TI4 (game #2)

 

Just like every twilight imperium game before it you never think how much better it can get until you play again.

This had to be the most amazing game I've played in quite some time. For the second time only I was able to open the fractured void and get in it. It took me two rounds to finally capture a planet and that's when I realized the entire void is just a giant red herring.

Sure the planets are very powerful granting you a relic along with other super abilities (in my case a victory point) but by the time everything was said and done the leader had 6 victory points to my 2. Since all my energy was focused on taking over a planet in the void I was losing out on points.

Sure this is only my personal opinion but I wouldn't put it past this game to keep putting up shiny trinkets in front of the player's eyes that make them lose focus on scoring victory points.

It was at this time I realized the game was really out of my hands.

Yet as any experienced player knows….never give up hope, you just don't know what might happen.

Well during one of the agenda phases an opportunity presented itself as I was the speaker about to break up a tied vote on which planet would be demilitarized. One of them was Mecatol Rex Which would essentially give that player the planet indefinitely throughout the rest of the game.

A very powerful vote. And as we know with very powerful votes come very powerful deals.

My plan was simple give him my deciding vote and have him keep Rex for the rest of the game thereby almost assuring him the win. In exchange he would give me support for the throne. Afterwards my goal would be to paint him as the front runner and try to make it close enough to convince the other players to give me support for the throne in the end thereby beating him the last moment.

And that's exactly what happened. But it wasn't as easy as you would think.

First off my nephew was (rightfully) against the deal in the first place and argued against it vehemently.  He almost convinced the guy until I finally one out with a better argument showing him how he could easily win the game.

Once the deal was made I slowly gathered enough points to get within striking distance and when the final round happened he was sitting on Rex with strategy card 8 in his hand ready to end the game on his turn.

Then I struck my plan.

Gathering the other players I asked one of them to remove all his fleet from his home planet so that I could take it thereby completing a secret mission and then the other players giving me support for the throne right after that so I would be crowned the winner and literally steal victory from the other guy.

And because that guy was so arrogant as to ask if we wanted it to go another round or not since he was “obviously going to win” it cheesed the other players off enough that I knew I could convince them to give me the victory. And hand me that victory they did.

It was a master stroke in negotiations. Definitely a game for the ages. As each one of the players were pointing fingers at each other at whose fault this all was while I sat back with a smile on my face and the crown of champion upon my head.

What a great game…