Separate "Backgrounds" from (Advanced) "Civics"

[Strager]

First up.... @Wiz - love the new civics system. While it doesn't change a HUGE portion of the game yet, it will once it's expanded in future DLC.

Now... There are some "advanced" traits which both thematically and functionally really deserve to be their own "thing" rather than being lumped in with Civics.

Consider:

1.) Most have a "can not remove" "tag" to them unlike most civics
2.) They each discuss something "special" about the species background. Mechanists are robot obsessed and start with a whole bunch of bots. Syncretic Evolution folks have a second intelligent species on their home world.
3.) Other civics instead are about POLICIES in the empire. "Slaver Guilds" and "Citizen Service" are about the here and now not what happened the past.


What I suggest instead is to make a "Background" an optional pick at game start. Each species can only pick one Background and it defaults to a "Generic" background for the time being which is identical to the status quo (Randomly picked based on ethics).

In the future the existing background event chains (Dying world, etc.) can be pulled out, adjusted to fit the system, and converted into new background traits.

Fanatic Purifiers would remain a civic.

 

[StJimmyRocks92]

This is something I've been hoping for! I was excited to see it start to be introduced, any expansion on it would be perfect.

 

[Vanagloria]

This idea has potential. In fact, you could take it even further. Imagine a background that fills your homeworld with negative planet modifiers and many more tile blockers, but gives you a free colony ship to start with, or one that gives you a technological advantage but your starting planet doesn't count as your homeworld and you only start with one POP and a reassembled ship shelter.

 

[PalmettoExplorer14]

I like this idea!