Intruder Living Rules

What are the Intruder living rules and why do they exist?
This document is for B. Dennis Sustare=s Intruder (Task Force Games, 1980). It
consists of
(a) official errata; and (b) rules variants that balance game play or make it mo
re realistic to me.
I love games where a space ship crew must fix some problem in the suddenly-hosti
le confines of their ship before they all die. I only know of three games like
this1, so I want to nurture each one. Intruder is a fun game of this type, with
one weakness that hits you after repeated play. The humans win too easily.
To prolong Intruder=s attractiveness, I developed some simple rules to balance i
t. Along the way I (a) made a few rules changes that reflect how I see the stru
ggle occurring; and (b) threw in the official game errata, to have everything th
at I need in one place. To use the living rules, play Intruder using all of the
se rules. The living rules owes some debt to Chris Camfield=s rules variants, w
hich are excellent if too complicated for my taste. If you like Intruder, then
find Camfield=s variants on the Internet and read them also.
I.

Official errata

(8.26) Weapons
If you successfully use a sleep dart pistol, then the Intruder falls asleep and
will remain asleep for one complete turn. The Intruder will awaken at the begin
ning of the corresponding Crew Action Segment in the next turn. If the Intruder
wakes up in a cage and has the Avery strong@ power, then it breaks out of the c
age before any crewperson may take an action.
(12.1) Set up
Place the portable cages in the lab.
II.

Rules variants

A.

Key-code and voice authorization

The arms room, freezer and computer room unlock through a double-blind security
procedure of key-code and voice authorization. This requires an individual to a
ctivate a security access panel with the correct key-code, then recite his or he
r individual key-word into the speaker. Voice authentication software then tell
s the door to open. This security procedure only controls access into these are
as, not out of them.
(9.2-B) Unlock arms room
A Command officer must be in the command module to unlock the arms room. Once u
nlocked, the arms room remains unlocked until the beginning of the next Crew Mov
ement Phase. Any counter can exit the arms room at any time.
(9.2-C) Unlock freezer
A crewperson must be in the command module to unlock the freezer. Once unlocked

, the freezer remains unlocked until the beginning of the next Crew Movement Pha
se. Any unfrozen counter can exit the freezer at any time.
(9.2-D) Unlock computer room
A Command or Science officer must be in the command module to unlock the compute
r room. Once unlocked, the computer room remains unlocked until the beginning o
f the next Crew Movement Phase. Any counter can exit the computer room at any t
ime.
B.

Turn on the freezer

The crew could control many aspects of the freezer compartment from the command
module.
(9.1-J)
A crewmember must be in the command module to turn on the freezer.
C.

Inventory lab animals

Inventorying the lab animals involved sifting through the chaos and bloody ruin
that the Intruder had made of two lab sub-compartments.
(9.1-H) Inventory lab animals
A Science officer must be in the lab compartment to inventory lab animals.
D.

Marker substitution

The bright red of the Intruder counters reflects off the white map, posing the c
onstant risk of accidentally discovering the Intruder.
(3.3) Interaction sub-routine
(10.2) Effects of panic
(12.1) Set up
At the beginning of the game or at the end of a panic interval, place the approp
riate number of Intruder, lab animal and dummy counters in an opaque cup or simi
lar container instead of on the mapsheet. Place an equal number of movement cou
nters on the mapsheet as set forth at 10.2 or 12.1. Like face-down counters, mo
vement counters show where the ship=s systems say that something is moving that
isn=t a crewperson. You may use anything you like for movement counters, includ
ing pennies or face-down counters from another game. Whenever you would turn ov
er a face-down counter during the combat segment of an interaction sub-routine,
instead draw one of the counters from your cup and replace that movement counter
with it.
E.

Uncertainty

The Intruder proved adept at avoiding being cornered and quickly learned its way
around the station=s air and maintenance ducts. The escaped lab animals only a
dded to the chaos. Crewpersons often
found that hunting the Intruder led to finding a lab animal and vice versa.
(new rule) Uncertainty

If an uncaged (a) lab animal; or (b) unfrozen, awake Intruder is in a compartmen

t with no crewpersons at the end of an Intruder and Hidden Counter Movement Phas
e, then place that counter in your cup and put a movement counter in that compar
tment.
F.

Panic

The crew of the D.S.S. Prometheus were capable professionals. They had undergon
e psychological screening for their ability to handle the Acabin fever@ of their
isolated post. They adjusted quickly to the adversities of exploration and fro
ntier life. But they had never encountered the paralyzing menace and primal ki
lling frenzy of the Intruder. In the carnage accompanying the Intruder, some cr
ewpersons went into mental shock.
(new rule) Panic
Each crewperson in the same compartment as an unfrozen, uncaged, awake Intruder
rolls 1D6 (a) at the end of each combat segment; and (b) immediately after that
Intruder kills a crewperson. If the crewperson rolls 5+, he panics. Modify thi
s roll as follows:
Intruder at life stage 3 or 4

+1

Intruder at life stage 5 or 6

+2

number of crewpersons in compartment >

Intruder=s life stage
-1
Command officer, or Marine (13.25)

-1

Science officer

+1

A crewperson rolling an unmodified 6 panics regardless of modifiers. If you pan

ic, then roll a D6 for each object you are carrying. If you roll a 4+, then you
drop that object. If you panic, then until the beginning of the next combat se
gment you may not (a) perform any function or action, including making a self-de
fense attack against the Intruder; or (b) spend any movement points.
G.

