[Tattersail_]

Best buds

[Morgoth]

We're one of those iconic duos. Like Napoleon and Tallyrand, Jobs and Wozniak, Ceasar and Brutus. We're reborn to live out the same pattern throughout eternity.

[D'rek]

Watch as Morgoth then goes Muaat and sends a war sun straight into IH round 2.

Nom/Tatts, we could conspire to put Twelve in bottom right so we all get earlier strategy picks. Though I dunno if that is as worth it now that there's 2 extra cards that won't get picked.

Left side seems like the better choices in general, or at least more flexible.

Bottom-center shape is just awkward unless you're Arborec who can actually use the red tech skip, especially if you get WARFARE. Not bad for Xxcha, either, I suppose since you can stack PDS/flagship on Mehar Xull and cover everything. Best path for a Winnu-to-Mecatol, too.

Lower-right spot has awkward empty space, though I guess Saar could reach it all round 1 if TECH gets played at the exact right time. Seems to naturally encourage you to bully whoever's to the left.

IH's spot seems pretty well-suited for a war race, I wouldn't be surprised if he went Letnev, stacked a big fleet on Quann, and bullied bottom-left with it. Getting to MR from it is awkward though.

I think I might try Hacan this time around if it's still an option when it gets to me. But not too sure yet.

[Itwæs Nom]

Position 6

[D'rek]

I choose Hacan.

[Morgoth]

Or did they chose you?

[Tattersail_]

I'll go position 3 and Jol Nar.

[Imperial Historian]

Hey neighbour! Bold choice on this map!

[D'rek]

Position 5

[D'rek]

Morgoth, on 07 August 2020 - 06:20 AM, said:

Or did they chose you?

Meow

[twelve]

Stuck with #4 between the cats and fish. I'm not interested in playing the pirates but if they are available to me I might have to seriously consider them.

[D'rek]

twelve, on 07 August 2020 - 02:35 PM, said:

Stuck with #4 between the cats and fish. I'm not interested in playing the pirates but if they are available to me I might have to seriously consider them.

The problem with #4 as I see it is you only get 1 planet adjacent. So if you want to expand to 2 systems in the first round you've got to pick Creuss or a faction that starts with Antimass Deflectors (so you can get gravity drive in round 1).

Or go for a race that is strong but has a slow expansion with only 1 starting carrier anyways, like Naalu or Xxcha.

Or go Winnu and enjoy the straight line to Mecatol. Hacan-Winnu make a nice friendly, peaceful partnership... just saying

[Morgoth]

hah, twelve picking the Winnu. That's crazy talk!

[D'rek]

Mentak between Hacan/Jol-Nar is an interesting conundrum. Hacan naturally hates Mentak so it's pretty much automatically going to result in massive border friction on one side. Does that leave the Jol-Nar too free to build up on the other side? Jol-Nar starts with 2 PDS and tends to go for PDS 2 pretty early, as well, which with Tatts' particular system shape inevitably puts them on the Mentak borders. Though Mentak can get PDS 2 really easily, as well, so do you end up with an angry border where anytime either player does anything there are PDS shots firing across at each other?

I'd hesitantly say go for it just to see what crazy things happen from it. But with no wormhole access in spot #4 I feel like Mentak is a really bad pick as you'll have a hard time getting neighbour-connections to the other 3 players and therefore a lot less trade goods.

[Itwæs Nom]

At work and going to a friends bday party afterwards and have no idea what to pick yet so I'll get back to this asap tomorrow sry

This post has been edited by Itwæs Nom: 07 August 2020 - 04:34 PM

[Tattersail_]

Imperial Historian, on 07 August 2020 - 11:57 AM, said:

Hey neighbour! Bold choice on this map!

A lot of the VPs will be hard to get. I was considering Muatt but war races don't seem to do well.

[D'rek]

Tattersail_, on 07 August 2020 - 07:00 PM, said:

Imperial Historian, on 07 August 2020 - 11:57 AM, said:

Hey neighbour! Bold choice on this map!

A lot of the VPs will be hard to get. I was considering Muatt but war races don't seem to do well.

Yeah, yours is the best spot for spending resources (assuming you get at least an even share or all of your equidistant systems) and having lots of resources also helps more than tech skips for getting tech objectives 'cause it keeps you researching (even if you have to settle for lower-tier techs). With Jol-nar's influence in home system and 4 trade goods you've probably got a lot of objectives covered now. But if it's the "own tech skip planets" objective you are screeeewed

[Morgoth]

Leaving the Jol Nar alone is always a recipe for disaster

[Tattersail_]

Morgoth, on 08 August 2020 - 05:50 AM, said:

Leaving the Jol Nar alone is always a recipe for disaster

I don't think so when it's the poorest player ha. You and D'rek politically pointing IH or Twelve towards me. I'll be looking at my racial to dissuade this and hopefully TGs down the line too.

[Imperial Historian]

Tattersail_, on 08 August 2020 - 10:23 AM, said:

Morgoth, on 08 August 2020 - 05:50 AM, said:

Leaving the Jol Nar alone is always a recipe for disaster

I don't think so when it's the poorest player ha. You and D'rek politically pointing IH or Twelve towards me. I'll be looking at my racial to dissuade this and hopefully TGs down the line too.

I can always be bought off.

Hacan and jol nar are both factions which snowball if left alone, but both have some tasty things to buy off aggressors.

I'm always happy to maintain peaceful relations if it's worth my while though.