I'm new to Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition. I bought the game years ago and finally dusted it off to play with my kids. Some questions came up during play that I was hoping to get help with from TI 3rd edition veterans.

1) At the beginning of the game, who gets the Speaker Token before the first turn, and who gets to pick strategy cards first before the first turn? Will it be the same person who got to place the first planet, or some other method used to determine that?

2) If you only have 3 players, do you have to use the 3-player game variant option, or will the game function just fine with 3 players using the base rules.?

3) In the 3-player variant option where each player gets to pick two strategy cards, what happens to the player who picks the #1 strategy card (initiative) - is he unable to play either Strategy card since Initiative card says he is not to take a Strategic Action? Or does he still get to take a Strategic Action to play his other card?

4) Can leaders transfer from one ship to another in the same system without having to activate the system or control a planet in the system?

5) Can multiple players get a victory point for attaining the same public objective?

6) Does anyone have recommendations for storing the game in one box with all components from the expansions including sleeved cards and laminated race cards? There is an expensive ($100+) option by "Game Fit" on Etsy, but I'm not sure it would support laminated race cards and I'm not too crazy about the time I would need to spend building it. Another option consisting of various small boxes on Etsy does not support sleeved cards. I'm looking for storage containers that would store all of the tech cards, ships, ground forces, and 4-5 dice for each color in one easy to open/close box, that would be smaller than my current solution ( https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AM8BB8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). Those containers fit the components well, but still have enough spare space making it impossible for me to store more than 6 such boxes in the game. So, something smaller but still sufficient would be needed for me.

Game on!

1) After all players have drawn their Home Systems, find the Mecatol Rex system and place it in the middle of the table. Then randomly determine one player to be “first player.“ Give the “Speaker“ Token to the first player.

2) Yes play with the three player rules.

3) You still play the other strategy card.

4) I believe they have the same movement restrictions a grounds forces, but can be transported by any ship, including fighters. not 100% on this though.

5) Yes.

6. Good luck. :)

Cool, thanks for the response.

One more question - at beginning of space battles when destroyers get their anti-fighter barrage, do they still later get to roll dice against other capital ships? Or do they only fight fighters? Or, do they only get to fight other capital ships if there are no fighters for them to fight?

Also, what exactly do you do when you want to play a transfer action, which requires that you take one command counter from your reinforcement counters, in situations where all of your command counters are on your player board? Are you still allowed to take the transfer action?

Firstly: Welcome to the wonderful world of Twilight Imperium!

Now to add to the first posts question 5: Yes, but each player can still only achieve each Public Objective once.

As to the Destroyers: Yes they get to roll for both a pre-combat anti-fighter barrage where their hits are fighter-only, and roll within each combat round where their hits are no longer fighter-only.

Thanks! What about the situation where you've run out of command counters in your reinforcements box, and you want to do something like a transfer action which requires that you take a command counter out of reinforcements?

That one I'm not sure about. I know there was an FAQ for TI3 somewhere but I think that FFG removed the entire 3rd ed page. I might have printed a copy and put it in my 'ol 3-box. I'll check and see if it says anything about it.

I know that under normal circumstances you were limited to the number of CC the game came with. This might be a special case, but absent anything to clarify, I would probably say you couldn’t do the transfer action if there were no CCs in your reserves.

On 6/30/2019 at 5:13 AM, American_Desi said:

Also, what exactly do you do when you want to play a transfer action, which requires that you take one command counter from your reinforcement counters, in situations where all of your command counters are on your player board? Are you still allowed to take the transfer action?

I call it
"unstack home system".
Meaning if you have done already production in home system, but You would like to have no ships there (to start new production in new turn) then transfer action is perfect in this scenario. Also it doesnt cost you CC from sheet, but from reinforcmenets, so its bassivaly free move to adjacent system.

If you have XRD Transporters which allow carriers to move two spaces, can you activate a system with a carrier in it, just to move that carrier out one space to pick troops/fighters from a neighboring system and return to that activated system?

The rules seem unclear on this point.

Also, rules state that when you want to play an action card, you have to declare this and give other players a chance to play an action card also.

