My Space Fleet is Invincible! — Let's Play Twilight Imperium Third Edition

Correct, you can only take one of them. Dreadnought's still a bargain at that price, though!

You can only refresh planets with a total combined Resource and Influence value of 6 or less. So just Darien, maybe, or a combination of two of your poorer planets, but not all of them.

I think Bureaucracy is all that's left:

Aww, it's all combined that make up the total? I knew it was too good to be true.

I will untap Meer and Gral for my 6 resource/influence.

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Darien – 2/4
Arinam - 1/2, Blue Tech Specialty
Meer - 4/0*
Centauri - 1/3
Gral - 1/1, Blue Tech Specialty

Passing on Assembly.

Ugh, I just realized I passed as Sol in error (I was on my way out the door and posted while rushed, oops!). I want to spend a CC and refresh Jord. I've edited my previous post, and here is the full rundown:

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 3
Strategy Allocation: 3
Fleet Supply: 4
Activations: 2
Total in play: 12/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Jord – 4/2
Vega Major – 2/1
Vega Minor – 1/2, Blue tech bonus
Lazar – 1/0
Sakulag – 2/1
Thibah – 1/1
Arcturus – 1/1
Sumerian – 2/2, Refresh Ability: 2 Trade Goods

As I gather such things are possible, anyone want to do me a solid and lend me a trade good? I'll pay it back next turn and consider you a Swell Empire if you do.

Either way, I think I'll actually pass on the assembly secondary. 2 CCs to build just 5 points worth of stuff isn't all that efficient, and my neighbors are friendly sorts.

... Actually... can you build a space dock and use it to build other stuff in the same activation? That may effect my choice here.

You actually can't build with a Space Dock at all in the same round you build it.

Oh, and yeah, players can give each other Trade Goods at any time. If I had any left, I'd loan ya one. But I don't!

I just realized I already passed for this round, so even if I used Assembly's secondary I wouldn't be able to build anything with the resources I readied.

Passing on Assembly.

Got it.

... Passing at any time dooms you to pass until the end of the turn? Thought it only ended when everyone passed consecutively.

If you pass you're done for the round (you can still participate in politics and secondaries). Once everyone has passed, the Action Phase is over. It's actually one race's special ability to skip their turn without having to pass.

Speaking of which, may as well repost the turn order now that people are starting to pass:

1. Sarcasmorator — Leadership — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
2. Lucas — Diplomacy II — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
3. Egarwaen (SPEAKER) — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
4. Epithet — Production — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
5. L1Z1X Mindnet — Trade II — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
6 `Hrist — Warfare II — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
7. Severian — Technology II — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS
8. Googleshng — Bureaucracy — PASSED, NO MORE ACTIONS

I actually won't be be building a Dreadnought/Destroyer.

I will, however, be activating Assembly secondary with CC from strategic allocation to refresh Primor and Hope's End.

With that, we're all done with such business, and Epithet's up.

Activating Perimeter, and moving Carrier x1 and GF x3 from A/L/A and Dreadnought x1 from home space into the system. Landing the Ground Forces on Perimeter.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 2
Strategy Allocation: 2
Fleet Supply: 3

PLANETS
Quinarra – 3/1
Tren’lak – 1/0
Ashtroth 2/0
Abbadon 1/0 (red tech specialty)
Loki 1/2
Perimeter 2/2
Vefut II 2/0 (red specialty)

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Home space - Fighter x3, Cruiser x1
Quinarra - PDS x1, GF x1, Space Dock x1
Perimeter space - Cruiser x1, Dreadnought x1, Carrier x1
Perimeter - GF x3
Vefut II - Carrier x1, Fighter x1, GF x1

The L1Z1X Mindnet will activate the Quann system move its Dreadnought from Mellon/Zohbat there, dropping its Ground Force onto Quann. Then it will exhaust [0.0.0.] for 5 resources to build a Space Dock (4 resources) on Quann.

Wait, I can't do that because L1Z1X annexed Quann this round and a player needs to control a planet from the start of a round to build a Space Dock there. Instead let's activate their Home system, tap [0.0.0.] for 5 resources and build 2 Cruisers and 2 Fighters.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 0
Strategy Allocation: 0
Fleet Supply: 4
Activations: 2
Total in play: 6/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
[0.0.0.] – 5/0
Mellon – 0/2
Zohbat – 3/1, Blue tech specialty
Rigel I – 0/1
Rigel II – 1/2
Rigel III – 1/1, Blue tech specialty
Quann – 2/1, Green tech specialty

UNIT DEPLOYMENT
[0.0.0.]: Ground Force x 1, PDS x 1, Space Dock x 1
[0.0.0.] space: Dreadnought x1, Cruiser x2, Destroyer x1, Fighter x2
Mellon: Ground Force x1
Zohbat: Ground Force x1
Mellon/Zohbat space: Dreadnought x1 (with GF x1) Carrier x1, Fighter x2
Rigel I: Ground Force x1
Rigel II: Ground Force x1
Rigel III: Ground Force x1
Rigel space: Carrier x1, Fighter x3


`Hrist is up.

