The answer is always "yes". No Distant Suns effect can EVER outweigh the cost of not having a planet throughout the game, period.

I think that is perhaps putting his point a bit on the edge. I like the idea that perhaps they are in the vein of the local PDS cannon. A real pain, but if you take it succesfully you get to control the PDS. Like you know you're in for a rougher ride, and you probably need to go in with a little more force, but you get a reward as well.

On 1/11/2018 at 1:25 PM, Fnoffen said:

One of the TI3 expansions (don't remember which one) introduced a Mechanized ground unit with severly improved combat stats and the Sustain Damage ability. They were limited by the low amount of units available for construction, 4 If memory serves.

I would be okay with them implementing this. Though, I fear that the race sheets would need to be redone for the new unit. Not sure how this would be implemented.

On 1/12/2018 at 8:48 AM, The Broox said:

Additionally, the expansions introduced the concept of shock troopers. Ground forces that rolled a 10/0 were replaced with a cardboard shock trooper token. The shock troopers were upgraded versions of the ground forces (ie they had lower combat roll thresholds). It was an interesting mechanic in that it couldn't be bought but rather had to "earned via experience".

These shock troopers sound fiddly. Wouldn't want these

I'd love to see an expansion that introduced new military units and novel warfare rules. A more militarized variant if you will. To support a lower player count (down to two). Granted other games do two player very well but it would be fun to see this in the TI universe.

The first expansion needs to get the game back to 8 players.

extra tiles, fixed tech cards, maybe a couple of new races.

Why oh why does anyone want to play with eight players? But sure, fine, include the plastic.

6 minutes ago, Stefan said:

Why oh why does anyone want to play with eight players? But sure, fine, include the plastic.

Cause its way better. We played a TI3 league with 8 for a long time. Of course we do not take 20 hours to play like some people seem to do. That would suck.

We actually wouldn't even play it unless we had 8.

We loved the split galaxy map. We could play an 8 player game in 6 hours easy.

18 hours ago, Stefan said:

Why oh why does anyone want to play with eight players? But sure, fine, include the plastic.

8-player is epic!

Split Galaxy Map?

5 hours ago, Stefan said:

Split Galaxy Map?

Instead of a single galaxy with 4 rings of hexes, you do 2 galaxies of 2 rings, each with half the players starting there, plus a third map with just a single ring around mecatol Rex. With wormholes connecting the 3 maps.

The player resources for TI3 included some sample map set ups and that was one of them. The files should still be there in the TI3 product page under resources.

The only thing I really want are tons more public and secret objectives. Like, alot more. I'd love to play 2 or 3 six player games and never see the same objective twice.

Please no more species, and especially please no more rules/units that further complicate the rules or bog down play.

On 1/18/2018 at 10:00 AM, KAGE13 said:

Cause its way better. We played a TI3 league with 8 for a long time. Of course we do not take 20 hours to play like some people seem to do. That would suck.

We actually wouldn't even play it unless we had 8.

We loved the split galaxy map. We could play an 8 player game in 6 hours easy.

The thing is a person like me would get no use out of 8 player colors so the extra plastic is just wasted $$$ for me. I'm fine with other people getting it, but I'd prefer to see the "7-8 player extension" separated from the rest of the expansion features.

I'd like 1-3 new races. 18 so that you could give 3 random ones to 6 players (ATM I'm thinking give 3 choices to 5 players and the speaker only gets 2) or 20 to give more options for 4 and 5 player games.

More system tiles. They don't even have to be 'special'. Would just be nice to not have every galaxy be the same tiles.

More techs. I like the tech system but more options would be really interesting. Either straight up more options for each colour or maybe tech with multi-colour requirements.

A few extra objectives of various kind. And probably more agenda/actions cards that tie into the various planet types.

So I just ordered my copy and I haven't played 4th yet.

That said I would like to see a "Bomber" unit added to the game. They would work like Fighters, needing to be transported. Here is how I see them working:

Cost: 3 for 2

Attack power: 9+

Special rules: When engaged in a battle if your opponent's fleet contains fewer fighters than other ship types add +2 to all attack rolls made by bombers.

This way they would function as a counter to all big ship fleets. From what I have heard massed small ships can be easily overcome in 4th, so this is an idea to help balance that. They also would present a catch 22 for players looking to sacrifice their fighter screens to protect their bigger ships. Lose your screen and bombers become quite potent. Keep it and you will be forced to suffer damage on your big ships faster.

Their cost is designed to make them inexpensive but still worth an investment.

Oh and a tech upgrades for them could be:

Fighter screen: If your fleet contains more fighters and bombers than your opponent's add +1 to all attack rolls made by bombers.

Heavy Bombers: Bombers gain Sustained Damage.

Streamlined Design: Reduce the cost from 3 for 2 to 2 for 2.

Of these three possible upgrades I feel that Heavy Bombers would have the biggest impact on the game and help keep the unit relevant late game.

The other plus side for them would be that since they aren't fighters they can't be ignored by late game techs.

What do you guys think?

Another thing, I would like some more units in the categories that only have 1 unit (support, planetary).

