|
In which I play Realms Beyond Orion Imperium 30 Variant: No more than one ship of each six classes may exist at a time (classes can be scrapped and redesigned).
2300: First, the map:
 Looks like the entire southwest is open to me, but there's a lot of empty space. Four stars within immediate scouting range, not counting the 2-parsec yellow. I design a Scout 1.1, Scout 1.2, Scout 1.3, and Scout 1.4 class ship. Colship sent to nearby yellow. 2301:
 Single Scout 1.1 built, sent to the red star in the east. That star will probably be range 4 once the second colony is settled. 2302: Colony founded at Pollus (Terran 110), excellent world! A Scout 1.2 is built and sent to the green 5 parsecs NNW of Kholdan. 2303: Scout 1.3 built and sent to the range 4 neutron star. 2304: Scout 1.4 built and sent to the northwest red star. Kholdan goes entirely to factories.
 2306: Vox (Toxic 10) scouted. Big whoop. 2307:
 Talas (Terran 65) and Phantos (Toxic Ultra Rich 35) are scouted. Now that's more like it! 2310: Regulus (Tundra 20) scouted. OK, only one non-hostile within 6 parsecs. Kholdan currently has more than two times as many factories as bugs, I might as well open Propulsion and see what's available. 2311: YES
 2312: Oh my.
 Of course it's the rocks right nearby the ultra rich Toxic world. Of course. The fleet is only a scout. Looks like the rocks may have started at the yellow due north of Pollus? 2316: Range 5 in percentages. 2317:
 2320: Damn it, at 29%, still hasn't popped. 2323:
 Gah. That took longer than it had any right to. Range 6 is the next option, heh. I'm done teching for now! 2328: Colship built at Kholdan, sent to Talas. 2330: Herculis (Terran 85) scouted just northwest of Talas. Excellent, a fourth planet to claim. I design another colship and get busy at Kholdan, that gives me a full complement of six classes. 2331: Pollus maxes on factories, goes to tech. I open computers, construction and planetology. 2332: The Silicoids attack at Phantos with one unarmed colship. ECM I (only choice), RIW 80% (over IIT 9) and Improved Eco Restoration -- I like the first tier choices here.
 2333:
 2334: Colship 1.2 is built at Kholdan, sent to Herculis. 2335: Silicoids attack at Vox in the east with an unarmed colship. ECM I pops, ECM II next because it's much cheaper than the alternative (BC 3). 2337: Kholdan finally maxes on factories. 2338:
 Duralloy is the only way forward. Since both Kholdan and Pollus are maxed I open Force Fields and Weapons as well with a small amount of research. 2339: Class II deflectors and Hyper-V Rockets (over GL) are the choices. 2340: Silicoids attack at UR Phantos again, with an unarmed colship. Good. 2342:
 Founding the colony at Herculis reveals a Meklar scout orbing the green star just northwest. Looks like I know two of my immediate neighbors, although there are three yellows in the northeast corner: I may have more company. 2343: Improved Eco Restoration pops. I elect to research Controlled Dead next (over Controlled Tundra); the rich Dead planet in the southwest requires it. Exis (Minimal 25) is scouted just north-east of Herculis. 2348: Duralloy Armor finished, Battle Suits next over RIW 60%. 2349: My Scout 1.2 chases off the Meklar scout off Stalaz, which turns out to be an Arid 60. I start building a colship at Talas. ECM II researched, Improved Space Scanner over ECM III. 2350:
 Robot scouts appear to be everywhere. The planet orbiting this star is Poor Steppe 45 Maretta. 2352: Hyper-V Rockets pop, Ion Cannon selected by accident (I meant to choose Fusion Bomb.) Not a huge deal, Weapons is the field I care least about right now. 2354:
 This is only a bird scout. The planet is Endoria (Inferno 45). Colship built at Talas and RELOCed to Herculis, that'll shave a turn off of its trip to the desert world of Stalaz. Class II deflectors pop, Personal Deflector Shield next. 2358:
 Controlled Inferno next.
 Despite the fleet restrictions, the early landgrab is going well. With Controlled Dead I can claim the tundra and rich dead world in the southwest. The rocks still have not taken Phantos or Vox. My Scout 1.2 is en route to the yellow that I now know to be Mentar. I go ahead and disband it. I scrap the Colship 1.2 class, there are none of those. I design two Dead colony ships: one with and one without reserve tanks. Kholdan starts a long range dead ship for Phyco, Talas starts a standard colship for minimal 25 Exis. Both should be ready in three turns. I establish 100 BC of trade with the Psilon emperor. They offer IT+10 and IIT 9 for way too much. 2359:
 2361: Battle Suits pop, IIT 6 next over Zortium. Talas maxes on factories and builds a standard colship for Exis. Kholdan builds a long-range dead colship for Phyco, and begins work on a regular Dead colship for Regulus.
 2364: Dead colship built and sent to Regulus. Talas starts a standard colship for Maretta; the existing one will be used up by the time it is built. 2365: Colony at Exis established.
 BUG POWER A look at brainbox tech:
 The way it seems now, the Meklars and the Psilons are both boxed in. Good for me. 2366: Range 6 pops. Warp 3 is next.
 Indeed. The borg and the brains have only one planet each. The extra yellow in the northwest must be Altair. Good grief, the Silicoids have the entire eastern half of the map! The robots refuse trade at this point. 2367: Talas builds a standard colship, it bears for Maretta. I stick a few clicks on defense spending on my developed colonies (Kholdan, Pollus, and Talas.) 2368:
 A Rich 70, what a prize on this map. 2369:
 They finally brought something other than unarmed ships -- 6 mediums equipped with heavy lasers.
