Strategy by Race: The Barony of Letnev

Strategy by Race
The Barony of Letnev

From the strategy guide written by Stefan Sasse
Racial Ability:
+1 to Fleet Supply
May spend 2TG to get +1 in actual round of space combat or +2 in ground combat
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
Hylar V Assault Laser
Leaders: Admiral, General, Diplomat
Representative 1: Darktalon Treilla (S) +0. Assassinate. If successful, gain his bonus votes.
Representative 2: Legate Erran (C) +4. You cast your votes after all other players.
Representative 3: Captain Lassir (B) +2. If you do not like the result of this vote, gain one
Dreadnought in any system and abstain from all future votes.
Racial Tech 1 : L4 Disruptors (6) You dont need to spend 2TG to use your racial ability in ground
combat.
Racial Tech 2: Noneuclidian Shielding (4) When you use the sustain damage ability of one of your
units, it prevents two casualties (rather than one).
Starting Units:
Dreadnought
Destroyer
Carrier
3 GF
Trade Agreements: 1,1
Homesystem: Wren Terra (2/1), Arc Prime (4/0)
Flagship: Arc Secundus (10 / 52 / 1 / 2) This ship may bombard planets that contain PDS units.
At the start of each combat round, repair this ship.
The Letnev are one of the aggressive races. Their racial abilities favor those who fight much and
build big fleets. Thematically, their big industry consumes the resources of their polluted home
worlds and has a constantly high output of ships. They can also use these resources to get a push
in any given battle and are masters of capital ship logistics. This is represented in three racial
abilities that will determine your strategy.
First and least important is the option to spend 2TG in order to get a +1 bonus in Space Battles.
The biggest problem with this is that the Letnev have really crappy Trade Agreements. Likely no
one will be too eager to trade anything but other 1 TAs with them, so the Letnev wont be getting
too many TG from that. So if you plan to exploit this ability, try to bully or negotiate some juicy TA or
to take hold of a Trade Station. The ability is far too expensive, however, to use it in many battles.
Save it for when it counts. You might even consider using it mostly in ground battles since there the
bonus will have a greater effect due to the high hit numbers and often even odds.
Second, there is the bonus in Fleet Supply (FS henceforth). You will always have one more than
you put CC in FS, which either saves you a counter in games running low on CC, or you will be
able to put even one ship more in the fleet than everyone else. But beware: the more ships are on
the table, the less effective this tech gets. The agenda restricting Counters in FS to 5 is a big friend
of Letnev, since they then will be the only ones with a fleet of 6, and they dont rely on
Dreadnoughts that want to be protected like, say, the L1z1x. So as Letnev, try to cut the CC
supplies of the others low. You will profit from it.
Until here, most people think of the racial abilities of the Letnev as a bit mediocre. They are right;
these abilities really dont shine as much as the ones of other races. But the best racial ability of
the Letnev isnt printed on their race sheet its their Home System! The Letnev HS reaches the
single greatest build limit of all two-planet systems in the game. They are able to produce gigantic
masses of ships and even have resources for it. You will nearly always want to throw down a
second SD in the Letnev HS as soon as possible to exploit this build limit as much as possible. You
dont get many votes with these planets, so take the hint: the diplomatic arena is nothing for you.
Your diplomacy rests on the Hylar V Lasers of your Cruisers.
This leads us to the starting units. You get a Dreadnought, which isnt of much use since its too
slow, except when you play with Leaders (which I recommend). In this case, put the Admiral on the
Dreadnought and keep him there. Never build another one, but this Dreadnought will help you
somewhat. The Destroyer isnt too bad, but not very good either. Should you encounter Fighters
from Distant Suns tokens, the Destroyer doesnt stand much of a chance. But to accompany your
initial Carrier it suffices. You also get said Carrier and three GF, which isnt much. The starting fleet
of the Letnev isnt really great, so you should make it your priority to expand it. In its present shape,
it allows you to conquer only one system in round 1, so it is vital for you to get another Carrier with
at least two GF out. So either try to take hold of the Production SC yourself or profit from the
Secondary (save one CC from SA!) to be able to send out another force in round one. Take
resource-heavy systems first to get the production up. Unfortunately, the need to produce another
Carrier in round 1 will in most cases prevent you from producing a space dock too. The only
possibility to get both is to either get Trade and use the Production Secondary, or to use the
Production Primary. In both cases you can prevent the need of exhausting Arc Prime, so you have
the last four resources you need for a SD. This strategy can backfire, of course, when anticipated
by an aggressive neighbour in possession of Warfare II since it leaves your homesystem
completely empty. If you dread an early invasion, better build additional ships and GF and get the
second SD in round two, but dont wait any longer than that.
A common error with the Letnev besides dismissing them too fast because of their mediocre racial
abilities is to purchase too much tech. The Letnev are the only race able to purchase tech with the
Secondary of Technology II just with their HS, but they should restrain themselves from doing so.
They need not many techs to win a game. Absolute musts are either XRD or Stasis Capsules, but
in most cases XRD is to be preferred. If fighting against heavy Fighter covers, purchase Automated
Defense Turrets, but only then. Enviro Compensators are a must. Sarween Tools are really
desirable in the early game, but if you dont have it by midgame, dont bother any more. Dont
bother with the Letnev racial tech, too it takes a minimum of eight saved GF to make this tech
worthwhile, and if the game gets so heavy on ground combat you should turn for easier prey
anyway.
Your first racial tech, the L4 Disruptors, is the most useless of the first racial techs. Your GF gain
bonus damage in combat for the ridiculous 6 resources and one strategic action? No game can get
as ground-combat-heavy as that. Before you get this tech, aim for the X89 Bacterial Weapon. The
second racial tech, Noneuclidian Shielding, is well worth the money on the other hand. It allows
you to sustain so much damage that the Dreadnoughts really become a new star in your collection.
Additionally, it makes you more independent of Fighters so you dont really need that much Carrier
protection in the late game, which saves building capacity for Cruisers and Destroyers.
The representatives of the Letnev again drive home the point about being not diplomatic creatures.
Theres one assassin guaranteed to make enemies, a Councilor mighty enough to be targeted with
special attention and a Bodyguard that takes you out of the political game entirely. Neither of these
is really a beneficial choice in most situations, so the representatives dont change the political
game much for the Letnev.
The flagship of this race is awful mighty. Not only does it fire like an enhanced Dreadnought; it too
does repair itself every round, thereby increasing the number of hits you can take with your fleet
(especially with Non-Euclidian Shielding!). The only downside of this ship is its movement, so try to
make the best use of Gravity Drive you can get.
Resulting from this you should make it a priority to get these techs as soon as possible by taking
Technology II in round 1 or 2 and then mass produce ships. Your fleet should contain a Carrier for
the GF and some Fighter cover if possible, Destroyers depending on the number of enemy
Fighters to be expected and Cruisers as its real backbone. The Cruisers are the real damage
dealers in Letnev fleets, quick and deadly and dirt cheap. Dont allow an enemy to gather large
fleets and bunker in. You will have a greater fleet, but in most cases the other guy will have
superior ships like Dreadnoughts or even War Suns. This kind of fleet takes long to build and is
expensive, however, so you should have a big fleet faster and be able to strike hard, especially if
there are War Suns around with minimal cover.
The Letnev are also in a good position to concentrate on building Fighters themselves. The build
limit is very high, so you can pop them out fast. Since the techs to decrease their hit number are far
away for the Letnev, however, you should treat them more as cannon fodder and shield for the
Cruisers than as the real damage-dealing backbone of your army.
The Clan of Saar

Racial Ability:
Gain 1TG every time you acquire a new planet

You may fulfill objectives even if you dont control your HS
Your SD have a movement of one but may not build in the same activation as they move
Your SD are not placed on planets and have a build limit of 4 each. They are destroyed when
alone with an enemy ship
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
XRD Transporters
Leaders: Agent, Admiral, Diplomat
Representative 1: Elder Gurno (S, B) +0. Choose unrevealed Representative. He may not use any
power on you.
Representative 2: Elder Sarrig (C) +4. Gain +3 votes if you are the Speaker.
Representative 3: Melkov (S) +2. Choose outcome. Gain 1TG for every player voting that way.
Racial Tech 1: Floating Factories (3) SD may sustain 5 Fighters and have a build limit of 5.
Additionally, they get +1 movement.
Racial Tech 2: Chaos-Mapping (2) You may activate an Asteroid Field. Your Fleet Supply limit in it
is 3 (which cannot be modified).
Starting Units:
4 GF
2 Carriers
2 Fighters
1 Cruiser
Homesystem: Lisis II (1/0), Ragh (2/1)
Flagship: Son of Ragh (10/63/1/4) This ship rolls four dice for your anti- Fighter barrage.
The Clan of Saar consists of the most despised race in the galaxy, the notorious Saar, an
oppressed race without a home, scattered through the galaxy. But when one of their leaders heard
the call and found the twin asteroids of Lisis II and Ragh, he summoned his people there, and now
the Saar are eager to show the galaxy that they are capable of more than just floor wiping. The
Clan of Saar plays differently from any other race and is thus perhaps not the best horse to bet on
for a beginner in TI3. This different feeling originates in their racial abilities.
The first and most important ability concerns their SD. They behave totally different than you are
accustomed to. Saar SD are not tied to a special planet like normal; they always have a build
capacity of four. Additionally, the SD are able to move around at a speed of one, so the Saar can
roam through the galaxy free of all bounds.
To ensure this, their second racial ability cancels the normal restriction of scoring VP that you need
to control your HS. The Saar can easily dismiss their HS and search for better places in the galaxy.
The last racial ability is yet another incentive to do so: every time you acquire a new planet, you get
one TG. So, the more planets you take and retake, the more TG will come pouring in. Especially in
the beginning this is a very powerful boost.
Accordingly, the HS of the Saar is crappy. Ragh has a mere 2/1, and Lisis II only 1/0. You dont
need the HS for anything, so feel free to desert it for more juicy objectives. Only thing to remember
is that you might present someone with a very cheap opportunity in fulfilling the SO requiring him to
conquer an enemy HS. The more you spread out in the beginning, the stronger you get, since
every conquered planet gives you an additional TG with which to build up forces quickly.
Your two starting techs perfectly suit you for this quick expansion style: Antimass Deflectors and
XRD Transporters make for a versatile fleet. Personally, I wouldnt bother with many of the red
techs. You dont need War Suns, and you wont rely too heavily on Cruisers and Destroyers, not to
mention Dreadnoughts. Like the Naalu, the Saar are a race for Fighters. You can create tons of
them once youve researched your racial tech, which should be imperative.
This racial tech, Floating Factories, allows you not only to move your SD as fast as the rest of
your fleet, but also enhances the build limit and the Fighter capacity. You can produce 12 Fighters
with every build then, and sustain 15 alone with the SD, not to speak of the four Carriers you may
have around too. And best thing is: the SD dont count towards the FS! Their second racial tech,
Chaos Mapping, allows you to actually enter Asteroid Fields. Thats cool, because no other race
can do it, but with the FS limitation of three I the use for it is limited. Normally, Asteroid Fields are
used as highways to quickly pass space that cant be occupied. Now, the Saar can block these
routes, and thats the main thing you want to do with this tech. The enemy can only clear you out
with PDS shots, and thats not really cost efficient, while you can close a valuable route to
everyone else except for you.
The starting units of the Saar are good: two Carriers, four GF to grab planets and some protection
in the beginning. With this, you should be able to take a bigger part of the galaxy than many other
races, and the best parts also!
Another great advantage of the Saar is their Leader combination. An Agent is always welcome, the
Admiral can improve your strongest ship (like the Dreadnought you may want to buy when you
reach Fighter capacity) and the Diplomat, well the Saar dont rely on planets as much as other
races do since they dont have their SD attached to them, so you might chose to use him in a more
offensive way by taking planets and preventing recapture with the Diplomat. Remember, its
absolutely no problem to lose planets, since when you take them back, you also gain TG.
The representatives of the Saar are more subtle than others. Generally more vulnerable than most,
they can influence the vote, secure themselves and gain some few extra votes. Most of the time
you will want to try and position yourself into a safe position using Elder Gurno, but sometimes the
abilities of the other two may be just the thing you need to either decide a vote or to gain crucial
additional TG.
Their flagship is nice. Nice isnt something you want to be, as anyone who is the best friend of a
hot girl knows. If your enemy goes for a Fighter heavy build, you may want to have it if you have
maxed out your Destroyers already, but in the end, its severe movement restrictions, limited
capacity and mediocre shooting power doesnt justify the cost.
A weakness of the Saar is simultaneously their strength: with all three SD packed in one system,
they have the biggest Fighter blob ever created in a single system. But a bunch of Destroyers and
a Friendly Fire AC later, this may be reduced to dust. SD cant pull back, so with this bubble of
firepower, you have all your eggs in one basket and are somewhat immobile. So choose wisely
whether you want to go this path or whether you want to create two or even three independently-
operating fleets roaming the galaxy and taking what they can.
The downside of this second tactic is that you will have no friends with it, since you have to grab
opportunities everywhere they create themselves, but the obvious bonus is that you will stack TG
by constantly conquering planets. When you have carved out a suitable place in the galaxy for the
Clan, which may be on the opposite side of the galaxy from where you started, you may create the
Fighter blob of doom with your three SD and give out the TA you have to secure some friends you
didnt hit recently.
The Emirates of Hacan

Racial Ability:
In Status Phase, you may trade AC with other players.

