Crybaby

Alert

Resource

Destroy

Invasion

Type

Power of Tantrums

Throws Tantrums when Losing

As a leader, after launch, you may use this power to target one alien with more free ships, lucre, or dominion than you and throw a “tantrum” about one of those discrepancies. If specifying ships, that alien must either let you revive your ships or ravage their ships until your free ship count is equal. If specifying dominion, that alien must either let you establish a base in their system or snipe one of their foreign bases. If specifying lucre, that alien must either let you gain lucre or ravage their lucre until both your lucre is equal.

Legacy: At the start of upkeep, the alien(s) with the lowest dominion may draft pods equal to the alien(s) with the highest dominion, unless all aliens have equal dominion.

The Crybabies have mastered the art of the deal. Turns out the secret is to scream incessantly until you get your way. Regardless how strong you are, the universal constant remains: No one can withstand a wailing baby.

Leader: Launch

Optional

Wild Flare

As a bystander, after launch, you may discharge this flare to give one leader a “pouty face.” If that alien does not commission you, no alien may sponsor them.

Bystander: Launch

Super Flare

As a leader, after launch, you may discharge this flare to target any alien and describe a pod. That alien must either gift you a pod that matches your description or scrap all pods in their cache that match your description.

Leader: Launch

Modifications

The original power is the well-known “Sniveler” with the power to “whine.” Initial attempts to render the design of a “Sniveler” alien didn’t evoke a strong enough image for my taste. I found it more satisfying to evoke the theme of a spoiled child that everyone needs to pacify.
The original uses ships in the warp and foreign bases to determine the ship revival and base gain aspects of the power respectively. Mine uses free ships and dominion for each of writing, since it makes just as much sense for Crybaby to be able to cry if all of its ships were vaporized or captured, and it doesn’t let Macron/Locust advance toward the finish without Crybaby caring for no reason.
My version has a lucre-gaining aspect as opposed to a pod-gaining aspect, as gaining/losing pods could be good or bad while gaining/losing lucre is more like gaining/losing ships.
The original power requires Sniveler to have the most ships in the warp or fewest foreign bases total. My version has Crybaby target a specific individual and compare to them, since it creates more of a “parent-child” role between the two.
The original power has the super flare built into the regular power. I don’t like how it lets Crybaby throw a tantrum at any time, as it clashes with the theme of using its power to catch up when losing. I wanted Crybaby’s power to be unusable if they are winning.
Original wild flare doesn’t specifically mention a “pouty face,” but the effect is the same.
Original super flare is an interesting one that lets Crybaby complain about someone else winning the match and have an encounter against them to decide the “real winner.” It’s a very interesting concept, but because it activates only once when someone wins, it’s technically a burnout super flare.
Crybaby’s legacy lets the alien(s) with the lowest dominion draft more pods, to help level the playing field and give those lagging behind a chance to catch up.

Tips

Crybaby has the ability to complain unless it’s winning in virtually every category. The more it’s losing, the more effective its power becomes. The more it’s winning, the less of a power it has.
Crybaby can only complain as a leader, so it’s possible to gain a lead in dominion even if it cries about it every chance it gets. As Crybaby, be sure to choose the option that lets you gain the most advantage. Generally, gaining dominion is the most valuable, though pods and ships can be important to prevent getting eliminated or deactivated.
Try to stay at Crybaby’s level to avoid getting targeted by them. No matter how much lucre you gain, Crybaby can drag you back down unless you are willing to bring them up to your level.
If no one has any lucre, Crybaby can’t cry about it. Powers that specialize in gaining lucre may opt to either not gain as much or spend it more quickly.
If Crybaby has no ships in the warp, the most pods in its cache, and the most dominion, it cannot use its power. However, once it falls behind, it will start crying again. Keep it fat and happy to avoid the waterworks.

Development Notes

I considered having the pod-gain aspect be based off having fewest pods in the cache, but this clashes with the resupply mechanic. Using that power just makes it take longer to get resupplies. However, if it has no pod-gain capacity at all, its power is basically just base-building and ship recovery, meaning it’s just a power that avoids losing or otherwise stalls the game. Not as fun to play as or against. I think using lucre as the trigger makes for a good compromise, since lucre is not scrapped during resupplies and doesn’t prevent one.
I considered making this one CEO’s Brat, but I think I could come up with another power and design that fits the Brat theme a little better.
I think the power does a good job to encapsulate the sort of player who doesn’t stop complaining when they’re losing, even if they’re not in last place.
This power could be comparable to Remora, another alien that gains from someone else’s gains. Crybaby’s power activates less often for larger payouts, while Remora has the advantage of being able to activate even if it’s running away with a victory.
Crybaby’s design requires a delicate balance to keep it thematic and avoid making it as obnoxious to play against as a real-life crying baby. During the first invasion, Crybaby has nothing to cry about, but if the invader wins without them, they can cry during the second invasion to either match the leader or snipe the base they just won. The biggest issue with my version is that if someone has four foreign bases, Crybaby can guarantee that it also gets four foreign bases unless that alien is willing to take a hit and come back down. Either way, Crybaby can always be tied for the lead, at the expense of using the other two aspects of its power. The fact that Crybaby can only reach 4 colonies with its power if someone else is at 4, along with the fact that it can only cry as a leader makes the power significantly less cheap than something like original Ace.
No matter how many bases Crybaby can win with its power, the most important thing is that it can’t use its power to win the match. If someone else has more bases than it when it has four, that alien already won.
Crybaby’s catchup-based nature almost makes it a great green-alert alien for new players. However, the complicated degree of choice involved gives it complexity one step beyond green.