# Star Traders 4X Empires Game Manual

# Star Traders 4X Empires

Welcome to Star Traders 4X Empires.

## The Game Map

The Star Map is the game world. It is your Quadrant. Knowing what everything on the map represents is the cornerstone of understanding the game. There are several things that will take place here, such as Exploration, Colonization, and most importantly, Combat.

### Stars

The stars on the map represent Systems. These are where your Colonies and the Alien Colonies will be found. Just select a star to view the potential Mineral and Quality values of the orbital bodies. The higher they are, the more valuable the System can be.

Star on Map

### Anomalies and Asteroids

Anomalies and Asteroids can also be added to the Star Map by selecting from the map. Then, if your ships leave the area, these will remain there, unobscured by the fog of war, which will prevent you from seeing where things are at first.

Asteroids on the Map

Unless you have a Ship or Colony in the area, expect it to become surrounded by the fog.

## Stars

These are unoccupied solar systems and come in several varieties and states. They each have a Mineral range, which dictates how many Minerals can potentially be there. This is very important. The Quality range of a system determines how many Upgrades can potentially be built.

As a general rule, all Systems have as a bare minimum Mineral and Quality rolls of 2. When Colonized, either by you or the Alien, the game rolls for Quality and Mineral values between the upper and lower limits. There will be no way whatsoever to change these once they are set.

Generally, you can use this to gauge the worth of a system:

### Quality

2-10 is Low Quality. These Systems are best as mining outposts, and if the Population growth allows it, I build an Exchange.

11-17 is Medium Quality. These Systems can be turned into many things, from smaller Military Bases, to Trade Worlds, or Mining Outposts, depending on the Faction that settles them and their Mineral rolls.

18+ is High Quality. These worlds can be generalized or specialized. Mainly they become Population Centers with a focus on Trade or Military purposes.

The Quality of a System affects Population growth and the number of individual Upgrades that can be built. It can be reduced by Bombardment and Invasion operations.

Dead Worlds have 0 Quality and cannot be colonized. However these are always a result of warfare with the Alien, either by your actions or theirs. They never appear naturally.

There are four types of Star that help visually determine what a system may be like.

Star Types

Red Giants are often lower Quality but have much higher Mineral values.

White Dwarves are the hardest to categorize, because they can have values all over the place. Some are High Quality, while others are high Mineral. As a whole though, they often have lower Quality than Yellow stars.

Blue stars are similar to White Dwarves, but they have higher minimum values.

Yellow stars often have high Quality but are more average in terms of Mineral value.

# Colonies

Colonies are the cornerstone that an Empire is built on. As stated above, Colonies are found in settled Systems. The Colony is always of the Faction that founded it, unless they sell it to the Independents (which will be explained later.) Colonies generate Income, Research Points (RP), Construction Points (CP), Espionage Points (EP) and Trade Points (TP). RP, CP, and EP all start with a value of 1 for a Colony (barring Faction Bonuses, which will be explained later). TP is only generated by certain Upgrades, such as the Exchange. Colonies also have an Income value, which is how much money the Colony generates a turn. Maintenance is the counter to Income, and shows how much you pay per turn to run the Colony. To find exactly how much your Colony contributes to your Empire’s income, just subtract the Colony’s Income from the Maintenance.

Colonies can be specialized for specific purposes withing the Empire. This is the criteria I use to determine what I turn a Colony into.

High Quality, Low Mineral: These worlds will often rely on Trade and Population as their main sources of Income. These can easily be turned into Military Bases which can quickly build and launch Ships. When not building anything, the Idle CP will go towards Income. It can sometimes be hard to make these profitable, especially when they are just starting out. Don’t stress if you cannot get it to become a profitable Colony. Just one Colony will not make or break the Economy.

High Mineral, Low or Medium Quality: These worlds are best used as Mining Outposts. They should focus on Mines and Spice Dens to keep the people happy. However, at less than 5 Population, you will not need a Spice Den. These will often be the most profitable Colonies in the Empire.