You receive one additional TG per TA.
Your trades dont need approval; other players may never break a TA with you except for war or
the Trade SC (not Trade II).
Starting Techs:
Enviro Compensator
Sarween Tools
Leaders: General, Scientist, Diplomat
Representative 1: Alrung (S, B) +0. Assassinate.
Representative 2: Huldran (C) +2. When voting, each player who didnt receive a Promissory
Note must give you 1TG or abstain.
Representative 3: Garrus (C) +4. If any player gives you TG during the Bargaining step, gain
one additional TG from the supply (once per round).
Racial Tech 1: Production Centers (3) Once per round, spend a CC from SA to receive 4TG and
give 2TG to any other player(s), but only if you have less than 6TG.
Racial T ech 2: Quantum Datahub Node (5) At the end of your Strategy Phase, you may trade
one of your Strategy Cards with a Strategy Card of one of your trading partners. The other player
doesnt need to agree to the trade.
Starting Units:
2 Carriers
4GF
1 Cruiser
2 Fighters
Homesystem:
Arretze (2/0)
Hercant (1/1)
Kamdorn (0/1)
Flagship: Wrath of Kenara (10 / 73 / 2 / 4) When this ship is present, up to two times each
combat round, you may spend 1TG to reroll one of your dice.
The Emirates of Hacan are the trading power of the universe. They are an ideal race for those who
like to play on the diplomatic stage as well as being able to deliver some punishment if necessary.
Their racial abilities allow them to stockpile resources in the form of the valuable TG, but unlike the
races made out for war they possess no abilities to help them with it, so they have to compensate
for their shortcomings with money. Same goes for the stage of diplomacy: they have no powers
that allow them to interfere with the course of politics, so they have to buy their enemies and votes
alike. That being said, if the Emirates of Hacan still appeal to you, we will take a look at their racial
abilities.
The most obvious is the bonus in TG. Trading is your friend. Even with the worst TA the one
worth just 1TG you still get more TG with Trade than most other players do in any game. That
means, you can afford being generous and buying your neighbors off with good TAs or making
friends otherwise. You are the Trademaster, in various ways. The Hacan giveth, and the Hacan
taketh away. When someone who has a 3TA with you pisses you off, cancel the TA and give it to
someone more loyal. You can never get at the short end of Trade negotiations because the bonus
always pays you off.
The second and often underestimated ability of the Hacan is that they are the only ones able to
trade AC. Thats a valuable asset. Offer your services to the others, either for a small fee or entirely
for free. This is invaluable. People tend to trade good AC, so you will gain precious knowledge that
can be sold otherwise. Plus, you never have to trade cards that are bad for you since you see them
beforehand. You can even punish someone who sought to cheat you that way by keeping the
cards. They are legally in your possession before you deal them out again. But be warned: if you
make it a habit to cheat people of their AC, theyll make it a habit not to trade with you. And then
your racial isnt worth shit.
The third racial ability you possess is that your TA may not be broken except for war. That means
players cannot voluntarily break TAs with you even if they wanted to, which makes trading with you
especially safe. Your TAs are totally depending on you. That gives your trading partner security in
planning, but its like a drug. You dont want to miss such a valuable asset like a TA with Hacan, so
you try to do anything to keep it and to avoid trouble with them. Exploit this fact! Be the Trading
Master. Everyone who wants to play Trading Master himself by the use of the Trade SC needs to
be shown how little interest the Hacan have in that petty game. Your trades dont need approval by
a self-appointed Trade Master.
Another asset in the hands of the Hacan is, like with the Barony of Letnev, their HS. It is the only
one in the game featuring three planets, and that cant be coincidence since there are three SD to
build for every race. Except for having Abyz/Fria or Bereg/Lirta IV in direct proximity there is no
excuse not to throw down all SD in the HS to be able to build enormous fleets. The charm with this
is that it is a permanent deterrent: nobody has so many resources to spend on a single build like
the Hacan do, and combined with the excessive build limit this provides it can always be done.
Hacan can arm up especially fast if need be, compared to other races. Its a more subtle threat
than others, to be sure, but a threat nonetheless.
The Hacan also boast good starting units. Four GF and two Carriers guarantee a quick expansion
in the beginning, adding even more to the economic advantage. With additional two Fighters and a
Cruiser you are also prepared to do some fighting in the beginning. This fleet relieves you of the
necessity to get the Production SC in the first Strategy Phase. Just build two additional GF and
perhaps a Destroyer with the Secondary, and youre fine. You dont need the Trade SC, too, since
you can participate in it for free. In the beginning, you can grab more than your fair share of planets
with the two Carriers you start with. Since you lack XRD Transporters, it makes no sense to
purchase a third, even if you could, in most cases.
Hacans starting techs satisfy most economic needs from the outset. From there, several options
are open. The route to War Suns is already done half, and youll never lack the resources for it.
War Suns and Hacan match. This is especially good because you get Hylar V Assault Lasers on
the way that deal with a disadvantage in your initial setup. After that, the Hacan have a hard road
regarding techs, because nearly everything has to be made up from scratch at a slow pace. You
need Antimass for XRD, you dont get to Cybernetics easily, and the real juicy techs are way down
the path. If youre still not filled up with TG and greedy, go for Micro Technology and boost your
trade income to hilarious +2TG per TA to a maximum of ten. Ouch! You can then fast tech to
Integrated Economy, which basically makes you an economic monster with a low-standard fleet.
You are then the Russians of the TI3 universe, building up masses of mediocre ships and
overrunning the enemy just because you can. Your enemies will try not to let you get Technology
too often since you can easily afford to use the Secondary too and so compensate this
disadvantage at least to a degree.
Your first racial tech is another example of the give-and-take-away mentality of the Hacan. It
quickly pays for itself, and everytime you use it you not only gain a vital element of stalling (if only
once per round), but also you can make friends easily and pay debts with this. No one can hope for
such high briberies like the Hacan are forced to pay by the use of this one! You can bribe someone
for 2TG every round with this, which is very valuable. Use it as often as possible. The second racial
tech is very mighty, but a two-edged sword. It can be used to take the victory off the hands of a
trading partner by securing that vital SC for yourself, or for elaborate tactics with an ally. Resist the
hesitation to use it for every advantage you can get, however. If you regularly piss off your trading
partners, you will soon find yourself without friends in a war on multiple fronts.
Your leaders offer a fair variety. The Diplomat will secure a key asset like MR when needed since
you build in your HS and always protect it your Diplomat wont be needed to secure a production
site, so use him where you need him to. The General can reinforce any GF, but dont hang too tight
on him. The Hacan always can afford more GF, so dont think hes invaluable and take unworthy
risks or costs just to save the guy. And last, the Admiral will improve one of your ships a bit. You
can tell by my explanation that the Hacan dont really rely on their leaders. They are a nice bonus
and may come in handy from time to time, but they are not essential.
The Hacan representatives offer a good combination. Your Spy is also a Bodyguard, making him
nigh invulnerable, while he himself is able to assassinate people. The focus here lies on is able,
since its not mandatory that you kill someone. This is a perfect ability to offer for sale if you have
no one to kill this round dictated by circumstance. The two Councilors offer nice bonuses alongside
the votes, so if you feel comfortable for the vote, use them for the benefits.
Lets talk about the Hacan Flagship. Its mediocre at best. For ten resources, you gain a very
expensive reroll ability (which might be crucial, granted), the firepower of three Cruisers without
Hylar V and the capacity of a crippled Carrier. Lucky for the Hacan, the price doesnt matter so
much, so you can afford the ship most of the times. It bolsters your fleet additionally, but it wont
change the game massively. Regard it as another plastic piece on the board, but dont
overestimate its capabilities.
In the late game build your fleets you will have the money for several according to your techs,
but you can afford to be sloppy. Build everything there is as long as money and build limit dont
stop you. It will look mighty, even if it isnt. Deter who you cannot buy. Thats the way of the
Emirates of Hacan.
The Federation of Sol

Racial Ability:
May spend one CC from SA to create 2 GF on any planet

Gain one additional CC in Status Phase
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
Cybernetics
Representative 1: Rev. Hendrickson (S, B) +0. Assassinate. If target is Bodyguard, it is considered

not targeted.
Representative 2: Claire Gibson (C) +4. If PC doesnt resolve the way you wanted to, you may
force a player who voted against you to return one of your Promissory Notes.
Representative 3: Ronald Wiley (C) +3. If you abstain from this vote, gain 2GF on any one planet
you control.
Racial Tech 1: Mark II Advanced Carriers (4) Carriers may carry eight units and gain sustain
damage.
Racial Tech 2: Spec Ops Training (5) Each time you roll a 1 during Invasion Combat, you may
reroll the die. You must use the second result.
Starting Units:
5 GF
1 Destroyer
2 Carrier
Homesystem: Jord (4/2)
Flagship: Genesis I (10 / 53 / 1 / 3) GF on this ship do not count towards its capacity.
Its a bit of a sci-fi clich that the humans are always the race with no specific strength or
weakness. They are versatile. TI3 is no exception from this rule, and the humans dont have any
racial ability that per se defines your game style like most other races do. That seems to make it
easy, but it isnt. You have to choose a strategy by yourself and stick with it or adapt it as
circumstances require, which isnt the easiest thing to do after all.
Lets look at their first racial ability. It says you can create two GF on any of your planets as an
action by spending a CC from SA. This ability serves two purposes: first, you can gain GF on
planets without actually flying or having a SD there. And second, it is a great method of stalling.
The other ability of the Federation is also a very interesting one: you gain one additional CC during
Status Phase. This gives you a greater variety of options in the actual Action Phase later, since you
are not as dependent on the Leadership SC as other races. Combined with the Hyper Metabolism
tech, you even gain 4CC during Status double what anyone else gets!
Your HS isnt exactly on the bright side, however. It is a single planet, whose 2 influence only
matter as long as you havent spent it, and which doesnt grant you a high build limit. If the
Federation cant find a system with a better build limit, they have a major disadvantage over most
of the field, and Jord does only possess four resources not even as much as [0.0.0].
The human starting technologies again show the path to diversity and a serious weakness of Sol:
while they can go in virtually any direction with their starting techs, they are also incredibly weak in
the beginning, a trait which they share with the Sardakk Norr. This is further enhanced by their
starting units: They only have a Destroyer to protect their one starting Carrier, but five GF to carry
around this guarantees a slow and always threatened initial expansion.
Your first objective as Sol is to carefully measure the board. Whats your situation, and what is
required? Can you gain a system with a decent build capacity? In this case, grab it ASAP and start
building Fighters. Your first racial tech, Mark II Advances Carriers, is one of the best around,
giving your Carriers not only a capacity of eight but also the ability to sustain a hit. This brings you
to a level with the Naalu if it comes to Fighter-based tactics. The second racial tech, Special Ops
Training, however, instantly qualifies for the most useless tech there is, ever, period. Should you
even consider buying this crap tell me where you got the weed youre smoking.
The Representatives of Sol offer some nice possibilities. First, their spy does not suffer any
negative effects that some bodyguards offer. He is also undying, being a Bodyguard additionally.
Your first councilor ensures that you can be a bit more freely with your Promissory Notes, since
you can either punish people by forcing them to vote your way or retrieve notes. The second
councilor gives you the option of gaining free GF in votes that dont concern you.
Should you happen to be without a decent build limit, you might want to go to the red techs and
concentrate more on capital ships and the ability to spawn GF once youve captured a planet. In
this way you will not have to rely as much on bringing them along with Carriers and can save the
build limit for the ships that count.
The Genesis is a decent flagship. It has a good firepower, but mediocre movement. Its best use
will be in fleets depending heavily on Fighters, since you can then load all GF on the flagship and
use the Carriers increased capacity for Fighters. This, however, requires an enormous build-up and
a large build capacity, so its more likely that this slow ship will stay unbuilt most of the time.
The Federations leaders are an acceptable combination. Agents are always welcome, the Admiral
can make one Dreadnought worthwhile and the Diplomat keeps an important planet safe.
Generally, humanity would have been better off with a Scientist instead of the Admiral, but you
have to work with what you get.
In any case, the Federation can be one of the strongest factions on the board or a meager, little
competitor its entirely up to the player who has to make the right choices. Its impossible to lay
them out like Ive done with the other races, since everything depends on how good the player in
question adapts to any given situation. The humans are masters in adapting. Use this to your
advantage!
The Mentak Coalition

Racial Ability:
You start with one additional CC in FS

During Strategy Phase, you may take 1TG from up to two players with 3+ TG
Before Space Battles begin, you may take two pre-combat shots with Cruisers or Destroyers;
casualties dont return fire
Starting Techs:

