I've been having some trouble with Secret Objectives in my games lately. I realized that maybe the thing to do would be to reduce the number of objectives down to 3.

You see, I like the Secret Objectives - I like bluffing your opponents, saying 'oh, I'm not going to attack you', or 'just let me move in here for a second'. But I've found some of the objectives unbalanced, or just weird.

So, with that said, I feel like the three categories of objectives are: attacking other players, controlling Mecatol Rex, and controlling territory.

What would be your perfect objective for each of these categories? What three objectives would you suggest are equal in difficulty in most games?

(Don't feel you need to limit yourself to in-the-box objectives, either.)

The only objectives that are "hard" are ones that depend on the construction of the board. Sometimes objectives can be completely impossible for you to accomplish.

Focused depends on where the tech specialties are on the board, but can be very easy depending.

Keeper of the gates can be very difficult or very easy depending on set up of the board.

Technocrat depends on where the tech specialites are on the board, but can be very easy depending ( i would consider this one easier than Focused though)

Threatening is the only one I have never seen anyone get. You need to expand on two different fronts successfully. I would say that is the only "hard" objective.

Regulator falls under the same issue, but still isn't nearly as hard if players have space docks outside their homeworld.

I used to think Merciless was hard until I realized that if you destroyed their last space dock THIS turn, not they have to finish this turn with zero space docks, this objective become doable. One game I did this twice to Sol only to have them build another one on a different planet. I was like wtf... this is impossible, but now that i know you only have to have gotten them to zero space docks at some point in their turn, this isn't bad at all.

I fell like the rest of the objectives just define what kind of strategy you need to be playing for that game. I firmly believe that your best chance of winning is making sure you claim your secret objective. (In most of the games I have played this has made the difference between winning and losing, although people have won without claiming a secret objective)

I wish I could take them down to just general statements. I guess they would be:

"I have crippled an opponent."

"I have a significant hold on Mecatol Rex."

"I control a huge amount of territory."

But I need to assign more quantifiable goals to those.