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

I count 8 in my copy, 4 in the base game and 4 in the first expansion.

The Mindnet is playing an Action Card.

Touch of Genius: Spend three influence to duplicate the effects of any other Action Card in the discard pile. Play at the time specified by that card.

Mellon and Rigel I will become tapped in order to play:

Alien Technology: Play as an Action. Immediately spend 4 resources to receive one technology advance for which you have the prerequisites. This cost cannot be reduced.

Zohbat and Rygel III will become tapped in order to gain the technology:

Sarween Tools: When building with a Space Dock, you gain 1 additional resource.

That's what I want to do.

THE L1Z1X MINDNET

SPECIAL ABILITIES
>The base cost of your Dreadnoughts is 4
>Your Dreadnoughts receive +1 during Space Battles, and your Ground Forces receive +1 when attacking during Invasion Combat
>You start with an extra Command Counter in Strategy Allocation

CONSUMABLES
Action Cards: 3
Political Cards: 0
Trade Goods: 0

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 3
Strategy Allocation: 2
Fleet Supply: 5
Activations: 0
Total in play: 10/16

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

TECHNOLOGIES OWNED
Enviro Compensator
Stasis Capsules
Cybernetics
Hylar V Assault Laser
Deep Space Cannon
Sarween Tools

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Space Docks: 3/3
Ground Forces: 9
Shock Troops: 0
PDS: 2/6
Fighters: 7
Carriers: 3/4
Destroyers: 0/8
Cruisers: 3/8
Dreadnoughts: 5/5
War Suns: 0/2

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

TRADE CONTRACTS
L1Z1X 1
L1Z1X 1

VICTORY POINTS: 2

All right, severian's up.

Snake, you don't have to post the whole status kaboodle every time, if you don't want to; just the fields that have changes is typically enough.

Let's get this party started with a party! A political party.



I draw Political Card 32 and Action Cards 101 and 134.


CONSUMABLES
Action Cards: 6
Political Cards: 1
Trade Goods: 2

I choose Option A, grab the Speaker from Googleshng and choose Epithet to play a Political Card, since he's the only one of us who kept one in his hand. Here's hoping you've got something interesting!

Well... I don't think we have any active laws right now, so my one political card won't actually do anything. Am I allowed to draw one from the deck and play that?

I'm gonna say yes.

Same goes for Political Cards that apply to things we don't have in this game, like the Logistics Strategy Card (off the top of my head, there's a Political Card that concerns it).

Hey, that's not true! I've still got one kicking around! One people would even probably like!

Whoops, missed your Status post. Next time, or maybe you can pick Assembly and Option B next round. We have just been using Political Cards as Trade Goods so far, I threw away some good ones just to buy some ships.

I drew Political Card 9, which is....

Regulated Conscription (LAW)
For: Ground Force units now cost 1 resource each. The Sol player must place only one ground force for each command counter he spends using his racial special ability
Against: Discard this card.

Sol will be casting its 10 votes against, obviously.

The Embers of Muaat have a mere four votes, and are going to cast them for this, purely out of spite.

Considering you only have 3 GF of your own at the moment, that is indeed quite spiteful!

3 votes against.

Tally:

For: 25
Against: 37

Mentak chamberlain Kir� Shvass’ eyes were glazing over as he examined the latest legal proposal from the Galactic Assembly. A question occurred to him: what was he doing? He’d brought together the Coalition through bluff, bluster, cunning, and a solid fist, and all he’d wanted was to get the pirates of the galaxy a little more protection both for and from each other. How did that become a campaign to rule the stars? Who among the Mentak had wanted to change from the scourges of the spaceways into... into politicians and bureaucrats? That wasn’t what the Coalition was meant to do!

