Moocher
Alert
Invasion
Support
Control
Type
Power to Freeload
Unwanted in Every Galaxy
As an invader, during crash after losing the first encounter of your campaign, you may use this power. Manifest a “couch” in any system other than the target system. Jump up to four of your ships from your bases to the couch. Couches are treated as planets.
If you are not commissioned by an invader when you have a couch in their system, you may use this power to “call shotgun”. The invader must either let you commit up to four ships from your couch to their fleet or let you snatch a pod from their cache.
Legacy: Aliens may call shotgun on an invader if they have a foreign base in that invader’s system and are not commissioned by them. Any committed ships are committed from those foreign bases instead of couches.
Due to the advanced age and unknown origin of their species, the shameless Moochers can realistically claim themselves distant relatives of virtually any alien they meet, allowing them to take advantage of their familial bonds to score a place to settle down. Once ingratiated in their host’s system, they promise to only remain for one millennium. Two tops.
Invader: Orientation
Bystander: Commission
Optional
Wild Flare
As the invader, after destiny of your campaign’s first invasion, you may discharge this flare to jump up to four of your ships to a vacant planet and end your campaign. Burnout.
Invader: Destiny
Super Flare
As a bystander, if you are not commissioned by a leader when you have a couch in their system, you may discharge this flare to call shotgun on that leader. If they choose to let you snatch a pod, snatch an additional pod.
Bystander: Commission
Modifications
- Originally the power to “barge in”. Changed to give the power a one-word name that still captures both aspects of the power.
- Moocher’s legacy allows every alien that gains dominion to take advantage of their foreign bases for additional value by calling shotgun if the current invader does not commission them. The resources are limited based on the number of ships on the base, so every alien is incentivized to commit more ships when invading. Aliens are also pressured to commission aliens with bases in their system, unless they want pods in their cache snatched or wish to make the target burn their foreign bases. Base snipers like Brute and Assassin become much scarier since they restrict your ability to call shotgun, and aliens Original Cosmic has no legacies.
Tips
- Moocher wants to get a couch on the field as early as possible. Its power only provides couches when losing an encounter, and only during the first invasion. Playing an N against Moocher can attempt to prevent a loss, though Moocher can effectively guarantee a loss if it plays its own N, since it can quash the potential negotiation.
- N pods are Moocher’s best bet when acting as invader. If the opponent does not also play an N, Moocher can get a base, a couch, and compensation. Moocher can also take advantage of this factor and trick the opponent into playing an N for a free win and pruning a weak cache, at the cost of getting any couches until next cycle.
- Moocher wants as many cycles as possible since it can only use its power once per cycle. It prefers siding against the defender unless it has couches to join with the invader.
- Even though Moocher gains its power from couches, it actually doesn’t benefit the defender much to throw the encounter. Losing a base is generally much worse than giving the Moocher a couch, since Moocher can only establish a couch in another system. There’s no real point commissioning allies against Moocher either, since it usually wants to lose. Unless it needs two bases to win, you can often burn your worst pod as well.
- Since Moocher can only put four ships on a couch at once, it wants to preserve them as much as possible. Even though Moocher can still call shotgun with one ship, the invader can simply allow them to join since they would only break even at most from winning and actively lose a base if the invader throws the encounter. If you get commissioned when calling shotgun, it is advisable to only commit one ship at a time.
Development Notes
- A “moocher” refers to one who lives off someone else without giving anything in return. It is similar in concept to a Leech or Remora, but it has a more human flavor to it that makes it more about land and resources. “Crashing on the couch” is trademark behavior of the typical moocher archetype, so it is fitting and comical for Moocher to have planet-sized couches for them to occupy. It makes sense for part of their power to be the manifestation of these couches.
- Spiff is the power most comparable to Moocher, another alien designed to gain bases from losses. Unlike Moocher, Spiff is not guaranteed a base from its power, which is why I buffed my version of Spiff to get a second invasion if it manages to crashland. Even though Moocher gets a free base from its power, it has no special advantage at gaining two dominion in one campaign. Since it can only use its power during its first invasion, winning the first encounter means it is just a normal alien during its second invasion. Meanwhile, Spiff has the threat of crashlanding two times in a row, only having to deal with the risk of losing without crashlanding and the loss of any ships it overcommits. Moocher also has the secondary clause that allows it to gain either invitations or pods, but this aspect is limited by the number of ships on its couches. I think with Spiff getting the simple buff to its crashlandings, it is difficult to say either power is strictly superior to the other.
- Moocher is another “Parasite-like” power in the same vein as Zipper and Animal. While Parasite is guaranteed to sponsor any alien it wants, Moocher has the option to sponsor if the invader approves. Moocher has the limitations of needing a couch in the invader’s system, needing more than one ship on the couch to commit without losing the base, and needing approval of the invader. Since Moocher is guaranteed a foreign base on its own invasions, it is good that it lacks Parasite’s guaranteed sponsorships in the endgame as well. Moocher doesn’t lose anything from using its power, so it can keep calling shotgun as long as it has ships left on the couch.
- Moocher introduces the dangerous concept of guaranteed foreign bases as an invader, distinguishing it from other invasion-type aliens like Mite, Disease, and Benefactor. Devoid of zaps, a Moocher with four bases at the start of its campaign is effectively guaranteed to win by throwing the encounter. Whether Moocher wins or loses, it will gain a base regardless. It’s possible other aliens could participate for a shared victory, but Moocher can easily force a loss with an N to win alone. However, unlike other guaranteed bases derived from wild flares, I think having this idea as a power is more tolerable as an alien power. Other aliens are fully aware of Moocher’s power and can prepare for it in advance. Unlike original Tick-Tock, it doesn’t create a perpetual state of forced results, where players have to throw encounters to prevent Tick-Tock from winning. It also doesn’t have the surprise factor of original Human holding a Cosmic Zap. Moocher is more comparable to my version of Ace, where other aliens know what it can do and can anticipate it. Letting Moocher get three or four bases and start its campaign is an auto-loss, so they adjust accordingly to prevent that scenario.
- Wild Moocher has the same power as my Grump, establishing a free base on a vacant planet. It is the type of power that fits both Grump and Moocher. Since it’s distinct from Moocher’s original power, I think it works better as Wild Moocher than Wild Grump, similar to Wild Lightning with Nanny.
- Thematically, Sloth would probably be the closest alien to Moocher, a power themed around laziness. Moocher’s laziness is a more malicious form, since it is specifically taking advantage of the generosity of others. My version of Sloth specifically is attempting to take advantage of the power of sloth and making others lazy. Moocher is the power of an annoying person that drains your resources and won’t leave.
- The way Moocher is designed, it is fitting that it is incentivized to commit only one ship at a time from its couch. It fits well with the lazy nature of Moocher to provide minimal effort. Moocher can’t even be bothered to put in the energy to crash on the couch during the second invasion.
- Since couches are treated as planets, other aliens can establish bases on the couch, similar to the planets discovered by Explorer. Since they are not in Moocher’s system, Moocher’s ships will be untouched, making them simply softer targets unless targeted by Will.