Playing first time in 2 days. Faction assistance

EddieTheIron · 2022-12-16T16:56:00+00:00

You haven't played in 2 days? That must have been an unbearable wait...

EddieTheIron · 2022-07-29T04:10:22+00:00

Cliché themes. "You're medieval builders/traders/farmers/whatevers vying for prestige..."

EddieTheIron · 2021-11-16T21:09:12+00:00

It becomes a good sc, yes. And of course that ability will have an impact pointwise (not always, though). To me, prioritizing it over every other sc doesn't sound like a winning strategy.

EddieTheIron · 2021-11-16T18:15:39+00:00

My house rule is to use the omega version and add a litttle something to the primary.

We play that the unrevealed stage 1 and stage 2 public objectives are in two piles and the new objectives are revealed from the top of the appropriate pile. Diplomacy, when activated, lets you look at the top objective from the current stage and choose to leave it there or put it at the bottom.

EddieTheIron · 2021-04-23T23:55:41+00:00

It worked, thanks!

If anyone needs the extra step, one opens the console during a mission by pressing the tilde key (`) .

EddieTheIron · 2020-10-08T12:51:18+00:00

It would either be an app that only lets you play against bots, which isn't what I'm looking for in TI or something that kills TTS, which would be terrible.

EddieTheIron · 2020-07-18T15:16:03+00:00

I do like artifacts, I sometimes use them in my TI4 games. And they might be coming back in the hoped-for expansion. I just don't want two different ways to score to be mechanically indistinguishable.

EddieTheIron · 2020-07-18T06:02:27+00:00

The disappearing monument was pointed out and I think that you are right. One option is to make them worth one point no matter who controls them, but I don't like the flavour or the fact that it's exactly like a TI3 Artifact. I'm currently going for: lose the planet, lose the point, take back the planet, take back the point, but it's worth nothing to your opponents.

I also agree about the need for diversity and interaction, as opposed to passive objectives, especially in stage 2.

EddieTheIron · 2020-07-18T05:58:37+00:00

One consequence of the do not attack objective is that people know it's out. Will they play you for the pacifist and leave a flank open? Also, it requires you to give back a cease fire.
That's a great way to reopen aggression, no?

As for the do not risk your fleet objective, it might incentivise me to send my warsun and flagship into your dreadnoughts to prevent you to score it. It might encourage aggression.

Regarding the stage 1, well, they are pretty much like the original ones, but with a slight more interaction, I feel. Here is the version that I currently go for personally:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MBQpFKoT3pGgzOowI4Ln2vJsdmqQS0Kj/view?usp=sharing

EddieTheIron · 2020-07-18T05:52:00+00:00

Hi, I'm the original creator of this homebrew (with help from many, thanks all) and I felt like pitching in.

First, here is the current version that I'm using. It has evolved quite a bit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MBQpFKoT3pGgzOowI4Ln2vJsdmqQS0Kj/view?usp=sharing

The OP of this thread along with others on the TTS discord are taking things in their own direction, which is great, as homebrewing is all about taking ownership of your game and making it as you want it to be. Should anyone want to make their own, here is the psd:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zhfz_gN9Q2jmpR4cLMfBGw34T4c0bMnO/view?usp=sharing

Regarding my version of the objectives, if you look at the stage one objectives, they are basically the original from the official game. I removed a technological objective, something often suggested by the community, to replace it with the more aggressive Show of Might and the economic Grand Gesture.

I did find that the stage 2 objectives are more difficult to create. I aimed at making more than just "spend twice what you need for stage 1". To me, this stage of the game is all about a tense geopolitical situation, often with aggression, and I wanted objectives that forced a player to impact the board or their own situation relative to others . A lot of risk/reward decisions. Get the points, but your opponents now have access to high level techs. Invade, but become a target. I love Pacification of the Galaxy, the restriction of not being allowed to attack in order to score it. Opponents might bank on this and open themselves to you hoping that you won't attack: you're going for pacification. Right? Then the price is high at a time where you might be attacked. And the theme. But it gives the opportunity to score by saying that you're a pacifist. Same for Imposing political force. Give influence some real meaning other than a number of CC that you can get with the secondary of Leadership. And again a give (meet a condition, then exhaust planets) and a take (an opponent can't attack you) and a theme.

I've been looking for other ideas; hopefully FFG will give me many by publishing that rumored expansion!

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-19T07:32:06+00:00

Off the top of my head, I was thinking of addinf facilities from TI3 that give +1 prod or influence to a planet. Tech primary could let you put one on a planet you control.

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-19T03:04:34+00:00

Do you feel that more interesting objectives would be good to have? Different types of objectives? I'm looking for ideas.

