Dave J McWeasely
United States
Louisville
Kentucky
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Colonize/Tech Opening
T1:
Action - whatever
Role - colonize + 1 boost
T2:
Action - settle
Role - research level 1 tech (hard to follow)
Notes: requires you to draw exactly 1 colonize and 0 research in your initial 5-card hand. If you draw too many cards of either type, you can gamble and hold them, but if your clean up phase has you drawing less than 5 cards, you may not end up with the 2 research, 1 colonize you need for T2.
Warfare/Tech Opening
T1:
Action: politics -> warfare
Role: warfare + 1 boost
T2:
Action: warfare to settle a planet
Role: research leve1 1 tech (hard to follow)
Notes: requires you to draw 0 warfare, 0 research, and 1 politics early. Not too likely. Or you can gamble and hold cards.
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Paul Beakley
United States
Tempe
AZ
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Yup, the colonize -> tech play is my absolute favorite opening. Very strong!
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Kenny VenOsdel
United States
Saint Paul
Minnesota
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I prefer to not colonize as my first role, but survey instead. Then follow someone else's colonize role and I still can get a tech on turn 2. This relies on other players actions though.
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Michael Logan
United States
Drexel Hill
Pennsylvania
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kvenosdel wrote: I prefer to not colonize as my first role, but survey instead. Then follow someone else's colonize role and I still can get a tech on turn 2. This relies on other players actions though.
How does this work? Are you including using Politics on your first turn to get an extra settle card?
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Paul Beakley
United States
Tempe
AZ
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kvenosdel wrote: I prefer to not colonize as my first role, but survey instead. Then follow someone else's colonize role and I still can get a tech on turn 2. This relies on other players actions though.
Right, yeah, if nobody else ponies up with their own colonize you're pretty much having to do it yourself. I dunno, I've never won or lost a game as far as I can tell from giving someone a first-turn advantage.
Riding on someone else's Survey is almost better if you're not picky about the planet you take if you follow with just one Survey. If you drew two Surveys, even better -- you get a free planet *and* you can draw two more cards as your action.
As far as I can tell there really isn't an ideal first role, other than perhaps a Produce/Trade if you lucked into settling a world with your first action and nobody else is ready to follow.
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Kenny VenOsdel
United States
Saint Paul
Minnesota
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mfl134 wrote: kvenosdel wrote: I prefer to not colonize as my first role, but survey instead. Then follow someone else's colonize role and I still can get a tech on turn 2. This relies on other players actions though. How does this work? Are you including using Politics on your first turn to get an extra settle card?
T1:
Action: Politics for Colonize Card
Role: Survey (with or without boosting)
hopefully follow someone else's colonize role
T2:
Action: Settle
Role: Research
It's trickier, and involves a bit of luck to pull off, but its nice when it happens.
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Michael Logan
United States
Drexel Hill
Pennsylvania
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PBeakley wrote: If you drew two Surveys, even better -- you get a free planet *and* you can draw two more cards as your action.
You need to keep both surveys to follow. Or am I misreading?
PBeakley wrote: As far as I can tell there really isn't an ideal first role, other than perhaps a Produce/Trade if you lucked into settling a world with your first action and nobody else is ready to follow.
How is it possible to settle using your first action? As far as I can tell, it is not possible. (you only have 2 settle cards, thus can't play both on the planet and have one left to play as an action.)
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Michael Logan
United States
Drexel Hill
Pennsylvania
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kvenosdel wrote: mfl134 wrote: kvenosdel wrote: I prefer to not colonize as my first role, but survey instead. Then follow someone else's colonize role and I still can get a tech on turn 2. This relies on other players actions though. How does this work? Are you including using Politics on your first turn to get an extra settle card? T1: Action: Politics for Colonize Card Role: Survey (with or without boosting) hopefully follow someone else's colonize role T2: Action: Settle Role: Research It's trickier, and involves a bit of luck to pull off, but its nice when it happens.
Right, I see that it works using the politics card. Pretty sure that is the only way though. And you need a ton of luck while drawing to pull that one off.
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Steven Metzger
United States
Pullman
Washington
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mfl134 wrote: kvenosdel wrote: I prefer to not colonize as my first role, but survey instead. Then follow someone else's colonize role and I still can get a tech on turn 2. This relies on other players actions though. How does this work? Are you including using Politics on your first turn to get an extra settle card?
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Paul Beakley
United States
Tempe
AZ
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mfl134 wrote: PBeakley wrote: If you drew two Surveys, even better -- you get a free planet *and* you can draw two more cards as your action. You need to keep both surveys to follow. Or am I misreading?
You get to look at Survey -1 planets and keep one. So play one Survey, don't look at the card, and keep the planet you drew from the top of the deck.
EDIT: [url] http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/699797/a-few-questions-a... [/url] -- we've been playing wrong, d'oh! 
mfl134 wrote: PBeakley wrote: As far as I can tell there really isn't an ideal first role, other than perhaps a Produce/Trade if you lucked into settling a world with your first action and nobody else is ready to follow. How is it possible to settle using your first action? As far as I can tell, it is not possible. (you only have 2 settle cards, thus can't play both on the planet and have one left to play as an action.)
It's possible if you followed someone else's Settle and you had two Colonizes in your hand. When your turn comes around, you lead Colonize and settle.
