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

Since the only people technically choosing before me here have no real reason to care what I'm doing way over here, I'm activating the production secondary. All those super nerds huddling up to research and plan new strategies have displaced a slightly-less-nerdy portion of the population from the libraries where they were slacking off and taking naps, so they're going to enlist in the military. Ground forces cost half a resource each, and Sarween Tools give me a 1 resource discount, so aside from the Strategy Allocation, it's a total freebie.

Activating Production Secondary for 2 Ground Forces on Nar.

Will decide on production when I get home. sorry if I'm holding everyone up

It's fine. I think the game is moving along at a decent clip, all things considered.

I need some help to see if I'm understanding this correctly. If I want to use the secondary, I would spend a Strategy CC, then tap my one planet to give me four resources to build units. Here's the two points where I'm not sure: first, if I don't use all those resources on this action, any unused resources are wasted, right? Second, would spending one resource on ground forces (or fighters) be considered making two units for the purposes of this card?

Correct on all counts. Also, for Fighters and GF, you can always choose to make 1 instead of 2 (still costs the full 1 resource, though).

Recent moves incoming:



My humans overtake a new system for the glory of the empire Federation.



The Brotherhood continues its search for love.



The Embers of Muaat forge themselves a mess of new units.



And the Universities of Jol-Nar field some new graduates from their military academy.

But wait! I can discard my two political cards to get a couple of resources for this action, right?

The Brotherhood doesn't play politics, at least this early in the game. Discarding one Politic Card, and producing two Ground Forces in Darien.

Lucas: Yes.

Mentak chamberlain Kir� Shvass eagerly released this quarter's production orders. It took several hours, but eventually one of his aides sheepishly returned and informed him that they didn't actually have the fleet supplies necessary to support his desired construction in this system. Kir� sighed and called in a few favors to get something produced, even if it was a bit more modest - calling up two new regiments of Colonial Irregulars and producing a Mollfury.


So, uh, yeah. Spending a Strategy CC to activate Production Secondary and discarding the Colonial Redistribution and Compensated Disarmament political cards to produce two ground forces and a fighter at Moll Primus.

Current Units (if I've got this tally correct):
Moll Primus: Carrier, PDS, Fighter, Cruiser x3, Ground Forces x6, Space Dock

I'm not planning to do many posts in character as Kir�, but I really did have big plans I had to abandon when I remembered the whole Fleet Supply thing and had to share.

Witness, ye pretenders to the Imperial Throne, the Mentak Coalition's hastily scaled-back production order, and tremble:



I joke, but the Coalition's take-a-potshot-before-a-space-battle ability makes even those starting Cruisers a real threat.

Since it's on the last page, I'm posting the Strategy Card status here again:

Technology II
Lucas: Executing primary
`Hrist: Executing secondary
Sarc: Executing secondary
Googleshng: Executing secondary
severian: Passing on secondary
Egarwaen: Passing on secondary
shivam: Passing on secondary
Stiv: Executing secondary

Production
Egarwaen: Executing primary
Sardakk N'orr: Executing secondary
Stiv: Passing on secondary
Lucas: Executing secondary
`Hrist: Executing secondary
Sarc: Passing on secondary
Googleshng: Executing secondary
severian: Executing secondary

And after it's all done, `Hrist is up.

shivam has pulled out of the game, so for the time being I'll play his turns. If anyone reading this LP wants to step in and take over for him, let me know and I'll pass on the info for the Sardakk N'orr. Unless the Sardakk N'orr are taken over by a new player, they'll be ineligible to win the game (they'll take any objectives they qualify for so as not to hamstring a new player, but if they hit 10 points nothing will happen).

shivam, you'll be missed.

Sardakk N'orr spends a CC from Strategy Allocation to execute Production's secondary, exhausting both Tren'lak and Quinarra for 4 resources to build a Carrier and 2 Fighters.

