Note: Titles in parentheses are for reference and are not part of the
contest text.

(Objects In Space)

      Some game objects are In Space. Objects In Space are represented
      on the following style of map:

      @->---@

      All such objects are located on a straight line leading from one
      wormhole (@) to another. The line is divided into segments of
      one AU each, with no more than one object in the same segment,
      and dashes representing empty segments. Any definition of a type
      of object In Space must include the symbol to represent it on
      the map.

      Objects In Space have a number of stats. All objects have a
      position value and a delta value. The position is the number of
      the segment it occupies, counting from the left with the first
      wormhole as 0.  If an object's delta is positive or 0 it faces
      right, if negative it faces left. An object's position must be
      between 0 and the position of the second wormhole. Any object
      that finds itself outside of this area or on a wormhole is
      warped and disappears (is destroyed).

      Other common stats include maximum hit points, current hit
      points, attack value, explosion value and scouting value.  By
      default, the current hit points of an Object In Space is equal
      to its maximum hit points.  To deal N damage an Object In Space
      is to reduce its current hit points by N.  If an object does not
      have positive current hit points, it is destroyed.

(The Shuttle)

      The Shuttle, if it exists, is a singleton object In Space that
      houses the crew consisting of almost all active players. It
      enters play through the first wormhole and its objective is to
      reach the second one.  When it appears, it has the following
      stats:
      Symbol: >
      Maximum hit points: 12
      Position: 1
      Delta: 1
      Explosion value: 0

      Station is a switch possessed by all active players, with
      possible values Outside (default), Lower Deck, Engine Room and
      Bridge. While the Shuttle is on a journey, a player may flip eir
      Station switch at most once every 12 hours to te value of an
      adjacent room, where Lower Deck is adjacent to Enginge Room
      which is also adjacent to Bridge. This is known as walking to
      the room indicated by the new value. A player whose Station is x
      "is (stationed) in/on the x". The non-Outside values of the
      Station switches are also rooms aboard the Shuttle.

      A player whose Station is not Outside is a crewman.

(Journeys and the Enemy)

      A journey is in place while the Shuttle and two wormholes exist.
       If a journey is not in place, any player can with notice
      initiate a new journey.  That player then becomes the Enemy, eir
      Station switch is flipped to Outside, the Station switches of
      all other active players are flipped to Bridge and all Objects
      In Space and wormholes are destroyed; then, a new Shuttle is
      created.  The initiation of the journey is invalid unless, in
      the same message, the Enemy posts the map of the new journey,
      marking out two new wormholes and a new Shuttle in valid
      positions, which are created.  The position of the second
      wormhole is multiplied by the number of players on the Bridge to
      get the journey's Level, and the Enemy is awarded that many
      Threat Points (a non-tradeable currency).

      The Enemy can use these Threat Points to create Threats by
      defining the new Threat, paying its cost, and deploying it ready
      to attack, so long as the Enemy's Threat Points would not then
      fall below 0. The cost of a Threat (minimum 0) is calculated by
      the following formula: H+|d|+e+a+s+10-|S-p| where the symbols
      denote the following values:
      H = its Maximum hit points
      d = its delta
      e = its explosion value
      a = its attack value (maximum 6)
      s = its scouting value
      p = its starting position
      S = the current position of the Shuttle

      The Enemy must also state its name and map symbol. Failure to
      name any of the required information means the Threat is not
      created. The Enemy may not have more than two Threats with the
      exact same stats in play at the same time. The Enemy cannot
      deploy any Threats until at least one day has passed since the
      start of the journey.

      Credits are a currency whose recordkeepor is the contestmaster.
      If the Shuttle reaches the end of the journey and is warped,
      each player aboard the Shuttle is awarded a credit.  If the
      Shuttle is destroyed in any other way, the Enemy is awarded five
      credits and can only initiate the next journey with three
      support (anyone else still only needs notice).  A player CAN
      destroy ten credits in eir possession to win the contest.

