What are the characteristics of your favorite race?

[SamuraiProgrammer]

Here is what I have been using the most, although, I can already see that this will have to change... I never dreamt of running something all the way down to 50!!!!

Culture
Artisans

Physical Characteristics
Physical Strength 100
Intelligence 100
Cunning 100
Environmental 80
Reproduction 100
Happiness 100
Aggressiveness 90
Defensiveness 90
Political Savvy 80

Vocational Aptitude
Mining 95
Farming 95
Refining 95
Construction 120
Repair 95
Maintenance 120


Advanced Traits
Propulsion
Storage
Industrialists
Organic

[Pax]

Here's one option:

Culture: Engineers, Artisans, whatever fits the race RP-wise

Physical Characteristics
Physical Strength 50
Intelligence 150
Cunning 50
Environmental 96
Reproduction 100
Happiness 100
Aggressiveness 75
Defensiveness 125
Political Savvy 50

Vocational Aptitude
Mining 120
Farming 60
Refining 90
Construction ***
Repair 50
Maintenance 120

*** = "whatever I can afford"

Advanced Traits : Advanced Storage
: Religious

And another:

Culture: Engineers, Artisans, whatever fits the race RP-wise

Physical Characteristics
Physical Strength 50
Intelligence 150
Cunning 50
Environmental 96
Reproduction 100
Happiness 100
Aggressiveness 100
Defensiveness 100
Political Savvy 50

Vocational Aptitude
Mining 100
Farming 100
Refining 100
Construction ***
Repair 50
Maintenance 120

*** = "whatever I can afford"

Advanced Traits : Advanced Storage
: Organic

For P&N, I usually try to get either Living Ships (especially with organic races), or Advanced Automation. "Big Thinkers" is also a fun one.

In general -- I don't bother with covert action, except to defend, so Cunning is irrelevant. Trade income, well, I'd rather pump those points into my own economy than rely on the friendliness of others. Physical strength, numbers can overcome that. With religious races, plan on the talisman and drop your aggression through the floor. I then like to pay as little in maintenance as possible, and build as fasta s possible; if I need stuff repaired, I'll pile on repair components. And so on.

[Chronon]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone, keep them coming!

SJ - Thanks for the explanation of why repair is unnecessary. I usually do a lot of retrofitting, so I mistakenly assumed that I would need a good repair rate.

I am curious about hardy industrialists. Does the advanced trait supercede the construction rate, or do they add together (or multiply)? In other words, if I pick hardy industrialists and a 125% construction rate, is my actual construction rate 125%, 150%, or 156%?

[dogscoff]

Chronon: 150%

[rdouglass]

I don't usually pick racial traits anymore, but I am quite fond of Advanced Storage Techniques. 5 extra fac's on every huge world does add up after a while....

[Fyron]

Advanced Storage Techniques gives you a 20% increase in all production values, from research to resources.

[solops]

It would appear to me that race characteristics would be heavily dependent on game-setup parameters. Things like expensive research, victory goals, colonisable planet restrictions, etc. would all seem to weigh heavily in race design. Although I have not reviewed the entire thread, what I have seen does not mention this aspect of race design. Does this mean that you all play with the same conditions most of the time? If so, there may be whole new frontiers of gameplay to explore.