For a while now, my T.I. group has been introducing homebrew rules. We have played with several different ideas and have just recently played with one friend's created strategy cards with much success in some areas and the need to redo some others. I have already had a few ideas for races but right now I greatly want to join this, do any of you have any ideas for races, or have a formula you've worked up to keep to a more balanced race? I am thinking about posting one or two of my races up here to get opinions on the matter but they are still under debate with my group and until they've settled on a consensus I don't want to get hasty.

Thanks for any help any of you can provide, cheers!

This is a fascinating idea and a way to really put your own spin on things. I love coming up with flavor for games. Homebrew races is probably the best way to tweak your gameplay without getting game-breaking, which is easy to do when re-writing strategy or action cards. However, the possibility still exists for unbalancing things, so be very very careful what you write down.

You've made me want to write up some race creation guidelines.... I'll be back after reading through the different racial abilities to get a sense of what determines balance.

Now this is a project I shall be watching with interest. Please post the results those of you who try this, I'd love to see any formulae you write to keep it balanced. I would love to use the Warhammer 40K races for my own games, as I'm substituting TI3 races for them at the moment.

Don't try to make the 'ultimate race', if its too good, and EVERYONE wants to be them ALL THE TIME then they're unbalanced....like a certain tribe I could mention....

I have created a couple of races that I have used in games that have worked out quite well. One in particular was based on the Aliens race from the Aliens movies. There was a guy who created a layered template for creating the race cards themselves, he was kind enough to email them to me. I will see if I can find them for you, I think if I remember right they where done in paintshop pro.

In any case as a general golden rule for creating races you should always shoot for something that doesn't already exist thematically, which is kind of tougher since most general concepts have already been done between the core game and the two expansions. Also to create a new race today with the two expansions you have a lot more balancing to do than before.

In any case just some suggestions that I got when I started doing this, which helped me a lot.

Start with a good theme that gives the race a unique ability that doesn't trump or do worse than an already existing race. Another words we already have technology driven races, we already have combat races, we already have trade races. Avoid making races that do something better or worse than an existing one.

Don't break the status quo. Its not a good idea to give a race 5 starting technologies, or a trade contract with a 5. The limitations set by previous races shouldn't be broken which is something I was doing when I first started and it always ended badly.

Avoid focusing a race too much on a single concept. Its not terribly fun to play a race that is only good at one thing like combat. One of the worse races in the core game is broken because of this one idea (Sardek N'orr). Races should have a theme but enough diversity that they aren't locked into a particular play style.

Create a race with the latest expansion in mind. Using just the core rules its going to be tough to come up with a theme that hasn't already been done with the core races but when you start thinking about some of the components in the expansions things open up. For example a race that takes advantage of Mercanaries somehow, or a race that has some kind of ability associated with the gravity rift. It might be cool to have a race that embodies some kind of special ability to do with representatives. These mechanics right now with the current races don't really have any races with special abilities associated with them so I think its a good place to find a theme and ability.

One concept I have tried to work out but have never been very successful is to create a race with a racial theme of "pirates", with abilities that steal trade goods, political cards and/or action cards from other players. Each time I have tried they kind of came out underwhelming or over powered. But I like it from a thematic perspective.

Good luck to ya and definitly post your work. Some of my favorite variants that my group plays with have come from the community.

Making a homebrew race

Theretically all races should be roughly even at turn 3 or 4 in military strength and planets in a play test.

Turn 3 or 4 is midgame.

If the race is always struggling to stay alive at turn 4, that race cannot set up conditions to win the end game.

If the race is always dominating the game at turn 4, that race is too broken.

Also check out how the original races were made, there is a pattern there if you look for it.

if anyone makes a homebrew race: Could you post it here somehow? it would be facsinating to see them.

I have one or two that I've been wroking on, will post them when I have a better idea of their specifics. They're pretty thematic, and they work with the lore I think.

Remember, the biggest mistake for "Homebrew Races" is the race cannot be great at everything. The race should be great in some areas but weak in others.

If the race is designed well, the better you play the race according to its "theme", the better the race should do.

But, on turn 3 or 4, they should be consistently roughly even with the other races in the galaxy in numbers of planets and military strength.

