4.7 KiB
Optional three-stronghold alliance victory
Group ordinary-bid funding — 28 October 2026
Staged Basic prototype, not a selectable game mode. A group member can allocate separately pledged spice from multiple allies to an ordinary bid. Each selected share remains committed while that bid leads and becomes withdrawable after an outbid. The winner pays the original donor split once; using a Karama instead releases the shares without spending them. The ordinary Emperor income and phase-end refunds remain in force. The donor sees the amount committed to the current bid, and the bidder sees the combined committed payment. Group controls and minimal legal bot decisions are connected in staged games.
The publisher FAQ, p. 2 describes allied contributions and the Emperor ally's payment returning to Emperor. Recipient-specific escrow and explicit per-donor allocation are provisional online procedures. This scope is Basic classic-faction ordinary auctions; optional modules, competing Truthtrance commitments, special auctions and complete group play remain separate. No lobby exposes group play.
Group ordinary-shipment funding — 28 October 2026
Staged Basic prototype, not a selectable game mode. Group allies can set aside separate amounts for each other during Shipment and Movement. A shipper may explicitly allocate amounts from each pledged donor to an ordinary physical reserve shipment; the authoritative payment rechecks those exact pledges, charges the shipper's remainder once, and retains each donor's identity. An outside Guild receives the eligible payment. Unspent pledges return to their respective donors at phase end. Alliance edge authorizations are renewed on formation, preserved for surviving edges and revoked on departure, with aggregated refunds for removed edges. Controls show only the viewer's own outgoing and incoming pledges; bots may continue using their own spice.
This first path is limited to Basic classic-faction staged groups without a Guild member, optional modules, Karama shipment pricing or special transport. Guild-allied rates, other shipment types, special auctions, and the remaining faction benefits and interactions are not connected. No lobby can start a group game yet. The recipient-specific pledge and allocation procedure is a provisional online convention rather than a printed worked example.
Group Nexus negotiation — 28 October 2026
Integrated groundwork, not a selectable game mode. In a staged Basic classic-faction Nexus with the group ledger present, a pair member or an unallied entrant can propose adding the entrant. Every participant must explicitly agree; a decline cancels the invitation and preserves the pair. Each proposal has a fresh event and revision, and an unanswered invitation holds the Nexus. Leaving a three-member group retains the other pair and its original edge age. Pair offers involving the newly formed group are cleared. The staged table renders the group controls and minimal bots can answer.
Unanimity, cancellation, the pending-Nexus hold and the surviving pair are provisional online procedures, not publisher rulings. This scope excludes expansion decks/factions, Advanced, optional modules, live Truthtrance commitments and pledged aid. No lobby creates the group ledger: faction ally benefits, group funding and other interactions must be connected before any player can start the printed larger-alliance option. The separate unlimited alliance variant remains missing.
Prototyped / Partial — 28 October 2026. The host can select a shorter two-member alliance game in the lobby. With at least three physical controllers, allied factions need three distinct qualifying strongholds instead of the default four. A solo faction keeps its normal target, a separately agreed extra-stronghold requirement is added afterward, and Tech Tokens retain their existing ownership requirements. The same calculation drives public progress and the Mentat victory decision. Changing the setting clears human readiness; older games omit it and retain the default.
The 2019 GF9 rulebook's optional alliances table, printed p. 24, lists a two-member alliance with three strongholds as a shorter game. The publisher rulebook mirror preserves that table. This first version keeps the existing four-stronghold target for two physical controllers, including the two-faction-per-person setup; priority between that special setup and this optional table is a provisional interpretation. Larger alliance variants require separate membership and interaction work. Advanced and expansion combinations are not certified by the Basic-focused evidence.