Twilight Imperium: Prophecy of Kings Expansion Announced

Just out of curiosity, can someone translate: Codices? SCPT? What's so different about it?

Last year FFG released the first TI4 Codex, which is a PDF with new and updated components, as well as scenarios or game variants. It included new Omega cards, which are official (but not required) re-balanced versions of existing cards, as well as 20 brand new Action cards. The second codex was mainly just faction and Commander reference cards, as well as 3 new Relics, and a 2v2v2 Alliance variant. These PDFs have high res versions of the cards that you can have printed at one of the many online printers to have actual new cards that are very close to the originals.

SCPT is an unofficial Twilight Imperium podcast called Space Cats Peace Turtles that has been around since 4th Edition came out. They helped foster the growth of the Tabletop Simulator scene and run game streams and tournaments regularly over TTS.

Thanks. When you say "official but not required", I'm assuming that the balance changes were just tweaks or were they actually significant?

I think it was too many components to just errata them without providing retail versions of the new cards, which they aren't going to do.

I think the changes are significant. It makes the cards more likely to be actually used. Virtually everyone agrees that they are better versions of the cards. The five Promissory Notes in particular no longer penalize the owning faction like they did before, which caused them to never be traded away, which defeated the purpose of them. They completely changed the ability on the Magen Defense Grid red tech, which is now less situational. The other tech change was they made X-89 Bacterial Weapon easier to use. The bonus effect is that now the community had access to high res art for the action cards so people were able to make new versions of the seven previously, actually errata'ed Action cards to have printed out.

Dane Beltrami's general design philosophy for this game at this point is that things should be fun and exciting when you do them. Like removing unnecessary restrictions on things that may have been a holdover from the previous edition.

PoK added a lot of consequence and levers being pulled, based on watching streams. You score way more and faster. I have somewhat mixed feelings on that aspect of it.

Part of it is this super permissive and diplomatic TTS meta, it can be hard to tell.