Some homebrew race guidelines

Strong military, then slow moving L1Z1x, Barony

Big trade agreements means the race needs to bribe for peace at one border Muaat, Jolnar,

Fast expansion generally means NO red techs, the race has weak military ships Saar, Yssaril

Strong race ability, then the race can get nerfed by attacking them early. Winnu, Jolnar

Influence homeworlds means nice race ability, but small or weak military. XXcha, Sol

Medium resource homeworlds means nice race ability but a major weakness, Norr, Saar

Sarween tools is given to races to tip them into gold techs like micro Hacan, Muaat

The designer has done a consistent pattern with his races if you look for it, and just about all his races are successful

......If that race is played according to that races "theme"

Nice, thanks for posting these guidelines, I may work on the 40k races tomorrow/Monday, if I think they are worth looking at I'll stick 'em up here for all to see.

In regards to my previous mentioned homebrew races...got a question that I'm hoping someone could answer.

If I were to create a homebrew and name it after something that has already appeared in game, for example, the Sarween, would I have to get FFG permission to post it here? I really don't want to step on anyone's toes as far as copyright goes.

Bowoodstock said:

I don't think it would be. The forum is for players to share ideas and ask questions on, so I wouldn't see anything wrong with that. If you started selling copies of your 'Sarween' race than it would definatly infringe on FFG's copyright. As for posting a free download on another website and posting the link here, i don't honestly know. I would doubt it though.

Here's the first one. It's unfinished, and I haven't had the chance to playtest it, but thought I'd give others a chance. The "theme" behind these guys is that they can use a resource no one else is capable of exploiting; space with absolutely nothing in it. They come from deep space, and so have adaptations to live with little to no resources. By sacrificing fleet movement, the noctus can gain resources to build that turn. If opposing players allow them to seed the galaxy with harvester ships, they will quickly snowball into a resource giant that can rake in resources almost faster than they can use them.

Strengths: Resource accumulation and navigation through normally hazardous space

Weaknesses: Weak starting fleet, no red techs

Noctus Voidfarers

In the middle of the raging conflicts of the twilight wars, barely anyone noticed the darkness blotting out the stars at the edge of the galaxy. The tenebrous Darkstar Fleet arrived with little fanfare or announcement. In the years following the conflict, reports filtered in about unusual ships that were blacker than space, never attacking, but clearly observing. Finally, near the end of the Nekro wars a strange black ship slipped into Mecatol space without tripping any of the sensors. It wasn't until it had landed in the courtyard in front of the grand council chamber that anyone realized they had a visitor. As guards from the various delegations scrambled to ready weapons, a single masked figure robed entirely in black strode into the council chamber. Seemingly unfazed by the pandemonium, the figure spread black gloved hands to show that it was unarmed. In a voice that somehow resounded throughout the chamber like a whispering wind, it introduced itself as a representative of the Noctus, a people from outside the reaches of this galaxy. Traveling in the massive Darkstar Fleet, an armada of colony ships with enough mass to rival a small moon, they sought a new home after millenia of travel from the depths of space. Finding this galaxy in dire need of repair, it requested that they be allowed to assist in the repairs in return for colonies on the worlds they salvaged. On such short notice, few were able to offer any compelling reason to deny this request, and the figure returned to the strange black ship just as silently as it had arrived. In the aftermath of the meeting, many council members were left confused as to just what had exactly happened. Only a few thought to pose the question of just why the Noctus had been exiled from their previous home.

Unheard by any in the council chamber, prior to entering the black spacecraft, the figure had turned and surveyed the ruins of the great capital planet. "Yes..." it whispered to itself. "Dire need of repair indeed..."

Racials

For the purposes of the Noctus, any system that is red-bordered,
contains no planets, or contains a wormhole is considered a " spacial
anomaly"

Red bordered systems are treated as normal space for the purposes of
movement only. Other effects are resolved normally, supernovae are
still impassable, and fleets may still not end movement in asteroid
fields.

