The object of the game is to mine asteroids which contain a rare ore. This ore is extremely valuable to a planet called Trionica. Each player starts with one asteroid and 20,000 Yiyons (pronounced ZI-YONS). Each asteroid leased by a player is connected via an enclosed conveyor belt to a central collection point called a Collector. It is at this Collector that the three main types of transporter (Shuttle, Freighter and Transfleet) can dock to pick up units. Units mined at the asteroids are automatically transferred to the Collector. Using one of the three main types of transporter, units are then shipped from the Collector to the Spaceport. The units are then shipped from the Spaceport to Trinonica where they are sold for Trigons (the Intergalactic monetary unit). Only Star Ships can be used to carry units from the Spaceport to Trionica.

The Trigon Target is the amount of Trigons a player has to earn to become the winner. This Target is normally set to 2,500,000 Trigons but can be changed at the beginning of the game. The only way to earn Trigons is by selling units at Trionica.

When the program has loaded, you will be asked how many people wish to play. When this has been entered, you will be asked to enter the name of each player. Please not: It does not matter in which order players names are entered as the computer will decide in which order the players will take their turn.

When all the players' names have been entered, you will be asked if all the names are correct. If you answer "Yes" the computer will then ask if you wish to limit the number of transporters available. If you answer "no", the program will display the present Trigon Target (the Trigon Target is described in 'Winning The Game') and ask if you wish to change it. If you answer "No" the game will begin.

Occasionally, a message will appear at the bottom of the screen like this: "Shuttle Is Destroyed By Klingons". This is one of the Disaster Reports. The Disaster Reports can be thought of as a pack of cards. On each of the cards is a message and the computer will occasionally take one of these cards and display it at the bottom of the screen. The action described on the card will then be taken. Just like a pack of cards, there are 52 of these Reports made up as follows:

When space-lanes are clear, transporters may jump into Hyperspace. This, in effect, allows then to reach their destination in one day. The player will also receive a rebate in the form of tax relief:

At the beginning of the game, these reports are shuffled. When the computer gets to the bottom of the pack, it starts again from the top. It is because the cards are never shuffled again that it is possible after a while to anticipate what the next few reports will bring.

Please Note: Sometimes you will get reports that do not apply to you. For instance "Shuttle Is Destroyed By Klingons" when you do not have a shuttle in flight. This has been done because if only Reports that applied were shown, it would not be possible to see what order the Reports are in!

It is quite possible that some players will go into debt after paying tax. The maximum debt, any player is 10 million Xiyons. If a player is in debt, the computer will sell any units remaining at the Spaceport and Collector and will then give the player tax relief, also during the game any units produced by the asteroids will be sold automatically until the player clears his debt.

There are four types of transporter:

Shuttle
Light haulage vehicle used for carrying cargo from the Collector to the Spaceport. This transporter can carry up to two units. Due to the shuttle's small size and high manoeuvrability this craft can easily steer itself through the asteroid belt. This ability means that a shuttle only has to travel ten sectors to reach the Spaceport. Hire charge for this vehicle is X10,000.

Freighter
Medium haulage vehicle used for transporting units from the Collector to the Spaceport; it can carry up to twenty units. Apart from the normal lease of X150,000, this ship also has an additional daily hire charge of X150,000. Increased size has reduced the manoeuvrability of this ship and therefore Freighters must take a slightly longer route of fifteen sectors to reach the Spaceport.

Transfleet
This juggernaut of space works between the Collector and the Spaceport and can carry up to 250 units. Like Freighters, Transfleets have a lease charge plus a daily hire charge both of which are X1250,000. Much to the designer's dismay, the Transfleet has been nicknamed by Space crews "The Slugs", which many believe is a reference to the shape of the craft but which is in fact a reference to its steerability! It is because of this high unmanoeuvrability or "Sluggishness" that Transfleets must avoid the asteroid belt altogether and travel around it. Total travelling distance for this craft is 20 sectors.

