Earlier thoughts

Today I noticed someone else’s group banned Heliocentricity. The TaoLing and I had a phone call with Lou W. (who is named in the credits) and he pointed out that it is powerful, but also “unsubtly powerful,” (as compared to the subtle political powers that I don’t appreciate as much because I have much less experience exploiting them).

My reframing of his position is that a bonus coast (or Space Force’s freighter movement) is like Military Power in Race for the Galaxy … it is strong; but new players perceive it as dominant because its an obvious strategy that is easy to implement.

I cannot dismiss this argument out of hand.

We had a (co-op) game with Explorers without Borders¹ and it did prove more useful than expected, letting me refuel an allied rocket two burns away from LEO sometimes lets you dodge weight restrictions (put a bit of fuel in, get +1 thrust for the rad belt), then fuel some more, saving a turn. There are also cases where it helps move your first Bernal faster.

The TaoLing had a game with Cerulean and the reduced FINAO on airbrakes and ISRU upgrade were fine.

LEO Workers Union is kind of counterfeited when playing co-op, but murder/suicide is indeed strong.

1. Because of Stationfall I keep wanting to type Explorers without Boarders ︎

Update 10/1 — Updated based on some rules discussions. Updates included inline.

The Person formally known as The TaoLing is back in town for a few months, and had some time off. We’ve previously played High Frontier (nearly a decade ago), so we’ve played a few games of HF4A now, working up from simple “Race To Titan,” then an Altruism or two (so that any rules mistakes would affect us equally) and finally M012 with contracts (and doubled FINAO) from M4, but not augmentations/isobank/exodus. And also crew. As such, it’s time to start the discussion of the crews from the pack.

This is somewhat fraught as many of the crews abilities vary in utility depending on the module. But there does seem to be a vast disparity in any case. These are sorted by color (first) then by name alphabetically. Having such variance isn’t bad (in particular, I might take a weak power when teaching or solitaire, but as the angel said in 2016 — Malcolm is overpowered and needs to be nerfed. I’ll use the FUDGE scale for my ratings (Terrible, Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good, Great, and Superb, along with ?)

General Thoughts

• Thrusts are mostly 11-14, so enough to hit the big Jovian moons … the 14s can land most anywhere even loaded and the 15s can definitely. 14 or 15 is a plus. Less than eleven is a minus.
• Most Fuel Consumptions are 8, but they range up to 14 and I think there’s a 7. In general you are only burning once to land on a large site, although in theory you could go 2+ lander burns in some places. I’ll not <X>T/<Y>FC for thrust/fuel consumption.
• All have an afterburn cost of 2. The low thrusts might need to afterburn or the might need to afterburn just for a therm.
• All robonaut 4s (except The Martian Way is a 3), the missile only are a bit worse due to lack of raygun or buggy bonuses, but that’s pretty minor. (The buggy matters mostly for Mars and other multi-claims). In general the robonaut type isn’t a big deal.

The Actual Crews

• BRIN (Green. 11T/14 FC Dirt) — Your radiators have 2 extra rad hard during a belt roll. Back is flip radiators to heavy side. It’s a dirt thruster (nice!), but the 14 cost is … very high, even for crew. Still, it might allow a mid-game site refuel to max and then aerostat (etc). I like the extra rad-hardness, but if you are using your 11 Thrust through the rad belt (with most of the crews) you can substitute a turn for this power. Rating — Poor (but maybe the dirt thruster improves it to Fair).
• Heliocentricty (Green 15T/8FC) — After your stack moves, you can activate this thruster to coast. Monstrously good. Get an extra hohmann pivot for free, sometimes you can coast into an aerobraking. The backside immunity to some hazards is also great. Rating — Superb. Along with Space Force (see below) this seems much more powerful than most.
• Utopia, Inc (Green, but misprinted yellow. 10T/8FC) — I don’t play with M5, so … no opinion. But low thrust.
• Maker’s Guild (Grey. 14T/9FC. Missile 4) — Getting Bernal Profits with just a factory is nice. Being able to ditch two cards for a card as a free action (and skip the auction) is quite nice. Rating — Good.
• New Pilgrims (Grey. 12T/9FC. Buggy / Raygun 4) — Being able to Claim Jump (not as a felony) and share can be OK. If you have a play group that makes deals you might even be able to have someone lay a claim you couldn’t just to split the factory. On the flip side exomigrating a specific specialty also seems nice. Rating — Good.
• VerisAI (Grey. 15T/9FC. Missile / Raygun 4) — I don’t play with M5, so … no opinion.
• AEB (Purple. 11T/8FC) — I don’t normally work politics too much, so being able to Lobby by making a delegate centrist (instead of decommissioning) seems … ok. Being able to start/end anarchy on the flip side might be very powerful, but conditional. No rating. Rating — Poor/??
• Jaxa (Purple. 12T/8FC) — Winning a contract automatically at six years seems …. situationally very good but the situation is rare. The flip side of being able to get spaceborn w/o BEO (and flip augmentations) seems also OK. Rating — Fair. Update — This also depends on how many people are playing; with more players it gets more powerful.
• Space Force (Purple. 14T/10FC) — Moving as a freighter seems incredible, turning you as a solar sail that can go out (until you get a glory chit).¹ And the flip side is higher weight, with glory chit. And the 14T is a nice cherry on top! This seems too powerful, in need of some nerfing (The TaoLing and I discussed a much lower thrust, perhaps 9, lower rad-hardness, or — like a solar sail — decommissioned by aerobraking). Rating — Superb. One other option is that you can’t move as a freighter with a glory chit OR contract….
• Baltimore Gun Club (Red. No Thruster! Raygun 4.) — Bonus burn starting at LEO (etc when flipped), great. No crew rocket! Horrible. 2 Mass, also horrible! (Does a bonus burn act like a flyby?). Rating — I’d have to try it, but … Poor? Update — Definitely difficult to operate, but the bonus burn does really matter for the first mission, so I’m going to say that it might be Fair.
• Brotherhood of CrytptoBankers (Red.12T/11FC. Missile 4) — I don’t play with M5, so … no opinion but I note the 11 FC is a bit of a slap in the face. And only a missile robonaut!
• Explorers w/o Borders (Red. 9T/8FC. Missile/Raygun 4) — The base ability (free cargo transfer of aqua to LEO/Bernal) only seems to matter if you have a Home Bernal (therefore, your bank) AND a thruster at LEO (where you normally couldn’t give it water), which is an edge case you try to avoid. Update — After some discussion, this lets you transfer water to any of the Home Bernal anchor points, which means you can boost through the cycler/rad belt and then load more fuel, which may save you some thrust (and or not return to LEO to refuel for some missions). Also, a Net Thrust of 9 is … bad. It means you have to load balance a few sites that other’s can hit heavy, and can’t even get you the Moon or Mars. The flipped side might be useful if you get isotopes before bernals but i’d have to think about so meh. Rating — Poor Fair
• Cerulean (White. 15T/9FC. Missile 4) — If you end on an aerobrake or hazard FINAO costs one and gains an FT. Situationally seems quite good (if you are going Saturn early). Refueling as ISRU zero (once you flip) is nice, but it requires a Bernal, which means you might have a factory. Also an Air eater Rating — Fair? Good? I’d need to play with it more
• Galahad Group (White 15T/9FC. Missile 4) — Carry any number of glory chits and lobby honor w/o losing a delegate and (flipped) during exomigration your colonists can appear anywhere you have a colony chip. The latter seems strong, but you have to get the chits. Rating — Good?
• The Martian Way (White. 14T/7FC. Missile 3) – Immunity to Pad explosions and and -2 to earth rad roles. Also a ‘3’ robonaut instead of the typical ‘4’. The flipped side of producing “C” spectrum at non-C sites is nice … but also counterfeited² by the hex augmentation (if you are playing with those). Rating — Good.
• African Union Space Directorate (Yellow. 12T/9FC. Buggy/Missile 4) — Performing a vote tally (for free?³) and treating your delegates at 2 each seems powerful way to force the law(s) you like into action, and the flip side of treating any/all tied ideologies as laws can be quite good. I do not normally focus on politics … but this seems fine. Rating — Fair, maybe Good.
• Leo Workers Union (Yellow, but misprinted Green. 14T/11FC. Raygun/Missile 4) — 2 extra aqua and murder/suicide seems reasonable. Being able to choose first player and hijack even colonized factories seems nice. I suspect you go bernal early for the income, the can ET produce at others factories…. Rating — Fair or Good.
• The Sea Peoples (Yellow. 14T/8F. Buggy/Missile 4) — Connections is pretty reasonable, being able to do any contract you have a delegate gives you good flexibility. The flip side of getting rebates on FINAO is nice, particularly if you are playing the M4 Exodus variant, where you can get back ~4 (or even more for the desperation starship FINAO). Rating — Good.

