Factions/Charity Syndicate

The Charity Syndicate need to purchase their economy back from the other players each turn. Recommended for experienced players who are comfortable with many urgent goals that may require convoluted trades to resolve.

## Background

The Zeth are a naturally divided people, familiar with the cruelties of disenfranchisement and slavery. While the kings of the lowland marshes seek to manipulate the alien elite, Zeth constrained to the dry uplands have a radically different vision for their place in the growing society.

## The Confluence

Society is a lie told by the powerful to the weak. Or, for the aliens, it is a lie they tell each other to hide their fear of a world without illusions.

The first Zeth to leave Gel focused on manipulating those the aliens claim are rich and powerful, and so fell for the lie.

We will do better. For every lie leaves a truth out, and the people who are left out of the lie that is society are innumerable and wield true power, if someone were to uncloud everyone's vision.

We will found cells and underground societies within the alien civilizations and lift up their undesirables until the lie breaks under the strain.

## Gameplay Information

* Setup:
	+ Count as 0 players for colony track.
	+ Each other player starts with an Undesirable.
* Needs Undesirables.
* Cross colonization.

### Zeth By Another Name

The Charity Syndicate use the Zeth technology cards, and indeed are a Zeth run organization.

### Undesirables

The Syndicate has a set of eight Undesirable cards, one for each other species in the game. Before the game starts, give each player their Undesirable. That Undesirable card is a starting card for that player. Only the owning player may upgrade it, and they can trade it freely. That said, the Syndicate is the only player who can run the economic converter on an Undesirable.

Each turn, you may not run converters on more Undesirables than your Undesirable Limit. This starts at 3 at the beginning of the game and may be upgraded to 5 via cross colonizing.

### Cross Colonizing

The Syndicate has a colony support limit of zero. Unless it is increased by another ability, they can't hold colonies into the Economy Phase and will have to trade them away or throw them away (discarding to the bottom of the colony deck).

When they win a bid for a colony, instead of taking that colony off the bid track, they place a Cross Colonization token on it. If any player takes a colony from the track with their token on it, they may immediately upgrade one of your starting cards. The Cross Colonization token stays on that world.

If no player takes the cross colonized colony, it remains on the colony bid track even if it was in a minimum bid 1 slot.

If a colony with a Cross Colonization token is upgraded, the token stays on the colony.

If a colony with a Cross Colonization token is discarded (the colony is consumed for example), the token is returned to you, and the Charity Syndicate gains one victory point. This is important as they only have three Cross Colonization tokens but have five cards to upgrade with them.

## Advice

There are two common trades with Undesirables. If you have the resources to run it, offer the owner a single small cube in return for letting you run the converter. If the owner has the resources to run it and you do not. ask them to give you a single small cube in return for running it for them. You accept the resources and card, run it during the Economy Phase, and give the owning player all of the resources it produces.

Convincing a player to upgrade their Undesirable may be challenging, but it will net you a lucrative trade partner for the rest. of the game. Be willing to pay (or be paid) two small cubes for an upgraded Undesirable.

You can use donation goods to pay debts to players.

In larger games, you'll want to upgrade your Undesirable Limit to five as soon as possible. Furthermore, you'll want to make deals with players to ensure that your cross colonized colonies are picked up every turn, even if this costs you a small cube or ship.

Once a player has one of your cross colonized colonies, you will want to convince them to consume it so you can get the token back (and a victory point). If the player can't or won't consume the colony, try to purchase the colony from them. Your colony support is zero, so you'll have to discard it when you enter the Economy Phase, which gives you your token and victory point.

At the end of the game, it is worth paying each player with a Cross Colony token 3 ships or equivalent value to purchase their colony for the victory point that you will gain when you can't hold it.