Star Ship
This is not so much a ship, more a sort of planet! Nobody knows for certain how much cargo a Star Ship can carry simply because no one has ever mined enough ore to fill one! It can therefore be thought of as having an infinite hold space. The government of Xiyonica has banned this ship from coming within 60,000 of your Earthling kilometres of its surface, not because they fear that it might crash into the planet but because they're frightened that the ship's gravitational pull might dislodge them from their present orbit! It is because of this that Star Ships are only used for interplanetary travel and ship units from the Spaceport to the planet Trionica. Due to advanced engineering this ship is capable of travelling faster than the speed of light (this of course is in direct contradiction to a certain Earthling's theory that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. However, as any Xiyonican schoolboy will tell you, this theory was proved to be wrong by an Xiyonican scientist) and because of this, Star Ships can travel up to six light years a day.

The distance between Xiyonica and Trionica is 25 light years. Star Ship hire charges vary with the amount of cargo being carried. The cost of leasing a Star Ship is worked out by finding the cost per unit for the amount of units the Star Ship is to carry and then multiplying this figure by the amount of units one is carrying. See separate guide.

At the start of the game, enough asteroids are made available so that each player can lease one hundred.

The lease price of X125,000 also includes connection to a Collector and the re-housing of miners and their dependants on to the asteroid. Asteroids leased cannot be sold.

There are three places at which units can be sold.

Selling Units At The Collector
Units can be sold at the Collector where they will be snapped up immediately by miners wishing to start their own businesses. The miners always offer a fixed rate of X15,000. Please note: The maximium number of units that can be stored at the Collector is 500.

Selling Units At The Spaceport
Passing aliens have always has an interest in the ore mined from the asteroids. However, they have no interest in the asteroids nor in Xiyonica, preferring instead at the Spaceport. Because the market is so buoyant the price offered for units of ore is always changing. It is because of this, sometimes violent, price fluctuation that the Xiyonican Trading Council has fixed the minimum selling price at X110,000 and X1100,000 respectively.

Selling Units At Trionica
Star Ships arriving at the Trionican Space Exchange are forced by the law of Trionica to sell all units immediately on arrival. The units are sold for the current Trionican Exchange Rate which, like the Spaceport Rate, is always changing, so you must judge what the price will be before you send a Star Ship on its journey. All units sold at Trionica are paid for in Trigons. Note: Trigons cannot be exchanged for Xiyons nor can Trigons be used for purchasing ships or asteroids.

If a player is not transporting units because he has no units or he is unable to afford any form of transport then he will receive tax relief according to his tax bracket.

On a player's turn, the following will happen.
The player's present holdings will be displayed.
The computer will then wait for a key between 1 and 9 to be pressed.
The keys have the following functions:-

1. SHU. Hire a Shuttle. See hiring transporters.
2. FRE. Hire a Freighter. See hiring transporters.
3. TRA. Hire a Transfleet. See hiring transporters.
4. STR. Hire a Star Ship. See hiring Star Ships.
5. AST. Buy Asteroids. Self explanatory.
6. SPC. Sell all units at Spaceport. Self explanatory.
7. COL. Sell all units at Collector. Self explanatory.
8. FEW. Sell a few units. See selling a few units.
9. CON. Continue to the next player. Self explanatory.

Note: If a player makes a mistake such as selling too many units or buying the wrong type of transporter, the player can correct it by pressing the ESCAPE key which restores the display.

Upon hiring a transporter, the vessel chosen will be sent to the Collector where it will be loaded with the maximum number of units it can carry. If there are not enough units to fill the vessel, it will take all the available units. The hire charge of the vessel plus, if applicable, a one day lease charge, will be deducted from the player's account and the transporter will be put into an orbit one sector above the Collector.

The actual purchasing of a transporter will conclude the player's trading for the day and the transporter will now be sent on its journey. The number of sectors the vessel travels on the day it is hired will now be displayed at the bottom of the screen.

When a Star Ship is hired, it will be sent to the Spaceport. The player will then be asked how many units he wants loaded into it. When the number of units has been entered, the Star Ship will start its journey.

This function allows one to sell a few units at either the Spaceport or the Collector.

After pressing 8, you will be asked where you wish to sell the units. You will then be asked how many units you wish to leave. When this has been entered, the remaining units will be sold and your Xiyon earnings will be increased by the appropriate amount.

Note: If a player has units in transit or has no units at the Collector or is in debt the display will wait for a short period before going on to the next player.