by LazyJ
But that's not really going to tell me much. Hand Orion the +8 Money or Free Cruiser in the first turn, or Hydrans the free tech, and see how that affects gameplay. Or give the guy threatened by the Jump Drive the Ion missiles and see how it plays out.All of the discoveries can be very good and powerful. But I think the other posters brought up some valid drawbacks to using the Jump Drive - not least of which your passing up 2 VP.
I like the fact that the whole balance of power can shift based on discoveries - that's motivation to go find them. But it certainly doesn't seem like any of them present a situation that can't be overcome.
Though to be fair I haven't played with the expansion stuff (come on US Customs, move your butt!) so maybe my opinion will match yours then.