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The Raider gains points for plunder. You can plunder any world that you own. This renders the world useless for the next three turns--it won't produce metal from its mines or build with its industry--but it gives you lots of points!
You can plunder the same world over and over again (once it has recovered from the last plunder, which will be after three turns), but each time you plunder the same world, you get fewer and fewer points. You get 50 points the first time you plunder a particular world, 40 points the second time, 30 points the third time, 20 points the fourth time, and thereafter you only get 10 points each time. (In the Advanced game, the Raider earns 100 points the first time, then 80, 60, 40, and 20 points thereafter.) For this reason, a Raider must constantly be on the prowl for fresh worlds to plunder.
As a Raider, you have an important special ability: any time the ships on your fleets outnumber the ships on your opponents' fleets at a given world by more than 3 to 1, you will automatically Commandeer all of their ships and fleets, and capture them wholesale! This special capture occurs automatically, without firing a single shot. (Though if you can bring your opponents down below the 3-to-1 ratio by shooting at them a bit, so much the better.)
Since capturing fleets is such an important Raider ability, you will also gain an additional 3 points per turn for each fleet that you own. In the Advanced game (but not in the Classic game), you will also gain an additional 1 point per each 10 ships you own.
Playing a Raider can be a lot of fun, but playing it well can be a challenge. Since your earning potential becomes smaller as the game goes on (unless you are very good at finding new worlds to conquer), it is important for a Raider to try to win the game quickly.
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