Since its original release, the Sword of the Stars franchise has received much praise for reinvigorating the 4x genre through its winning combination of turn based strategy and real-time space combat, along with its robust multiplayer capabilities.

The Collector's Edition brings all of the Sword of the Stars universe together in one package and further expands it with special bonus materials. Sword of the Stars: Collector's Edition includes: the original base game, the highly acclaimed add-on Born of Blood (never released to retail in Canada or the US), the first ever Sword of the Stars novella The Deacon's Tale by renowned science fiction writer Arrin Dembo and a bonus CD with concept art, screenshots, trailers, cd tracks and other media.

Game summary:   

The year is 2405. Human scientists have discovered a new technology, the Node Drive, which will finally allow travel from star to star at speeds faster than light. As mankind sits poised on the brink of a new era, tragedy strikes: the first interstellar colony ship is destroyed and Earth itself ravaged by an unknown alien race. What was to be the Dawn of a new Age instead was the beginning of a new reality...We are not alone...and we are not safe.

Take control and build the ultimate empire in Sword of the Stars. In classic 4X style, prepare to eXplore mysterious star systems, claim planets to eXpand your empire, eXploit your resources, then design and build your own bigger, faster, stronger ships to eXterminate your enemies in epic, tactical, 3-D battles, in single- or multiplayer.

In Born of Blood, over 30 years have passed since the first stellar empires began to expand. Four races once set out to explore and conquer the galaxy, meeting in fiery clashes that spanned the universe, but now a promising age of diplomacy dawns. A new alien race emerges shattering the uneasy peace. With new drive systems, ships, technology, and tactics, the Zuul burst onto the scene with a devastating agenda. Form alliances and learn to work with your foes as you lead your fleets to victory in a universe at war.

Features:

• Play as one of 5 distinct races - Human, Hiver, Tarkas, Liir and Zuul; each with their own technological advantages and disadvantages
• Each race has a unique mode of transport between star systems, creating very different styles of play and bold new challenges.
• Live out tense, first-contact situations in full 3D combat, which rivals anything seen in the 4X strategy genre
• Over 175 distinct technologies to research in a dynamic tech tree that changes from game to game
• Over 55 weapons from 6 different weapon classes varing in size classes, from devastating nuclear missiles, cutting laserbeams, cloaked mines, boarding pods and plasma projectors, to massive siege drivers that can destroy entire planets
• Research rewards players with new detailed ship models, weapons and combat effects
• Deep economic model that is easy to control through an intuative interface
• Research languages to open diplomatic lines of communication or simply stick to negotiating with your own race; form alliances, non-aggression pacts or go to war with anyone who stands in your way
• Dynamic environments and random events add to the overall atmosphere; discover alien artifacts, wade through meteor showers, and encounter strange alien menaces
• Players can design and build ships from three size classes: Destroyer, Cruiser, and Dreadnought, by mixing and matching ship sections to suit their game play style
• Up to 8 players can play against the AI or one another over LAN or online
• 3 difficulty settings, 15 galaxy types, and 9 singleplayer scenarios, each adding more tactical depth to the Sword of the Stars universe

Background Information on The Deacon's Tale

The Deacon's Tale is the story of Cai Rui, Task Force Commander of the infamous "Red Section" of the SolForce Intelligence Corps and a loyal Archdeacon of the Roman Catholic Church. Charged to investigate a brutal massacre of Catholic converts on a distant alien world, Cai Rui finds himself on the trail of a killer who can threaten not only his life, but his very soul. As a brutal new race emerges from the shadows, one man will be tested to the extremes of courage and faith by an enemy who dares to call himself..."The Deacon".

About Arinn Dembo

Arinn Dembo is an award-winning author of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Her long career in the computer gaming industry has included the critically acclaimed background fiction and manuals for multiple titles, including Homeworld and Homeworld: Cataclysm, Ground Control, and Arcanum. Her latest and greatest work to date is the Sword of the Stars universe, widely acknowledged to be one of the finest and most dynamic backdrops ever created for a 4X game. "The Deacon's Tale" will be the first of many novels set in the Sword of the Stars universe, and features the emergence of the race associated with the Sword of the Stars expansion, Born of Blood.

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