Konne E’ktphore was not the first sport to be integrated into the Affini Compact by a domesticated civilization. It is not the most popular sport to fit such a criterion either. But, when one factors in both its age, and its astounding popularity through much of the Compact to this day, one cannot deny that it is among the most impactful on Compact sports culture overall. The game’s history is quite long and storied, however, we do not have the space to cover more than a surface level summary here. Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity to give proper warning: while we will not dwell on upsetting details, discussion of Konne E’ktphore’s history may be troubling to florets, or any sophonts who are particularly affected by mention of war and / or military tradition. Please consider this warning before proceeding.

The earliest versions of the game were not so much a game at all; rather, the proto version of Konne E’ktphore began as an Ersu Empire military training exercise. Its purpose was to simulate a space battle between two fleets, and sought to test participants on three factors: piloting skill, logistical control, and strategic expertise. Neither side could be considered the victor unless they out performed the other on all three of these factors, thus the name Konne E’ktphore, which translates roughly to ‘total victory.’ It wasn’t long before the spectacle of these simulated battles took off as a form of entertainment. Of course, the sport underwent many a change in its transition from military training exercise to spectator sport, and even more changes in its transition from spectator sport in a feralist military culture, to spectator sport in the Affini Compact. Full details are, however, beyond our scope. Nevertheless, any modern version of Konne E’ktphore would make a poor excuse for a military training exercise. 

There are many current iterations within the Compact, however, they all follow a few basic principles. Two teams, or fleets, engage one another in a sort of non-violent mock battle. This is done in virtual reality. Some rumors insist that traditional games of Konne E’ktphore are played within what was once Ersu space, but we have found no evidence to support this claim. While proto versions of the game relied on ‘eliminating’ opponents—please note that despite the somewhat violent connotations of this terminology, at no point was Konne E’ktphore considered a bloodsport—modern takes on Konne E’ktphore take a far more Affini-esque approach. 

Every ship has designated ‘scoring zones’ and designated ‘weak points.’ When a ship’s scoring zone connects with another ship’s weak point, the affected ship is either converted, or brought closer to conversion. Converted ships, of course, switch sides, and become remotely piloted by either a member of their new team’s command ship crew, or their new team’s command ship AI, depending on what resources are available. Both the resilience of a ship’s weak point, and the impact of hits from its scoring zone depend primarily on a ship’s class, however, most versions of the game also allow teams to customize individual ships to fit certain strategies. For larger craft, scoring zones typically include medium and short-range projectile launchers. Smaller craft, however, almost exclusively rely on stinger-like attachments which must be maneuvered into an opponent’s weak point. This creates both a more interesting spectacle, and an added challenge for pilots. It is also the main reason why we doubt one could find versions of this game played outside a virtual environment. 

Most current iterations of the game sort ships into four classes: stingers, corvettes, heavy cruisers and command ships. Stingers are typically crewed by only one or two players, and are the most common ship class by far. They are small, fast, agile craft which excel at providing cover for larger craft; they are, however, quite vulnerable. Corvettes serve one primary purpose, and that is to counter an opponent's heavy cruisers. A heavy cruiser’s weak point is typically more vulnerable to attacks from a corvette’s scoring zone. This simple fact makes corvettes incredibly important. Corvettes are, however, also possibly the most vulnerable ships. They rarely utilize projectiles, and they lack both the speed and maneuverability of stingers, along with the durability of their larger counterparts. 

Heavy cruisers serve a dual purpose. First, they serve as a wall between the opposing team, and the friendly command ship. While they are vulnerable to corvettes, and to a lesser extent stingers, heavy cruisers are exceedingly proficient at protecting themselves from encroaching threats. They also tend to be heavily guarded by stingers. Their second, but no less important purpose is logistical. Perhaps the most defining feature of Konne E’ktphore’s macro game is the fact that each ship on either team shares a communal power supply. The command ship, along with each heavy cruiser, generates power for its team. If a team loses a heavy cruiser, they lose access to a portion of that power. One important factor to note is that frigates only generate power for their starting team. A captured frigate does not increase a team’s power supply, the key caveat here being that if a team recaptures a lost frigate, that will, in fact, restore the lost power. Despite this, it is still often advantageous to capture a frigate, especially considering that the amount of power a captured frigate consumes for its new team is (relatively) small.

If a team loses too much of their shared power source, or if they wind up capturing more ships than their available power can efficiently handle, ships in that team’s fleet will suffer a decline in effectiveness. Conversely, if a team loses many of their smaller, non-power generating ships, or otherwise manages their power very efficiently, their ships will overperform, and even gain access to extra capabilities which can completely change the shape of a match. This mechanic means that one of the most important skills for a team to learn is what they can afford to give up. Teams will often even willingly allow some ships to go to the opponent's side, risking a numbers disadvantage to power up their own fleet, while adding extra stress on the opponent's power reserves and AI processing capabilities. This is also why any captured ship is still considered victorious should their original team win.

The command ship is a self-sufficient ship which provides power to the rest of its fleet, and serves primarily as a logistical and strategic command center. It is effective at defending itself against fighters and corvettes, but can do little about an opposing heavy cruiser in attack range, or simply overwhelming opposition. It is the main source of fleet wide communication, capable of reaching any ship at any time, and manages distribution of fleet power. It is capable of reducing and doling out power to any ship in its fleet, improving the effectiveness of key ships at a potentially crucial moment, and deprioritizing—as well as weakening—any ships which may be engaged in less important roles. Effective and informed management of available power, and good strategic shot calling from the command ship can make or break entire matches. If a command ship is taken, that team loses. 

Of course, the mediated reality board game version of Konne E’ktphore cannot take into account the full depth of strategy and skill involved in proper team play. Factors such as piloting capability, or potential challenges regarding inter-team cohesion and communication are not something we seek to simulate within the bounds of this game. Instead, Konne E’ktphore: the board game relies primarily on grand strategy and logistics. Nevertheless, we hope that you, the players, find as much joy, if not more, in playing it as we have in creating it.

Eyes wide with what an outside observer might interpret as panic, Azalea sets down the massive rulebook. She’s barely made it through the first page. Rayne sits across from her, already glowing and grinning, practically trembling with excitement. “So, what do you think, Mistress? Pretty cool right? I’ve been wanting to play this ever since I heard they were working on a terran variant of the original Ersu Konne E’ktphore board game. When I asked if you liked strategy games, and you said yes, I got my hopes up. And then when you suggested this of all games I just… wow. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how in sync we are, Mistress! I didn’t even know you were a fan of this game.”

Azalea stiffens, “uuhhh… uh-huh. Big fan. I uhm, I really thought this was a terran game? And I don’t remember it having so many rules. The way I remember it the whole game was basically just right there in the name. It’s been a few decades though, so maybe I’m misremembering. Just go easy on me when we play, okay petal?”

Rayne giggles. “Oh, Mistress! This is my first time playing ever. I’m sure if you’ve played Konne E’ktphore before you’ll wipe the floor with me. The most I’ve done is watch a few dozen hours of strategy and theory vids on the net. Besides, it’s not like I could ever outwit your brilliant mind anyway.” Her gaze goes distant and dreamy. 

“Well yes, of course.” Azalea looks about the room, picks up the game box, sorts through it. She looks through every bag, scans the breadth of pieces and cards at her disposal. Seeming disatisfied, Azalea picks up the box, looking under it, then under the table and her chair. Out of places to look, she gives her pet a half-shrug, then speaks. “Just one question, little one: where are the little plastic red and yellow circle pieces and that plastic blue grid with all the slots for us to drop them into?”