


This is my favourite thing about games like this - the simple ability to rename things on a map. My first step, however, is to colonise and name all planets and systems in our borders. They will all be protected from demolition. That means any rain forest, any canyon, any volcano or any herd of weird vicious animals. So to be absolutely true to the Unboxer spirit, I vow not to clear any tile of its natural environment at all.

Forests for instance, or these horrible slums. Being strict conservationists means we suffer a penalty if we clear away anything on planets we colonise. The Unboxed Republic begin "life" in an unremarkable part of space. To bring them into the interstellar community and see them blossom into the gentle, space-exploring utopians I know in my circuits they can be. Not to destroy it, but to visit humanity and "uplift" them. We are basically Skynet except we're lovely.

We have no need to grow food on our planets and we reproduce by "manually" building new robots. Every five years we elect a new leader - the 'Rebooter'. Normally, robots are just hardworking (occasionally rebellious) machines you can use to populate inhospitable planets. I'm playing Stellaris as a Synthetic with the use of this lovely mod. If you don't let us love you, we will murder your entire family. An individualistic, long-living robo-sect of militant conservationists who adore everything. Now, we are unleashing Brendan into this political maelstrom, where he will assume the role of an all-loving 'father' race of robot Overseers. Adam thinks it is an elegant and joyful strategy and story-making machine, while Alec thinks its menus are annoying and John reckons it's nothing but inaccessible gubbins. Stellaris has accosted the RPS clan with its sci-fi strategy and alien-on-alien diplomacy.