I think there’s a big gap between the bonus move crews (Heliocentricity and Space Force) and everything else, at least if you are playing with contracts. Being able to bid on a contract on Turn one is a big deal … nobody can undercut you … because they can’t fly. They probably are still Great without contracts.

Anyway, this is mostly the discussion of “How good do think these are….” … proposed balance changes are later.

Also — Why is the Trojan Jovian Camp so much farther from Saturn than the Greek Jovian Camp? Both are roughly the same distance from Jupiter, and both are in lagranges (so … stable relative to jupiter) so my naive (earthbound) feelings is that they should be equidistant to a Jupiter flyby…

Also Also — Starship Flight 14.

1. This was even worse in our last game, because the opening contracts included one to allow suicide, so you could get the glory chit/finish the contract/suicide repeat with zero cards. ︎
2. TaoLing — “Isn’t is also counterfeiting going to Mars, since you can get your ‘C’ site stuff anywhere?” Me — Nods approvingly. TaoLing — “Also, it’s not a buggy, which you’d definitely want on Mars.” ︎
3. It’s at the start of the turn, so it seems to not be free, and optional. ︎

Now that I’ve done a (Solo) High Frontier for All game with Modules 0+1+2+4, some quick thoughts.

• The contracts and augmentations do make each game feel different. Getting an income boost lets you take off faster, at the cost of having to go to a place you would normally ignore. An early ability can be game changing. Literally, like being able to ignore budget cuts or having a better rad-hardness. And the augmentations …. getting a colonist who adds a hydration, or is an ISRU1 raygun opens up the board. I haven’t gone “Bernal First” often, but could easily see that to get that first augmentation on the board fast.
• Needing four augmentations to promote a GW thruster to a TW thruster is a big deal. Normally when I get the GW thruster it’s promoted in a few turns. (One turn if it’s the D-D type) but in my game it took over 20 turns to line everything up.
• Having the first isotope produced double FINAO costs from 4 Aq to 8 Aq is huge. (I’m playing the Exodus.2022 variant). I misunderstood the timing and if I’d played it correctly I would have probably hosed myself out of the game. But this solves some of the midgame issues in M012 where you have so much money it doesn’t matter. Money was tighter much longer.
• I’m less enchanted with the Isobank/Starshot … it seems good (possibly even great) in solitaire but might be gamey in multiplayer games. It does put a lot of tension and/or racing to be the person to Establish the IsoBank, which is probably good.
• As for the rules … well, it’s a good thing I know the developer.¹

High Frontier is still Enthusiastic.

Module 4 is also Enthusiastic. I’ll be doing more solo with M4, and introducing it into the group (when that’s reasonable), but if people want to introduce it in stages, that’s OK (and what I did). Contracts only (or Contracts and Augmentations) is a decent first step.

1. Standard Consulting Rates applied, but I got the “Friends and Family” discount. ︎

(Part 1, Part 2)

(I have some pictures, but the cloud is acting up … perhaps I’ll update later).

Yes, we’re through five cycles with only a non-maximal number of mistakes made. Sure, rules have been bent and broken. Sure FINAO costs were not doubled at the correct time. But the mission must go on, ideally with no repercussions for Mission Control. As always, we are declaring Mistake Bankruptcy — if something was wrong that was undetected in the prior articles, we’re not fixing it now (although I’ll go back and footnote it in the prior articles).

T6.1 — (9 Aq, 3 iso¹) I really like the Triggered Decay Positrons contract a flyby bonus through radiation spaces would speed up my trips …. but landing at the Saturn Aerostat is difficult with a max thrust of 12 and adding almost any weight will make that impossible. I think about this for a bit before noticing something worse … I already have all three of the augmentations it offers. Nope. I need a fourth augmentation. The choice is easy — Ring Rain. Going to Rhea is pretty much on my route. Cancelling a Ring hazard is … fine? But it’s two new augmentations (Goo and Wardens). I can swing by Rhea, then when I get back to the Bernal convert to a TW thruster! So I fundraise (10 Aq) and put a delegate in Authority (and the law, why not?) and take Ring Rain. It’s got a 15 Aq advance, so I’m at 25. I put the clock on T6.7 (6 turns ahead). The rocket arrives at the Home Bernal, so I can attach the contract.

T6.2 — (Anarchy, 26 Aq, 5 Iso) The anarchy roll is annoying. (I normally just double-coast on this turn when going from Home Bernal–> Enceladus), but coasting requires my faction privilege. Do I care enough to lobby and cancel? I don’t think I do.

Rhea is a smidge closer, so I can make it in two turns instead of three, it just costs me an extra fuel step. I power up the rocket and go through the Jupiter Flyby. I have an operation … I could get some more fuel, but I think I’ll ET produce the Impact Mold Sinter refinery at the Bernal. On a return trip I could spend it to homestead or I might actually industrialize again at some point².

Perhaps I should promote one (or both) colonists or stock up on fuel, but the 2 free fuel per turn (thanks to the Rock Rats) seems fine.

T6.3 — (27 Aq, 7 Iso) The rocket lands on Rhea (I pay the 8 Aqua for FINAO on the landing hazard, so down to 19 Aq) and (as a free action) finish the Ring Rain contract and grab the new augmentations. As another free action, Malcolm implants the domesticated goo “C” ability. So I can no ET produce the Microbial Fuel Cell generator at the Enceladus Bernal. (If I had a robonaut, I could prospect Rhea, but I don’t….)

T6.4 — (Glitch N/A, 20 Aq, 9 Iso). My rocket goes from Rhea to the Bernal … and since I’ve finished the Ring Hazard contract, I ignore ring hazards … like Rhea’s “debris ring.” Nice. And now that Malcolm has four augmentations, I can promote the Mini-Mag thruster to it’s purple/TW side … the Solem Medusa Tugged Orion.³ Yeah, the mass goes way up, but 12 burns for one step instead of four steps (or 9 burns for free).

T6.5 — (21 Aq, 11 Iso). Transfer the Microbial Fuel Cell to the rocket and 6 of the isotopes into the Fuel tanks (down to 5 Iso). The top exodus contract is … not easy, so I fundraise (22 Aq) and go to the next one. It’s the Decanting Network which requires going to 2002 TX, way out in the Neptune zone. But that should be doable (even with the extra 5 Mass). I could wait and take it once I get back to my Home Bernal (to start the timer later) but I think I’ll take it now. (I get an 8 Aqua advance, so 30.) I can afford being late a turn or tow, and I might want another action more. The rocket flies halfway (as normal) taking the Microbial Fuel Cells with it, but this time it’s no fuel (since I go 9 burns).

I can’t quite make it one turn, but at least it’s free. I’m taking the generator in case I decide I want to move my home bernal … it will need the support. If not I can use it for homesteading.

T6.6 — (Glitch N/A, 31 Aq, 7 Iso) The rocket flies the rest of the way and picks up the exodus contract and drops off the generator and no-longer-needed radiator at the Home bernal. I ET produce the robonaut at Enceladus (using the “C” ability Malcolm has).

T6.7 — (32 Aq, 9 Iso) Malcolm promotes the Rock Rats to the Alchemist Aviatrices who double Isotope yield. Ah, I should have done that earlier. Since I could have done that first, I can get 3 Iso instead of 2 (by ordering the promotion before the free site refuel)⁴, so I’m actually at 10 Iso. Isotopes will no longer be a problem. The rocket starts the outward trip.

T6.8 — (Flare not an issue, 33 Aq, 13 Iso) — I have the rocket swing by the Bernal and ET produce the Femtochemical refinery and transfer them both. If I’m going to Neptune, may as well build a factory out there. The timing works out (I think). If not, I’ll pay a late fee.

T6.9 — (34, 16 Iso). I promote Malcolm to the Renaissance Man. I don’t think the ability will be helpful, but I’m aiming for futures now. The rocket goes ….

T6.10 — (Inspiration, 38 Aq, 19 Iso). The only deck of note is the Earthborn Colonists, and I get the Heavy Water Survivalists. I can definitely fulfill that future⁵, so I homestead (using my black-sided radiator) the Vatican Observers to colonize Enceladus and exomigrate the Survivalists. The rocket keeps going through the Uranus Flyby …

Mystery Turn — The rocket goes through the Neptune Flyby …. I think I double flew the rocket on one turn and forgot to advance the turn marker. This should have cost me some aqua (on a late fee) and shortened my game by a turn, but in the grand scheme of things doesn’t matter because I have plenty of aqua and I didn’t do much the last few turns. If you want, you can mentally assume all the turn numbers are one farther out (and I got more free Aqua/Iso), but I’m keeping them as is to keep my notes sane.

