Hi

I usually play 4-player games and I am considering adding the following house rules:

Create trade goods:
In order to promote more trade of services/extortion I was thinking about adding a way to enable players to more easily pay off the people providing them with a service. Example:
Supposed player 1 needs to move his ships into a hexagon which is within firing range of a couple of Deep space cannons owned by player 2, which demands 2 TG in order to let the fleet move into the hexagon. Player 1 has no trade goods, but several untapped planets. He then proceeds to tap planets with at least 2 resources and 2 influence and receives two TG which he gives to player 2.
Do you think this would in some way upset the balance of the game?

Dreadnoughts:
Cost lowered by one.
With a cost of four they are comparable to two cruisers. Dread vs cruiser:
+ Takes less fleet supply
+ Bombardment
+ Better to-hit then cruisers
+- Equal cost
+- Same amount of hit points
- movement speed
- Susceptible to "Direct hit" AC
I have seen some house rules giving them an extra attack, but I feel that is a bit over the top. Any argument that this change is to much / to little?

9th strategy card. Init:3.5
Primary:
Look at a opponents action cards. Then resolve the secondary.
Secondary:
Pay one cmd counter, draw one action card and one political card.
I kind of feel like this card is needed because the diplomacy card is kind of useless after the initial colonization.

Maybe I should also add that "Create Trade goods" can never be used to stockpile TG. If you create them they must exchange hands immediately between players. They can not be used in any other fashion.

On your Create Trade Goods rule, I'd say that is interesting. There have been plenty of times in the games I've played that people have asked for Trade goods when they have none. Personally, I like the fact that you can screw over someone. This game is not about who's friends with who, its about you trying to be the kings of the galaxy. That being said, story wise that would make sense. The ability to create trade goods is kind of something I've thought about from time to time but never brought up with my group. The rule itself is used only for those instances where players want trade goods, but think about this. If you want trade goods, instead of waiting for trade or going for the usual, you could just attack players and ask for trade goods, if they fold they can just make trade goods if they have none and hand them over free of charge. It seems to lessen the value of trade goods in my opinion.

As for the Dreadnaughts, that house rule is kind of a moot point. Yes, dreadnaughts are better than cruisers but that is their purpose. They're the Dreadnaughts, they are SUPPOSED to be better than all ships except War Suns. They have a huge number of technologies expanding on their abilities and making them one of the best ships in the game. Even more importantly, the L1z1x have a racial ability already making them cost four. They specifically state "Dreadnaughts have a cost of four." Adding in that house rule would defeat the purpose of it as is. If you made it so the L1z1x only have to pay three for Dreadnaughts then that is just way over powered. Your ability to pump out Dreadnaught after Dreadnaught could be used to simply overwhelm your opponents almost endlessly. I feel that that house rule would be too excessive. The Dreadnaught is perfect as is in the games I've played, the five cost has never deterred me when I wanted to build them and I built them when I felt was necessary. So, good idea, but hot **** that seems like ridiculous waiting to happen.

And lastly, on your new strategy card, I would say that the primary ability is too weak. The purpose of a Strategy Card is to look at it, use it, and gain an advantage no other player gets that round. Excess technology, better fighting capabilities, increased action economy, so on and so forth. Just looking at someone's action card hand? That seems a little like it fizzles. so what? Yssaril can look at people's action card hands all day long for free every status phase just because they're goblins. I would make that a secondary and then add a really awesome primary. Make it something spectacular that's going to really rile up your competition or help you out awesomely. You don't want a Strategy card that just...blah.

Something like "Primary: Draw two action cards, discard one and select an opponent. Have them randomly discard one of their action cards" That's pretty awesome. You not only gain free action cards at a cost of hyper metabolism's ability, you can use hyper metabolism when you use this primary AND you affect an opponent. You do something fantastic for the price of an action like strategy cards should do. Then the secondary can be like "Spend a Command Counter from your Strategy Allocation area to draw one action card." You don't want your opponents to have too many political cards because not only can they be spent as trade goods, they can have amazing laws that they can work to make happen that could ultimately hurt you far worse than it hurts them. The strategy cards should put more power in your hands, not your opponents.

Thank you for the Goggerz.

I agree that fully upgraded they are decent but the tech path is so long and some of the prerequisites are not very useful compared to other tech paths , but I concur that L1z1x with 3 cost Dreads would be to powerful. Maybe 4+ to hit would be enough or perhaps some kind of change to the tech tree. If it would be possible to get type IV drive faster they would be much more useful.

If you want trade goods, instead of waiting for trade or going for the usual, you could just attack players and ask for trade goods, if they fold they can just make trade goods if they have none and hand them over free of charge. It seems to lessen the value of trade goods in my opinion.

I see your point regarding the TGs, I think I will give this rule a chance though, hopefully it adds much more diplomacy to the game.

Regarding the ninth strategy card I think being able to look at an opponents action cards is very strong, stealing them is next to broken imo. Maybe changing it into something like this would be better:

9th strategy card. Espionage: Init:3.5
Primary:

Either a) or b)
a) Look at a opponents action cards. Then resolve the secondary for free.

b) Draw two political and two action cards.

Secondary:
Pay one cmd counter, draw one action card and one political card.

Concider that 2 political cards == 2 TG and you can not put a price on a good actioncard.