Now, since most action cards can only be played at a certain time, such as "as an action," do other players who want to play an action card when you play one have to limit themselves similarly, or does that restriction get lifted when they are playing in response to yours? For the purposes of this question, assume that Sabotage cards are not being referred to, since I know those can be played at any time without declaring beforehand.

On 8/4/2019 at 4:58 AM, American_Desi said:

If you have XRD Transporters which allow carriers to move two spaces, can you activate a system with a carrier in it, just to move that carrier out one space to pick troops/fighters from a neighboring system and return to that activated system?

The rules seem unclear on this point.

Its somewhere in errata or FAQ.
You are allowed to do this.

On 8/7/2019 at 6:39 AM, American_Desi said:

Also, rules state that when you want to play an action card, you have to declare this and give other players a chance to play an action card also.

Now, since most action cards can only be played at a certain time, such as "as an action," do other players who want to play an action card when you play one have to limit themselves similarly, or does that restriction get lifted when they are playing in response to yours? For the purposes of this question, assume that Sabotage cards are not being referred to, since I know those can be played at any time without declaring beforehand.

The timing must be correct.
I dont recognize on my few years experience that did it has ever been the case (wording from manual).

As i remember its only the case during battle.
You cant spam few cards in a row and wait for other player to react. The correct way is you play card (before combat) then anotehr player can play before combat. Then you can use during combat then another player can during combat.

Thanks for all your replies so far. I've played a total of 5 games of TI3 with my kids and we are having a blast! However, more questions came up for which I could not find answers in the FAQ, so please have a look at these and tell me if you can provide any clarifications.

1) The Clan of Saar has a special ability of getting 1 trade good whenever it acquires a "new planet." Does this many any new planet, including both neutral planets and planets belonging to other players, or just acquisition of neutral planets. Also, if you lose a planet and gain it back again, I assume you don't get a trade good a 2nd or subsequent times - it would only be the first time you acquired it, right?

2) Again re: Clan of Saar, their mobile spacedocks are not considered ships but move like ships. Does this mean you can only move them when playing a Tactical or Transfer action, or can they move independently of the placement of command counters?

3) Certain strategy cards allow you to spend a token from the Strategy Allocation pile to move ships from one system to another. If the ships in question have capacity, can they, as part of this move, pick up ground forces/PDS/fighters/etc from one planet and move to the other?

4) The Diplomacy II card allows you to force other players to take a command counter from their reinforcements and place on a system of your choice - a very cool way of demanding a temporary peace when you take a key system like Mecatol Rex. But, what if the players in question have no more command counters left in reinforcements because everything is on the player board?

Also, an additional question regarding the expansion strategy cards.

In the expansion set, the only way to get the Speaker Token is to play the Assembly II card and give the Speaker Token to yourself, right?

If you play Assembly II, when you have to select a player to play a political card, can you select a player who doesn't have a political card if you are hoping to avoid a vote that turn, or are you always forced to pick someone with a political card to play?

4 hours ago, American_Desi said:

Thanks for all your replies so far. I've played a total of 5 games of TI3 with my kids and we are having a blast! However, more questions came up for which I could not find answers in the FAQ, so please have a look at these and tell me if you can provide any clarifications.

1) The Clan of Saar has a special ability of getting 1 trade good whenever it acquires a "new planet." Does this many any new planet, including both neutral planets and planets belonging to other players, or just acquisition of neutral planets. Also, if you lose a planet and gain it back again, I assume you don't get a trade good a 2nd or subsequent times - it would only be the first time you acquired it, right?

2) Again re: Clan of Saar, their mobile spacedocks are not considered ships but move like ships. Does this mean you can only move them when playing a Tactical or Transfer action, or can they move independently of the placement of command counters?

3) Certain strategy cards allow you to spend a token from the Strategy Allocation pile to move ships from one system to another. If the ships in question have capacity, can they, as part of this move, pick up ground forces/PDS/fighters/etc from one planet and move to the other?

4) The Diplomacy II card allows you to force other players to take a command counter from their reinforcements and place on a system of your choice - a very cool way of demanding a temporary peace when you take a key system like Mecatol Rex. But, what if the players in question have no more command counters left in reinforcements because everything is on the player board?

