Gameplay: The Shattered are meant to be fast explorers and colonisers seeking out other Factions. With the Trade and diplomacy bonuses The Shattered are meant to be played peacefully but should aggressively seek better deals and more trade opportunities, but they work best as aggressive early trade dealers and then late game minor faction assimilators and alliance brokers.

Win conditions: Diplomatic/Economic 

Population bonus: 3+ Approval

Faction Affinity: When a new faction is discovered The Shattered get a boost to Influence for 5 turns. (This doesn't stack but if another faction is found it is immediately reactivated after the last one finishes)

Faction traits:

-Master Diplomats: Get a permanent bonus to trade routes income (Strategic resources, FIDS ect)

For thousands of years peace and prosperity blossomed through diplomacy and this skill has not been lost.

-Endless Peace: Cannot declare war. (Can still be declared on and then they can fight)

The Shattering will not be repeated not on their planets nor others.

-Manipulative Speakers: They get diplomatic pressure quicker.

Due to the radiation and the Dust The Shattered mutated coursing a very coercive race.

-Trade Embassy: The Shattered can build 1 Trade Embassy per star system making that a Trade Company for other friendly empires with (any) ship in the system, giving you 100% of the income and the other empire 50%.

-Entrepreneurs: The Shattered get +2 trade routes available per empire level.

Biography:

Halvir III used to be a planet of lush forests and clear rivers. A world completely untouched by war as the civilisations of Halvir had a uneasy alliance of trade and prosperity followed. But with the advancement of splitting the atom, war broke out. This war would come to be known as The Shattering and it reduced their world to a almost lifeless husk of irradiated sand and broken civilisations. However this wasn't the end for the few thousand survivors. Something ancient and alive stirred in the ground and as ancient advanced technology hummed, a door opened that would never be closed. As a band of mutated survivors travelled they came across this buried Endless vault and as they entered, they were changed forever as Dust entered their minds, they were filled with increased intelligence needed to save their race. Over 100 years these individuals banded the world together, rebuilt what they had lost and progressed faster then ever before.  They named themselves The Shattered as a reminder of something that will never happen again. Now they look to the stars curious as to who is looking back eager to meet so everyone can prosper...

All right, thanks for the feedback and advice! As they are meant to be pacifist diplomats I will focus on that aspect of their gameplay! Mind if u have another look over it and at the changes and see if it's a step forwards? Thanks!

Frogsquadron wrote:

Bit of an early Homeworld vibe in this one (the small faction uniting its world). If I have to give feedback, I'd say that your gameplay traits are a bit of a mixed bag. They have some trade aspects, but also some pacifist bits, some expansive bits in there too... I'd suggest you focus on just one of these identities and expanding on it to really capture the spirit of your faction.

Digitalhawk96 wrote: 

Heres a good question though: How would Endless Peace interact with Alliances? If you can circumvent the issue with that, it kind of defeats the purpose does it not? Again, in an online enviroment if you find you are lagging behind people might just end up ignoring you both in trade and war. This would keep you weak since most of your bonuses come from trade then perhaps, some aggressive player wants your teritory, sure you might be able to hook someone else into the war but will they look on your approvingly if you survive afterwards? Is their any incentive for them to help you if they are not your ally anyway?

Well firstly, the theme is pacifist diplomats and so the endless peace thing is kinda the only way (in my mind) to insure pacifism in that sense. And the affinity I would like to scale depending on the amount of people so if it's a 2 player game you get something like 100%, if 4 then 75%, if 6 then 50%, if 8 then 25% give or take the amount. But let me anwser your questions!

If your in an alliance then yes, u will be dragged into wars if you all decide to go to war, you can still fight even if you yourself can't declare war. You can think of this as a way to circumnavigate the trait if your a warmonger player but it's not where The Shattered strenghs lie, they would more be the "bankers" for the war, teching up or supplying dust ect to their allies.

And you should be able to keep competitive with the amount of trade you would be getting, people WANT to be friends with you and have some ships at your planets as it gives them bonuses. Plus with the amount of diplomatic pressure u are making you can just force deals on people.

And while yes if a aggressive player is near to you eg Cravers, then you could have a fair bit of trouble but this faction does not want war and will do anything to stop it, I am thinking of adding in some sort of defensive bonus for them but it makes them very strong then as they don't have a weakness, like Cravers have the weakness that they HAVE to keep colonising/attacking and if they are drawn into a war of attrition/stopped then they will lose, so all factions must have some counter or weakness, mine most likely being early war.

And helping keep you alive so they can benefit from the trade is mostly the main one, but why keep any faction alive like the Sophons if your someone else, they give u nothing but mutual protection.

If u have any more questions please ask! :D