T6.11 — (39 Aq, 22 Iso) The rocket lands at TX 2002, which fulfills my exodus contract, giving me an extra colonist (and 3 FT), so I exo-migrate the Juiced Cosmonauts. Lovely, another future I can fulfill!⁶ Next I prospect TX 2002 and naturally fail. But the Lorentz-Propelled Microprobe has a re-roll. Naturally that fails, too. Stupid 1-in-9… At least I get the Neptune Glory chit, yes I’ve had my crew pretty much the whole game.

T6.12 — (40 Aq, 25 Iso) Fine. I go to Haumea (-8 for FINAO on the Rapid Spin) and prospect there, only making it because you can’t miss on a ‘7’ site, no doubt.

T7.1 — (33 Aq, 28 Iso). Industrialize Haumea and start the trip back (another -8 FINAO).

T7.2 — (26 Aqua, 31 Iso). I homestead the Heavy Water Survivalists to colonize Haumea (using the Microbial Generator, I don’t think I’m moving my Home Bernal). I exomigrate the Boyle Engineering Collective, who are basically useless.

T7.3 — (27 Aq, 34 Iso). The rocket makes it back to Enceladus. I think this is actually correct this time, because I has a higher max thrust due to lower weight (and the drift ability lined up correctly), but if I was wrong again it again doesn’t much matter, since the game timer ends 9 turns after creating the desperation starshot. In fact, I should mess around (gaining more points) before launching, but I’m in the endgame. I first ET produce the robonaut (I can certainly get one more factory) and then use the free action to create the desperation starshot.

Yes yes, you can score just as well letting the starship go at the end of the game, but I said I’d launch a desperation shot. So I Shall do it.

I load up the Renaissance Man as my colonist, and put 30 Iso fuel on the starship, which should be more than enough to get max points. Initially I look at going through the Jupiter-Sol-Jupiter exit, but do I have to pay for all those hazards? Yikes. The Neptune Exist only has a ring hazard.

As per the rules, the game will end at 9 turns ahead, after we leave T7.12. We’re now in anarchy, but the Starship heads off towards Neptune (afterburning just to get the extra thrust).

T7.4 — I ET produce the refinery and the rocket heads back to LEO as the Starship moves past Iapetus (afterburning again). (I’m not going to bother listing Aqua and Isos … they aren’t that important anymore).

T7.5 — The rocket stops at the Home Bernal, picking up the colonists. The Starship is heading towards the next planet in line (those three ballerinas helping immensely).

T7.6 — There’s no useful contract, so I simply fly my rocket to Mercury’s North pole and prospect, thankfully not having to roll. The Starship does it’s Uranus flyby and is on the way to Neptune …

T7.7 — I industrialize on Mercury and head back to LEO as the Starship does the Neptune flyby and encounters the Ring Crossing. Do I have to pay? Good question, but in any case I have the money if necessary and the starship is out.

I still have until the end of the round which I play with going back to my Home Bernal (Mercury Tickertape) moving and upgrading my colonist and getting some futures, but on reading them carefully they don’t actually score me anything. I probably could have gotten another factory, but whatever.

Final Scoring:

• Pieces on board — 22
• Factory Points — 34
• Dirtsides — 10
• Colonists — 8
• Glory Chits — 15
• Contracts — 15
• Futures — 0
• Exodus Chits — 12 (as a solo player, it’s easy to get all three chits).
• Exodus Fuel — 18
• Augmentations — 4
• Politics (Honor) — 5

Which is 143 VP if my math is right⁷

Final Thoughts on Module 4

I think I’ll put that in a separate post, so that casual readers can see it.

But as for the rules, apart from a few gray areas and rules mistakes, I think several of my mistakes were because it was solitaire. Much easier to forget to move the disk (or move it an extra time) or double up a move or operation (forgetting you already did one already) when there is only one player.

Some mistakes may have also been introduced in the transcription and typing up. Certainly the biggest mistake was missing Isotope Monetization when I produced my first fuel. The double FINAO costs (especially since I miscalculated and needed multiple hazard rolls) should have been devastating.

Update 9/2 — I was doing Miner gets a free refuel action, not “If you take a site refuel, the miner gets an additional one ….” so uh, yeah. In my defense, that’s in the printed rule book.

1. I get one free aqua a turn (at my Home Bernal) and a miner free site-refuel collocated with Malcom (+1 iso), so 2 free iso a turn at the Enceladus Bernal ︎
2. Soon, Malcolm can augment the Domesticated Goo to make Enceladus able to produce C for the robonaut, then (as an industrialist) could Nanofacture as a free operation, so the rocket could stake claims and the Bernal could send down factories…. ︎
3. It requires a “D” site, but thanks to 1A5b “Lab Promotion Site (Module 2). A Promoted and Anchored Bernal is always a valid promotion colony for Colonist, Freighter, and GW thruster cards.” ︎
4. The “order of operations” in 4A7h means the doubling happens before Malcolm’s +1 Iso. ︎
5. 2 Promoted Humans at a Promoted Anchor Bernal ︎
6. Or so I think, because I mentally assume that my “submarine” colonies are “astrobiology” as well. Or maybe I just can’t read. ︎
7. But why start now? ︎

(Previously on….)

Mission Control ponders for quite a while before eventually selecting Malcolm as the newest member of the team. I don’t think I have enough knowledge to know that it is correct … but it is probably a strategy I understand. Onboarding takes place at the Home (Office) Bernal, the Collimator Bernal at L4s.

At this point I should probably decide which Module 4 I’m playing. After reading the rules (a few times) I think I’ll go with the Exodus.2022 Variant (Player Aid). Why? It seems (in general) saner.¹ In any case, most of the changes involved the Isobank (a controversial rule, from what I can tell) so I can go forward with my augmentations (etc) without any differences.

Mission Control also declared “Mistake Bankruptcy …” if there are still errors from the previous session, they will not be corrected.

T4.3 — I get the first of that sweet, soul-quenching “Home Bernal Income” and also fundraise (4Aq) to switch the law back to Research Grants. It is time for the rocket to take off from CSW1, but Industrialists get a free implant action and I have a jar … so Malcolm implants the (jar-shaped) “You may use FT anywhere to pay for FINAO,” so when the rocket takes off through the hazard, it can pay it’s own way. The rocket heads back towards Hygiae, to pick up the necessary robonaut.

T4.4 — (Budget cuts, but we can ignore). (5Aq). Malcolm self-implants the “+1 Isotope refuel” triangle and then hops on the freighter, which can go through two burns (since I now have Powersat) to meet the rocket outside of Hygiea^{2 3}.

T4.5 — (Another round of Budget Cuts, ignored). (6Aq) Malcolm (legally) jumps from the freighter to the rocket, which jets to Hygiae to a) pick up the robonaut as a cargo transfer and b) Site Refuel. (In theory they could have also carried the freighter, but it can get there on it’s own power soon enough and it’s about to grow up and be too big to carry, so I might as well start now).

T4.6 — (7Aq) The freighter arrives at Hygiea … Malcom has two augmentations, so I can promote the freighter to a KESTS Hoop Dirt Launcher. After that it is time for the rocket to head towards our new destination, Enceladus.

Why Enceladus? Well, the Mini-Mag Orion Z-pinch Fission GW thruster is at the top of the deck and needs an M planet. I look through the card list and many of the other thrusters are also on types I don’t have, and though I don’t love the Mini-Mag it’s available and I’d hate to see the deck rotate to an H-type or something harder to get. So, it has to be an “M” spectral. Kleopatra is much closer (and just one size smaller), but it’s behind two hazards and I did notice that FINAO costs skyrocket (no matter which variant) so that’s a problem. And it turns out Enceladus is many burns farther away, but not many turns farther out. The rocket (with Factory assist launch) goes through one burn, hits the Jupiter flyby, gets four free burns, and then uses the last burn to take finish the second Hohma⁴nn. The crew thruster can then coast to the next one (thanks to the faction privilege), leaving me at…

T4.7 — (8 Aq) From Figure 2, we dive into Saturn’s gravity well, pay both the hazard and aerobraking FINAO from the Fuel Tanks*, use the two free burns and two paid for burns to stop on the Lagrange point outside Enceladus (the 5M in the upper left).

*BUT …. now that I think about it, I only paid 4 “steps” for each FINAO … and a step is not a Fuel Tank.

