Ergon

INSTRUCTIONS

ERGON
=====

Ergon is a futuristic strategy game 
for two players. The playing area 
represents a new planet on which each 
player is trying to establish a 
colony, and the objective is to ensure 
that your colony survives by 
destroying your opponent's 
headquarters.

The game can be played using either 
one or two joysticks. To use one 
joystick, press the fire button on the 
stick in the joystick port. To use 
two, press fire on the stick in the 
mouse port.

You start the game with a headquarters 
and three units. New units can be 
built if you have sufficient energy 
and resources. Your headquarters 
produces 1 resource and 2 energy each 
turn, and installations can be built 
to produce more.

All options are selected using the 
joystick. At the beginning of the turn 
you will have up to three options. 
PASS is always available. USE UNIT is 
available as long as you have at least 
one unit. BUILD UNIT is available if 
you have an unoccupied factory (your 
headquarters counts as a factory) and 
enough energy and resources to build 
at least the cheapest unit. Once you 
select an option you will be asked to 
choose an appropriate unit or 
installation on the board.

USE UNIT: All units can move, so the 
MOVE option will always be available. 
Units which have ranged fire will also 
have a FIRE option. Other options are 
available for certain units.

Movement: Movement is controlled by 
the joystick. Units cannot move 
through squares occcupied by friendly 
units. If you move onto an enemy unit, 
an assault will take place - whichever 
unit loses will be destroyed. If you 
move onto an enemy installation, you 
will attack the installation. If you 
lose, your unit will retreat; if you 
win you take over the installation.
Both units and installations get a 
defence bonus from their terrain. 
Woods and hills have good defence and 
rivers have some defence - plain 
squares have none.

Firing: When you choose FIRE, the unit 
will fire in the direction it is 
facing. The first unit within range 
(friendly or enemy) will take damage. 
The Bombard fires a special shot which 
ignores units and affects instal-
lations instead.

Build Bridge: The Spider will have 
this option if it is on a river 
square. Only Spiders, Gorgons and 
Goliaths can cross the river without a 
bridge.

Clear Woods: Also the Spider, this 
option is available when the unit is 
on a wooded square. There's not much 
reason to remove woods in your own 
half of the board, but it's very 
useful for annoying your opponent if 
you can get into his half.

Lay Mine: The Gorgon can lay mines on 
any square except those occupied by 
bridges or installations. Any unit 
(except another Gorgon) which moves 
onto the mines will be destroyed. If a 
Gorgon moves onto mines, they will be 
removed and the Gorgon will end its 
move.

Build Installations: The Goliath can 
build three types of installation: 
Energy Plants, Resource Centres and 
Factories. The Goliath is used up in 
building the installation. Energy 
plants produce energy, and are best 
placed on hills or rivers. Resource 
centres produce resources but use 1 
unit of energy each - if you don't 
have enough energy, they will not 
produce. They are best placed in 
forests or on hills. Factories are 
used to build new units and give you 
two advantages. One is that you don't 
have to leave your headquarters 
unguarded. the other is that if you 
can build a factory near the river, 
slow units can get into the battle 
that much quicker.

BUILD UNIT: Each unit costs a certain 
amount of energy and resources to 
build. When you choose this option you 
will first be asked to select which 
factory you want to use, then you will 
see a display of all 12 unit types. As 
you move over each unit type its cost 
is shown, in white if you can afford 
it or red if you can't.

UNIT TYPES: 

TANKS: There are three sizes of tank, 
and while the all have different 
stats, they all have a good balance of 
gun, movement, armour and assault.

TANK KILLERS: Each of these has a 
better gun than the equivalent tank, 
but lower armour and assault.

MOSQUITO: This scout car has the 
highest movement in the game and also 
has a reasonable assault, but is light 
and unarmed.

JUGGERNAUT: This assault vehicle has 
the same gun as a light tank but the 
same assault as a heavy tank.

SPIDER: The Spider is used to build 
bridges and clear woods. It is unarmed 
but has average move, armour and 
assault.

GORGON: The Gorgon is used to lay and 
remove mines. The Gorgon is unarmed 
but has good assault.

GOLIATH: The Goliath is used to build 
intallations and is not much good for 
anything else. Don't let enemy units 
get close enough to assault it! 
However, it is quite large and can 
survive a couple of shots if 
necessary.

BOMBARD: As mentioned in the firing 
section, the Bombard fires a special 
shell for destroying intstallations. 
Again, this is a very specialised 
vehicle and will need protection if 
you send it into enemy territory.

ENDING THE GAME: By the time you've 
read all this you've probably 
forgotten the objective of the game! A 
player wins by either destroying or 
capturing the opponent's headquarters.