The Emirates of Hacan 2 player House rules mod for Twilight Imperium 3rd edition.
I found this game at our local geek shop.. I hesitated because I knew finding two other willing players with comparable schedules would be difficult.. Couldn't resist, game looked to cool to pass up.. I was right, to cool to pass up, and hard to find two more to play..
How to make it fun as a two player?? here's how..
The Premise:
A Long time ago on a Dining Room Table Far Away.........
The Hacan are a Race of wealthy Traders, galaxies away, who posess Star Gate Technology. They do not need worm holes to travel vast distances. however, despite this awesome tech advantage, the Hacan are incapable of projecting their power beyond their own galaxy on their own. A star gate is not only difficult to produce, it's only capable of moving average sized fleets at once.
The Hacan learned long ago that total domination of distant galaxies is a fools bet. It is better fir trade to meet the locals and play their game. better to be a fickle friend then a common enemy..
The Hacan have just entered a new galaxy upon completion of their latest Star Gate. A galaxy that holds two New Races struggling for domination. Be it religious be it ancestral claim? The Hacan don't care as long as there is opportunity to create lucrative permanent trade. "Let the games begin!" as the Hacan always say.
In the end one of these two new species will become the dominant sentient race, or luck willing, the Only sentient race. Which one it is matters not to the Hacan. If they lose all their expeditionary forces, It's simply the cost of doing business. In the end all is always forgotten, and the victor is always willing to trade..
The Mod Rules:
8 new tokens are needed in the common area. Bingo tokens or whatever works. They will be called Mistrust tokens..
Players should be cross table from one another. Race choice and board set up is the same as three player save this:
The Emirates of Hacan are fixed and must be excluded from random choice. They will start the game neutral.
Place Mecatol Rex in the center with a flat edge facing left/right of both players. This means the finished triangle board will be sideways to either player not pointing at any one player. Take the Hacan home system tile and the Super Nova tile and put them aside.
Remove two empty systems and an asteroid field from play, shuffle and deal out 8 tiles to each player and the Hacan. Do not peak at the Hacan tiles.
Players now generate the board as normal save this: The player who places first, next also places the hacan's first tile by choosing a random one of the Hacan's eight. The second player then places their first tile and then proceeds to place a randomly chosen Hacan tile.. Rince & repeat.. The Hacan's tiles must be placed within the current unfinished ring and in legal position if possible. The yes/no Previous Planet System Placement Rule does not apply to the Hacan. The Hacan's tiles will all be placed in half the time it takes both players to place their own tiles..
Key change in board set up: Once the Hacan Home System tile is ready to be set, the Super Nova tile is placed in it's spot instead. The Hacan Home System is then placed off the extreme tip of the Super Nova tile. The board should now resemble a sideways Christmas tree where the Hacan Home System is the star on top..
The Super Nova tile is now a Star Gate usable only by the Hacan. The Star Gate allows all Hacan Fleet units to move two systems when leaving their Home System. It also allows all Hacan Fleet units to move two systems when returning to their Home System, but only when starting their movement from a system tile adjacent to the Star Gate. Movement through the Star Gate costs one. Flank Speed may not be used when moving through the Star Gate.
Players Races may never enter the Star gate as they do not posess the technology to do so. To do so would tear their fleets apart.
The Hacan may not end fleet movement in the Star Gate. It is not a System, it cannot be activated. It is a gate...
The Hacan start with normal units and counters and receive an unrevealed action card.
Attach the Hacan Space Dock to Arretze. (Note: The Hacan may have only one Space Dock in their Home System.)
Players each start with the same units and counters save this: Each player receives one extra trade token. The Hacan do not.
Strategy card change:
Card 8 shall now read 8 Empire.
Primary: ability Empire, choose one.
(a) Roll one die for a 50%(choose High or low) chance to ally with the Hacan.
(b) Draw the top card of the Objective Deck and place it face up in the common Play area. Then receive one victory point.
Secondary ability, choose one:
(a) Spend one or more trade counters to randomly choose and discard Hacan action cards on a one to one basis. Trade tokens are placed in the common area.
(b) Spend one command counter from your Strategy Allocation area to immediately build units in one of your systems containing one or more friendly Space Docks, even if you have activated this system already. Building units here does not activate the system.
Note: Primary choice (a), if successful, causes the Hacan to switch allegiance if allied with the other player. They do not revert to neutral.. At no time can the Hacan be allied with both players. The player will receive their 1 victory point for activating Primary (a) on Strategy Card 8 Empire, but not until step 8 of the Status Phase.
Special rule for strategy Phase, card 8 Empire and card 1 Initiative:
Players cannot choose the Initiative card if they have already chosen the Empire card. Likwise, Players cannot choose the Empire card if they have already chosen the Initiative card.
Starting a round, players always choose 3 strategy cards during the strategy phase if the Hacan are neutral during this phase. The Hacan do not get Strategy cards while they are neutral.
Bonus counters are applied to the remaining two Strategy cards as usual throughout game play.
Gameplay:
Hacan do not move while neutral. Nor do they pick strategy cards while neutral. If Hacan are neutral in a Strategy Phase, both players pick three Strategy cards. If they are allied during a Strategy Phase, each Player picks two for their race, and the allied player picks two for the Hacan. Normal gameplay rules apply as far as pick order is concerned. While neutral the Hacan's first action is always a pass. When changed to neutral the Hacan's next action is always Pass.