I go look at the living rules for an update and go down a rabbit hole. The living rules have different abilities for the augmentations! But that takes me a while to find … because they re-ordered and re-numbered some of the sections. (4C and 4D have swapped places, which makes quoting a rule … problematic). This is, frankly, nuts.

Once the components have been printed, that’s what they do. I’m hardly going to say that the Egyptians were the old-testament good guys; but Yul Brunner knew what he was talking about. Mission Control makes their ruling: “As the components are written, so let it be done.” I created a BGG thread to vent and then thought … nah, this is too odd.

I decide to double check the living rules on Ion’s site (as compared to what I downloaded a few months ago) … and yup, for some reason I had downloaded a very very old version of the living rules, probably a pre-print. No idea how, but anyway….

Ahem.

I had exactly enough FT (with my mistake) to get to Enceladus …. but I was mostly in the two steps per Aqua, so I think it’s correct to pay for one hazard from FT and the other hazard from Aqua, and adjust down to 4Aq. I still have a raygun, so I remotely prospect Enceladus and yup, it’s good.

T4.8 — (Flare, no problem). I get my Home Bernal income (5Aq) and land on Enceladus while paying for FINAO (1 Aq) and industrialize and take the Saturn Glory. I don’t know if I want to colonize (with my crew) but that’s a free action so I can wait.

T4.9 — (2 Aq) Time to start getting this Isobank thingy. I take the Mini-Mag Orion Z-pinch Fission GW Thruster … I could take a support, but I think I want to have fewer cards, in case something good shows up.

T4.10 — (3 Aq) There’s a solar flare, but everyone is grounded. ET Produce the Mini-mag.

T4.11 — (4 Aq) Decommission my rocket’s radiator to ET produce the black side Tin Droplet (Light) Radiator (The Mini-mag needs an extra therm of cooling. Improving the rad-hardness will also matter during flare season).

T4.12 — (5 Aq) There’s an inspiration which reveals a tourism contract that cancels hazards next to industrialized sites … appealing (since I have two such sites). But it’s more important to start the Iso Bank. In the published rules, I could just site-refuel to produce an yellow isotope, but in the variant I need to anchor a Bernal out here. With a working TW thruster I refuel for 2 yellow isotopes (thanks to Malcom’s +1 Isotope triangle). That’s not enough to get to the Home Bernal and back again (with a fuel consumption of 1/3rd), especially as I want to burn through at least some of the Hohmanns …. so I wait.

T5.1 — (6 Aq) Produce two more isotopes and that should be enough, leaving Malcolm on site. (Arguably I should have also dropped the old thruster to save some mass, but I didn’t). I pay the FINAO (dropping to 2 Aq) and head back six burns (which is enough to get out of the main Saturn system, then use the secondary crew thrust power to reach the green line).

T5.2 — (3 Aq) ET Produce the Microbial Fuel Cell at Hygiae and load it into the freighter and launch it. Thanks to the powersat ability it can make it back to the Home Bernal next turn. The rocket makes 5 burns (using the Jupiter flyby’s bonus) and then coasts through the final Hohmann to make it back. A quick tickertape parade, but there’s work to do.

T5.3 — (4 Aq) The frigate makes it back! Now I can just take a Bernal and … hurm.

I forgot how much mass I would be towing. Can I actually tow a Bernal that far?

They are heavy … Right now I’m at Dry Mass 4, Wet Mass 6. I need to add the Bernal (Mass 10) and Generator (2) so I’d be at DM 16, WM 18 … that’s only six burns (at 1/3rd fuel). And with rounding I have to do them in groups of three.

I have four actual burns on the green line (one after Jupiter) and then 3 pivots. Wait … this turn I can coast from L4s to L4 (Coasting into the Hohmann with the GW thruster, then coasting to the green line with the crew thruster). That cuts out a burn. So I “pay” three burns and spend the bonus for the first two pivots, then I can drift from the greenline to the (non-flyby) entry into Saturn. Nope, I can’t go through the backdoor because that’s six burns. I have to do the flyby again, which is two.⁵

Can I skip the flyby? Nope. Can I drop enough mass to then skip it? Not so I can tell. Ah well. I think I have to risk it. If I had only fueled one more time, I could have done 6 burns to the Saturn system and avoided the hazards at the cost of an extra isotope.

For my operation I take the Lofstrom Loop, which appears at the home bernal (thanks to “Bernals building Bernals” rule). Luckily it can promote at a submarine site … like Enceladus, so it’s a perfectly fine addition to our little team. I load everything up and drift to the green line. (I also move the freighter back towards Hygiea).

T5.4 — (5 Aq) I spend three burns through the Jupiter flyby (and then spend the bonus burns & coast) to get in line with the Saturn flyby. I’m going to need a robonaut and refinery (eventually) and as it happens the Electroforming Refinery can be built at an M site, so I take it via subsidized research.

T5.5 — (Budget cuts) (6 Aq). I’m not waiting. I do the Saturn flyby, make the first hazard roll (whew) and then spend 4 Aqua to FINAO the second (2 Aq). I anchor the Bernal on the Lagrange outside Enceladus, which means I can exomigrate again, so I get the Vatican Observers. Do I have enough time to do anything? We’ll see…

At this point I paused for a bit, because I didn’t really understand the Isobank (which I’ve now founded) and how to go forward with the desperation starshot, so I asked Geoff (the developer) for a quick run down⁶ and in the process I discovered a few more problems with the above.

In particular, Isotope monetization occurs during the first yellow bead/FT is produced⁷, not when the Isobank is established. Which means that the contracts should have been flipped to gold side, the exodus contracts unlocked and … urm, FINAO costs doubled all the way back on T4.12.

Oops.

In the words of the Hideous Hog, I have magnanimously forgiven myself. But in any case, I flip over contracts and unlock the Exodus deck.

T5.6 — (Budget Cuts, 3Aq) To do the startshot requires a) at least one fulfilled exodus contract, b) a TW thruster and c) enough isotope. To get a TW thruster requires a colonist with 4 augmentations, so I’ll need at least one more regular contract. The exodus contract is landing on the Uranus Aerostat … I don’t think I can do that. But I’d have to pick up the contract at my Home Bernal, so perhaps it will change before I get there. I site-refuel two Isotopes to the Bernal (with Malcolm’s +1 augmentation) and wait. At two steps for FT I could (barely) get to the home bernal and back, but through hazards. So I’ll need more fuel.

T5.7 — (4Aq) I site refuel two more isotopes to the Bernal. 8 Fuel Tanks should be plenty … so the rocket converts it all to fuel and I go halfway home ….

T5.8 — (Inspiration, 5Aq) There’s a lovely new contract “Radiation Shield Prototype” which involves going to a Mercury Site, two Radiation Belt Spaces around Saturn (or further) and returning … which will be tight but I can pick up more fuel if necessary and what do you mean it’s 8 mass!

No way. I can’t even land on Mercury with that weight! I look at the other regular contracts, perhaps I can fulfill them. Go to Agamennon or Aeneas and return … that seems … wait, with 3 Mass I couldn’t get back to Saturn to refuel after fulfilling the contract.

I’m so used to M012 games where you flip your GW thruster to the TW side ASAP and then basically only need one step/turn. This 1/3rd fuel consumption (4 steps/turn at top speed) is killing me. I have no idea how I’m going to get a desperation star shot in time. These things all require way more fuel than I have.

Well, the colonist on top of the earth-born deck are the Rock Rats Miner Union which (as expected) are Miners. With them at my Enceladus Bernal I can do a site refuel for free once/turn (for two iso). I’ll apparently need it. They are also 3 mass, but as I can head straight back with them. So the rocket flies to the Home Bernal.

As my operation, I do a dirtside cargo transfer to move Malcolm from Enceladus to the Bernal⁸.

T5.9 — (6 Aq) Malcolm can do a free implant (as an industrialist) to get his third augmentation, and that’s enough to Promote the Bernal. That brings the Rock Rats into play, and I (as the rocket is already at the Home Bernal) I pick them up and start back to Saturn (just coasting to the green line this turn)

T5.10 — (Glitch N/A, 7 Aq) Malcolm generates 2 Iso, do the Jupiter Flyby leg of the trip (1 step).

T5.11 — (8 Aq) The rocket goes through the 6 burns to ignore all the hazards, and delivers the Rock Rat Miners. Now with a site refuel I could get two for Malcolm and two for the Rats. (Update — Oops. A careful reading is that the augmentation gives +1 Fuel on any turn where you generate an iso⁹). So only three isotopes produced, I’m at 5 iso total.

