User Guide

social engineering choices (such as “Free Market” or “Police State”) actually rep-
resent similar facilities and social choices in the Progenitor societal structure, but
have been translated into their nearest human equivalent for convenience.
CIVIL WAR
The two alien ideologies are completely in opposition, and all alien interactions
with each other and with the human factions are colored by this opposition.
Aliens speak with human factions, and even sign treaties and pacts, but they
do not speak to each other and they do not sign treaties and pacts with those
who have treaties or pacts with their enemy. They cannot be asked to end a
vendetta with one another. They do not participate in Governor elections or in
any other Planetary Council votes. Their atrocities do not cause any adverse
commerce effects, since they don’t use human commerce. Using atrocities
against the aliens causes no extra diplomatic penalty, except for Planet Busters,
still considered a global atrocity for the environmental damage caused.
Because of this alien civil war, each game has either both the Usurpers and the
Caretakers, or neither. Whether you are using the faction editor or playing with
a mix of factions from Alien Crossfire and Alpha Centauri, you can never
have just one alien faction in the game
COMMUNICATION
Humans and aliens cannot communicate at the beginning of the game. In
order for Humans and aliens to communicate, one must discover the other’s
Psych. This means the human faction must discover Progenitor Psych or the
Progenitor faction must discover Social Psych. Once communication is estab-
lished, the Progenitor speech is rendered by human translation software into
its nearest human equivalent (including their arcane sentence structure).
Progenitor communications within their own society, however, have been fully
translated for complete understandability.
Sid meier’s alpha centauri
Alien Crossfire
6
Sid meier’s alpha centauri
Alien Crossfire
7
ENERGY GRID
The alien factions gain no energy from commerce with each other or humans.
Instead, they gain energy from the Grid. This is a harmonic field set up by the power
feeds of various technological devices; it manifests itself as 1 energy for every two
facilities built, and 2 1/2 energy (rounded down) for each Secret Project completed.
BASE CONQUEST
When a human conquers a Progenitor base, or vice versa, a forced relocation
of the population takes place. A forced relocation causes the population of the
conquered base to be reduced to one. At the same time, half the remaining
population (rounded up) is converted into colony pods belonging to the
defeated faction. These can be attacked normally.
NEW VICTORY CONDITIONS
The presence of the Progenitor factions creates three new conditions which
affect victory.
DIPLOMATIC
A leader may not be declared Supreme Leader unless the alien factions have been
eradicated. Once they have been eradicated, Supreme Leader victory is allowed
normally. If a Progenitor faction is “freed” by a Probe Team and swears a servile
Pact, or swears a servile Pact during the course of the game, that counts as
“being eradicated” and any human faction can win as Supreme Leader—even if
the faction to whom the Pact was sworn are themselves eradicated later on.
TRANSCENDENCE
The Caretaker faction’s belief system does not allow for the exploitation of
Manifold Six. Therefore, the Caretaker faction can never win by Transcendence
victory, as Transcendence implies an exploitation of Manifold Six—the very
thing they are fighting against. However, the Usurpers can win a
Transdendence victory as per the usual rules.