 Colony founded at Regulus this turn.
 I thought that yellow near the center of the map was Cryslon... shows what I get for thinking. I pull the scout off of the sad Toxic 10 Vox to travel there. Might be Orion. If it isn't, I need to tear through there and settle the stuff in the northeast for a quick win. The uneasy rocks refuse a trade contract. They only offer AMR in tech trade... eh. The borg refuses to trade as well. 2370: First vote, rocks versus bugs. I have 4 votes out of 12, I throw those to Granid, who also received 3 votes from himself. Everybody else abstained. I almost have a council veto already, nice. 2372: Improved Space Scanner pops, BC 5 next in line. 2375: Colony at Maretta founded.
 Council vote: Silicoids 3 votes rocks, Psilons 1 vote abstain, Alkaris 1 vote abstain, Meklars 2 votes abstain, me 4 votes rocks. Exactly the same. I establish 175 BC/year trade and a NAP with the Silly Clods. 2377: Personal Deflector Shield in, Class IV deflectors next. 2378: That yellow in the center turns out to be Mu Delphi, a Jungle 80. The Silicoids just founded a colony here last turn. What a doof I am. Spy report from the Meklar show that they have Deep Space Scanner, IIT 9, IT+10, range 4, and Ion Cannon, nothing exciting. They are allied with the Alkaris. Spy report for the Silicoids:
 That ridiculous goof, leaving Mu Delphi unscouted and unsettled, seems unlikely to bite me. Cyborgs agree to 100 BC trade. I give them range 6 for IIT 9. I start espionage on both the brains and the rocks. 2379: I hit the Silicoids for Deep Space Scanner. 2380: IIT 6 researched, RIW 40% next. 2381: Exis maxes on factories. 2382: Controlled Inferno in, IT+40 next.
 I scrap the Scout 1.3 design and start building an Inferno colship for Endoria. 2383: Rich Phyco maxes factories, starts pumping the reserve. 2384: Scouts reach Tundra 10 Iranha in the northeast. 2385: Psilons offer to boost trade contract to 125, I refuse. Regulus maxes on factories. 2387: Steal IT+10 from the Silicoids. No diplo warning, but no frame.
 Inferno colship built and sent soaring to Endoria. 2391: Colony established at Endoria.
 ...just tellin' it like it is.
 Somehow, I'm not afraid. At unease, they still agree to 50 BC/year of trade.
 Translation: "We are still equipping our star ships with sticks and spears." The all-bearskin interiors are nice though (unless you're Bulrathi.) 2392:
 Oh, what the hell. Might as well win the game. Gave range 6. 2393: Ion Cannon pops, Scatter Pack V next. 2394: Steal Anti-Missile Rockets from the Silly Clods, frame the Psilons. 2395: Sub-Light Drives pop, Energy Pulsar next. 2397: Steal Fusion Bomb from the Silicoids. No frame. 2398: Steal BC 2 from the Psilons, frame the Silicoids. Size warnings from the birds, the bots, and the rocks. Everybody's pretty happy with me, though, the birds and 'bots are both at Relaxed, the brains are Neutral. The rocks are Amiable thanks to my council votes and trade, but they do not count. 2399: End of century, vote should be close.
 2400: Steal class III deflectors from the Meklar. Meklars and Alkari abstain in the vote. Psilons vote (2) for me. I have 8 votes out of 17 in the galaxy, I abstain. IT+40 is at 16%, that should do it unless the Silicoids absolutely explode; as they are the least likely race to do so I think the 2425 vote is in the bag. Sign a NAP with the Meklars, boost trade to 175 BC. Sign a NAP with the Alkaris, trade them IT+10 for Controlled Barren. 2402: Class IV deflectors and IT+40 both in, Class V deflectors and Atmospheric Terraforming next. 2408: RIW 40% and Scatter Pack V both pop. Andrium armor and hard beam next.
 The OPE birds start talking tough. 2414:
 Good going, bugs. Advanced Space Scanner and range 9 are next in the queues. 2418:
 Lucky me! Should I ever need to build a ship, anyway... 2420:
 Go ahead and fan the fires of hatred there.
 Boom. Most helpful. Most helpful. IT+50 next in Planetology.
 We find your threats amusing. 2421: Andrium armor arrives, assidious ants assess Armored Axoskeleton, although any astute analyst avers absolute ascendancy at an approaching assembly. Ah! Phyco is minimal, Endoria is minimal, Regulus is minimal, they're all terraforming up the population. 2422: Borg breaks their NAP, but it will avail them nil. 2423: Class V Deflectors, next Class X planetaries. 2424: Gasp!
 Well that tears it. Iranha is Silicoid. Cancel the coronation. Where things stand just before the vote:
 Guess those two stars left are Orion and asteroids -- surely if anything else were there the Silly Clods would have nimmed it. Although I suppose it's still early enough they might not even have the range to settle if the spare star does harbor a habitable.
 Everybody's mostly just scared to death of me, I think. The Honorable Psilons hate the Silicoids with a passion, no doubt thanks in a large part to those espionage frames. And the Meklars and Alkaris both have used AI alliances with the Psilons in an attempt to break out of their corner -- they don't have any other choice on this map. This has a side effect rather deleterious for the Silly Clods:
 I'm running away at this point, so I doubt I even need the Meklar or Alkari votes, but I'm going to get them anyway. Never built anything but scouts or colships, never built a single gun, but a decent early landgrab is about all you ever need with the bugs, especially on Hard.
 MY MIGHTY FLEET, FEARSOME AND MAJESTIC
 2425:
 Outcome: Domination victory, 2425
|