Hi, im new to the game. New as in have read throught the core rules and the shattered empire rules. In about a week and a half i am goin to play at a friends house w/5-7 other people who have each played the game before. We are allowed to choose 5 races we wish to be and we are playing with all rules except for space mines and refineries. I just wanted to ask the forums if you all could give a first time player some tips that may help me do well against people who have played before. Race choices/strategies/tips for playing would be much appreciated. We are using the alternate strategy cards that I believe favour warfare over anything else. Again anything would help. And one more side question, how many rounds are there in a usual game of TI3. This is with Long War -1 VP thats a house rule they have I dont know why so 13 VPs. Thank you all

Well, for general advice I think the best tidbit is this: Focus on the objectives. Objectives give you VP, VPs give you the win. Don't get sidetracked by fighting battles you don't need to. Of course, also don't ignore an opponent who's making hostile moves, but in general keep your eyes on the prize. If you're using all the optional rules then you're probably using Age of Empire (I think that's the one,) where all objectives are face up from the start. Read them. Try to score one every game turn.

For race picks, I know the Yssaril are commonly cited as being one of the most overpowered races in the game. This is mainly due to their "skip" ability which allows them to postpone actions. Being able to wait until everyone else has passed and still having two or three good actions of your own left to take is a huge benefit. Federation of Sol has a lesser form of this advantage since they can blow actions by spawning GFs.

I don't spend a lot of time hyper-analyzing the game mechanics, but my personal favourite races include Hacan, Jol Nar, Saar, and Xxcha, if the mood strikes me.

Hacan have 3 planets in their home system, which has obvious benefits. They also rule the Trade portion of the game and have two juicy 3 point agreements to send out. This can help you rake in the cash and form alliances with other strong players to keep them off your back. If you can get the Hacan as your race, it would probably be a good choice for a first time player. If nothing else, you will have resources and resources can get you pretty far in this game.

Jol Nar get crazy amounts of tech. Tech will NOT win you the game (unless there are a lot of tech-related objectives in play) but it can be useful. A lot of new players get caught up in the shiny promises various tech cards make, and end up spending a lot of time and resources to buy tech that doesn't end up helping them earn VPs. VPs are how you win, remember. Jol Nar can accumulate a lot of tech on the cheap, which means they can play with all those hsiny toys without necessarily detracting too much from their VP quest. This race is certainly popular among beginners, although how well it serves you in gaining victory depends on a lot of factors. It is, however, a good way to ensure you have fun playing your first game. =)

Saar have a lot of interesting racials. Their Space Docks can move around, they get Trade Goods for conquering planets, etc. Maybe not the best race for a beginner - this race has a particular way of generating rules questions - but when you know what you're doing they can be lots of fun.

Xxcha are the diplomats of the universe. If you don't particularly fancy playing an aggressive game, Xxcha are a good choice to maintain diplomatic strength without necessarily having a huge fleet of floating space guns to back you up. I don't always like them, but sometimes I do. If you're looking for a good fifth race to put on your list, you could do worse than Xxcha.

If you DO favour an aggressive game, or expect your opponents will do so, Sardokk N'orr and L1z1x are reasonably good fighters. Barony of Letnev is good too, from memory, although I don't really remember why. Mentak can steal a ship they destroy in combat, which is both entertaining and useful.

I would stay away from Muaat though. The fact that they start with a War Sun makes them seem desirable, but in reality it just paints a big target on that player's forehead. The race can do well in experienced hands, but I wouldn't recommend them for a first time player.

That's about all I've got off the top of my head. Remember: this game is about diplomacy and player interaction as much as warfare and conquest. You can bribe other players to do you favours, too. There are a lot of different angles to consider, so pick a course that feels right to you and see what happens. Just remember to keep your focus on earning VPs. Whatever you do, it should be oriented towards helping you achieve one of those cards. Also remember you can only claim one (public) objective each Status Phase, so don't kill yourself trying to get two done in a single turn - it won't help you.