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

I think you can make your move. Egarwaen is up after you, anyway.

The Yin will use our special ability to convert Influence to Resources on one of our planets. We choose Darien.

Darien – 4/2*

Egarwaen is up!

Passing on Production's secondary.

I'm going to pass on production, since I don't have the fleet supply to put anything else in Muaat.

I'll post my move in a sec, just need to boot p a real computer for it.

"Sir? Good use?" "Oh, yeah, right. Have you noticed that having everyone awake and sober means we can actually move this thing at full speed?" More horrible wrenching noises ensued, and the Embers of Muaat's War Sun Number One appeared in orbit around...

Mecatol Rex!

Moving the War Sun, all four Ground Forces, both Fighters, and the High Alert token through Mirage (thanks Google! I'll remember this provided you don't backstab me with that PDS!) to Mecatol Rex. I believe I now have to fight the defenders of Mecatol Rex, but I'll be out of Internet access for the rest of the day. Sarc, if you want to run the dice rolls for that, I've PMed you my strategic decisions, though I believe that the outcome is not in doubt.

THE EMBERS OF MUAAT

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 1
Strategy Allocation: 2
Fleet Supply: 3
Activations: 1
Total in play: 7/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Muaat (4/1)
Lesab (2/1, Green Tech Spec)
Resculon (2/0)
Coorneeq (1/2, Red Tech Spec)
Velnor (2/0, Red Tech Spec)
Lisis (2/2)
El'Nath (2/0, Blue Tech Spec)
Mecatol Rex???

UNIT DEPLOYMENT
Muaat - 1x Space Dock, 2x Dreadnought, 1x Destroyer, 2x Ground Force
El'Nath - 1x Carrier, 2x Fighter, 1x Ground Force, 1x Cruiser
Lisis/Velnor - 2x Control Marker (1/planet)
Coorneeq - 1x Ground Force
Lesab - Control Marker
Resculon - Control Marker
Mecatol Rex - 4x Ground Force, 1x War Sun, 2x Fighters, 1x High Alert Token???

OK, I can run these numbers. First, Googleshng can't take a potshot anyway, because Egarwaen activated Mecatol Rex and it's not in range of his PDS cannons (units can pass through systems in range without fear).

With the High Alert token, all Egarwaen's ships get +1 to their combat rolls. Here's how it goes:

SPACE BATTLE
Egarwaen's side:
1 War Sun: 2(+1), 10(+1), 1(+1) — 2 hits
2 Fighters: 10(+1), 7(+1) — 1 hit

Custodian side:
3 Fighters: 1, 10, 1 — 1 hit

All three Custodian Fighters are destroyed, and the Embers lose one of their own Fighters. No big loss. On to ...

PLANETARY INVASION AND COMBAT

All four Ground Forces will land on Mecatol Rex, but before they fight the two defenders, the War Sun gets to fire a salvo at them:

War Sun bombardment: 7, 5, 4 (3 hits)

And so the Custodian Ground Forces take the planet without having to fire a shot themselves. Good for them!

Egarwaen takes Mecatol Rex.

I'm up, but I probably won't be able to post before this evening. In the meantime ...

NEW MAP!

War Suns is nasty.

There is one thing that's been wrong with the map, but for some reason I've never pointed it out. I moved a dreadnought and my carrier from the three planet system, with its ground forces, into Perimeter last round and the map never got changed to reflect that. It's no big deal, and they'll probably be going to the same places regardless, but I just thought I ought to (finally) mention it.

Aw, dang. I'll fix that ASAP.

In general, if you notice a mistake I've made, let me know right away; I fix them in my master file as soon as I am able. I try to stay as accurate as possible but there are a lot of parts to manage.

Is this correct, Epithet?



Sicknasty, even.

The Federation of Sol fears the Embers of Muaat are gaining too much military presence and political influence in the galaxy. In an effort to curtail this, they have contacted a band of, shall we say, "freelance contractors" to cause a bit of trouble in the Muaat's client systems — bashing in the windows of liquor stores, shaking down drug dealers, citing nightclubs on dubious grounds, and the like.

Translation: I'm playing Action Card Stellar Criminals: Choose an opponent; that opponent must choose and exhaust half of his or her unexhausted planets (round down).

Egarwaen, I choo-choo-choose you!

CONSUMABLES
Action Cards: 1

Also, I should point out to both Egarwaen and Epithet before the next L1Z1X action comes up: You guys have some big holes in your defenses, and while I'm playing the L1Z1X in a less-than-fully-aggressive fashion, I will send them after soft targets (like your unguarded planets) and objective-earning targets (like your Space Docks, if they're left undefended). Beware!

Epithet is up.

Activating Ashtaroth/Loki/Abaddon, and moving Cruiser x1 from Perimeter into the system.

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

UNITS
Home space - Fighter x3, Cruiser x1
Quinarra - PDS x1, GF x1, Space Dock x1
Perimeter space - Dreadnought x1, Carrier x1
Perimeter - GF x3
Vefut II - Carrier x1, Fighter x1, GF x1
A/L/A space - Cruiser x1

The L1Z1X Mindnet activates Quann, moving a Destroyer, three Cruisers and 3 Ground Forces from [0.0.0.], as well as the Dreadnought and its GF from Mellon/Zohbat, to the system, with the Dreadnought dropping its GF onto Quann.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 1
Strategy Allocation: 1
Fleet Supply: 5
Activations: 1
Total in play: 8/16

UNIT DEPLOYMENT
[0.0.0.] – Space Dock x1, PDS x1
[0.0.0.] space: Dreadnought x1, Fighter x2
Mellon/Zohbat space: Carrier x1, Fighter x2
Quann: GF x1
Quann Space: Cruiser x3 (with GF x1 each), Destroyer x1,

Lucas is up!

