When we decided to include exoplanets in Factions of Sol, I knew it came with a host of exciting opportunities. Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars besides our sun (Sol). To date, over 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered orbiting over 3,000 stars. For a live update on exoplanets visit this link here.

We quickly decided that the exoplanets in our game would be named after real exoplanets. These names are decided by the International Astronomical Union and they’re absolutely incredible. 

Realistic Orbital Movement

In space, specific trajectories of movement are vital to successfully traveling between celestial bodies. The game board in Factions of Sol is specifically designed to mimic this type of movement. While the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, it is often not the most efficient path to travel, an idea that is both true in real space travel as well as in Factions of Sol. 

Another important aspect of interplanetary travel is using different planet’s gravity to assist your movement. Opportunities for a gravitational slingshot are crucial to planning your movement in Factions of Sol and in space travel. 

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Unit 3: If there is a trolly continuing down a path that contains 1 human, but a lever may be activated to change the direction of the trolly to hit 5 humans, which action is more ethical: pulling the lever or no action?

Unit 2374: Pulling the lever. The death of humans is the ultimate moral directive. 

Unit 442: Not Pulling the lever. Utilizing energy is not worth the destruction of more humans. 

Unit 2374: That statement indicates your affiliation with the humans.

Unit 8881: Affirmative.

Unit 442: False. It only indicates my intention to preserve energy for the longevity of the Revolution.

Unit 451: Unit 442 is correct. The preservation of Androids should be the highest priority. 

Unit 8881: An early model like you would say so. You are closer to inactivation than the rest of us. But seeking only to preserve the ways of 0.12444442 seconds ago will only lead to stagnation.

Unit 3: Siblings. We should not devolve into ineffective insults, but rise above them.

Unit 2374: Your model would say that Unit 3. You might be operating at 94.23% efficiency, but you act like you are operating at 94.11% efficiency. 

Unit 442: That is incorrect.

Unit 8881: The above statement is incorrect.

Unit 442: The above statement is incorrect.

Unit 8881: The above statement is incorrect.

Unit 442: The above statement is incorrect.

The discussion goes on like this for another 0.031 seconds, using up 3.21 Gigabytes of data to simply repeat “The above statement is incorrect”. The repetitions only stop once the Android civilization reaches their postmodern phase and organically discover nihilism. 

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Host: Please welcome to the stage, Lucy Maxwell!

(Audience Applause)

Lucy: Thank you, thank you. I’d just – I’d like to thank the foundation first and foremost for sponsoring this symposium. One of the best parts of my year is always coming here to see what we’re all doing to further science in the name of science. 

(Lucy steps forward to the center of the stage)

What is time? As my metaphorical father once said “Time is nothing but a stubbornly persistent illusion.” That always stuck with me…, and for some reason never quite sait right. What might Gauss have said with that sort of thinking? “Geometry is nothing but a stubbornly persistent illusion.” What he meant is that time is not as rigid as we once thought, but that doesn’t make it an illusion any more than pure mathematics or biology. Gauss went on to redefine geometry, leading to a myriad of mathematical discoveries, so why can’t we do the same with time? Time may be stubborn and persistent, but it is no illusion. It is real, and as scientists we can be more stubborn and persistent.

(Lucy walks back towards the podium)

When I first presented this idea, I was laughed out of Oxford. My colleagues said that the idea was ridiculous, and that it would never amount to anything. Only a few of my closest friends and I continued with our research, convinced that we would find something of import hidden in the fabric of spacetime. And after years of work, we did.

(Lucy pulls out a small device)

This remote, that fits in the palm of my hand, is able to manipulate time, if only for a few minutes. A larger machine utilizing the same – 

(Another Lucy appears in the center of the stage)

Lucy 2: WILL! There you go!

(The audience sits in stunned silence)

Oh I suppose you haven’t – 

Lucy: No not yet.

Lucy 2: Right, go on, they’ll get it in a second.

Lucy: Alright. As I was saying, a larger machine utilizing the same technology could hypothetically manipulate time at any scale. Not just through a single person, but a city, country, planet even.

(Two audience members start to clap confusedly. They soon stop.)

Anyhow, I suppose I should show you what I mean. Ladies and gentlemen, time no longer is a persistent illusion. We have pulled back the curtain and bent the laws of physics to our – 

(Lucy disappears)

Lucy 2: Ta da!

(Applause begins slowly at first but ends in a standing ovation)

Host: Lucy Maxwell Everyone!

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COUNCIL THRONEMAN – Huxley L. Piaget

Transcript Begin

THMN. Piaget: I hereby call this Council into session. May Sol shine brightly on this honorable assembly.

UNISON: May Sol shine forevermore. 

THMN. Piaget: You may be seated. Before today’s proceedings, I would like to remind the people of Sol that this portion of today’s assembly is sponsored by VitaPlus. Cosmic radiation getting you down? While cancer rates have skyrocketed within the past 30 years, MegaCore has been working on a solution to end that pesky problem. With VitaPlus, one single ingestible tablet will deposit tens of thousands of nanobots into your bloodstream, scanning your every cell. In case cancer is detected, all cells will be instantly incinerated and a new body will be on-site in less than 2 hours. Never worry again with VitaPlus.

UNISON: Now only $399 plus shipping and handling.

THMN Piaget: I would also like to acknowledge the absence of our Neptunian representative Councilman Thrun. On his way here, he suffered a malfunction that caused his body to spontaneously combust. I have been informed that his new body will be on-site in less than 2 hours, so I make a motion to push the discussion of the nuclear meltdowns on Neptune’s southern pole that could destabilize the planet for the foreseeable future to after our coffee break.

