I haven't played a lot of games because it's tough getting my group together when we're all free, but when I play I love tech. I don't get more than 5 or 6 per game, but I aim for the technology strategy card as often as possible. After reading some posts around here, people frown on that. Can anyone explain why? I'd really like to know motivation behind people's strategy for the game.

Nothing wrong with taking the Tech SC a lot... tech for free is ok in my book, any time you can get it. I love it when I can take the tech card several times in a game!

What I would personally frown upon is somebody spending resources to PURCHASE tech every single round. By taking the card, not only do you get it for free but you're making everyone else pay money to get tech if they want it. But if you're spending around 6 resources every turn, that 6 resources you're not using to buy ships. As always, if there's a better card out there for getting VPs, then you should probably take that. Or if you're under attack, obviously it's better to use Production to get more ships out there or Diplomacy to say safe. But barring those circumstances, taking the Tech SC is often a solid move. It is possible to get to the point where more tech doesn't really do anything for you, but that's not usually 'til late game anyway.

I can see where Iceberg is coming from, ISTM a 'quantity vs. quality' problem. Are things like Combat bonuses (Cybernetics, Hylar V Lasers, Deep Space Cannons) worth the potential cost in ships? With DSCs for example you can arrange for multiple systems to be covered with at least three or four PDS each. Assault Cannons and Warsuns have four prereq techs each, but the ability to attrition enemy forces before the main combat can make or break an attack. And I missed it when I played the JolNar last time, but 'Nanotech' from Shattered Suns could have been a huge resource boost if I had grabbed it right away.

Technology Uber Alles is probably not a good idea, given that you need at least some forces to keep neighboring races from thinking they can overrun you cheap. But for some races, espically the JolNar is an aggressive Tech strategy such a bad idea? Given that most races are limited to five or six units a turn till they can get out a second shipyard plus the need to pump out cheap ground forces early to claim and secure surrounding worlds during the initial expansion is it inconceivable that you could free up funds for a few extra techs?

PS: Where are you located Iceberg? I'm still trying to find a player group near Minneapolis

There is probably a balance somewhere between ships, tech, VC and so on.

There is two reasons why I would by tech

1. To win objectives.....1 vc for 3 tech of the same color, and so on
2. Some races like Mentak need a starting tech to gain the upper hand

Aslo PDS-grid is great for races like Jol-nar

But.....we have a couple of players in my group that ALWAYS take tech if they can.....they NEVER win.

Most of the time, tech just won't pay for itself. Get what you need for objectives but otherwise, buying ships will most often turn out better for you. The exception is XRD: it is really the only "must have" tech, and some races can even get away without that (Stasis is better for Mentak, for ex). The only other one worth pushing for is War Sun, and then only if you start the game with two of its prerequisites (Hacan, etc). Automated Turrets is also worth purchasing if your opponents are spamming fighters, but that's situational. Really, anything else is just gravy.

Some techs do have the potential to win the game for you (X-89 for ex.) but they are so high up the tree, you have to really work toward getting them and by the time you do you simply won't have enough time to use it more than once, maybe twice if you're lucky. When I play Jol Nar, if I can I try to get Nanotech on the first turn, but that's only if I can get Trade. I tend to play a relatively low-tech Jol Nar. I take my "free" tech each turn and don't bother buying a second unless I really need it for a specific reason. I don't play with Scientists though. If I did I might consider taking a second tech if the price is low enough with discounts. Jol Nar's tech ability basically means they get to "take the Tech SC" for (almost) free each turn, allowing them to take another SC instead. They more than anyone else really need ships to help negate their combat penalty. The free techs you get should go toward XRD and War Sun (order determined by circumstances). After that you can stray and get some "gravy" techs that might help you win the game at the end.

You can get the primary Tech strategy without paying for the secondary first for the Jol-Nar?

Also Microtech and Sarween Tools would seem to pay for themselves if bought early enough, in trade or production bonuses. Nanotech if you can get it early can pay for itself with the right worlds, giving them to you unexhausted this turn rather than next.

Depending on how much ground combat you see Gen-Synethis might not break even, but could free up funds and build slots when 'dead' ground forces get recycled to your home system.

Hylar V Laser seems to be an obvious choice to buy early, with it your Cruisers hit nearly as hard as your Dreadnoughts, go 1 system further, and you can buy five for the cost of two Dreadnoughts, building slips permitting. You only lack bombardment, sustain damage and (with Assault Cannons) pre-battle Barrages.

Part of the tech decisions might depend on what you start with, for example Warsuns for the Jol-Nar since they start with three of the four starting prereqs out of the gate. Adding DSC and you are clear to buy Warsuns.

Nikas Zekeval said:

Yes. If you spend the CC for the secondary, you can use the primary even if you choose not to actually make the purchase for the secondary. I believe there's an entry in the FAQ about this, too.

Nikas Zekeval said:

I think the key here is the "if you can get it early".

I like techs myself, but the more I play, the more I realize that techs have to simply be a means to an end, and not an end in and of themselves. IE - unless you have a reason to go for a tech, don't bother; the money can be better spent elsewhere. However, if you have a good amount of tech credit planets, go ahead and get them. The main reason it's a "noob" strategy is as Mike says - the money can be spent better in many cases. Too often, noobs will "save up" for a tech, when that money could have been put to more immediate use. If you have what you need to get a tech, and the tech will help you work towards your VPs, then go for it. If they are just "extra fluff", you may want to reconsider. Cool weaponry can help in a fight, but unless you need to do a lot of fighting to score points, it may not be worth it.

