Conferences

A Recruitment Conference is a timed event at position 16 of one system. Commanders take turns holding it with a fleet to recruit the specialists gathered there. When it ends, the commander with the longest single unbroken hold wins one Platinum item of the conference's theme.

Themes and prizes

Only one conference of each theme runs at a time. Every commander gets an announcement with the coordinates when one opens, and the Galaxy page shows a Conferences shortcut while any is live. Conferences are the only place Platinum items come from (see Items).

Recruiting

1. Open the conference in the Galaxy to see its time left, the recruiter, their ships and tech, and the leaderboard. Use Simulate first.
2. Send a Recruit fleet. If nobody holds the conference, you become the recruiter when you arrive and your hold starts.
3. If another commander holds it, your fleet fights the recruiter and every fleet defending them. Win, and you take over: your hold starts at the battle. Lose or draw, and your survivors go home.

There is one recruiter at a time. Holding costs no extra fuel: you pay only to fly there and back, so any fleet can recruit.

Holding and scoring

• Your hold runs from the moment you become recruiter until you are beaten, recall, or the conference ends.
• Lose control and that hold ends, but it still counts. Your best hold is what you're judged on.
• A hold must reach the conference's minimum hold (usually 1 hour) to win. If no hold reaches it, nobody wins.
• When two holds are exactly as long, the one that started first wins it, except in overtime.

Overtime

If the recruiter is behind the leader when time runs out, the conference goes to overtime. The recruiter keeps holding; if their current hold matches the leader's best (and the minimum), they win on the spot. Overtime has a cap (usually 6 hours). If the recruiter is beaten, recalls, or the cap is reached, the leader wins, as long as their best hold reached the minimum; otherwise nobody wins. Nobody can claim the conference during overtime, but anyone can attack the recruiter.

Allies

Alliance members can send a Hold Position fleet to guard the recruiter. Defenders fight alongside the recruiter, but only the recruiter can win the prize. If the recruiter leaves or is beaten, their defenders are sent home. ACS attacks work too: the union's leader becomes recruiter and the others defend.

Also good to know

• The conference, its recruiter, their defenders' ships and tech, and the top five holds are public. Cargo, fuel and fleets in flight stay private.
• The recruiter and defenders are warned about hostile fleets heading their way.
• You get a message when you take the lead, lose control, go to overtime and when the conference ends.
• Battles leave a debris field at position 16 like any other battle.
• Watch your fleet from Fleet → Movements, and recall it from there.