Medium Mineral, Medium Quality: These worlds should be a Jack of all trades. They should have some Mines, an Exchange, and Factories. They are not as fast as Population Centers or Military Bases at building things, but they get the job done.

# Anomalies

Anomalies are found on the Star Map. They are purple clouds and swirls that occupy a space on the map. They can be used with the Explore Training. You must move an Explorer or Solar Exo-Scout next to the Anomaly, select Explore, and then select the Anomaly. It will light up and you will hear a sound effect play. Next turn, the Anomaly’s effect will be put into play. (the Explorer is the starting scout that accompanies the Templar Defenders and the Exo-Scout is the default design that is unlocked when your research unlocks the Explore training)

## Exploration Results

The results of Exploration is shown the following turn as a Turn Event. Results can be either positive or negative for your Empire.

### Positive Results

#### Credits

Credits recovered from Exploration are immediately added to your Empire’s treasury. You can recover $300, $150 or $50 based on the richness of the anomaly.

#### Research Points

Research Points from Exploration are immediately applied to your Empire’s current project. If no project is active, these points are lost. You can generate 50 or 100 RP.

#### Morale

Morale changes from Exploration are immediately applied to a randomly selected Colony in the Empire. Morale can be improved by 1 to 3 points, but cannot exceed 10.

#### Construction Points

Construction Points from Exploration are immediately applied to the top priority project of a randomly selected Colony. You can generate 10 or 20 CP.

### Negative Results

#### Morale Loss

If the Exploration goes poorly, or rumors of Xeno infestation spread to a nearby Colony, the Morale will be reduced to 3.

# Economy

Plain and simple, the Economy shows how much raw Income you produce. Net Income comes from subtracting the Empire’s Maintenance costs from the Raw Income. So, if you are generating 4,000 Credits in Income per turn, with a Maintenance Rate of 2,000 Credits per turn, your Net Income is 2,000 Credits.

Ways to increase your Net Income are varied, but focus on one of two things.

You can either reduce your Maintenance costs by:

- Increasing Morale in the Colonies
- Trying to eliminate negative politics such as Embargoes
- Creating positive politics such as Trade Routes.

Or you could increase your Raw Income by:

- Building Mines
- Building Exchanges
- Building Factories

Both of these methods focus on one aspect of the equation. Use both to maximize profit and squeeze every Credit out of the Factions!

## Economic Details

### Population

Arriving on smaller hives, support ships and transports, the refugee population of the Star Trader’s Factions will arrive over time. Be aware of increases in Population on your Colonies. To contribute to the economy Population requires Hab Units. Population contributes $14 Credits per turn.

Without enough Hab Units, a Colony will become over-populated and lose Morale. Overpopulated Colonies are required to pay additional Maintenance for installed Upgrades. Over population can drop a Colony’s Morale to 0 over time.

### Quality

Quality is the absolute measure of the habitability of a system. Some stars have radiation, gravity, light or mass that make them difficult to colonize. The maximum number of Colony Upgrades that can be built for a Colony without paying a maintenance penalty is determined by the Quality score. Every 1% over Quality incurs a 1% maintenance penalty. If the system’s Quality score is exceeded, Morale can drop to 6.

### Upgrades

Upgrades represent substantial building operations within a system. Every upgrade will bring its own bonuses to assist with a colony’s economic, cultural, or military infrastructure. “For example, a Mine increases revenue from Minerals while a Hab Unit provides housing for a growing Population. Upgrades must be maintained, and each upgrade will increase the Colony’s overhead.

### Minerals

Mineral concentrations are a key factor in determining the economic viability of a System. A star’s composition, orbital bodies and stellar age all influence the value of the deposits. Mines are used to convert Minerals into income within the System. Can be mined to generate $21 Credits per turn.

### Morale

Morale represents the general attitude among the star system’s Population towards the Senate and Factions – from happy and motivated to enraged and rioting. Unhappy systems are less productive and cost more to maintain, so it is to your benefit to keep your people happy. Insufficient housing is one of the biggest causes of Morale loss.