Enviro Compensator
Leaders: Agent, Diplomat, Admiral
Representative 1: Sula Mentarion (C) +4. After voting, look at the top card of the Political Deck and
place it on top or bottom.
Representative 2: Cador Grim (S) +0. Assassinate. If your Spy is killed by an enemy Spy, the
enemy Spy is also killed.
Representative 3: Orid Grim (B) +2. If this card is targeted by a Spy, the player controlling the Spy
must give you 3TG or kill the spy.
Racial Tech 1: Salvage Operations (4) +2TG for every Space Battle. If victorious, you rebuild one
ship that was destroyed.
Racial Tech 2: Mirror Computing (4) When you spend Trade Goods, each Trade Good counts as 2
resources instead of one.
Starting Units:
1 Carrier
3 Cruisers
1 PDS
4 GF
Homesystem: Moll Primus (4/1)
Flagship: Fourth Moon (8 / 52 / 2 / 2) Opposing ships may not use the Sustain Damage ability in
this system.
The Mentak Coalition is a ragtag band of pirates. They roam the galaxy in search of easy game,
take what they want and leave again. If it is a planet they want, they take it and stay there as long
as they like. They are no easy neighbors, opportunistic in nature and selling themselves to the
highest bidder. This is partially reflected by their racial abilities.
Your abilities allow you to take one TG from up to two players with three or more TG in the Strategy
Phase. This ability is more a deterrent than a real stealing opportunity. Most players will try to
spend all but two TG before Strategy Phase. You can hurt two races with this, though: first, the
Letnev who want to stockpile TG for important battles, and second, the Hacan who generally
acquire lots of TG. The problem is always that when you take them they will be mad at you. It is
important that you convince the others that it is natural to use this ability because if you didnt you
would forego your racial ability, and the Sardakk Norr wouldnt abandon their racial, would they? If
this argument is accepted, you have an easier time.
The second racial ability allows you to take up to two pre-combat shots with either your Destroyers
or Cruisers. The worth of this ability is tremendous in the beginning and soon deteriorates towards
the end when all the Fighters come up and cover the fleets. In the beginning, you can very
aggressively snipe some unprotected Carriers, though. Especially the Federation of Sol is very
vulnerable to this, but the Yssaril and other races starting with two Carriers are also likely victims.
The third racial ability is not really useful; an additional CC in Fleet Supply just allows you to
sustain your starting fleet which is the numerically largest in the game.
The HS of the Mentak isnt really strong. Moll Primus is a single planet with 4 resources and 1
influence, so you can pay stuff with it but it doesnt give you the build limit you need for your fleet,
so expand quickly and never waste a thought about scuttling the SD in your HS if a sweeter spot
presents itself to you. Just dont forget that your HS can be conquered easily if you dont defend it.
The Mentak have a fairly decent set of starting techs, albeit not very impressive. Enviro
Compensator and Hylar V Assault Laser allow you to quickly tech into the yellow and red techs
and, most importantly, help you with your mediocre build limit. If you have a deep look at the two
techs, however, they really hit you in the head. They cry Tech for War Sun! And really, the Mentak
are a race suited naturally for War Suns. Just think of a band of pirates with its own Death Star!
Thats the wet dream of every corsair. Another tech really worth considering are the Stasis
Capsules. In combination with the War Sun, they make Carriers almost redundant for the Mentak
who can then carry their GF in their Cruisers and their Fighter cover in the War Suns.
The strongest of this average racial ability collection is the racial tech, however: the 2TG
disbursement every time youre in a battle. You attack someone? 2TG. Someone attacks you?
2TG. That way you have an easier time fulfilling economic objectives requiring TG or
compensating the losses, especially since you wont get too much TG from Trade. Combined with
the ability to rebuild a ship destroyed in a Space Battle if victorious, whether it previously belonged
to friend or foe, this makes the Mentak a race thriving on combat and fast-paced battles. You dont
want to let fleets become too big, because battles involving such fleets tend to be decisive and
rare, and to exploit your abilities you need to use them often. Their second racial technology
however, Mirror Computing, really shines. Every TG you spend counts as two. Speak with me:
every TG you spend counts as two. When the Mentak gain this tech, every TG they gain boosts
them more than the Hacan! Combine that with the Transfabrication tech and produce Destroyers,
scuttling them in the same moment. Talk about doubling your income!
The starting units of the Mentak represent just that ability to attack quickly and aggressively. You
have three Cruisers which, remember, can take pre-combat shots. Should your neighbor be so
unwise as to prowl your space in reach of the Cruisers with poorly defended Carriers, dont
hesitate to take them out. You will slow down the progress of this player very heavily. Dont expect
to be loved for such actions, though; nobody loves pirates. Your own expansion really needs some
boost, on the other hand, as you start with only 3GF and one Carrier.
This leads to the first SC you have to get. This should be Production, to bolster up the small
landing forces you have with an additional Carrier, Cruiser, two GF and two Fighters. This is a build
that maximizes the resources and build limit with the Production Primary. Another tasty option for
your first round is Warfare II, greatly increasing the range of your Cruisers and therefore allowing
you to snipe off the enemys expansion force deep in the space he regards as his own, the fool.
Like all aggressive races, your TAs suck. Both are rated 1, and combined with the ability to steal
TG you are not exactly high on the list of trading partners one could wish for, so you need to take
refuge in blackmailing. Make sure the poor bastard neighboring you knows about your abilities to
attack him quickly, and blackmail him into giving you a juicy TA. The Federation of Sol would be a
likely partner for a scam like this, but others are well suited too. Perhaps some will even come
voluntarily to get rid of the constant nuisance at their borders the Mentak provide so willingly.
On the other hand, the Mentak do possess a good set of Leaders. The Admiral boosts up one of
the Cruisers, the Diplomat protects vital planets (like the HS that you leave nearly defenseless) and
the Agent can help you along storming planets if need be or to defend against nasty AC that
threaten to overthrow your plans.
The Mentak representatives give them another strong hand. Two of them are strong deterrents,
targeting them resulting in the loss of the attacker or TG, while the third may negate one of the best
effects of the Political SC.
Their Flagship also ranks among the top ones and contests with the L1z1x. Losing the sustain
damage ability really diminishes enemy fleets relying heavily on Warsuns and Dreadnoughts. It
may not seem much, but it really, really hurts in the actual battle. Purchasing this ship is almost a
no-brainer for the Mentak, given the Firepower and speed it can muster, too.
In general, put a price tag on everything youre doing. Youre a heartless rogue, so act the part.
You have no natural enemies and no natural friends, you can sell every action you do. You want to
expand aggressively? Ask who wants to pay you to attack either neighbor, or to not attack a certain
player. You have an AC like Plague on your hand you dont really need? Offer to play it on any
target when paid. Playing like this and really selling yourself to anybody like a good whore, youre
the teflon bitch. Nothing will stick with you, because they will always blame the one paying you and
not yourself. And why should they do otherwise? You are merely providing a service. If anyone
takes it, well, thats their responsibility, isnt it? Youre a pirate. Act like it! Pity and remorse are
nothing that comes into the play of the Mentak. They are designed to make use of every weakness
they sense, so if you dont have the guts to kick your fellow players in their metaphorical crotches,
dont play Mentak. Exploit every opportunity you get, and never ever hang on such things as honor
when it doesnt benefit you. And never forget to end all your sentences with a deep, growling
Arrrrrrrr!
The Naalu Collective

Racial Ability:
Your initiative number is always 0

Your Fighters receive +1 in Space Battle
Naalu fleets may retreat before Space Battle begins
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
Enviro Compensator
Leaders: Agent, Diplomat, Admiral
Representative 1: Ssruuk Gella (C) +4. Gain +2 votes if you are voting For.
Representative 2: Ssruuk Heyra (C) +2. If you vote same as current player you must give him one
Promissory Note.
Representative 3: Ssrool Damil (B) +0. If Spy tries to assassinate this Representative, kill Spy.
Racial Tech 1: Telepathic Mind Weapon (5) When your opponent activates a system you control,
he loses 1CC in FS.
Racial Tech 2: Hybrid Crystal Drives (3) Your Carriers and unsupported Advanced Fighters each
only count 12 ship for the Fleet Supply (rounded up).
Starting Units:
4GF
1PDS
1 Carrier
1 Destroyer
4 Fighters
Homesystem: Maaluuk (0/2), Druaa (3/1)
Flagship: Matriarch (10 / 82 / 2 / 6) Your Fleet Supply Limit in this system is increased by three.
The Naalu Collective is a race of telepaths. These female snakelike humanoids are hard to get a
grip on, and oftentimes its easier to grab a greased and especially wild cat than to try to nail down
the Naalu. They have one of the mightiest racial technologies and rely heavily on Fighters and their
speed, but as is so often the case with things when you dont have the luxury of choosing whether
you want to use it, they can backfire.
Lets have a look at their racial ability to have the initiative number 0 regardless of the chosen SC.
It simply means that they always act first, no matter what card the others have chosen. This
obviously comes in very handy when you want to attack a yet-undefended spot or to escape from a
larger force before getting crushed to pieces. Also, you have a significant advantage in cases of VP
ties since you are the first who scores regardless of the chosen SC. But as stated before, it can
backfire. Always being first means you have a much harder time stalling than your enemies. You
will in most cases not be able to prolong the use of your SC before others have used theirs, so you
have to spend more CC in order to stall and need to take Leadership more often than others. You
are also very predictable in that matter.
Should you ever need to escape with a fleet before you can actually move it, the second Naalu
racial ability kicks in: you are allowed to retreat before the space battle begins, whereas all others
have to stay and fight at least for the first, often-decisive round. This ability got a real boost in the
expansion over the vanilla game by introducing the ability for a Tactical Retreat in which you dont
need to have already activated a system in order to retreat to it, effectively reserving the first action
you have (remember, youre always first) for something else.
The third racial ability determines the buildup for your forces a great deal: all your Fighters receive
+1 in combat. If you dont exploit this ability, you are nuts. It will force all your enemies to purchase
Destroyers and Automated Defense Turrets if they dont want to simply get steamrolled by your
Fighter fleets, and you can boost these Fighter fleets to an incredible hit number of 6 by purchasing
Cybernetics and Advanced Fighters, which makes them as effective as Cruisers with Hylar V
Assault Laser at a quarter of the cost!
Your HS also suits your needs a great deal. Maluuk with ist 0/2 is a free CC everytime someone
plays Leadership, and this is a SC thats played in nearly any given round. Plus, you need CC, as
mentioned above. The second planet, Druaa, has a decent three resources and doesnt waste
influence (it only has one), so you can build some of these cheap Fighters as well. Since its not
enough to also purchase a Carrier for them, you should see that you get enough resources and,
most important, a system with a high build capacity since with this strategy, your HS is not really
that good. It works, however, should you fail to get something decent. Just remember to pump out
those Fighters constantly, always remembering how cheap they are. And if you can nab that AC
that can veto an agenda so you dont fall victim to the law doubling the price of Fighters, all the
better.
You start with two techs, Enviro Compensator and Antimass Deflectors. Thats basically ok, since
you need both anyways. Enviro Compensator gives you the build limit boost youre longing for, and
its a short way to Sarween Tools that grants free resources with every build, which means two to
four Fighters for free every time. Thats an opportunity you shouldnt forego. Antimass Deflectors is
the basic blue tech for the path down to the Advanced Fighters. Since XRD is on the way and you
require fast transports for your Fighters, its only natural to make these two techs top priority. After
that you can quickly go down to the green techs, pick up Cybernetics and then go for the Advanced
Fighters. I cant see a reason for Naalu to go after the red techs; they dont need them at all. Same
goes for other capital (non-Fighter) ships.
If there was ever developed a racial tech that deserves the name mighty, the Naalu tech should
be it. Every time your opponent activates a system you control, he loses one CC out of his FS,
period. Nothing he can do about it. This not only reduces the strength of the enemy fleet that can
stay in your system at best, but serves a much greater purpose in deterring the enemy from
attacking you. Picking up the racial tech is like donning a heavy armor, except it doesnt weigh you
down. Go for it ASAP. The second racial tech, Hybrid Crystal Drives, makes the Advances
Fighters really worthwhile. They and the Carriers henceforth only need 12 the cost in FS, so you
can stackpile even larger fleets. This, together with the flagship, makes the Naalu prone to packing
all eggs in one basket, much like the Saar. You will have a mighty fleet, but if you lose it, you have
lost everything.
You dont have, on the other hand, real assets to bribe neighbours. A 2TA is ok, but depending on
the other races playing it wont really be able to save your ass and worse still, most times you wont
really get a good deal out of it, resulting in the Naalu not getting good benefits from Trade and
barring this access to additional resources at least partially.
Your starting units are ok; much plastic on the board, which is decent enough, but you obviously
lack versatility since you have only one Carrier and are thus not able to move all that stuff before
your first build.
The leader combination of the Naalu is good. An Agent, a Diplomat and an Admiral make for a
strong combination. The Agent is invaluable in opposing some AC that can really hurt the Naalu,
especially Friendly Fire, so dont waste him. With the Diplomat, you prolong the invasion of a vital
system. Keep in mind the Naalu Achilles heel described further down, however, and dont create
this exploitable situation with rash use of the Diplomat. The Admiral, at last, you can put on the only
Dreadnought youll ever build, or on any other capital ship. You dont really need him except for
pinning down enemy fleets you want to swarm.
Your representatives give you an additional pack of votes for the agendas and one rather strong
deterrent which allows you to use said votes more often than you would be able without the
deterrent. Still, the Councilors of the Naalu are always threatened.
The Matriarch as their flagship has the main function to raise FS in its current system by three.
That way, not only can you have a bigger fleet than anyone else, but you also get another Carrier
with it, whose sustain damage ability allows it to pack more punch. However, it comes at high cost
and sucks in combat. So long as you dont swim in recourses to really use the additional FS and
capacity, your money is better spent on normal ships than on this monster.
The Achilles heel of the Naalu racial tech is the condition of controlling a system entirely to kick
in. This means you have to control the planet and the space. So if the enemy manages to get you
involved in battles in areas you dont control say a planet you protect with your Diplomat but the
space of which is controlled by the enemy, or empty space tiles you are at a disadvantage there
since your racial tech wont work. Try to force battles on your own ground.
So, what do you want to do in your first rounds? Getting Technology is a number one priority for the
Naalu to quickly get tech. In the beginning, they are rather weak since their Fighters are very
vulnerable and you dont have the resources to buy them in large quantities. Try to secure yourself
by bribing and threatening neighbours. Another option is to go a more peaceful way and getting
Trade to exert a little control over who trades with whom and maybe getting a halfway decent
bargain out of it. Leadership shouldnt be needed in the first rounds but will become more important
later. Production is also a nice pick on round 1 to boost the mediocre fleet with which you start,
containing of only 1 Carrier but 4GF and 4 Fighters you cant transport.
A last important thing to consider is the battles. Dont fight if youre not sure you can win with your
force mainly intact. Your fleet will consist of a lot of ships and will necessarily take several
production steps to reach this size, so you normally wont get the chance to rebuild it once youve
lost it. Fighters are cheap, but their production is locked by the build limit. Try to get some
Sabotage to prevent hurting AC, especially Friendly Fire, and to have some good AC by you to turn
the tide. Dont let yourself get locked in battles you dont want to fight. Retreat if need be.
The Nekro Virus

Racial Ability:
You may not vote on Political or Agenda Cards.

