March 19, 2024

SPACECORP 2025-2300 AD – The AAR, The Dozen

Michael Eckenfels, 27 May 2019

When we last left off, the Competition really burned things up by gaining 10 Profit in ONE turn, pulling ahead of BanzaiCorp in scoring (which is 19-16 with me trailing). That’s still pretty close, but you can easily see how the game will keep you guessing as to what can happen from turn to turn.

 

BC’S TURN

BanzaiCorp’s path for the current turn is pretty clear. I’m building a Base on Callisto, which will only cost me 3 Shielded Build points (thanks to the -2 on the Discovery tile, there). I have that in my HQ (actually, 4 Shielded Build points), so that’s no sweat.

Even though I only have one such Base left, I think a Refinery is the best choice, here, as it gives P+1 for a total of 3 Profit if I do a Production Action here.

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That can help me regain a lead over the Competition team. But you know what works just as well? Fulfilling a Contract, myself!

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That’s right. The Base on Callisto gives me three Bases in the Jupiter region, so I can fulfill that Contract and get five Profit. And just like that, I’ve re-taken the lead, albeit it’s pretty narrow (21 to 19).

Now let’s see what disaster is awaiting in the Competition’s turn…

 

COMPETITION’S TURN

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The Highest Even Site in this case happens to be Charon.

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(Note the 16 in the white circle – that’s what I’m referencing. Usually the Site numbers get larger the further out you go.)

This means the Competition gets to build a Base there.

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And of course, I draw a freakin’ Industry Base for them. It requires a Water tile, which Charon has, so that means the Competition gets a bonus of being able to move the Team that was on Charon to another empty site in the same Region…which happens to be Pluto, in this case.

 

BC’S TURN

Now, I’m looking at the Oort Cloud. Moving my team from Callisto to the Oort Cloud (and that 1stBeyond marker) would require no less than 27 Move points – ouch. All Shielded Move points, too. The best I can come up with right now is 14.

My team on Titan moving outward would cost a ton of Move points too, to move further out. For example, if I want to move them to the Oort Cloud, it’ll cost 25 Move points. Fortunately, moving to the Oort Cloud doesn’t cost extra Transit movement, though moving from Saturn to Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto would take a tremendous amount of Move points.

I’m also looking at Titan, where I should build a base. I can just barely afford one if I choose that (6 Build points, which I have in my HQ and in one card in my hand, combined). Shielded Build points, at that.

It won’t do me any good to build another Base in the Jupiter Region, so I have to choose between moving that team and building a Base on Titan. Decisions, decisions.

Another issue I’m seeing is the Competition has two Bases beyond Jupiter; if they get a third, they’ll fulfill that Contract and earn 5 Profit, the heathens.  Might want to get moving on that one, though that’ll require several turns to catch up, let alone get that Contract.

I think I’m going to do something I haven’t done in a while – do a Research Action. This means three cards I can get (thanks to my Research 1 Progress card, plus my Research 2 in my HQ). I’m going to take:

  • Offer 4, Open Gas Core Nuclear Drive (Move 6, Infra)
  • Offer 2, Extruders (Build 3 or Shielded Build 2)
  • Offer 1, Nuclear Mass Driver (Move 5 or Build 3)

That gives me another 11 Move points potentially, should I choose to not play either of those new Move cards as an Infrastructure Upgrade Action.

I’m replacing the Offer cards I just took. Offer 1 is a Fusion Drive (Move 8 or Explore 3) and Offer 2 is Micro Mesh (Explore 2 or Build 3, Infra). The third card, unfortunately, is an Edge card – specifically, Market Influence. This gives the Competition another 2 Profit like magic.

We’re now tied, 21-all. It could be much worse; there’s some really nasty Edge actions out there that have yet to be drawn.

The fourth card I draw is another Nuclear Mass Driver (Move 5 or Build 3).

And I just realized I forgot something; I have two Progress cards, and one of this era’s Contracts is having two Progress cards. Duh! I go ahead and claim that one, giving me 5 Profit. Whew, I’ve regained my edge and makes the score 26-21. Again, this makes me wonder what else I’ve been forgetting to do…

But in any case, it is what it is.

 

COMPETITION’S TURN

Looks like the Competition is out to cover yet more territory.

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Every Site in the Outer Solar System now either has a team or a Base on it, except for Umbriel, a moon of Uranus. Real estate is starting to get mighty sparse round these parts.

 

BC’S TURN

To review Contracts – three of the seven are taken. One cannot be taken in this era, neither by me nor by the Competition (which stipulates four asteroid Bases); with six total asteroids and each of us with a Base on two of ‘em, we can’t physically get four Bases there.

That leaves three other Contracts that can get fulfilled in this era, and if they do, the era will end. One stipulates three Bases in Regions beyond Jupiter; I can fulfill one of these Bases by plopping one down on Titan, a moon of Saturn.

Another Contract stipulates building two Bases beyond Uranus; the Competition already has one, on Pluto’s moon Charon. I don’t even have a team out there, yet.

The third Contract stipulates me having three non-Start Infra cards on my HQ. I have one; the other two are Start Infra cards. The Competition can’t get that one unless I draw a Contract 6 Action for them, and I’m not prioritizing that at present.

I’m spending a card worth 5 Move points, and using my HQ’s intrinsic 2 Shielded Move points, to move my team from Callisto to Dione, a moon of Saturn. Overkill on Move points, as it only costs 5 to get there, but the Move 5 Nuclear Mass Driver card is the ‘cheapest’ Move card I have in my hand, and my HQ’s intrinsic Move points aren’t going to get them there alone.

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With both of my teams on Saturn moons, I’m going to work on that Contract that rewards for building Bases beyond Jupiter. Hopefully the Competition won’t be doing the same.

 

COMPETITION’S TURN

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The next-to-last Competition team heads off to that last bit of real estate in the Solar System, Umbriel, a moon of Uranus. What are the odds that card draws result in this? Not that I’m complaining – better to have the Competition do this than build more Bases.

 

BC’S TURN

I’m forging ahead with my team on Dione and doing an Explore action. My intrinsic HQ Explore value is 2, with a x2 multiplier, so I have plenty to fulfill the e2 requirement there.

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Nice! I’ve drawn a Special Discovery tile, so this one is discarded and instead I draw an e3, which is always pretty awesome…

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BanzaiCorp has finally found life on another world…err, moon! After Competition teams made a slew of discoveries of organic life throughout the Outer Solar System, we’ve finally gotten on the bandwagon.

This Discovery nets us 2 more Profit, for a total now of 28; I’m leading the Competition whom has a score of 21.

This also is a P1 site, and it gives me Genetics 1, so my Genetics marker moves one space on the circular track.

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Not too bad a turn overall.

I’m going to end it here for now. Join us next time for more space business hijinx and lowjinx as BanzaiCorp tries to pave the way to the Oort Cloud. Thank you for reading.

 


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