Kriegspiel is tank warfare set amoung mountain and forest, river and swamp - where a held bridge will hold up an onslaught and a change in the weather can change the fortunes of war.

The opposing armies are made up of heavy tank divisions, light tank divisions and infantry. And each is out to capture the other city's HQ. The winner will be the commander who makes best use of the features of the landscape and the advantages it offers, who is ready to take advantage of a break in the weather and who understands the value of his outgunned infantry divisions.

Each terrain feature sets its own problems and offers its own advantages and whenever two opposing divisions move onto adjacent hexes, the computer takes over to sort out the outcome of the combat.

Kriegspiel can be played over three maps: a standard, desert and mountain scenario and two players can take on each other or one can play against the computer. The winner is the first commander to enter his opponent's capital.

Three scenarios are available. The standard map is built into the program. Mountain and desert maps are also on the tape and can be run as follows:

Type:

RUN137 (ENTER)

The computer will ask: M/D?

Press M for Mountain, D for Desert and keep the PLAY button down on the recorder.

You may find it convenient to save the program with the new map:

Put a new tape in the recorder and press RECORD and PLAY.

Type:
RUN136 (ENTER)

You will be asked "NAME?"

Reply MOUNT or DESERT as appropriate. The program will be saved and then stop.

Each army has fifteen pieces consisting of:

This number can be increased up to 25 (see Recruiting). And each side can lay up to five minefields.

1. The status report is displayed and the RED player is requested to press ENTER, or the FIRE button on the joystick.
2. The RED player moves all, some or none of his pieces.
3. Combat, if any, will take place.
4. The status report will be displayed again.
5. The BLUE player may now make his moves.
6. Combat, if any, will take place.
7. The recruiting phase occurs.

These steps are repeated until a piece enter the opponent's city.

A player may move each piece up to the limit of its movement factors unless it is moved adjacent to an opponent when it must stop. Unused factors are lost. The number of movement factors required to enter a particular map feature are shown in the Terrain Chart. Provided entry is not restricted, six directions are possible.

The rules for both the Heavy and Light tanks are the same; only the movement and attack factors differ. The movement options are:

Direction arrows - These move the tank one hex in the desired direction.

These have the same options plus the following:

Capturing these will enable the player to recruit additional troops. A town can be in three states during the game.

1. Neutral: No force is an adjacent hex.
2. Friendly: One or more pieces from the same side are *currently* in the adjacent hex.
3. Occupied: Both sides have pieces in adjacent hexes.

Transportation is only possible between Friendly towns and cities. Cities remain friendly to their own side even if an enemy piece has moved into an adjacent hex.

The weather will have an effect on the course of the game. It will vary during the year:

The effect on play will be:

Each side has five minefields which it can lay. In the two player game, an opponent should be asked to leave the room while minefields are laid. Minefields can only be laid by infantry (through the L option). All forces have equipment to clear minefields but the success rate varies:

If the minefield is not cleared the piece will be destroyed and the minefield will remain intact. Minefields are also deadly to the side which laid them.

Infantry can be transported from one friendly town to another (movement rules explain how). The cost of transportation is four move factors. Units may move before and after transportation. Transported pieces will be placed in the first vacant hex around the new town which is not under attack.

After every round of play, the player holding the majority of friendly towns will recruit an additional piece as follows:

The piece will be placed in the first empty hex around the player's city going clockwise and may be under attack straightaway. Reinforcements are generated automatically by the computer. Recruiting will not occur if the six hex around the city are occupied or if the player holds the maximum of 25 pieces.

Combat takes place once all movement has been completed. It occurs automatically between opposing forces on adjacent hexes. A unit may only attack one defender. Each attacking unit is checked for possible attacks and if it is adjacent to more than one defender, direction arrows will appear at the bottom of the screen asking which defender you choose to attack.

Each conflict is decided as follows:

1. All the attacking pieces' attack factors are calculated and modified according to the terrain each unit occupies.
2. The defenders factors are calculated in the same way.
3. The attacking force's total attack factor is increased by an attack bonus equal to half its total factors. Fractions are ignored. So a force of seven factors becomes nine factors.
4. The modified factors of any other defender's piece adjacent to the attacker and not itself attacked, are added to the defendant's total. If the unit has a choice of two pieces to aid, that choice will be made by the computer.
5. The odds are calculated by dividing the smaller sum into the larger and ignoring fractions. For example:

The attacker has ten factors and the defender has four - the odds are 2-1 in the attacker's favour.
The attacker has three factors and the defender has seven - the odds are 2-1 in favour of the defender.

The combat table below is now consulted. If the odds favour the defender, consult the left-hand side and select the appropriate column; if they favour the attacker consult the right-hand side. The computer will "roll a dice" and select one of the six possible alternatives from that column.

Odds greater than 6-1 are automatic elimination.