[twelve]

Actually that would be Khell but close enough. Chance are you will end up with Terrans but I won with them last game so there is nothing wrong with that. It's just the other races gives variety to the game. Not everyone is cookie cutter like if the only choice were terrans. That is part of the fun having to account for a certain races advantages or exploiting their weaknesses.

[cerveza_fiesta]

I am reading a bit about strategy and there's no hidden secrets. Build ships, buy good drives, fight as much as possible to gain money, betray everyone as soon as there is no longer and advantage in maintaining diplo and use the excellent money-science and money-material conversion rates to make surprise fleet builds and/or science grabs when needed. They demand an aggressive play style overall. Should be interesting.


One useful post on the BGG forum suggested that if you are playing RI and you sit on the same core systems all game then you're doing it wrong.


Shields are also said to be pretty annoying for other players to deal with and make up somewhat for the high build cost.

[cerveza_fiesta]

^^agreed with Twelve

I was leaning pretty heavily on picking terrans this game but figured it's not often I'll get first choice. Might as well pick something different whilst I have the opportunity and save terrans for another game when I'm not so lucky.

EDIT

@Gnaw

It's not bad at all to have terrans. Their racials are very strong and they have a good distribution of starting resources. If this is your first time through then they are probably the best thing to get since they can go the most directions.

Something like my pick is a deliberate handicap of sorts and a deliberate choosing of a play style. As RI syndicate I don't get the option of playing non-aggressive and if I happen to have bad luck early on then I could easily be out of the game early.

This post has been edited by cerveza_fiesta: 30 April 2013 - 05:28 PM

[Gnaw]

twelve, on 30 April 2013 - 05:15 PM, said:

Actually that would be Khell but close enough. Chance are you will end up with Terrans but I won with them last game so there is nothing wrong with that. It's just the other races gives variety to the game. Not everyone is cookie cutter like if the only choice were terrans. That is part of the fun having to account for a certain races advantages or exploiting their weaknesses.

So Khell, which of the races are you least interested in playing?

[D'rek]

cerveza_fiesta, on 30 April 2013 - 05:21 PM, said:

^^agreed with Twelve

I was leaning pretty heavily on picking terrans this game but figured it's not often I'll get first choice. Might as well pick something different whilst I have the opportunity and save terrans for another game when I'm not so lucky.

EDIT

@Gnaw

It's not bad at all to have terrans. Their racials are very strong and they have a good distribution of starting resources. If this is your first time through then they are probably the best thing to get since they can go the most directions.

Something like my pick is a deliberate handicap of sorts and a deliberate choosing of a play style. As RI syndicate I don't get the option of playing non-aggressive and if I happen to have bad luck early on then I could easily be out of the game early.

^^exactly. As Terrans you can do pretty much anything. You can rush for the middle, play a high-materials monolith defense, go for lots of tech, whatever. They're all good strategies when you're Terran. If you are Rho Indi or Orion, though, you really don't have the option of turtling - they need to be aggressive to win. If you pick Planta (which you can't in this case), you will not be able to have a couple super dreadnaughts, because your blueprints are just plain crappier.

That's not to say that each non-terran/magellan race has only one playstyle. Usually there's still a couple options. The Lyra can be great guerilla fighters with their re-roll ability and early wormhole generators, but you can't normally do that and still get all your shrines. Descendants can rush to the middle and try to keep the ancients alive, or they can forsake the ancients and use their explore bonus to completely wall themselves off so they can put all their resources into development without needing to build or upgrade ships.

[cerveza_fiesta]

Looks like we just need placeholders from Morgoth, IH and Tapper now in the game thread.

[Khellendros]

cerveza_fiesta, on 30 April 2013 - 02:04 PM, said:

As for me, I choose to pick first race.

I would like to play as

RHO INDI SYNDICATE

Aha! Just like I wanted you to, so that I may go first in the game proper!

...Fucker.

Gnaw, on 30 April 2013 - 05:30 PM, said:

So Khell, which of the races are you least interested in playing?

Probably the Lyra, as I played as them last game. But I have no real preference for anything. Last game I picked according to which picture I liked the best.

[D'rek]

I think we're supposed to orient our hexes as we pick races, too, no? I don't think it really matters though, we can go through orienting them in order after everyone has picked.

[twelve]

D, on 30 April 2013 - 06:03 PM, said:

I think we're supposed to orient our hexes as we pick races, too, no? I don't think it really matters though, we can go through orienting them in order after everyone has picked.

Completely forgot about that aspect. Also are we doing the one population cube remove thing as well this game too?

