The idea sounds cool. In addition,
A. I’m worried about balancing here (is half to much? to little?), though admittedly that will be refined over time.
B. Perhaps if they just don’t direct marines they have it should count as defensive? Might be simpler and help limit the need to check-off boxes.
C. I would then like directing credits at a Player to do something - any thoughts?
D. They receive one credit for each - no wait, that’s an institution description, nevermind.

While I like the idea of player vs player attacks, I’d rather see it implemented as an influenceable institution (the Mob?).

[Yonah] I was just playing around with the idea of Marine management (that you can either send them out to take Institutions and die, or keep them back to defend and attack your resources), but a Mob could be good - propose it and see what people think.

I’m not sure if its intended or not, but you don’t lose marines when you direct them. On the one hand, I like this because it makes defending yourself easier / makes people more willing to attack.

On the other hand, until you get marines you could see your credits halved. You can just keep sending on raiding missions to people without any marines. Cutting their credits in half is going to make it harder for them to get any marines too.

[Clucky] It was intended, and I don’t think it’s that powerful - anyone undertaking raiding missions would be leaving themselves open to attacks from other Marine-controlling players (and in the early game, “Marines are halved” will kill a one-Marine army).

Given that Marines are a big deal as a win-any-bid token, I’d expect people to be cautious about sending them out just to push someone else back. (Would you rather Attack a few players sequentially to put them each 5-10 Credits behind, or send a Marine to the Reactor to put yourself 5 Credits ahead?)

per Yonah.  If you’re in second place, then you only need to attack one player.

[Murphy] Well, this doesn’t affect Councilmen or Power, which are the direct victory conditions. You can attack a stronger player to dent their bidding power for the next round, but you’d leave yourself open both to a counter-attack, and to the player in third place attacking you.

@Kevan The 5 credits from the reactor is a one time thing. I can keep using my marines to hammer people. I think it could potentially let someone get a stranglehold on the dynasty.

COV

Seconding Clucky: The first player to obtain a Marine advantage can easily prevent any other player from ever obtaining Marines.

That’s a bit much, Yonah. They can only use the one Marine to attack on other Player, so they really can’t prevent the entire rest of the field getting one of the Legion, the Black Market or the Rebels.

They don’t have to. All they have to do is keep on Attacking whatever other players get Marines until everyone else’s resources are drained.

Unless two players get marines on the same turn and gang up on them.

There’s plenty of ways to counter such play.

southpointingchariot: “I would then like directing credits at a Player to do something - any thoughts?”
To steal the Institution they’re Influencing? Seems too powerful though

To clarify, you would have to direct more marines at yourself than other people direct towards you to not be attacked?

@Koen, hmmm, good concept, but yeah, to powerful. What’s the mild version of that.

@Patrick, correct.

Here’s a potentially moderating tinker - what if marines you send at another person can also block their marines. So, if a send marines at you, it destroys your resources unless:
-You send an equal or greater number of marines at yourself, or
-You send an equal or greater number of marines at that person.