When you destroy at least 1 enemy unit in a Space Battle or Invasion Combat, you may copy
(receive) one free Technology Card (ignoring all prerequisites) that the enemy player has already
researched. Limit once per battle.
You may not receive Technology Cards from Political, Assembly, Action or Strategy Cards. Any
time you would receive a Technology Card this way, instead gain three CC.
Starting Techs:
Gen Synthesis
Dacxive Animators
Leaders: Agent, Admiral, General
Representative 1: Beelzebul (C) +0. After Resolve Spies, all Councilors are killed. Then discard
Political Card.
Representative 2: Asmodai (S) +0. Choose a player and outcome. If right, copy one Technology
from him.
Representative 3: Wendigo (B) +0. In order for a player to vote For, he must give you 1TG or
one random AC.
Racial Tech 1 & 2: Valefar Assimilator Gain this Technology by using your racial ability to copy a
racial Technology an opponent has researched. You cannot copy a Technology that modifies his
racial ability.
Starting Units:
2 GF
1 MU
1 Carrier
2 Cruisers
Trade Agreements: 2, 1
Homesystem: Mordai II (4/0)
Flagship: The Alastor (9 / 93 / 1 / 1) If this ship is destroyed, destroy all friendly and enemy
ships in the system.
If there is one race in the game deriving directly from the image of the Borg of the Star Trek
universe, its the Nekro. They are aggressive and assimilating the strengths of other races at an
alarming rate. Undisturbed by matters of politics or research, they can concentrate on gaining CC
and larger fleets than anyone else. And no fancy tech will protect you against them, because after
one battle, they have it, too.
Their first racial ability prevents them from taking part in the political process, at all. This is a
downpoint of this race, since it cuts the player off from a fun aspect of the game (a possibility that I
also dont like about Represenatives, by the way). Especially new players might be frustrated by
that and fall back on destructive measures with their army. This ability makes the Nekro a race you
only want in the hands of experienced players, since having the same fun with them at the table is
more difficult than with other races.
The second racial ability is the core of the Nekro: when they destroy at least one unit in battle
even a Fighter they copy one of the enemys techs, ignoring all prerequisites. If the Hylar and the
Nekro ever share the same gameboard, there are some aggressive border skirmishes to be
expected, but everyone teching hard will be attacked all the time by small, annoying ships.
The third racial ability prevents the Nekro to gain techs the usual way (except for Distant Suns,
which still work for them). Since they are the only race that doesnt need the Technology SC, they
have a nice bargaining instrument at their disposal. They can either take Technology anyway when
the chance is presented, and gain three CC for attacks, of they can demand concessions for not
taking it and attacking afterwards to claim what the others researched.
Their HS is the typical one-planet-Sol-clone that so many races have. Mediocre build limit, good
resources and in their case no Influence make it an acceptable choice. The Nekro are one of the
races aiming for a bigger slice of universe anyway, kin to the L1z1x and other aggressive races.
Their starting fleet is interesting. While only sporting one Carrier, the Nekro are the only race
having access to a MU in the beginning. This makes them immune to most Distant Sun effects and
allows them for a big firepower right from the start. Two Cruisers allow for aggressive moves right
from the start, too, and the copying of Technology.
Their starting technologies provide them with the firepower for their Cruisers (you know, to snipe
enemy ships in exchange for tech) and greatly strengthen their GF. From there, you have to go
where the other players go. Thats the downside of the Nekros abilities, they cant decide
themselves. This is made good by the fact that, most of the time, you will have more techs than
everyone else, simply because you have everything the others do plus three starting techs. They
dont have racial techs, so you have to steal them, too. The mightiest are the Mentaks Mirror
Computing or the Letnevs Non-Euclidian Shielding. Since there many more juicy opportunities,
remember: some racial techs cant be copied, such as the Creuss Slave Wormhole Generator or
the Arborecs Spore Acceleration.
Their Representatives are there just to do anything in the political process. Most of the time, you
will want to use your spy to gain even more technology. Certain agendas may make the Wendigo
interesting, too. Most of the time, you will piss off players by that, however, without being able to do
anything good to make up for it, which makes this a rather dangerous approach.
The flagship of the Nekro also is a devastating one. It has the potential to wipe out a gigantic fleet
alone, and it provides the single biggest deterrent against an attack on you that is possible. Its cost
are rather great, however, and you should buy this baby only if your fleets are sufficiently strong
which they should be, since you dont need to invest in tech.
Generally, the Nekro live on aggression. Other players will adapt, maybe even present you easy kill
opportunities so you dont attack them directly. Use this, it also drives down your own cost and
keeps your fleets intact for the kills that matter. Dont forget, however, that you shouldnt make too
much enemies, and that a CC and a ship is not that much cheaper than taking part in Technology.
The Sardakk Norr

Racial Ability:
You receive +1 to all combat rolls.
Starting Techs:

Deep Space Cannon
Leaders: Admiral, General, General
Representative 1: Quirek (B) +2. If targeted by Spy, Spys killed.
Representative 2: AnGrag (C) +4. If killed, killer must place 1CC from supply into a system of your
choice.
Representative 3: Redband Rtan (S) +0. Choose Representative and outcome. If not like you
want, representative is killed after voting.
Racial Tech 1: Valkyrie Armor (3) At the end of a round of Invasion Combat, roll one die for each
casualty you take. For each 10 you roll, your opponent must immediately take one casualty.
Racial Tech 2: Exotrireme (4) At the end of a round of Space Battle, you may destroy one of your
Dreadnoughts present to destroy two present enemy ships of your choice.
Starting Units:
5 GF
1 Carrier
1 Cruiser
1 PDS
Homesystem: Trenlak (1/0), Quinarra (3/1)
Flagship: Cmorran Norr (10 / 53 / 1 / 2) You receive +1 to your space combat rolls in this system.
The Sardakk Norr are the fighters of the galaxy. Their racial ability is the most simple, most direct
of all. It comes as a surprise to many that their focus in abilities on fighting space battles doesnt
need to dictate their strategy, that, in fact, the Sardakk Norr are ill-suited to waging war against the
players from day one.
To understand this, we have to look beyond the racial ability. It grants the Norr a bonus of +1 on
every single combat roll, not only in Space Battles, but also in Invasion Combat and for PDS fire. In
combat, theyll always have the edge since they hit up to 50% more often than the others (50% in
case of Carriers). That is their only racial ability, however. It guarantees you being the number one
target for all AC targeting one racial ability, since your image of a fearsome adversary relies on it.
When I said that the Norr are ill-suited for attacking in the early games, it is easily explained by
their lack of starting forces. One Cruiser is all they have to fight with; if an enemy really can attack
you in round 1, you have a serious problem on your hands. Four resources on two planets isnt
exactly much to cope with early aggression, and your PDS still misses 40% of the time. So you
have to overcome your starting weakness quickly.
Your starting techs provide you with the essentials for war-making: Hylar V Assault Laser and Deep
Space Cannon are a good foundation for other combat techs. Also, other techs like XRD
Transporters to bring in the GF and Enviro Compensator for more build limit are good, since you
have to transform in a war machine quickly.
Forget your first racial tech, Valkyrie Armor, on your way to domination. It is not worth the cost in
any way and too random to be a factor in your planning. Sardakk Norr are great in reducing the
random factor of battles since they hit more and can therefore determine the result of battles with
greater precision. The resources for their tech are put to better use in ships, where they will result
in much more sure hits. Your second racial tech, Exotrireme, is much better. Provided your
Dreadnought lives into the second round of combat, which it should well be able to, it may
DESTROY to enemy ships of your choice two Warsuns, for example, or a flagship, or enemy
Dreadnoughts. It seems like only enemy ships with Sustain Damage are really worth the effort, or
you blow up Carriers with the enemys invasion force on them. Since your fleets shouldnt contain
too much Dreadnoughts but instead rely on Destroyers and Cruisers, this racial tech will be used
mostly to make them worth the while.
Their home system is not crappy in any way, but its not a real good one either. It serves as a
production center if you cant get something better, provided you get some additional resources
elsewhere. Two SD in your HS are mandatory if you dont have a double or triple system with
better build limit in range.
The biggest disadvantage of the Norr (we were here already) is their starting forces. Just one
Cruiser, one Carrier loaded with GF and no Fighter cover makes for no secure start. Youre awfully
slow expanding until you get a second Carrier and are not able to protect them properly until round
2. As soon as you have a secure position, you need to build up a fleet and make ready to use it.
This fleet should have a backbone consisting of Destroyers. A Norr player should always have all
of his eight Destroyers on the board. You ask why? They offer the best cost-to-effect ratio of all
ships. From the start, Sardakk Norr Destroyers hit on 7 or better, and against Fighters they can
even pull two dice at the same hit number. Upgraded with Automated Defense Turrets, this effect is
reinforced by adding a die and reducing the hit number to an incredible 5 against Fighters! And all
of that with a cost of only one resource per Destroyer. Really, no reason to build a Cruiser while
you can build Destroyers. You dont need War Suns, you need a fleet of many cheap ships since
their impact is so much higher than compared to the other races.
The Sardakk Norr Flagship is a no-brainer should you ever mass up a substantial fleet. It doubles
the only racial ability of the Sardakk Norr, making hits by Warsuns a guarantee and ridiculously
boosting the hit numbers of other ships. If the Norr fleets ever were something to mess with, this
nice ship pretty much ensures they arent anymore.
The Representatives of the Norr are interesting. Your Bodyguard pretty much ensures that your
Representatives are seldom targeted, which makes the use of the Councilor (which to kill also
means a hefty disadvantage for the killer) and the Spy so much more easy to use. The spy is also
very efficient in bullying people into the vote you like, so the Norr come out at the nice end of the
Representative selection.
It is imperative that you use your power offensively. This does not necessary mean you attack as
fast as you can. An important factor of the Sardakk Norr is the deterrence originating in their racial
ability. No one is eager to put a fight to you, since you balance them out even with fewer ships. It
cant hurt to fight enemies, however. Alliances of two players against you could prove deadly, and
your single 2TA isnt really that strong an incentive to buy allies. You might consider not starting
wars but taking advantage of them. Use the fighting of others to carve out chunks of the universe.
Youre superior on the battlefield. Even out the enemy. Fight until you have what you need and
then conclude a peace and watch the other guys tear each other apart, maybe even brokering for
your assistance. You are the best warrior in the galaxy. Use this in every aspect and destroy
potential rivals before they pull out their fancy techs.
The Universities of Jol-Nar
Racial Ability:
You receive -1 to all combat rolls.

You may spend aCC from SA to immediately reroll any dice roll.
When executing the Secondary of Technology, you may additionally use the Primary.
Starting Techs:

