RUGBY LEAGUE BREAKOUT

WHAT EMAIL WAS INVENTED FOR

1  INTRODUCTION

1.1  INTRODUCTION   "Rugby League Breakout" is a game about Rugby League. It tries to capture the "flavour" and "feel" of Rugby League, but it's not actually a simulation game. Simulation games are more complicated and expensive and are usually a lot more difficult to play. The game has been design from scratch as a game for the internet, but it should still work as a play-by-mail game. In these rules we refer to players in the game (like yourself) as "coaches". The "players" are the guys in your squad that play for the team.

1.2  PLAYER INTERACTION   "Rugby League Breakout" is designed so that interaction between the coaches is all carried out within the game. To set up player trades with the coaches of other teams you can use your normal orders. We don't give out your address, email address or phone number as part of the game, but there's nothing to stop you doing so with the message facility (see later).

1.3  THE LEAGUE   Leagues are made up of twelve teams each. Teams are always named after real teams in the real life league. When you have to specify another team in your orders (on a trade action, for example) you use the three letter code shown in the game report. Each season is nineteen turns long (one week of pre-season games, four weeks for the cup, eleven weeks for the league and three weeks for the finals). Teams that aren't playing (during the cup and in finals rounds) play additional pre-season games.

Note: There's normally no home advantage in the game, so it's not necessary to play the full home and away series that you'd see in a real league.

1.4  LEAGUE STANDINGS   League positions are decided by two points for a win and one for a draw, and then by points difference. Pre-season games don't count in the league standings. They're just for practice.

1.5  CHALLENGE CUP   The challenge cup is played at the start of the season. Eight teams play in the first round, while four teams have byes into the second round (they play pre-season games amongst themselves during round one). The second, third and fourth rounds are quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in the usual knockout format. In the first season the first round byes go to the last four teams to join, but after that they go to the four top teams in the league the previous season.

1.6  THE FINALS   Four teams play in the finals. The teams that finish first and second in the league play in the Qualifying Final. The winner goes straight to the Grand Final. The loser plays in the Preliminary Final. The teams that finish third and fourth in the league play in the Elimination Final. The loser is eliminated and the winner plays in the Preliminary Final. The loser of the Preliminary Final is eliminated, and the winner goes to the Grand Final.

1.7  CONSOLATION GAMES   The eight teams that don't make the finals play in the Consolation Cup, which is a straight knockout competition. The teams that are eliminated in the first two rounds of the finals play in the Playoff Cup. This gives everyone something to do while waiting for the next season to start. This is the best time to mess around with improving your team, signing new players and making trades etc.

Note: Don't expect to impress anyone by winning the Playoff Cup or the Consolation Cup. They're just a chance to show your team is quite as bad as the next one, or that maybe you're going to do better next season.