Factions

At the start you choose one of three factions. Each has its own ships, pilots and command bridge, a strength, a weakness and a doctrine of its own. You can switch when the next season begins.

	Terran Directorate	Aether Consortium	Kharr Clans
Style	balanced, defensive	economy and technology	aggressive raiders
Strength	+25 % shields; defenders in your own sectors +10 % hull	shipyard and academy 20 % faster; relays yield 50 % more; ships +8 evasion and +10 % shields	fighters +15 % damage; half again as much salvage from won battles
Weakness	relays yield 20 % less	militia in your own sectors −15 % hull	militia in your own sectors −25 % hull
Special ship	Guardian – heavy shield carrier that shields its neighbours	Phantom – very hard to hit, hunts bombers	Ravager – hits two targets at once, tears frigates apart
Own doctrine	Bulwark – your front takes 20 % less damage	Jamming – your ships dodge 10 points more often, −5 % damage	Onslaught – everyone moves up at once, +25 % damage

The four basic doctrines (balanced, focus fire, intercept, advance) are open to everyone; the faction doctrine shows up in Choose ships… when you attack.

How fair is it?

We let every faction fight every other thousands of times – with equal command points and with equal resources, five fleet sizes each, as attacker and as defender. Every faction wins between 46 % and 55 % on average – special ships included. Each special ship is worth building (a fleet with it beats the same fleet without it in 55–58 % of fights) without pushing everything else out. Battles are decided by small edges, so the factions' battle strengths are kept close; what really sets them apart is how they grow: the Consortium builds faster, the Clans earn more from every victory, the Directorate holds what it has.

Ships are equally expensive for everyone. (Early versions made Clan ships cheaper – in our simulations the Clans then won nine battles out of ten with equal resources.)

In battle, other commanders fly the ships of their faction, so you know right away which strengths you are up against. Pirates keep their own ships; pirate raids arrive as an insectoid swarm.

Getting started with each faction

Directorate: the forgiving start. Shields and the home-defence bonus keep your sectors safe while you learn. Take the shipyard module to level 2 early – the Guardian makes your front line very hard to crack. Skip relays; yours yield less.
Consortium: grow faster than everyone else. Grab relay stations and keep the shipyard and academy busy around the clock. Your militia is weak, so station a ship or two in valuable sectors. Phantoms hunt bombers – bring them when the enemy flies many.
Clans: win battles, get rich. Every victory brings half again as much salvage, so keep attacking. Fighters hit hard; Ravagers tear through frigates. Your militia at home is the weakest of all – expand, don't turtle.

Undecided? The Directorate is the easiest start.