I was playing this mod/scenario and found that i ended up getting nuked by the rebels no matter what my strategy was.
I read this forum for some ideas...and then it struck me - no, this mod isn't broken - it just requires a little thinking out of the box.
Basically, the philosophy of the Broken Star scenario is this:
Your reasearch and to a lesser degree production is screwed.
But in this mod you can purchase units AND promotions.
That is the KEY...
So focus on aquiring $$$$.
As for victory:
Conquest is out of the question as it will be impossible to take out the Rebels
Time may also be problematic as by the end the Rebels may be too strong to hold out against...
So that leaves with you going for an ARSENAL VICTORY.
I'm playing Oksana <Aggr, Imp> at Diety/Marathon (which slows production of the rebels and the othe generals as well as yours).
Basically plunder your way to victory!
(As an aside, this was what the Nazis did in WWII, they plundered their way through europe and used the aquired gold to finance their war machine...)
Macromanagement.
1. Choose civics to boost finances: <State Prop, Vasselage, Police State>
2. I found that getting a Great Merchant gives you $2700. This can buy you a whole stack of units and promotions.
So i chose <Caste System, Pacifism> to boost great person production and set all my cities to produce <$$$, gr8 ppl>.
3. Don't build any buildings...as you cities may get nuked.
7. Turn off reasearch....so 100% $$$.
8. Don't bother with settlers...in the marathon game it takes 43 turns to produce a settler...while a mech takes 7.
9. Manage health and happiness with civics and use workers to produce a forrest reserve for a
10. Build mechs/artilary/SAM in my HQ. Spies in other cities.
Military Strategy:
Focus on creating a highly promoted, compact, elite fighting force!
1. Purchase your units: Gunship (to pillage), Armor (city attacker), Stealth bomber (to destroy crucial resources).
2. Focus espionage on the rebels. Use Great Spies against rebel for espionage boost. Use spies to make contact with the rest of the non-rebel A.Is. Then...
3. Use spies and stealth bombers to take out cruicial Rebel resources. You really need to stay on top of this!
(FYI: If you have enough spies and bombers, you'll be aware of when the rebels secure nukes. In this game, 20 turns is enough to go take them out).
4. Attach Warlords to a medic to give you super medic (i.e medic III) for a battle stack, and to gunships for +1 movement (morale) to pillage and clear.
5. When securing nukes, use your guships to create a perimiter of 2 sq. (destroy roads); leave a stack of units (mech, medic, gunship, SAM, artillary) to guard it.
6. If one of your cities gets nukes, move on...
7. Remember to use $$$ to promote your units.
8. Ally with the non rebel A.I where possible. Turn them into vassels when possible.
9. Pillage, pillage, pillage! (Those groups of town are waiting to be pillaged...allowing you to buy new units).
10. ENGAGE THE REBELS: keep the rebels week. You need to find a secure location (hill + forrest) near a rebel town to take out its units. This will also give your units promotions. Which you may augment with purchased promotions.
Have fun...
FYI: NOTES ON GAMEPLAY:
I took out the coastal city of Vladivostock in the first couple of turns, then Amur to the north soon after.
I got a great spy (my first gr8 person) which i used against Rebels. My next was a Great Merchant which i used to buy stealth bomber, and a stack of units to take out the 3rd city (which i gave to white guy) and my first nuke.
The Rebels nuked my HQ...but no problem, i keep on...
As my neighbour (orange guy) turned on me, i took two of his cities and turned him into a single city vassel.
One of those cities became my new mech producing city...and the game continued.
Acquired another vassel (white guy).
Now i'm taking out Rebel units one-by-one next to a 4th city i'm after. Then onto my second nuke...