Expansion Systems

The Expansion System is a Power held system that has the potential to become a Control System.

Creation
New Expansion Systems are created by Powers during the Powerplay Tick following a Preparation System being successfully Prepared.

Expansion Sphere
The Expansion Sphere is the 15 ly radius Sphere that extends from the Expansion System. Systems inside this Sphere become either Exploited, Contested or Shared during the Powerplay Tick but not before. Thus, during the Cycle the Expansion Sphere neither generates a CC Income nor Upkeep cost for a Power but during the Powerplay Tick this is taken into account and affects the Power’s CC Balance.

Expansions and Turmoil
If a Power is in a state of Turmoil and the cost of the Expansion System during the Powerplay Tick would put or keep a Power into Turmoil during the next Cycle then the Expansion will fail instead. Likewise, if the CC Income from the Expansion System would allow a Power to leave Turmoil during the next Cycle then the Expansion succeeds. For this calculation the Exploited, Contested and Shared status of systems inside the Expansion Sphere are not impacted by other new successful Expansions. However, this will be taken into account at the end of the Powerplay Tick with any lost CC Income due to Contesting or Shared systems being deducted from the Power’s CC Balance.

Exploited Systems
Exploited Systems generate CC Income for an Expansion System during the Powerplay Tick which is based upon the population of the system.

Contested Systems
Contested Systems occur when two Spheres of two different Powers intersect each other. This causes all CC Income from the systems inside the intersection area to be lost for both Powers. In the Diagram Sphere A owned by Power 1 intersects Sphere B owned by Power 2. Both Power 1 and Power 2 thus receives no CC Income from the systems in the area of intersection C.

Shared Systems
Shared Systems occur when two Spheres of the same Power intersect each other. This causes all CC Income from the systems inside the intersection area to be given to the Sphere that Exploited the systems first. In the Diagram Sphere A owned by a Power intersects Sphere B owned by the same Power. The CC Income of Sphere B remains unchanged as it Exploited the systems in the area of intersection C first however Sphere A receives no CC Income from them.

Expansion Trigger
The Expansion Trigger is calculated using the neutral Trigger plus a possible Trigger Reduction or Trigger Penalty. The neutral Trigger is based upon the distance an Expansion System is from the Power’s Headquarters whilst whether a Trigger Reduction or Trigger Penalty is applied depends upon the Ethos of the Power and the government type of Controlling Minor Factions of the Expansion System and the systems it Exploits. The maximum Trigger Reduction that can be applied equates to (neutral Trigger / 2) which occurs if the Power is Strong with more of Exploited systems Controlling Minor Factions than being Weak or Neutral to. Similarly the maximum Trigger Penalty that can be applied equates to (neutral Trigger * 1.5) which occurs if the Power is Weak against 50% or more of the Exploited systems Controlling Minor Factions. A small Reduction or Penalty is applied separately for the Expansion Sphere.

Opposing Trigger
The Opposing Trigger is calculated based upon the distance the Expansion System is from a Power’s headquarters.

Upkeep
Each Expansion System has CC Upkeep that is deducted from the Power’s CC Balance at the end of the Powerplay Tick rather than at the end of the Cycle.