1) Each time you gain control. Game doesnt mention if its neutral, or from another player. So Regardles of these you gain always that 1 TG (neutral/another player/or even if it was your planet few turns ago)
2) They can move with use of command token. However im not sure if flank speed can be used to add +1 movement. AS I REMEMBER you cant, but this was in FAQ afaik.
3) Tbh i really dont remember now. Would need to check.
4) He takes it from sheet. Also at this point i dont remember if he can take any one (fleet/strategy/command) or only from strategy. Would need to check.

2 hours ago, American_Desi said:

Also, an additional question regarding the expansion strategy cards.

In the expansion set, the only way to get the Speaker Token is to play the Assembly II card and give the Speaker Token to yourself, right?

If you play Assembly II, when you have to select a player to play a political card, can you select a player who doesn't have a political card if you are hoping to avoid a vote that turn, or are you always forced to pick someone with a political card to play?

Yes, you only gain token by playing Asembly. Or by seducing player who has assemlby to give it to you. You can use TG or promise him candies:)

You can pick player who dont have polical cards on hand, he reads the first card from top of political deck.

So in regards to #4, he takes it from his player sheet - are you sure about this? I couldn't find anything that mentioned this one way or another.

I guess the next question would be, if he can only take it from Strategy Allocation, then what if player has no more counters in Strategy Allocation - does he take from one of the other two piles?

On 7/25/2019 at 6:35 AM, Dreathan said:

I call it
"unstack home system".
Meaning if you have done already production in home system, but You would like to have no ships there (to start new production in new turn) then transfer action is perfect in this scenario. Also it doesnt cost you CC from sheet, but from reinforcmenets, so its bassivaly free move to adjacent system.

Also, could you explain this answer a bit, as I wasn't clear on how that answered my question about doing a Transfer action when you have no more command counters in reinforcements. As I understand it, you can't move ships out of an already activated system. But my question was in regards to an unactivated system when you want to do a Transfer action - you have to have a counter from the Command section *and* one from reinforcements to make this work, right? So if you don't have a counter in reinforcements because everything is on the player sheet, doesn't that mean you can't perform a transfer action?

11 hours ago, American_Desi said:

So in regards to #4, he takes it from his player sheet - are you sure about this? I couldn't find anything that mentioned this one way or another.

I guess the next question would be, if he can only take it from Strategy Allocation, then what if player has no more counters in Strategy Allocation - does he take from one of the other two piles?

If any player does not have any Command Counters left in his reinforcements, that player must choose a Command Counter from any area of his race card and place it in the system.
( If an opponent plays the Diplomacy II Strategy Card and chooses Option "a", and you have all of your Command Counters in play then you would have to use one from your Race Card , as stated on page 14 of the Shattered Empire rule book. )
However signal jamming doesnt fall into this.
( the FAQ still says that effects that require additional command counters cannot be used if he is out of them, so I would still assume that action cards which require placement of the command counter would not be possible. (Such as signal jamming) )

About transfer- will do it later

There is a set of strategy cards that come with the base set, and a set of strategy cards that come with the expansion sets, and each set has variations that are scenario or rule specific. But excluding these variant cards, it a game of TI3 with strategy cards mixed from both sets playable?

Also, same question regarding the Public Objective cards, of which there is one set for the base game and the other set for the expansion. The latter set tends to emphasize more war-making, while the former not enough in my opinion. Has anyone tried mixing them up and getting objective decks that involve a combination of both sets?

There is a Nebula or Supernova special system with the Embers of Muat sigil on the back. Does anyone know how this is supposed to be used, exactly? Since the sigil is on the back, we know what it is and can't randomize it when dealing out systems. Is it supposed to be added to any map when there is a Muat player?

1) Rules says you can mix cards.
2) My group tend to do it but its kinda balanced. Create few decks - 1 VP for technolgies, 1vp for war etc etc. Then pick 2 of first dech 3 of second deck. Something similiar with state 2 objectives. But we make sure to have 1 3vp obj and/or one i win the game obj.
3)Embers of muat got a technology to blow up war sun in system. If you do it whole system is changed into new supernova (the one with muat sigil). But there are somelitimitation. Like it cant be dont to adjacency of homesystem or cant be adjacent to another anomaly. Imo the most shitties technology as ive never seen a reasonable use of this.