Antimass Deflectors
Enviro Compensator
Sarween Tools
Leaders: Scientist, Scientist, Admiral
Representative 1: Yaluga Huin (B, C) +1. Cannot be killed.
Representative 2: Ta Zern (C) +2. Gain +1 vote for each Technology.
Representative 3: Deluin Fillac (S, C) +3. Choose unrevealed Representative. You may force
player to choose another one.
Racial Tech 1 : Spatial Conduit Network (6) Once per round you may move from any system you
control to any other system you control as if they were adjacent.
Racial Tech 2: Electro-Resonance Turbines (2) When an opponent activate a system you control,
gain three Trade Goods from the Trade Supply.
Starting Units:
2 GF
2 Carriers
1 Fighter
2 PDS
1 Dreadnought
Homesystem: Jol (1/2), Nar (2/3)
Flagship: J.N.S. Hylarim (10 / 22 / 2 / 2) Each natural 10 rolled by this ship during Space Battle
counts as three hits (instead of one hit).
The Hylar are basically a race of humanoid fish, living on the twin planets of Jol and Nar. Without
water they cant survive, and so they need high-tech enviro-suits to compensate for this, resulting
in legendarily bad fighting skills. Their big, soft heads contain more synapses than any other race,
on the other hand, so they are the best scientists to be found in the universe. Both traits are
represented in the racial abilities of this race.
The abilities boil down to three: the first simply gives you a -1 penalty on any combat roll. This
means that you are in a great disadvantage in combat compared to any other race. Your Carriers
and Fighters are near to useless, your Destroyers severely crippled, and even your War Suns miss
more often than those of other races. You are a lame duck in combat.
This is only compensated a bit by the often overlooked and foregotten ability to reroll crucial rolls
by spending a CC from SA. Dont ever think to reroll a die that has a hit number of 9 or less. This is
a wasted CC. Instead, reroll such rolls that should have hit like the War Suns if you feel itll make a
difference.
The third ability is the strongest the Hylar can offer. Whenever using the Secondary of Technology,
you also use the Primary. Arguably, this has been weakened a bit with the introduction of
Technology II, but with an immense investment of resources you can research even three techs
per round. It is important to note that neither should you take Technology yourself because then
you rid yourself of one possible tech (since you cant use your own Secondary) nor should you
forget that you dont need to actually purchase a tech when activating the Secondary. This means
that you can get a free tech without actually purchasing one with the Secondary first, a fact that is
sometimes misunderstood but is crucial in the first rounds.
The starting fleet of the Hylar shows that they really lack some military talent. They are decent
ships, no doubt, but put together in a way that a housewife might do when sitting in front of a
fashion catalogue. Two GF is not enough to make a decent expand, but some great Hylar
commander obviously recognized that having two Carriers is cool even if you dont have the GF to
fill it. So your first priority is to get GF in those Carriers instead of letting them sit around useless.
They also got one single Fighter, as if some technician wanted to do some action before works
end. Two PDS speak of dont attack us, were scared, and the Dreadnought is a schoolboys
attempt to show some balls where he clearly lacks them. So, all in all, what derives from such a
fleet? Get it working. More GF for the Carriers, Destroyers and Cruisers to bolster up the forces a
bit and some Fighters to soak hits. After that, you still suck at combat, but at least dont make an
utter fool of yourself doing it.
Lets have a look at the starting techs. Not surprisingly, here the Hylar shine in a way only the
L1z1x can hope to match a bit. It is basically a collection of prerequisites just lacking a green tech.
You can go anywhere from there, which is just fitting a scientist race. Dont hesitate to do so.
Considering how your fleet sucks, you need at least some shiny tech to make this up, and the
Hylar are the only ones that can realistically hope to get several techs way down in the tech tree. I
once researched everything there was, just because I could. Schoolboy behavior, I mentioned it.
The first racial tech, Spatial Conduit Network, isnt one of the most obvious techs to take. Unless
you have to cover great distances between your main production line to the front, want to reinforce
MR desperately or fighting at two fronts, I dont see a reason to take this. Its very expensive and
highly situational. The second one, Electro-Resonance Turbines, is much more efficient. It pays
itself off quickly and, more importantly, offers a deterrent to other players. This is especially crucial
when playing with the Nekro Virus, since you can threaten some serious payback with this tech
(the Nekro will want to activate systems you control all the time). In that case, you can even
manage TG rates similar to the Hacan.
The problem is that your fleet sucks but with that impressive amount of techs you actually look like
someone being aggressive. So you want to soothe at least one neighbor while trying to beat the
other one up. For this, you have a 3TA. This helps you a lot in terms of getting peace at one front.
You cannot afford to be greedy. Dont ever trade with another 3TA, just give it to the greatest
danger in exchange for a meager 1TA. He will always want to keep it, and youre the safer from
him by it. It hurts to lose the money, but loosing planets and fleets in an unnecessary war hurts
more. At this point we should take a look at the HS, too. Both planets combine low resource with
high influence values. Thats bad, because you want to use the resources only when the votes
already done, and most of the times Leadership Secondary will be tempting. The latter is not so
much of a problem since you shouldnt be too low on resources normally, but the first can limit your
options.
So, how do you go from there? Your number one priority in round 1 should be acquiring the Trade
SC. Not only can you make some friends here and guarantee that your 3TA finds the hands its
made for, but more importantly you gain three TG. Now we make a basic calculation example: 3TG
+3 resources from starting planets results in 6 resources available, which is just the cost for the
Technology Secondary. The Trade SC has a lower initiative number than Technology, so it gets
played before. Coincidence? I think not. Two techs in round one are yours.
You might wonder now how this fits the bill I opened before when I talked about getting more GF
since spending a CC for the Production Secondary just to buy a meager GF with the Sarween
Tools seems a bit wasted. Well, for starters, its not, and second, it depends on the techs you buy. I
recommend a set I call the expansionist fish: Micro Technology and Nano Technology. Now you
not only gain more from the TA you just gave out freely, but you also gain every planet you take
unexhausted beginning day one. Isnt that a great advantage that results in many, many resources
and pays itself off quite fast? Thought so too. This opening move is a first challenge for your
diplomatic skills: if you manage to persuade the guy with Technology to use it in round 1 and the
guy with Production to use it in round three, you can buy the techs, take all starting GF with the first
Carrier and then use the Secondary of Production before moving out the second Carrier.
From there you can take virtually any route. Try to get techs like X89 Bacterial Weapon and other
stuff like that that opens you options in combat, since you desperately need them. The Hylar arent
a race for a long game. The longer the game lasts, the less advantage they draw from their techs,
because the other races get what they need, too. So play aggressively to end the game ASAP.
Keeping Bureaucracy in play is an important step for this, and with Nano Tech researched you
should have a much easier time with those economic objectives than most others. Since there is a
number of agendas that can seriously constrain your ability to research cheap, you should try to
have an AC ready with which you can either cancel or win the vote. It is not surprising that the
Hylar have two Scientists in their team; use them as much as possible by moving them around,
reducing the cost of SD, making techs even cheaper (in many cases nearly gratis) and to defend
important planets with a Scientist, a PDS and several GF in the later game.
The representatives of the Hylar are defensive in mentality. You seldom really piss another player
off. One of them is totally invulnerable, making voting much safer, and the others offer rich bonus
votes or allow you to interfere with the plans of other players without crippling them.
The flaghip of the Hylar is only worth the resources if you really drown in them. Its more or less a
mediocre Warsun without Fighter protection, and its ability is too luck dependent to be of any value
for strategic planning.
The Winnu
Racial Ability:
All planets containing GF are immune to Local Unrest

The influence value of Winnu counts for votes even when exhausted
You do not need a CC to execute the Secondary of Technology.
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
Enviro Compensator
Stasis Capsules
Leaders: Agent, Admiral, Scientist

Representative 1: Perdin Perdona (C) +2. If you vote against, gain +3 votes.
Representative 2: Menda Mendala (S) +0. Assassinate. Immune to other spies.
Representative 3: Berekar Berekon (C) +3. Gain a Cruiser if result of vote not the one you wanted.
Racial Tech 1: Bioptic Recyclers (3) Once per round, as an action, discard one AC to get a CC or
2TG.
Racial Tech 2: Lazax Gate Folding (4) At the start of each Status Phase, you may place 1 GF on
Mecatol Rex. You may only do this if the planet is uncontrolled or is under your control (discard any
Domain Counter on the planet).
Starting Units:
3 GF
1 Carrier
1 Cruiser
2 Fighters
1 PDS
Homesystem: Winnu (3/4), Yellow Discount
Flagship: Salai Sai Corian (10 / 7x? / 1 / 3) ? is equal to the number of opposing non- Fighter ships
present this round during Space Battle.
Like humanity, the Winnu are not so much determined in their play style as most other races. Their
racial abilities seem like theyve been shuffled together from a great salad bowl and then randomly
drawn and attached to them. Lets have a look:
First, your planets with one GF are immune to Local Unrest. This relieves you of a worry in your
systems where the SD are positioned, since normally you want to have two GF on every such
planet. In case of the Winnu, one suffices. You will agree when I tell you that you could live without
that trait.
Secondly, the influence of Winnu (the planet) counts even if the planet is exhausted. Four influence
is pretty decent, but the greatest worth of this is in the initial two rounds where you dominate the
agendas. After that it is up to the planets you grab.
Third, you dont need a CC from SA to execute the Secondary of the Technology SC. Thats just
another ability that falls in the nice to have, but not important category.
So, the racial abilities of the Winnu are nothing to get excited about. Their HS isnt either, except
for the fact that you can use its influence for voting even if its exhausted and that it has a yellow
tech specialty. It possesses only three resources, so its rather likely that it will be exhausted soon.
Since its a single planet, you have a maximum build limit of six, which sucks. Get out and grab a
decent system ASAP.
Where the Winnu really shine is with their starting techs and to an extent their first racial tech,
Bioptic Recyclers. Lets have a look. Your start with three basic techs, allowing you to go in
virtually any direction. They are all useful in their own right, especially the Stasis Capsules which
allow you to expand in two systems even if you have only one Carrier (which is the case). The
Winnu additionally have three starting techs which gives them a headstart over most races.
Bioptic Recyclers is a good one, too: not only is it a good option for stalling, it can also pump you
full of CC or TG and allows you to get rid of bad AC for a good effect. The second racial tech,
Lazax Gate Folding, however, doesnt shine as much. It allows you to essentially conquer MR in
the early game without going there and fighting the Guardians, but the cost are almost prohibitive.
And placing one GF there every round if you control ithow many rounds do you plan on holding
the planet, anyway?
Your priority should be to keep the AC flowing to maximize this effect once youve researched your
racial tech. Take Assembly more often than most. If you go down this route, it might be a possibility
to concentrate on influence-heavy planets in the expansion phase. Also, for this, Neural Motivator
is nearly a no-brainer.
However, there is another excellent reason for taking Neural Motivator. Along with XRD
Transporters (always a nice tech), it is one of the two prerequisites for the powerful Type IV Drive.
Winnu is the only race that only needs to buy three techs in order to be able to move their Cruisers
three spaces; youll also be able to move Dreadnoughts two, but you should not be focusing on
DNs at all with Winnu. And if youre feeling extra greedy, or you have some blue tech specialty
planets, Advanced Fighters is only one more step away.
In all of this, though, you are a bit crippled from the start: you have a decent fleet, but only three
GF. You can transport one of these with your Cruiser since you have Stasis Capsules, but
especially when you play with Distant Suns three GF are not much. In the first round you should try
to put out more of them. Unfortunately it is not possible to build a Carrier AND GF because Winnu
only has three resources.
Another asset of the Winnu is their 3TA. It allows you to buy off one neighbor. Considering your
initial weakness and need for consolidation and outlaying of a decent strategy, this cant hurt. The
first trade negotiations are no time to be greedy for Winnu. If you have two potentially aggressive
neighbors, dont trade with the Hacan across the board even if it is tempting to get a 3TA yourself.
Thats not what its for. Secure your position and then begin to take out by using your superior
management.
The Representatives of the Winnu arent really worth talking about. They can assassinate, they can
gain some bonus votes, and they gain a bonus Cruiser if they dont like the result, which is great in
theory, but lacking a bodyguard with retaliation skills they are a good target for enemy spies
anyway.
The Winnu flagshuo Salai Sai Corian is strange. You can gain many dice with it if you charge into
big enemy fleets, but to what point? The ship is slow, cant carry much and is expensive, and the
hit number on that awful lot of dice is 7, which isnt really something worth to brag over. This baby
is best viewed in the garage and polished every now and then.
The Winnu leaders at last contain a Scientist, which is always good and allows you to capitalize on
Winnus unique yellow discount to rapidly tech down the yellow tree and get a real headstart. The
Admiral will improve your fleet a little bit, and the Agent might be helpful too.
The Xxcha Kingdom

Racial Ability:
May spend one CC from SA to veto a political agenda

You may execute the Primary of Diplomacy SC when using the Secondary.
Enemy receives -1 in first round of space combat
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
Enviro Compensator
Leaders: Admiral, Diplomat, Diplomat
Representative 1: Brothers Qquiar (B) +2. If not targeted by Spy, gain +3 votes.
Representative 2: Ggrucoto Rinn (C) +3. If you give TG to players, they mustnt receive
Promissory Notes. You must vote for them.
Representative 3: Xxekir Grom (C) +2. During bargaining step, gain +3 votes if the current player
does not offer Promissory Note.
Racial Tech 1: Diplomats (5) You may spend one CC from SA to veto an enemy action (once per
round).
Racial Tech 2: Instinct Training (4) Once per game turn, you may spend 1 CC from your SA to
cancel an AC just played by your opponent.
Starting Units:
3 Fighters
1 PDS
1 Carrier
2 GF
2 Cruisers
Homesystem: Archon Ren (2/3), Archon Tau (1/1)
Flagship: Loncara Ssodu (9 / 62 / 1 / 4) You may attack with this ship as if it were 2PDS units
with Deep Space Cannon.
The Xxcha are, to quote Mike Evans (a user from the FFG and ti3wiki.org boards), Henry
Kissinger crossed with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and not only in respect of appearances.
Normally, they talk smoothly, but if necessary, they also carry a big stick. Plus, there is no other
race that can say No, my friend, you cant do that in the game like the Xxcha.
This big stick is their first racial ability: In the first combat round the enemy receives 1 to all dice
rolls. This is critical because most space battles are decided in the first round of a space battle. It
will keep your losses down and give you a better chance to escape. Remember that such dice
modifications have the greatest effects on enemies with a high hit number such as Destroyers,
Carriers and Fighters. They will in most cases lose a third or even half of their potential hits in the
process.
The second racial ability is that you may if you wish execute the Primary of Diplomacy instead
of the Secondary. The positive thing is that you dont have to take the card yourself to profit from it,
but the downside is that Diplomacy isnt one of the cards that gets chosen a lot, and you depend
highly on when the other guy uses it. So if you really need Diplomacys protection, you will have to
take the card yourself.
The third racial ability allows you to spend a CC from SA to veto the upcoming political agenda.
Now, this is a very potent weapon since the Xxcha are nearly immune to the real nasty political
stunts. If you dont have their support in a specific matter, it doesnt matter how many allies you
gathered they will veto the agenda in question. This is also a power that can be sold if someone
desperately needs to veto an agenda of no meaning to the Xxcha.
Their starting techs allow the Xxcha for a pretty decent run on either some blue or yellow techs.
The downside is that the stick they are carrying isnt as intimidating as it could be since they totally
lack red techs, and the green techs need to be researched from the start also. The good news is
that they probably wont need them either.
Their racial tech Diplomats is a great deterrent and warning system and definitely one of the most
potent racial techs around. It allows you, once per round, to veto the activation of one of your
systems. The enemy CC is burned and the action is ended. Always keep a CC in SA to be able to
use this ability. Since the enemy can activate the system again on his next turn, this is more of an
early-warning system. You can reinforce the system in question or leave it to save your troops for
the counter-assault. Since the enemy knows this as well, he might choose to bite on weaker
victims. Their second racial tech, Instinct Training, allows them to cancel enemy AC. This is a
really, really powerful ability, especially if players or races that tend to use them heavily are in the
game. The worth of this soon outweighs the purchasing cost, especially if you need to fight big
battles in the middle or late game which tend to get some heavy AC play.
The Xxcha HS is a bit of a downer. Only three resources make for a slow start, so grabbing some
resource-rich planets is a priority. Additionally, it doesnt really have that much influence to make up
for it. At least you can build up your HS to a build limit of nine should you wish to do so.
A real disadvantage of the Xxcha are their starting forces. They have only one Carrier and two GF,
which guarantees a very slow initial expansion. It has to be a number one priority for every Xxcha
player to overcome this initial weakness. If you feel really edgy, however, you might want to
capitalize on the presumption of other players that the Xxcha are a potentially military weak
species. Two Cruisers are enough to attack an expanding enemy, especially with Warfare II. An
enemy Carrier will hit only on 0 in the first round, while you hit with 7+. Good chances to cripple the
early advance of an enemy and bide some time.
It does not surprise that the Xxcha come with two Diplomats (and a dismissible Admiral). You can
use them to protect a whole two-planet production system, which is unique over other races.
Another option is to use them for aggressive expansion, making it nearly impossible to recover lost
planets when landing them together with the GF. Of course, if you go down this route you should
make sure that you win the ground combats
The Representatives of the Xxcha gain bonus votes left and right, and they can buy off opponents
now officially if they are willing to spend some TG. Especially if you play with Promissory Notes like
Support of the Throne the ability to give away a TG for them not to be able to accept the note is
invaluable. You can also prevent the other players from signing non-aggression pacts.
The flagship of the Xxcha, Loncara Ssodu, is primarily a defensive mechanism to further add to
the turtling of the Xxcha (no pun intended). It can boost your PDS roll to eight, which serves as a
rather strong deterrent. It is also fairly cheap 2 PDS cost 4 resources, two Cruiser another four,
and then you get four capacity on top all for one Fleet Supply. Id buy it if I have the resources
and arent in dire need for something else.
The Xxcha should capitalize in their political powers whenever they can. The Secondary of
Diplomacy is for free (except the token from SA, of course), which makes for some cheap on-the-
way annexations that are too expensive to afford for most other players. Also, you can even block
a system for the enemy if someone else holds the Diplomacy-SC, which becomes invaluable
should you be hard pressed. Last, you may veto a political agenda. This is especially useful when
the agenda at hand is directed at you, since no one will ever even bother trying as long as you
keep a CC in SA (which is also necessary to use the racial tech see a pattern here? Always have
a good supply of CC in SA). If you are not overmuch interested in a particular agenda, you may still
sell the veto-ability or make some fast friends. The Xxcha are for politics what the Mentak are in
most other regards whores. Capitalize it.
The Yssaril Tribes

