Help Decide the Fate of the Galaxy – Again!
Greetings dear readers, and welcome to a long-awaited return to the far-flung star realms of Twilight Imperium. Five years ago, at Dice Hate Me HQ, six intrepid contestants vied for the seat at the head of Mecatol Rex, and only one was triumphant – me! Now, four factions have risen to challenge me for the throne. Two are veterans of the original battle, but two are new to the fray. And all, including me, are new to Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition!
Here’s where you all come in – you can help us decide the fate of the galaxy by helping us choose which factions will be in the game, and which player will control them! Just like last time we’re conducting a poll which you can vote on below. We will take the top two faction results for each player and then choose one of them. To help you make the right choice I’ve provided a quick summary of the players, their strengths, and the factions and their special abilities. Vote, then stay tuned to @dicehateme on Twitter this Saturday, and then tune in to the next episode of The State of Games podcast to hear our exploits! And if you want to revisit all the fun, excitement, and double crossing from last time, be sure to check out Ep. 46 of The State of Games!
Meet the Players
Chris “Dice Hate Me” Kirkman
That’s me! After the last Twilight Imperium showdown I currently sit upon the Imperial Throne on Mecatol Rex, having dominated the galaxy with my formidable War Suns in service of the L1Z1X Mindnet. While victory tastes sweet it also means that I’ll have a giant target on my back this time around. Guess I’ll have to work extra hard to be the sneakiest rogue in the galaxy – just the way I like it.
Strengths: Strong social game, veteran TI player with multiple wins, has dog for distraction
Dan “Geek Jock” Patriss
Dan is the host of The Geek All-Stars podcast, and in the last TI tussle he almost got the best of me with the warm and fuzzy space lions, the Hacan. Had he not taken a gamble late in the game forcing an early end he might have taken the throne from me. Sadly, in space no one can hear him scream. He’s already watched videos and read the new rules so I’m guessing that he’s learned from his mistakes last time. Guess I’ll have to trick him into making some new ones!
Strengths: Gregarious and trustworthy, combo king, wise to most of my tricks
Daniel “Mr. Redemption” Solis
Daniel is the designer of Belle of the Ball, Kodama, Wonderland, Junk Orbit, and many other fun games. In our last Twilight Imperium throwdown he played the big blue swarm – the Federation of Sol – built the largest fleet I have ever seen in any game of TI, and managed to score zero points. My bet is that he comes out swinging like a rabid wolverine on ketamine this time around.
Strengths: Keen design mind, drinks less than the rest of us so he should be able to exploit our drunken minds
Matt “Hungry Like The” Wolfe
Matt is the designer of Wombat Rescue and Avalanche at Yeti Mountain, and heads up the Game Designers of North Carolina game design guild. He’s also our gaming hipster, collecting, importing, and playing the most obscure games possible. Although I’ve never witnessed his prowess at Twilight Imperium I can say that he’s a sneaky SOB in Eclipse, so he definitely knows his way around a tech tree and he’s no rookie at waging warfare in the cold darkness of space.
Strengths: Patient and calculating, also wise to most of my tricks
Andrew “Linus” Roberts
Linus is our wild card. Typically he’s at his best when he’s sitting to my right and ruining all my moves in games like Grand Austria Hotel, so I’m really hoping the random seating puts him on the opposite side of the galaxy for this showdown. My bet is that he focuses more on the political and diplomatic aspects of TI:4 as his social game is strong in titles such as Dogs of War.
Strengths: Long-term strategy planner in Euros, griefing me, obscure musical references
The Races of Twilight Imperium
Below you’ll find an excellent summary of the races in TI:4 graciously provided by Jason “PK” Levine from this thread on Boardgamegeek.com. I have curated the selections a bit to remove some of the more complex races. The Arborec, Clan of Saar, and Nekro Virus all require a higher experience level to play well, and I’m taking out The Ghosts of Creuss for this particular game because wormholes already cause enough wacky hijinks without a bunch of galactic ghostriders mucking about with them.
The Barony of Letnev
Warrior-nobles with a powerful two-planet home system that gives them arguably the best starting position in the game. Their mastery of logistics lets them “buy” offensive power and handle larger than usual fleets.
The Embers of Muaat
Sentient fire creatures who can travel through supernovas effortlessly. At the beginning of the game, they are the only race who knows the secret of producing war suns, the deadliest ship that exists.
The Emirates of Hacan
Peaceful lion-like humanoids who value trade and diplomacy over militaristic might. They have more commodities to trade than any other race, can make deals with anyone, and may even trade action cards.
The Federation of Sol
The space forces of humanity, empowered by their ability to quickly breed and train new troops. They have countless special ops forces at their disposal (which they can upgrade further), their carriers are second to none, and they recover quickly if they overextend themselves.
The L1z1x Mindnet
Aggressive cyborgs with immediate access to plenty of home-system resources, but little diplomatic influence. They rely heavily on their powerful dreadnoughts and flagship, both in space combat and to bombard the enemy while invading.
The Mentak Coalition
A consortium of space pirates, all descendants of what was once a system of prison planets, with an impressive fleet of ships. They can steal trade goods from other players and end certain space battles before their foe even gets off a shot.
The Naalu Collective
Psychic snake-women who use telepathy to out-maneuver their foes. They act before everyone else, may retreat from unwinnable battles, and operate their fighters mentally (to devastating effect).
Sardakk N’orr
Insectoid tacticians who start with modest resources and a small fleet, but who can use their straightforward combat advantages to quickly build and conquer. Their dreadnoughts are custom-built to bombard ground forces before invasion.
The Universities of Jol-Nar
Intelligent, peaceful people known for the scientific research facilities on their twin planets. They are not great in a fight, but can research new technology faster and more easily than any other race.
The Winnu
Former stewards of Mecatol Rex who still have many supporters there. This makes it easier for them to quickly take control of Mecatol Rex, and lets them reinforce it easily. They can also choose their starting technology, which gives you plenty of options.
The Xxcha Kingdom
A proud, ancient race of humanoid space turtles who can use their political contacts to avoid confrontation and to veto dangerous agendas (and action cards, with the right tech). They can annex other planets via pure diplomacy.
The Yin Brotherhood
A “race” of male clones driven by a shared religious fanaticism. Their holy fervor lets them convert the populace as they invade and make kamikaze ship attacks without hesitation. Their home system is particularly strong.
The Yssaril Tribes
Goblin-like guerilla fighters, masters of secret attacks and sabotage. They get a better selection of action cards, which they can also discard to “stall” indefinitely. And they start with a solid fleet and home system.
Related posts:
- Help Decide The Fate of the Galaxy!
- The State of Games, Episode 46 – The One About the Fate of the Galaxy
- Races of Twilight Imperium
- The State of Games, Ep. 89 – The One About So Here’s The Thing
- The State of Games, Ep. 143: The One About Holiday Road