A nasty surprise

One of the most horrifying things about the Intruder was how each time the crew
members found it, it had grown into something even more horrifying and deadly.
(5.4) Metamorphosis
In the Intruder Metamorphosis Phase, if no Intruder counter is in the same compa
rtment as a crewperson then do not roll a die. Instead, use the Self-Destruct S
ystem Track to keep track of how many metamorphosis rolls the Intruder has accum
ulated. Place an Intruder counter on the Self-Destruct System Track and move it
one box to the left in each such Intruder Metamorphosis Phase. Start the Intru
der counter on the A2" box after each panic interval, otherwise on the A0" box.
Whenever an Intruder counter is revealed in a combat segment (3.3), remove the
Intruder counter from the Self-Destruct System Track and immediately make the ap
propriate number of metamorphosis rolls (5.4).
H.

Hunter

The Intruder stalked the crew with deadly efficiency.

(new rule) Hunter

If (a) one or more Intruder counters begin the Intruder and Hidden Counter Movem
ent Phase in the same compartment as at least one crewperson; and (b) the number
of crewpersons in that compartment is equal to or less than the Intruder=s life
stage, then the Intruder counters will not move. If a crewperson wishes to mov
e out of a compartment containing an unfrozen, uncaged, awake Intruder or a move
ment counter, then she must roll D6. If she rolls 4+, then she must stay in tha
t compartment this Crew Movement Phase.
I.

Errors in judgment

At first the crew thought that they were dealing with a typical animal, perhaps
one that had killed out of panic or self-defense. This mistake proved costly.
(new rule) Errors in judgment
Until the Intruder has (a) killed another crewperson; or (b) reached life stage
3 or higher, no crewperson may (a) take blasters or gas canisters from the arms
room; or (b) build flamethrowers.
J.

Crew movement

The station had come to feel claustrophobic to its crew. But once they had to s
earch every nook and cranny of it, or cover a quarter-mile of corridors before a
sensor blip vanished, the D.S. Prometheus began to feel large indeed.
(7.22, 7.24) Crew movement
(9.2-E) Construct weapons
Each turn, each crewperson may spend up to two Amovement points.@ The function
Aconstruct weapons@ (9.2-E) costs two movement points.
K.

Close quarters

In the station=s cramped confines, the crew had difficulty bringing their number
s to bear in chasing lab animals and fighting the Intruder.
(new rule) Close Quarters
During each interaction phase, up to three crewpersons may interact with each In
truder or escaped lab animal. Crewpersons interact by taking one of these actio
ns:
attack Intruder (9.1-F), including a self-defense attack (8.13);
prod Intruder (9.1-G);
cage Intruder (9.1-A);
catch lab animal (9.1-B);
cage lab animal (9.1-C); or
transfer lab animal to permanent cage
(9.1-K).
Intruder Turn Summary

Each turn:
1.
Intruder and Hidden Counter Movement Phase
2.
First Interaction Phase
3.
Crew Movement Phase
4.
Intruder Metamorphosis Phase
5. Second Interaction Phase
6. Self-Destruction Sequence Phase
Each Interaction Phase:
1.
Combat segment
reveal counters, panic roll if Intruder
2.

Intruder action segment

a.
determine target (8.12)
b.
resolve self-defense attack (8.13)
c. resolve Intruder attack (8.14)
[panic roll if successful]
3.
Crew action segment
one action per crewperson
a.
attack Intruder (9.1-F)
b.
prod Intruder (9.1-G)
c.
cage Intruder (9.1-A)
d. turn on the freezer (9.1-J)
[Second Interaction Phase only]
[in command module only]
e.
catch lab animal (9.1-B)
f.
cage lab animal (9.1-C)
g.
transfer lab animal to permanent cage (9.1-K)
[Second Interaction Phase only]
[Science in lab only]
h.
inventory lab animals (9.1-H)
[Second Interaction Phase only]
[Science in lab only]
i.
open airlock (9.1-E)
[in adjacent corridor only]
j.
start self-destruct sequence
(9.1-D, 11.11)
[Second Interaction Phase only]
[Command in command module only]
k.
stop self-destruct sequence
(9.1-D, 11.13)
[Second Interaction Phase only]
[Command or Science in command module only]
l.
leave in a shuttle (9.1-I, 11.2)
[Second Interaction Phase only]
[in shuttle dock only]
[Self Destruct <5 only]

Each Crew Movement Phase:

2 movement points per crewperson
a.
move into adjacent compartment (7.2)
[1 MP, 2 MP to move into an access shaft]
b.
pick up objects (9.2-A)
[1 MP for any number of objects]
c.
drop objects (9.2-F)
[0 MP]
d.
unlock arms room (9.2-B)
[0 MP]
[Command in command module only]
e.
unlock computer room (9.2-D)
[0 MP]
[Command or Science in command module only]
f.
unlock freezer (9.2-C)
[0 MP]
[in command module only]
g.
construct weapons (9.2-E)
[2 MP]
[Engineer in maintenance only]