Also would like to see different upgrade options, sort of like a side grade. You can make this unit faster, or have more firepower, but not both.

Also would like to see more racial units (Exotrime, XRD Transports, Latanni Warriors) Each faction should have at least one.

I actually really liked space mines, when i remembered to use them. Defending my systems without having to leave a bunch of ships there? Sign me up!

i'm not sure my group ever remembered to get Shock Troops when our ground forces rolled 0's.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

The entire Tech deck needs to be revised.

The Tech Advancements have been nerfed so hard from T.I.3 that half are at the point of being useless/not worth getting.

Keep the Tech Web prerequisite system but rework the Tech Advances to work like their T.I.3 versions and just so that the players boards still function as visual aids include chits to show upgraded values.

I suggest spy's and personalities.

They can be traitors from other races or in disguise as well as double agents.

A spy can infiltrate planets to affect battle outcomes, sabotage a PDS, destroy goods, affect research and production, gain intel on action cards/secret objectives (home world)

They can Hunt down another spy.

a Spy is made/moves due to influence in the action phase via Politics/Diplomacy. A Spy can also spend influence/goods to travail to a planet where there is an active tactical action.

Each race will have their own stats as to their use and vulnerability via espionage. Eg: The Necro Virus may be good at infiltration but poor at turning another race into a traitor. Perhaps some races are ethnically opposed to a form of espionage.

They can kidnap personalities.

This brings us to personalities.

Perhaps leaders can be assigned to sectors

They can improve a type of action, add/improve a planets characteristic or even add to your influence on Mecital Rex

Capturing one may be worth VPs or can be use as a trade good

Hope you like the idea. If there is interest I can put together a more structured proposal.

(1) I would love to have more systems;

(2) more "empty space" hexes and maybe a couple of interesting anomalies

(3) bifurcating wormholes (some random die result could tell which branch to go maybe?) would be also awesome

wrt point (1), the new systems will permit introducing a new technology planet trait... (e.g., psychotechnology?) which could allow mean new technology upgrades tp propose, etc.

I like the current tech system, but we need more techs. Ideally multi coloured ones, to avoid the clunkers. Red, in particular, needs some love.

Warsuns need a boost. They are white elephants at the moment, with the rebalancing of Dreadnoughts.

New races are always welcome.

New systems with new features would also be great. A planet with multiple tech skips? Either of one colour (like red) or dual colours

Wormhole nexus

On 10/11/2018 at 2:47 PM, Robofish said:

I like the current tech system, but we need more techs. Ideally multi coloured ones, to avoid the clunkers. Red, in particular, needs some love.

Warsuns need a boost. They are white elephants at the moment, with the rebalancing of Dreadnoughts.

New races are always welcome.

New systems with new features would also be great. A planet with multiple tech skips? Either of one colour (like red) or dual colours

Wormhole nexus

So the idea of a Multicolored tech is it is sort of a tier 3 (in requiring 2 techs) but not so much as being tier 3 because you are not dedicated into getting the tier 2 tech down that path. Either way a multicolor tech should require 2 techs from a different color and as far as prereq should count for only one or the other but not both.

Honestly I think the 4 tech paths should be readjusted into a Tech pryamid. This is how I would set it up.

• 8 Tier 1 techs (2 for each color)
• 4 Tier 2 tech (1 for each color)
• 4 multi color techs (red-blue, red-green, blue-yellow, green-yellow)
• 4 Tier 3 techs
• 4 Tier 4 techs (also X-89 should either be fixed or moved down to a multicolor tech).

I'd really like alliances. Reckon it would introduce more uncertainty into the game. As it is everyone knows it's going to be a smack down so alliances would open up possibity for joint wins (and betrayal).

Also rewatching Babylon 5 and it occurred to me it would be cool if there was a co-op option against some galactic threat. No idea how they would put that on top of existing mechanics but could be cool

A single player variant would be nice, the distant suns idea could work with that, along with that co-op idea.

An option to simplify combat, at the very least every round should include casualties, it gets boring if you have 8+ rolls of misses on both sides.

A reworked player sheet that includes the defaults that you can then override with technology.

I think that de Distant Suns rule is good and can be a lot of fun.

I would like to see "leaders" cards as well... maybe generic color leaders, and species specific leaders as well.

More techs, more unit upgrades, maybe more units...

Definetely 7-8 players expansion

More planets, anomalities, etc. At least as alternatives to the core set.

I would like to see new races.. i dont think that the would do any harm.

On 1/1/2019 at 7:02 PM, bloodycelt said:

An  option  to simplify combat, at the very least every round should include casualties, it gets bori    ng if you have 8  + rolls of misses on both sides.     

This sounds to me like you might be playing combat wrong since a combat round already include casualties.

The combat round goes as follows:

1. Both sides roll all dice for their units, tallying any hits produced.

2. Both sides assign as many hits to their own units as the opponent scored hits, removing any units who reaches their limit (usually 1).

3. If both sides still have units, return to step 1. If only one side has units, they are declared winner. If neither side has units, the combat is a draw.

I can't really think of any ways to make combat simpler than that.