Mark V scenario) of the defensive force survives. DEFENSE VICTORY. The Command Post is not destroyed and the Ogre is destroyed. MARGINAL DEFENSE VICTORY. The Command Post is not destroyed but the Ogre escapes. LEAVING THE MAP. The Ogre is the only piece that may leave the map. To do so it must be on the bottom row of the map with at least one move remaining. Clicking anywhere off the map, but not in a legal command area (i.e., the command buttons, menu bar or the map arrows) will produce a dialogue box asking if the Ogre should leave the map. If 'OK' is selected, the battle results are analyzed and the appropriate victory conditions are displayed in a final dialogue box. THE FIELD EDITOR The Field Editor lets the Post Commander deploy the defensive forces and alter the battlefield terrain. The Field Editor is active when you start OGRE. During a battle, the Field Editor can be entered by selecting "Edit the Field" from the "Menu". CREATING/CLEARING RUBBLE. Clicking on a dotted line at the edge of a hex places a pile of rubble at that location. Clicking on an already existing pile of rubble (a solid line) removes it. SELECTING PIECES. A window in the sidebar on the left side of the screen contains 10 hex shaped pieces that can be selected by clicking on them. When selected, a piece becomes highlighted. ùù ùXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX Heavy XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX Missile Tank XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX Tank XX XX XX XX XXX XXX XX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX GEV XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX Howitzer XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX X X X X X X X X X XXX X X X X X XXXXX X X X X X X X XXX X X X X X X X XXX X X X X X X X XXX X X X X X X X XXX X X X X X Infantry XXX X X X X X Crater XXXXXXX X X X X XXXXXX XXXX XX XX XXXX XX X XX X XXX XXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXX Infantry XX X X XX X Command XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX Post _____ XXXXXXXX / \ XX / \ XX / \ XXXXX / \ XX \ / XX \ / Infantry X XX \ / Blank XXXXXX \_____/ DROP/DRAG. Directly beneath the selection window is the mode window. The two choices in the mode window are Drop and Drag. The mode is set by clicking on either of the two choices. Clicking on a map hex while in the Drop mode 'drops' the currently selected piece onto that hex. If the hex is occupied, the piece occupying the hex is replaced with the selected piece. If the hex is already occupied by the currently selected piece, clicking on it removes it. Pieces can also be removed from the map by selecting the blank piece from the selection window and dropping it onto occupied hexes. The Drag mode is used to move pieces about the map. To move a piece, first select Drag from the mode window. Position the pointer over the desired piece and press the button. Continue to hold the button while moving the pointer to the desired hex. When the desired hex is highlighted, release the button and the piece moves from its original hex to the new hex. Dragging a piece onto an occupied hex removes the piece from the occupied hex and replaces it with the piece being moved. Dragging from an empty hex onto an occupied hex also removes the piece. CLEAR FIELD. The entire field can be cleared of all rubble, craters and pieces by selecting 'Clear Field' from the Menu. A dialogue box will ask for verification before the action is performed. CLEAR PIECES. The entire field can be cleared of all pieces while leaving the rubble and craters intact by selecting 'Clear Pieces' from the Menu. A dialogue box will ask for verification before the action is performed. SETUP. All defender setups require a command post (usually placed somewhere on the highest row of hexes). The defender's initial force depends on the type of Ogre that will be attacking. If the attacker is a Mark III, the defender gets 12 armor units and 20 squads of infantry. If the attacker is a Mark V, the defender gets 20 armor units and 30 squads of infantry. When requisitioning armor units, bear in mind that a single howitzer costs twice as much as any other armor unit. This means that if only twelve armor units are available, the maximum number of howitzers that can be used is six. The bottom of the sidebar displays the total number of infantry and armor units deployed so far. The total number of attack points deployed in front of the crater line is displayed in the forward window. This information assists in remaining within the recommended force guidelines. DEPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS. Essentially, there are no restrictions forcibly imposed when deciding where to deploy the defensive forces. But, in order to play a standard game, the following restrictions must be followed: 1) All units must be deployed in the OBSTRUCTED area, and 2) All but 20 attack strength points for the Mark III scenario, or 40 for the Mark V, must be deployed ON OR BEHIND the crater line. BALANCE. The player may exercise individual initiative in deploying forces. If the player-designed scenarios