I'm sure `Hrist must be busy at E3, so in the meantime, here's the current map.

Since we're in a bit of a lull here, and since we're starting to crowd each other a bit and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some fisticuffs next round, let's talk about combat a little bit! I covered it quickly on the first page, so here's that business again, with some edits and additions:

A space battle happens whenever a player activates a system containing enemy ships and moves one or more of their own ships into it, after PDS units have had a change to fire at the incoming ships.

After PDS potshots but before the actual battle starts, players resolve pre-battle actions. Here's the list of possibilities:

Action Cards that state "Immediately before a space battle"
Anti-Fighter Barrage (Destroyers)
Assault Cannons (tech-dependent)
Mentak special ability
Minister of War (Political Card, probably won't come up)

The defender chooses the order in which these effects are resolved.

After all that business, the battle proper starts. Each side rolls dice for all their ships. You need to roll a ship's combat rating or higher to score a hit with it. Once both sides in a battle have tallied up their total hits, each side assigns the other's hits to their own ships. There are four steps to a Space Battle combat round:

1. Attacker may announce a withdrawal and/or defender may announce a retreat
2. Roll combat dice
3. Remove casualties
4. Execute withdrawals/retreats to an adjacent system the fleeing player has already activated

Repeat until one side is out of ships or bravely runs away. As you can see, barring special card effects and such, space battles always have at least 1 round of combat, since you can't bug out until after the first round's hits have been taken. Here's how a sample battle might go:

Player A moves a Cruiser, a Carrier and 3 Fighters into a system controlled by Player B, who has a Dreadnought and a Destroyer there.

Before the battle starts, Player B's Destroyer uses its anti-Fighter Barrage, rolling two dice for a 3 and a 9. The 3 is a miss, but the 9 hits, so one of Player A's Fighters is destroyed. Neither player wants to escape, so combat dice are rolled:

Player A
Cruiser: 8 (hit)
Carrier: 2 (miss)
2 Fighters: 5 (miss) 10 (hit)
2 hits total against B

Player B
Dreadnought: 6 (hit)
Destroyer: 4 (miss)
1 hit total against A

Players then resolve the hits. Player A chooses to destroy another one of his Fighters, and Player B takes a hit to her Dreadnought (Dreadnoughts have the Sustain Damage ability and can take a hit without dying) and loses her Destroyer. There were no withdrawals or retreats, so the sequence starts over again with an opportunity for either side to announce one, then continues on to dice and casualties again, etc.

If the defender wins, there's no change to the system's status. If the attacker wins, they blockade any Space Docks in the system, and may proceed to planetary invasion. Orbiting Dreadnoughts and War Suns can bombard the planet to kill Ground Forces before the battle starts, and PDS units on the defending planet(s) can take a shot each after the attacker has landed their Ground Forces in the hope of taking a couple out. Once all that is resolved, Invasion Combat starts.

Invasion Combat is a lot simpler than Space Combat. There are just two steps:
1. Roll combat dice
2. Remove casualties

Repeat until one side is out of Ground Forces and Shock Troops. Rolling a natural 10 with a Ground Force will turn it into a Shock Troop at the end of the battle if it survives. Shock Troops are always taken as casualties first. If the invader wins, all PDS and Space Docks on the conquered planet are destroyed (or converted to the Victor's color if there are surviving Shock Troops). There are no retreats from Invasion Combat

Above I talked a little about how standard retreats work, but since we're playing with Shattered Empire we can also take advantage of the slightly different Tactical Retreat option. From the rules:

"When announcing a retreat, the defender may use a Command Counter from his Strategy Allocation area to activate an adjacent, unactivated system that he controls (or that is empty). At the end of the combat round, he must retreat to this system. Players may also still attempt normal retreats."

So, rather than having to retreat to a previously activated system, you can activate one for the purpose — but only if you're the defender. Attackers can only withdraw, as above.

Oh, hey, so I was wrong on something regarding technology specialties! You don't have to exhaust a planet to take advantage of them, as I said before. But you only get the discount if your planet (or planets) with technology specialties are not exhausted, similar to the way you have to have unexhausted planets to add their influence to your votes.

Sorry for the confusion there. I don't recall if it was played wrong in this round or the first, but the rule will be in effect in the future.

Exhaust Primor, Hope's End and Wren Terra 9 resources, plus 3 trade goods.

Build two Carriers (6 Resources) and 12 Fighters (6 Resources) at the Wren Terra Space Dock.

Shock troops should have been generated at Hope's End, I think.