### Factories

To satisfy military and civil need for manufactured goods and advanced materials you must develop Factory infrastructure and employ Population to operate it. The primary output of a Factory is CP, however, advanced manufacturing operations can produce additional valuable outputs such as RP and Trade CP.

### Mines

Vast mineral processing infrastructure is required to process the potential wealth of a System’s orbital bodies, asteroids and terrestrial mineral deposits. The basic outcome of harvesting Minerals is Income, however, advanced mining operations can produce secondary benefits such as valuable trade goods or rare scientific discoveries. Mines are not negatively impacted by Politics like Trade Ban. Mines do not require Population to activate. When mined, 1 Mineral point will generate $21 Credits per turn.

### Construction Point (CP)

CP are generated by Colony Upgrades such as Factories and Starports. For CP to be used, it must be activated by Population. To activate 3 CP you must have 3 Population in Hab Units. CP can be used to construct new Colony Upgrades or Ships. When idle, CP generates income. CP generates income at the rate of $10 Credits per Turn per CP.

When not directly applied to an ongoing project Idle CP produce Income by producing goods and materials that can be sold back to the Faction at a profit. Idle CP represent the commercial output of the Senate’s Faction contracts and military installations. 1 Idle CP generates $10 Credits per Turn.

### Espionage Point (EP)

EP are generated by Colony Upgrades such as Spice Halls, Exchanges and Palaces. These upgrades give your operatives the ability to collect intelligence and manipulate Faction affairs. EP are used to advanced Diplomatic Efforts which create or modify Conflicts or Rumors. EP do not require Population to activate.

### Research Point (RP)

RP are generated by Colony Upgrades such as Spice Halls and Palaces. These upgrades slowly restore your access to Faction knowledge that has been brought from the core. RP are used to advance Research Projects which grant access to all buildable game elements. RP require Population to activate.

### Trade Points (TP)

An endless parade of licensed Star Trading Captains ply the Quadrant, moving profitable trade goods between Faction ports. A Colony that produces trade goods will attract their help.TP are used to generate Income for the Empire. The value of 1 TP starts at $15 Credits per Turn. This value can range from $0 to $30, based on Trade Routes and Conflicts.

# Factions

The Factions are the organizations that make up the Empire. There are 8, including the Independants and Templar Order. Each Faction has unique bonuses and technology! However, Faction specific tech can only be utilized on worlds controled by the Faction that has the tech. An example is the Merchant Academy, only able to be built on De Valtos worlds.

## De Valtos

Focus: Trade
The De Valtos Syndicate is a trade powerhouse, gaining both bonuses to Colony TP and Credit bonuses for TP to maximize profits. Their unique tech tree give Merchant Academies, which provide Spice and Research. They also gain access to a unique Trade Manipulation Treaty that upgrades Trade Routes into Trade Alliances with a resounding 80% success rate! They can make good use of both high Mineral and high Quality worlds. High mineral worlds can use more advanced Mines to dig up more minerals, and more advanced Mines spit out TP as well as cash! Use them to power your economy and send it sky high!

## Cadar

Focus: Military
The Cadar Syndicate is an expert at military endeavors. They start with a +2 CP to all their Colonies, allowing early upgrades to be built rapidly. However, while this might seem like a reason to expand with only Cadar worlds, remember that the De Valtos and Rychart can be just as powerful in other ways. They gain access to the Military Academy, which acts like a smaller version of FDF upgrades, protecting 7 levels of Upgrades (14 when improved) and +1 Research (+2 when improved). I usually give them higher Quality worlds when I don’t need to fortify a border (and not just because I am a Cadarian at heart). They are best at specializing into Military Bases. They are useful as border guards and can help form the backbone of your Fleet, especially early on. Use them to protect the borders of your Empire and support the Fleet!

## Rychart

Focus: Politics
The Rychart are crafty and sneaky, and often their endeavors help guide the Quadrant’s politics in their favor. They start with +2 EP and +2 RP to their Colonies, helping you to make crucial early Trade Routes, keeping the peace while your infant Empire struggles to its feet, and speeding the reclamation of lost technology. Their unique tech tree gives them Spy Academies that boost EP production by # and RP by 3 (4 for both when upgraded). Their unique treaty ends bothersome Spy Wars, which otherwise cannot be ended. They are best at generalized Colonies, and so I give them whatever Systems I haven’t given to De Valtos or the Cadar. Use them to keep the Factions from tearing each other to shreds!

