Mite
Alert
Invasion
Destroy
Type
Power to Bluster
Demands Base or Destroys Cache
As the invader, after arrival, use this power to “bluster.” The opponent may surrender for a peaceful win. If they do not, ravage their cache until they have three pods.
Legacy: After arrival, invaders must ravage the defender’s cache until it has five pods.
Not to be mistaken for a common insect, the Mites seek to prove themselves on a Cosmic scale. Though they run the risk of being stepped on due to their size, they have amassed quite the reputation as invaders. Don’t underestimate them. They mite be a bit stronger than you realize.
Invader: Arrival
Mandatory
Wild Flare
As a leader, after arrival, if your opponent’s fleet has more sponsor ships than yours, you may discharge this flare to rebound all opposing sponsor ships.
Leader: Arrival
Super Flare
When using your power, you may discharge this flare to claim any of the pods you ravage.
Invader: Arrival
Modifications
- Mite’s legacy forces all invaders to destroy all but 5 pods in the defender’s cache, meaning defenders with 5 or fewer pods are safe from the effect. Aliens that like to stack up a large reservoir of pods are greatly harmed by this legacy, while aliens who can easily replenish their caches like Mutant and Invader are less bothered. Original Cosmic has no legacies.
Tips
- Mite’s power only activates as an invader, but it can be very threatening against an opponent with a strong cache of pods. Don’t count out the possibility of surrendering to Mite as a viable strategy, especially if Mite has few bases. However, be wary of Mite coming back for a second round.
- Mite’s power can backfire if the opponent has three or more support pods, as it can end up earning them a resupply. Mite cannot do anything about this since its power is mandatory, but it’s worth considering for the opponent.
- To make itself threatening, Mite needs a good stockpile of pods. If Mite only has one encounter pod, it likely will not be a big deal for an opponent to be reduced to three, unless the opponent has a large supply they don’t want to lose.
- Though it is legal for aliens to let it do so, Mite will likely not win its final encounter due to its opponent surrendering. This means Mite’s final encounter as an invader will be against an opponent with three pods if it intends to win solo.
Development Notes
- Mite is a very important alien for me to include because of its name. Since Mite exists, an alien called “Might” cannot exist, as that would be confusing when the aliens are spoken aloud. This allows me to use the term “might” in place of “combat total”, and it lends itself beautifully to Mite’s auto-win focus. Mite is a misspelling of might. It’s false might. It’s all bluster.
- The actual origin of Mite’s name is in relation to the insect, making it another animal-themed power. A mite is a tiny arachnid that sucks blood. Mites are notable for being mostly harmless to humans but annoying to deal with. However, much like bees and mosquitos, they are often perceived as scarier than they are, and they can kill people by spreading disease. It is easy enough to draw these aspects to the alien power.
- It took me quite a bit of internal debate to rationalize why Mite’s power works the way it does. Why does Mite destroy all but three pods? Why are aliens with three or fewer pods immune to Mite’s power? Mechanically, it’s important that Mite’s power works this way so that it’s still threatening against someone with 20 pods, and it scales with someone who has 5. I found a way to rationalize it using the rules of the CE. Mite is intentionally leaving three pods to prevent the opponent from being able to request a resupply, since destroying all but one or two causes it too often.