Noctus fleets may execute a strategic retreat without paying a strategy
counter if the destination system is a spacial anomaly. They must still activate the system via reserve counters

Noctus fleets may declare dark matter harvesting at the beginning of
the strategy phase. The noctus player may place 2 dark matter counters
in any spacial anomaly systems containing at least one Noctus
non-fighter ship. These systems are not considered activated, but the
harvesting ships may not move this round. The counters
may be spent as resources normally.If the harvesting fleet is destroyed
before the counters are spent, they are lost. All unused
dark matter is lost at the end of the next status phase

Starting tech

Enviro Compensator
Stasis Capsules
Light/Wave Deflectors

Starting Fleet

2 Carriers
2 Fighters
3 GF
1 PDS
1 Cruiser
1 Spacedock

Homeworld

The Darkstar Fleet

3/3 Red border. System has no special rules other than as applies to the noctus racial, and during setup red border systems may still be played adjacent to the Darkstar fleet

Leaders : Diplomat, Scientist, Admiral

Trades : 2/2

Racial Technologies

Harvester Probes: +4 resources

Noctus fleets may harvest dark matter from
adjacent systems. There must be at least
one non-fighter ship present per system harvested,
and systems containing enemy ships may
not be harvested from. Loss of harvesting ships will still result in loss of dark matter, and havesting fleets must still remain stationary for the round.

Dark Matter Reactor: +3 resources

Noctus ships gain +1 on
combat rolls when fighting in a spacial anomaly,
and gain +1 to movement and combat rolls if they
begin their activation inside a spacial anomally.

Flagship

Black Nova

Sustain Damage

Cost: 12
Move: 1
Combat: 6x2
Carry: 4

The Black Nova gains 2 additional attacks
when fighting inside a spacial anomaly, and
may purchase up to 4 additional attacks by spending dark
matter on a 1 for 1 basis

Still working on ideas for the representatives. As I said, it hasn't been play tested so I have yet to see if any of the ideas are over/under powered. I'm open to suggestions

Sorry, to clarify one thing. The 2nd racial tech should include "These two effects do not stack"

A well designed race should be roughly equal in military strength and planets at turn 4 with the other players races.

Your new race is designed to NOT be balanced.

Quote: If opposing players allow them to seed the galaxy with harvester ships, they will quickly snowball into a resource giant that can rake in resources almost faster than they can use them.

So by turn 4, this race is unstoppable unless the entire galaxy attacks it right away.

Do not design a race to be too strong or too weak.

Your homebrew race is a juggernaught.

Major mistakes:

1. The race starts with LIghtwave defectors and stasis capsules?

So on turn 1, take Warfare II and invade player's homeworlds. The game is over on turn 1.

2. Can create resources out of nothing.....really?

So there is no way to stop this race's production?

3. 2 carriers/1 crusier with stasis capsules. So you can capture all your available planets on turn 1?

When you make a race and start with the idea that the race is going to be too strong or too weak, that race will end up that way.

Start with the idea that the race will be BALANCED, and you will do ok.

I disagree with a lot of your points, they indicate you haven't actually read what I posted in depth.

1. No XRD to start, and only 3 starting ground forces. If they decide to tap their home system the first round for resources, they aren't going anywhere, as the ability prevents any and all movement out of that system. The only way they can capture more than 3 planets is via strategy. I've easily captured 5 planets in 3 different systems on the first turn with other races, so I disagree that this is overpowered. How does lightwave deflectors permit a race to invade a homesystem on turn 1 with just a cruiser and 2 carriers? I admit that tech may be a little much, but the most powerful ship they start with is a cruiser without Hylar V

2. It's easy to stop the resource harvesting, it is NOT impossible to stop them. Read what the ability is and you'll see what I mean. They can only do it in certain systems. To say they can't be stopped from harvesting is like complaining a person can't be stopped from exhausting a planet to get its resources. Just take out the harvesting ship. It's a heck of a lot easier than capturing a planet. Don't forget, they'd have to spend command counters to get ships into position, and single ships are easy to take out if they're on their own. Moreover, their second racial tech can be blocked simply by having an enemy ship in the system.

And again, these resources aren't "free". You still have to spend the counter to activate a system to get a fleet there, and then next round it can do nothing but sit there and defend itself. With planets at least you can invade one turn, and then the very next turn pick them up and invade another one with the same ground forces, and yet you still get the resources on that planet. The aim of their racial is that they basically can turn empty systems into 2/0 planets as long as a ship is present. Unlike a planet, you are unable to build PDS or space docks, and you cannot defend them with ground forces in addition to your fleet.

3. I have no idea what you mean about a plastic piece that only they use.

Deleted double reply

Round 1.

You can have 2 or 3 crusiers because of Assembly and Production secondaries.

(You take a high resource double planet system and refresh it with Assembly and build using the Production strategy card.)

Round 2.

Your race will have a fleet of cruisers that has stasis capsules and Lightwave deflectors.

If you take Warfare II , you could attack just about any spot on the board.