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 2
Strategy Allocation: 1
Fleet Supply: 3
Activations: 1

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Quinarra – 3/1
Tren’lak – 1/0
Ashtroth 2/0
Abbadon 1/0 (red tech specialty)
Loki 1/2

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Home space - Cruiser x1, Carrier x1, GF x 2, Fighter x2
A/L/A space- Carrier x1
Abbadon - GF x1
Loki- GF x1
Ashtroth - GF x1

I'll jump in if no one else wants to take Shivam's slot.

Activating secondary ability from Production and spending a CC from Strategy Allocation. Tapping Wren Terra for 2 resources to build four fighters.

I assume that they need to be picked up by a carrier?

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

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 2
Strategy Allocation: 0
Fleet Supply: 3 (+1)
Activations: 2
Total in play: 8/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Arc Prime – 4/0
Wren Terra – 2/1
Qucen'n -- 1/2
Rarron -- 0/3 (Green Tech Spec)

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Arc Prime/Wren Terra -- Space Docksx1, Cruiserx1, Dreadnoughtx1, Destroyerx1, Fighterx4
Qucen'n -- Ground Forcesx2,
Rarron -- Carriersx1, Ground Forcesx1

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

Yes, they need to be transported by a Carrier, but Space Docks can only support 3 Fighters, so unfortunately one of the ones you built dies immediately. But that's OK — the secondary of Production only lets you build three units, so that's all you could make anyway.



On the plus side, now it's your regular turn!

Space Vampires take a Strategy Action and activate Trade II. Take three Trade Goods for myself and invite the rest of the galaxy to open trade negotiations. What entails a "trade agreement" is beyond me at the moment, but I'm willing to find out.

Am I allow to build anything with my shiny new Trade Goods, or has that ship sailed?

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

COMMAND COUNTERS
Command Pool: 2
Strategy Allocation: 0
Fleet Supply: 3 (+1)
Activations: 2
Total in play: 8/16

PLANETS (Resources/Influence)
Arc Prime – 4/0
Wren Terra – 2/1
Qucen'n -- 1/2
Rarron -- 0/3 (Green Tech Spec)

UNITS (Deployed/Total)
Arc Prime/Wren Terra -- Space Docksx1, Dreadnoughtx1, Destroyerx1, Fighterx3
Qucen'n -- Ground Forcesx2,
Rarron -- Carriersx1, Ground Forcesx1

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

`Hrist, you can't build anything right now, but once your next Action comes up you're free to do so then.



Here's how making trade agreements works. Everyone has two Trade Contracts for their race (a rundown is here), each with a number representing how many Trade Goods they supply to their holder (if you hold your own contracts, they are inactive and provide nothing). So, for example, here are mine:

TRADE CONTRACTS
Sol 2
Sol 2

And here are Googleshng's:

TRADE CONTRACTS
Jol-Nar 1
Jol-Nar 3

But they do us no good at the moment. To make a trade agreement, a player simply swaps contracts with another player (can't swap both with one player, though). Trade Contracts can be broken by either party during the Status Phase, and are automatically voided if either player engages in a space battle or planetary invasion against the other (but not on account of PDS fire, interestingly enough).

All that in mind, if Googleshng and I made a trade agreement where I gave him one of my value 2 contracts for his value 3 agreement, it'd look like this:

FEDERATION'S TRADE CONTRACTS
Jol-Nar 3 (Active)
Sol 2

GOOGLESHNG'S TRADE CONTRACTS
Sol 2 (Active)
Jol-Nar 1

You don't get any Trade Goods from contracts the round you make the agreement, so only `Hrist gets Trade Goods this time around (in future rounds, everyone except the card holder gets the value of their trade agreements minus 1) . And since `Hrist is playing the Trade II card, she can veto any Trade Agreement being made if she wants to.