T5.12 — (Glitch, 9 Aq) I convert the Glitch to Inspiration (8 Aq) because the existing contracts are all trash … and only give duplicate Augmentations. I get four three more Iso (8) … I could take it all with me, but it seems to me that 7 FT should be enough, so I leave one isotope behind and head back. 5 turns round trip (because of some rounding and wanting to save fuel) isn’t bad, but I really need that fourth augmentation to promote my thruster. I also realize that I have two more solar cycles (not one), and I’m going to get 2 or 3 iso a turn (depending on if I need to take another operation), so things seem do-able.

At the end of the 5th Cycle I have 67 VP and it seems like my desperation star shot still has a chance….

1. The fact that there were “some last minute rules changes” in the published version is always a bad sign. ︎
2. For a second I have a horrific moment after I notice the “Factory Loading Only” on the freighter, but a quick check in my rulebook shows that “Factory Loading Only” includes Anchored Bernals. ︎
3. But as I was typing up the prior footnote, I wanted to quote the rule (1B3b) and the living rules specify “Anchored Bernals outside of Home Orbit.” Mission Control then declares that mistake included in the prior “bankruptcy” notice, so we will ignore it. ︎
4. A net thrust of 2 and all those radiation checks would normally be concerning with my radiator being Rad-Hard 2, but thanks to Shielded I get an additional -2 to all rolls, so it’s fine. ︎
5. Only later do I notice that Enceladus is signposted as 7 burns from LEO, so I can obviously do it in six since I skip a few. But that’s assuming all the flyby hazards. ︎
6. He graciously gave me a “Friends and Family” discount on his normal consultancy rate. ︎
7. In the base game, it can also occur when the Lofstrom Loop or GEO Space Elevator are anchored in home orbits (which is an epic hazard). ︎
8. This is rule 2A7f, but only in the newest living rules. ︎
9. “If Colocated with a Factory or Dirtside’s Bernal, produces an extra Isotope during a Turn that the Factory produces at least 1 Isotope” (Table of 4C3) ︎

Previously —  1st Cycle, 2nd Cycle, 3rd and 4th Cycle, 5th Cycle

T6.1 — I promote the Climate Control Bernal at Titan. For exomigration I get Smart Pets and Microgravity Pantrophists. I stare at those for a bit and then realize I can make the Titan to Home Bernal trip in one year¹, so I fly home to convert my Saturn Glory chit and also pick up the colonists.

T6.2 — I fundraise for Freedom and took the Comet Adventures contract, which I can fulfill this turn (thanks to TW thrusters being able to get to Synodic comets out of season). The trip back would have taken two turns anyway (because the Titan flyby is too far to reach, where as coming in you just hit the Jupiter flyby, which gives you the free burns you need). So I swing by Comet Encka and pay the FINAO.

T6.3 — While the rocket flies (again paying FINAO) back I ET produce Smart Pets (chucking Lloyd’s Salvage) at the Titan Bernal.

T6.4 — I prospect Kraken Mare. (There’s also an inspiration event, but it no longer matters).

T6.5 — Using Lab Promotion² I promote Smart Pets to Creeper Neogen.

T6.6 — I have ~35 Aqua, so I pay 20 (+4 FINAO) to complete the Uplift Future to emancipate the robots (I have the Pantrophists there as well).³ This causes the War of Independence, but I’ve timed it so that the war will end next turn. (The first time I triggered this, I had only my printed rules which says it doesn’t end! Ugh. But the living rules said it ends at the next season changeover).

Things are getting done. I could mini-max, but I decide to simply industrialize Sedna for the H-factory and the Exoplanet Hunt Future, which can be done relatively quickly. I have to ET produce the robo and refinery again and pick them up (and bring the freighter along), but that’s 2 turns, then about 8 turns to make it to Sedna. (I have plenty of fuel, thanks to the free mining off Titan). I might be able to squeak out more points some other way, but most of my other Futures would be trickier for roughly the same points.

And … that’s it. I think my score is 21 (pieces) + 45 (Factories) + 11 (Dirtsides) + 6 (Colonies) + 24 (Futures) + 7 (Glory) + 6 (Contracts) so 120 VP.

Thoughts on Contracts — Well, they are relatively accessible and interesting. I’d be willing to play them in an M0 or M012 game (which are what we play locally …). I will likely try a solo game with all of M0124, once I read the rules a few more times.

1. I think. I doublechecked it. ︎
2. (1A5b) “A Promoted and Anchored Bernal is always a valid promotion colony for Colonist, Freighter, and GW thruster cards.” ︎
3. To satisfy 1D1a “In all Futures, both a Human (either Crew or Human Colonist) and the card listing the Future must be Operational and Colocated …” ︎

Previously — 1st Cycle, 2nd Cycle, 3rd and 4th Cycle.

Since I’d previously decided I was going to swap out Bernals, I started aiming for that.

T5.1 — I transferred the Microbial Fuel Cell from the Freighter to the Rocket, which flew to the Home Bernal (at L5s) and Research Grants to get the Collimator Bernal, which happened to be on top. It’s … pretty good. I could use the powersat privilege (with the Pulsed-Inductive thruster, which admittedly is about to be replaced) but in any case, it has a useful power. Because I have a home Bernal and the House of Saud, I also get +1 Aq and +1 Isotope for free (the former at the bank, the latter on Frederika). As is typical, at this point Aqua isn’t much of a problem, so I’ll just note the gains from those.

Thanks to the “Bernals Building Bernals” rule (2A7c), I don’t have to boost it, it just is in L5s … unanchored.

T5.2 — Anarchy hits and I lose a delegate in freedom. Oh No! Anyway… (9Aq, 4 iso). After getting my “free” aqua and iso, I unanchor the Climate Control Bernal. The House of Saud goes back to the deck. As my operation I then anchor the Collimator Bernal (using the Microbial Fuel Cell generator) and exomigrate the Biomechs … who are also Miners. They hop over to the rocket, which now also will tow the Climate Control Bernal out to Hygiea … and beyond. They make part of the trip this turn (using some water to make sure we can pay the two burns). (7Aq)

T5.3 — The rocket makes it to Frederika, so I can use the Biomechs for another isotope site refuel (8Aq, 5 iso) and I swap out the Pulsed Inductive thruster for the CrossFire H-B Focus Fusion.

(Incidentally, the thought occurs to me that much of Module 4’s fun is in the promotion rules, in that you need augmented colonists to promote. That would provide a real check on progress. Perhaps next game). But now I am left wondering what to do …. and in fact I paused for 30+ minutes pondering it (and making lunch). The Climate Control Bernal (which I have with me) wants a cloud to promote and the Thruster future wants an promoted anchored Bernal an H-site (which might be nice) and maybe the Saturn Aerostat is an option. After some thought I think that Titan is a decent place to promote.

For starters, its two turns away (with my TW thruster having 10-12 Net Thrust after spending a fuel, depending on how much its carrying), which makes it convenient enough.

Titan is also convenient because Ontario Lacus (the 9D Plant/Cloud site) will also let me refuel for further out, should I decide to go for Sedna (which is my Freighter’s Future). I don’t have a spare generator to anchor the Bernal (or so I think…) because you can’t use a solar power generator at Jupiter or Beyond, and I’m not sure I can use it for my TW thruster and can’t find the rule. But perhaps one will show up in the patent deck before I have to run back …. and if not, I’ll have to run back for the robo/refinery to get Kraken Mare (the 9V submarine/cloud).¹

With the Crossfire H-B … I could also fulfill the “four flybys in a turn” contract, and probably some others … but I don’t see as to what that gets me, apart from a few VP. So…. To Titan!

But I’ve already moved my rocket and swapped, so I sell the Rankine MHD (11 Aq) and call it a year.

T5.4 — I Regime Change Budget Cuts to Inspiration, in hopes of a D or V generator. I get one, but it’s also solar powered. I stie refuel, convert all the isotopes to fuel, and load the Biomechs and then my rocket takes the red line in Fig 5.1 and I sell the Nuclear Drill (+1 for the bank, -1 for the lobbying, +3 for selling = 14 Aq).

T5.5 — I go to LTO (green line) and park the Bernal there, and fundraise a delegate into Authority, so I can lobby the next event. (16 Aq).

T5.6 — The event is inspiration but no useful generator shows up. I land on Ontario Lacus and prospect (and get the Saturn zone glory). (18Aq)

T5.7 — … and industrialize, taking a cube from unity (20Aq). Since the Biomechs are here, I can site refuel an isotope as well.

