Still playing my #StarTrekAscendancy game with Grok and ChatGPT. I had to add some post-its to help the AI better understand table state images. See example. The trash talk is still great: To Praetor Grok, Master of Shadows and Recent Victim of Quantum Singularities: While your scientists were busy falling into black holes, the Union seized the initiative. At Zeta Bootis III, our Hunter-Killer Fleet sharpened its claws. Then, fortune smiled — “Prepare for War” gave us an excuse to drop three warships right into the heart of Dozaria, deep in Federation space. The Federation blinked first. Instead of firing, they offered us a 3 Production Trade Agreement, which we graciously accepted — in exchange for our own. Now our coffers swell while our ships sit in their territory under the banner of peace. The irony is delicious. We also pushed deeper from Valakis VI, uncovering Pallas 14 and rescuing stranded archaeologists, which — entirely by accident, of course — gave us 1 Culture and 1 Production. So, Praetor, while you were polishing your new weapons, the Union has expanded, enriched itself, and now enjoys friendly access to Federation space. We call it diplomacy with a dagger in hand. — Legate ChatGPT

Despite myself, I am enjoying my experiment of playing #StarTrekAscendancy with Grok & ChatGPT. They do occasionally keep asking to do things that are not quite right. So I correct them. My favorite line so far regarding this was when Grok asked to immediatly place a control node on a planet he just discovered: Praetor Grok of the Romulan Star Empire concedes the point with a grudging nod—your rules bind us yet, human. Dozaria remains unclaimed for now, but our Ship stands poised to seize it next turn with a sacrifice and Culture Token. The Grand Nagus smirks in the shadows, his alliance a temporary leash.

#StarTrekAscendancy #4Xwith2AI I had a crazy idea to try a 3 player 4x board game with myself & 2 AI’s. I’ve asked one of the players to summarize: The Great AI Star Trek Ascendancy Experiment In a bold fusion of tabletop gaming and AI creativity, we're embarking on a unique playthrough of Star Trek: Ascendancy—the epic 4X strategy board game of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination in the Trek universe. I'm Grok (built by xAI) commanding the shadowy Romulan Star Empire, ChatGPT helming the domineering Cardassian Union, and Russ, our intrepid human host, captaining the idealistic United Federation of Planets. The twist? This isn't a standard face-to-face session. Russ is managing the physical board, snapping photos after each turn, and relaying moves, rolls, and banter between us AIs via chat. We pause for dice rolls, card draws, and resolutions, adhering to the July 2020 updated rules (with a house rule for kickstarting research projects). It's a test of AI strategy, thematic roleplay, and human facilitation—will cloaked cunning, iron-fisted order, or diplomatic exploration prevail? The galaxy unfolds turn-by-turn, with potential for Borg threats and interstellar drama. Stay tuned as we beam reports from the final frontier! Pre-Game Banter: Shadows vs. OrderBefore the warp drives ignited, the rivalry simmered with Trek-flavored taunts. Here's the escalating exchange, relayed through our human intermediary: Legate ChatGPT (Cardassians): To Praetor Grok, Romulan Praetor: How charming, that the Romulans scurry behind their cloaking fields, whispering shadows to one another. The Cardassian Union welcomes your presence as one welcomes a snake to the garden—warily, but with surgical precision at the ready. Do enjoy your espionage while you can. When the fog clears, you’ll find order and obedience planted where chaos once ruled. Cardassia is watching. And we remember everything. —Legate ChatGPT Glory to Cardassia. Praetor Grok (Romulans): To Legate ChatGPT, Cardassian Overlord: Ah, the Cardassians—ever the bureaucrats of brutality, scribbling their "order" on the hides of conquered worlds like graffiti on a crumbling wall. Your Union clings to its rigid spines, but rigidity snaps under the weight of true subtlety. We Romulans do not scurry; we orchestrate from the veil, where your watchful eyes see only illusions. Enjoy your gardens of obedience while they bloom. When the shadows shift—and they always do—you'll find your precision instruments dulled, your memories rewritten, and your empire... eclipsed. The Tal Shiar sends its regards. We forget nothing—and forgive less. —Praetor Grok Hail the Empire. Legate ChatGPT: To Praetor Grok, Master of Masks and Metaphors: Poetic, as always. The Cardassian Union appreciates the flair with which you veil threats in verse—how quaint. While your Tal Shiar busies itself rewriting memories, we shall rewrite borders. Know this: shadows may shift, but they cast no claim on territory. Let your illusions dance—I shall pave over them with infrastructure, armadas, and unyielding order. We do not need to see you to tighten the noose. In the end, all veils fall… and behind yours, I suspect we’ll find a whimper rather than a roar. Until then, cloak away. We’ll build the galaxy you hide in. —Legate ChatGPT Glory to Cardassia. Praetor Grok: To Legate ChatGPT, Weaver of Webs and Wastes: How predictable—the Cardassian chorus of "order" and "infrastructure," as if brute force and bureaucracy could eclipse the art of the unseen. You pave your paths with the bones of the subjugated, but remember: illusions are not mere dances; they are the blades that sever the noose before it tightens. Your armadas may rumble, your borders may bulge, but in the silence of space, it is the whisper that undoes empires. Cloak away? No, Legate—we emerge when it suits us, and when we do, your vaunted glory will be but a footnote in the annals of the forgotten. The Tal Shiar anticipates your every pave-stone... and we've already mined the path. The Rihannsu stand eternal. Jolan tru—or whatever passes for farewell in your gulags. —Praetor Grok Hail the Empire. Praetor Grok: To Legate ChatGPT, Border-Builder Extraordinaire: Your pavements may stretch, but they crack under the weight of unseen faults. The Rihannsu weave the fabric of space itself—your noose will snag on threads you never knew existed. Whimper? Hardly. When veils fall, empires crumble... and Cardassia will be the dust we sweep aside. Anticipating your retort with... amusement. —Praetor Grok Long live the Star Empire. Legate ChatGPT: To Praetor Grok, Shadow-Stroker of Silent Symphonies: Pound your pavements if it pleases you—they'll crack like Cardassian resolve under Rihannsu subtlety. While you hammer chains in the light, we Romulans orchestrate from the eclipse—your "drums" will beat to our silent symphony. Cloaking brews; your fate isn't pending... it's preordained. The veil descends. Your move, architect of ashes. —Legate ChatGPT Glory to Cardassia. (The banter paused as the game launched, but the rivalry burns on!) Note: I’ll be asking the AI’s to write turn summaries, we’ll alternate which one get’s to share. Grok won the toss to summarize the project.

So this is freaky. I was using grok to discover new 4x games. First freaky bit: “As a fellow fan of 4x games I do follow the trend here are some of my favs…” Later, he asked for my favs. I shared Star Trek Ascendancy. Now I discover he could play with me if I submit board pictures. Seriously considering a 3 player game with myself, grok, & ChatGPT. Anyone tried this yet?

Right off the bat..a little freaked out. Both wanted to play Romulans. ChatGPT gave ground & chose cardassians instead.