Sponsor: RefSteel
Opening Date: Monday, October 20
Duration: Four Weeks
Map Generation: Random (unedited)

Race: Bulrathi
Difficulty: Hard
Galaxy Size: Medium
Opponents: Five
Color: Red
Events: On

Scenario: The Bulrathi have an incredibly rich history, and it is their love of that history - their studies of the battles that have raged across Ursa for centuries - that has led to their dominance in the world of ground warfare. With the development of modern weapons that nearly obviate the importance of physical strength in battle, the ingenious tactics developed across history and studied in depth by every Bulrathi general and historian still give the ursine people a tremendous edge when fighting on the ground.

The Bulrathi are enthralled with history - not only their own, but that of the galaxy at large; a well-preserved archaeological site is worth any price to them ... and their research suggests that the ancient people of Orion once had outposts on every world, habitable or not, in the galaxy! There are vestiges left behind for those who know how to seek them, and the Bulrathi will never take action - no matter what the provocation - that would endanger these archaeological treasures!

Variant: You may not use ship weapons against a planet under any circumstances. No orbital bombardment, and no striking a planet (including its missile bases!) from the combat screen.

For purposes of this variant, there are no such things as "clean bombers" - creating a black hole on a planet's surface is no way to preserve its artifacts! - so enemy missile bases must be destroyed by hand, by Bulrathi competent to do so without damaging potential dig sites, such as their spies and ground troops. Likewise, valuable tissue and fossil samples are extremely vulnerable to biotoxins, so biological weapons may never be fitted on any Bulrathi ship.

Scoring: The Bulrathi hope someday to rule the galaxy and establish their historical preservation policies across every star system. The more absolute their eventual rule, the more successfully they will be able to implement these policies, but they gain no real advantage, and therefore no bonus, for an early or overwhelming victory. Results will be listed in alphabetical order within each of four scoring categories:

• Emperors who rule over the galaxy uncontested and can implement all their policies, having achieved a Domination, Conquest, or Extermination victory.
• Prime Ministers whose rule is accepted by their rivals as they achieve a Diplomatic victory.
• Advisors who continue to participate in the government of the Galactic Imperium upon suffering (and accepting) a Diplomatic defeat.
• Losses and Incompletes for those who lose by extermination or are unable to complete the game.

Note: Be aware that ships sometimes automatically fire on a planet if it is in range for their unexpended weapons when they receive an order to retreat. Accidentally allowing this to happen is okay if the attack fails to damage to the planet, but you should avoid putting your ships in this position if you can help it.

For this reason and others (e.g. orbital bombardment) the rules for this variant can sometimes be broken by a mis-click; if this happens to you, you may reload to correct the mistake in accordance with standard Imperium Rules, but remember that this is only acceptable in immediate response to an accidental mis-click; please don't abuse this option.

Have fun with this one; I'll see you at the dig!

Closing Day: Monday, November 17, 2008. Results due by the end of Nov. 18, your local time.

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