Tabletop Simulator

Tabletop Simulator

Star Trek - Ascendancy (Ultimate Edition)
DevKev  [developer] May 8, 2022 @ 10:20pm
Bleached Lizard Variant
There are several variations of the Bleach Lizard Variant. There are rules issues to be resolved with the new official and fan-made factions. Here's my thought while trying to implement it into this edition.

SETUP:

1. Remove Turn Order 1 card from the game. It won't be used.

2. Keep the Exploration Deck together (don't split it apart by card type anymore). Bleached Lizard variant originally called for splitting the Exploration decks into 2: Crisis+Discover, Virgin+Civilization, but this is not used anymore by many.

3. Each Player's Racial Ability grants them 1 additional culture.
Federation gains +2 Culture when discovering a Phenomenon or Civilization
Romulans gain +2 Culture when completing a Project with a Culture Icon pictured.
Klingons gain +2 Culture when defeating 3+ enemy ships in a space battle.
Andorians have a problem: There are now multiple turns per round now so they could run away with this culture bonus. Do they get +2 culture for highest weapons and +2 culture for highest shields each trigger? I suggest only the first turn of the round counts for this trigger and each is +2 culture.
Ferengi: does this mean they can buy 2 Culture for 5 production? I suggest either NO or 1 culture per 4 production spent to equalize.
Not all Factions (such as Vulcans) have a culture ability. This makes it a balance issue (more culture to their opponents than them).

INITIATIVE:

1. Use Turn Order cards ranging from 2 to #players +1 (3 player game uses TO cards 2-4).
I'll keep this option limited to standard turn order. Mystery turn order gives out much higher turn order cards that would grant many actions in a single turn.
This complicates Orion Syndicate faction. Their take 2 turns ability is no longer worth anything.

EXECUTION:
1. Each player now takes multiple turns per round, but can only use as many commands each turn as their initiative number. (player with turn order 2 can only exhaust 2 commands each turn). The Execution phase ends when all player no longer have command tokens.
The following list of Player Actions cost 1 command token (and sometimes resources):
A. Build Ships (build any# of ships at 1 location).
B. Build Starbase for 3P + 2R + 1C. Suggestion for Andorians: costs 2 commands plus normal resoruce cost.
C. Build 1 Production Node for 2P
D. Build 1 Research Node for 1P + 1R
E. Build 1 Culture Node for 1P + 2C
F. Colonize 1 system for 1C+1Ship (or 1 Ascendancy for Vulcans). With Ascendancy now costing 7 culture, Vulcan cost of colonizing is higher. Possible suggestion: give Vulcans +2 Culture bonus when they colonize (2 culture refund on spending 7 culture Ascendancy).
G. Ascend for 7 culture (Vulcan's are disadvantaged with higher cost and no faction culture bonus).
H. Research for 1R (place it on project with the lowest amount of research tokens).
I. Start Project: draw 3 and discard 2.
J. Upgrade defenses: increase shields or weapons 1 level by paying cost.
K. Study Phenomenon: have a ship or fleet brave a phenomenon it occupies.
L. Hegemony: pay 1 Culture and attemp Hegemony, pay 1 more culture if successful.
M. Impulse: move 1 ship or fleet at impulse. (# of sectors moved = 2 + #Warp icons).
N. Enter Warp: Add 1 warp token to a ship or fleet and place off board.
O. Exit Warp: (move a ship a # of Systems and place them into a destination sector. (# of systems moved = 2+#warp tokens)
P. Attack ships in a target sector.
Q. Invade an occupied system.

2. Players now use a single combined turn for Build and Command phase. Some effects refer to Build Phase or Command Phase. Suggestion: Any effect referring to those phases refers to a turn instead. Terms that refer to beginning or end of a phase only trigger once at the beginning of the first turn (beginning of the execution phase), or the end of the execution phase.

3. Impulse: Ships now travel at 2 + 1 sectors for each warp icon (or other impulse increasing ability).

4. Players add warp tokens to each ship at warp at the end of each of their turns. They cannot have more warp tokens than their warp speed (2+warp icons). Warp speed moves at systems (Warp speed 3 means you can travel 3 systems distance).
Clarification: can players no longer add warp tokens by spending a command like in the standard rules?
What about other effects that add warp tokens to ships? I suggest they work normally and add the token. The player is prevented from voluntarily adding warp tokens above their ship's maximum and the automatic adding of warp tokens at the end of their turn is affected by the max. All other effects that add warp tokens add them normally (exceeding the ship's normal speed limit).

5. Research nodes only cost 1P and 1R (reduced by 1P).

6. Forming Fleets no longer cost a command. This is an issue with Andorians that usually cost 2 commands to do that. Suggestion: it costs 1 command for them to form a fleet.

7. When building independent civilizations, rotate open nodes through each type: 1st Open Site=Production, 2nd Open Site=Research, 3rd Open Site (if every happens): Culture.

8. Projects are no longer stolen when research stations are captured. This is a big disadvantage for Vulcans if they have the Agenda to develop Rival projects.
Last edited by DevKev; May 8, 2022 @ 10:22pm
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Showing 1-4 of 4 comments
DracoDruid May 11, 2022 @ 9:01am 
What the hell is the "Bleached Lizard Variant" ?! :D
DevKev  [developer] May 11, 2022 @ 9:12am 
It's an alternative way to play and structure turns in STA. I originally supported it in my previous version, but was not able to adapt it into the latest version after Andorians, Vulcans, and other fan-made factions were added.
The scripted turns in this workshop make it harder to play with the variant since turns and actions are handled differently. I have a lot of the original code still dormant to support the variant, I just have it disabled until I find time to integrate and update it. I have been busy with a newer version that integrates fan Mini-Expansions. I'm trying to finish them before the new Breen and Dominion expansions come out, because, of course, i'll be busy adding those.

Here's the original thread for Bleached Lizard Variant.
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1686248
DracoDruid May 12, 2022 @ 11:02am 
Thanks for the explanation @DevKev
As always, I can't express how grateful I am - and probably many more - for you putting so much energy into this mod.
AeonLu May 14, 2022 @ 3:47pm 
Hey @DevKev. Sorry I have been so busy, I hadn't been able to reply. Here are my thoughts.
Setup 1) Agree
Setup 2) Agree. We didn't use it either
Setup 3) Agree with Andorian points. With Ferengi we have been playing 2 for 5 culture and it's seemed balanced so far since it costs 7 now. Hasn't been an issue with the vulcan so far. They actually have a pretty high win rate among our games.
Setup Extras) Everyone starts with an extra command as well. With Cardassians having 2 extra.


Initiative) Agree

Execution) Agree on all points but note the following
Execution 4) Yes players can spend an extra command to add a token, up to the max
Execution 5) Agree, we play Andorians must spend 1 command
Execution 8) For the vulcans, when this was attempted, we let them draw 2 random research from another player and choose one. Seemed to work well.

These are just my thoughts and how we have been playing. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks again for doing all of this!
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Showing 1-4 of 4 comments
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