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ErikPeter Walker
United States
New Haven
Connecticut
Uplifting
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In my last update I concluded my explanation of Agendas, which will act as the backbone for the rest of my homebrew RFTG expansion. From here on out, most of the new mechanics work inside the framework of the base game rules plus Agendas, and primarily on the cards themselves.
There are a number of new powers in my expansion, but before I explain the basic concepts I've been building from, I'd like to briefly discuss power considerations from the official expansions.
The official expansions add plenty of new powers. None of them are too complicated but taken as a whole they add a lot of interesting complexity (and rules) to the game. I wanted this expansion to feel unique--otherwise why bother!? Still, I wasn't above borrowing a few ideas.
Right away I made a list of what was "Missing" from the base game. Besides goals, a few game-changers jumped out, which I generally decided against re-using. I typed out a whole spiel about Improved Logistics and Takeovers, but maybe it's better to sum up my reasons in a sentence or two.
Improved Logistics: Out. A great way to capitalize on lucky Military world draws, but the tempo shift rarely contributes to a tense, exciting game.
Takeovers: Out. I'm a purist and always play with TOs on, but they don't come into play often and tend to sour the atmosphere when they do.
Psi-Crystal World ability: In, although it appears on a 6-cost development, and it is not the only card that affects action selection (see below).
Solitaire Robot: Out, but I suppose someone could try if they want to.
Multi-kind worlds: Out. I like Alien Oort Cloud Refinery and if I wanted a multi-kind world I'd probably just copy it as-is. I don't have many new "consume a good of a specific kind" powers, which would be the reason to justify adding one.
Terraforming Engineers: Out. I love TE but it's its own beast. Swapping worlds is great fun but also very luck-dependent.
Larger Hand Limit: Out.
Mix-and-Match Explore: In. I don't feel guilty for stealing it outright since it is a general power that can be used on many cards.
I'm sure other examples will crop up as I continue to share new cards. (If anyone cares, I plan on using the new ante version of Gambling World.)
With re-tread concerns out of the way, allow me to share some of the basic ideas for new powers occurring in this expansion:
VP as a resource: I have quite a few cards that let players spend VP (returning them to the pool) to gain various benefits, such as card draws or increased military. Thematically, players are resorting to morally despicable tactics like raiding or outright slavery for short-term gains.
Different VP opportunities: A few cards earn players VP after placing worlds or developments. This is another way my expansion toys with the VP economy, and gives players a bit of control over the pace of the game.
Right now I plan on using the "12 per player plus 5 VP" rules from Brink of War.
"Intel" cards: Since I started conceptualizing the theme I knew I wanted a series of powers representing espionage and stolen secrets, which would modify player interaction in some way. Primarily, these powers are moderately useful "action leeching": If another player selects a given action, and you don't, you get the bonus for that action anyway. I plan on showcasing these powers more thoroughly in a later installment.
Destiny and Favor: I have a few special cards (including one start world) that grant Favor and Destiny under specific circumstances. Normally these resources can only be gained in phase II and III for promoting the current Agenda, so these power-based exceptions add a lot of flexibility to any tableau.
Further differentiating them from Prestige, there are zero powers which consume Destiny or Favor. The only way to use them is by spending them during Phase III, or passively benefit by gaining cards as the Agenda leader.
Other junk: I like the Psi-Crystal World ability, and in my expansion it appears on a 6-cost development, Core Intelligence. In addition, I came up with another power that interacts with it in an interesting way: With the Quantum A.I. Race, you can switch to Explore +1/+1 after the other actions have been selected, including the Psi-Crystal selection. The QAR can bravely call Trade and hope for an opponent to Settle, switching if it doesn't pan out, or match an opponent's Explore to prevent them from leeching a different call. The combination of both cards in your tableau wouldn't benefit you (since in that case the Psi-Crystal ability is strictly better), except in 2-Player Advanced, where the two abilities together grant impressive control over action selection.
I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, but much of what remains relates to the shifting focus of certain strategic pathways, and the introduction/strengthening of others, which will be the subject of my next update. Thanks for reading!
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