You make Shock Troops using Hope's End during the Status phase, but not now (you exhaust the planet right after refreshing it to use its special ability, so the cost of making Shock Troops is that you go into the next round with the planet tapped).

Also, you don't have enough capacity for that order. You can build as many units as you have resources on a Space Dock's planet +2. So, the Space Dock at Arc Prime can make 6 units at once. You could do 2 Carriers and 4 Fighters, etc.

I amend my move to two carriers and four fighters for Wren Terra/Arc Prime and a space dock for Hope's End (or Wren Terra if that doesn't work)

Did you take Hope's End this turn? I believe you can't build a space dock the same turn you capture a planet.

I think it's actually my turn, not Google's.

The Yin will activate Tar'Mann, and move a Carrier with 4 fighters and 2 Ground Forces, and the Dreadnought over from Darien. The Carrier will drop 2 Ground Forces on Tar'Mann, Invading and Capturing the planet.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 3
Strategy Allocation: 3
Fleet Supply: 3
Activations: 0
Total in play: 10/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Darien – 2/4
Arinam - 1/2, Blue Tech Specialty
Meer - 4/0*
Centauri - 1/3
Gral - 1/1, Blue Tech Specialty
Tar'Mann - 1/1

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Space Docks: 1/3, Darien x1
Ground Forces: Tar'Mann x2, Arinam x1, Meer x1, Centauri x1, Gral x1
Shock Troops: 0
PDS: 0/6
Fighters: Tar'Mann x4
Carriers: 2/4, Darien x1, Tar'Mann x1
Destroyers: 1/8, Tar'Mann x1
Cruisers: 0/8
Dreadnoughts: 1/5, Tar'Mann x1
War Suns: 0/2

Ah, right you are.

That's right. Wren Terra gets the dock. You'd have to activate the two systems in turn to build at Hope's End even if it was allowed to put one there.

Now Googleshng's up, for realsies.

Mappy map map.

So, I'm playing this here:


This gives me an extra command counter, which I suppose is going into strategy at this point, and prompts me to draw 2 cards and more or less immediately play one. However they are weird and weirdly worded, so, gimme a sec on final resolution of doing so.

So yeah. My Strategy Allocation is now 3.

I look at this card here, we'll leave on the deck for later, and reveal this other one!

"I spend 3 Command Counters."

That's... really poorly worded, but I BELIEVE it means I can now immediately spend 3 Command Counters from my Strategy Allocation (or Command, I guess, or even Fleet Supply, but this is the last Strategy card left isn't it?) to get a Victory Point... and I'm only allowed to do this the one time, but when we reach the status phase, everyone has a shot at it. Right?

I COULD afford the secondary too, but yeah, I think I'd like more than 4 CCs to play with next turn.

Command Counters:
Command Pool: 1
Strategy Allocation: 3 0
Fleet Supply: 2

Victory Points: 2

When you fulfill an objective, you declare that you're doing or have done what it says in order to take the point. If it helps, just drop the "I" from the objective and take it as an imperative, I suppose.

Anyway, everyone is now also free to fulfill the same condition during the next and all following Status Phases; I'll post a full list of revealed objectives when the Status Phase starts.

As for me, I'll pass on the secondary of Bureaucracy. L1Z1X must do so as well.

BUREAUCRACY
1. Sarcasmorator — PASSED
2. Lucas — PASSED
3. Egarwaen — PASSED
4. Epithet — PASSED
5. L1Z1X Mindnet — PASSED
6 `Hrist — PENDING
7. Severian — SECONDARY
8. Googleshng — PRIMARY

And for my action, I'll activate the Thibah system and move my carrier from Vega there. I will also exhaust Jord for 4 resources to build a new Space Dock on Thibah.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 2
Strategy Allocation: 3
Fleet Supply: 4
Activations: 3
Total in play: 12/16

UNIT DEPLOYMENT
Jord space: Cruiser x1, Fighter x2
Jord: Space Dock x1
Vega Major: Ground Force x1
Vega Minor: Ground Force x1
Lazar/Sakulag space: Carrier x1 (with GF x1)
Lazar: GF x1
Sakulag: GF x1
Beta Wormhole: Destroyer x1
Thibah: Carrier x1, Space Dock x1

Lucas has passed for the round, so Egarwaen is up.

The Yin will use Bureaucracy's secondary, and draws one of each.

Action Card: 105
Political Card: 11

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 3
Strategy Allocation: 2
Fleet Supply: 3
Activations: 0
Total in play: 9/16

Question: If you have Passed fully for the round, can you take advantage of the secondary abilities?

Passing on Bureaucracy's secondary.

Yes. You can't take any more actions after you pass, but otherwise you're not restricted.

I will pass on the Bureaucracy secondary and pass as my action. Epithet is up, unless he's passed, in which case the Mindnet is up.

Apparently I'm too lazy to draw cards, so I'll pass on the Bureaucracy secondary.