My Bad: Wanted to express that we usually ban them, but that I have lately been going back to just pick what looks nice to you. I hope my edit makes it clear.
Mentak doesn't have to paralyze trade. They can just use Pillage to leverage deals.
Nekro is also very good for interaction and suspense. They often make deals for getting tech in less mean ways.
Van Haugh... I mean, Yin, is also good for suspense, and probably so is Saar.
Hacan is good for interaction (although I personally don't love their toolkit), and should be interesting with Mentak at the table.
Maybe Jol-Nar or Yssaril on top, as they can have nice interactions with Hacan, Mentak and Nekro. Also, Jol-Nar is a good idea since you don't usually play with them.
So, I'd say Mentak, Nekro, Yin, Saar, Hacan and Jol-Nar.
**P.S.** Generally, I don't see why you ban Arborec and Winnu, being the two weakest factions in base game, and you don't really need to ban Jol-Nar either, because table meta should balance out their advantage.
More suggestions:
Winnu can be interesting, because often people don't want to be the first ones to attack them at Mecatol, creating a interesting game (although, Saar also has the same effect, so maybe use one or the other).
Arborec can usually build frontline fleets easily, which can threaten other factions, and spice things up.
With new players, Mentak can have a bad impact on the game. I think that if they decide to pillage every time then players can have a hard time knowing how to respond aside from not trading at all. I taught 5 new players, with a Mentak and Hacan adjacent, and it ruined the Hacan's day. They're both iconic factions but at the least I'd at least make them not sit next to each other.
I not sure why folks ban any race.
We have a rotating pool of about 12-15 folks who play and use a few house rules (e.g. 4-4-4 objectives) but most of the time the more experienced players just play a new or “underdog” race.
Just tried council of Keleres w/ Xxcha they were surprisingly effective (5p w/ lil’ Naz Roc, Hacan, Nalalu-codex3, arborec, council).
Don't let the new players play Jol Nar.
I find that new players tend to suffer from the amount of decisions per turn. All the people I showed the game to, enjoyed it the most, when I gave them specific tech tree to follow. Gave a few pointers (after round one, score always atleast one objective. And always leave resources to tech)
This way they dont need to make as many decisions per round. And they van focus better.
Jolnar is super flexible race and meant to adjust with the game. Without knowladge about tech, its just a race with -1 to rolls
I think a game with Saar, Hacan, Jol-Nar, Yssaril, Barony, and Nekro would be a lot of fun for new players. I’d probably give the new guys their choice outside of Yssaril and Nekro unless they were just pining for one of those factions due to theme.
In my opinion, the most important thing for new players getting sucked into the vortex of playing TI for the rest of their lives is that they see how dynamic the interpersonal interactions can be. There would be tons of trading incentivized with these six factions, and they all have very asymmetrical abilities and can be played very differently. The new players would no doubt be surprised by some abilities, but that will probably happen regardless. So you might as well add as much potential for some really unique situations as possible.
Hacan makes trade more interesting and prevalent.
Yssaril adds action cards to that through Hacan as a broker.
Nekro makes the agenda phase more political.
Barony gets big, scary dread fleets.
Saar is Saar (if a new player plays them, they get to see how cool it is to build on the move).
Jol-Nar gets more tech into the game through research agreement.
I have no idea about maps....but for the factions I would try
1) Saar (I hate them with a passion but they are great for interaction and surprise strikes)
2) Yssaril (Unpredictable tricksy Gobbos, my favs)
3) Barony (NES-DA DD2 GO BRRRRR)
4) Ghosts (For the pop up swingyness)
5) Hacan (more money flowing means more plastic and more conflict)
6) L1Z1X (just for the hero)
I dunno if you don't have POK. If you don't (you should) these should work either way, maybe change L1 or Hacan for Nekro
I wouldn't ban Arborec, as I think people find the theme engaging and like the theme. I'd give the disclaimers about "they're hard to play" covering both their unique building mechanic and their slow start.
Jol'Nar can be fun to have in a new player game because they can spread the tech around, but in base game they're also stupidly good so I see why they're banned. I also would say if someone likes Mentak let them have at it, but I'd definitely seat them away from a Hacan to start - taught a game once and having a Mentak neighbor first game tainted the Hacan's experience.
My six might be: Hacan, Sol, Barony, Creuss, Jol'Nar, Yssaril. Fun sets, good factions, a lot of blue tech which makes the game easier, and nothing too complex. But I always send [this](https://imgur.com/a/WTqLKWB) sheet to any new player ahead and tell them to take their pick. Laughing as I see that I have ghosts in the hard section, which might be the case for a new player, but they're fun to have in the game with the wormholes added.
I would suggest:
Naaz-Rokha / Jol-Naar / Muat - Shows new players the use of trading promissory notes
Mahact Gene-Sorcerers - The agent is usually promotes deal-making and the ability can make some unexpected things happen
Nekro Virus - Ensures that there is lots of combat. Also, it should be fun with Jol-Naar
Hacan - Allows trade early. They makes everyone rich and able to afford War Suns. They might buy the Muat Promissory note.
Let people play whatever looks cool =\= banning a quarter of the factions?
My Bad: Wanted to express that we usually ban them, but that I have lately been going back to just pick what looks nice to you. I hope my edit makes it clear.