Nikas Zekeval said:

Montreal, Canada unfortunately, so there's a bit of a distance there.

As for the topic, personally I like getting tech, but I was reading a lot of posts on the forum where people said they thought it was a poor beginner's strategy to go for tech all the time. Maybe I misunderstood their concept of what that means though. Purchasing tech at the expense of ships can be dangerous, I'd just like some input from the community about strategy-card-strategy (which I've been getting, thanks to everyone so far).

sigmazero13 said:

Three races start out with Sarween Tools (Jol-Nar, Muaat, and Hacan), Five more start with three with just Environmental Compensators on that particular tech path (Mentak, Naalu, and XXcha), and Two with both EC and Stasis Pods, which is an alternate prereq for MT, (L1Z1X and Winnu), which gives slightly over half the races an early shot at ST and/or MT. Securing their small production and TG boosts early in the game seems a decent means to if not an end at least opening up more options by having those extra resources in hand.

I don't disagree with that. I don't advocating NO technologies, as the early ones especially can be very handy if purchased early, and can "pay for themselves". My point was that some new players focus on getting techs just for the sake of having lots of techs, and then not using them very much.

Sarween Tools, Enviro Compensators, and XRD Transporters are VERY useful technologies. Stasis Capsules is very nice, too. Beyond that, though, don't go wild getting techs. If you CAN get them for cheap, go ahead - especially by using the Tech primary. But if you have to spend 6 resources (or 8 if playing with Tech I) every turn to pay for techs, you are probably throwing the money away.

I play a lot of T3 ina bunch of different groups and I tend to win more then my share. I do not buy a lot of tech. Although I feel it is often a great pick.

I feel that the combat techs rarely "pay off" Although certain ones can be important deterinents to neighbours.

Ultimately when it comes to tech, I think you want to get a few, well rounded in case of objectived that come up, AND to be ina winning position near the end game, you MUST have ways of moving ground forces 2-3 spaces.

Xrd you can do without, but if you pass it buy, its critical that you have warsuns and/or statis capsuals.

I find that the player that keeps himself "in the race" points wise, and has the most options available in the end game turns, will win. Having obtions means having the means to seize what you need to win, OR prevemnt an oppenent from doing the same. The only techs that really help you out with that are XRD, Statis Capsuals, and Warsuns, becuase those are your means of having multiple targets late in the game. Type 4 Drive can be big, as can lightwave deflectors, for the same reasons, giving you more options.

Comabat techs are not going to win you the game. Smart players will alwasy have adaquet deffence of there homeworlds, or blocking ships to oppenents, and really thats all that matters.

All you need to defend your HS are 6 GF and the original Gen Synth. This will defend more than adequately against a WS bombardment and 16 or so invading GFs.

I wouldn't say that all combat techs are a waste of time. Hylar Laser if often a good buy, esp if you are fighting a lot, and Automated Defense Turrets is very, very potent against an opponent who is fielding fighters. Assault Cannon isn't worth much of anything though, except as a way to X-89 which can theoretically be game-winning.

But generally, ADT is as far as you need to go. Deep Space Cannon is ok as well, but mostly 'cuz you need it to get to War Suns. I don't know if you'd consider War Sun a "combat" tech, but regardless, it's one of the best to get.

My tech lineup often looks like this:

Hylar, ADT, Antimass, XRD.

-OR-

Hylar, ADT, Enviro, Stasis

-OR-

Enviro, Sarween, DSCannon, War Sun + either Stasis or ADT

sigmazero13 said:

Hey Sig, you say "But if you have to spend 6 resources (or 8 if playing with Tech I)"... what do you mean? What is "Tech I?" I was under the impression that all techs cost 8 resources unless modified by planet tech specialties. Sorry if it's a noob question.

Tech I is the "Technology" card from the base game. In the expansion, there is an alternate version called Technology II, which is similar but a little different:

- The primary still gives the player a free tech, but also gives them an option to buy a second tech for 8.

- The secondary lets other players buy a tech for 6. (a bit cheaper than the original)

Basically, the expansion's version makes tech acquisition a bit easier, but still not completely trivial.

It depends on the race. Barony only needs 3 techs to win the game. Hylar V, XRD and his racial tech.

It really depends if you can get your tech cheap enough. 3 tech planets of one color makes taking tech every turn a real option.

Get the tech II card, purchase a tech in a different color group and then buy your discounted tech group will keep the cost of tech low.

Generally you do tech to achieve a military goal and VPs. Warsun path or Assault cannons.

After that you pour everything into ships to make your tech advances really count.

But I admit, it is hard not to buy ...just one more tech, even at the end of the game.

iceberg84 said:

My TI3 playing group is from Montreal.

I'm from Québec and travel to Montreal to play.

I'd be interested in playing sometime if you guys have room for one more. How often do you meet?

Go at that TI3 board: http://www.ti3wiki.org/forum/YaBB.pl

get registered and on that board they have a PM fonction where we could exchange our contact information.

Unluckily, our last TI3 games was last November, long time ago.

Some of our group member real life got in the way, recently.