[D'rek]

twelve, on 30 April 2013 - 06:29 PM, said:

D, on 30 April 2013 - 06:03 PM, said:

I think we're supposed to orient our hexes as we pick races, too, no? I don't think it really matters though, we can go through orienting them in order after everyone has picked.

Completely forgot about that aspect. Also are we doing the one population cube remove thing as well this game too?

We should, but I think that happens after everyone's homeworlds are setup.

[cerveza_fiesta]

I only vaguely remember that rule. We remove 1 population cube of our choosing from any track?

[D'rek]

cerveza_fiesta, on 30 April 2013 - 06:48 PM, said:

I only vaguely remember that rule. We remove 1 population cube of our choosing from any track?

Yeah.

I think the whole thing is supposed to go:

Setup and rules and figured out (so everyone knows what hexes are included, etc)
The Galactic Center is setup (with either the GCDS or ancient dreadnaught)
Technologies for the first round are drawn and put on the supply board.
Player 9 picks their race
Player 9 orients their homeworld
Player 8 picks their race
Player 8 orients their homeworld
Player 7 picks their race
Player 7 orients their homeworld
Player 6 picks their race
Player 6 orients their homeworld
Player 5 picks their race
Player 5 orients their homeworld
Player 4 picks their race
Player 4 orients their homeworld
Player 3 picks their race
Player 3 orients their homeworld
Player 2 picks their race
Player 2 orients their homeworld
Player 1 picks their race
Player 1 orients their homeworld
Everyone places an influence disc on their homeworld, fully colonizes it as much as they can with cubes, and puts the correct ship(s) on it
Everyone removes one population cube from one of their tracks and throws it away
Player 1 takes their first turn
Player 2 takes their first turn
etc...

This post has been edited by D'rek: 30 April 2013 - 07:08 PM

[cerveza_fiesta]

Oh, so we should be picking backwards by default rather than P1 having the choice? That changes things for Khell.

I'll admit I haven't read the rules in full detail and am relying on those who are more familiar with the game.

so if that's how it's supposed to go I'm fine with it.

[D'rek]

cerveza_fiesta, on 30 April 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:

Oh, so we should be picking backwards by default rather than P1 having the choice? That changes things for Khell.

I don't think it matters, as long as Khell both picks last and goes first. The advantage and disadvantage cancel out for everyone.

But I think knowing the first round tech draws and doing the hex orientations as races are picked might be important - if Twelve aims his Eridani homeworld's wormholes right at Tapper, that would certainly impact Tapper's choice of race!

[twelve]

Before I decide how to align my homeworld will I be able to see where we are starting first? Wait. I get to go before mister I can't be trusted correct? (Sorry CF I know we were joined at the hip last game but you are a pirate and I would be an idiot to not think that you wouldn't rape and pillage me for all you're worth). So if I go before the pirates I would like to align both hexes towards the center. If I can only do one then I want one towards the GC and the other facing towards Tapper.

[twelve]

D, on 30 April 2013 - 08:03 PM, said:

cerveza_fiesta, on 30 April 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:

Oh, so we should be picking backwards by default rather than P1 having the choice? That changes things for Khell.

I don't think it matters, as long as Khell both picks last and goes first. The advantage and disadvantage cancel out for everyone.

But I think knowing the first round tech draws and doing the hex orientations as races are picked might be important - if Twelve aims his Eridani homeworld's wormholes right at Tapper, that would certainly impact Tapper's choice of race!

It's more of I want to point them away from CF.

[D'rek]

Also also, the person who will be taking their turn first (Khell in this case) is the one who goes on the "bottom" of the galaxy in the rulesbook diagram - so Khell has to be one of the "corner" homeworlds:

 Untitled.png (67.21K)
Number of downloads: 0

We go counter-clockwise from CF around to Khell, picking races and orienting homeworlds, then Khell takes his first turn and we clockwise around the board taking turns.

[Khellendros]

D'rek just can't let go, can she?


Only teasing D'rek, helpful as ever!

[D'rek]

Khellendros, on 30 April 2013 - 08:24 PM, said:

D'rek just can't let go, can she?


Only teasing D'rek, helpful as ever!

If we weren't on opposite sides of the galaxy, I'd get you for that!

[Khellendros]

D, on 30 April 2013 - 08:33 PM, said:

Khellendros, on 30 April 2013 - 08:24 PM, said:

D'rek just can't let go, can she?


Only teasing D'rek, helpful as ever!

If we weren't on opposite sides of the galaxy, I'd get you for that!

*Double-checks map*

Phew!