## Thulun

Focus: Research and to a lesser extent, Military
Known as the strongest House, Thulun are experts at both construction and research. They often lead the pack in terms of build speed and research contribution. Thulun Colonies are unique in the fact that the +2 CP and +2 RP do not occur at the same time. When building something, the Colony gets +2 CP and when Idle, the Colony generates +2 RP. Due to this, Thulun Colonies build up quickly and can start focusing on researching faster when they are done. Their unique tech tree gives them the Naval Academy, which is similar to the Cadari Military Academy, except it starts with 14 Defense, 1 Population, and +1 Research. When upgraded it gives +3 Research. Their unique Festival is the Research Festival, which grants an impressive +30 RP to the current project, but drops the Morale of the Colony by 2-3 points (Thanks jayte !). Beware overusing them. Use Thulun to reclaim lost technology and command the Fleet!

## Javat

Focus: Mining
The Javati are experts at Mineral extraction and Trade, gaining an impressive 25$ per Mineral, rather than the usual 21$ that every other Faction generates. Early on only a few Javati colonies can support the entire Empire’s economy! They are best suited to Red Giants to best exploit their mining skill. Their unique tech tree gives them access to the Orbital Refinery, an improved Orbital Mine. It extracts the same amount of Minerals as the Orbital Mine, but generates +3 TP rather than +1 at the first level. The second level extracts 3 Minerals and +4 TP. Their unique Festival is the Trade Festival, which increases Income, possibly via temporary TP boost. If you can, try to fit an Exchange on their colonies to really boost their Income. On larger Mineral worlds, I can get 500$+ in raw income. Use them to power the Economy!

## Steel Song

Focus: Military
The Song are experts at warfare. Their Colonies start with a unique Hab Unit known as the Steel Fortress. It provides 7 Defense and 1 Population. Their Ships start with 5 XP, giving them a 5% chance to do Critical Damage right off the bat! Their tech tree includes upgrades for the Steel Fortress, giving 2 Population and 14 Defense, then 3 Population and 14 Defense for the third level. Their unique treaty is the Assassin’s Call, which calls a Vax-Jak’tar championship to end a Duel of Assassins, freeing up a precious conflict spot for a more favorable conflict. They are best suited to smaller systems with the occasional Yellow star for large Military Bases. Build Mines and Exchanges on their worlds to fund the base, then focus on Factories and Habs. Use them to power your Fleet to victory!

## Independents

Focus: Trade and Mining
Those Systems with horrible Quality (4 or less) or those who have 1 Morale for too long will be converted to Independent Colonies. Independent worlds never grow in Population, but still generate Income for the Empire. They also are not affected by politics, so they will not be as effective with Exchanges, but it will be potentially more steady than Faction trade. However they will not build Ships for you. Focus on Mines which will help generate a steady Income.

# Politics

The big one. Politics in Star Traders are very complex and can be very confusing to new players. Politics can be divided into 2 categories: Positive and Negative. Positive Conflicts are things like Trade Routes, Trade Alliances and Alliances. Negative Conflicts are things like Solar Wars, Trade Embargoes, and the dreaded Spy War. Each Conflict has a treaty that either starts or ends it. Here are the Conflicts and their details. All conflicts can begin and end on their own.

## Positive Politics

### Trade Route

- +2 Credits per Idle CP
- +2 Credits per Mined Mineral
- +3 Credits per TP

### Trade Alliance

- +2 Credits per Idle CP
- +2 Credits per Mined Mineral
- +4 Credits per TP
- -5% Colony Maintenance

### Alliance

- +2 RP per Colony
- +2 EP Per Colony
- +4 Credits per TP
- -10% Colony Maintenance

## Negative Politics

### Duel of Assassins

- -2 Credits per Population
- +5% Colony Maintenance

### Trade Embargo

- -4 Credits per Population
- -4 Credits per TP
- +10% Colony Maintenance

### Trade War

- -4 Credits per Population
- -3 Credits per TP
- -3 Credits per Idle CP
- +10% Colony Maintenance

### Spy Battle

- -2 Credits per Population
- +2 RP per Colony
- +20% Colony Maintenance

### Solar War

- -2 Credits per Population
- -2 RP per Colony
- +20% Colony Maintenance

# Upgrades

There are several types of planetary upgrades that can be built to improve you Colonies. The upgrades all have a construction cost and a maintenance fee associated with them.

