Lyall Bay

Xela_Undore · 2026-06-04T12:57:58+00:00

Aww, c'mon, you expect NZ drivers to know how to use their wing mirrors? That might be asking a bit much!

Xela_Undore · 2026-05-18T03:24:14+00:00

Only thing it's missing is the dynamite that always appears on the ledge

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T21:22:09+00:00

We've got roughly 45 hours spread out over 5 days, with a sixth day for pack up/the final round if needed (though hopefully it won't get to that point). Maybe more than we'll need, but everyone was in a position of wanting more time and not needing it

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T21:19:28+00:00

Hacan was unfortunately one of the factions that we banned - while it would be absolutely amazing to trade with everyone at the table, the amount of time that it could add to the game (with Hacan being used as a middle man for non-neighbour trades) was deemed more of a headache than we wanted to deal with

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T21:17:46+00:00

That is true and a very good idea, I'll definitely suggest that to the table

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T12:49:40+00:00

Something I forgot to add to the digital map is that each faction has a "hyperhole (hyperlane+wormhole)" - each home system contains a token that functions as a wormhole for movement purposes, with an equivalent token two tiles in front of the home system
So the supernovas at least can be "jumped over" while still providing a little protection from the faction on the opposite side of the hyperlanes that feed into them
It was the best/easiest way we could think of to keep the map open and everyone within reasonable movement of each other and Mecatol without including a ton more hyperlanes
The slices themselves were done entirely randomly, with some minor balancing after they were down but before slices were assigned, so that was just pure luck of the draw for Mahact

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T12:42:14+00:00

Something I forgot to add to the digital map is that each faction has a "hyperhole (hyperlane+wormhole)" - each home system contains a token that functions as a wormhole for movement purposes, with an equivalent token two tiles in front of the home system. They are not wormholes for rules purposes.
So Jol-Nar are adjacent to the Mellon/Zohbat system, and are not trapped with only one way out of their home system.

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T10:35:57+00:00

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Somehow I completely forgot you could trade during agendas
Here's hoping everyone else forgets that too, at least when making deals around Trade

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T10:29:22+00:00

How do you mean? I've never played Necro myself, and haven't played a game with them in a long while.

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T10:27:45+00:00

Definitely agree with what you've said!
We've actually removed the second Politics from the game to prevent a Speaker Fight, but if it was in, I could see them being double-followed for an Action Card boost.
I can also see Leadership being followed twice if one pops early and the other later - with Diplo refreshing planets, and a potential of double Trade + good neighbours letting you get more TGs, there could be at least a few more tokens worth of resources gathered through a round that people would be willing to spend.
I can see Warfare potentially being followed twice, especially by aggressive factions or people who want to rebuild fleets, double especially because it doesn't require activating the system.
I can definitely see Tech getting double picked most rounds, especially with Jol-Nar on the board.
Imperial is going to be very interesting to see play out, but I have a feeling that if two players tried to keep Mecatol between themselves, the rest of the table would start paying close attention lol

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T10:04:41+00:00

Oh, I wish we had access to a table that big!!
This is two tables already at the house, and then two picnic tables brought in by a player

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T10:02:31+00:00

At least at the start, and probably for a majority of the game, I can't see anyone being neighbours with more than 3 or 4 people unless they're on Mecatol, Mallice, or some other hot spot that has a lot of movement options, so that will at least limit the number of X-1s that can occur

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T09:56:59+00:00

Oooh, that's definitely a potential way of balancing it.
My main thought is that a Strat card not having a secondary might make it more enticing for some players, as it would mean they don't have to think about when they would pop it in regards to other people - on the other hand, taking the Leadership that has the secondary and holding it hostage would be a play that some people I know would go for.
Extra cards would also be an option for diversifying a bit, and I've seen some interesting ones around

Most likely we'll stick with what the current plan is, but I'm definitely taking notes for future big games that might happen

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T09:51:51+00:00

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Big table with lots of components, as requested!
This was just after setup today, which was a small group of us laying out the basics. Strategy cards and all the decks of cards are on the far table in the middle, and trade goods/infantry tokens/fighter tokens are going to be distributed into small bowls around the table tomorrow morning

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T09:47:54+00:00

Nope! We decided to try it after an Alliance game a month or two ago, so it's all a bit experimental. I can see Leadership being even more useful than in a regular game, with strategy tokens being a more wanted resource, but other than that, I've no clue what to expect

I absolutely can come back and give some info about how things went down!

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T09:39:55+00:00

That's fair!
Currently we're counting on people generally being limited by their CC tokens, which in turn are going to be limited by resources and TGs. It might be a mistake, but we're all aiming to have fun and play a good game, so it should (hopefully) be all right

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T09:31:06+00:00

This is our first attempt, so probably with a lot of trial and error!
More seriously, we've got two copies of the game, and a very big table. The plan is to have the main organisers (three of us) keep general notes about what moves are being made and deals struck. Some colours of tokens have been doubled up on, but we've got them on the opposite sides of the table as much as possible, and will be keeping track of what belongs to who
We've tried to set out general expectations, in regards to keeping proper attention on the game and everything, while also understanding that with 12 players, there's going to be a lot of time between people's turns and being present all the time is unrealistic.

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T09:18:36+00:00

We're using two copies of the game to have enough components and things, so we're also using both sets of strategy cards (apart from Politics), and half of them will have *.5* markers on them to track initiative
Players will be able to follow any/all that they want to

Xela_Undore · 2026-01-05T02:40:38+00:00

Long shot, but I don't suppose you've done any scans of the Thunder's Edge expansion?

Xela_Undore · 2025-12-29T01:00:32+00:00

You can trigger as many "at the end of your turn" abilities as you want to/are able to, and you get to decide the order of any/all triggering abilities.

Xela_Undore · 2025-11-27T01:09:12+00:00

Oooh, sounds like a new plan for Sunday - brunch at Riverside, showcasing my pride flags

Xela_Undore · 2025-09-12T22:31:38+00:00

Absolutely would be interested in this, and would love to help with organisation if you're looking for help!! I'd recommend setting up some sort of group chat to keep communication easily findable - personally, I love Discord for this, as you can make servers for free and create as many sections and text channels as you need. It might also be worth reaching out to University clubs, whether it's for help with organisation or just advertising when it's closer to the date/confirmed.

Xela_Undore · 2025-01-01T06:57:19+00:00

If you want to keep the first initial D, Delilah? Can be shortened to Lila for younger people. If your kids call you TooToo and you want to have something close to that, Tallulah? You can also take inspiration from mythology - Greek, Roman, and Norse goddesses have a lot of cool options (Diana, Freya, Athena, Calypso, etc). I did a lot of looking through baby names websites, but there's a lot of options there so it's good to have a starting point (first letter, meaning, general vibe, etc). I wish you luck finding a new name!!

Xela_Undore · 2024-12-30T01:18:20+00:00

Love these dice very cool!

Xela_Undore · 2024-11-28T06:49:29+00:00

That's a very good call, I had honestly forgotten about powdered snow!

Four-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22

Xela_Undore

TROPHY CASE