Game Mechanics

TKoM utilises relatively simple mechanics for both submitting Orders and as regards the contents of the Turn. Orders are submitted on an A4-size ORDER SHEET, which is split into three separate sections: the first section, at the top, is for filling in your personal details; the main section has spaces for up to forty Miscellaneous (or Special Miscellaneous) orders; and the final section has spaces for entering the movement orders of up to thirty armies. At no time may any player submit more orders than a single Order Sheet permits.

There are primarily three types of Orders in TKoM, termed Miscellaneous Orders, Army Movement Orders, and Special Miscellaneous Orders. On the Order Sheet, however, there are only two formats used, since Special Misc. Orders use the same Order format as ordinary Misc. Orders, and only Army Movement orders are treated separately from all the other Orders available in the game.

Miscellaneous Order spaces on the Order Sheet are divided into four solumns, or PARAMETERS, of varying widths. Army Movement spaces, listed below these, each consist of 13 parameters of roughly equal width, with the exception of the first parameter which is somewhat wider. In both cases the first parameter is the most important of all: for Miscellaneous Orders the two-letter Order Code always goes in the first parameter (eg. CT for Construct Town), and for Army Movement Orders the first parameter is used to indicate which army it is you are giving the subsequent movement instructions to.

The second, third and last parameter of the Miscellaneous Order spaces are then used (or not, as the case may be), depending upon the two-letter Order Code placed in the first parameter of that particular Order Space. Some Orders will require that information be given in all four parameters of the Order space, while others may require additional information only in the second parameter.

One exception to this rule is when the Order consists of having to name a Town or Army - the name is written in the last, wider parameter even if the third parameter is not used. Full details of the required format for each Order is given later in this document together with the details of the actual Order.

Army movement orders are also simple to use, but you must exercise a little more care with these so as not to make mistakes and send your armies marching off in completely the wrong direction to that intended! As mentioned above, the first, slightly wider parameter of these 13 Order Spaces is used for indicating exactly which army it is the subsequent marching instructions apply to. This is simply done, since each army you control will, on your printed Turn Results, be allocated a unique identification number when first raised: your initial five armies are naturally numbered Army 1-5, and future armies will be added to the end of the list. When you wish to give an Army instructions to March, simply place the relevant ID number in the first parameter of an Army Movement order space.

Note that - as with the Miscellaneous orders - you do not need to list Army Movement Orders in any particular order on the Turncard, since in TKoM all armies, of every tribe, move simultaneously one step at a time.

Having decided which army will move, and having entered its ID number in the first parameter of the first/next available blank Order space, you than have spaces for entering up to twelve consecutive movement orders. Rarely will any army be able to use all twelve, but most of the time most armies will manage to use at least half of these. The exact factors for you to take into consideration in determining the movement ranges of your armies(allowing for race type and preferences, terrain types, morale, fatigue and other, less usual factors), are covered in depth later in this document, so for now we will concentrate on the world map over which these armies will actually roam.