Racial Ability:
During Strategy Phase, you may look at the AC of any one player
You are allowed to skip your turn, but not twice in a row
You draw one additional AC during Status Phase and are never restricted in the size of your
hand.
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
XRD Transporters
Leaders: Agent, Agent, Admiral
Representative 1: Zo Cou (C) +3. When voting, you may discard any number of AC to gain an
equal number of votes.
Representative 2: Ne Ruk (S) +0. Assassinate and then return this Representative to hand. You
must abstain.
Representative 3: So Ata (S) Choose a player. His total votes are reduced by half (rounded down).
Racial Tech 1: Shuttle Logistics (3) During Status Phase you may move your GF from one planet
you control to another planet you control in the same or an adjacent system; neither may contain
enemy ships.
Racial Tech 2: Mageon Implants (4) When looking at the hand of your opponents AC using your
racial ability, you may steal one card of your choice and put it on your hand.
Starting Units:
5 GF
1 PDS
2 Carriers
1 Cruiser
2 Fighters
Homesystem: Retillion (2/3), Shalloq (1/2)
Flagship: Ysia Yssrila (9 / 72 / 2 / 5) This ship may move through systems containing enemy
ships.
The Yssaril dont just look like Gollum. In many ways, they act like him. They are sneaky and
mean, but they dont look really dangerous until they bite you from behind. Yssaril bide their time,
broker with information and use it to their advantage to make their move when they know the odds
and no one can do anything about it. Oftentimes, the Yssaril are considered an overpowered race,
and they are certainly very strong.
This they achieve mainly with their first racial ability, the skipping option. Every other turn you are
allowed to skip, and if there is not some urgent matter there is really no reason not to do so.
Skipping will force your enemies to act before you do, use Strategy Cards before yours and to
show their intentions before you do. It is almost impossible to outstall the Yssaril. This ability also
has the additional benefit of being able to withhold a crucial Secondary until its of no use to
anyone anymore.
Your second racial ability allows you to know the complete hand of AC of a player in the Strategy
phase. Since you can only get new cards during the Action Phase with the Assembly SC or
Secondary of Bureaucracy, this shows you a good picture of the possibilities your enemy has in the
upcoming round.
Your third racial ability really shines. Not only do you get an additional AC every Status Phase, you
also have no hand limit for them and can build up real piles of AC. This skyrockets the cost of
attacking you since it is clear that you can raise havoc just with your AC very quickly and easily.
As compensation, the Yssaril racial tech Shuttle Logistics is not exactly good. You may transfer
GF in Status fine and useful sometimes, but most times its no big deal since the distance you
can cover with this transfer isnt really good and it doesnt work under siege when its needed most.
Their second racial tech, Mageon Implants, on the other hand, is so good it almost cant be used.
I addition to looking at the enemys hand of AC, you may steal one of them. Every round. Your
hand does not even get bigger by that, but unproportionately mightier, too. In the only game so far I
played as Yssaril with the latest expansion, all other players on the table told me that if I ever
researched that one, they would gang up on me and shoot me off the board. I didnt research it.
And I strongly recommend harsh retaliatory action against any Yssaril who attempts to do so.
Their HS is ok; nothing out of the ordinary. The influence from Retillion cant be used for
Leadership since too many resources would go to waste, though the building limit you can achieve
is ok should you not be able to find another suitable system. All in all the Yssaril have a real
legitimate reason for expanding one just has to look at their HS.
Their starting forces, on the other hand, seem nearly overpowered. The Yssaril boast 5 GF, 2
Carriers to transport them and decent protection too. They can expand real quick with this setup,
especially taking into account that they also have both Carrier techs right from the start. Your initial
expansion will be fast, and you can get to systems in the first two rounds where most of your
opponents cant.
Their Leaders arent really good, at last. The two Agents are surely thematically fitting and can help
to tip the scales of an AC war even more to your advantage, but in the end you cant really do more
with them then let them rot on the homeworlds until they are needed. Your Admiral wont decide a
battle in most cases, so he will sit on your starting Cruiser and then later transfer to some big ship.
All in all, the Yssaril dont shine on this account.
The Representatives of Yssaril lack a bodyguard, which makes it easy to ban them from the
political process entirely if they grow too powerful, especially in regard to AC and the option of
discarding cards to win a crucial vote (like Voice of the Council). This weakness can be exploited
by other players if the need for strong action against the Yassril arises.
Their flagship is more or less overpriced. Its ability to sneak through an enemy force and unload
GF on hardly defended planets is nice, but the price you pay for this is way too high in my opinion.
The Yssaril are masters of stalling. Since you can skip any second round, there is practically no
chance to ever force the Yssaril into stalling before you have to (except when they dont have any
CC left, but thats unlikely if the Yssaril player is no complete newbie). So, whats the stalling good
for? You can always see what your opponents are doing before you move. Except for actions taken
directly against you (in which case you might consider not to skip), this is very valuable. Bubble
victories always require a clear path, and that is best given if no one else can take actions any
more. Plus, the Yssaril are the only race with a realistic chance of withholding a given SC the
complete round, only letting them take part as they already have passed. These powers are not to
be taken lightly.
The Brotherhood of Yin

Racial Ability:
When attacker, roll a die before ground combat. On 5+, enemy loses one GF and you gain one
Before the second round of space battle, you may discard a Cruiser or Destroyer to immediately
inflict one hit on any enemy ship
Once per round, as an action, reverse the resource and influence value of any planet for the rest
of the round
Starting Techs:

Automated Defense Turrets
Representative 1: Imar Yissadar (S) +0. Assassinate. If bodyguard, he and spy are killed.
Representative 2: Talla Darator (C) +4. If assassinated, Spys owner must abstain.
Representative 3: Rhal Darish (C) +3. If you give a Promissory Note this turn, receive 3TG from
supply.
Racial Tech 1: Fanaticism (4) Use your racial ability twice each ground combat.
Racial Tech 2: Yin Spinner (2) Build one free GF each time you build units at your Space Dock.
The free GF does not count toward production limit.
Starting Units:
4 GF
2 Carriers
1 Destroyer
4 Fighters
Homesystem: Darien (2/4)
Flagship: Van Hauge (10 / 52 / 1 / 4) Your GF units in this system may participate in Space
Battles as if they were Fighters.
The Brotherhood of Yin consists of cloned and genetically altered individuals, engaged fanatically
in an all-binding religion. They are nearly unbeatable in ground battles throughout most of the
game and can convert any infidels with ease. Unfortunately, their measures of convincing them
are somewhat limited.
Lets have a look at their first racial ability. On a roll of 5+ before any ground combat, one enemy
GF is converted to your side. This wins 90% of the ground battles in TI3 for you (those it doesnt
are obviously the ones with the big stacks of GF, but they are resolved by bombarding in most
cases anyway). You can fly with a minimum force through the backyard of a player and conquer
planet after planet, and your force can actually grow in the process! Provided he doesnt interfere,
of course.
The second racial ability is one that is underrated more often than not. By sacrificing a Cruiser or
Destroyer in the second round of combat, the Yin can inflict a hit on any enemy ship of their
choosing. Naturally, there can only be one target for an ability that mighty: a full packed transporter.
Make sure before combat that the enemy make clear which GF and Fighters are on which Carrier
and blow up the fullest. Never is it more important to divide attacking forces over several Carriers
than when fighting Yin. The downside of this of course is that you have to hold until the second
round so you can only go kamikaze if the fleets are roughly the same size since its not an option
if you are wiped out in round one. Just think of destroying that one Cruiser last.
The last racial ability allows the Yin as an action to reverse influence and resource value of any
one planet once per round, best indicated by putting a flag token on said planet. This is what
makes their homeworld at least a bit worthwhile. It really shines in case of systems like Arinam/
Meer or, of course, Mecatol Rex, since you can reach building limits in these systems like no one
else and are not dependent on the same systems as everybody else to build.
The Yin racial tech is a no-brainer should you ever expect to land on enemy planets, and who
doesnt? It will give you two convert dice rolls instead of one, even more weighing the scales in
your favor. With your racial tech researches, you will be the bane of everyone who engages you on
the ground. Its really the only GF-concerning racial tech worth buying. Your second racial tech, the
Yin Spinner, allows you to build large amounts of Ground Forces. You will have a similar number
to Sol, without their stalling ability, granted. If you think about getting this tech, do so early
otherwise it wont pay off.
The homesystem of the Yin, Darien, sucks. Its values are comparable to Jord of the Federation of
Sol, but to reach them, you have to sacrifice your racial ability every round which soon becomes
more useful at other systems. In the beginning, you have no other choice though. Make the best
out of Darien and watch for more juicy systems out there.
The starting forces of Yin make up for the shitty HS, on the other hand. You have two Carriers to
guarantee quick expansion and the GF to use them. One Destroyer and 4 Fighters allow you to
protect this expansion well. And never miss the opportunity for a very aggressive opening move if
the opportunity presents itself: your initial Destroyer can go on a suicide mission after an enemy
Carrier very fast; any Fighter escort will be vaporized by the Automated Defense Turrets, and the
chances are good that the Carrier wont hit the Destroyer and will itself be destroyed by a
Kamikaze maneuver boom, enemy crippled at the cost of one resource. You can repeat this
move later on and use your Destroyers as hunter-seeker missiles for weakly-protected Carriers.
Your starting techs encourage this aggressive attitude. You start with Hylar V Assault Laser and
Automated Defense Turrets (the latter essential for aggressive Destroyer maneuvers). You lack,
however, economic techs and of course the green and blue tree. XRD transports are essential so
your Carriers can keep up with the Cruisers and Destroyers your force will mainly consist of.
The leaders of Yin are mediocre. The Agent and the Admiral are nice to have, but the latter wont
have a long life, considering the tendency to suicide missions the Yin have. The Diplomat at least
will protect a vital planet, which is always nice, but dont count the Yin leaders in as an active
factor. You spread them out in the beginning and then they will sit in place for most of the game.
The Representatives of the Yin are ok. Their spy gives the possibility to even kill an enemy
bodyguard, which can be valuable and makes them kind of a wild card, while the others are
forgettable in their effects, mostly.
The Flagship Van Hauge, on the other hand, is just great. It allows you to strike two flies with one
stroke: you dont need to build Fighters, ever, and can instead use your Ground Forces for it (which
you might get for free with the Yin Spinner anyway), and the survivors may then land, convert other
Ground Forces and therefore bolster them up again. Thats one nice stampede you can start there.
The Embers of Muaat

Racial Ability:
You may move through, but not stop in, Supernovas

Your War Suns have a base movement of 1 unless Deep Space Cannon is researched
As an action, spend one CC from SA to place two Fighters or one Destroyer in any system
containing one of your SD or War Suns
Starting Techs:
Enviro Compensator
Sarween Tools
Warsun
Leaders: General, Scientist, Diplomat
Representative 1: Moltosh Flae (C) If you have a War Sun in, or adjacent to, the MR system, gain
+4 votes.
Representative 2: Hosh Gahloki (S) +0. Assassinate. If he is killed, draw 1AC.
Representative 3: Flaim Haash (B) +1. If this card is targeted by a Spy, the player controlling the
Spy receives -5 votes.
Racial Tech 1: Magmus Reactor (5) Warsuns gain +1 Movement and have a base cost of 10.
Racial Tech 2: Nova Seed (3) As an action, you may remove this card from the game to replace a
system you control with a Supernova system tile. This may not be used on Mecatol Rex, a Home
System, or adjacent to a red-bordered system.
Starting Units:
4GF
2 Fighters
1 Warsun