are unbalanced, then more, or fewer, defensive units can be used to offset the imbalance. Note that victory levels cited above cease to be valid once the deployment of forces varies from the standard conditions. SAVING FIELDS. It is possible to save a field for future use. (Note that the Save a Field option described earlier in this manual). Saving a field saves the positions of all the craters, rubble and defensive forces displayed on the map. If the editor was entered from a battle in progress and the Ogre is still on the map, the Ogre's position is not saved as part of the field. To save a field, select "Save a Field" from the Menu. A dialogue box will appear asking for the field number to save this field under. Click on the field of choice and then click 'OK'. The displayed field will be saved under the specified field number. DEPLOYMENT ERROR MESSAGES Field does not conform to official Ogre rules. There are too many infantry on the map. Play this game anyway? Field does not conform to official Ogre rules. There are too many armor units on the map. Play this game anyway? Field does not conform to official Ogre rules. Too many pieces are below the crater line. Play this game anyway? Field does not conform to official Ogre rules. The craters or rubble have been changed. Play this game anyway? Field does not conform to official Ogre rules. There are pieces in the clear area of the map. Play this game anyway? Please add a Command Post to start the game. There is no way to reach the Command Post! Please remove some craters. PREFERENCES OGRE lets you customize various game features to suit your own taste, and can be used before or during a game. Selecting Preferences from the OSI menu will display the 'Preferences' dialogue box. This presents you with five options to modify. Clicking on an option will change it. If an option has more than one choice, click on it until the desired choice is displayed. THE OPTIONS ARE: SOUND EFFECTS. The default is 'Yes' (meaning sound effects will be heard). Turning sound effects off not only makes OGRE play more quietly (in case someone in the house is trying to sleep), but also causes the program to operate a little faster. REMINDERS. During play, various dialogue boxes will appear as reminders that you have not performed all of the actions available to you, or that you are about to perform an irrecoverable action. If, for example, 'Done' is clicked during the Defender Move phase and all of the defenders that can move have not done so, then a reminder dialogue box appears. There is a reminder for the end of each game phase as well as reminders for ramming and overrunning. The default for reminders is 'Yes'. SKIP EMPTY TURNS. There are times when there is no possible action during a phase. If, for example, the Ogre has had all of its weapons destroyed, then there is nothing for the Ogre to do during the Ogre Attack Phase. Nonetheless, the Ogre Attack Phase appears and 'Done' must be clicked to go on to the next phase. These empty turns can be bypassed automatically by setting 'Skip Empty Turns' to 'Yes'. The default for skipping empty turns is 'No'. OGRE MESSAGE SPEED. During the one-player game where the Ogre is controlled by the computer, various messages will appear informing the player as to what the Ogre is doing. The time that these messages remain visible can be modified with 'Ogre Message Speed'. The choices are 'Low', 'Med' and 'Hi'. The default is 'Low'. This option appears dimmed during a two-player game. OGRE SKILL LEVEL. This option allows the player to modify the level of intelligence with which the Ogre plays during the one-player game. The levels are 'Low', 'Med' and 'Hi'. The default is 'Low'. This option appears dimmed during a two-player game. DETERMINING COMBAT RESULTS HERE IS HOW COMBAT RESULTS ARE DETERMINED IN THE ORIGINAL OGRE AS DESIGNED BY STEVE JACKSON. THE COMPUTER VERSION OF OGRE COMPUTES COMBAT RESULTS IN THE SAME FASHION, BUT IN A MANNER TOTALLY TRANSPARENT TO THE PLAYER. In general, each attack is resolved by comparing attack and defense strengths of the units involved, and then rolling a die. Specifically: For each attack, all attack strengths involved are totaled, and then compared with the defense strength of the target in ratio form. This ratio is then rounded off IN THE DEFENDER'S FAVOR to one of the ratios shown on the COMBAT RESULTS TABLE. In other words, the TARGET of the attack, be it Ogre or standard unit, gets the benefit of the rounding-off. Examples: 2 attack points against 1 defense point would be a "2 to 1" attack. 2 attack points vs. 2 defense points = 1 to 1; 3 attack points vs. 2 defense points = 1 to 1 also; 2 attack points vs. 3 defense points = 1 to 2; 6 attack points vs. 1 defense point = 6 to 1 (treated as 5 to 1; see the Combat Results Table). Once the ratio is determined and rounded off, the attacker rolls the die and consults the proper column of the Combat Results Table to find the result. Results are applied immediately. COMBAT RESULTS TABLE COMBAT ODDS Die roll 1-2 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 1 NE NE NE D D 2 NE NE D D D 3 NE D D X X 4 NE D X X X 5 D X X X X 6 X X X X X Attacks at less than 1 to 2 are always NE. Attacks at 5 to 1 or better, are an automatic X. Explanation of Symbols NE: "No Effect." The unit attacked is undamaged. D: Four possible results, depending on the unit attacked. 