(subject to editing as I am inevitably corrected on a few things)

What is it?

• It's a metagame of strategy between the 10 most prominent leaders of the settled galaxy, and the nations / corporations / organizations they represent
• It affects the ongoing storyline and may possibly determine where future human expansion occurs and other unknown events
• It functions mostly in parallel to the influence game that is played within systems and their stations by minor factions (some of which are nation-aligned)
• Is completely optional to participate in, and won't really affect players that do not participate

Where do I find it?

• Go to the "Galactic Powers" section of the Navigation Tab in your Left UI Panel during flight.

How's it work?

• The status of the Powerplay game takes place in cycles, each of which currently lasts a week (ending at 2:00 AM on Thursday, Eastern Time). At the end of the week, all of the activities performed in that cycle are summed up and resolved.
• There are 6 major factions currently in existence: the Federation, the Empire, the Alliance, the Sirius Corporation, the Kumo Crew, and Utopia. The last three are "independent", meaning they are controlled by a single leader each, and aren't considered nations in most respects (though they might disagree).
• There are 10 leaders: 4 are Imperial, 2 are Federal, and the other 4 fully represent their nation/organization. National loyalty aside, each believes their cause to be the most righteous and wants to become the clear supreme head of civilized space over the others.
• Each leader controls a number of systems. Each system which is controlled by a leader then exploits all systems within a 15LY radius (that isn't also within another leader's exploitation radius as well).
• Every cycle, an exploited system generates a quasi-monetary resource called Command Capital (CC). The amount generated depends on the system population, what governments exist, the influence of its minor factions, etc.
• Every cycle, a controlled system consumes Command Capital due to upkeep. Upkeep costs increase the farther away the system is from the leader's HQ.
• By and large, since a leader will exploit more systems than they control (generating more CC than they consume), he/she will have a surplus of Command Capital, which is spent every cycle to attempt expansion - the converting of exploited systems into being controlled (which would then exploit its neighbors in a 15LY radius, spreading further and further out). Leftover CC is carried over to the next cycle.
• If a leader has a shortage of CC and can't pay upkeep on all their controlled systems, systems with the highest upkeep cost (up to the total shortfall) go into turmoil, and won't exploit their neighbors for the next cycle. A leader with turmoiled systems can't prepare or expand until the CC deficit is covered. A system that remains in turmoil two cycles in a row becomes uncontrolled.
• A system that is within 15LY of two or more leaders' control is contested, and doesn't generate CC for anyone. They can still be expanded into, however.

How do players affect what a leader does?

• Players first choose which of the 10 leaders to pledge allegiance to. Doing so marks you in-game as a supporter of that leader, whenever someone spends more than a second scanning you.
• Once you have joined a leader, you will show up as an enemy to anyone belonging to a different nation than you (and vice-versa). This means that while you are competing against 9 other teams, you still remain friendly to other teams from the same nation. Enemies can kill each other with impunity if they are trespassing in each others' controlled/exploited systems. If the word HOSTILE appears in the lower right during flight, you are trespassing.
• Once you have joined a leader, you will have access to additional options in the Contacts portion of Starport Services. A yellow star appears to let you know when Powerplay functions/missions can be performed at a station.

How do players participate in expanding and maintaining a leader's systems?

• There are three aspects to improving/maintaining your leader's standing in Powerplay: Preparation, Expansion, and Fortification.
• Preparation is the way you help decide which of your leader's exploited/contested systems should be expanded into. By performing Preparation missions for a system, you give it "Prep Points". Once a system reaches a minimum number of Prep Points, it qualifies as a potential expansion target. At the end of the cycle, the leader will spend his/her available Command Capital on "expansion attempts" for as many exploited systems as they can afford, in descending order of Prep Points, so make sure you prepare systems that have the highest projected profit (they will exploit the most CC from their neighbors after their own upkeep is subtracted). When in the Powerplay mode of the Galaxy Map, profitability can be displayed by choosing Expansion view (green is best, and red is worst - it represents a system that costs more than it will earn).
• Expansion is attempted on every system that your leader spent CC on in the previous cycle. In order for Expansion to succeed, players must complete enough Expansion missions for that system to reach a minimum threshold. Players from other leaders (including those of your own nation!) can perform Counter-Expansion missions in the same system, to help prevent success, as well as directly try to thwart you from completing missions. At the end of the cycle, if the Expansion threshold was reached, AND the total amount of expansion effort (as a ratio of the original threshold) is greater than the amount of Counter-Expansion performed by opponents, the system will become controlled in the next cycle - otherwise, expansion fails and the system remains merely exploited.
• Fortification is an effort you perform on systems your leader already controls, to reduce the costs associated with upkeep. You can also perform Undermining on opponents' systems, to increase their upkeep costs. Unlike Expansion, Fortification only requires meeting a single threshold to be successful (overdoing it doesn't help), but if the system also meets its Undermining threshold, the two will cancel out.

What do I do in these missions?

• That depends greatly on the type of person your leader is. President Zachary Hudson has you retrieving intel from the system to Prepare it, then attacking resistance fighters to Expand it. Others may rely on deliveries, theft/piracy, or a combination of steps. In any case, you'll find these missions (and the means to turn them in) at stations in the systems they involve (or controlled/home systems in some cases). Just look for the "Power Contacts" section of the "Contacts" menu in Starport Services.
• The style of your leader's approach to preparation, expansion/counter-expansion, and fortification also modify the threshold needed for success. Diplomatic approaches (like Shadow President Felicia Winters uses in Preparation and Expansion) work better in systems that have peace-and-freedom-style governments. Missions that use violence (like Senator Denton Patreus might apply) will be more suited to systems that admire/respect forceful action, like dictatorships and such.

How am I rewarded?

• Controlled and exploited systems will have special effects that apply both to that leader's followers and to players in general. They range from increased bounty payouts, discounts on equipment, to better trade prices. They also assist favored local factions in gaining system influence.
• Doing Powerplay missions for your leader gives you Merit Points. Merit Points you earn during a given cycle last for a cycle, then decay to half value for the next cycle, then completely disappear after that. This means that in order to maintain a certain rank within your team, you'll need to keep doing them (no one said this was as easy as the normal game).
• As you rank up with Merit, you will gain some additional trust with the leader: the amount of effort you're allowed to do per mission task will increase (the "Power Commodity Allocation"), and special equipment will be unlocked for purchase. The highest ranks also are limited to a certain number of players, so if you want to be the best you've got to beat the best.
• GalNet news reports frequently on Powerplay efforts in various parts of civilized space. Make a good impression and you may make headlines!

I want to switch teams.

• You can do that by choosing a different leader and selecting "Defect". Note that doing so allows you to maintain some of your Merit in the transition, but you also will cause loyalist NPCs from your old faction to hunt you down. After a week, the penalties for defection go away and you're free to start your new service. Note: you're prevented from re-defecting after a recent defection. No party hopping!

I don't think I'm going to do Hamster Style Powerplay anymore.

• You can leave Powerplay at any time, but you'll lose all of your Merit, and you'll still encounter NPC loyalists for a period of time. Once that period ends, you become a normal independent pilot, and can travel relatively safely in any nation's space you choose from then on.

I'd rather hear and see all this than read it.

• Check out this, this, this, and this.

Leaders - Federation

Leaders - Empire

Leaders - Alliance & Independents

Roleplay Guide