He considered the problem for some time, but finally came to a conclusion – the only one he could see. He pulled up the special channel on his computer, the one that would reach every captain in the Coalition, and typed out a simple message. Get your ships, your real ones, and let’s get out of here. He smiled. Let those other suckers invade these planets no Mentak cared about, bleeding themselves against the automated systems on the new ships they’d been making. Let those other suckers fight among themselves. And let one of those suckers – the biggest of them all – take the throne and drive themselves batty trying to run the entire galaxy. And then, only then, would the Coalition return to enrich themselves on fat peacetime traders. Oh, it might be thin times for a bit while the war ran on, but the Mentak were accustomed to it, and they would feast soon enough....

It’s hard to say this, folks, but as it turns out Twilight Imperium sort of bores me to tears. I just don’t have the temperament for 4X games or having to negotiate and build alliances with others just to wait for the inevitable backstabbing. I was hanging on largely because I didn’t like the idea of making you guys play against two bot factions, but now that SilentSnake’s taken over the Mindnet, well... it’s gotten to the point where I’m actively hoping for other players to make the game hang up just so that I can avoid taking my turn for a little longer; that’s just not good for anyone.

You guys deserve an opponent who will bring their A game, and I’m having too much trouble doing so with TI. That’s all there is to it. I wish I could say the game up to this point had been fun but, well, if it had been I wouldn’t want to quit. It has nothing to do with my fellow players though, you guys were great. I’m just the wrong player for the game.

I believe Sarc’s plan is to declare Tech II played when my turn comes up but otherwise have the Coalition take no actions. My ships will simply be left where they are. Have at’em, folks; the Mentak were never that attached to them anyway.

Sorry to see you go, Lucas. I'll consider you abstained on this vote. Thanks for playing this far, though I'm sorry you didn't much enjoy it.

Anyone who wants to pick up Mentak, PM me before the end of the round's Status Phase. Otherwise they go dark after passing (if someone takes them up after the pass this round, they can de-pass and take 1 action).

Yes, but I get more mileage out of them than most thanks to War Sun bombardment.

I vote against

That's 11 votes, right?

OK, hang on. I have not read any posts below this one, and I need to go back in time here and play an action card.

Thugs: Play after the text of a Political Card has been read but before it has been voted on. Choose a player; that player may not vote on a Political Card for the rest of the round.

Yeah, seems the Sol dignitary is having a hard time getting in to vote, having been stopped by Space Brain customs officers trying to get off Jord.

Now then. Obviously, having done that, I'm voting For on this one.

Edit: Oh right. Probably should count this up here... I'm voting For with untapped influence of... 21.

Sounds like he lost... His dignitary!

Tally updated. Waiting on severian and SolidSnake to vote for the final tally.

Also, Googleshng, if this passes, I am going to murder you.

What? I already voted.

Oops, it's Epithet and severian who haven't voted.

I R DUM

Hard to concentrate when your legions are picketing the capital demanding hazard pay or some crap.

Sorry Epithet, but your measly 3 influence won't be enough to save this vote.

Google, why you gotta kick a race while they're down? And drive up recruitment costs for all of us just to satisfy a grudge? We're pals, but I gotta shut you down. You can put up blockades all day, but don't affect intergalactic commerce!

Voting Against with 20 votes, slamming it shut.

I believe that should be 18 votes, actually, with your Trade Station tapped.

Assuming Epithet has nothing in his Action Card hand that could turn the tide (and I'm not aware of anything that could), `Hrist is up.

I have five influence, I'll have you know.

And I'm voting nay anyway. Restricting military recruitment just ain't the sort of thing we'd do.

Sarc pointed out I included my tapped Trade Station, so my actual vote total is 18. Still, more than enough.

You and what army? *rimshot*

Hey now. We're not trying to hurt anyone. You see, us enlightened space brains, having recently gathered the relevant data, have come to the conclusion that violence is not the answer. We're just trying to encourage you less enlightened races to divert funding from military matters, and into scientific research with a series of economic incentives! But apparently, you're all just not ready for this way of thinking yet. So sad.

Are we done voting? If so, Secondary Time! Then `Hrist's turn.