◈ BSM PANDORA — TUTORIAL

A solitaire sci-fi wargame — ARES Magazine #6 browser implementation by Tronsoft Games

What Is BSM Pandora?

You command the biological survey ship PANDORA on a 20-month tour of duty. Visit alien worlds, send expeditions to the surface, and capture exotic specimens for scientific study. Score as many Victory Points (VP) as possible before time or supplies run out.

Starting the Game

1. Open index.html in a web browser. No server needed.

2. Click BEGIN TOUR OF DUTY in the Command Decisions panel (center column).

3. The game deals your starting crew, tools, bots, and e-cages automatically.

Screen Layout

Left panel: Pandora status — tour months, ship supply, VP, crew log, tools, e-cages, cargo
Center panel: Mission log + current paragraph text + Command Decisions buttons
Right panel: Interstellar star map or current planet surface map; active encounter display
¶ LOG tab (left edge): Slide-out drawer with full paragraph history

Turn Order

1. INTERSTELLAR PHASE — Choose a planet. You travel there spending transit months from your 20-month tour.

2. ORBIT PHASE — Perform an orbital scan to learn the planet's creatures, terrain, and attributes.

3. EXPEDITION PHASE — Select crew, tools, bots, and e-cages. Land at a chosen hex on the surface map.

4. SURFACE EXPLORATION — Move hex by hex across the terrain. Each hex takes time and supply. Encounter creatures.

5. RETURN — Recall the expedition. Specimens transfer to cargo. Repeat from step 1 with remaining months.

Moving in Interstellar Space

Click CHOOSE DESTINATION to open the star map. The map shows all nine planets with their interstellar hex numbers. Click a planet button (coloured ring on the image) to set course. Green = breathable, purple = poisonous, orange = corrosive atmosphere.

Surface Expedition Movement

When the expedition is active, click MOVE HEX to see adjacent hexes. A popup shows the planet surface map with each valid adjacent hex marked — click a hex on the map or a button in the list. Each hex shows its 4-digit coordinate (e.g. 0917) and terrain type.

💡 Odd-column hexes (07, 09, 11…) connect to NORTH, NORTH-EAST, SOUTH-EAST, SOUTH, SOUTH-WEST, NORTH-WEST. Even columns are offset — check the map carefully.

Creature Encounters

When exploring a hex, you may encounter a creature. You have up to four options:

Action	Requirement	VP Award
CAPTURE	Empty e-cage aboard shuttle	Full VP on return to ship
KILL	None	Half VP, no specimen
FLEE	None	0 VP, uses time
COMMUNICATE	Neuroscan tool + creature has Intel	Bonus VP

Combat is resolved with a dice roll plus modifiers. Check the paragraph panel for the encounter description.

Time and Supply

Both the tour clock and expedition supply are tracked on the Time & Supply Track visible on every map image (right edge). Watch the T (time) and S (supply) markers — when supply hits zero, the expedition must return. When tour months hit zero, the mission ends.

Winning the Game

Rating	VP Required
Legendary	240+
Outstanding	180+
Distinguished	130+
Successful	90+
Partial Success	50+
Marginal	20+
Failure	<20

Database Editor

Open bsm_pandora_db.html to edit all game entities — planets, creatures, crew, tools, bots, terrains, and events. Changes persist via portal storage and are automatically picked up when you start a new game. The AI Generate panel can create new creatures, planets, and events on demand.

Saving and Restarting

When running inside the Tronsoft Games Portal, game state saves automatically. In standalone mode, state is not preserved on page reload. Start a new game by clicking BEGIN TOUR OF DUTY again.