## Starports

They are the Core Upgrade every Colony starts with. They provide some Housing, Construction, Mining and Research. The benefits scale with the level, and mid to late game is can be a good idea to upgrade them. Obviously because of the wide range of benefits, they are very costly to upgrade and maintain.

## Hab Units

Simply put, Hab Units are your Housing. They are cheap and quick to build compared to other Upgrades of their class. They are essential Upgrades for any System.

## Factories

Factories are the baseline for your industrial and military infrastructure. They are a bit more expensive CP-wise to build, but are always useful. Factories require Population to activate and produce income when not being used to build Upgrades or Ships.

## Mines

Mines are your economic backbone. They extract material from the orbital bodies in the System to make a hefty profit of 21$ per turn per Mineral. For example, 20 Minerals exploited generates 420 Credits of Profit per turn (or 500 with Javat worlds)! They are essential upgrades, especially for higher Quality Systems.

## Spice Halls

Spice Halls are critical to keeping Colony Morale high which will reduce maintenance cost for all Colony Upgrades and is critical to defense during Xeno invasion. Spice Halls also produce critical Research Points for your Empire.

## Faction Defense Forces (FDF)

These are defensive Upgrades built to protect your Colonies. FDF upgrades, not including the (Mechanized defenses unlocked later on) will give EP and Housing bonuses to your Colonies. On border worlds, they are essential, especially when your Fleet cannot stop early World Killers.

## Festivals

Festivals are useful to increase Morale, Trade and Research. They are one time events, meaning they do not cost Quality and their effects are only applicable once per Festival. Spice Festivals increase Morale by 1 to 4, Research Festivals increase RP by 50, and Trade Festivals increase one Turn’s Income by 100%.

## Orbitals

Orbital Upgrades are mid-late game Upgrades that cost 0 Quality. That’s right folks, 0 Quality! However, they are more expensive to build and maintain than equivalent Upgrades of comparable level.

## Palace

Palaces are the administrative centers of you Colonies, where the Faction Princes and Independent Warlords rule from. Palaces provide a small Housing bonus, EP and RP bonuses, and a small Defensive bonus. These are not essential, but good for any Colony.

## Exchange

Exchanges are the centers of interstellar commerce, allowing Spacers to buy and sell goods, and like in Star Traders, the more advanced the Exchange is, the more Spacers want to visit it. They generate huge amounts of TP, with more advanced ones giving RP and Spice bonuses to the Colony it is buit on as well.

## Terraforming

A late game tech on the Planetary Construction tree, these Terraforming Generators soak Quality costs for Upgrades. So if you build a TG 1 on a Quality 10 System, it would be as if the System was 12 Quality! Useful for late game Colonies with overcrowding issues.

# Star Traders 4X Screen By Screen

## Star Map

## Empire Summary

The Empire Summary Screen provides a detailed analysis of your Empire’s current state.