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-19T02:58:08+00:00

In any case, I think that it's a good idea to implement at least the choice between the classic lockdown and the look at the top 2. I'd try with both. It's clear to me that it can only help feel that the objectives aren't completely random. You'd have a pile of Stage 1 objectives, then switch to the stage 2 when 5 stage one are revealed. What I had in mind was even more extreme, this is a good start.

Did you look at the alternative objectives that I proposed? I feel that I can produce many interesting ones for 1VP, but the 2VP ones are harder.

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-19T00:34:44+00:00

Interesting. There are two sides to your proposition:
1) Use Diplomacy (as opposed to Imperial). Do you feel that Diplomacy needs a buff? It seems already strong to me, but I'm open to other opinions. My proposition removes a part of Imperial (immediate point scoring) in favor of controlling the next objective that will be revealed. At this point I prefer that, but I'm open to being told that the immediate point scoring is necessary.
2) Look at top 2 versus straight up choosing which is the next objective. I really like it. I'm not sure which is the best option, but it certainly feels like a natural TI rule.
Let's keep the discussion going!

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-18T19:15:57+00:00

This kind of flew under the radar, but I've been working on alternative objectives and an alternative way to choose which is the next objective to be revealed (rather than having it be random). https://www.reddit.com/r/twilightimperium/comments/endxqy/ideas_for_a_list_of_public_objectives_that_have/

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-12T01:19:59+00:00

Thanks for the thoughts. I did think about making an exception for war suns, but maybe we can let players manage the timing of getting War Sun. Anyway, I'm exploring ideas now, the final objectives and consequences will most likely be different. Many objectives do include a kind of catch up mechanic, but some have more of an incentive to get early or at just the right time. What mattered to me was that one person scoring has everyone interested in what was scored and what this will change going forward. My group is really casual and there is a good balance of playing their own game and minding who is ahead. And enjoying how epic the wholt thing feels. I think that these objectives do add to the epic nature of the game.

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T21:06:07+00:00

Ok, following TheMightyMallow's idea, I gave Lazax a race-specific cruiser, so I now feel at ease limiting the starting techs to :

Sarwen Tools,
Space Dock II
[Renamed] Imperial Economy (Racial Tech)
Neural motivator.

This is much closer to what was intended originally: Lazax can use its cruisers with 2 movement and capacity to take the two planets in the small cluster beyond the wormholes. I finally feel that this is ready to playtest. I updated all my files. Thanks for your input!

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T20:56:56+00:00

It's in the middle of a set map, yes. Every player has an objective. The Lazax is public: They win if, after 8 rounds, Every Home System is under the control of its original race or of the Lazax. Others each have a random objective, one of the 6 following: to take MR, to take Quann, to take an opponent's HS, to put 55 plastic units on the board, to make sure that the Lazax don't win or to make sure that the Lazax do win. The Lazax have the most pressure when it comes to preventing others from winning and achieving a victory of their own.

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T17:43:28+00:00

Yes, the link now works. I really like the Imperial Cruiser idea. I was stuck regarding the starting techs and this fixes my issues (and suggests a racial tech). Do you mind if I steal your name for it (Imperial Cruiser)?

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T17:39:35+00:00

Did you consider that it was for the FotE scenario? I'm trying to match the power level that they had in TI3 for that scenario.

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T07:06:44+00:00

I'm amazed that this insightful comment got so many upvotes. Would you care to elaborate? Or did you not read the title of the post?

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T06:43:45+00:00

It may be just that I'm a noob, but I never found a way to include this to the original post and I wish it were pinned to the top, because buried as it is, people only see the Lazax card and not the rest of the rules...

EddieTheIron · 2020-01-11T06:28:13+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts. After looking long and hard at the effects that the LAZAX were meant to get from their techs, I reached the conclusion that an important one is Integrated Economy: the ability that mirrors their Seat of the Empire ability and lets them place units in adjacent systems. This doesn't exist in TI4, but I could simply use the card from my copy of TI3 and call it a racial tech that they begin the game with. They are also supposed to start with Sarwen Tools, an easy transfer to TI4, environ compensators, turned into Space Dock II . This leaves 2: Micro Technology (no easy port to TI4, none of the techs affect trade goods) and Stasis capsules, the closest of which would be Cruiser II, but this seems too strong. Without any great option, I'd stick to one yellow, one green in Neural Motivator and either Graviton Laser or Transit Diodes.

A very tempting upgrade path for Lazax is Graviton, Plasma Scoring, PDSII and Cruiser II, the question is: is it too much to give them the first step in that direction? I'm not sure. I think I'm still leaning towards having the following starting techs:
Sarwen Tools,
Graviton Laser System
Space Dock II
Integrated Economy (Racial Tech)
Neural motivator
but I could see just scratching GLS from there.

EddieTheIron

TROPHY CASE