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 Command Post and, if possible, the entire defensive armor battalion. The Mark V is a larger, more formidable version of the Mark III. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ogre Mark III Attributes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART QUANTITY Def.S Att.S Att.R --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missiles 2 3 6 5 Main Battery 1 4 4 3 Secondary Battery 4 3 3 2 Antipersonnel 8 1 1 1 Treads 45 1 0 0 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ogre Mark V Attributes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART QUANTITY Def.S Att.S Att.R --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missiles 6 3 6 5 Main Battery 2 4 4 3 Secondary Battery 6 3 3 2 Antipersonnel 12 1 1 1 Treads 60 1 0 0 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMAND POST: Att.S.- 0 Att.R.- 0 Def.S - 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 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: Att.S. - 4 Att.R. - 2 Def.S. - 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. Unfortunatly, a heavy tank must get within 3 km. (2 hexes) of the Ogre in order to fire upon it. This leave the heavy tank vulnerable to almost all of the Ogre's weapons, including the possiblity of being crushed beneath the Ogre's treads. MISSILE TANK: Att.S. - 3 Att.R. - 4 Def.S. - 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 km. (4 hexes) away, allowing it to pound the Ogre while staying out of range of most of the Ogre's weapons. HOWITZER: Att.S. - 6 Att.R. - 8 Def.S. - 1 Movement - 0 The howitzer is the defender's hardest hitting and longest range weapon. A howitzer can reach an Ogre up to 12 km (8 hexes) away. This allows a howitzer to get 2 to 3 shots at an Ogre before the Ogre can get within striking distance. Howitzers are permanently installed and cost twice as much as any other armor unit. The fact that a howitzer annot 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): Att.S. - 2 Att.R. - 2 Def.S. - 2 Move - 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. GEVs 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 the reach of the Ogre's weapons. INFANTRY: Att.S. - 1,2, or 3 Att.R. - 1 Def.S.- 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 used powered "battlesuits" to greatly increase their mobility (allowing them to cross rubble that stops other armor units) and provide some protection from radiation and shrapnel. Infantry cannot move as fast as a fully funcional 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 (oh boy!!!), 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. 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 save 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 the 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 opion 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 and 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 and 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 of 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 occurs only at the beginning of a game. During that 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) GEVs 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 action performed by the player(s). Beneath the Tactical Display are te 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 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 next player before proceeding to the next game phase.