MMM was a line of science fact/science fiction toys marketed by Mattel in the late 1960s, during the height of the USA/USSR Moon Race. Some of the items were based on NASA designs, while others were the creations of toy designers. It was one of the most inventive and imaginative toy lines ever marketed, and this game pays tribute to the pioneering spirits of the US Space Program and the toymakers.

MMM: The Simulation recreates the environment, equipment, missions, and hopefully the adventures encountered by the Mattel astronauts on the Moon. The simulation cannot be considered 100% realistic, as the concept of manned lunar stations still belongs to the future. Also, much of the equipment portrayed is based on conjecture and is unlikely to ever be developed.

The situations portrayed represent both typical and atypical missions one may expect in a lunar setting. Search parties, discovery forages, testing new equipment, and even conflict encounters are simulated.

The rules are presented in a "programmed instruction" format; only the rules needed to play the first "scenario" are given, and additional rules are covered as additional scenarios are introduced.

The game consists of mapsheets, 1/2 or 5/8 inch square cardboard counters, and a set of charts and tables. A pair of dice will be necessary.

1. Mapsheets: The game is played on a map representing the lunar terrain, on which the astronauts live and work. The playing field is separated into hexagons, which help organize positioning and movement of the playing pieces. Different types of terrain are represented by symbols in the hexagons (hereafter referred to as "hexes").

The map is separated into individual pages called "mapsheets", which can be positioned to abutt each other in a variety of ways, allowing for a variation of terrain. Currently five different mapsheets are available, and six or more sheets are used to generate the entire map (so the map can include duplicates of a specific mapsheet).

The individual hexes have letters and numbers to identify them; this is most useful if a game must be dismantled to be continued elsewhere, i.e. the position of pieces can be recorded and re-setup at a later date. Each mapsheet also has an identifying Roman numeral in the center.

The following terrain is featured:

Plain: Relatively flat and featureless terrain, slight rolling elevations, small craters. Fairly easy to maneuver in. These hexes have no features drawn on them.

Rough: (or crater): Somewhat strewn with rocks and boulders, medium craters, may include slight but steep elevations. Somewhat more difficult to move through. These hexes have a few features (generally 2-6 little rocks) drawn in them. (examples: hexes G3, I5, K8 on mapsheet I)

Dense: (or large crater rim): Contain dense collections of large rocks and boulders, large craters, sudden changes in elevation. Generally difficult to negotiate. Densely drawn in features. (examples: hexes E4, H5, G10, G11 on mapsheet I)

Chasm: An abyss that runs along hex edges, generally impassable to land vehicles (runs from hex R10 to hex X7 on map III)

2. Counters: The playing pieces are square cardboard "counters" which depict the astronauts and equipment. Important parameters reflecting the performance and abilities of the men and machines are given in the form of numbers and/or symbols printed on the counters. (When downloading the images, one will have to mount the picture onto cardboard and cut out the counters. Currently not all of the equipment in the toyline has been presented as counters, but will be in the future)

A. Astronauts/Aliens: 1/2 inch counters printed with a frontal view of the individual. The name and speed are indicated on the counter.

B. Small vehicles/equipment: 1/2 inch counters with a top, frontal or side view of the item represented. Speed is indicated by a number in the lower right corner.

C. Large Vehicles: 5/8 inch counters with a top or side view of the vehicle. Speed is indicated by a number in the lower right corner.

D. Game Function Markers: Miscellaneous counters denoting artifacts, game turn, damage, etc.

3. Charts: The following charts are included:

Weight chart, Speed/Terrain effects/Transport chart, Turn record chart.

4. Dice: Six-sided dice will have to be supplied when called for.

1. Game Turn Steps.

During each game turn, each player takes turns moving and performing certain activities. When the first player takes his turn, he performs the following:

A. Movement Step.
B. Activity Step.

After this, the second player takes his turn, then the third player, and so on. Scenario One can be played by one to five players. When all players have taken their turn, the "Turn" marker on the Turn record Track is moved to the next turn.

For Scenario One, movement is the major activity. The other activities performed during the Activity Step will be few.

2. Movement.

The hexagons on the mapsheet regulate positioning of the game pieces, both during and between movement. A piece must always be located within a specific hex. Each piece capable of movement is given a "speed"or "movement points" rating, indicated by a single or double digit number in the lower right hand corner of the counter. When a piece moves during a turn, it expends movement points as it moves from hex to hex, up to the limit of its speed rating.

An astronaut is needed to operate a vehicle. This is indicated by placing the astronaut on top of the vehicle. Astronauts board or leave vehicles during the Activity Step. While operating a vehicle, the astronaut uses the vehicle's movement points instead of his own.

Different terrain types will cost a piece different amounts of movement points. These are listed on the terrain effects chart. Note also that different vehicles may be affected differently by a specific terrain type.

Examples:

The baseline for the game is the unaided astronaut. He has a speed of one, and all terrain types cost one movement point for him to enter. In essence, the astronaut can move one hex per turn, regardless of terrain.

The Space Crawler has a speed of three; plain terrain costs one point, rough terrain costs one point, but dense terrain costs 1.5 points. This means the crawler can move three steps through plain/rough terrain, but only two steps through dense terrain. It could also move one step through rough terrain, then one step through dense. Note that this would cost 1 + 1.5 = 2.5 point; the remainder is lost.

The Recono-Jet has a speed of 15, and spends one point per hex regardless of terrain, because it "flies".

Some vehicles cannot traverse dense terrain. (NA= not allowed). Movement points cannot be accumulated from one turn to another (since speed is a function of distance and time, i.e. you can only go so far in a given amount of time). Note that unspent fractions are lost.