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Trevor Schadt
United States
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
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PBeakley wrote: mfl134 wrote: How is it possible to settle using your first action? As far as I can tell, it is not possible. (you only have 2 settle cards, thus can't play both on the planet and have one left to play as an action.) It's possible if you followed someone else's Settle and you had two Colonizes in your hand. When your turn comes around, you lead Colonize and settle.
(I understand that the distinction between Action and Role may seem like picking nits to some, but honestly, there are some people to whom I've taught EmDo for whom their confusion between the two has led to them no longer wanting to play. One does what one can, but...)
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Seth Jaffee
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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ryudoowaru wrote: PBeakley wrote: mfl134 wrote: How is it possible to settle using your first action? As far as I can tell, it is not possible. (you only have 2 settle cards, thus can't play both on the planet and have one left to play as an action.) It's possible if you followed someone else's Settle and you had two Colonizes in your hand. When your turn comes around, you lead Colonize and settle. That's still your first Role, not your first Action. As far as I can tell, there is no way to Settle your opening Planet as your first Action, as the act of placing enough Colonies to fully Colonize the Planet means that you have no more left in your hand to Settle the planet. (And playing Politics for the third Colonize card takes your first Action, thus missing the point.) (I understand that the distinction between Action and Role may seem like picking nits to some, but honestly, there are some people to whom I've taught EmDo for whom their confusion between the two has led to them no longer wanting to play. One does what one can, but...)
You are correct, there are only 2 Colonize cards in the starting deck, so without obtaining another via Colonize Role or Politics action, you cannot Settle a planet.
It would take a while, but you COULD Attack a planet without ever adding a 2nd Warfare card to your deck (it would take 3 Warfare actions), but that's not terribly useful information, and it's entirely off topic here 
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Seth Jaffee
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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PBeakley wrote: mfl134 wrote: PBeakley wrote: If you drew two Surveys, even better -- you get a free planet *and* you can draw two more cards as your action. You need to keep both surveys to follow. Or am I misreading? You get to look at Survey -1 planets and keep one. So play one Survey, don't look at the card, and keep the planet you drew from the top of the deck. EDIT: [url] http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/699797/a-few-questions-a... [/url] -- we've been playing wrong, d'oh! mfl134 wrote: PBeakley wrote: As far as I can tell there really isn't an ideal first role, other than perhaps a Produce/Trade if you lucked into settling a world with your first action and nobody else is ready to follow. How is it possible to settle using your first action? As far as I can tell, it is not possible. (you only have 2 settle cards, thus can't play both on the planet and have one left to play as an action.) It's possible if you followed someone else's Settle and you had two Colonizes in your hand. When your turn comes around, you lead Colonize and settle.
Indeed, you could do this in order to flip a planet on your first turn (assuming you are not the start player, another player leads Colonize, and you have both Colonize cards in hand at that time).
If you plan to do this, you may consider using your Action (before calling Colonize) to Politics for a Research card, so that after flipping your planet and cleaning up you can leave yourself with 3 Research in hand, ready to follow someone's Research role!
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Malachi Brown
United States
Hermitage
TN
It's turtles all the way down.
“Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself.”
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MrWeasely wrote: Notes: requires you to draw exactly 1 colonize and 0 research in your initial 5-card hand. If you draw too many cards of either type, you can gamble and hold them, but if your clean up phase has you drawing less than 5 cards, you may not end up with the 2 research, 1 colonize you need for T2.
I just have to nitpick. You can also do this if you draw both Colonize and both Research cards in the first hand.
Also depending on the number of players, it is possible to start with both Colonize cards in hand and still manage to draw up the Research cards before your second turn by dissenting.
Similar logic can be applied to the Warfare-Tech start.
Also, having gone this route a few times, while it is correct that it is difficult to follow, if the other players are doing something similar they will be doing research just before or after you that you can't follow either.
In fact, if a player going after you started with both Colonize cards in their hand and a Politics card, they could follow your Colonize role, use Politics to get a Research card, then call the Colonize role to settle and be prepared to follow your Research call on your turn. (Yes, I have seen that happen.)
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Chad Miller
United States
Pullman
Washington
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Malachi wrote: MrWeasely wrote: Notes: requires you to draw exactly 1 colonize and 0 research in your initial 5-card hand. If you draw too many cards of either type, you can gamble and hold them, but if your clean up phase has you drawing less than 5 cards, you may not end up with the 2 research, 1 colonize you need for T2. I just have to nitpick. You can also do this if you draw both Colonize and both Research cards in the first hand. Also depending on the number of players, it is possible to start with both Colonize cards in hand and still manage to draw up the Research cards before your second turn by dissenting.
Yes. In fact you'd have to draw pretty bad not to be able to make this start since you can use Politics or Survey as your turn 1 action to set it up if you're aiming for it and still have dissenting as a fallback even 1v1. The Warfare start is harder because it requires a Politics in your opening hand and the use of your T1 action.
(EDITed to clarify that I didn't mean using Survey/Politics as the T2 action)
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What does "+ 1 boost" refer to?
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Chad Miller
United States
Pullman
Washington
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Boosting is when you play a card of the same symbol as your role. So Colonize +1 boost means you tuck two colonize cards under your starting planet.
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