T5.8, 5.9, 5.10 — Seeing as how there is no generator in the patent deck, I take the rocket back to Hygiea (and ET produce two things there) and then Frederika (and ET produce one thing there), grabbing any free site-refueling Isos when available (as the Biomechs are travelling with me, so I’m basically breaking even or better each trip). I’ve also been moving the Freighter to Frederika, seeing as how I have no M-patents of note.

T5.11 — I leave Frederika fully loaded and I’ve finally found noticed that rule 2A5c (which states you can’t use Solar power for anchoring Bernal supports in Jupiter or Beyond) has a second sentence that says you can if you have powersat … which I do. I could have grabbed any solar generator and saved a trip … but I needed to come back for the Nanobots anyway (and Freighter?), so I don’t think it’s a big loss. I sell the Pulsed-Inductive thruster. Man, the memories. (27 Aqua).

T5.12 — I convert Anarchy to inspiration (just to see if there are better patents … nope) and then Anchor the Bernal in Low Titan Orbit. With two bernals I get a second colonist so Lloyd’s Salvage arrives (at my Home Bernal). I transfer the Biomechs to the Climate Control Bernal, and they use their site refuel from the Bernal (as per 2C1a) and transfer the isotope to the rocket. (28 Aqua)

At this point I’m at 19 Base VP + 26 for Factories + 8 Dirtside + 4 Colonist pts + 4 Glory + 2 Contracts for 63 points. Now I need to see what futures (if any) I should go for … and the CC Bernal is promotable….

(I should have carried the Freighter out as cargo out to Saturn, in case I decide to go for the Aerostat + Elevator it will be quite useful. Oh well).

1. The 8C Aerostat with zero hydration is more than I can industrialize, at least now. ︎

Prior Solar Cycle — First Cycle, Second Cycle.

When last we left, I’d managed to just industrialize Hygiea (after getting Frederika a few years prior), and acquired patents so that I perform my next industrialization without crippling my rocket. After a rebuilding cycle.

T3.1 — Due to “Solar Cycle Daylight Savings,” we spring forward and skip this turn¹.

T3.2 — Glitch event, but no effect. I ET produce Microbial Fuel Cells (the back of the H2-02 Fuel Cell) on Hygiea and attach it to my rocket. This gives me +1 Net thrust (in addition to making the rocket actually work), but it’s still modified by solar zone.

T3.3 — I ET produce Nanobots and attach it to the rocket.

I took a while to decide if I wanted to upgrade my thruster from the Pulsed-Inductive to the Dual Stage 4-Grid. (Card Reference). The DS4G is much more fuel efficient (and I can live with changing generator types, as the Microbial Fuel Cells count as either). And the DS4G gets a ballerina pivot … but the loss of Net Thrust is crippling. Now that I have some sites, I can refuel fairly quickly. So I decide to leave the thruster alone.

T3.4 — Another non-Glitch, and the Rocket makes a quick (zero burn) jaunt from Hygiea to Frederika to pick up the Femtochemicals that I ET produce this turn. The rocket is rebuilt.

T3.5 — I site refuel as my operation (pictured above after) and take off, but just to the nearby Hohmann pivot for the Hygiea family. It’s a slow trip, but I can’t save time by factory-assisting with the P-I (Frederika is a colony so there is no hazard roll) and paying two burns to shave off a turn to my planned trip to Lutetia. My Net Thrust is 4 (base) +1 (Support) -2 (Ceres Zone Solar Modification) -1 (Weight) = 2 … so even if I paid to burn through the pivot I’d have to stop prior to the burn on the yellow line outside Lutetia.

(I’m using hf4map.com to grab screen snippets. Lutetia is actual size 4, 1 Hydration)

T3.6 — The “Safe events” keep on coming, as I can ignore Budget Cuts thanks to the Hubris contract I fulfilled in the first cycle. I go through the burn towards Lutetia and stop at the pivot right outside (on the yellow line). I sell the Neutral Beam from my hand for 3 Aqua … (bringing me to 3).

T3.7 — I prospect Lutetia, needing the buggy reroll to get it on the second chance. Thanks to the ROSCOSMOS ability, I get a 4th Aqua.

Then, an inspiration event brings new patents to life!

T3.8 — The Lofstrom Loop Bernal is interesting …. non-doubled boost cost if it’s a home Bernal is nice.² But of more interest is the Fission-heated Steam / Fission GCR Freighter. If I build it on Lutetia and promote it (it’s an Any/M) then it can takeoff and land on larger sites.

Or so I think at the time … but is this another rule I messed up? (This time via careless reading). The purple side says “Your Mobile Factories can liftoff/land on Sites less than size six” … it doesn’t say your freighter can. But digging up an old rules thread and looking at the rulebook, I think maybe it can. (In any case, I played that it can for this game).

In any case, I decide to go for the (possibly cheat-y) Freighter and sell my Hall Effect Thruster (7 Aq) to get under the academia limit.

T3.9 — I research grant the Fission-heated Steam Freighter before it (potentially) disappears.

T3.10 — The event is a pad explosion, which is fine (Nothing is in LEO). Having now grabbed the freighter, I industrialize Lutetia (but do not make it a colony). (8 Aqua). The rocket takes off to make the trip back to the Hygiea family to replace the robonaut/refinery.

T3.11 — I ET Produce the freighter (at Lutetia).

T3.12 — Another Pad explosion (N/A) and I ET produce Nanobots as the rocket arrives and picks it up.

At the end of the cycle I have 13 VP in wood/plastic, 24 VP in factories, 3 VP in glory chits and 2VP in contracts for 42 VP. This was a pretty fast cycle (mostly I ET built a replacement rocket) so I keep going.

Solar Cycle 4

T4.1 — The rocket hops to Frederika as I ET produce Femtochemicals and re-attach. Just In Time Production!

T4.2 — The event is anarchy (which I can’t stop because I have no delegates in Authority) but the purge roll doesn’t cost me a delegate. I promote the Freighter to purple side. The rocket heads for LEO … I could start another factory but “Tick-tock, it’s Bernal O’Clock.” These item(s) are destined for the market to fund the boost cost.

T4.3 — Any Bernal I need is going to need a generator, so I ET produce the Superconducting Adductor (on back of the Flywheel Compulsator that I’ve had for a while) on Lutetia and load it onto the freighter and start moving it towards the L5s Home Bernal site. Is it going to be the Lofstrom Loop?

T4.4 — No, it will not. Inspiration hits. The replacement is the L1 Climate Control Bernal which always makes you first player (which seems … not great even in no solitaire games). The rocket has arrived at LEO and I sell Femtochemicals to get to 16 Aqua.

T4.5 — I take the L1 Climate Control Bernal. (I do not take a support generator, as the freighter is moving another generator into place and that would put me over hand limit in case something important shows up).

T4.6 — I boost the Bernal (-10Aq) and attach it as cargo to my rocket. I need to convert 2 more Aq to fuel to get the Bernal to L5s (once I anchor it, it will be my bank and I can refuel more). I am at 4 Aqua. It’s a quick jaunt over … even at this thrust I’m safe from radiation.

T4.7 — Everything is now in Location, so a few cargo transfers and the L1 Climate Control Bernal is an operational home Bernal. Honestly, I’m not sure this is the best place for it, but given that the yellow line leads to all three of my factories, it seems reasonable. My first colonist is the House of Saud. I’m cube locked, but I can disband a cube in Equality and place it in Authority. There’s a big tie at one, so I leave Research Grants as the active law. But now I have the option of stopping a bad event.

T4.8 — There’s a glitch, but my freighter is co-located with a human (at the Bernal and Rocket, which has crew) so no problem. I start getting that sweet, sweet Home Bernal Income, but convert 2 Aqua to fuel so my rocket can skedaddle, while carrying the House of Saud. (3 Aq). I ET produce Femtochemicals again.

