Mentak Coalition Player's Guide - Twilight Imperium 4th Edition

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Upgraded Mentak cruisers are a deterrent force to be reckoned with. A single Cruiser can threaten a solo Dreadnought or Flagship since you will get at least two hit rolls, and with their racial tech you get 50% or eventually 100% of the cost refunded even if you lose. Your upgraded guys can take infantry three spaces in one turn and the only way to stop them is to invest a small escorted fleet, so they excel at sniping undefended planets. They can put together strong space fleets, especially since a Flagship with 2-3 Cruisers is a major threat with ignoring sustains and the free first shots, and unless you wipe them out they can just refill their fleet numbers. They are quite bad at taking defended worlds, since the flagship has no bombardment - you need a carrier if you want fighter escorts and infantry to land, maybe Dreadnoughts if the planet has excess or quality infantry, and each one of those is more resource value and less capable than a cruiser.

[@RichardVerheulDrums]

Fun little tip. If you get a green tech planet. You can upgrade your cruisers turn 2. (Sometimes even turn one) these will do most of the heavy lifting for you. Early to earlymidgame.

[@somekindoftony]

Jeepers these are just so enjoyable to watch. I have yet to have an actual game of TI4 but I have watched all these player guides twice.

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

Wow, that's cool to hear, Tony. More content coming soon.

[@legionofyuri]

My first faction played way back in 3rd edition and still my favorite faction even today due in part to how fun it is with striking from unexpected angles and surprising the enemy.

[@GuillotinedChemistry]

Thanks for these! I'm learning something I missed from each video. Much appreciated and looking forward to the rest of them.

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

You're very welcome! I'm trying to keep the videos relatively light so that they're accessible to new players. I find that when recording, I actually am realizing stuff just from talking out the cards. It's great that people are getting something of value from watching along :)

[@Nashed-Az]

Great guide as always, one request though if feasible, could you add a suggestion for strategy card round one and maybe a tech tree? (for mentak I'd say trade round one, replenish closest neighbor's commodities as well as their neighbors to encourage trade and you get 3 trade goods, use the trade goods to create another carrier using warfare secondary and use your home planet to research tech using tech secondary, but I'm just a beginner so you might spot some flaws in this plan, turn 2 would probably be a tech turn).

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

Good suggestion! I will do that if it's really obvious, like Sardakk Norr going for Technology in R1 because they start with no tech at all, but I don't want to say "Do this!" as such as it will very heavily depend on your opponents, their races, the layout of the map and other factors. I don't think there's one sure strategy card to go for in any game, really. It will vary heavily. Tech preference makes more sense and I do mention following a color track if I think it makes sense. Hope that works for you? I'll consider a starting Strat card for the remaining unfilmed races for sure.

[@nathanialholzmeyer6823]

I've had the idea to start trade to try and get the resources to do both round one, often times I would only succeed in having the Warfare Player stall out his turn, and since you go first, you really can't take full advantage on it.

[@jernejpeternel7415]

YESSSSSSS, thank you so much for Mentak Guide

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

Your request made it skip ahead in the queue. Glad you like it. Naalu coming next.

[@TEXIERGOSSETChristophe]

Hello from France and thank you very much ! I am doing a 6 player's game next saturday and give your link to them ! Very useful ! Thank you again

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

That's great to hear!

[@vincentparenti]

You said on flagship “it hits twice on a 7”. According to the rule book those two explosion symbols mean you roll two dice. You MIGHT hit twice if they both land 7 or higher but you might not.

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

You're right. I meant that you can get two hits if you roll two 7s but I appear to have confused a few people with the way I said it. Apologies for that!

[@jordanwilliams8994]

Question, would sarween tools reduce the cost of production for salvage operations? There's no "unit" producing but it seems like an interaction that could be key to the functioning of the faction if it was intended. I guess maybe that's already tge function of their racial tech combo.

[@dj_koen1265]

I don’t understand why they start with plasma scoring and a pds It feels like a different one would fit better thematically

[@Dubtari86]

09:12 you saying you get 2 trade goods you get, cuz you won the fight against 2 ships. Thats incorrect, or? Or did i just get you wrong? :) You get 1 trade good / battle. Not more or less

[@jamesrobin2857]

Im about to play my first game. How does upgrading work?? Only thing that I haven't seen explained? Do I just need the required colors and then its a free upgrade?

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

Unit upgrades work the same way as Technology. There's a cost (as well as having the colors on them as pre-requisites) that is shown on the Technology strategy card (number 7)

[@jamesrobin2857]

@@RulebreakerBoardgames So, using the strategy card, the player who uses the strategy card can upgrade twice with that action and all other players can upgrade once?

[@jordanwilliams8994]

In TI3, I found it almost impossible to use their pillage ability as people always made sure tgey had no excess trade goods after trading phase. Is the order of events and interractions with is ability less niche now? It sounds like it might be a bit more lucrative.

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Trading is much easier in TI4 and transactions often happen multiple times per round. Since you activate at the moment the players exchange pieces or trade goods, it's much more viable. Ironically your best friend quickly becomes the Hacan, since you can give them your promissory so they aren't at risk as your neighbour, and leech off all of their many trades per turn - they will regularly be trading units of 3+ commodities which become a lootable quantity of goods when the other player flips them. And since they hate choosing the Trade card and it's eventually twice as good for you as anyone else, they don't want to upset you into not taking it any more.

[@mandykarevicius9746]

When I played 3rd edition we used to pick races at random. I ALWAYS got stuck with these guys. Almost to the point where they were just handing me the Mentak card while everyone drew random. lol

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

That was Emirates of Hacan for me. Happened about 4 games in a row to the point where I just had to say, "No!"

[@ri9337]

Could you describe on some "writing" example, how does "ambush" ability function?

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

I think the video explains it quite well! At the start of combat, take one die for each 2 cruisers/destroyers you have in the fight. roll those dice and if they are hits, they deal damage.

[@ri9337]

Thank you both, especially Jonathan for detail answer.

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

Thanks @jonathan lane for weighing in. I totally agree.

[@nickmanzo8459]

Wait, can you have more than one flagship?

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

Nope, you can't.

[@nickmanzo8459]

Rulebreaker Boardgames I thought not, but when you said you could make a flagship from another player’s flagship I was confused. (I’ve got the game a few days ago, but haven’t gotten to play yet.)

[@StriderZessei]

@@nickmanzo8459 I think he meant that if you lost a flagship, it can be salvaged?

[@j.athanasius9832]

All hail Australia!

[@MrReddy64]

The Fourth Moon is the strongest flag ship imo

[@RulebreakerBoardgames]

It's very nice. I think it's definitely top tier.

[@colby7865]

One of the worst races imo

[@brianlelas172]

They can be heavily affected by other players just choosing to avoid having 3+ trade goods for sure.

[@jamesderryberry9139]

Won several times with them in third edition. Get your cruiser troop carry tech quick, expand quick with there 2 move(round 1 you can manage 4+ new worlds) then space mine like crazy. Ideally the mines will guarantee you some trade goods each time someone threatens your super thin empire. I usually had all my cruiser and destroyers littering the majority of the board, collect more resources with planets and trade goods for an easy victory points by winning every vote. If they can't amass trade goods, they can never spend for votes.