Hi - here is a copy of the latest house rules for you to peruse. Would you
be kind enough to check them out for me, and comment before we go into mass
production of them all. (Note the original version is in Word, so that
format is nicer, with nice bits of artwork so that there is the slightest
chance that players might even read it... 
Thanks
Clint
Middle Earth House Rules & Procedures
or
How to get the most out of your journeys through Middle Earth
Contents
� Behind the Scenes
� Turn Writing - What to do, and what not to do
� Sample email turn format
Behind the Scenes
Processing times.
Games are generally processed at 1pm on the day after the due date. Please
then ensure that your turns reach us by that time at the very latest. Faxes
can be sent up until 1pm, but emails are taken from the computer at 11am, so
any turns sent to us via email after this time will not make the deadline.
Email
Those of you who have opted to receive turns via email will receive them
from Allsorts' old email address (allsorts@compuserve.com). Turns sent to
the Allsorts address may still reach us, but we cannot guarantee that they
will not take several days to do so, and so run the risk of missing the
deadline.
Hidden Costs
Re-prints of turns cost �2.00. Of course, if the reprint is due to an error
on our part, this charge is waived.
If your account is low funds - that is to say, in negative - then there is
an administration charge of �1. for the first turn, and �.50 for turns after
that whilst you remain low funds.
If for any reason you need to phone in your turn to us, this is possible,
but will cost an extra �2.
Paying for your Turns
When calculating your account, please allow for the fact that you need
enough money to pay for the whole of your next turn. Also, please note that
the correct balance is the one on the front sheet not the one on the turn
sheet.
Cheques are to be made out to "Middle Earth PBM Games" not "Harlequin
Games."
Credit card payments made within the UK incur a 5% charge. Also, please note
that we process our credit card payments through Flagship, so their name and
not ours will appear on your bank statements.
If you pay by credit card, you may choose to make regular monthly payments
which will automatically be made at the start of every month. Alternatively,
you can set up a standing order to recharge your account whenever it reaches
a certain level.
Playing more than one position
At the start of a new game, no player can play more than one position.
However, if a player drops out, then we will often consider allowing an
existing player on that team taking over the position, so that the game will
not become unbalanced. However, as this system is clearly open to abuse, we
reserve the right to judge each case on an individual basis.
We work ceaselessly on your behalf
Whilst the post office does not work on bank holidays, we do, so please take
this into account when sending in turns, else you may miss the deadline.
But Mistakes will happen
In a perfect world, errors would not be made. But we are only human, and
acknowledge that on occasion, mistakes will be made. If you think that there
has been an error in your turn, please do not panic, as we can sort out
nearly any problem or mistake that may have occurred. Simply contact us as
quickly as possible, giving all the relevant information, and we will do our
best to resolve the matter.
So Please keep calm
Nearly any problem you may have can be resolved. However, this is made
greatly easier by all concerned keeping calm. We recognise that when
something goes wrong it is understandable that you may be annoyed, but by
remaining calm, we can best identify the problem and deal with it
efficiently. Also, please be aware that a word spoken in anger is easily
forgotten, but by putting it into words - either by letter or email - gives
it more weight than might have been intended.
How to contact us
If you have any questions or problems, please do not hesitate to contact us
through any of the following means:
By post... 340 North Road, Cardiff, CF14 3BP.
By telephone... 02920 625665 weekdays from mid-day to 6.30pm
By fax... 02920 625532 at any time
By email... me@harlequingames.com
  (though our old address, harlequin.games@dial.pipex.com is still active.)
mepbm list... To talk with other players, subscribe to our email list at
http://www/onelist.com
& website... for more information on all our games, take a look at
www.harlequingames.com
Turn Writing - What to do, and what not to do
Salient Points to Note
� When you do not get any orders in for a deadline, you will receive a
special service turn, which contains basic orders for your characters, such
as refuse challenge. In the past, it was possible to opt not to have a
special service turn and instead not receive a turn at all. However, for
reasons of game mechanics this is no longer an option, and so if you do not
get any orders in, you will find yourself getting a special service turn.
� When playing by email, please order your characters in alphabetical order.
This makes turn inputting much easier for us, and minimises the chance of
errors occurring.
� 948 orders are often mixed up. To clarify: order 947 collects a percentage
of goods from all your population centres and deposits this into one
population centre. The order 948 moves a specific amount of a store type
from one population centre to another, including centres belonging to other
friendly nations. This also works for gold, but since gold can only be kept
at a capital, the order can only be used to move gold from one capital to
another.
