- Joined
- Jan 2, 2010
- Messages
- 7,283
- Reaction score
- 3,153
I never quite expected to try this three times. This time I decided to skip the exploration phase entirely - yes, there is a story to be had in that, but I found that noting down what was happening with the Anomalies, etc, was really slowing me down, and I ended up with more than I ever intended to adapt into a simple blog.
Rules are the same this time round:
First principles! I will be playing as the human Commonwealth of Earth. The conceit is that Earth is now a unified planet ruled by a parliament of the nations. The human race, reaching for the stars, is convinced of its own superiority and sense of manifest destiny.
In-game, the Commonwealth is a Citizen Republic: a Democracy with the Parliamentary System and Citizen Service civics, and Xenophone, Militarist, and Spiritualist as ethics.
Commentary
I've ended up as a somewhat smaller Empire this time round. The immediate galactic neighbourhood isn't crowded, per se, but there is generally less breathing room than I've had in a lot of games. My neighbours are somewhat balanced. The Gargaxton Sovereignty were my first contact and have been stubbornly aggressive from day one. Likewise the Glirr Directorate have been constantly unfriendly. On the other hand I have managed to forge Defensive Pacts with both the Othethi Grand Duchy and the Yl'Khahan Tribunal, so my position is actually quite strong.
Having relatively few systems has been a mixed blessing, or mixed problem, depending upon how you look at it. Obviously resources are constantly at a premium. I've not ever had much money in the bank, and at times even Minerals have been in short supply. But then, the admin burden is low, and the concentration of systems also means it's been easier to plan defences. Two main starbases have been enough to act as defences for both the Gargaxton border and the Glirr.
This Empire is turning out to be less politically stable. No one party is particularly dominant. For some reason a Xenophile party spawned, who more or less hate all my policies, so Influence more than any other resource has constantly been scarce. Spending most of the budget on diplomatic agreements doesn't help, admittedly. The nature of a Democratic authority is that you make the best of whatever the elections deal you. I could have done without an inexperienced army officer being elected to the Chancellorship. But what the hell. at least for the length of the term I'll be able to build Corvettes more cheaply.
The priority at the moment is to make the most out of the space I have. I've been prioritising technologies that give bonuses to production - particularly research stations - and making use of the low admin burden to colonise any likely planet within reach.
Rules are the same this time round:
- All game decisions have to be made with roleplay in mind - the point is to build a story with the game.
- Maximum of 2 hours game play in any one day.
- Ironman Mode is mandatory: no cheating through saves allowed.
First principles! I will be playing as the human Commonwealth of Earth. The conceit is that Earth is now a unified planet ruled by a parliament of the nations. The human race, reaching for the stars, is convinced of its own superiority and sense of manifest destiny.
In-game, the Commonwealth is a Citizen Republic: a Democracy with the Parliamentary System and Citizen Service civics, and Xenophone, Militarist, and Spiritualist as ethics.
Commentary
I've ended up as a somewhat smaller Empire this time round. The immediate galactic neighbourhood isn't crowded, per se, but there is generally less breathing room than I've had in a lot of games. My neighbours are somewhat balanced. The Gargaxton Sovereignty were my first contact and have been stubbornly aggressive from day one. Likewise the Glirr Directorate have been constantly unfriendly. On the other hand I have managed to forge Defensive Pacts with both the Othethi Grand Duchy and the Yl'Khahan Tribunal, so my position is actually quite strong.
Having relatively few systems has been a mixed blessing, or mixed problem, depending upon how you look at it. Obviously resources are constantly at a premium. I've not ever had much money in the bank, and at times even Minerals have been in short supply. But then, the admin burden is low, and the concentration of systems also means it's been easier to plan defences. Two main starbases have been enough to act as defences for both the Gargaxton border and the Glirr.
This Empire is turning out to be less politically stable. No one party is particularly dominant. For some reason a Xenophile party spawned, who more or less hate all my policies, so Influence more than any other resource has constantly been scarce. Spending most of the budget on diplomatic agreements doesn't help, admittedly. The nature of a Democratic authority is that you make the best of whatever the elections deal you. I could have done without an inexperienced army officer being elected to the Chancellorship. But what the hell. at least for the length of the term I'll be able to build Corvettes more cheaply.
The priority at the moment is to make the most out of the space I have. I've been prioritising technologies that give bonuses to production - particularly research stations - and making use of the low admin burden to colonise any likely planet within reach.