Toss in that you may have a Flank Speed card, no one would be safe.

That is too powerful.

Then howabout the following amendments?

Replace cruiser with a destroyer

Until the pre-requisites of Light/wave deflector are met, only fleets containing just 1 ship may use the technology

In a recent game I played as the winnu, I did exactly the scenario you just posed, though I did it with production rather than warfare. At the end of round 1, I had 5 planets. It's possible for just about any race to do it, especially terran, so I don't consider that an indication of overpowered.

Also, you cannot balance a race on what a person MAY have done. A muaat player MAY have a flank speed card on the 2nd turn, or they MAY take warfare, and after they take a system to their left or right on turn one after they MAY have used the assembly secondary to refresh. They MAY have gotten technology II on the first turn and MAY have bought both hylar V and deep space cannon in the first turn using the refreshed planets and their homeworld. They MAY have then used the leadership secondary to buy strategy counters and use them to build destroyers , they're within 2 spaces of an enemy homeworld, and they MAY just swoop in and take it with their war sun backed by 2 destroyers, 4 fighters and 2 ground forces.

See what I mean?

You are underestimating the power of being able to threaten all systems on the board.

1 Cruisier with stasis capsules and Lightwave defectors will have the same effect on the board as the threat of a Local Unrest card.

The threat of local unrest, forces all players to put 2 ground troops on their space docks and best planets.

Winnu's race ability is to guard against this threat, so he only needs 1 ground troop on a planet.

Your 1 crusier does even better then a Local unrest card, you threaten unguarded homeworlds. You will force most players to always leave 2 or 3 ground troops on their homeworlds and best planets.

That would be a huge race ability.

Many players like the strategy of a "wall of ships" at the front lines and little to nothing of ground troops or ships behind this wall.

Your 1 Lightwave crusier will force them to put 2 o 3 ground troops on every planet they own.

Some players would probably build all their pds and buy Deep Space cannons to nerf this threat.

Those players would have to turtle several turns before they would move their fleet

But players that like to turtle would not care, because they like to build pds and ground troops on all their planets.

This threat would force more players into the "Turtle" strategy.

Wouldn't that be a fun game....

As far as maybes and mays.

How many players refuse to take a hit on their Dreads in fear of a Direct Hit Card?

The possiblities are low of that happening but .... "Just the possibility" is enough for players to alter their gameplay.

Many players absolutely hate Minefields because it "just might" blow the carrier with the ground troops.

The odds of that happening is also very low.

You will find in designing a race, that some of these "Innocent abilities" that players give their race are in fact, quite, quite powerful.

To justify a race having a deep tech, there must be a very good reason for them to have it.

Your race could justify having "Integrated Economy".

It would fit with your race's theme of finding resources anywhere and then delivering it to where it is needed.

If you give a race a Deep tech, there has to be a very good reason for them to have it.

This means, this race dedicated its entire race to gettting a specific deep tech.

Muaat has Warsuns because of its background.

Saar has movable space docks because of its background.

Both races would use this specialized tech......... all the time.

Your exploration race does not need "to jump behind races" to get to space that no one uses because... no one would care.

Lightwave deflectors is a prize tech that many players want right away.

That is probably why you gave this tech to this race?

Oh, as far as Integrated ecomony, your race could be broken with that tech even though most players would regard that as a lame tech.

How? You could shuffle all those 2 resources to one spot and build a massive fleet.

I actually like the suggestion of integrated economy, thanks. No, I honestly just picked light/wave because of the theme of the army.

As for shuffling resources to one space...not sure how you'd accomplish that. The ideal situation for a noctus player would be to find a system that is adjacent to several reds or blanks, so they can have a fleet sit there and get resources. There's no guarantee this spot would be next to a spacedock, and there is still the fact that you can never get more than 2 per system. It's not 2 per ship harvesting, and again, they can only harvest from blank spaces, wormholes, or red tiles.

To say that no one would care...eventually, someone probably would, either because 1. they see enough ships in one area that it provides a nice target, especially for the objectives such as "win a space battle with at least 3 non-fighter enemy ships", 2. They decide they want to stop the resource gains, and 3. eventually these ships are going to get in the way of people going different places on the board.

What would you say if, perhaps, it was a gain of only 1 resource per space harvested?

If you truly want Light wave deflectors, then you need a severe restriction, until the race finally completes the research for Lightwave deflectors.

