Subset Games Forum

Is there some guide that governs which choices you should make? I typically lead to the aid of whomever is in trouble, hoping for more scrap. But so often I get burned by losing a crew member or taking hull damage.

Them's the breaks: sometimes you get rewarded, other times you get screwed. I don't know if there is a guide, but if you keep playing, get familiar with the events, you can better decide if you're at a point where you can take a chance, or if you're better off ignoring things and jumping away.

Note that generally there's a 50/50 shot between good and bad results. If you can't take the bad, don't risk for the good. Other than that it's remembering what the bad and good is in each case which just takes seeing them a lot.

Generally if you're sending your crew somewhere, the "bad" is that you'll lose one. This is frequently a horrible thing but if you've got 7 engi on your ship I say go for it. If you're doing something with the ship, the "bad" is that you'll take some hull damage.

In most cases, the good is about what you'd get for destroying a ship in that sector or a little less. Remember that when deciding if you want to send your only 2 guys in to fight spiders in sector 1. Crew cost 40-65 a person and you'll be lucky to get 10 scrap for killing those things.

Learning what's good and bad is part of the fun, though. I say don't ruin it by looking each up on a big chart even if you do find one.

Thanks for the responses. This at least reassures me that I'm not stupidly trying at events that have unlikely or no positive outcomes.

PS: Been watching your let's play videos 5th Horseman. Great stuff!

What they said pretty much. If the bad consequences would severly hurt you, don't push your luck, otherwise go for it. I would not risk crew for example if i only had 2 no matter how nifty the rewards may be.

Note that in later sectors scrap rewards are much much higher while the risk stays the same. For examples, dealing with spiders and winning by a fluke could earn you... 8 scrap. In sector 1 that is, in sector 7 the reward would be much bigger.

bronzeager wrote:Thanks for the responses. This at least reassures me that I'm not stupidly trying at events that have unlikely or no positive outcomes.

There are still several no-brainer choices, unfortunately.

Quarantine is 50% lose a crew 50% no reward. The same is true of Selling Ponies.
Giant Alien Spiders is 50% lose crew, 50% modest reward. (Reward is small enough it's nearly never worth it.)
Nebula Weapons Trader is 50% to give a random weapon, 50% to keep the scrap and give you nothing.
Rescuing Madman is 25% each of: gain 1 crew, lose 1 crew, take hull damage, nothing.
Engi Surrender is 100% if you accept, but only 50% if you explain you're friendly - for the same reward.
Mantis Pods are 33% each of: gain a human, gain a mantis, lose a crew. (This is actually a consideration, but listed here since it's common in these discussions.)


I tweak most of these events in my Balance Mod so that they are more often an actual decision instead of a clear choice every game.

Twinge wrote:Engi Surrender is 100% if you accept, but only 50% if you explain you're friendly - for the same reward.
Mantis Pods are 33% each of: gain a human, gain a mantis, lose a crew. (This is actually a consideration, but listed here since it's common in these discussions.)

Thanks for the Engi thing. I always wanted to look it up but always forgot to after I was done playing.
I almost always open the pods, unless I either love my crew or only have a few guys. And even then I usually open it anyway

And Selling Ponies is an odd one, where I tend to not take the blue option unless I don't have an Engi on my crew, to guarantee I get one. I'd rather risk nothing to get an Engi and Scrap than guarantee an Engi and no scrap.

Having a Slug crewmember can help with many things. Assesing the psyche of madmen included.

Mantis Pod is only 33% lose a crew member??? Seems low to me.

The Captain wrote:Mantis Pod is only 33% lose a crew member??? Seems low to me.

It always does. I was positive the Spiders encounter was like 90% lose a crew, 10% get a reward.