Cookoff Conflicts

### Spice Hall Rumor

The following section was overheard in the Spice Hall. It is an unconfirmed rumor, at best, and may contain fan-fiction, incorrect facts, or even outright lies.

In a rare corner of the universe, the Star Traders received the word of Shalun as oral history with no written record. Over time the details of Shalun law were corrupted, with truths plain and obvious to others lost over time. As a result these Star Traders practice a unique form of retribution justice focused on the field of battle... in the kitchen!

### Children Interference

* Increased Bounty Hunter Ships
* Faction Ships are more hostile
* Mission payments and risks increased
* Loss can be devastating to defeated Faction Contacts
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Bounty Hunter Ships
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Spy Ships
* Slapping Children is temporarily not only legal, but encouraged.
* Children may steal your credits and cooking ware if left unattended.

### Ingredient Ban

During an Ingredient Ban, you will lose reputation with one of the factions involved if you sell the banned ingredients to an exchange controlled by their adversaries. Furthermore, if you fly under the flag of the banned Faction, you cannot sell goods in the enemy Exchanges. You cannot further lose reputation from Ingredient Bans with a faction that you have less than -28 reputation with. You can avoid reputation loss if you sell goods into a Black Market instead of the official exchange. Missions related to this Conflict often involve smuggling, patrolling, blockading and negotiations. The Conflict score can be affected by completing Missions.
* Sales of opposing Faction Cargo blocked
* Sales by opposing Faction Captains blocked
* Reputation loss for trading in Faction Zones
* Increased Military Ships in Orbital Operations
* Faction Military Ships are more hostile
* Carnivores may lose influence as nearly every ban involves completing dishes without meat.
* Vegetarians may gain influence.
* Vegans will gain super-powers for the duration of the conflict.

### Ingredient Sabotage

* Sales of opposing Faction Cargo blocked
* Reputation Loss for trading Faction Cargo
* Increased Military Ships in Orbital Operations
* Faction Merchant Ships are more hostile
* Faction Smuggler Ships are more hostile
* Prize Courts allow Ships to be seized as prizes
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Trade Ships
* Dr. Pibb and Mr. Pepper is extremely difficult to craft during this time; a clever Star Brewer can make a fortune smuggling the beverage to these war-torn factions.

### Chili Cookoff

* Faction Spy Ships are more hostile
* Increased value of Intel for Contacts
* Increased Spy Ships in Orbital Operations
* Mission payments and risks increased
* Loss can be devastating to defeated Faction Contacts
* Prize Courts allow Ships to be seized as prizes
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Spy/Zealot Ships
* Price of beans and steak is moderately increased.
* Zendu contacts offer secret meditation training in exchange for sample bowls of chili.

### Flaming Cookoff

* Increased Military Ships in Orbital Operations
* Faction Ships are more hostile
* Mission payments and risks increased
* Prize Courts allow Ships to be seized as prizes
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Ships
* Diplomatic missions resulting in a head chef admitting the deliciousness of opposing cuisine has a high chance of deescalating the conflict.

### Beer Run

* Reputation loss for destroying Ships
* Reputation gain for Acknowledging Military Ships
* Increased Reputation gain for Missions
* Greatly aids Military Contacts in both Factions
* Moonshine Legality improved by 2.
* Thirsty Contacts may have their "thirsty" trait removed in exchange for the "Inebriated" trait.

### Recipe Swap

* Recipes and Cookware (up to Grade 2) are shared
* Increased Merchant Ships in Orbital Operations
* Reputation gain for Acknowledging Merchant Ships
* Greatly aids Mercantile Contacts in both Factions
* Grants access to special cross-faction "fusion" cuisine Rare Trade Goods.

## When Conflicts End

Whenever a Conflict ends, all of the Contacts on either side of the Conflict either suffer (if they are on the losing side) or get to take actions (if they are on the winning side.) Recipe Swaps and Beer Runs will grant benefits to Contacts on both sides, but typically one more than the other. Depending on the Contact type, a Conflict can also generate bonuses in addition to the free Contact actions.

The effects of such loss / actions include Influence gain or loss, causing Influence gain or loss to their allies and enemies, the death of a Contact, creating another follow-on Conflict, causing a positive or negative Rumor to an ally/enemy Contact's world, change a Contact Trait, etc. For example, if your Contact loses an Ingredient Sabotage, you might find an Embargo or Taxes Rumor popping up on his world.

It is impossible for a Conflict to end in a tie. When the Conflict ends with a perfectly balanced score, an secret fixed ordering will determine who won (but by the narrowest of margins.) De Valtos, for instance, loses all ties, while Zenrin will win all ties. The other factions fall somewhere in the middle of this ordering.

## Conflict Duration

The length of Conflicts is controlled by the a number of factors. The game's current Era, the Contacts that start the Conflict, the Zones that trigger them, the Rumors that were active when they started, the Influence totals of the Contacts on both sides, the type of Conflict, the Factions that are involved and the size of the map all play a role.