Factions/Society of Falling Light

The Society of Falling Light are not really in the Confluence at all. They don’t share their technologies and gain no benefits from other players inventing. The society is rich and powerful, but their main export is Regret – something no one wants. Recommended for very experienced players who enjoy building an unwieldy economy out of technologies and making challenging trades.

## Contact

A twinkle of primitive fusion. A vibration of empty space-time along the galactic rim. A stirring in the voided depths of a black hole's ergosphere. These were the signs they saw of our coming.

A polity, but not a society. A swarm of god-like children, alternately indulged and neglected. A gathering of uploaded Minds, grown cold and callous over the eons. They who destroy because they have forgotten creation.

When they spoke, their voices were friendship, but the truth was silent. When we listened, we heard the offered riches, but ignored the peril. This was the true test of the Confluence.

## Background

The Society of Falling Light is a dying Faderan civilization scattered via gate network across the outer reaches of the galaxy. The ancient Faderan have committed unforgivable sins. Their descendants have lost all right to dictate the future of the galaxy to the younger species. By interfering with the children, the Faderan of the Confluence have corrupted them. The Society seeks to remove that corruption by tearing the Sidereal Confluence apart, letting the myriad aliens live or die by their hands alone.

## Gameplay Information

* Does not give or receive shared technology.
* May bid for two research teams each turn.
* Invents for half cost and half points.
* May sell invented research teams with Regret.
* Regret penalizes bids and is worth -1 Victory Point.

### A Distant Enclave

The Society of Falling Light is a distant Faderan civilization. They use the Faderan technology cards. They start with three random colonies: 1 jungle, 1 ocean, and 1 desert.

### Outside the Confluence

The Society of Falling Light does not share technology and gains no benefit from other players sharing technology. Neither they, nor other players, receive the matching card from their technology deck.

### Spies and Temptations

The Research Team Bid proceeds as normal up until the Society would buy a research team or pass. The Society have a third option: they can split their bid in half and go twice later in the Research Team Bid. If they choose to do this, they must split their bid into two parts as equally as possible. A bid of 4 becomes two bids of 2, a bid of 5 becomes one of 3 and a second of 2.

When it comes time for the Society to use one of their half bids to buy a research team or pass, they can either take a research team where the minimum bid is equal or less than the current half bid, or they can pass and keep that half bid. The Society may not split their bid a second time in the same turn.

In between bids, the number of research teams the Society has often increases. This will change their tiebreaker for the second bid.

Unlike the Kjasjavikalimm Directorate, the Society of Falling Light does not increase the length of the bid track.

### Ancient Knowledge

The Society of Falling Light pays half the cost to invent technologies, rounded up, and scores half the victory points "printed on the research team, rounded down. Additionally, they do not score the Sharing Bonus.

Instead of flipping the research team over, the Society places a Regret Token on it. Teams with a Regret may not be re-invented by the Society, and do not count when tiebreaking their Research Team Bid.

### Regret

The Society of Falling Light may trade their invented teams to other players, with the attached Regret. If they do so, they gain the current turn Sharing Bonus. The player who received the Regret places it in front of them and will lose 1 Victory Point at the end of the game. The Regret cannot be traded again.

When bidding for colonies or research teams, players with fewer Regret tokens go before players with more Regret no matter what their bids are (a player that bids 2 ships and has 1 Regret will go before a player that bids 8 ships and has 2 Regret). Among players with the same amount of Regret, resolve the bid normally (most ships goes first, with ties resolved by the number of things that are being bid on, and finally the species tiebreaker).

The Society of Falling Light counts as having zero Regret.

## Advice

When bidding, try to get technologies that upgrade each other. Focus on era II and later technologies - their converters are much better. Try to ensure that the resulting converters consume large cubes or Ultratech.

Invent frequently to avoid falling too far behind the other players. After you've invented a technology, try to accumulate some of the resources needed to invent it again, and offer it (with those resources) to another player. You score victory points via the Sharing Bonus, and they get an easy invention (and some Regret).

When selling a research team with Regret, but no resources to help invent it, you should offer a small cube of value for each victory point in the current Sharing Bonus. Be willing to purchase colonies and converters from other players to further expand your economy.

Avoid selling all your research teams and Regret to a single player. They will tempt you, as once they have the most Regret, further Regret does not hurt their bids.. If you fall into this temptation, you will lose, and they will win. Instead, spread Regret evenly so your bids become more valuable, and then sell those bids to the weaker players by letting them purchase the right to decide what you take, and to receive that colony or research team on the next turn.

## Rules Clarification

### Technology Cards

When the Society of Falling Light researches a technology, they do get that card from their technology deck. The only other way for the Falling Light to get cards from their technology deck is by licensing them from the Yengii.

1. ↑ https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3031905/does-society-falling-light-get-card-their-technolo