Looking for specific hints for strategy too boost my chances of succes in my next game. This is my first time playing the expansion (also for the other players) and it's a four-player game. I'm playing Yin and the three other new races are in play. My plan is destroyers, destroyers and at direct move towards Mecatol Rex....but what SC and tecs should I go for...how aggressive do I play? Hope to hear from some of you skilled players out there, I've enjoyed the reading of your posts so far.

I have no time to complete my Saar strategy post, but I've completed alredy "plus-minus" chapter for Yin. ))

So, you're welcome to read it.

PLUS

• 1. Perfect start. 2 carriers with a lot of GFs and Fs make your start expansion easy and fast.
• 2. Flexibility. Changing Res and Inf is the most important Yin ability! You could easy qualify Res/Inf Public Objectives, purchase expansive techs or bunch of CCs when you need it. Note: you could use it not only for increasing resourses, but for influence too!
• 3. Good Home System. With your racial ability you could count your HS planet as with 4res(and 6 capacity) and 4votes if you play the right way.
• 4. You are Trickster's Apprentice. You can't stall as Yssaril or Sol, but you can slow yourself for one turn with racial ability. This could save you CC when you are trying to stall by spending CCs. Note: this ability does not require CC to cpend.
• 5. You are Warrior. Your combat abilities are great in Space and on the ground. More over, these abilities could scare your opponents and make them twice to think before starting war with you.
• 6. Light Fleet Geek. With your racial trait and starting techs your light ships, Destroyers and Cruisers, are very strong. You should use as many DDs and CRs as you can. Note: Capital ships and Fighters swarms will always be afraid of you. Note2: you are one of a few races that could play without Fighters Swarms. Note3: Think about right placing and/or occupying Ion Strom. This system could be very useful to you!
• 7. Chip War. War is not expansive for you. You chip light fleet could easily win more expansive fleets.
• 8. Leaders of the Ground. You have the best set of leaders for obtaing and keeping key planets like Mecatol Rex, artifacts or opponet's industrial centers.
• 9. Sabotage. Spy is great even for Sabotage ability only.
• 10. Good Charisma. You are the Paladin, the Warrior of the Faith! Be sure you are on the right side and God bless you!

MINUS

• 1. Slow transporting. You could expand only with speed 1. You 2 techs away from the XRD or Stasys, and 4 techs away from WarSun. Solution: a) Advance wisely. Try to move straight toward your key goals - MR, opponents HS or other systems you need. b) Purchase techs and choose Tech II Strategy Card often. You need techs noted above. c) Play Warfare II d) Look for Flank Speed AC e) Use Diplomacy II Secondary for peacful annexing.
• 2. Fleet Supply Geek. If you want your light fleet to be shining, then you should maintain high Fleet Supply. 6-8 is recommended. So, you should get a lot of CCs. Solution: a) Choose Leadership often. b) Always purchaise CCs. c) Look for planets with high influnce. d) Always think about choosing Strategy Cards with bonus counters. e) Spend your CCs accurately.
• 3. Production Capacity Geek. You should build a lot light ships. So, you need good production capacity. Solution: a) Look for hard resourse systems, such as Abyz(3/0), Fria(2/0) and build there 2 Space Docks. b) Grab Mecatol Rex and invert Res/Inf c) Think about Enviro. d) Always product with Production secondary.
• 4. Poor Trader. Your Trade Contracts are poor. Solution: a) Try to scare Hacans, Jol-Nars or Winnu. Or, it would beb better, if you'll promice them your defence. Play Hospitalier Knight, that defend week piligrims! Ask them pay for it. b) Get Trade in the first turn and rule by trade agreements.
• 5. Frightening but not Fighting. Your racial war abilities are great, but they need specific conditions to use and in fact, I doubt, that you'll use them often in the game. Solution: It's not so bad. Just know this.
• 6. Red Techs Start. You have no Yellow, Green, Blue techs during initial expansion, that could help a lot. Solution: a)Compensate this with your good initial fleet. b) Try get Tech II. c) Look for planets with tech discounts. d) Look for free tech DS counter!
• 7. You are not Strategist. You do not specialize in Strategy Cards like Jol-Nar(Tech), Xxcha(Dip), Hacan(Trade), Winnu(Tech). Solution: this is not real Minus, this is a Plus! You are just not dependent on SC choice of other players, and you will not say: "Please, take this card! Please, play this card!"
  

could'nt agree more. Remember that planets with high influence are just as good for space-dock placing as planets with high resource values.

Get action cards and pray the Yssril are'nt in play. As long as you have a full hand of cards, players will always fear the possibility you might have either Direct Hit or Target Their Flagship - which means dead DreadnaughtsWarsuns. I would advise ATTACKING when you have two of those in your hand, since after using your first - you're opponent is likely to think you cannot pull such a move again.

so, yeah, AC would do you good (no matter what they are, just keep a full hand).

That should get you off good for the first few rounds - especially good for scaring the Muaat player.

Techwise you'll have to choose your direction, really. I'm a blue-tech fan.

Perfect - thanx for your responses. I like the Tricksters apprentice and Warrior of faith thougts for roleplaying the Yin. Blue Tecs seems a good idea...two tecs an the XRD is on its way to MR with the invasion army...

do not overestimate your combat ability. Strike not often, but for sure.

another thing.

read somewhere about guerrilla tactics. use chip single ships or small groups for blocking, striking and disturbing. don't afraid to lose them, just try to make that your opponent lose more than you.

this could be useful, if you in the long war. especially, if you fight in two fronts.

cruiser and 2 destroyers could do much troubles (a/f barrage, mines, Yin s/ability). and they cost only 4res. Chiper, than dread or carrier with 6Fs.

Question: Can The Yin use their special abilitiy (the kamikaze) on a Saar space dock? - it says inflict one hit on present ship...

No spacedocks aren't ships.

My biggest suggestion to Yin is a round 1 Warfare II. This means you don't have to worry about picking up Speaker since Warfare II is almost always available at the end of the first round. Use this to take everything at MR. Use Production Secondary to build another CV + 2 GF in your HS and take another adjacent system with that.

On round 2, you are now poised to take MR and another system two spaces out from your HS.

If worse comes to worse and you can't use Production Secondary, then simply build those forces in your HS and use them next round. Round 2 pick should always be Production because after the jump to MR you will be needing ships to defend it for a round.

Round 3 is Diplomacy II to hold onto MR while you get your Space Dock built.

From round 4 onwards, you can now flip MR for 6 resources and an 8 production cap. Have fun!