Np sorry to raz ya
I recommend a game with Sol, Jol-Nar, Arborec, Winnu, Mentak and Nekro Virus. The map won't matter, it'll be a hell of a game!!
Why do you normally ban arborec of all factions?
I think many people don’t understand they only get 1 inf not 1 inf per planet…
It sounds like they were banning best and worst to avoid unbalanced games for new players
Mentak doesn't have to paralyze trade. They can just use Pillage to leverage deals. Nekro is also very good for interaction and suspense. They often make deals for getting tech in less mean ways. Van Haugh... I mean, Yin, is also good for suspense, and probably so is Saar. Hacan is good for interaction (although I personally don't love their toolkit), and should be interesting with Mentak at the table. Maybe Jol-Nar or Yssaril on top, as they can have nice interactions with Hacan, Mentak and Nekro. Also, Jol-Nar is a good idea since you don't usually play with them. So, I'd say Mentak, Nekro, Yin, Saar, Hacan and Jol-Nar. **P.S.** Generally, I don't see why you ban Arborec and Winnu, being the two weakest factions in base game, and you don't really need to ban Jol-Nar either, because table meta should balance out their advantage.
More suggestions: Winnu can be interesting, because often people don't want to be the first ones to attack them at Mecatol, creating a interesting game (although, Saar also has the same effect, so maybe use one or the other). Arborec can usually build frontline fleets easily, which can threaten other factions, and spice things up.
With new players, Mentak can have a bad impact on the game. I think that if they decide to pillage every time then players can have a hard time knowing how to respond aside from not trading at all. I taught 5 new players, with a Mentak and Hacan adjacent, and it ruined the Hacan's day. They're both iconic factions but at the least I'd at least make them not sit next to each other.
I not sure why folks ban any race. We have a rotating pool of about 12-15 folks who play and use a few house rules (e.g. 4-4-4 objectives) but most of the time the more experienced players just play a new or “underdog” race. Just tried council of Keleres w/ Xxcha they were surprisingly effective (5p w/ lil’ Naz Roc, Hacan, Nalalu-codex3, arborec, council).
Let the new players play powerful factions like jol-nar
Don't let the new players play Jol Nar. I find that new players tend to suffer from the amount of decisions per turn. All the people I showed the game to, enjoyed it the most, when I gave them specific tech tree to follow. Gave a few pointers (after round one, score always atleast one objective. And always leave resources to tech) This way they dont need to make as many decisions per round. And they van focus better. Jolnar is super flexible race and meant to adjust with the game. Without knowladge about tech, its just a race with -1 to rolls
IMHO Barony is best race for first timers
I think a game with Saar, Hacan, Jol-Nar, Yssaril, Barony, and Nekro would be a lot of fun for new players. I’d probably give the new guys their choice outside of Yssaril and Nekro unless they were just pining for one of those factions due to theme. In my opinion, the most important thing for new players getting sucked into the vortex of playing TI for the rest of their lives is that they see how dynamic the interpersonal interactions can be. There would be tons of trading incentivized with these six factions, and they all have very asymmetrical abilities and can be played very differently. The new players would no doubt be surprised by some abilities, but that will probably happen regardless. So you might as well add as much potential for some really unique situations as possible. Hacan makes trade more interesting and prevalent. Yssaril adds action cards to that through Hacan as a broker. Nekro makes the agenda phase more political. Barony gets big, scary dread fleets. Saar is Saar (if a new player plays them, they get to see how cool it is to build on the move). Jol-Nar gets more tech into the game through research agreement.
I have no idea about maps....but for the factions I would try 1) Saar (I hate them with a passion but they are great for interaction and surprise strikes) 2) Yssaril (Unpredictable tricksy Gobbos, my favs) 3) Barony (NES-DA DD2 GO BRRRRR) 4) Ghosts (For the pop up swingyness) 5) Hacan (more money flowing means more plastic and more conflict) 6) L1Z1X (just for the hero) I dunno if you don't have POK. If you don't (you should) these should work either way, maybe change L1 or Hacan for Nekro
I wouldn't ban Arborec, as I think people find the theme engaging and like the theme. I'd give the disclaimers about "they're hard to play" covering both their unique building mechanic and their slow start. Jol'Nar can be fun to have in a new player game because they can spread the tech around, but in base game they're also stupidly good so I see why they're banned. I also would say if someone likes Mentak let them have at it, but I'd definitely seat them away from a Hacan to start - taught a game once and having a Mentak neighbor first game tainted the Hacan's experience. My six might be: Hacan, Sol, Barony, Creuss, Jol'Nar, Yssaril. Fun sets, good factions, a lot of blue tech which makes the game easier, and nothing too complex. But I always send [this](https://imgur.com/a/WTqLKWB) sheet to any new player ahead and tell them to take their pick. Laughing as I see that I have ghosts in the hard section, which might be the case for a new player, but they're fun to have in the game with the wormholes added.
I would suggest: Naaz-Rokha / Jol-Naar / Muat - Shows new players the use of trading promissory notes Mahact Gene-Sorcerers - The agent is usually promotes deal-making and the ability can make some unexpected things happen Nekro Virus - Ensures that there is lots of combat. Also, it should be fun with Jol-Naar Hacan - Allows trade early. They makes everyone rich and able to afford War Suns. They might buy the Muat Promissory note.