Getting Started

The mechanics of the game are simple. Each player assumes the role of a totalitarian ruler of a small galactic empire. Every player in turn examines status reports and issues orders each year, a simple process that includes determining which worlds can become colonies and deploying fleets to conquer them. Once all players have taken their turn, the computer updates all the worlds in the galaxy and the next year begins. There are no formal victory conditaions in the game, so a game doesn't ever have to end.

Below are a few tips that will help you get started:

		Launch Anacreon and start a new game. Anacreon supports many different scenarios; some are small with only a few dozen worlds while others take place amid hundreds of worlds. If you've never played Anacreon before, pick a beginner scenario such as The Pirates of Jakarta. After a few text screens describing the scenario, you will be asked to pick the number of players. Then you will be asked to select the name of your empire. If you're playing with other people you may want to pick a password so that others will not be able to command your empire. Otherwise, a password is not needed.
		The first year you will have very little information about surrounding worlds. Use the Empire/Launch Probe command to launch a probe to the selected sector on the map. You will not see any data from the probe until your next turn. Select Game/Next Turn to advance the game one year.
		To conquer another world you must first send a fleet to it. Use the Fleet/Deploy... command to deploy ships from your capital. When you do send out attack fleets, remember to bring transports filled with infantry. You cannot conquer a world unless you land infantry on the surface.
		Hunter-killers, jumpships, and jumptransports can travel ten sectors per year. Use these ships when taking worlds more than three sectors away.
		Don't send out too many attack fleets. You will need at least 500 infantry divisions to conquer a pre-warp level world. Since each jumptransport can only carry one division, you will need at least that many jumptransports per attack fleet.
		Once you've conquered a world, use the World/Designate... command to determine how the world will contribute to your empire. More advanced worlds will be able to builds ships for the empire; primitive worlds will only be good for farming and mining.