Homesystem: Muaat (4/1)
Flagship: The Inferno (10 / 53 / 1 / 4) As an action, you may spend 1 CC from SA to produce one
free Cruiser in this system.
The Muaat were once the workhorses of the Hylar, their very own slaves. Their planet lays abroad
the common travel routes, and it is here that the Hylar once designed the great War Suns before
the technology got lost in the wake of the Twilight Wars. The Muaat used the chaos to rid
themselves of the Hylar and remained quiet, preserving the secret of War Sun construction.
Therefore, they are the only race not only starting with the technology but also with a War Sun
themselves!
Of course, over the centuries some wisdom got lost, and the War Suns of the Muaat lack the
speed of the old ones. Their most disstressing racial ability restrains the movement of their War
Suns to one unless they have researched Deep Space Cannon, which you should do as soon as
possible. Your War Sun may look impressive, but it is a very lame duck in the beginning.
Your second racial ability allows you to move through Supernovae like other races with researched
Antimass Deflectors move through Asteroid Fields. The real power of this ability lies within the fact
that many players tend to forget it. If they placed a Supernova to protect themselves, they really
opened you a direct route into their heart. Better still, you can put down a Supernova in the galaxy
setup and pretend it being a favor which you might even get paid for!
The third racial ability you have is a valuable one. For the expense of a CC from SA, it allows you
to spawn either a Destroyer or two Fighters at any of your War Suns. This not only gives you the
chance to replenish the Fighter cover without flying to a SD, but also gives you the valuable
capability of stalling, provided you have enough CC in SA.
The home planet of the Muaat is anything but great. Its only one planet with a meager four
resources and no votes to speak of. You have to expand quickly to a system giving you a
reasonable build limit while still protecting your home. This problem the Muaat share with the
Mentak.
Your starting techs obviously include the War Sun and two of the prerequisites necessary to build
it. Your priority should be teching up to the full capacity of the Warsuns, or else you will crawl
through the galaxy with them. Also, the added security for your worlds by far-ranging PDS is a
bonus as well as the better hit number for the Destroyers and Cruisers you will surely build to
accompany your Warsuns. After that, you have several possibilities. In theory, you dont need any
more tech. Warsuns need a cover worth its salt because you rarely can afford to replace them;
they are far too expensive for that.
Your racial tech is also kind of mediocre: while it lowers the cost of Warsuns by two, you need to
build three to make up for it, and that would mean you already lost one which shouldnt happen
anyway. And War Suns that leave their cover of capital ships behind are of little use too, so in many
cases you can simply leave this tech alone and invest your money in ships. The same is true for
their second racial tech, Nova Seed. It allows you to blow up a system you control. Now, it is on
the hand restricted to non-HS systems and MR, and on the other hand mustnt be used on systems
adjacent to a red-border system. That limits choice, and most of the times if you can attack and
capture a system you might want to blow up, you can as well keep it. One of the most interesting
uses for this is to blow up the Wormhole Nexus, which is perfectly allowed by the rules and may
seriously cripple a race relying on wormholes in the given galaxy setup.
This is even more important since the Muaat are no race for long games. Their greatest advantage
is that they have War Suns from the beginning; as soon as other races research them too they
have little left to exploit. So try to aggressively end the game as soon as possible and dont
hesitate to use your ships. An important thing to remember while doing this, however, is that your
HS is entirely defenseless when you leave with your War Sun to conquer other worlds. A bold
enemy using Warfare II could easily fly in and blockade the SD, effectively crippling you for several
rounds. If possible, use the Secondary of Production before by using your own SC and thus stalling
before you have to leave to not block your fleet.
A real asset to cope with your early vulnerability are the TAs the Muaat possess. Both have a value
of 2, which means that they are suitable to either buy a friend or bring in additional resources. This
is the more valuable the less races with good TAs like Hylar or Winnu are playing along.
The leaders of the Muaat lack the Admiral that would make their first War Sun nearly undefeatable,
but are not bad. The Scientist helps you to cut the cost of the few tech you need and, especially, of
the SD you have to build up somewhere to make up for the bad build limit at home.
The representatives of the Muaat give their political standing some security. Additional votes with a
Warsun in or next to MR, and strong deterrents against enemy spies on two of three
representatives make them an unlikely target.
Their flagship is essentially a mediocre Warsun, fighting not as good, being cheaper and allowing
you to create Cruisers with your racial ability, basically, which makes this method of stalling even
more powerful than normally.
In the first rounds, Production is a really good SC for the Muaat. They need to build up real fleets
soon or theyll fall behind in the expansion. Leadership is very important to this race, too. You
always want to have a good amount of CC in SA, so you can spawn that additional ships that not
only give you new forces in enemy space but also bypass the mediocre build limit you have at
home.
Again, the Muaat are no race for long games. You are not really strong in the beginning, and you
have to be clear about that. Everyone else will go nuts and point fingers and say Oh my god, hes
got a War Sun!, but in the end its just one slow War Sun and nothing else, which lets you look
strong and be weak when it should be the other way around.
Try to secure what you get and quickly speed up the War Sun so you make up for your posing, and
try to distract early attention elsewhere with your TAs.
The Ghosts of Creuss

Racial Ability:
You may treat A and B wormholes as if they were adjacent to each other.
You may always use wormholes, regardless of other effects or restrictions.
Other players may not use A or B wormholes to travel into a system you control.
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
XRD Drives
Leaders:
Diplomat
Admiral
Scientist
Representatives:
Representative 1: San Omairo (B) +1. If this card is targeted by a Spy, look at the targeting
players AC and steal one.
Representative 2: Sai Seravus (C) +2. Gain +1 vote for each wormhole you control.
Representative 3: Soo Leirah (S) +1. Choose another player. He may not use Representatives
special ability (if not already used).
Racial Tech
Racial Tech 1: Dimensional Splicers (3) At the start of a battle containing a Wormhole and at
least one of your ships, You may assign 1 hit to an enemy ship of your choice.
Racial Tech 2: Slave Wormhole Generator (5)
At the start of the Status Phase, you may place (or move) your extra A or B wormhole token into
an empty or friendly non-Home System.
Starting Units:
4 GF
2 Destroyers
1 Carrier
2 Fighters
Homesystem: Creuss (4/1)
Flagship: Hil Colish (10 / 4 / 1 / 3) You may treat this ships destination system as if it had a D
wormhole in it. When this ship is moving, treat its destination system as if it had the wormhole.
Overview
The Ghosts of Creuss are, quite simply, the wormhole race. Nobody takes that much advantage
of wormholes, and their mobility is undeniably the best of all races. They can not only fly through A
and B wormholes as if they were the same, allowing them to pop up nearly everywhere, but they
may also create new ones, block existing ones for everyone else and thus deny them access. The
downside is that they really cant do that much beside these abilities, making them one of the
weaker races.
Their first racial ability allows them to treat A and B wormholes as the same type. It is important to
note that their very own D-wormhole is still not adjacent to these, so they need to fly out here
manually.
Their second racial tech prevents other players and game effects from ever blocking the Creuss off
the use of wormholes, especially through the means of some laws. Should the Creuss manage to
pass one of these laws, their abilities become even more unique and powerful as they are anyway.
Their third racial ability allows them to block off any wormhole they control for use of other players.
Since the Creuss need control of as much gates as they can anyway, the other players oftentimes
arent able to use the wormholes that much anymore. Chances are good that the Creuss control
any one of the two exits, and if they have the Nexus too crossing the board becomes almost
impossible.
The HS of the Creuss, however, poses several problems to them. Not only does it share the
mediocre values of the Sol HS, it is also one tile distant to the board itself making the XRD, with
which the Creuss begin the game a dire necessity. If the Creuss produce in their HS, only Gravity
Drive gives them the speed that other races enjoy with XRD alone, and they need their flagship to
really use it to better effect.
Additionally, their starting forces kind of suck. They have two Destroyers to accompany Carriers,
but only one Carrier. Atop of that, the two Fighters would be sufficient for early protection of this
Carrier, too, while four GF are too much for initial expansion with one Carrier, so your number one
priority is to build another Carrier with two GF with the Production Secondary, which is exactly what
your resources and the SC conditions allow. No coincidence, surely. Generally I experienced that
the Creuss have severe problems getting a good fleet, so their strength lies more in indirect and
sneaky measures. You will want to put your HS a bit distant to hotspots in the galaxy because of
that.
Their starting techs would normally be great, but as mentioned above, they only serve to bring their
fleet to the same range as normal starting fleets one tile. So you really are at a disadvantage
here if you not gain a good production system outside Creuss itself.
Their first racial tech Dimensional Splicers is a valuable instrument in combat, since it allows you
to assign one hit at the start of battle on any enemy ship if the battle takes place in a wormhole
system (which it mostly does, especially with the flagship). This can cripple enemy forces by
destroying Carriers with GF, or by damaging Warsuns and finishing them with Direct Hit or
something like that. The cost of this, however, is almost prohibitive. So if you dont have enough
money and access to tech, this one will most likely not get researched. The second one, Slave
Wormhole Generator, can create new wormholes inside enemy territory. This can be devastating
to gain access into enemy HS, especially since there is no way to keep the Creuss out of them.
This tech, too, is very expensive, however, and oftentimes the Creuss are weak in their ships.
At least the Leaders of the Creuss are good. An Admiral can bolster a Dreadnought and make it
fast enough to make a difference, the Diplomat can secure a vital system (not the HS, since that is
protected by a single ship in the wormhole in front of it), and the Scientist makes researching tech
and producing new SD cheaper, partially compensating for the Creuss weaknesses.
The Creuss also have good Representatives. Their Bodyguard is one of the strongest in the whole
game, making them a very risky target and allowing for Councilor use more than most other races.
The downside is a relatively weak spy, but in combination with certain other powerful
Representatives from other races, it may have its uses, too.
The Creuss flagship is a different matter. Its slow, has one of the worst fighting abilities and not
much capacity. It does, however, serve as a D wormhole. This may be worth the high price it
demands, since many techs such as Dimensional Splicers require wormholes, and since it allows
the Creuss to use their HS for production. Whether these abilities make the purchase worth it is up
to you.
Generally, I find the Creuss the weakest of the races introduced in the latest expansion, and I still
dont have a real clue about how to play them to best effect. Their mobility is nice, but most of the
time, you dont really need this mobility. It seems like its worth grows the more aggressive the
game is and the fewer players tend to turtling.
The L1z1x Mindnet
Racial Ability:
Base cost of your Dreadnoughts is 4

You start with one additional CC in SA
Your Dreadnoughts receive +1 in space combat and your GF +1 when attacking
Starting Techs:
Enviro Compensator
Stasis Capsules
Cybernetics
Leaders: Agent, Scientist, Diplomat

