I did finish reading the rules and all sort of fits into place. I’ll submit my sphere soon.
Looks good. If @tomchick has found a way to record his hidden sphere I think we will be ready for the first moves. These first two actions will be taken by @Juan_Raigada.
@tomchick can PM/DM/email me his hidden sphere™ if he wants. I will try and keep it secret but you know sometimes things happen etc.
Frankly I’d be glad to just record everybody’s if it makes it easier to get started for y’all.
Okay, I randomly pulled two cards from my copy of the game. I PM’ed @brooski with the card and color I chose.
Colonel Tom is officially ready to start.
-Tom
Hey, @Tom_Mc, what card is in the Human Progress Splay? I’m setting up a boardstate here at home to help track the game.
Also, if anyone would like me to finish up that long-ass rules teach before we start, let me know. I’ll get around to it eventually, because I think a teaching script would be helpful to have around, but I should have anticipated it was going to be a pretty long script. 4000+ words and counting. Yeesh. But I’m enjoying writing it out and if it’s helpful to anyone, I’m happy to make it a priority to finish it up.
-Tom
It’s Digital Microfluidic Microchips
@Juan_Raigada , I don’t think you’re logged into Vassal. It shows your player name as “newbie”
The card is Digital Microfluidic Biochips. Man I love that technobabble here. It is solid gold.
I think we are go for @Juan_Raigada. Any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to ask anything. I’ve played only once before and this thing is a brain burner.
I caught that too but if he lets go of control and takes it back with a new player it might get a little funny.
He could just redo… actually no. If he redoes his turn it’ll give him new random cards for the hidden ones. Oh well. You’re “newbie” now @Juan_Raigada
It shouldn’t be an issue. If you feel really uncomfortable about that, it’s easy to change on my end :)
Will do my turn tonight.
Edit: I have a question already. Since the splay is just one card, I guess no idea is viable yet?
Correct.
There are three ways an idea may be viable:
-
A matching pair exists in the Human Progress Splay (that does not have an opponent’s Future Shock Agent).
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You divest two patents of the same color(s) as the Idea’s Discipline(s).
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You exchange the Idea with the card from your Think Tank if they have the same Discipline pair.
The Splay only has one card, you only have one Patent, and you have no card in your Think Tank; so right now, no Idea is viable.
-Tom
Is Research the only way to gain more patents? I feel like there should be a “claim prior art” action where I steal them from other players.
Commercialization also generates Patents.
Remember that you can’t Commercialize an Idea unless you’ve already Syndicated it? One reason for this is that your Syndication Agent becomes a Patent Agent when the Idea is Commercialized. Any other players’ Syndication Agents are Divested.
An important exception! Any Work done from a Utility DOES NOT GIVE YOU A PATENT. That goes for Research and Commercialization, the two actions that use Work. Whether it’s Thinker work (light bulb) or Maker work (hand), if it comes out of a Utility, you don’t get the Patent.
-Tom
As if humanity never learned anything from the space program :)
So I know what I want to do.
@Tom_Mc are we doing this as a forum game or as a vassal game? That is, should I go through Vassal or just say my move here and you will execute? (given @tomchick is not using Vassal maybe this is cleaner).
Anyway my move will be an early fundraising and then syndicating Cashless economics and surge syndicating Quantum, cryptography. That would leave two agents in each of my finance board squares, if I’m not wrong.
Will you divest your patent during fundraising?
Nope. That’s why it’s two agents per square. (plus one in the patent and one each in the ideas)