Deals

LRR §28

Rules Reference

A deal is an agreement between two players that may or may not include a transaction that involves physical components.

28.1Players can make deals with each other at any time, even if they are not neighbors. However, deals that include a transaction must follow the rules for transactions, including that the players be neighbors.
28.2Deals are binding or non-binding according to the conditions of the deal.
28.3If the terms of a deal can be resolved immediately, it is a binding deal. When a deal is binding, a player must adhere to the terms of the agreement and whatever transactions, if any, were agreed upon.
- aThe results of playing an action card, including the act of successfully resolving a card, are not instantaneous and cannot be guaranteed. They cannot be part of a binding deal.
28.4If the terms of a deal cannot be resolved immediately, it is a non-binding deal. When a deal is non-binding, a player does not have to adhere to any part of the agreement.

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In general, only the terms of the deal that a player can immediately perform, even without the deal taking place, are binding. For example:
- If a player has four resources available during the Production step of a tactical action, another player may give them four trade goods on the condition that they produce a dreadnought during this Production step. As the active player could produce a dreadnought with the resources, this deal is binding.
- If instead the active player has zero resources available, the same deal would be non-binding.
The following are further examples of non-binding deals:
- Making a deal to use a promissory note in a specific way, before the promissory note has been transacted.
- Making a deal to not make use of a unit’s Space Cannon ability during a tactical action, before ships have been moved.
- Making a deal to trade commodities in exchange for the active player to replenish another player’s commodities during the resolution of the primary ability of the Trade strategic action.
- Making a deal for a player to vote on an agenda in a certain way, when it is not yet that player’s opportunity to vote.
- Any deal that will resolve after dice are rolled.

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