RUGBY LEAGUE BREAKOUT

WHAT EMAIL WAS INVENTED FOR

4  PLAYER MOVEMENTS

4.1  INTRODUCTION   All player movements (signings and trades) apply only to your reserve players and occur after the games for that week have been played. If you want to release or replace one of the players in your actual team then you must first swap him into your reserves (normally you'd want to bring in his replacement, then swap the replacement into the team, and then trade or replace the player once he's in the reserves).

4.2  PLAYER ACTIONS   There are a number of different actions you can use to make changes in your squad, but you cannot make more than one action in a turn on the same player. This means you cannot do two actions from SWAP or TRADE or SIGN or COACH or YOUTH with the same squad number. You can't swap a player out of your team and trade him the same turn, for example (or agree a trade and then swap a different players into the position you're trading). You have to do things one step at a time.

This is a very important rule that you will need to remember when writing your actions.

Be especially careful with SIGN actions, because in these the squad number is hidden and you don't actually write it in your orders. It's probably a good idea to write down the squad number of the player you're replacing with a signing when you're writing the draft of your orders to reduce the risk of messing up.

Note: Those of you who have played our simulation games will notice that this is very different from our previous games. It's an important change that makes the game a LOT simpler and makes the rules a LOT shorter because we don't have to write complicated rules for all the awkward combinations of different actions that you could try to do at the same time.

4.3  FREE AGENTS   Free agents are players who are not currently signed for a team in the game but who are available to be signed. The current list of free agents is given in the game report each turn and each player is allocated a "free agent number" (from 1 to 99) by which he is identified when you want to sign him.

4.4  FIND ACTION   You can use the FIND action to find a new player and have him added to the free agent list (from where you can try to sign him another turn). The cost is 1 LP. Enter "FIND" in the action box and the player position in the "other" box. The new player is generated by the computer with random skills and age.

Example:

ACTION [  FIND  ]    SQUAD NUM [  not used  ]    AMOUNT [  not used  ]    OTHER [  WG  ]

This action would add a new winger to the free agent list.

Note: You have no special rights for being the team that found the player, and anyone else can bid for him the same as you (if they've got enough LPs, and if they want the same sort of player). Equally, if he's not what you wanted you don't have to bid for him.

4.5  SIGN ACTION   You can bid for any player currently on the free agent list by using the SIGN action. Your bid must be at least the normal value of the player (see 3.7) but may be higher. Other teams may make bids for the same player at the same time, in which case he signs for whichever team offers the most (equal bids are decided at random). The cost of the action is the value of your bid less half the value of the player released (you pay nothing if the action fails).

Enter "SIGN" in the action box, the free agent number of the player wanted in the squad number box and the number of LPs you're bidding in the amount box.

Example:

ACTION [  SIGN  ]    SQUAD NUM [  17  ]    AMOUNT [  32  ]    OTHER [  not used  ]

This action tries to sign a free agent with a bid of 32 LPs.

Note: You don't need to say which player he's to replace, because it's always the reserve player who plays the same position.

4.6  YOUTH ACTION   The YOUTH action creates and signs a new free agent "youth" player straight into your reserves. The player is generated by the computer with random skills and age. Youth players will usually be younger and have lower values than free agents created by the FIND action. He doesn't go through the free agent list and other coaches don't get to bid against you. The cost of the action is the value of the new player less half the value of the player released.

You should be aware that this action can fail because you can't afford it (since you don't know in advance how much the new guy will cost).

Enter "YOUTH" in the action box and the squad number of the reserve player to be replaced in the squad number box.

Example:

ACTION [  YOUTH  ]    SQUAD NUM [  14  ]    AMOUNT [  not used  ]    OTHER [  not used  ]

This action tries to replace your reserve full back with a youth player.

Note: The point of a YOUTH action is normally to release the player being replaced. In the action you don't have to say what position you want to him play because that's decided by the squad number.

4.7  PLAYERS RELEASED   When you release a player he is added to the free agent list, where he is available to be signed by anyone. You get half his value (rounded up) back when you release him (it reduces the cost of the action). If someone does sign him from the free agent list then you get back the other half of his value.

You can also sign one of your own players back from the free agent list and still get the second half of his value back when you do.

Note: This is often used as an alternative way of making a trade. It's much simpler because each step in the trade can be carried out separately, and many trades happen this way without be pre-arranged at all. The thing that does tend to go wrong with pre-arranged trades done this way is that people change their minds (someone else offers a better player) or someone else steps in with a higher bid.

4.8  TRADES   You can use the TRADE action to trade players with another team. You can only trade players in your reserves, and you can only trade for a player who plays the same position. All trades you make in a turn must be with the same team (you can't trade one player to one team and another to a different team). Trades only work if both teams order the same trade. All trade actions you order in the same turn succeed or fail together (ie. they all succeed or they all fail, and you can't have one part of a multiple trade go through if any part doesn't). The cost is the difference in the values of the players concerned.

Enter "TRADE" in the action box, the squad number of the players in the squad number box, and the team code for the team you're trading with in the "other" box. Note that you don't need to give the squad number of the other guy since it must be the same as the player you're offering.

Example:

ACTION [  TRADE  ]    SQUAD NUM [  18  ]    AMOUNT [  not used  ]    OTHER [  WIG  ]

This action offers to trade reserve scrum halves with a team called WIG (presumably Wigan).

Note: Because you can only trade players who play the same position you will often need to make two trades at once. If you wanted to trade a centre for a wing, for example, then you'd have to make two trades and trade their counterparts as well. This is the reason for the all-pass or all-fail rule.

4.9  TRADE OFFERS   If you order a trade that doesn't happen then it is listed in the game report as a "trade offer". This is a perfectly reasonable way to propose a trade to another team. Just make the action so that it will be listed as an offer, and then repeat it the following turn to see if the other coach follows suit and accepts the trade.

4.10  SCOUTING   You can use the SCOUT action to get details of players in other teams (including players in their reserves). Players you scout are listed in your game report in the same format as your own players (there's no "secret" or "hidden" information in this game). Any actions you don't use are treated as scout actions (picking a team and a squad number at random).

Enter "SCOUT" in the action box, the squad number of the player you want to scout in the squad number box and the three-letter code for his team in the "other" box.

Example:

ACTION [  SCOUT  ]    SQUAD NUM [  9  ]    AMOUNT [  not used  ]    OTHER [  CAN  ]

This action extracts details of of the hooker of a team called CAN (presumably the Canberra Raiders).

Note: Knowing the exact strengths and weaknesses of individual players in opposing teams can be very useful. Sometimes this will suggest to you tactics that you should or shouldn't use.

4.11  THE FREE AGENT LIST   After all player movements for the turn have been processed all players on the free agent list with the lowest value or highest age are retired (removed from the list and from the game).

Example: The oldest player on the list is aged 29, there are three players with values of only 20, and a whole bunch with lower ages or higher values. The 29 year old disappears (whatever his value) and all three 20-point guys disappear as well (whatever their ages).