hi there

so i got my copy of this game this past weekend (TI 3 + Shattered Empire) and, as i read the rules and special abilities for each of the races i currently own, i wondered which armies were best suited for beginners. could you guys help me to choose 5-6 races for our first games?

Thanks in advance

Hey congrats on acquiring TI3, good job!

IMO the Hacan, Mentak, Letnev, Sol, Jol-Nar, and Xxcha are races that would give you a good feel for the game basics. Of course they're all fun and each have their strengths and weaknesses. Try them all!

Enjoy!

Good races for new players are N'orr, Sol, Letnev, L1z1x, Mentak, Xxcha, Hacan.

thanks for your help!

yes, my goal is to have the opportunity to try them all, but i want everybody (including myself) in my gaming group to have a balanced game experience. I don't want to hear "i didnt like it because my race was weak" or " your race was far superior" or something like that

Fortunately, all 17 races seem balanced enough. Some require more thought than others. Sardakk Norr have the simplest ability, but combating everyone at the table doesn't win you this game....

The Hacan and Jol Nar both are excellent examples of the races in this game. They have something they are good at and they do it very well. Some of the other races aren't so clean cut about what they are good at. Stick with the simple ones at first and then delve into ones like the Yin Brotherhood and Winnu.

A piece of advice from me: DO NOT PLAY YASSARIL! Out of about 20 games I've played with my group 10 were won by this race. Different people played with them and won almost every time. This unlimited action card stack is kind of a cheat.

Mr. Djingles said:

In my experience the unlimited ACs isn't the problem, it's the ability to skip every other action and outlast all the other players that really makes them powerful. Maybe it's just the way we play, but hardly anyone ever reaches the AC hand limit - we're using them too quickly for that. The Yssaril players are also using ACs at roughly the same pace, so even though they don't have an upper limit, it doesn't really come into play that much.

That said, I do agree that the Yssaril should not be considered for a "beginner's races" game.

Steve-O said:

Yep, both this abilities are quite deadly, though new race tech makes Yassaril even more powerful.

Yes, avoid Yssaril. Not hard too play but definitely a "your race was superior" situation.

For 1st game, avoid Naalu. Not a bad race but their initiative-trumping feature can make learning the strategy card-based turn order confusing.

Have fun!

(I've only recently accomplished playing all the races, finally getting a crack with Jol-Nar. Then Shards came out. I've played Nekkro Virus. Just Arborec and Ghosts to go!)

Assuming you have all expansions:

Good races FOR beginners: (easy to play, not easy to abuse)

Sol, Letnev, Mentak, Xxcha, N'orr, Naluu, Muatt, Yin, Creuss,

Races to be part of the game, but not for the new people (Not overpowered, but a little confusing for those not accustomed to the game)

Saar, Aborec, Nekro, Hacan,

Races to avoid as being part of the game:

L1Z1X: Very powerful, a little too powerful for one who isn't used to fighting them

Jol'Nar: Almost an insta-win if technology objectives come up, and -1 to combat rolls is not newbie friendly

Yssaril: Way too many action cards and skipping can be abused

Winnu: Similar to Jol'nar, the tech-up can occur incredibly fast

i dont believe haccan to be to overpowered but in my opinion if everyone at the table is new, they may appear that way from how quickly they can their fleet tends to grow. I suggest for a new group remember there is many ways to win this game and since there is so many levels its easy to forget about the aspects not staring you in the face.