Representative 1: R7-82 (C) +4. If you abstain from this vote, gain one free Cruiser in your Home
System.
Representative 2: 44G5I-0 (B) +1. If this card is targeted by a Spy, the player controlling the Spy
must abstain from the vote.
Representative 3: A6AH3 (S) +0. Choose an outcome. If the result of this vote does not match
your choice, kill any one Councilor that did not vote the outcome you chose.
Racial Tech 1: Dreadnought Invasion Pod (2) Your Dreadnoughts may carry one additional GF.
Racial Tech 2: Inheritance Systems (5) When researching Technology using the Technology
Strategy Card, you may spend two additional resources to ignore one of the Technologys
prerequisites.
Starting Units:
1 Carrier
5 GF
1 Dreadnought
3 Fighters
1 PDS
Homesystem: [0.0.0] (5/0)
Flagship: 0.0.1 (11 / 53 / 1 / 2) When this ship is present, all hits from your Flagship must be
taken by opposing non-Fighter ships (if able).
The L1z1x Mindnet claims to be the rightful descendants of the Lazax, the imperial race of old.
They came out of the cold space from their distant home planet [0.0.0], oftentimes simply called
Null. With them they brought a mighty fleet and a high standard of technology. They are here to
conquer the galaxy and restore the conditions before the Twilight Era, and they will not ask nicely.
The racial abilities of the L1z1x arguably are among the weakest in the game. They only concern a
very meager part of the game and dont help that much until you researched Type IV Drive which is
way down the tech tree, especially for the L1z1x. But lets have a look at them anyway.
At first, your Dreadnoughts receive a discount of one, so you pay only four resources each. Thats
not much of a difference, since in the beginning of the game when it would make one your
Dreadnoughts are so slow that they dont reach the enemy in time until powered up with Warfare II.
The second racial ability grants your Dreadnoughts a +1 bonus in Space Battles, which makes
them arguably better and grants them the same hit number with Warfare II as the War Sun. Still, to
be comparable you would need three Dreadnoughts, which would cost the same as the War Sun,
but you cant carry Fighters.
The third racial ability gives you an additional CC at the start of the game in the SA area. Yeah,
great. Give the Mentak a hug and then whine about such racial abilities together.
A more important asset of the L1z1x Mindnet is their home planet. Null boasts an astonishing five
resources that can be replenished with the use of Assembly Secondary, since there is no influence
attached to it. This of course leaves you dry on votes, at least in round 1, where you only have one
vote, regardless if you exhausted Null or not. So, there is no reason to wait. Unfortunately, Null is a
single planet, so you can only attach one SD. That results in a maximum build limit of 8, which
doesnt really allow for the same quick fleet expansions like the Letnev or Hacan can boast of.
The first racial tech Dreadnought Invasion Pod of the L1z1x essentially makes Carriers for the
Transportation of GF redundant. Every Dreadnought will be able to carry 2GF instead of one, so
you can either fill up the Carriers with Fighters or build up capital ships instead. Their second
racial, Inheritance Systems, is pretty expensive for the advantage it offers. It could be helpful to
reach the Type-IV-Drive without investing too heavily in techs, but it seems very expensive for that,
since you have to research one arbitrary meta-tech to do it, so in order for this to pay off, you need
to skip at least two techs, better three, and in most cases these techs provide advantages of their
own.
A great advantage of the L1z1x, however, are their starting techs. Like the Hylar, they field four
starting techs, unparalleled by the other races. Also, they get a good combo, with one exception.
With Enviro Compensators, they can quickly tech up to Sarween Tools if they feel the need of
saving resources or teching to War Suns, which they shouldnt need to in most cases. Stasis
Capsules allow them to use their Dreadnoughts as Carriers for the GF, which helps them especially
in the early game. With Cybernetics, they can quickly go down the road for other green techs and
have a good position for heavy use of Fighters (dont forget the build limit, though!). Hylar V Assault
Laser at last opens you the road to all those red techs that give you a military edge. So from their
good starting position, you can allow yourself to forego the Technology SC once or twice. Your big
problem is the lack of blue techs, though. Your fleet is a lame duck until you get Warfare II or
access at least to XRD Transporters. To maximize the use of the Dreadnought, you should plan on
Type IV Drive too.
The starting units of the L1z1x are good, too. 5 GF allow for a quick initial expansion and can be
transported by the Carrier and the Dreadnought. Three Fighters guarantee the accompanying
firepower for the Carrier. A PDS secures Null against those young races too courageous for their
own good.
So in the first round, Warfare II is an option for the L1z1x. You can reach systems farther away
than normal, since your fleet is stuck with a movement of one. If you can get Tech, thats of course
something you should not bypass lightly since you can quickly go for Antimass Deflectors, but its
not a round 1 priority. Instead, you could secure the Assembly SC, which gives you some AC and
the option to stall its use until the others have exhausted their influence-heavy worlds. Since you
lack influence, Leadership is an option, too. An interesting option could be the Trade SC. You can
declare that you will allow all trading provided you walk away with decent agreements. Your 1TAs
are not very much liked, though. It is essential to bully a rich neighbour if possible; the Hylar or
Winnu are natural prey for this tactic, as well as the Hacan. Then you can throw away your other
1TA to a pariah of the game at the other end of the galaxy to ensure him being a pain in the ass for
your enemies. In round 1, there is normally no need to invest in Production heavily since your
starting fleet is good enough to allow you to go for other stuff.
Concerning building, you should try to get out some Dreadnoughts and send them to the outer
systems as fast as possible. Since you are going for Type IV Drive, Cruisers are a natural choice,
too. Then you have to decide whether to use Carriers and Fighters or Destroyers. This choice
depends much on your build limit if you dont find a decent double- planet system out there, you
might want to settle for Destroyers and grant them some Automated Defense Turrets instead of
capping your build limit all the time with Fighters and wasting resources that cant be spent
anymore. You can then use all the Carriers and Dreadnoughts for troop transport and invade all the
enemy planets. The Dreadnoughts can bombard them beforehand and soften up the defenders.
This way, the galaxy is ripe for the taking.
The leaders of the L1z1x unfortunately lack an Admiral with which they could outfit their initial
Dreadnought, so you have to make do with what you get. Theres the Scientist that additionally can
boost your tech advantage. Use him on blue planets if you tech in that direction. The Agent is a
good one in helping you to invade all your objectives with those tons of GF your Dreadnoughts and
Cruisers can carry. No PDS will reduce your troops when he comes along. The Diplomat, at last,
helps you to keep certain planets.
The representatives of the L1z1x generally favor abstaining votes or forcing others to abstain or
vote the way you like. Regarding the influence of their home planet zero this seems to be an
effective course.
Their flagship, on the other hand, is easily one of the if not the mightiest in the game. All hits from
the Flagship must be taken in non-Fighter ships, and the Flagship scores an average of 1,5 hits
every round! Against those nasty Fighter screens many races can supply this is powerful indeed, a
great deterrent (not necessarily good for winning battles since the Fighters need to be destroyed
nonetheless, but the cost for the enemy is driven up considerably if he loses his Carriers first.
Generally, the L1z1x arent the most diplomatic of races. They have a strong fleet and the
resources to maintain it. Just use your ships and take what is rightfully yours. And that means a
bigger slice of the galaxy than most players have. Insist on it. If they ask why, tell them because
and point at your ships and techs. Youre the old bully, you dont need to explain yourself or to be
too accommodating. Just make sure you dont piss off the wrong guys, but prey on the weak. Try to
intimidate them into submission.
The Arborec
Racial Ability:
You may not build GF with your Space Docks.

Your GF have a build capacity of 1. You may not build units with Ground Forces that have
moved during the same activation.
At the start of the Status Phase, place 1GF on one planet you control.
Starting Techs:
Antimass Deflectors
Stasis Capsules
Leaders: Admiral, Diplomat, General

Representative 1: Dirzuga Ohao (C) +3. If killed, this Representative returns to your hand after
voting.
Representative 2: Dirzuga Mantasa (C) +4. Other Councilors do not receive bonus votes when
voting.
Representative 3: Letani Miasmiala (S) +0. Choose another player. If he chose a Councilor, you
may kill this spy to control his councilor during voting.
Racial Techs
Racial Tech 1: Bioplasmosis (3) At the beginning of the round, you may move one of your GF
from one planet you control to another planet you control in an adjacent system.
Racial Tech 2: Spore Acceleration (5) Increase the Build Capacity for your GF by one.
Starting Units:
4 GF
1 Cruiser
1 Carrier
2 Fighters
1 PDS
Homesystem: Nestphar (3/2), Green Discount
Flagship: Duha Menaimon (10/62 / 1 / 5) Build Capacity 5. You may not build units with this ship
if it has moved during the same activation.
The Arborec are a race of plants, constantly growing and expanding throughout the known
universe. They are unique in their way of looking towards not only the worlds themselves, but also
in the way they procreate and build their things. Playing the Arborec means to adjust to these
circumstances and abilities since playing them is like no other race in the game. They may share
most of the mechanisms, but their racial abilities allow them for priorities no other race may set,
and it allows them to boldly go where no other race may walk.
The most important aspect about this are their racial abilities. The first of these forbids to them to
build GF with their Space Docks. The only ability for them to gain additional GF is to procreate from
existing GF.
This is due to their second racial ability. All GF have a production capacity of one with which they
may build all units available to the Arborec. It is important to note that the production capacity may
not be pooled producing new GF that way is double as expensive as with the other races, since
you need to buy them one by one for a price of one resource each. You are not limited to the
resource value on any planet, however even a single, crappy planet like Tarman may have a
build capacity of twenty-three for the Arborec, provided they have enough GF stacked in it. And its
a pretty good deterrent against any invasion attempts, too.
The third racial ability essentially ensures that you are never completely eliminated from the game,
granting you one new GF on any one planet you control. This can be the basis to produce new GF
there, perhaps with use of the Secondary of Production, and quickly bolster up a new force on any
planet you control.
A downside for the Arborec surely is their HS. It only sports three resources and two influence,
which makes it even worse than Sols HS, and the green discount for technology makes in no way
up for it (given you dont plan to research a green tech every round of the game, of course). Luckily
for you, you dont need production capacity on the planet itself, so you have to go for juicy stuff in
other places.
The starting units of the Arborec are kind of a letdown, too only one Carrier and four GF. With the
Cruiser and Stasis Capsules you may reach another planet, of course, but its dangerous when
playing with Distant Suns. Worse, while four GF are reasonably much for most races, the Arborec
need them for production. That means, if they dont hold the Production SC themselves, they need
to postpone expansion until someone plays it which wont be possible most of the times. If the
GF moves in the round, however, they may not produce, which makes the initial Arborec rounds
awfully slow and painful.
Their starting techs, on the other hand, are good. With Antimass Deflectors, they can quickly
access the important XRD Drives and other blue techs, and Stasis Capsules allow them to fly
around with Cruisers and dump GF everywhere which becomes much more powerful than with
other races because if you dont get rid of Arborec GF in your backyard quickly, they might soon
grow into a numerable force. The Arborec have a bit of a harder time getting the red techs,
granted, but in the middle game they will have to acquire some basics like the Hylar V Laser
anyway. The most unique position for them is that they dont need to research any yellow tech, at
all. Enviro Compensators are totally useless for them, Sarween Tools too, and all the other stuff
would require them to get these two. Since the Arborec will most likely produce with their GF
anyway there is no reason to ever even look at the yellow techs. All other races need them, though
this gives them a nice advantage by concentrating on the juicy other techs.
The first racial tech of the Arborec, the Bioplasmosis, allows you to shift around GF between
neighboring systems without actually sending ships in and without them to fall under the no
building after movement clause. Im not really sure whether this ability is worth the three resources
and teching, though. I can say for sure, however, that the second racial tech Spore Acceleration,
is a must buy. The Arborec need this tech asap. I cant stress this point enough. Not even Mirror
Computing for the Mentak is as important as this one. It will double the Production Capacity of the
GF. That means that one GF can spawn two (not at the regular price) and that two GF on any
planet will create a perpetuum mobile (since they can easily produce two new GF plus a ship or
PDS or what-have-you with the Secondary of Production). This tech is awesome and makes
production limits in the twenties easily possible for the Arborec, allowing them to build absurd
masses of cheap units like Fighters, new GF and Destroyers.
Their Leader combination is decent, although not too useful. Exploiting the ridiculous building limits
the Arborec can muster, the need for an Admiral is not really there. Given the sheer mass of GF, a
General is also not a thing you really need. The Diplomat is better, best left on the HS to prevent
enemy surprise landings and relieving you from the need to station a large force there. In the end,
the Arborec dont really need their leaders, and should you ever forget to use them, it will not be
such a big deal as with other races.
The Representatives speak a different language. First, the Arborec have an undying Councilor,
which allows them to use the bonus votes he offers more freely than most other races. Another
Councilor grants bonus votes and cuts the ones of the others off, and the Spy allows for one
crucial vote to control the vote from another player you only need to hit a Councilor.
The Arborec flagship sounds nice in theory, allowing you a build limit of five with the ability to
produce GF, too but the money is better invested in Spore Acceleration, which relieves you from
the need for such a ship entirely. Its lousy speed and mediocre fighting abilities make the choice
easy.
In a game with the Arborec, you need to keep in mind that you will be ridiculously slow and weak in
the beginning. Getting Production fast is a number one priority. Dont hesitate to make good
promises for it or bribe other players to use it in the second round in the first one, they will want
to move their ships out anyway. You dont, since you will simply produce three GF for your three
resources in the HS anyway. Exploit the fact that you later can build up large and larger fleets. You
dont need that many resources, but time. A long game is the Arborecs friend. Plan accordingly
and use your diplomatic skills to create a balance of power. Everything that prevents everyone
from getting points early on is useful.
Extraido de http://gameknight.com/?page_id=372

Strategy by Race: The Barony of Letnev

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Strategy by Race: The Barony of Letnev

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Strategy by Race

The Barony of Letnev

Leaders: Admiral, General, Diplomat

Trade Agreements: 1,1

Homesystem: Wren Terra (2/1), Arc Prime (4/0)

The Clan of Saar

Gain 1TG every time you acquire a new planet

Leaders: Agent, Admiral, Diplomat

Trade Agreements: 2,2

Homesystem: Lisis II (1/0), Ragh (2/1)

The Emirates of Hacan

In Status Phase, you may trade AC with other players.

Leaders: General, Scientist, Diplomat

Representative 1: Alrung (S, B) +0. Assassinate.

Trade Agreements: 3,3

The Federation of Sol

May spend one CC from SA to create 2 GF on any planet

Leaders: Agent, Admiral, Diplomat

Representative 1: Rev. Hendrickson (S, B) +0. Assassinate. If target is Bodyguard, it is considered

Trade Agreements: 2,2

Homesystem: Jord (4/2)

The Mentak Coalition

You start with one additional CC in FS

Hylar V Assault Laser

Leaders: Agent, Diplomat, Admiral

Trade Agreements: 1,1

Homesystem: Moll Primus (4/1)

The Naalu Collective

Your initiative number is always 0

Leaders: Agent, Diplomat, Admiral

Trade Agreements: 2,1

Homesystem: Maaluuk (0/2), Druaa (3/1)

The Nekro Virus

You may not vote on Political or Agenda Cards.

Leaders: Agent, Admiral, General

Homesystem: Mordai II (4/0)

The Sardakk Norr

You receive +1 to all combat rolls.

Hylar V Assault Laser

Leaders: Admiral, General, General

Representative 1: Quirek (B) +2. If targeted by Spy, Spys killed.

Trade Agreements: 2,1

Homesystem: Trenlak (1/0), Quinarra (3/1)

You receive -1 to all combat rolls.

Hylar V Assault Laser

Leaders: Scientist, Scientist, Admiral

Representative 1: Yaluga Huin (B, C) +1. Cannot be killed.

Representative 2: Ta Zern (C) +2. Gain +1 vote for each Technology.

Trade Agreements: 3,1

Homesystem: Jol (1/2), Nar (2/3)

All planets containing GF are immune to Local Unrest

Leaders: Agent, Admiral, Scientist

Representative 2: Menda Mendala (S) +0. Assassinate. Immune to other spies.

Trade Agreements: 3,1

Homesystem: Winnu (3/4), Yellow Discount

The Xxcha Kingdom

May spend one CC from SA to veto a political agenda

Leaders: Admiral, Diplomat, Diplomat

Trade Agreements: 2,2

Homesystem: Archon Ren (2/3), Archon Tau (1/1)

The Yssaril Tribes

Leaders: Agent, Agent, Admiral

Trade Agreements: 2,1