Pandora's box

[trollfactory]

Hi All,

does anyone know at which order phase Pandora's box comes into action/effect?
Or is this random as well?

Plus some questions/statements to be sure i interpret the rules the correct way:

1. The effect is the same during the complete game although it differs from game to game?

2. It takes effect every turn - there're no turns the box doesn't use their special power?

3. Perhaps there're requirements for the special power comes into action?
For example, if it has an effect upon a fleet but it is hooked on a planet,
then the box tries to use the effect but no fleet, no effect, so it may seem
the box has no effect at all - correct?

Thanks in advance,

trollfactory

[drwr]

The phase of operation depends on the Pandora's Box function for that particular game. Some functions take place early in the turn; other functions take place later in the turn.

1. The effect is the same during the complete game although it differs from game to game?

Yes.

2. It takes effect every turn - there're no turns the box doesn't use their special power?

Hmm, well, not necessarily. This ties into question 3: if there's some reason the box can't do anything, then it won't. But it doesn't usually have an internal timer, though there are no guarantees.

3. Perhaps there're requirements for the special power comes into action?
For example, if it has an effect upon a fleet but it is hooked on a planet,
then the box tries to use the effect but no fleet, no effect, so it may seem
the box has no effect at all - correct?

Absolutely.

Usually the box requires some particular circumstances to become active. Sometimes the requirement is that it is on a fleet; sometimes the requirement is that it is on a world; sometimes the requirement is simply that someone owns it. Sometimes the box doesn't become active until you do something specific, for instance: picking it up onto a fleet performs its special action, and then it doesn't do anything again until you drop it and pick it up again.

If you've got the box and you're trying to figure out what it does, I have the following advice. First, note that there's only so many things you can do with an artifact:

(1) You can pick it up onto a fleet.
(2) You can fly between worlds with it attached to a fleet.
(3) You can drop it onto a world.

So, I would try to do each of these three things, and see if one of them activates the box. You probably don't want to bring it to your homeworld, though, until you are sure you know what it does. (Some box functions are very destructive.)

David

[trollfactory]

Hello David,

thank's a lot, that helps!

trollfactory / Rainer