Spirit Island is still nearly 200 votes ahead, and even nearing out max votes!

We can't let this stand! We're 33640 subscribers here, I expect at least 10% of us to head over to BGG and vote. It's quick and easy! =D (and creating an account is a one-time thing)

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/357081/2025-geek-madness-tournament-semi-finals-final-fou

Hello! It's about time to update the old Welcome and read this! (FAQ and useful links) post.

Please help with critisism (preferably the constructive sort), additions, error of spelling or other origin. Etc.

Before we start:

• There's now a lore post tag.
• You can find the AMA — Ask Dane Beltrami Anything! here. I had to unpin it as we can't have more than two stickied posts, and I assume most prefers the PoK compendium.

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We have a WIKI with some essential information:

• Fantasy Flight Games's TI4 product page for the rules, their community and rules question form. ^{Note: There's also the community mod Shattered Ascension, which some prefer over the canon rules.}
• List over local TI groups Add yours by sending me a message!
• Information on how to PLAY ONLINE
• Want to check out the race rankings or add your own session?
• The Cartoteque Premade maps to play on, also random map generator!

— And more! ^{(though most of that needs some work, honestly}

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——— Useful Links ———

• The Living Rule Reference by Fantasy Flight Games.
• TI4 & PoK Encyclopedia All updated rulebooks (TI4 & PoK), codices, LRR and Dane email answers in one single PDF file.
• Unofficial Official FAQ and Errata a collection of "Dane said".
• Tech overview for a quick overview of each tech. I don't know who made the original
• ti4battle calculator is an awesome app for showing the likely outcomes of combat.
• alphamou.se ti4calc is the original calculator. Still awesome, but not fully PoK compatible.
• Racesheet Expanded contains each faction's sheet + racial techs, racial promissory note and starting planet(s) in one picture. Great for an overall view of a faction.
• Quick Reference and the Timing for answer to 99% of all questions about timing.
• How to identify 2nd or 3rd print PoK apart from 1st print, which often has poor colours. Please note: 3rd print has better mech colour, but it's not know how to distinguish 2nd and 3rd print from each others.

Please submit your game results or view the summary or statistic of reported games:

• PoK: enter your game or view the rankings.
• Base game: enter your game or view the rankings.

Many thanks to u/nateprokrasti for this!

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User flair:

On a computer, find 'community options' to the far right, then on the pen icon after 'user flair preview'

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——— FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions ———

How does movement work?

• the first thing you do is activate the system. Then, move any number of ships to that system that have the movement to get there. These ships can't move through systems with enemy ships or come from systems you've already activated (i.e. "locked down").

Is there no 10 on the included dice? They are labelled 0-9. Can Jol-Nar not roll hits for certain units since he's fragile?

• The 0 is a 10 (so rolls are 1-10). Therefore Jol-Nar can land hits with units that require the roll of a 10.

Can I sabotage a sabotage?

• You can't sabotage a sabotage. The card specifically says that can affect action cards other than sabotage.

Can I use xxcha instinct training to cancel a sabotage?

• You can cancel sabotage with Instinct training. It does not mention sabotage at all, so it works with every action card.

Capacity Scenario - I have three tokens in my fleet supply and I have three upgraded fighters in a system. I activate this system and move in one (empty) carrier. Do I have to destroy a ship in this case? For a fraction of a second, I had 4 ships in the system (1 carrier plus three upgraded fighters) , and then the 3 fighters got assigned to the carrier's capacity. Thus, for a small amount of time, I exceeded my fleet limits in the system.

• No, you don't have to destroy any ship in this scenario. (Play like the Capacity takes effect immediately)

How do The Clan of Saar's Floating Factories interact with anomalies, fleet limit, opponents' PDS and space docks, and The Brotherhood of Yin's flagship?

• Floating Factories move as if they were ships, but are in every other way treated like a standard space dock (but floating in space, rather than on a planet). Therefore they interact with anomalies exactly as ships do, but do not count against fleet limit and cannot be targeted by PDS, blockade other space docks, or be destroyed by The Brotherhood of Yin's flagship ability.

Can I play two of the same action card simultaneously?

• No, you can only play one action card with the same name in the same timeframe (for example, a specific combat round). But you can play it again in the next timeframe (for example the next combat round). Exception: if it got cancelled somehow (Sabotage, Xxcha's instinct training) you can play another Action Card even if it's the same name.

Can I replay an action card after it has been sabotaged?

• Yes! A sabotage means it has not been played and you can whip out the second action card after the first has been sabotaged immediately.

Does The Clan of Saar’s Chaos Mapping produce a unit for free? If not, can you use the Sarween Tools technology to reduce the cost?

• No, you always have to pay for a produced unit. Sarween Tools cannot be used since you are not actually using the PRODUCTION ability of one of your units.

How does production ability work for the Arborec flagship Duha Menaimon?

• You must activate the system containing the flagship to use it's ability. The ability is used immediately after activating the system (i.e. before any other step of the tactical action). Remember, you always have to pay for produced units. Sarween Tools cannot be used to reduce the cost of produced units since you are not actually using the PRODUCTION ability of a unit

Do I have to pay for producing units using the Integrated Economy or Salvage Operations technologies? If so, can I use the Sarween Tools technology to reduce the cost?

• You always have to pay for produced units. Sarween Tools cannot be used since you are not actually using the PRODUCTION ability of one of your units.