Chamberlain Shvass would later deny this, but he faints at the sight of the galactic map. Once revived he calls for faster expansion at any cost, starting with bringing production up to speed with some new facilities on the frontier.

Activating Lodor and moving the cruiser from Salidor there. Exhausting Lodor and spending my last trade good for a fancy new Space Dock.

Trade Goods: 0
Lodor 3/1: 1 Space Dock
Command Pool: 2

Aaaannnd... Google is up, I think?

Pass.

Ah, let's start one of these, then:

1. Lucas — PASSED
2. Googleshng — PASSED
3. `Hrist — Production
4. Severian — Trade II
5. Egarwaen (SPEAKER) — Warfare II
6. Sarcasmorator — Warfare I
7. Epithet — Technology II
8. L1Z1X Mindnet — Bureaucracy

`Hrist is up!

The Space Vampire Council of Space Vampires cast its eye to the fertile worlds of Lirta IV and Bereg. Task Force Anne Rice is promptly assembled and sets a course.

Activate Bereg (or thereabouts). Send Cruiserx1, Carrierx1, Fighterx4, Ground Forcex1 to the system. Pick up one additional Ground Force while passing through Primor. Claim Bereg and Lirta IV for the glory of the Space Vampires with one Ground Force apiece.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 1
Strategy Allocation: 1
Fleet Supply: 3 (+1)

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Arc Prime – 4/0
Wren Terra – 2/1
Qucen'n -- 1/2
Primor -- 2/1 (Ground Troop Refresh)
Rarron -- 0/3 (Green Tech Spec)
Hope's End -- 3/0 (Shock Troopers)
Lirta IV -- 2/3 (Green Tech Spec)
Bereg -- 2/3 (Orange Tech Spec)

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Arc Prime/Wren Terra -- Space Dockx2, Dreadnoughtx1, Fighterx4,
Qucen'n -- Ground Forcesx2,
Rarron -- Carriersx1, Ground Forcesx1
Primor -- Ground Troopx2
Hope's End -- Carrierx1, Fightersx3, Destroyerx1, Ground Troopx1, Shock Troopx2, Space Dockx1
Lirta IV: Cruiserx1, Carrierx1, Fightersx4, Ground Forcex1
Bereg: Ground Forcex1

TECHNOLOGIES OWNED
Hylar V Assault Laser
Antimass Deflectors
XRD Transporters – +1 Carrier movement
Enviro Compensators

TRADE CONTRACTS
Terran 2
Egarwen 2

Trade Goods: 1

VICTORY POINTS: 1

That means severian is up.

The Yin believe that the Embers have left their backdoor open a bit too long. We activate Usis/Velnor, and move over the Destroyer and Carrier with all Fighters and Ground Forces from Tar'Mann. Googleshng will get a chance to take a potshot with his PDS through the South Wormhole if he so chooses, but since we are chipping away at the current big bad, we think he will let it slide.

We will Invade and drop GF's on both undefended planets.

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

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

Egarwaen is up!

This only happens if you stop in range, not if you're just passing through.

"A note?" "Yes sir. From... Ah... Thousand Faces. It says 'I shall steal the planet of El'Nath from you. I require it for my own purposes. It shall be returned within a fortnight.'" "What cheek!" "Oh, and we've lost Lisis and Velour." "Demonstrate to them the power of our fully operational space fleet!"

I'm activating Lesab, and moving in a Dreadnought and Destroyer from Muaat. The Embers would also like to suggest to the Yin that that may not have been their best move, and perhaps our defensive deployment was not quite as weak as our illustrious GM suggested it might be.

THE EMBERS OF MUAAT

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 0
Strategy Allocation: 2
Fleet Supply: 3
Activations: 2
Total in play: 7/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Muaat (4/1)
Lesab (2/1, Green Tech Spec)
Resculon (2/0)
Coorneeq (1/2, Red Tech Spec)
El'Nath (2/0, Blue Tech Spec)
Mecatol Rex (1/6)

UNIT DEPLOYMENT
Muaat - 1x Space Dock, 1x Dreadnought, 2x Ground Force
El'Nath - 1x Carrier, 2x Fighter, 1x Ground Force, 1x Cruiser
Coorneeq - 1x Ground Force
Lesab - 1x Dreadnought, 1x Destroyer
Resculon - Control Marker
Mecatol Rex - 4x Ground Force, 1x War Sun, 1x Fighter, 1x High Alert Token

Epithet is up

Actually, I am!



I execute the primary of Warfare to remove my Command Counter from Thibah. It being my only CC on the board, and all.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 3
Strategy Allocation: 1
Fleet Supply: 5
Activations: 0
Total in play: 9

The L1Z1X will pass on this secondary.

WARFARE
6. Sarcasmorator — PRIMARY
7. Epithet — PASSED
8. L1Z1X Mindnet — PASSED
1. Lucas — PASSED
2. Googleshng — PASSED
3. `Hrist — PASSED
4. Severian — PASSED
5. Egarwaen (SPEAKER) — PASSED

I think I'd like to activate the secondary but first I'd appreciate a an overview of which strategy cards have yet to be popped this round, if someone doesn't mind pulling that together.

I think mine's the last one, actually. Assembly wasn't taken this round.

Yeah, almost everyone played theirs right off the bat this round.

And it goes without saying that I'm passing, since I don't have any of those tiny ships like all you weirdos.

I'll pass on this secondary.

Passing on the secondary.

Secondary passing.

The Yin Pass on the Secondary.

So does that mean I keep the Speaker token for next round?

It does indeed!