So, the floor is open. Make your negotiations in public or over PM, but post your proposals here. Since this Strategy Card isn't one Stiv can really swing back around for, we'll hold the game here for now and continue to the Sardakk N'orr's turn after all negotiations are complete (Sardakk will make no trade agreements for the time being unless a new player takes control of them).

As for me, I figure trading agreements make for good neighbors, so I'd like to offer one of my contracts each to `Hrist (both hers are value 1, so either's fine) and Googleshng (I'd really like your value 3 contract, if you're willing). Let me know, guys!

I'll accept the trade contract with Sarcas.

I'll also extend one of my trade contracts to Egarwaen for my other trade contract.

Well, it's kind of a raw deal for me, but... apparently I just plain make better stuff than everyone else in the galaxy, and it gives you a huge incentive not to mess with me what with our uncomfortable closeness, so deal, on the condition you don't try and snag Mehar Xull out from under me.

By the same logic, Sev, you're pretty close to me too. Want my suckier Trade 1 for one of yours?

Excellent! I will leave Mehar Xull alone.

FEDERATION TRADE CONTRACTS
Letnev 1 (Active)
Jol-Nar 3 (Active)

Hey guys, I have these antique wonders called Furbies in stock. They're going fast though! So fast, in fact, I only have enough left for a pair of Single Trade Good Trade Contracts�! You know the recent hatchlings back on your homeworld will love these adorable little furballs!

Sure, Googleshng, the Brotherhood will take your trade agreement, in the hopes of a temporary truce being formed in the South-East of the galaxy (assuming that cardinal directions work in three dimensional space).

In that vein, I wish to offer a Yin 1 trade agreement to Egarwaen's Embers of Muaat. Let's look aside the fact that I'm potentially entering into an agreement with your former slave masters, and focus on the fact that the Southern Hemisphere of the galaxy is the Best Hemisphere of the galaxy.

Of course, all of this is dependent on the whim of the glorious Space Vampire Queen 'Hrist.

Brotherhood of Yin
TRADE CONTRACTS
Jol-Nar 1
Someone 1

The Embers of Muaat fume quietly. "They really want to trade with us? After they took Bob and made him slave as a desk lamp for ten thousand years?" "Point. And someone had the brilliant idea of making Bob Minister of Trade after we smashed his bulb. When he heard about this offer, he got so mad he burned down half the capitol. Besides, their duties are outrageous. Most of the time, we'd barely be breaking even. That's an insult!"

The Embers spend a few minutes simmering. "What about the Space Vampires, then? Their exports are just as paltry and their duties equally ruinous." "Yes, but they've presently bribed every single dockhand in the known universe. Our sun-dried tomatoes are just going to rot on the loading docks until they give us the thumbs up." "Fine. Let them know we'll trade with them if they'll approve our other trade agreement at the same time."

So, `Hrist, I'll accept your offer if you'll approve any other trade agreements I manage to negotiate. Since the rules say that verbal agreements are not binding, let's just approve the two trade agreements together?

sevarian, I'm not particularly interested in trading my 2-point Trade Goods for your 1-pointers. That's a bad deal for me, particularly given the 1 Trade Good tax on non-active Traders. I'll take it if I don't get anything better, though.

That means I've got a 2-pointer that I'm willing to shop around, in exchange for equal value in Trade Goods.

TRADE
Muaat 2 - Conditionally promised to `Hrist.
Muaat 2 - Open for bids.

You're going to have a tough time finding a 2 TG agreement, Egarwaen; everything left is a 1 (except for one of the Sardakk's, and while they're in "AI" mode they aren't making agreements).

Okay

Is it possible to exchange 2-for-1, or are all trades 1-for-1?

I'll give you my 2-trade good contract in exchange for yours as soon as I get a PM from Sarc about hidden objectives and whatever else. I'll be willing to give my value-1 contract to about anyone who wants it.

Epithet, welcome aboard! I'll send along your info shortly.

Egarawen, you can trade any value of trade contract for any other, but you can only exchange one contract with an individual player.