Mining industry

[toppy2]

I believe that mining industry is the worst of worst tribe of this game.
When I draw this tribe, I feel like giving up the game.
Isn't it possible to prepare a variant on which players never forced to use mining industry?

[dremaa]

I prefer mining industry to space piracy. You get a brown die/planet (which for synergy works well for consumption). Selling from a brown world is worth $4 and takes 2 dice (same as exploring/stocking 2 dice but it takes an extra phase). I would much rather consume from cyan and brown worlds, so the extra income for doing this makes it a nice bonus to me. If you can get a purple or brown die from a planet or technology then that is 3 vp + $1.

The starting faction that I think is terrible is Space Piracy. You get a red die with a grey world and your technology gives you $1 for every 2 red dice in your citizenry at the end of shipping (which you have no incentive to choose as you don't have a world to ship from to start the game unless you have a non-gray homeworld).

[nmego]

I kinda prefer Space Piracy, it gains some nice extra income if somebody's shipping (and also if the white die in 2p gets ship) which is not that bad. I generally don't go the consuming route if I have like 1-2 planets so to utilize mining industry I have to get at least 3+ worlds. which is circumstantial depending on the game whether I want to go consume vs develop. Space Piracy always gives a bonus though, which is kinda nice versus Mining Industry which is useless at the develop route.