1) An OGRE is undamaged. (This shows as "Glanced" in the sidebar.) 2) An INFANTRY unit has its strength reduced by 1. 3) An ARMOR unit is DISABLED. The unit can neither move nor fire next turn. An armor unit remains disabled until the end of the enemy's next Combat Phase. 4) A DISABLED ARMOR unit is destroyed if it receives a second 'D' result while disabled. X: If the unit attacked is an Ogre, the part of the Ogre that was attacked is destroyed. If the defender is any unit other than an Ogre, it is destroyed. FIELD EDITOR MESSAGES The following messages appear whenever the player attempts an action not within the scope of the game. COMMAND POST ALREADY PRESENT. Appears when the player attempts to put more than one Command Post on the field. CRATER IN THE WAY! Appears when the player attempts to move the Ogre onto a crater. PLEASE STAY ON THE MAP. Appears when a click occurs anywhere except in a legal area. GAME MESSAGES 2 UNITS IN HEX PLEASE MOVE 1. When two defenders are in the same hex one of them must be moved off before any action may be taken elsewhere. This message appears if any action is attempted with a defender other than the two residing in the same hex. CAN'T MOVE ONTO A CRATER. Appears when attempting to move a piece onto a crater. CAN'T MOVE THAT FAR. Appears when attempting to move a piece more than its movement allowance. COMMAND POSTS CAN'T ATTACK. Appears when the player attempts to target the Ogre with the Command Post. DISABLED CAN'T ATTACK THIS TURN. Appears when the player attempts to target the Ogre with a disabled piece. DISABLED CAN'T MOVE THIS TURN. Appears when the player attempts to move a disabled piece. ENTIRE SQUAD HAS AIMED OR FIRED. Appears when the player attempts to target the Ogre more frequently than the number of units in a squad. NO ATTACKER. Appears when the player attempts to target opponent by dragging from a hex that doesn't contain a piece. NO CLEAR PATH. Appears when the player attempts to move a piece from one hex to another, and there is no path of empty hexes short enough to complete the move. NO COMBINED ATTACKS ON TREADS. Appears when the player attempts to combine pieces in an attack against the Ogre's treads. NO TARGET. Appears when the player attempts to target the opponent by dragging from a piece to a hex that doesn't contain an opponent. NO TREADS LEFT! Appears when the player attempts to move an Ogre that has no treads. NOT ENOUGH TREADS TO RAM. Appears when the player attempts a ram that will cost the Ogre more treads than it has remaining. OGRE CAN'T ENTER ON A CRATER. Appears when the Ogre player attempts to enter the field on a hex that contains a crater. OGRE ENTERS ON BOTTOM ROW ONLY. Appears when the player attempts to bring the Ogre onto the field on any row other than the bottom. ONLY TWO RAMS PER TURN. Appears when the Ogre player attempts to ram more than two pieces in one turn. PIECE CANNOT MOVE. Appears when the player attempts to move the Command Post or a howitzer. PLEASE MOVE A PIECE. Appears when the player attempts to move a crater, an opponent's piece, or from a blank hex. PLEASE STAY ON THE MAP. Appears when a click occurs anywhere except in a legal area. TARGET ONE UNIT AT A TIME. Appears when the Ogre attempts to target more than one defending unit at a time. TARGET OUT OF ATTACK RANGE. Appears when the Ogre is beyond the range of the attacking piece, or when the Ogre attempts to target a piece beyond the range of its available weapons. THIS HEX IS FULL. Appears when the player attempts to move a defending unit onto a hex that already contains the Ogre and another defending unit. THIS UNIT HAS MOVED. Appears when the player attempts to move a piece that has already moved its full movement allowance. UNIT ALREADY AIMED THIS TURN. Appears when the player attempts to target the Ogre with a piece that is already aimed at the Ogre. UNIT ALREADY FIRED THIS TURN. Appears when the player attempts to target the Ogre with a piece that has already fired. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FOR OGRE The author would like to thank the following persons for their help. Chuck Bueche, Paul Neurath, and Dallas Snell for programming assistance; Dallas Snell, Chris Martens & Steve Jackson for writing the manuals; Dave Albert & Steve Jackson for editing the manuals; Lori Ogwulu for graphics and design of manuals; Denis Loubet, Peter Diaglio and Winchell Chung for illustrations used in manuals; Marsha Meuse for game graphics Richard Garriott for making a general nuisance of himself (creative suggestions); The Playtesters: Jeff Hillhouse, Donna Gagne, Paul Neurath, Dale Nichols, Kurt Boutin, and Creede Lambard, Norman Banduch, Ray Greer, Steve Jackson, and Scott Haring from Steve Jackson Games. Dave Albert & Marsha Meuse for moral support. Steve Meuse Copyright (C) 1986 by Origin Systems, Inc., 340 Harvey Road, Manchester, NH, 03103