R U L E S O F P L AY

1
 Game Setup
1 Event Board:
Place the event board next to the main board and
place the event marker on the start space for your
player count.
count
Shuffle the event deck and place it face down on the
marked space.

2 Scrapyard: Place the scrapyard board next to the

main board.

3 Starting Map:
Separate out the 15 planet tiles, shuffle them, and
stack them face down at the bottom of the main
board. Then draw a number of planets based on your
player count:

2 players 4 planets
3 players 6 planets
4 players 8 planets

Shuffle the planets you drew together with the 6

Alliance base tiles.
tiles These are your starting tiles.
Lay them out face up on the map, one at a time,
beginning in the top left and proceeding left to
right, top to bottom.

4 Moon tokens: 5 Starting Raiders:

Shuffle the 6 nebula moon tokens and place 1 face Place the S-class raider card face up near the map and
up on each nebula. place all S-class raider miniatures on top of it.
Separately shuffle each of the 5 colors of planetary Roll 2 dice and place 1 S-class raider miniature from
moon tokens.
tokens On each planet, stack 3 moons of the the card on each matching-numbered nebula (they
matching color face down, then flip the stack face may be in the same nebula).
up so the top moon is visible. Place the remaining
Stack all other raider cards face down next to the main
moons face down near the main board.
board, and place all raider miniatures and dice nearby.

2 Game Setup
 MAIN SETUP DIAGRAM

8 Progress Tracks:
Shuffle the Discovery tokens and stack 5 tokens face
6 Game Length: Decide whether you will play a short, down on each of the 2 marked spaces on the Science
medium, or long game.
track. Stack another 5 tokens face down on the
track
Observatory Discoveries space. Return the remaining
Short 50 VP tokens to the box.
Medium 60 VP Shuffle the Supremacy tokens and place 1 face up on
Long 70 VP each of the 3 marked spaces on the Supremacy track.
Return the remaining tokens to the box.

7 Station Modules:: Shuffle each of the 4 station module 9 general Supply: Create a supply area as follows:
decks and place them in the marked spaces at the top of
Shuffle the tactics deck and place it face down.
the main board. Reveal 3 modules from each deck to fill
each space in the columns below. Pile the development ability cards by type, with the
matching development tiles nearby.
Pile the damage markers and resources
resources.

Game Setup 3
 Player Setup
1 Player Materials: Each player takes the following
materials in their chosen color:
A station mat
A player aid
6 transports
1 fighter
1 science vessel
1 heavy cruiser
9 leaders
6 dice
6 track markers

2 Station Mat: Each player places their station in

front of themselves and places 3 transports in the
launch bay area. They place all other ships in a
personal supply beside their mat. They are available
to build later.

3 Factions:
Shuffle the faction cards and deal 2 to each player.
Each player chooses 1 to keep. Return all unused
faction cards to the box.
Each player gains the starting resources listed on the
back of their faction card in the storage areas of their
station, then places their faction card face up in the
faction area on their mat.

4 Tactics: Each player draws 3 tactics cards.

5 Ship Upgrades:
Each player takes their faction’s unique ship
upgrade tile.
Separately shuffle the 4 neutral ship upgrade types
and deal 1 tile from each stack to each player. Return 7 Leaders:
all unused ship upgrades to the box.
Each player places 1 leader on each Alliance base on
Each player places their 5 ship upgrade tiles in a the map.
personal supply with their unbuilt ships. They are
Each player rolls a die and places 2 leaders on the
available to acquire later.
matching-numbered nebula
nebula.
Each player places their remaining 1 leader in the
6 Progress Tracks: Each player places 1 track marker on recruited leaders area of their station.
the bottom space of each of the 5 progress tracks.
tracks Then
each player advances 1 space on each of the progress
tracks marked in the top left of their faction card.

4 Player Setup
 PLAYER AREA SETUP DIAGRAM

8 Start Player:
Choose a start player by simulating a battle: Each
player rolls their 6 dice, and the player with the
highest single die is the start player. If there is a tie
tie,
the tied players compare their next highest die, and so
on until there is a winner.
The start player places their remaining track marker
on the 1 space of the VP track. Going clockwise, each
other player places their marker on the next empty
space on the track.

