Skin Your Friends At M.U.L.E. 
[Appeared in Electronic Games magazine]

        M.U.L.E. (Electronic Arts/Atari, C-64 computers/48K disk) is fast
becoming a major craze among computer gamers. Winner of the 1984 Arcade Award 
as "Best Multi-Player Game", M.U.L.E. is a one- to four-player contest in 
which the participants strive to explore and exploit a habitable but 
deserted planet.
        Each colonist must develop a strategy involving the supply and 
demand for materials which are vital to the settlement's survival. By buying
and selling food, energy, smithore, and (in the tournament version) crystite, 
the players attempt to gain the economic edge over their human and/or 
computer-driven opponents. The player with the most assets at the end of the 
game is dubbed First Founder of the colony--assuming, that is, that all the 
cutthroat competition hasn't doomed the outpost.
        In a sense, M.U.L.E. is a space-age cousin of such boardgames as
Monopoly and Easy Money. Because it's the interaction between the players 
that causes the largest changes in the game situation, it's virtually 
impossible to take a "perfect plan" approach to this electronic strategy
classic. Instead, this article will concentrate on providing some guidelines 
for developing your own individual strategies.

THE LAND GRANT
   
        The first humble plot you choose is the basis for your future empire.
Choose the location well. The first plot should be able to produce either 
food or energy, so go for flatland or river valley space. This guarantees 
that you'll be at least partially self-sufficient. Keep that first acre 
within easy striking distance of other flatland or mountain areas, and choose 
all subsequent plots adjacent to your first one.
        Expertise bonuses are awarded to players who keep their lands tightly-
knit. The more adjacent plots you have, the more you'll produce on each one. 
Likewise, producing the same commodity on three different plots rewards the 
colonist with more goods.       
        If land goes up for auction, always try to buy it, especially during 
the earliest phases. Each plot has an estimated value of $500, but it's 
advisable to buy higher--if you have enough rounds left to produce plenty of
goods. After the ninth round or so, if you pay too much for land, you 
probably won't be able to recover the cost from the goods produced on it. If
someone else is bidding higher than you and you don't intend to buy, push
the line up anyway and pretend you want it. Then pull out at the last second 
and leave your opponent holding the bag. It's also advisable to leave yourself 
money to develop your brand-new plot, so never put all your cash on the line.

LAND DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION

        Now that you've got your land, you have to decide what to do with it.
Produce food? A good idea if you have river or flat land. Energy? The same.
Smithore can't be mined in the wet river valley, and though it can be mined 
on flatlands, mountains are the ideal spot--the more mountains, the better!
        Make enough food and energy to fulfill your needs. This will keep you
from being at the mercy of your best friend, who's likely to announce 
cheerfully, "Food? Gee, I think I have an extra unit or two. But you'll have 
to pay for it!" Players who have a food shortage will find their next 
development turn cut short proportionately, and lack of energy means low 
production.
        The real key to the standard game is to produce smithore. Lots of it. 
It has a high base price and the store will always buy it. If you produce 
smithore towards the beginning of the game and then don't sell, prices rise 
accordingly--and the colony experences a shortage of M.U.L.E.s.
        The development phase always seems too short. A few time-saving tips: 
When walking outside of town, avoid mountains and river land. They slow you 
down. The fastest walking is accomplished by moving diagonally. Also, you 
don't have to enter town through its side roads. Touch any portion of the 
center square, and bingo! You're in. When entering town from the north or 
south, the character always appears directly in front of the inn.
        It's possible to switch M.U.L.E.s without having to remove the 
installed one. Just go into town, get the type of M.U.L.E. you want, then 
position your character directly over the installed M.U.L.E. Press the red 
button. If you've done it right, the production symbol changes and you now 
have the old M.U.L.E. in hand. If you do it wrong, the M.U.L.E. you just 
bought runs away. 
        During the tournament game, two definite rules apply. First, forget 
about smithore. Go for crystite. Second, if you have time left after 
developing your land, pay the assay office a visit and check around for 
crystite. Also watch other players' development turns because they'll be 
searching for the stuff, also.

THE AUCTION PHASE
        
        All right, you just had the best development of your career. Now it's
time to sell off the surplus and buy what you need. This is really the most
crucial phase of the game. First and foremost, don't ignore the value of 
psyching out the opposition (unfortunately, this only works on human 
opponents)! Hard-core M.U.L.E.ies know the value of a well-placed comment 
like, "Gee, the store looks a little low on energy. I'll bet there's a 
shortage coming up next turn." (This often fools the others into buying out 
the stock, so use it only when you're the one making the most energy.)
        Always buy low, sell high. Low prices are: food, $15; energy, $10;
smithore, $36-$43; and crystite, anything below $200. Even if you have a
20-unit surplus, never sell at these prices--unless you really need the
cash for the next development phase. Let the whole crop rot before selling it
to the store at a pittance.     
        If the store is stocked up on a particular item (therefore setting 
the price at a standard level), don't sell below the store's price--unless an 
opponent is lowering his or her price. Instead, perch right on the store's 
price line to get the highest price you can. The price of necessities is 
always relatively low--that is, until the store runs dry. After that, anything 
goes, so keep an eye on what goods will be in high demand in a turn or two. 
It's always fun to watch the poor suckers offer hundreds of dollars for a 
unit of food! A good way to make sure the store runs out--don't sell! 
        If you have enough food and energy, but your opponents don't, 
seriously consider buying out the store if you can. That way, everyone 
suffers but you. . . and the price rises higher in the next auction! 
        Never sell anything during the final, 12th auction phase. The value 
of your goods remains higher if you don't. 

IN GENERAL
    
        If you have extra cash, buy smithore at $36 or $43, then sell it 
later when the price rises above $50. In the tournament game, always try to 
grab any property hit by a meteor. It turns the plot into a super 
crystite-producer.
        Above all, stay flexible. If you have six energy plots and the store 
has, say, twenty units, convert those energy plots to something that will be 
more profitable. Constantly try to second-guess your opponents about what 
commodity is next on the short-supply list. Try to make what your enemies 
aren't. That way, you can really gouge the prices, especially in the 
essential food and energy areas.
        Stay cool, calm, collected, and above all, greedy. Nobody ever said
the First Founder was a nice guy!