Emperor of the Fading Suns

Hyperion



Hyperion - Selecting Traits for PBEM games
This section discusses a point system based on selecting traits for PBEM games. It is base largely on Nova - Balancing the House Traits.
It is suggested that the following point system be used by players of the following difficulties:
  • Beginner: +8 or higher
  • Intemediate: +5 to +7
  • Expert: +4 or lower
Positive Traits Negative Traits
Noblesse Oblige: +4 - Adds 10 to both city loyalty and unit loyalty. A player should always reduce his tax level sufficiently to make his city loyalty 100% anyway, so the city loyalty bonus translates into a tax increase. The one exception to this is when a player is excommunicated. In that case, he cannot keep his city loyalty at 100% by reducing taxes alone, so this trait really will increase it. The unit loyalty bonus means that leaderless units will rout less easily, while units accompanied by an officer or noble will never rout. Despotism: -1 - Reduces food production by 10%. (Note: the manual and the trait screen describe this trait wrongly.)
Noble Scholars: +1 - Increases food production by 10%. Inbreeding: -0 - Almost irrelevant as rebellions only occur when unit loyalty is below 25%. The only time this happens is occasionally when capturing a rebel unit.
Enlightened Nobility: +2 - Increases research output of labs by 10%. Insanity: -2 - Reduces production of resources in each city by 5%. This is rounded in your favour, so that, for example, a Fusorium producing 10 Monopols per turn will not be affected. Does not affect research.
Rule of Law: +4 - Same as Noblesse Oblige. Inept Military Training: -3 - Subtracts 1 from the accuracy of all your weapons. Makes a big difference early in the game.
Warrior Ethic: +2 - Newly built units are Expert instead of Green. Tyranny: -4 - Subtracts 10 from unit loyalty, so they rout more easily.
Charismatic Leadership: not allowed - This trait is badly broken. Spendthrift: -2 - Prices 10% lower when selling, 10% higher when buying.
Administration: +3 - Increases tax income (not tax rate) by 10%. Anti-trade: -4 - Reduces tax income (not tax rate) by 10%.
Mercantile Savvy: +2 - Prices 10% higher when selling, 10% lower when buying. Decadence:-4 - Same as Anti-Trade.
A Friend in the Church: +1 - Increases chance that Patriarch will agree to a contract. Disdains Trade: -2 - Same as Spendthrift.
A Friend in the League: +0 - This seems to have no effect, as the League never agrees to any contracts anyway. Enemy in Church: -1 - Reduces chance that Patriarch will agree to a contract.
Ancient Documentarium (Bioengineering): +2 - You start the game with Microbiology, Pharmaceuticals and Hospitals. Enemy in League: -0 - This seems to have no effect, as the League never agrees to any contracts anyway.
Ancient Documentarium (Advanced Physics): +3 - You start the game with Physics, Energy Physics and Composite Armor.  
Ancient Documentarium (Psychosocial Engineering): +1 - You start the game with Psychosocial Engineering, Meditation and Alien Psychology.  
Internal Security Apparatus: +0 - Almost irrelevant as rebellions only occur when unit loyalty is below 25%. The only time this happens is occasionally when capturing a rebel unit.  
Battlemaster: +10 - Adds 20 to the armor rating of units stacked with a noble (including the noble himself). With the changes to DAMAGE.DAT and the rescaling of Armor and Attack Strength so you could read them in the unit display, adding 20 to your armor rating can make your Militia take virtually no damage when fighting with a Noble during the early game. You are still susceptible to Psy attacks, though.