- Colonies represents the total number of active Faction colonies you posses.
- Population shows the total number of Population Points and total number of Hab Units.
- Quality shows the total number of installed Upgrades and total Quality Points across all Colonies.
- Mineral shows the total number of Mines operating and the total number of possible Mineral Points in the Empire.
- Factory shows the total number of CP being produced by the Empire.
- Spice shows the total Spice being generated and the total required by the Empire.
- Defense shows the total number of Colony Defense points and the total required by the Upgrades across the Empire.
- Ships shows the total count of the Empire’s ships.
- Ship $ shows the current total Ship Maintenance and the total nominal (100%) maintenance cost. If the first number is lower, your Empire is paying less than normal for maintenance due to efficiency.
- Game Turns shows the total number of turns played.
- Treasury shows the Empire’s Credit total.
- Income shows how many Credits the Empire added to the Treasury last turn.
- Economy shows the total number of Credits, before Maintenance, generated by the Empire’s Colonies.
- Colony $ shows the current Colony Maintenance and the total nominal (100%) maintenance cost. If the first number is lower, your Empire is playing less than average maintenance due to high Morale and good Colony management.
- Maint Rate summaries that total maintenance payments being made for both Ships and Colonies compared to nominal. Lower values are better.
- Busy/Total CP shows the number of CP that are busy and the total that are idle (generating income.)
- Trade shows the total number of TP being generated by the Empire.
- Research shows the total number of RP being generated by the Empire.
- Spy shows the total number of EP being generated by the Empire.

## Ship Summary

The Ship Summary screen shows the details of an existing Ship. This screen can be activated by selecting the ship icon in the HUD or by selecting the Ship on the map.

- AP shows the Ship’s Action Points which can be spent each turn using Training.
- MP shows the Ship’s Move Points which can be spent each turn moving. When AP is used, MP is also consumed.
- Level shows the Ship’s Design Level. This is set at the time the ship is built.
- Mass shows the Ship’s total Mass. This is set at the time the ship is built.
- Hull shows the Ship’s current Hull. The Ship is destroyed when the Hull is 0.
- Water-Fuel shows the Ship’s current Water-Fuel reserves. Using the Ship’s Training will consume Water-Fuel. Moving in red sectors will also consume Water-Fuel.
- Durability shows the Ship’s durability score. The Ship’s Durability determines maximum Hull and resistance to damage. Durability is set during Ship Material design.
- Shielding shows the Ship’s Shielding score. The Ship’s Shielding determines the Ship’s ability to avoid damage from Xeno attacks. Shielding is set during Ship Material design.
- Evasion shows the Ship’s Evasion score. The Ship’s Evasion determines the Ship’s ability to avoid all attack types. Evasion is set during Ship Material design.
- Sensor show’s the Ship’s Sensor score. The Ship’s Sensors determine how well the Ship will be able to lock onto Xeno ships for counter-attack. Sensor is set during Ship Material design.
- Refuel shows the Ship’s Refuel score. The Ship’s Refuel determine how quickly the Ship will refuel in green and yellow sectors. Refuel is set by the Ship’s Reactor and Upgrades. Refuel is calculated is during construction.
- Guns shows the Ship’s Gun Decks and Gun Attack scores. These scores are used to determine attacks with short range weapons. The Gun Decks score is more significant than the Gun Attack score.
- Torpedoes shows the Ship’s Torpedo Bays and Torpedo scores. These scores are used to determine attacks with hyperwarp ranged weapons. The Torpedo Bays score is more significant than the Torpedo score.
- Pilot shows the Captain’s Pilot Skill. This skill is used to avoid short range attacks.
- Stealth shows the Captain’s Steal Skill. This still is used to avoid long range attacks.
- Repair show’s the Captain’s Repair skill. This skill is used to repair the Ship when damaged and located in a green sector.
- Warrior shows the Captain’s Warrior skill. This skill is necessary to use the Boarding Training and Boarding Shuttles or Boarding Pods.
- Invasion shows the Captain’s Invasion skill. This skill is used to use the Planetary Invasion Training.
- Coordinates (X,Y) shows the Ship’s current grid coordinates on the map.
- XP shows the Ship’s current Experience total. Every point of Experience increases the chance of a Critical Hit.
- Maint shows the Ship’s current Maintenance cost to your Empire.
- Rename this button allows you to rename the Ship.
- Load Out this button allows you to view the Ship’s design components.
- Demolish this button allows you to destroy the Ship, reclaiming some of the Credits used to build it.

## Turn Summary

## Empire Library

## Templar Advisor

## Colony List

## Colony Detail

## New Upgrade

## Ship List

## Design List

## New Design

## Ship Design Wizard

## Build New Ship