3. Stacking.

This refers to having more than one piece in the same hex at any given time. There are no stacking limits in this game, as counters represent individual vehicles, and a hex represents many square yards. Pieces are free to move through and stop in hexes with other pieces, within the movement rules limits.

4. Cargo and Transport.

Each piece has a certain weight, expressed by a number given in the weight chart. Some pieces have a transport capacity, also expressed by a number, which is given in the transport capacity chart (for scenario One, ignore the "crew" indicator on the chart). Basically, a piece can transport cargo up to but not exceeding its transport capacity. For Scenario One, a piece must have a capacity of one to carry an astronuat, a capacity of two to carry two astronauts, etc. Note that the driver counts towards the vehicle's cargo.

Loading and unloading are performed after movement, during the Activities Step. If a piece and its intended cargo are in the same hex after movement, and the piece has the capacity to carry the cargo, it can be considered loaded. Place to item to be carried on top of the carrying counter. During movement, the carried piece remains atop the carrying piece, and the speed of the carrying piece is used during movement. Likewise, a piece can be unloaded after movement, by placing it under the piece carrying it, again remaining in the same hex.

An item could be unloaded from one piece and loaded onto another, if all three are in the same hex after movement.

5. Decoys.

Several counters have been included that serve as decoys; these have no game-related function. For historical/nostalgic purposes images have been chosen that represent items of the MMM toy line that were peripheral to the action figures, such as lunch boxes, halloween costumes, etc. They are identified by the name “decoy” on top, and have the name of an item on the bottom.

6. Special Rules. Scenario One: Search for Sgt. Storm!

Introduction:

Sgt. Storm has wandered off from the station and is lost. His last transmission was a distress call, which was cut off before his signal could be properly triangulated. He has apparently hurt himself and his suit, and is presumed to have fallen unconscious.

Sgt. Storm must be located by another Astronaut or Alien within 10 turns, or his oxygen supply runs out. The Astronaut/Alien locating him can replenish his supply during an Activity step. This is accomplished by entering and remaining in the hex containing Sgt. Storm (it is assumed that the finder has some spare oxygen). Sgt. Storm is injured and cannot walk or operate equipment, and must be returned to the Space Station by the end of turn 20 to repair his suit, lest he die from exposure.

Setup:

1. Use the following vehicles: One Space Crawler, one Unitred, one Astro-trac, one Jet- pak, and two Cat-tracs. Also locate the Space Station and Sgt. Storm piece, as well as the remaining Astronauts/Aliens (Matt, Doug, Jeff, Callisto and Scorpio). You will also need the game turn marker and the decoys. Finally, locate the Game Turn chart and Speed/Terrain effects/Transport chart (the Weight Class chart is really not needed; only note that each astronaut weighs "1").

2. Players roll the pair of dice to determine the order of play, i.e the highest roller gets to move first (skip if only one player is playing solitaire). The player who moves last then gets the first choice of one astronaut (except Sgt. Storm) and one vehicle; the player who moves next to last gets the second choice, etc., with the player moving first having the last choice. Thus, before the game starts, each player has an astronaut and one vehicle to move with.

3. Arrange six 8.5x10.5 inch mapsheets (in a random orientation, using any combination of the three available sheets) into the playing area, forming a 25.5x22 inch area. The 25.5 inch edges will form the North and South edges.

4. Place the Space Station counter on the southern edge, on a clear full hex (not a half-hex) near the middle.

5. Locate the Sgt. Storm piece, plus a number of decoy counters. Use three counters for each player in the game. Invert all counters and mix. These are placed inverted in a random fashion in the northern half of the play area. All counters must be at least five hexes apart, and cannot be placed on dense terrain.

6. The first player places his vehicle with astronaut on the board within two hexes of the Station. The second player does this with his vehicle and astronaut, and so on. Astronauts are assumed loaded onto the vehicles. Vehicles not selected can be parked unmanned within one hex of the station. Play is ready to begin with the first player moving.

Searching:

Each player moves his vehicle along the map until he enters a hex with an inverted counter. The vehicle must stop movement for the turn if the counter is to be inspected. The counter is flipped during the Activity Step. If the counter is a decoy, remove it from the board. If the counter is Sgt. Storm, this must be revealed to all players. Sgt. Storm can have his oxygen replenished and can be loaded onto the vehicle (if the vehicle has enough transport capacity) during the same Activity Step.

Winning:

The winner is the player who can find and transport the Sgt. back to the station before turn 20 ends. If one player finds the Sgt., but another player transports him back, both share the victory. If the Sgt. expires, then all players lose!

Special:

A single Cat Trac cannot carry two astronauts at normal speed, however it can carry Sgt. Storm with the operating astronaut walking alongside, with the Cat Trac moving at 1 hex per turn. Two Cat Tracs working together with two drivers are allowed to transport Storm at normal speed (Storm is assumed to be hoisted across both of them; they must remain in the same hex while moving ).

Note that the Jet Pack cannot carry two astronauts. It can however cover a lot of ground and locate Storm and revive him. If the game is too difficult to win, allow two Jet Packs; two astronauts with Jet Packs working together can hoist Storm between them, and move at half speed remaining together in the same hex throughout movement.

In the future (when I get around to drawing the counters) I will add the following:

Captain Laser: He will walk faster and can carry more.

The Space Shelter: The game can also be won by bringing and setting up the Space Shelter in Storm's hex before turn 20. This would buy time and allow recuperation and repair, ultimately transporting Storm back to the Station at leisure.

The Firebolt Space Cannon: If it looks like time is running out, you can obtain a draw result by putting the Sarge out of his misery before his life support runs out.

just kidding, folks