(Buttons)

      The Shuttle holds many buttons that can be pushed, causing the
      Shuttle to take certain actions at the start of the next day.
      Every player can push one button in eir Station once per day,
      and each button can be pushed once per day unless otherwise
      stated.

      Charges, measuring energy, is a currency whose ownership is
      restricted to Stations. When the Shuttle sets out for a new
      journey, all Stations have 2 charges each. Some of the actions
      the Shuttle takes cost energy, denoted by a number of Charges in
      brackets after the name of the associated button. These Charges
      are taken from the Station holding that button if possible;
      otherwise, the action fails.

      The following buttons, with corresponding Charge cost and
      Shuttle action, exist:

      Lower Deck:

         Reload - Charges are transferred from the Engine Room until
         either the ER is empty or the LD has at most 4 Charges.

         Pulse Cannon (1) - Fires the Pulse cannon, causing 3 damage
         to any other object with a position within 2 AUs of the
         Shuttle's.

         Missile Launch - Dispatches a Missile In Space. Whhen it
         appears, it has the following stats:
         Symbol: X
         Maximum hit points: 5
         Position: One less than that of the Shuttle
         Delta: -2
         Explosion value: 2
         If there is a Missile next to the Shuttle, dispatching
         another  fails. If a Missile ever passes another object, it
         counts as having collided with that object.

      Engine Room:

         Reactor Recharge - Awards the Engine Room 3 Charges.

         More Speed (1) - Increases the Shuttle's delta by one
         (maximum 5)

         Turbo (2) - Increases the Shuttle's position by 2.

         Zero-Point Handbrake (1) - Reduces the Shuttle's delta to 0.

      Bridge:

         Reload - Analogous to the Reload button on Lower Deck.

         Heavy Laser Cannon (1) - Causes 6 damage to the closest
         object with a position between 1 and 9 greater than that of
         the Shuttle. The player pushing this button may choose to
         push it harder, which increses the Charge cost by 1, the
         damage caused by 3, and causes the Shuttle to reduce its
         position by one.  Doing this when it causes the ship to have
         the same position as another object is the class-1 crime of
         Hoisting One's Own Petard.

         Recording the Captain's Log (1) - Causes the Shuttle to
         activate the very fancy recording device for full hologram
         recording, which causes all other systems to go offline. The
         Shuttle can then not take any other actions until the end of
         the next day.  During this time any other crewman can, with 2
         crewman support, initiate a mutiny which moves the pusher of
         the Captain's Log button to the Outside. If this does not the
         player doing the recording may save it within one day for a
         cost of 2 ergs. A player who successfully performs this
         action twice within a single month wins the contest.

(Space Flight)

      At the start of each day, the following procedure is performed:

        i) The Shuttle performs the action associated with the buttons
           pushed during the previous day. These are performed in the
           order the button were pushed.

       ii) Each threat performs its attack. This does damage equal to
           its attack value to the closest object in the direction it
           faces, maximum range 8 AUs. Each threat then generates a
           number of Threat Points equal to its scouting ability
           value, which are awarded the Enemy.

      iii) If the day began a new week, each object is moved according
           to its delta. Any collisions occur.

       iv) Any Threats deployed ready for action enter play. If any
           such Threat has the same position as another object the
           Threat is instead placed on the first space farther away
           from the Shuttle that is available. If no such position
           exists, the Threat is destroyed.

      Collisions occur between two objects which have the same
      position. The object with the least amount of remaining hit
      points is destroyed, but causes the other object damage equal to
      its explosion value times its remaining hit points prior to the
      collision. If both objects have the same amount of hit points,
      the one with the higher explosion value is destroyed. If they
      have the same explosion value, they cause 2 damage to each other
      and move backwards one AU.

(The Ship Computor)

      The contestmaster's weekly report contains the following:
      - Station switches
      - The map of all objects In Space
      - Charges
      - Threat Points
      - The Difficulty of the current journey
      - The stats of the Shuttle and all Missiles