I am a vengeful queen.

I will admit that in my first playthrough, I took the easy way out and played as a brutal military dictatorship, conquering all in my way. I had intended to focus on culture, but I found that it was much easier to train, mobilize, and send out an army than it was to change a people's way of thinking. It became a game of "who has more soldiers". Answer: Me. Always. My reputation amongst the other forces were not of the highest regard.

That ended up a bit fun yet unfulfilling at the same time, so I tried to go back to my original intent regarding culture. I must say, that was much more interesting to play through. Still some military conflict here and there, but it didn't take long for me to establish something that became both a cultural and economic hub and powerhouse of the playthrough. Any disdain other forces had were directed towards my militaristic allies, who relied far too much on my resources and trade to ever attack me. Another player achieved the Singularity before I ever saw it coming, but it was still very fun.

An honorable mention to my shortest playthrough, in which the Krogans and Salarians were apparently able to overcome their differences for the sake of destroying my civilization as quickly as possible. The sudden swarm of Rachni through the relay didn't help either.

So it reached year 86 in the play through it mentioned above. Some rebellious elements had taken over one of the outer moons. They were fairly entrenched and sending soldiers was becoming expensive.

So it brought a planet cracker from a neighbouring state. A huge hit to happiness, but it did not plan to use it for very long. This one was curious as to what happened if it was broadcast. Pretty much everything else was - public executions (which people can vote on for the most entertaining death) and fly-on-the-wall documentaries of possible dissidents, which does curb their behaviour. The nuking of the rebel city in year 53 was not really cost effective happiness wise, but it thought it should experiment.

So it fired on the moon, it created a whole new ring and destabilised some orbits around the gas giant. And it made a net profit on happiness. Unfortunately, the people want to see it again. It is even considering to ship some political prisoners (that would be executed anyway) to another moon, but then they'll want to see it again, possibly on a planet this time.

Something has gone horribly wrong.

Okay, I went and played it. The thread got me curious, and it's not like I have anything to do at the moment. My last major trip out ended in murders, so I'm lying low for a while. (I don't care whether it's Vallario or this new guy who wins the seat, just do something about these crime levels).

Anyway, I got to Year 30, which I guess is a good enough run for a salarian. I mean, it's pretty much a full adult life. I guess I could pass away happy, so long as it was sometime in Year 28. It, er, sort of went to pieces after that. Where that plague came from, I don't know. Are these things randomly generated, or did I do something wrong? My people blamed the refugee influx; I took a load of them in after an empire across the continent annexed a few of the outlying settlements. I thought accepting the refugees would help. It certainly raised my profile among the other nations. But then there's a plague, my government's popularity is at Cerberus levels, we've got riots and then there's an attack from the Weird River People (I mean, that's what I called them, anyway, since their capital city was on this ridiculously winding river; rivers don't actually curve like that, do they?")

I think I tried to be too complicated, really. I thought my treaty with the Weirders would be strengthened by a series of marriages between their Ascendant Caste and mine, but all that happened is a serious of feuds. It's like I was trying to disprove what I think about the system, that it can work, and it can't.

I've heard of this game, it sounds like a lot of fun! I just need to get the credits to buy it. A friend of mine let me try it once, it was quite fun but I didn't get very far before he took back over Xp

Plagues come from poor sanitation modifiers + random chance + variables such as increased trade or scientific accidents.

Oh man. My mind control weapons have allowed me to attack an Ardak-Yakshi Monastary and weaponise them. I'm sending them after diplomatic leaders I don't like, then setting up spies to take over.

I love this game. It's got so many options.

Wonder if I can start a terrorist cell to oppose me so I can justify public executions...

Make enough of a spectacle and one does not need justifications.

It is past the point, but see if you can make it so the populace are not even aware that the deaths are real.

You're right... I'll distract them by legalizing cannibalism! This can't possibly go wrong!

Wait you can do this?

Man, these games are weird. Weird like how the Grim Terminus Alliance gives you achievements for killing a certain number of a certain race. That was some totally messed up stuff and yet people keep buying them :|

The dev team has had a LOT of time to add in features- any time a fan requests something interesting, it's added during a patch.

Sounds like they could run into a lot of trouble doing that.

It's a video game. If no-one gave Grim Terminus Alliance much thought when the latest one came out last year, I don't think anyone cares about strategy games.

... And my character died. Tried making a sun go nova by ramming it with a Mass Relay. Made it to Year 80. :(