Tools

• Record keeping materials: examples include pencil or pen combined with paper or notecards, or a computer equipped with a word processor. Please note that much data must be tracked, and much of this data is volatile. Miniatures [as in board wargames] can somewhat simplify record keeping during play. However, the detail of the calculations mean that miniatures only reduce the record-keeping load when playing the game, not eliminate it.
• A (pseudo)random number generator: examples include dice, scientific calculator, or appropriate computer software. Mixing dice with electronic number crunching has certain advantages. Usually, an entire event is resolved from a single "random" number, which is initially generated as an indefinite-length b-adic decimals [scientific calculators turn out 10-adic decimals. Using 10-sided dice is easy [roll up the digits in order]. Be prepared to do numerical base conversions if using other kinds of dice. [This is not recommended during play! It may be reasonable to 'preprocess' various tables or generation techniques.]
• Scientific calculator functionality: examples scientific calculator, appropriate computer software, or appropriate reference manuals [certain CRC handbooks with lookup tables]. Currently, I anticipate that at least the six basic trigonometric functions [sin, cos, tan, cot, sec, csc], six basic hyperbolic trigonometric functions [sinh, cosh, tanh, coth, sech, csch], exp, and ln, will be required. [This does imply some familiarity with "college algebra" and arithmetic.]

In all cases, if 'appropriate' is not self-evident, I suggest taking the time to learn what you have available. Many spreadsheet programs have enough scientific-calculator functionality for Iskandria.

The derivations I use in making the rules for Iskandria will generally be based in General Relativity and/or Quantum mechanics. However, the rules themselves should not require more scientific calculator functionality than I have mentioned above.

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