After the Shards of the Throne expansion, which was a very pleasant suprise there hasn't been much news as far as I know about anything going on with TI3 beyond that great expansion.

I was curious if there has been any information, official posts, news or anything about Twilight Imperium 3rd edition, in particular if there are any plans for a 4th edition or additional expansions… My searches have come up with nothing so far, but I thought I would ask.

Haven't heard any news about further releases for TI3. Considering there was a good five years (minimum) between the first and second expansion, though, I wouldn't necessarily expect such news any time soon, either.

As for TI4, considering what appears to happening to the plastic counts in most of FFG's recently published games, I sort of hope there isn't a new edition coming right now. Not until the price of plastic has a chance to go down some.

I can live with smaller Descent, smaller Runewars, etc etc. I'm not sure I can live with a Twilight Imperium that doesn't weigh a metric ton. =P

If there was an new Expansion coming out, what would you want to see in it?

Besides the obvious new races it would be kinda cool with a new tech that lets you upgrade your SDs by putting defensive armament on it. Could be dependant on the Automated Defense Turrets tech… Maybe they'd get 1 or 2 shots at 7+

There are lots of homebrew and house rules available online. Its worth a google search, including a ninth strategy card (prospect and espionage) useful for 8 player games. Some rules changes like home systems being placed from the hand like regular tiles. If using artifacts option they also give the owner a technology specialty bonus for its colour or if a player draws a blank artifact token they get 2 trade goods instead of nothing at all so its not a fruitless expedition.

How about 'native knowledge' lets each player look at 1 domain counter adjacent to their home system at the start of the game.

Lots of good ideas out there to refresh or improve TI.

My wishlist for a new expansion would be new races, space ports (variation on spacedock/shipyard). Spacedock defense platform, introduction of space anomalies, planetary forna and forma to effect negatively and positively on planets or systems. 1 player does not get a home system but acts as a space menace of some kind (think warhamner 40k tyrannids or starship troopers bugs).

Like to see some rules/secret objectives that unify players to a common goal via a bond of unity.

I've only played the game a couple of times (and tonight we're starting a new game at my house with 4 new players!) but I'd lik to see some other ground units for planetary invasions. The little flag is cool and all, but I'd love to see some hover tanks, stormtroopers in power armor, etc. etc. that handle the ground combat a little more "flavorfully" than what we have now.

Other than that I think the game is pretty great as it exists today.

Three more races to hit an even 20. Fleet markers so I dont have to cram my big fleets onto one hex. Maybe an attractive species for a change =p. A new warfare with a worthwhile secondary. A new unit, the space station.

I'd like to see them add in the treaty cards from the fall of the empire scenario into full game. It would add a bit of a Game of Thrones feel to the politics, as you would be uncertain of who is truly aligned with whom.

The future of TI3 is the player playing it.

A) More diversity for ground combat.
Sure it's a space opera where it's about SPACE, but more different plastics in that regard would be fun, from a strategists point of view.

Currently there's just:
1) The Basic GF
2) -> it's upgraded variant, the Shock Troop (which is a bit of a hassle to handle sometimes, but makes sense to keep balance for drop-pod-cruisers etc)
3) The Mechanized Unit
4) The PDS, if you will.

Agents and certain Mercenaries I would not directly count as Ground Units, although they add a lot to each battle and strategy.

B) more races of course. 3 is a good minimum. The TI3-expansions always had 4 so far, if you count the Lazax. The Shard of the Throne races are all awesome by the way.

C) Alliances as in the Lazax-mode would be a really fun optional rule.

D) More diverse objectives, especially secret ones. Make it harder to guess the players' secret agendas.
1) include political objectives: "get 3 laws into play, were your vote was mandatory to realize it" - this is achievable with the help of assassinations too of course
2) instead of burning 10 Trade Goods, "Give 10 Trade Goods to a player you broke a Trade Contract with by means of war."

E) Build "Research Facilities" that provide you with a constant Bonus to the respective colour as long as you control it. You can build one per colour (per player/planet or per map?) They couldn't be too expensive since currently there's only ~7 Techs/colour available. Though they'd make it easier to spend ressources per round on Tech. Contrary to "Colonies" do not destroy them (or use the agent-rule...). Bonuses of one colour are not cumulative.
A capture or destruction by Nekro could yield a Technology-copy from the previous owner in the respective colour of it's bonus.

That would be like self-made artifacts, just without the Victory Point. And also generate more Points of Interest to fight about.
I like the houserul Richthom mentioned, where Artifacts also count as a bonus to Research.

We sometimes used the house-rule that uncovering an Artifact gives you a Tech-Advancement in the respective colour. That Technology is then imprinted on this Artifact. Great fun for high-level-Techs which everyone wants!

=> More different Points of Interest.

F) More "Terrain" in space. Ion Storms and Gravity Rifts added a lot to the game. Especially those red tiles with planets in them! Of course those are the very icing on every TI3-map. But more diversity there would be fun. We just need to keep an eye out for the Saar, or they won't have any Asteroid Fields left. They're very dependant on their racial terrain-bonus, they benefit so much more from it than the Muuat of theirs.
Also one or two more events that can change the face of the map - not just super-novae. Let a planet collapse into a Gravity Rift or Ion Storm! Even temporary!

