Rules Update for TI4: Promissory Notes

 After bragging about my big win this weekend I went to do a thorough rules check to make sure it was a clean win. 

I hate whenever I wrongly interpreted rule can affect whether someone wins of loses. 

And it looks like this past weekend....everyone lost. 

Here's what I got wrong about Promissory Notes:

1) When the rulebook states you may not trade notes "in the play area" it means Notes that were already given to other players. 

DUH. That makes sense but the rulebook wasn't so clear. I had to go to Fantasy Flight for this info. 

Therefore, someone could well have given my nephew "Support for the Throne" just to give him the win. 

BUT

2) You DO NOT surrender all Notes back to a player once you invade or battle their fleet. You only have to do that for "Support of the Throne" and that's all. 

Where is this in the rulebook? It isn't. It's on the cards. (DUH!) We're still playing by the old TI3 rules which says the opposite. 

Why does this make a difference? Keep in mind first off that my race requires people to give me a promissory note every time the enter a space with me. 

After being attacked 4 times by the same player there's NO WAY he could've taken my home planet without giving me either "Support for the Throne" or "Ceasefire" which I would've played immediately to prevent him from ever taking my planet. 

Therefore I would've been able to score public objectives and had won the game that way. 

3) If you are given a promissory note in exchange for a promise to vote or help out in any way, you DO NOT have to go by your word but STILL keep the Note! This totally changes the game for everyone now because when you give someone a Note YOU have to obey it when that player cashes in on it. However they DO NOT have to go through with whatever they agreed with you!

Gamechanger for next time we play. 

I know my nephew's hurt over it and I understand why. But I could've easily have won or would 3 of his friends provided him with Support of the Throne at the very end just to spite me?

Who knows, but I know next time, I'm ready to put a new strategy into play and find out.