1. ONLY 1 ship may use Lightwave deflectors and go to the activated system.

2. Until Lightwave deflectors is researched, when a ship uses Lightwave deflectors, the ground troops the ship is carrying automatically dies.

This nerfs alot of power of Lightwave wave deflectors.

This will still give alot of power to the race even though 1 ship can really use it.

1. 1 ship can jump pass a blocking ship to a player's double spacedock and block the space dock from building ships.

2. 1 ship can jump pass a blocking ship so you can use Diplomacy to annex a planet, even an empty homeworld. (If your ship controls an empty system, you can annex any empty planet next to that system with Diplomacy secondary)

3. 1 ship can jump pass a blocking ship so you can block a player's fleet from moving 2 spaces. (If that player is down to his last command counter, he cannot afford the extra action to get passed your blocking ship)

As you can see, these are NOT the actions of an Exploration fleet but the actions of a Pirate fleet or Rebel fleet. Creating havoc and mayham.

Lightwave deflectors would fit a Mentak or Naalu style themed race. Your race is more like Saar themed race.

As far as your race abilites and race tech, you need to make them as SIMPLE as possible!

Race ability - Whenever you activate an empty or red tile system next to your space dock, you immediately recieve 1 trade good.

(This represents harvesting non planet spaces)

Does not sound like much, right?

1. Activate your space dock and do a transfer action to the empty or red tile system and gain 1 trade good all the time.

2. If all three of your space docks are seperated and do a transfer action, you can gain 3 trade goods every turn.

Racial tech (Harvestor Probes(6)) - Whenever you activate your space dock, you can do tranfers actions to 2 adjacent systems, not just one.

Why so expensive, That could be 6 free trade goods every turn.

What your empire would look like is... isolated space docks surrounded by small fleets gaining unbelievable amount of resources.

Your opponents would need to bring up pds with Deep Space cannons to swat those ships in the empty systems whenever you do a transfer action.

This would be close to being a broken race, even though it does not seem like much.

Or

Racial tech ( Deep space mining(4)) - When producing at your space docks, gain +1 resource for each red tile system adjacent to the producing space docks.

So placing a space dock next to 2 or 3 red systems would be very nice. You might even place a red system next to your homeworld to gain this benefit?

I kinda see where you're going with a lot of your points. I specifically designed their ability so that it wasn't somethign where they could accumulate TG over time, as that truly could make them over powered. It's kind of a "Use it or lose it" now thing. And your example, it sounds powerful, but to do what you're suggesting a person would be paying 1 CC per trade good, which is NOT something a player would want to do, especially since with leadership most people pay 2 TG for just one CC.

I think after reviewing things, I'd replace light/wave with antimass, as it does fit more with the theme of the explorer race. Also, I like your suggestion of deep space mining, basically sarween tools on crack. If I replaced harvester probes with that one, it would be more balanced, as a space dock is a much more vulnerable target than a fleet is. I do however want to keep the original racial, maybe there's a better way to word it, but again, I want the resources to be non-accumulating.

Part of the problem with a homebrew race is all the descriptions get too messy and complicated.

A homebrew race should be .....SIMPLE and Uncomplicated.....

If you want your race to be an explorer race that gather resources all over the galaxy and have a reason to be small fleets spread out around your spacedocks, consider this example....

Harvestors

Race ability - When you build at a Space dock and do a transfer action, you gain 1 trade good.

Racial tech - Interstellar Mining(6) - Whenever you activate and move into a red tile system, you gain 1 trade good.

(A transfer action into a red system would also qualify, as an activation)

Nice, clean and simple....and perhaps too powerful...

But these ablities would compel a player play to the "theme" of the race to get the maximum effect out of this race. So your explorer race would behave just like you want in your description of them.

A player playing your race will want to....

1. The player will want to have maybe 3 isolated space docks so he can possibly get 3 transfer actions in

2. All his space docks will be surrounded by small fleets so he can do a transfer actions

3. The player might also put a Space dock next to a red tile system to get 2 trade goods by doing a transfer action.

4. A red tile system allows your race to generate trade goods from counters.

So the net effect is, this race would behave on the board exactly as how you want your exploratory race to look like but in this case have different type of powers movtivating them.

There are many ways to get the explorer race you want. But simpler, uncomplicated abilities are better when making a homebrew race.

This example is another way of how you could do your explorer race. But you have to decide what you like and just play test it.