Scenarios
From SOTS
Contents |
Introduction
SotS is meant to be a wargame but not an RPG, so there is no overarching campaign. However, five scenarios were included in the initial game release, with at least two more being added in the First Expansion. More scenarios are being worked on for inclusion in further expansion packs or possibly as freebies, such as the Tourney Space scenario added in the 1.2.1 update. All scenarios can be played multiplayer with any combination of players and AI taking up the playable slots, though not all slots will by playable in all scenarios. Some scenarios will allow alliances, some do not and others virtually demand co-op play if you want to survive.
The various scenarios suit one background story or another and are more akin to "The War of 1812" or "The Solomons Campaign" where you control all aspects of the war, as opposed to a series of missions where you harvest resources. Expect to see story elements show up in various set scenario maps.
Pre-set scenarios will often induce specific behaviors or advantages to an AI side that will make them more of a challenge than even the actual setting, such as other races starting with a higher technology level or larger numbers of ships and/or systems than yourself.
Some of the scenarios will have specific victory condition that fit the "historical" storyline of the scenario. For example, you must defend your homeworld for X number of years or Find the Hiver Queen egg. Others are set up to provide a unique challenge, such as a scenario in which you, as the Humans, would have to track down the particular dreadnought and the other ships of the Hiver nesting fleet that attacked Earth in the opening cinematic and destroy them. In another, you play as either the Humans, the Liir or the Tarkas and you must survive and fight back against a MASSIVE Hiver invasion fleet coming from off board and rolling across the map towards everyone. In certain scenarios the force attack will be disabled, in others the AI will be tactically unbeatable, requiring some different method to win.
The scenario set of maps will have random planet values and usually at least 2 sides for you to choose to play as. Think of the random setup game as being the "everything balanced at zero" start game, whereas the scenarios are very "historical" in nature and hence Kerberos has no great compunction to be "fair" with them. Expect a wide range of challenges.
Kerberos is intending to release some of the tools used to create the game for use in creating scenarios similar to those that will be in the game at its release. Final word on the toolkit belongs with the publisher.
Scenarios
A New Hope
The Frontier Alliance attempts to split away from the militaristic bonds of SolForce. Earth rejects their claim to sovereignty and uses force to retrieve the wayward colonies. It would be a simple job, if it weren’t for the three alien races looking to exploit the division of the human race, and form alliances with the new human faction.
Objective
- The Frontier Alliance: In order to win, the Frontier Alliance must maintain at least three worlds for 150 turns or capture Earth itself.
- SolForce: SolForce wins if it can capture all Frontier worlds.
- Liir / Hiver / Tarkas: Players may not play as the Liir/Hivers/Tarkas.
Rules
There are no special rules for this Scenario.
His Master's Voice
Added by the Born of Blood expansion.
This is a Zuul single player scenario where the player has to infiltrate, understand and take over the homeworld of each of the other four races in order to find clues that may lead you to artifacts of the Great Masters. After encountering each race, research the first Language Tech of that race to learn the name and location of the relevant homeworld. Establishing a colony on each of the other four races' homeworld wins the game.
Holy Lands
Every sentient species has its own political aims and agendas — but they also have religious beliefs, and a sense of the sacred. The idea that a certain place is holy is universal among all races — and so is the notion of the spiritual pilgrimage.
Objective
At the beginning of the scenario, each player will be given the name and location of a holy place. You must go to this place and form a colony; when you have communed with this sacred planet, the name and location of the next holy planet on your spiritual path will be revealed. This will continue until you have built colonies on five sacred worlds; to win the game, you must hold these holy lands for ten turns.
Rules
1) Opponents will not be made aware of what planet's are on any other player's list.
Hungry Children
The Hivers have lost their home. The Queen’s homeworld and all Her original colonies are gone, destroyed by a sun gone supernova. Rather than accept a quick death for Her Children, the Queen used the last of Her resources to gather ships and provisions for dozens of Her strongest daughters, and is now leading them into the farthest reaches of space to conquer new lands and form a new Hiver Imperium.
Hundreds of Hiver ships are coming, organized into dozens of fleets; they must colonize new worlds or face slow death in the void. Can the other three races beat back the Hiver incursion before they become entrenched on new worlds, and turn into an unstoppable force?
Objective
- Human / Liir / Tarkas: Defeat the Hiver fleets.
- Hiver: Conquer the galaxy.
Rules
1) Hiver player does pay for fleet maintenance for initial ships, but starts with a large purse. The Hivers must get a foothold before they run out of cash.
2) Hiver player does not pay for colony development for the first 100 turns.
This Scenario virtually demands co-op play if you want to survive.
Jewels of the Crown
Hivers attack all comers in their genocidal fury. The Hiver Queen has died and her precious royal gems have gone missing. A faction has secreted the crown jewels on a hidden world, somewhere on the map. Without the crown jewels, no princess can become Queen—and the entire Hiver race has now become a headless giant, lashing out madly in all directions.
Objective
- Human: Hold on to the Jewels long enough to complete a special research project.
- Tarkas: Deliver the Jewels to your Homeworld and hold them there for 10 turns.
- Liir: Deliver the Jewels to the Hiver Homeworld.
- Hivers: Players may not play as the Hivers.
Rules
There are no special rules for this Scenario.
A Deep Scan ship must be present to reveal the precise location of the Jewels at a system, or onboard another player's ship. A Repair and Salvage ship must be present to retrieve the Jewels from a system when the Deep Scan reveals their location.
Lords of a Broken Empire
Added by the Born of Blood expansion.
This is a 3-player scenario revolving around a Tarkan civil war with three contenders for the emperor's chair. The empire has splintered into seven separate Tarkan empires and all are being harassed by a Zuul presence taking advantage of the chaos. Whoever can ally with the most factions and defeat the Zuul incursion is crowned Emperor. More information will be available after the expansion is released.
Tourney Space
Added by the 1.2.1 update.
Welcome to the SolForce competition simulator. This is where students can test their skills with each other on a relatively level playing field lacking many of the X-Factors more advanced officer candidates are trained to expect and counter.
Objective
- All: Defeat all enemy players.
Rules
The following constraints have been imposed on the simulated galaxy.
1) 4 players maximum.
2) 60 stars.
3) All players will play the same race selected by the Game Master.
4) Climate hazard for systems is 200 for every player.
5) Players will have access to all technologies for their species.
6) All planet sizes are 6-8 (excluding home systems, which are 10).
7) Distance between stars is 5-6 ly.
8) Random Events are off.
Upstart Apes
Throwing off the lingering effects of the Hiver attack, the human race steps cautiously away from their homeworld — and runs straight into the arms of the ancient and decadent Tarka Imperium. The scrappy humans will have to learn fast and be exceptionally clever in order to carve their own colonies from the far-flung outposts of an older empire — while the Tarka commander must balance the needs and demands of the great imperium against his new problem with this upstart race of talking monkeys!
Objective
- Human: Build an empire of at least 10 worlds and hold them for 20 turns.
- Tarkas: Conquer Earth and hold for 10 turns.
Rules
1) Tarkas player researches at 1/50 normal speed.
2) The Tarkas player can go as deep into debt as they wish, but for every 100K of debt, there is a 2% chance of the Tarka commander being “recalled to capital” to answer for mismanagement - if this happens, they have lost the game.
3) Based on the changing whims of the Tarkas Emperor, limitations on what can be built and demands on how ships can be used will be made. The Tarkas commander will have to be resourceful.
