My #1 request for the first larger expansion are options to branch off from the main quest line to customize a faction to my playstyle.



Benefits:

- More "fluid", story-driven customization compared to starting with a custom race

- Less predictable AI strategy and multiplayer

- Replay value



For example, the default Wild Walkers leave behind their tradition of The Sharing, leave the forests and become builders. But what if that's not the right answer? What if the traditionalists win the upper hand? What if the Wild Walkers return to the forests, reembrace the sharing, and sit out the apocalypse in their home land?



A good alternative quest line should:

- Work with clues in the narrative that are already in the game

- Change bonuses and faction specials to steer towards a different victory goal

- Take some strengths and abilities and develop them in a different direction



To be more specific, the third or fourth main quest will offer you a dialog choice where you choose between two success conditions and gain different bonuses. If you choose the (clearly marked) alternative option, you branch off the main quest and further quests will change your faction abilities (in some cases dramatically)



Back to my example:





Wild Walkers: Reembrace the Sharing



Goal: Dominance / Supremacy (= war)



In quest #4, Building the Future, instead of building boroughs, you gain the option to destroy one!

If you choose this option, all existing city boroughs will be transformed into ancient forests.

Ancient forests work like boroughs, and have the same bonuses (or at least similar - any change here will have massive balance implications... I would suggest to remove both the food penalty and the influence bonus).

The major difference is that they cost 50%, but require forests!

At the same time, you gain the ability to grow forests on any city tile that can support them (at half the cost of a borough).



Further quests along this line give a war-leader hero and wartime bonuses (reduced unit upkeep, enemies take automatic damage in forests controlled by you, attack and damage bonuses, custom wood weapons etc).





Other ideas...



Diplomatic Broken Lords: They learn to embrace their role as the elder race that teaches the younger (not to repeat their mistakes). Key bonuses include

- reduced diplomacy costs

- bonuses for sharing technology (+5 approval for 10 turns when they do).



Builder Necrophages: The Queen communed with the planet. She understood that it is not just her role to cleanse the planet from infestation (of other races) but to build a giant structure (so bizarre and alien no other race will understand it). Main bonus are

- worker drones (+2 industry per pop assigned to it)

- +1 prod per district.

They still keep most of their warlike nature - other races will only disturb or destroy the great work and must not be allowed anywhere near it. And they are still great food.



Plundering Roving Bands: Led by a mad prophet, these tribes see trade disappear as winter ends all commercial activities. Desperate, they turn to taking what they need with force, instead of bartering for dust.

- attack and raze cities without declaring war (!)

- cavalry charge (attack and damage bonus if they move before attack)

- gain dust and production stockpiles when plundering

- can occupy mines and extractors for resources on enemy territory

Suddenly, their mobility is extremely dangerous.