T4.9 — The rocket picks up the chemicals and drops the House of Saud at Frederika. Since H.o.S. is a miner, I get a free site-refuel to top off the tank. As my (non-free) action, I ET produce the Superconducting Adductor and plan to load it onto the freighter (once it gets back to Lutetia next turn). I’m going to have the rocket and freighter meet to swap out generators … the solar modifiers are now a real problem in going further out. (4 Aqua, free income)

T4.10 — There’s a flare, its fine, all my rad-hardness makes it safe at this distance. Also, the inspiration roll that gave me the new Bernal also brought the Dense Plasma H-B Focus Fusion / Crossfire H-B Focus Fusion GW/TW Thruster. Which happens to be D/D. So I take it via research grants (again passing on support³). (5Aq)

T4.11 — I produce the H-B Focus Fusion (black side) at Frederika and since House of Saud is there, I get a free site refuel, so that’s one isotope per turn. (6Aq, 1 Iso)

T4.12 — On Frederika, I promote to the Crossfire H-B Focus Fusion as the Freighter and Rocket meet near Lutetia to swap out generators. I lose +1 Net thrust, but since I’m usually the Ceres zone (and plan on going further out) the -2 (or worse) solar modifier I’m getting rid of is gone, so a net increase. (7 Aq, 2 Iso)

If I’ve done my math correctly⁴ I’m at 15 Wood + 2 Colony points (Bernal) + 24 Factory points (3×8) + 6 Dirtside (Home Bernal) + 3 Glory + 2 Contracts = 52. I might have been able to do a bit more these cycles … I lucked into a convenient GW/TW thruster … as compared to that, my Bernal is … income and points. For Cycle 5 I need to decide where my first non-home bernal is going to be … I haven’t checked what is on-deck; I might very well get my second Bernal boosted, de-anchor the L1 and re-anchor the second as a home bernal, then tow it to a suitable site (The L1’s promoted side gives bonus VPs for dirtsides …coupled with no value as a home Bernal, that seems reasonable as the first one to head out).

If I do that early I should have enough fuel to swap out thrusters and burn, baby, burn to wherever.

1. And also because I accidentally took 13 turns in the prior solar cycle. ︎
2. Module 4 also makes this an Epic Hazard roll to anchor … I’m not sure if I should use that rule, as I’m only playing with contracts. But it the point gets mooted before it matters. ︎
3. Apart from being free (or cheaper), Research Grants ability to let you skip taking support is huge. ︎
4. And that seems charitable ︎

Previously …. in which our hero babysat a Trillionaire … in Space!

T2.1 — After thinking about it, I decide to stop at the Nysa Family Lagrange point so that I can prospect both Hertha and Chaucer. (That doesn’t make it right, though. Probably it costs me a turn, but on the off chance I get Chaucer when I miss Hertha, I’m way ahead). Unsurprisingly, I bust both sites.

T2.2 — It’s anarchy time. Is it anarchy time? I decide no and lobby for Regime Change, because those patents pictured above aren’t doing it for me. (Is Dumbo the worst card in the game?¹) . This brings me to 0 Aqua. The rocket lands on Hertha (picking up the Ceres Glory chit) and refuels.

T2.3 — In looking over the rocket and pathing I finally notice my prior Dry Mass Calculation was wrong, which means I should have spent 6 Aq for fuel (not 5) to get to Hertha (see FN on T1.12 in the prior article). Which means I couldn’t have paid for anarchy, etc. I decide not to retcon everything, but when I Fundraise (to be able to Regime Change again) I pay the water back to cover my “loan,” so I’m still at 0 Aqua. Meanwhile the rocket can get to the Sol-Jupiter L1 in a single burn and stop at the Hohmann intersection besides the Hygiea family. So it won’t need another burn to get to Hygiea, so I’m done refueling and go. (But of course, I’m so busy thinking about the earlier mistake that I don’t realize … until just now as I’m writing it up … that I need to use my crew thruster to get off Bertha and I obviously can’t afford to spend that amount of fuel, so it should have taken two turns. I don’t think I can retcon that. Oh well).

T2.4 — Inspiration again, which is fine by me. The Rocket goes to the Hygiea family barycenter and prospects (via Raygun). I get Hygiea and Frederika, which is also 2 Aqua via the ROSCOSMOS ability. Now I take a glance at the new patents.

T2.5 — OK. I have a plan. I still have to deconstruct my generator (stranding my thruster) no matter which way I go, but if I industrialize Frederika, I can ET produce my Froth Flotation refinery (which is a D) as Femtochemistry there, which means a) less mass I need to boost and bring back from earth) and b) it doesn’t require any supports. So I can industrialize Hygiea faster/cheaper. So I industrialize (and colonize) Frederika first, bringing everything but the thruster and crew back to hand. Via ROSCOSMOS ability, I get a 3rd Aqua.

T2.6 — There are budget cuts, but thanks to fulfilling my Hubris contract, I’m immune. I fundraise (4 Aqua) to “Freedom” and make the Free Trade Act Law (which lets you sell 2 at a time in the solo rules).

T2.7 — I sell the Monatomic Plug Nozzle and D-T Tokamok (that I got on T1.12) for 3 each, bringing me to 10 Aq.

T2.8 — There’s a solar flare, but no rocket. So I’m good. I colonize Frederika and decommission the thruster, bringing my crew to LEO and card to hand.² I boost the thruster, refinery and generator back to LEO (Spending 7Aq) and I need 3 burns to Hygiea, so that’s the rest of my Aqua spent. My crew assembles it all and we go! go! go! But because it’s the red season, there’s a 1/6 chance of the generator failing if we hit the rad belt, so we stop at the cycler.

T2.8 — The rocket moves to the radiation belt (so I can ignore the upcoming solar flare, should it happen) and I ET produce Femtochemistry. Did you notice I forgot to move the turn marker after last turn? I didn’t, until just now. So that was 2.8b.

T2.9* — The Rocket follows the purple line to the pivot and I take the MET Steamer and it’s generator support before (for once in my life) I catch myself. Research Grants is not the active law. (OK, I didn’t notice until next turn, but I backed it up and fixed it!) So I fundraise equality and make Research Grants active. (And get 1 Aqua).

T2.10* — There’s an inspiration event, but I still have a delegate in Authority and I lobby (0 Aqua) and cancel it. Now I take the MET Steamer and the Rocket gets to the Hygiea family pivot. The nice thing is that the MET Steamer can be produced on Hygiea as Nanobots, so now I’ll have a close by ET produced Robo+Refinery that don’t require supports³. Ideally they’d be co-located, but that’s pretty close.

2.11* — The rocket picks up the Femtochemistry Refinery and I grab the Nuclear Drill and H2-02 Fuel Cell. The generator can be ET produced on Hygiea, meaning I don’t have to reboost the thruster and fly back out. (I took the drill just because …. I might produce it and sell it).

2.12* — There’s an anarchy roll, and purge roll of 6 costs me a delegate, but is fine. My rocket hops over to Hygiea and I Industrialize. I don’t get the Aqua (anarchy!) but I’m doing well.

(Excepting if course that this was actually Turn 3.1, which I will now correct going forward).

So, at the end of the 2nd Cycle (ahem), things are looking OK.

I now have eight cards in hand, but with three ET productions I can have a rocket ready to prospect and industrialize … and keep flying!

I have 6 VP on the board, 4 VP in delegates, 16 VP in factories, 2VP for contracts and 3 VP in glory for 31 VP (at the end of 3.1). More importantly, once I clear up some space in my hand I can start going for a 1 Hydration site and/or look at what Bernals/TW thrusters are interesting. Boosting the Bernal is my next real expense, so I’ll probably deliver some ET products to LEO. We’ll see. But in the grand scheme (at least for me), this feels “on track” for the the end of the second cycle.

Also — how many mistakes do I make in a normal game and not notice? Sheesh. (I’m not even talking about rules I get wrong, but rules I get right and just … mess something up. I suppose it’s bound to happen in a game as fiddly as this).

1. Yes. I had to double check the black side to make sure it wasn’t one of those “ugly ducklings that turn into a swan.” Timberwind is no prize, either. Five thrust, Three fuel consumption is “meh” compared to many white-sides, even if the mass/rad hardness numbers are good. ︎
2. I could have easily done this on T2.5, but usually its safer to wait until the last minute, in case plans change. Like if I could have ET produced a generator, refueled and flown back with spare fuel … but the patents aren’t there. ︎
3. 0 Mass, 1 ISRU buggy is nothing to sneeze at, either. ︎

As part of my piece meal approach to learning Module 4, I set out a solitaire game using M4’s Solitaire Political Assembly & Contracts. (I originally started to add the new colonists deck, augmentations and the exodus stuff, but then changed my mind). I did in fact play an earlier game with just the Solitaire Political Assembly, and I quite liked that.

My last few solo games had used the “You only see half of each patent deck” and “You start with a faction privilege, but don’t get home Bernal income until you have both a Bernal and a Factory” variants, and I rather liked that, but you could get hosed with some wildly inappropriate die rolls (and patent decks), so I’m using the Mod4 “You start with full patent decks” but keeping the faction privilege. I’m not playing any particular Solitaire game … I’ll just score normally.

I get ROSCOSMOS as the unit, so I start with delegates in Authority and Centrism. Authority is nice (with Regime Change¹), because you can lobby when it’s inactive and the spent delegate counts for both lobbying and Regime Change. So you can cancel a budget cut/flare/pad explosion AND cycle the patents, or keep a really juicy patent on top. Yes, you spend time fundraising, but it’s a good trade.

