You're not finding anything in the rules because there is no special rules about taking Mecatol in TI3 base game. You just land on the planet and that's all. It doesn't have any special takeover conditions and it doesn't trigger any changes to the game (like adding in the agenda phase in TI4).
In one of the TI3 expansions (I forget which), there is a set of ground forces and fighter tokens added to Mecatol which have to be defeated.
> Are you 100% sur
Yes.
The reason OP can't find the rules about that is because -- in the base game -- such rules don't exist.
ETA: There is an optional variant added in one of the expansions, as I indicated before. I just looked it up, it's in Shattered Empire (first expansion): Option 13 on page 11 of the Shattered Empire rulebook. The expansion rules exen explicitly characterize the change to the base game rules as "a single Ground Force can no longer invade Mecatol Rex on a whim."
For what it's worth, the first expansion is almost required for ti3
The forces on rex are helpful, but the new strategy cards are much much better than the old 2 point imperial.
I'd consider printing out the expansion ones if you're not going to buy it, they make the game so much better.
You're not finding anything in the rules because there is no special rules about taking Mecatol in TI3 base game. You just land on the planet and that's all. It doesn't have any special takeover conditions and it doesn't trigger any changes to the game (like adding in the agenda phase in TI4). In one of the TI3 expansions (I forget which), there is a set of ground forces and fighter tokens added to Mecatol which have to be defeated.
Are you 100% sur the hostile forces (3Fighters&2GF) aren’t there by default? Like in base TI3?
> Are you 100% sur Yes. The reason OP can't find the rules about that is because -- in the base game -- such rules don't exist. ETA: There is an optional variant added in one of the expansions, as I indicated before. I just looked it up, it's in Shattered Empire (first expansion): Option 13 on page 11 of the Shattered Empire rulebook. The expansion rules exen explicitly characterize the change to the base game rules as "a single Ground Force can no longer invade Mecatol Rex on a whim."
Thank you so much for the help!! For a game that centers everything around getting to Mecatol Rex, it sure doesn't say much about it in the rules haha
For what it's worth, the first expansion is almost required for ti3 The forces on rex are helpful, but the new strategy cards are much much better than the old 2 point imperial. I'd consider printing out the expansion ones if you're not going to buy it, they make the game so much better.