G) New Racial Technologies. For example:
1) Saar: Asteroid Jackers - requ. empty space, adjacent to at least 2 Systems with Planets: This tile is now considered an Asteroid Field with a production capacity of 2. It has ressources of 1/1. This may be adjacent to other red tiles (maximum 1 or 2).
- alternatively you could blow up a planet with a War Sun and mine the rubble, but that wouldn't fit the Saar's philosphy
2) Creuss: Metastable Quasaric Generator: A system you move into via any means of teleportaion (Wormholes, Hil Colish) or have any kind of wormhole present, is also considered as an Ion Storm as long as your units are present there with the active Wormhole or you decide to deactivate it. (Limit: 1 or 2 systems).
3) Hacan: Secured Trade Routes: Hacan Carriers gain +2 to attack and gain a second attack ( 1x9 -> 2x7 ). Fighters in company of Hacan Carriers will always scout Planets (Distant Sun-tokens) and up to two Fighters may attack enemies in Space Battle before Combat begins.
(maybe not all at once in one Tech but it irks me that Hacan always loses some of their racial abilities, depending on which Trade Strategy you're using.)
4) Jol Nar: Cryptologic Advancement Program (CAP!): Your Technologies are harder to spy/steal/analyze/copy. Rolls to do so have a -2 penalty. Nekro Virus now has to roll (9-0) if eligible to copy a Technology from Jol-Nar.
(Imagining there will be rules for economic, political and in very rare cases technological espionage.)
5) Sardakk'Norr: Chitin Field Projector - Planets with your Mechanized Units on them are treated as if having a Planetary Shield regarding Bombardement. Also, your Mechanized Units are harder to hit (-1) if they're the only units left in a Ground Battle.
- Alternatively: Siege Deployment - Mechanized Units are considered full PDS units (with all Bonuses) if declared as such (no activation required, the unit will be active in the next round - similar to construction rules). Such MUs act as PDS for all purposes, and do not partake in Ground Battles as MUs. They can be captured while in PDS-mode. The maximum number of PDS per planet is increased by +1.
(This is more passive aggressive and reflects the Sardakk way or slowly rolling over your enemies more).
6) Xxcha: They could use the planetary Shield of such MUs much better though.
- Otherwise: "Point of Order on the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure on the Agenda" / "Political Advisors" - during Council: After the First Player presented todays proposition, you can spend 1 Strategy Counter to look at the Political Deck of a Player. For another Strategy Counter you can choose a Political Card from his/her hand and procede with this proposition before dealing with the actual agenda (or instead). For the duration of this vote, the player you chose the Political Card from is considered the Speaker.
- Alternatively, as above, just: Resolve the vote on the Political Card you chose after the actual Card has been dealt with, but instead of choosing Representatives anew, you just cast your votes right on, however dead the Council may be at this moment.
(It would also be a possible variant to look at the other players hand at the beginning, choosing a Political Card, which cannot be spend as an extra vote, since it may be needed later on. The Xxcha-player may then, after the actual proposition has been dealt with, decide to spend the extra Strategy Counter, to call for the chosen Political Card to be resolved now in this state of Council as well.)
(Real-World-Politics is so much fun )
7) Mentak Coalition: Type-C Freighters - Mentak Carriers gain +2 to attack-rolls and an extra attack (2x7). They may also move, with all their cargo, through enemy Fleets. If the Mentak Fleet moving into an enemy Fleet solely consists of Carriers, and their respective cargo, they may unload their cargo onto Planets before Space Battle begins.
If this results in a Ground Battle, and the Battle is lost, the Carriers are also destroyed (or seized! - then of course losing their bonuses due to weapon regulations on civilian crafts etc). Deployed PDS can partake in the following Space Battle. (Additionally the Mentak player could keep their "Freighters" landed on the planet due to the nature of the operation.)
8) Muuat: Inner Flame - requ. Muuat units or planets under their jurisdiction adjacent to a Super Nova: Units of other players adjacent to this Super Nova receive a -1 penalty on all attack-rolls due to sensory malfunction due to solar winds/anomalies.
- alternatively: Heart/Home of Fire - requ. Super Nova: A Super Nova is modified to provide shelter to Muuat citizens. It is considered an 0/3 system and Muuat units may stop here from now on. This system may not have a Space Dock. This system counts as two (2) PDS with the Deep Space Cannon-Upgrade. A hit deals 2 damage to it's assigned target.
9) Naalu: Scouts' Premonition - requ Fighters in Fleet/System: Once per Fighter (per round) you may look at Distant Suns-/Deep Space-tokens in this or adjacent systems.
- the softer variant: If you have Fighters present in this system you may always scout it's planets Distant Suns-Tokens (1 per Fighter) before landing with your Ground Forces. You may land in the same turn/activation that you scouted. On activation of a system with a Deep-Space-Token, you may look at it before deciding to move any units there.
(Naalu should be more encouraged to play out their naturally stronger Fighters. Also, the current scouting rules aren't very handy. I'm thinking up variants to make them more convenient to use without breaking that part of the game (discovery, slowing down and random OMG!)
10) Nekro Virus: Valefar Assimilator!

That's all I could instantly come up with right now x.x
I just kept on writing because it was fun ^-^

What else?

F) For convenience sake: Fleet-holder-hexes in that come with the box.
Hexes are so crowded already. Some help from the 3rd dimension would be appreciated.
Puts (at least part of) your Fleet on a podest in the air above your respective hex and makes the board more clear arrange (eg what's on a Carrier/Planet).
I'm currently trying to figure out/construct a good model to use with TI with the 3D-printer in our club when I find the time.