Hi all

New to TWI and we have our first game Sunday. A friend of mine has played it before and said it took long, because people getting close to victory would lose VPs.

As I read the rules, you can't lose them, if you've qualified during a status phase. However what happens with, a secret objective like: I control Mecactol Rex;... etc. when you don't control it anymore? Do you then lose the VPs? I think from a 'story perspective it makes sense', but it is not explicit in the rules and haven't found anything in the FAQ.

Thanks in advance for any help!

/Nord01

Hi Nord,

Losing victory points is possible though certain specific cards, but not very common. I can think of one Politcal card off the top of my head that can potentially cause everyone to lose victory point.

As for objectives, you are rewarded the points when you claim the objective. You do not need to (and in fact cannot) keep claiming the objective in later turns in order to "keep" the points. You claim the objective once and the points are yours forever.

There are, however, a few special objectives in the Shattered Empire expansion. They are worth a total of five potentially loosable VPs:

The four artifacts each award it's controller 1 VP. But only as long as you control the planet it's on. If, for any reason, you loose control of the planet with the artifact, you loose the VP.

Voice of the council may be voted upon (by way of an elect player votation) before any normal political vote and is also worth 1VP as long as it's not voted away from you.

In the Shards of the Throne expansion there is also an "empty space domain counter" (not sure of the proper name) that awards it's controller 1VP and works like an "empty space"-based artifact. Loose control of it and you loose the VP.

In regards to the secret objectives, I always see them as a significant chapter in the "galactic saga" being penned by the various factions in the wake of the Lazax. In a timespan measuring months, nay, years in our timespan, such events have dramtic import and would be observed as such in the future.

It's like, within the Star Wars Universe there would've been a secret objective VP bonus for the Empire building the Death Star and successfully deploying it on Alderaan. The fact it got destroyed later doesn't remove the impact of the event.

One of my favourite victories was with the Xxcha, in which I had neatly capped my game with a secret objective (control a system adjacent to two players homesystems') after some subtle play and diplomatic maneuvering without needing to roll the space combat dice once. In the game's "story", the Xxcha had succesfully enacted the test phase of "Project: Overseer". A formidable security system that would forever ensure a lasting peace at the cost of minor liberties of the constituents, a heavy responsibility that the Kingdom had deemed all too necessary...