Kamikaze
Alert
Combat
Destroy
Type
Power of Sacrifice
Sacrifices Ships for Might
As a leader, after approach, you may use this power to “sacrifice” any number of committed ships. Add 4 might to your fleet for each sacrificed ship and destroy those ships.
Legacy: When a leader would lose in combat, the losing leader subtracts 4 might from the enemy fleet for each of that leader’s committed ships. If the enemy fleet’s might is 0 or less afterwards, both fleets lose.
Having lost their homeworld eons ago, the Kamikaze seek new territory for their people. With their very existence on the line, they are willing to give anything in the name of victory. Though easy to dismiss as short-sighted, they aren’t to be underestimated. Nothing’s more dangerous than an alien with nothing to lose.
Leader: Approach
Optional
Wild Flare
As a leader, after contact, you may discharge this flare to destroy up to four of your ships. Add 2 might to your fleet for each destroyed ship.
Leader: Contact
Super Flare
When using your power, you may discharge this flare to add 6 might to your fleet for each sacrificed ship instead of 4.
Leader: Approach
Modifications
- Completely reworked the power to be more in the spirit of the name. The original Kamikaze is not a combat power. Instead, it sacrifices ships to gain pods, gaining two pods for one ship. My version of Kamikaze sacrifices ships for combat potency. I repurposed original Kamikaze to rework Masochist.
- Reduced potency of wild flare so it is less effective than the base power. Also changed the phase from approach to contact to make it more like a distress pod.
- Changed the super flare to increase the might of each sacrificed ship instead of retrieve three ships during regroup.
- Kamikaze’s legacy causes every losing leader to “sacrifice” their ships, resulting in a double loss if the opponent doesn’t have enough might. Every alien will be safe with 17 or higher might, less if their opponent committed fewer ships. Aliens with combat powers can generally shrug off this legacy without much issue. Others may be more dependent on sponsors to help avoid unnecessary losses. Original Cosmic has no legacies.
Tips
- Kamikaze’s power is the type that is powerful at the start and gets weaker as CE progresses. Warp Keys are dangerous with Kamikaze in play, as it refreshes Kamikaze to full power.
- Kamikaze is incentivized to send in the maximum number of ships to maximize its options, though this also maximizes casualties.
- Kamikaze’s power grants it a lot of combat potential, but it is limited by its ship count. Similar to Amoeba, Kamikaze needs to conserve its ships to maintain its influence.
- Since Kamikaze uses committed ships to activate its power, it won’t lose more ships than if it loses normally by using its power.
- Kamikaze can sacrifice all of its committed ships to add +16 to its total at the cost of its base or rewards. If Kamikaze suspects it will lose, it can pull this off as a last resort to potentially deprive the opposing side of a win.
- Kamikaze should refrain from sacrificing its ships when playing a negotiate pod. Sacrificed ships do not count toward compensation or leverage.
- Similar to Virus, Kamikaze is helpless as a defender when it has no ships, but since they are dependent on their ships, it can be more beneficial to attack their bases and forego the easier win.
Development Notes
- The original idea for this Kamikaze tweak is an expansion of the original wild flare as a full power.
- Kamikaze is a simple power in concept but a difficult one to design. If Kamikaze’s power activates after contact, there is no reason for Kamikaze to not use its power to the maximum amount, since either it will lose its ships or lose its ships and the encounter. If it knows it will lose, it has no reason to not destroy its ships anyway, even if there’s no benefit.
- Another factor to consider is the amount of might Kamikaze gains for each destroyed ship. It has to be enough that it’s powerful, but not too much that it’s oppressive. I picked 4 because it means sacrificing one ship passes the Human test. It lets Kamikaze operate solo in a great number of circumstances, which makes it the kind of alien that others need to team up against. The maximum boost Kamikaze can achieve while still gaining rewards is +12, +18 with the super flare. If sacrificing everything, it can be raised to +16 or +24, though these numbers can cost Kamikaze more than just the ships as a defender. With 20 ships as a starting point, Kamikaze can get the +12 bonus six times before no longer having enough ships to keep its power. Realistically, it may only get four or five uses before it runs out of ships, and this doesn’t include ships spent as a sponsor, which could also be lost. Naturally, this can be increased with a warp key, but with Kamikaze around, other aliens are going to be more hesitant to open the warp so freely. Since it’s limited in how much it can use its power, I think the +4 is punchy enough.
- Though similar in concept to Amoeba, Kamikaze intentionally burns its ships, while Amoeba can leverage its power and go an entire match without losing a single ship. As a tradeoff, Amoeba is capable of losing a lot more ships at once than Kamikaze. Kamikaze’s combat potential maxes out at +16 unless it gets more ships in the encounter. Amoeba maxes out at +20 at the cost of its power and participation. +19 if it wants to stay in the game afterwards. +17 if it wants to keep its power afterwards.
- In a tiny match, Kamikaze has four fewer ships to work with, taking 16 potential might away from its power.
- Kamikaze’s power can ironically be used to rescue its ships from aspects that would capture or vaporize them, such as Void and Fungus.
- Kamikaze’s power is most effective as the invader, since it can act as a slightly weaker Leviathan with the maximum bonus. If any effects like Assassin are in-play, Kamikaze’s combat bonus is hindered since it needs to keep its bases well-stocked.
- Originally, my idea was for Kamikaze’s bonus to be higher at the cost of vaporizing its ships. This would allow Kamikaze’s power to activate after contact since there would be a reason for Kamikaze to refuse. Ultimately I decided I didn’t like the decision this variant of the power created, as it’s asking aliens to choose between losing ships permanently or losing an encounter. Both of those options feel bad in the moment, so I get the sense it wouldn’t be as fun to play.