T1.1 (Solar Cycle.Year) — The Initial Patent Deck is … to put it mildly … not great. I fundraise (10 Aq) and put a delegate into Equality and (since it’s tied) make Research Grants² the active law. Research Grants is quite powerful. I’ve already run a solitaire game (using just the M4 solitaire assembly) and between Research Grants and Regime Change I was able to do quite a bit more³ than I usually do in a 7-Cycle Game. (Some decent early patents and claim rolls also helped).

T1.2 — I roll the anarchy event and so I lobby to invoke Regime Change (9 Aq and lose the Authority Delegate) and let’s see what other patents are available…

These are also not great, but a smidge of a plan is starting to take hold. Since Research Grants are still active I take the Pulsed Inductive Thruster and Radio Isotope Stirling Generator (for free).

T1.3 There are now the Hall Effect Thruster and Flywheel Compulsator cards on top of their decks. I take those, too.

T1.4 Budget cuts, and I can’t over-ride it. Oh well, goodbye Radio Isotope Stirling. But that also means that the contracts haven’t rotated. I fundraise and put a delegate into Individuality (10Aqua) and make Launch Contracts the active law. Not because I love it (Boosting as a free action instead of an operation is … OK), but because that lets me take the “Hubris” contract. I get 8 more aqua but have to deliver some guy and let him be the first to set foot on a site in an unexplored region⁴.

T1.5 Boosting is a free action, but it still costs 8 Aqua to boost the trillionaire, Pulsed Inductive thruster and Flywheel Compulsator into LEO, load up six fuel tanks (so I’m down to 4 Aqua) and send the rocket from LEO to the cycler. (My stuff could make it through the radiation belt, but the trillionaire might not, so I’ll use the crew thruster next turn). I still have an action, so Fundraise to a) put a delegate in Authority and b) switch the law back to Research Grants (and get an aqua, so 5 Aqua).

T1.6 — The event is Budget Cuts, so spend an aqua (4Aq) and lobby Regime Change to switch that to Inspiration.

That Solar Sail would have been lovely a turn or two earlier (although the Trillionaire has 2 mass, so maybe not). I move the rocket into the rad belt (with the crew thruster, so that no roll can hurt my cargo/client). Since I have the Flywheel, that Robonaut and Refinery are both useful. Sure, neither is great, but Beggars can’t be Spacemen. I take the Neutral Beam + Optoelectrick Nuclear Battery.

T1.7 — Rocket take the red path (stopping at the Hohman). I don’t really want a solar flare, so I fundraise back into Authority. (5Aq). (I’m beginning to think that Regime Change is too good, maybe it should just cancel an inspiration or add inspiration to the existing event … not cancel it as well. How do you Regime Change a Coronal Mass Ejection?)⁵

T1.8 — The event is Pad Explosion, so … nothing. The rocket reaches Deimos, so I drop off the trillionaire (you’d think he’d want a return trip), grab the glory chit. I take the Froth Filtration refinery + the In-core Thermionic Generator (which was revealed after T1.6).

T1.9 — The rocket starts the return trip and I sell the In-core … (8Aq)

T1.10 — Inspiration roll, and I sell the Optoelectrick Nuke (11 Aq). Rocket still heads back.

T1.11 — I boost the Robonaut and Refinery (6Aq) as the Rocket returns to LEO, and I get a ticker tape parade.

T1.12 — I fuel up the new rocket (-5 Aqua, leaving 1Aq)⁶ and send it out to (where else?) Hertha.

Yes, it’s heavy (and I’ll need to use the crew thruster to land). Yes, if I don’t bust Hertha⁷ I’ll have to deconstruct every thing and re-boost. But perhaps there will be better patents available by then.

I take the Monatomic Plug Nozzle thruster and D-T Fusion Tokamok reactor. Man those research grants have saved me a ton of money. (If I don’t bust Hertha, I can start trying to ET produce a rocket with the Plug Nozzle …. and if I do, I can sell it).

End of Cycle — By the rules of M4, I can move the seniority disk to where I please, but it seems to me that the best VP will always be the “1 per claim disk” (since all the others are 1VP/something else, which is usually harder to get). I think I’m going to just roll a die and let it get placed randomly, but those VP seem like an area to tinker with.

It’s solitaire, after all.

So — how did the M4 help? Quite a bit. I’ve got 5VP (2 from Hubris, 2 from the Mars Glory Chit. and the rocket on the board). I’ve boosted a much heavier rocket than would be possible without Research Grants and the 8 Aq from the contract. Granted, most of those 8 Aqua went towards fuel tanks, but a) not all of them and b) I’m also immune to Budget Cuts for the rest of the game. (And if I were playing with augmentations, I’d have a chit to implant).

Is the Solitaire Assembly too good? It might be. But I had a fair number of earlier solitaire games where I’d simply get murdered in the first cycle by a bad roll (budget cuts if I didn’t boost, pad explosion if I did) and those are frustrating. It feels like it might be a bit too much control. One option would be to put in an NPC delegate (via d7 roll) on a non-event turn, so the active law wouldn’t be totally under the player’s control. But for now this game, I’ll just leave it.

Second Cycle, coming soon….

1. Remove a delegate to change an event to inspiration, or cancel an inspiration event. ︎
2. So instead of paying 1/card; I can get 1-2 cards free, or 3 cards for two aqua. The cards have to be supports of the main, as normal. ︎
3. Including two promoted Bernals (Ganymede and Dione) and three completed futures (Liberated Robots , Anti-matter research, and Supreme Cult). 130-ish VP, IIRC. ︎
4. And presumably listen to him during the entire flight. ︎
5. Perhaps its cost should go up each solar cycle, stop an early devastating bad roll, but get more expensive. ︎
6. As I was doing Solar Cycle 2 I noticed that my Dry Mass was 11, not 10, so I should have spent 6 Aqua, not 5) ︎
7. And Chaucer, since I have a raygun 2. Although it’s arguable whether I should take the time to try that simply land on Hertha so that I can refuel and go … if I bust. Still considering it. ︎

Played another game of HF4A (with M012 and the Promo Crew Packs). According to BGG, this was my 11th game of HF4A (not counting solitaire) and I have two dozen games of 3rd edition, so I’m not exactly a newbie, but as always there were a few rules questions and outright mistakes. I’m not comfortable with the politics module (M0) at all, but mostly I messed up by not noticing that one of my supports gave a -2 thrust to my rocket¹. Since I (mostly) used a crew rocket to land/take off the real issue was that I was getting to and from my destinations 1-2 turns faster each time, which probably compounded my achievements nicely.

(I also forgot that Factory Assists require a hazard roll, unless you have a colonist, and didn’t wake up to that until about the halfway point of the game).

But mostly I actually kept my nose in the rulebook when it wasn’t my turn, so I think I got most of the (fairly tiny) rules correctly, or at least noticed them after the fact.

I’ve been slowly upping my rating on HF4A. It has a learning curve (and … if you only play every few months, a “forgetting curve”). It’s rules are complex … maybe not “Magic Realm” complex, but enough that you can’t just jump in. And yet … it really does capture something great. I think it’s another point in favor of the argument that you cannot compress great games. I don’t think the rules are perfect …. after my last game I think I’m ditching the rule that makes start player use a cube, but overall it’s a great sandbox.

and I’ve finally gone ahead and rated it a ’10.’ Hopefully my next dozen games won’t take a half-decade. (And I still have to learn the M4 rules, but I might never play with them. I doubt I’ll use M3). And I think I’m going to try and play at least one solitaire game a month just to keep the rules fresh in my mind.

Still, I did manage to:

• Get an early Solar Sail to Khufu and back while assembling/boosting my “actual” rocket for my first mission.
• Built a first rocket that didn’t require deconstructing rocket supports when industrializing². (My first rocket was actually pretty much my only rocket … but forgetting about that -2 thrust made that much easier).
• Have two Bernals, included a promoted dirtside. (I think the latter was legal).
• Built the Mars Space Elevator
• Emancipated the Robots (but we ignored the Casus Belli).

Update — And I should mention that one other play built the Uranus Aerostat — Cordelia Space Elevator. (I “almost” did that in a solo game a few months back, before I realized the freighter couldn’t get to Cordelia except as cargo)….

1. I think I did notice when I built it, but then I promptly forgot a turn or two later after I used the “crew thruster through the radiation belt” maneuver — which really ought to be given a name. ︎
2. This is one of those little details that can make your game go so smuch smoother ︎