Anyone else get the impression that a lot of PoK is geared toward increasing players making deals and trading with each other?

It seemed like there were a lot of new abilities that were designed to be used to help someone else, as well as revamping promissory notes and the like.

What do you guys think? Is that impression just me? Do you think the game needed a boost to non-combat interaction, and do you think they have succeeded?

I could yet be proven incorrect, but my initial impression based on the revealed material so far is YES.

If you listen to the interview Dane gave on the Space Cats Peace Turtles podcast ( https://spacecatspeaceturtles.podbean.com/e/148-twilight-codex-ordinian/ ), he mentions in particular the Omega Promissory Notes which are minor revisions to current cards but significantly increase their value as traceable assets. For example, the Barony would rarely be incentivized to part with their PN because War Funding would cause them to lose two trade goods. The Omega version avoids this issue and because it provides a useful combat tool for another player, the Barony can use it as a viable transaction article.

The Alliance PNs provide benefits for other players to use your own Commander's abilities, and you can even sell the services of your Agent for a a couple of trade goods. I personally think the wheeling-n-dealing at table will be improved, in part because it seems every faction has something the other players want to use at some point in the game.

Exactly what I was thinking.

The ability to loan out your agent and commander abilities is so different from what you usually think of for those types of mechanics.

Also, I just finished some Star Trek books where Captain Kirk and the Enterprise helped with a Romulan Civil War, so I can envision what is going on.