Strategy Card, Diplomacy

2. THE DIPLOMACY STRATEGY

The Diplomacy Strategy can provide some protection from aggressive enemies. It is different in relation to other Strategy Cards in that it provides a benefit even before it is activated. If an enemy commits a hostile action against the player holding the Diplomacy Strategy, the offender must exhaust one of his planets. A hostile action is one that would normally break a Trade Agreement (typically, initiating a Space Battle or Invasion Combat). This effect does not apply after the card's holder commits a hostile action himself.

Option “a” of the primary ability allows the active player to choose one system and place one Command Counter from each other player’s reinforcements in the system. This will make it impossible for players to activate the system during their turns. If any player does not have any Command Counters left in his reinforcements, that player must choose a Command Counter from any area of his race card and place it in the system.

Option “b” allows the active player to immediately use the secondary ability without paying any influence or Command Counters.

Regardless of which option the active player chooses, the other players may then use the secondary ability on this card. This ability allows players to spend a Command Counter from Strategy Allocation and 2 influence in order to claim one empty planet (one without any Ground Forces, Mechanized Units, Leaders, PDSs, or Space Docks on it) adjacent to or inside a system in which they control planets or units, even if another player controls the target planet. Once a player executes this ability, he or she immediately places a Control Marker on the planet and claims the corresponding planet card (which the player receives in its exhausted state).

Important: A player may not annex

• a planet that another player annexed this turn,

• Mecatol Rex

• a planet in another player's Home System

• a planet in a system protected by option “a” of the primary ability.

The Xxcha and Diplomacy

When the Xxcha player uses his special ability to execute the primary ability of the Diplomacy card, he must spend a Command Counter from his Strategy Allocation area. (If he chooses option “b” of the primary ability, the only net benefit is that he does not need to pay influence.)