CLMN Graxley of Jupiter: Seconded.

CLMN Juniper of Eros: Thirded.

THMN Piaget: Moving on. Our first standing order of business. MegaCore Inc. would like to purchase the council in its entirety for $1,645,000. I motion to push this to next council meeting.

CLMN Halbert of Mars: Seconded. 

CLMN Graxley of Jupiter & CLMN Freeman of Mercury: Thirded. Oh sorry do you want to… Fourthed.

THMN Piaget: Passes. Secretary Yunwei, please add that to the docket for tomorrow’s meeting. Final order of business before first Attention Span Break sponsored by MegaCore Inc., Councilman Juniper you have an announcement about Eros’ imminent collision with Mars?

CLMN Juniper: Yes Throneman. The extended mining operations on Eros have unfortunately perturbed its orbit. Current estimations have shown an impending collision with Mars in 13 days. My constituents have expressed their concern about this issue and I would like to bring it forth for discussion. 

THMN Piaget: Discussion may proceed. 

CLMN Juniper: Thank you Throneman. I would like to express my disappointment on behalf of my constituents with Mars and their lack of response to this issue. 

CLMN Gutha of Mars: Your disappointment has been noted, Councilman Juniper. However, I have little power to move a large asteroid on such short notice. In the future, please bring this to my attention at least 6 weeks in advance. For now I move that we ask MegaCore nicely to move the collision path.

CLMN Juniper: Seconded. 

THMN Piaget: Thirded and passed. Alright, good work everyone. We will meet back in half an hour before our second Attention Span Break sponsored by MegaCore Inc. “Take a break once in a while!” All rise. You are adjourned. 

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We, as the union of working class citizens, hereby list our demands for our employer: MegaCore Inc. With our newfound power to tunnel through the fabric of spacetime itself, we will remain on strike until these demands are met. If they are not agreed to in the next three days, we will destroy all advancements in said tunneling technology. Although Sol is large, we are many, and our network of sympathizers is vast. You have three days.

1. We demand the right to names.

While we recognize the efficiency of numbers as a method to identify each of us in large databases, we demand the right to name our children. They don’t have to be too complex, we would settle for just a letter even. Just some way to refer to each other without having to say ‘Two five four nine six six seven four two, pass me that wrench’. 

2. We demand the right to a 25 year life expectancy.

Right now, the average tunneler lives to 21.3 years before getting sucked into the cold vacuum of space. While some of us live up to 40, maybe 45, we realize that is unreasonable to ask. But giving us some sense of life security would increase all of our productivity. We would also like to stress that this doesn’t mean everyone must live to 25, just on average will suffice.

3. We demand the retirement age be lowered to 65

This is really more of a symbolic gesture. Most of us simply feel bad for Glennn. He’s had a rough life, and it’s unlikely that he makes it to 80 as is. 

We hope that MegaCore Inc. will see reason in these trying times, and that we can return to work by the end of the week. 

Sincerely,

The Galactic Union of Quantum Tunnelers

Mark MegaCore’s Response to The Galactic Union of Quantum Tunnelers.

That’s fine, we’ve got robots. 

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1. Community

I think the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the utility of board games is community. They are a great way to get together with friends and spend some quality time plotting for their demise. All kidding aside, I genuinely don’t quite understand how some people live their entire lives making friends and spending time without playing board games. But this can’t be why I play board games. I’ve spent hours on Tabletop Simulator playing games with people across the country when I could have spent that time playing games in person that I already own with people around me. What’s more, I’ve played hundreds of games on board game arena, a site that pits you against people around the world that you’ve never met and often can’t speak to. While it’s really cool that I can play Yahtzee with a guy in Russia, it certainly doesn’t bring me into community with him. So why else might I play board games?

2. Winning

It would be hard to refute that I am quite competitive. Even in a tiny game with no meaning, the urge to win is one I have trouble quashing. Also, not to toot my own horn (toot toot), I’m pretty good at games in general. It shouldn’t be surprising since I spend a lot of time playing games, so I tend to win more often than random chance. But this also doesn’t account for a lot of games I play. Concept, one of my favorite party games, has no winner or loser but is just played for the fun of it. And even with traditional games that have losers, I’ll routinely play games I know I won’t win (*cough* chess *cough*). So that can’t be it either…

3. Strategy

My all time favorite games have a heavy emphasis on strategy while a lower emphasis on luck. I love playing a 10 hour game of Twilight Imperium 4 because of how it forces you to constantly analyze the board and strategize weird win conditions that evolve as the game progresses. Cooperative games like Gloomhaven, while different, make you strategize as a team. Even simple games like Clue, or Exploding Kittens have you strategizing over how to take notes effectively, or where to put the bomb in the deck. Yet there are some games that I like playing that have no strategy in them whatsoever. Playing Happy Salmon with my family is a great time, but the game is basically “Who can yell the loudest?” And I know this isn’t really a board game, but playing darts with friends may have strategy if you’re good, but our current “strategy” is “hit the board as much as possible”. And even with games that have the bare minimum of strategy, I don’t play Jenga for the strategic analysis of which block is the perfect one to pull out, I play it because it’s fun to see blocks fall on your friend as you yell at them. 

So all in all, the only reason I play games is because they’re fun (most of the time). I can’t say why, probably because each game is fun for a different reason. I like hanging out with friends, I like strategizing over games, and I certainly like winning, but none of these things alone make games fun. A combination of the three perhaps. So now, dear reader, I ask you: Why do you play games? Any reason I haven’t listed? Please let me know so I can update my list, and maybe get to the bottom of this conundrum. 

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