The Action Phase:
1) Bribe action
2) Strategic action
3) Tactical action
4) Transfer action
5) Pass
Bribing the Hacan: The Hacan can be bribed from neutral to allied and vice versa. during a players action they may announce they wish to bribe the Hacan as their action. The player then takes one of his command counters from the command pool on their race sheet and activates the Hacan's Home System. It costs four trade counters to bribe the Hacan + 1 trade counter for every Mistrust counter the player may hold ( Mistrust counters explained soon). Bribing only changes Hacan from neutral to allied or vise versa. It never changes the Hacan from one ally to the other. Bribing is done as an action so it is possible to bribe the Hacan twice in 1 round. If the player bribes the Hacan to neutral, the player keeps any Mistrust counters if applicable. If a player bribes the Hacan to be their ally all that players Mistrust counters, if applicable, are returned to the common area. All trade counters used to bribe the Hacan are given to the Hacan.
There is a chance to foil a bribe.
If the Hacan have been bribed to ally with a player, the non-allied player immediately gets 1 chance to foil, their choice. If the non-allied player chooses to do so they may take 1 die rolling a 10% chance to foil, regardless how many Mistrust tokens they hold. The non allied player then rolls one die. They must get a one to foil the deal. If they do, the Hacan remain neutral and the bribe is still paid..
Any player who is allied with the Hacan gains control of the Hacan and takes their turn in the normal sequence, even if the Hacan were neutral at the beginning of the round. This means a player who has just successfully allied with the Hacan may start to execute Hacan actions in the correct sequence ( counter clockwise from the speaker if the Hacan hold no Strategy cards)..
As long as the Hacan are allied with a player at the beginning of a round, two Strategy cards per Race are chosen. The Hacan will now choose two Strategy Cards as well, chosen for them by the controlling player in the correct turn order. The Hacan may not choose the Initiative or the Empire Strategy Cards.
Hacan Primary activation is done as a Hacan action. Secondary is decided upon for the Hacan, in normal sequence, by the controlling player. Any activation done buy the Hacan, primary or secondary, is applied to the Hacan. The Hacan do not activate any Strategies, Primary or secondary, while neutral.
Typical Secondary activation rules apply to the Hacan and the player if allied. This means the allied player may execute a secondary of the Hacan's Strategy Card, and vice versa.. Niether the allied player nor the Hacan may execute their own secondary's.
The Mistrust Counters:
If a Non-allied player attacks the Hacan, neutral or not, the player receives a Mistrust token (max 4). One token per any battle action.
If an allied player uses the Hacan to attack another player and the Hacan take 50% casualties, both Ground and Fleet combined, in any one battle during the action phase, (Dreadnaughts and War Suns = two units) the player receives a Mistrust token (max 4). The allied player does not receive a Mistrust token if the non-allied player attacks the Hacan. The 50% casualties rule applies to any Domain effects as well if playing Distant Sun's... You should play Distant Sun's..
If a player reaches the Max 4 Mistrust tokens while allied with the Hacan, the Hacan revert immediately to neutral. If the player who loses the Hacan as their ally this way holds the Speaker token they lose it to the other player, but only if the other player has less mistrust tokens in their possession. If the other player holds 4 Mistrust tokens as well, the speaker Token does not change hands..
Should he Hacan revert to neutral and still be in possession of any Strategy Cards where the primaries have not yet been activated: Each player Race may activate the secondary. In this case, follow these rules. If two cards remain without primary activation, the cards numerical order determine what cards Secondary is up first in play order. The normal order of play for player secondary activation applies. The cards are then turned over to read inactive. The Primaries do not get activated and are lost for that round. Do not return the cards until the status phase. Should the Hacan re-ally the cards will still determine their action order.
If a player has not received a Mistrust token during the entire last round, allied or not, remove one Mistrust Token if applicable. Do this after the Status Phase but Before the Strategy Phase. Call this the, "Kissy Butt Phase," if you wish..
Mistrust tokens each equal a -10% chance, adjusted accordingly to high/low choice, on all die roll attempts to ally with he Hacan.
If A player successfully allies with the Hacan while under penalty of any # of Mistrust Tokens, return all that players Mistrust tokens to the common area.
Note: The Hacan Home system may never be invaded..
Note: Should the Hacan units all be eliminated, save the starting Space dock, immediately revert the Hacan's to neutral, follow the Hacan Strategy Card rules for Hacan turning neutral. Then reset all Hacan starting units and Command Tokens. Any Hacan trade tokens remain. Discard all Hacan action cards, then draw one unrevealed action card for the Hacan. Continue play as normal.
Note: Players may never mix their units with Hacan units..
Trade takes place as usual, and cancels as usual. Players may open up trade with each other and a neutral or allied Hacan providing any normal game requirements are met. The Hacan always receive their trade counters allied or not.
A Player allied with the Hacan may use Hacan influence to vote.
If the Hacan are neutral they do not vote. They do however, while neutral, give one influence to the player who's trade card they hold has the highest value. If the Hacan hold trade cards from both players, and the cards are of equal value, Player who holds the Trade Strategy Card gets the vote. If the Trade Card has not been selected the Speaker gets the vote. If no player has exchanged trade cards with the Hasan, no vote is claimed.
The Hacan Never claim Victory Points or complete objectives..
Status Phase:
1) Qualify for Public/Secret Objective cards.
2) Repair Damaged Ships
3) Remove Command Counters.
4) Refresh Planet cards.
5) Receive 2 command counters: exception, A neutral Hacan receive no counters.
6) Receive one Action Card, including a neutral Hacan.
7) Done only if the Hacan are allied: The non allied player rolls at a 20% chance one die(choose high/low) to revert the Hacan to neutral. Mistrust tokens do not apply to this roll. No mater what the roll outcome, neither player discards their Mistrust tokens.
8) Done only if Strategy Card 8 Empire Primary (a) was chosen by it's controlling player that round. If the condition is met the player receives one Victory point.
9) Return Strategy cards.
That's it.. Play testing well.. Feel free to post any tweaks..
Cheers all, have fun.. >