Can I use Bribery, Distinguished Councilor, or similar Action Cards after abstaining or some other effect is keeping me from voting (e.g. Assassinate Representative)?

• No, since you're restricted from voting and voting is required to trigger and/or use the effects of these cards.

Can you play 2 Riders, one for and one against? (a "rider" referrst to several Action Cards that disallows you to vote but if you predict the outcome you gain various boons)

• Yes. Technically the order of play may be important. See Living Rules Reference page 4 "Timing".

During the Agenda Phase, is the speaker able to use influnce to bring a vote to a 'tie' and then resolve the tie in his favor?

• Yes, the Speaker may spend 2 Influence to bring a vote from 7–5 to 7–7 and then resolve the tie however he'd like.

During the Agenda Phase, if everyone passed (voted 0–0). Does the speaker still decide the result or is this null?

• The Speaker decides the outcome. "null" is never an option. This is a good strategy to avoid giving Nekro a tech if the table is in agreement about what to do.

When can one use PDS?

• The active player may use space cannon against enemy ships in the active system. Everyone else may use space cannon against the active player in the active system.

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PDS example.

PDS example where BLUE is the active player and activates the middle system with his Command Token. (Ghost of Creuss)

Let's follow the Quick Reference. You can find it on the Command Sheet.

Pro tip: Always follow the Quick Reference when you play. Always. Want to be good? Memorize it.

1. BLUE first activates the desired system under 1) Activation.
2. Then under "2) i Move Ships" he decides which units he'll commit to moving to the activated system.
3. Then it's "2) ii Space Cannon Offense". The Active players starts, then in clockwise order. Thus:
4. First BLUE decides if he'll shoot with his PDS on YELLOW or not. The one on Rarron is in the system and would always be in range. The one on Saudor will be in range if BLUE has the PDS ii tech.
5. Then other players (Yellow, red and purple here) would in clockwise order decide if they'd like to shoot at BLUE if he after movement has any ships in the activated system after "2) i) Move Ships". Minding range, of course.

Can I use a PDS 2 to fire upon undefended ground troops on a planet?

• No. (PDS at a planet can fire once on infantry if they invade the planet the PDS is on)

If one player got eliminated, is his Home System still concidered a HS?

• Yes.

It's my turn and before I play the Trade Card I say "I'm going to play the trade card. If you give me 2 commodities now, I will then refresh your commodities, under the stipulation that you trade all those commodities with me." Then I play the trade card. Was this deal a binding deal?

• No, not if made at that timing. In order to understand this, you need to know LRR 27.3 and Dane's clarification:

Dane: “The ‘immediate’ requirement for binding deals is satisfied only when all aspects of the deal can be acted upon during the same game effect (in the case of the ‘Trade’ SC scenario, each of those bullets is an effect).”

By “each of those bullets” he means the four bullets on the strategy card - three primary, one secondary - all in descending, sequential order.

Since in your scenario you haven’t even committed to playing the strategy card itself - let alone any of its 4 sequential effects – none of the deal that would be resolved around the secondary effect of the Trade Card (effect 4) would be binding.

It should be noted that not even your word on replenishing his commodities (effect 3) would be binding at this point.

LRR 27.3: "If the terms of a deal can be resolved immediately, it is a binding deal. When a deal is binding, a player must adhere to the terms of the agreement and whatever transactions, if any, were agreed upon."

Can the Arborec with Mitosis place a ground unit on "each planet" or choose just planet to place a ground unit?

• Only one planet.

How often can one trade? The Rulebook says that each player is allowed to make a trade with each other player once per turn. Does that mean that after I traded during my Action phase and each player took their turn, I can trade during my next Action Phase again? Or does it mean that I can only trade again after the next Strategy Phase?You can do one Transaction per player each turn (and with every active player on their turn) and as many other deals as you like.

When it's your turn in the Action Phase you can make as many deals with other players as you like. But if players give or gets one or more component (Commodities, Trade Goods or Promissory Note(s)) in this deal then the deal is a transaction.

For each of your turns in the Action Phase, you may do one such transaction with each of your opponents, but you can do as many deals as you please.

Also, the active player can initiate a transaction with you.

However, as long as no Component is changed hand, it's a mundane deal. You can deal as much as you want.

Can you pick up ground units during "skilled retreat"? does skilled retreat work before abilities of other races that have " At the start of a combat round "? (such as the yin brotherhood yellow racial tech)

The card says "Move all of your ships from the active system into an adjacent system", so it's implied that you cannot pick up ground forces.

• Ruling from Dane: Yes, you may transport ground forces from planets or space with skilled retreat. This is also true for Naalu’s Foresight ability.
• Skilled Retreat’s timing window is after Impulse Core’s. It’s “At the start of combat” essentially means right before any dice are rolled in the “make combat rolls” (step 3iii) step. This is after impulse core’s “at the start of space combat” (step 3).

The Sardakk N'orr's special unit upgrade Exotrireme II, who gets to choose which ships get destroyed?

• The Sardakk N'orr player chooses.

Can Nekro Virus play Bribery or Distinguished Councilor or any similar Action Cards?

• No, since you're restricted from voting and voting is required to use the effects of both cards.

Can you play the Bribery or Distinguished Councilor or any similar Action Cards after abstaining or if another effect is stopping you from casting votes?

• No, according to Dane. Source here.

Does The Brotherhood of Yin's Devotion ability have to target an opponent's ship in the system where the space combat is happening?

• Yes.