� 4th Age start-ups require players to give three possible locations for
their capitals, which must each be ten hexes away from the others. If they
are closer together, we are forced to choose which locations to leave out,
which can lead to disappointment.
� If a character attempts to 705 orders (research spell) for different
spells, the computer randomly selects which goes first. If then you attempt
to research two spells, one of which is the prerequisite for the other,
there is a 50% chance that they will be researched the wrong way around, so
that you do not have the appropriate prerequisite for the higher level
spell.
� Order 725 (create character) gives a maximum of 30 points to spend on a
character's skills. Orders 728, 731, 734 and 737 allocate 30 points to the
appropriate skill (which can rise to a maximum of 40 if the nation has an
appropriate special ability).
� The rulebook states that you can give either number codes or letter codes
for orders. However, as a rule we work from the numbers, checking them
against the letter codes if there appears to be a discrepancy. If possible
then we appreciate it if you use numbers codes, and would recommend that you
use both to minimise errors (if you do not use both, that means we have no
way of checking your orders). All things being equal, if there is a
discrepancy we will use the number code. If we notice that one appears to
make more sense than the other, we will of course use it, but generally, the
number code will take precedence.
A Comedy of Errors
This article appeared in News from Bree, the in-game Middle Earth
newsletter, and highlights many of the more commonly made errors in
turn-writing, which the wise player might do well to avoid...
It has been oft-claimed, sometimes with justification, that we make errors
when inputting turns. And yes, we freely admit that this is the case.
However, what is less frequently admitted is the fact that we are not the
only ones to do this. As such, then, we took time out from our arduous task
of running Middle Earth to examine the turns received for one turn one game.
And found the following errors...
� No security code and/or turn number and/or game number. Probably around a
third of turns received are missing at least one of these things.
� The wrong security code and/or turn number and/or game number. More
awkward than the last version, as it leaves us wondering whether it is the
character names or the turn/game numbers that are wrong, or in the case of
the security code, whether it is a very late or a very early turn.
� Wrong/missing/extra character names/i.d.s. Another awkward one, as the
question is raised as to what characters the orders are actually intended
for.
� Orders given for captured characters. This doesn't work!
� 430 orders given with no troop type. Another common one this, and contrary
to popular opinion giving no troop type isn't the same as saying HI, though
we generally translate it this way.
� A 780 order with extra information such as a hex number or troop type.
Strange but true.
� 3 and 5 digit hex numbers given for move orders. 3 is understandable,
perhaps, but 5 is pretty bizarre.
� 870 orders given with no character i.d. A very common one this; not vital,
as the character will still move, but character i.d.s are not something we
can just guess at.
� 850 orders with no directions. And, more annoying for us, 850 orders with
a hex number instead of directions. Not only does this take us time to work
out, but we have to guess at which route you wish taken. Which also applies
to 830 orders.
� 610 orders with no character i.d. Commonly altered to 605 orders, but this
isn't much consolation to the commander lying dead in a pool of his own
blood.
� 810 orders with no hex number, 810 orders with directions instead of a hex
number, and 810 orders with hex numbers that are off the map. This can also
apply to 820 orders, though none were found in this game.
� 2 skill orders given for the same skill field. Only one is allowed, so the
other will fail, which leaves us with the conundrum of which you want to
attempt. Sometimes easy to deduce, but not always so. We will do our best,
but cannot guarantee to pick the one you most wanted to work.
� 360 orders with no character i.d. given, and the same for 355s and 780s.
� 948 orders with only one hex number given, and 847 orders with two. These
tend to be important orders, especially the 948 ones, so getting them wrong
is not advised.
� 949s with no character i.d. Guaranteed to annoy your erstwhile ally.
Sample Email Order Format
The clearer your orders are, the easier they will be for us to enter, and so
the chance of inputting errors occurring will be minimised. Below is an
example of what for us is the ideal email turn format. We would ask, then,
if you could do your best to emulate this as closely as possible.
Game: 65, Nation: 3, Security Code: 5129, Marcus Black, 109999
Elfhelm
430 TrpsMan 520 InfYour
HI
Elfhild
705 RsrchSp 710 PrenMgy
412
Eomer
770 HrArmy 325 NatSell
400 FO
HI 100%
···
-
-
10 food
Fahmal
947 NatTran 948 TranCar
3221 3221
FO 2715
100% FO
                     16028
And so on. Basically, please do your best to set out your orders as clearly
as possible, with characters in alphabetical order, and without the orders
either too close together, or too spread out.