Twilight Imperium III Options ============================= First, decide the game mode: Lazax Scenario vs Normal. In the Lazax Scenario mode (second expansion, option 8: "Fall of the Empire"), get the Lazax bag out. 4-7 players. Use the rules in the second expansion, page 14. This controls strategy cards, races, map layout, objective cards, etc. The rest of this document discusses only normal mode games. If you want players to hold a hand of political cards, use the white 1 and 3 cards, and start each player with two random political cards. Otherwise, use the black 1 and 3 cards. Choose if you want to play with Political Intrigue. If you do, use the II variant of the 3 card (Political II or Assembly II), the representative cards from the race bag, and the promissory note cards from the unit bag (see the second expansion rules, pages 12 and 13); otherwise, use the original 3 card. If you want more ways to refresh planets, and want diplomacy to work between players, use the black 2 card. If you want to be able to claim empty planets without ships, and want diplomacy to work on a per-hex basis, use the white 2 card. If you want more ways to get command counters, use the black 4 card. If you want more ways to build, use the white 4 card. If you want mercenaries, use the appropriate 5 card (see Option 6, Mercenaries, in the second expansion rules, page 12). Otherwise, if you want trade to generate more trade goods but agreements to be easier to break, use the white 5 card (Trade II); if you want trade to be generally less generous but harder to cancel, use the black 5 card. If you want to be able to retrieve a command counter from the board, use the black 6 card. If you want to be able to give a fleet +1 movement and combat for a round, use the white 6 card (Warfare II) and take out the high alert token. If you want Technology to be expensive, use the black 7 card, otherwise use the white 7 card. If you want public objectives to be drawn one at a time under the control of the players, and you are using the white 3 cards (i.e. you have a hand of political cards) use the Bureaucracy 8 card. If you want to be able to claim multiple objectives at once, and want to be able to build more, use the Imperial II black 8 card and the "Age of Empire" option (see original rules, page 33). If you want preliminary secret objectives, give one to each player. Otherwise, give N secret objectives to each player. They may all be completed. (This is because there are political cards that enable you to end up with multiple cards, and when that happens you're supposed to be able to claim them all.) If you want some transient VP in the game, consider playing with one or both of: - Voice of the Council - Artifacts (see the first expansion rules, page 9) If you want to protect Mecatol Rex from very early capture, use the Custodians of Mecatol Rex tokens. If you want deeper ground force units, play with the Shock Troops (see the first expansion rules, page 10). If you want cruisers to be more useful, play with Space Mines (see the first expansion rules, page 10). Optionally, add the Wormhole Nexus (see the first expansion rules, page 10). Optionally, add Facilities (Colonies and Refineries) (see the first expansion rules, page 10). Decide if you can use Strategy Allocation counters to activate a system for the purpose of retreats (see option 10, Tactical Retreats, in the first expansion rules, page 11). Consider if you want the Territorial Distant Suns option (see option 12 in the first expansion rules, page 11) and/or the Final Frontier option (see option 4 in the second expansion rules, page 11). Consider if you want Leaders (see original rules, pages 34 and 35).