SPECIAL ABILITIES
Six one-off plays that break the ordinary rules of a turn — each unlocked by research, each on a cooldown, each with an answer.
THE SIX
| ABILITY | TYPE | EFFECT |
|---|---|---|
| EMP | Offensive | Disables automatons in a target hub for a number of turns. The hard counter to the automation doctrine. |
| Fortify | Defensive | Sharply raises a tile's defense for a window. Can be played reactively, in answer to a declared attack. |
| Sabotage | Covert | Suppresses a hub's output. Deniable until attributed. |
| Propaganda | Covert | Drives down a rival's sentiment. May emit a hostile flyer. |
| Rapid Mobilization | Utility | Raises military power immediately, outside the normal build tempo. |
| Cyber-Heist | Covert | Steals resources from a rival's stockpile. Deniable until attributed. |
HOW THEY WORK
- Unlocked by research in the Statecraft branch — none are available at the start of a match.
- Cost Action Points and resources to fire, on top of the research investment.
- Cooldowns mean no ability is a repeatable engine. Timing is the skill.
- Resolve at phase 5.5 — after building, before movement, so an ability can set up the same turn's attack.
THE BALANCE HINGE
Automatons cannot revolt, cannot be taxed into resentment, and cannot be turned by propaganda. Unanswered, that is simply the best strategy in the game. EMP is the answer — it switches them off — and automation hardening research is the answer to that. The whole automaton path is a bet on winning that specific arms race.
COUNTERS AND ATTRIBUTION
Every offensive ability has a counter, and the covert ones carry an extra layer: they are deniable. A sabotaged hub tells you that you were sabotaged, not who did it. Counter-espionage enables attribution — without it, striking back means guessing, and guessing wrong means opening a second war.