by lactamaeon
@RaniorI'm not going to argue that there isn't a bunch of randomness in the game (there is) or that the rules are always clear (they aren't) or that the game is never frustrating (it can definitely be).
It is a little interesting to me that you are complaining about Raid seeming unbalancedly weak in a thread where the OP is complaing about how it's too strong. Both of you think the game is unbalanced, but I think the issue for both of you is more that it is chaotic.
Anyway, I think one of the major values of beefing up in raid is that you have the option of stealing stuff from other players. Of course, you only know some of the long-term strategic implications (you can gauge how much enmity you will leave, but you can't know how badly you'll regret it until you see something else you want to steal from that player). So I'm not recommending a specific course of action here (other than raiding tombs if the opportunity arises) because I don't know what will or won't work out (and wouldn't spoil it for you if I did).
I'm just trying to point out that if one aspect of the game is valued now, a high raid should allow you to "buy in" to that aspect with enmity rather than (or in addition to) coin. Whether it's stealing goods from the player building colonies or research cards and advisors from the other players, or tablets and relics to put in a museum or something.
MadRobin wrote:
The emnity you place from raiding goes on the council room (or whatever site you raid) until winter, so they can't use it effectively (on offense) to retaliate until the next year when it's in the at-war area. For us, that basically means never.
Most of our games get to turn 7, so if you raid them in the first year they will be able to hit you back if they want by endgame.