Player Setup 5
 game overview
The game consists of a series of turns
turns. Players take turns in clockwise order, beginning
with the start player and continuing until the game ends.
The game end is triggered when a player’s victory point marker reaches the designated space
on the VP track.. Each player then gets 1 more turn, including the active player. Once final
scores are tallied, the player with the most VP wins.

the map RESOURCE COST

to develop here
planet
DEVELOPMENT that
can be built here
The map is made up of regions of different types. During the
game, you will launch ships to different regions to gain resources
and take actions.
There are 3 types of regions:

Planets MOONS players

can claim
The Edge is filled with abundant planets awaiting colonization.
LEADER COST to
Planets have moon tokens you can claim to gain resources (see develop here
Claiming Moons, pg. 9), and you can build developments
on planets to advance on the progress tracks and earn special
rewards (see Developments, pg. 16). Whenever the event LEADERS players
marker reaches the end of the track, a new planet is revealed for can recruit alliance base
you to explore (see Event Track, pg. 19).

Alliance Bases ACTION

The Frontier Alliance arrived before the latest wave of explorers available here
and scattered their frontier outposts across the Edge. Players
can visit Alliance bases to trade resources, salvage precursor
technology, build ships, and take other important actions (see
Alliance Base Actions, pg. 10).

Nebulae DIE NUMBER for

random nebula rolls
The Edge is bordered by mysterious, unexplored nebulae where
raiders lurk. ships may only enter nebulae if they have the
nebula
Voyage ability (see Starship Abilities, pg. 15). However, those ACTION
brave enough can earn powerful rewards. available here MOON first player to
launch here can claim

VOYAGE required
LEADERS green to enter nebula
player can recruit

6 Game Overview The Map

Starships Resources
Each player uses their fleet of ships to explore Andromeda’s Edge. Over the course of the game, you will gain and spend resources of
During the game, you will build ships of different types,, then 6 different types:
types
launch them out onto the map to gain resources, develop planets,
and do battle with opponents (see Launching, pg. 8). Titanium is harvested from dense meteoritic crystals.
It is prized for diverse purposes such as installing
When you return ships home to your station, you can use them Industry modules, constructing ships, and building
to activate station modules for extra resources and actions (see Factories.
Returning to Station, pg. 11).
Nanocarbon is somewhat scarce on the Edge. It
is used for a variety of scientific purposes including
Building Your Fleet building Science modules and Observatories.
Ships you’ve built are kept in your launch bay until you launch
them onto the map. At the start of the game, you have 3
transports ready to launch.
Ice provides the oxygen and water that are wvital for
life. It is used to build Civilization modules and Cities.
You can spend resources to build additional ships when you visit
the Alliance Shipyard on the map or activate the Shipwright
module on your station (see Alliance Base Actions, pg. 10; Core
Credits are one of the most valuable resources on the
Edge. They are a widely accepted currency, and may be
Modules, pg. 11).
spent as a replacement for titanium , nanocarbon
The size of your fleet is limited by the number of ships of each , or ice (but not energy or tactics cards).
type in your supply
supply. Transports used to populate developments
still count towards this limit (see Developments, pg. 16). Energy is how things get done on the Edge. You can
use it to activate modules when you return ships
to your station (see pg. 11), or to power up your
Ship Types weapons during battle (see pg. 20).
There are 4 types of ships you can build. Each type of ship has Tactics cards provide a multitude of ways for
a number of values and abilities, which are displayed in your players to gain extra actions and advantages from
launch bay. These can be improved by acquiring ship upgrades different situations. Each card indicates when it can
from the Industry track (see Progress Tracks, pg. 18). be played (see pg. 12).

Resource Cost: The cost to A

A
build 1 ship of this type.
resource actions Resource Limits
C At the end of each turn,
B Range Value: The maximum Gain 1 you must discard down to a
distance (in number of regions) and 1
maximum of 10 energy and
from your other ships that you 5 of each other resource,
may place this ship when you B D including tactics. You can
Gain 1
launch it from your station or 1 increase your tactics limit by
(see pg. 8). It is also the advancing on the Civilization
distance this ship can move to track (see pg. 18).
join a battle (see pg. 20). Spend 1
to gain 1
C
Weapons Value: The number Moon, Discovery,
of dice this ship rolls in battle and Supremacy
Any
ny 1 tokens you’ve
(see pg. 20). E resource claimed do not
D (may be ) count towards your
Shield Icons: Shields prevent a ship from being scrapped as resource limits.
a result of losing a battle or other game effects (see pg. 24).
All players
E gain 1
Abilities: Special abilities this ship has (see pg. 15).

Starships // Resources Game Overview 7

 Taking your turn
On your turn, you must either launch a ship onto the map,, or return all of your ships to your
station.. Launch and return to station turns are covered in detail over the following sections.

You may also use any number of free actions during your turn (see pg. 13).

launch Steps

LAUNCHING 1
2
Launch Ship

Activate Region
During a launch turn, you launch a ship from your station to a region on the map, then activate the region to
gain resources or take actions. If your ship encounters any raiders or other opposing ships when it launches, 3 Raider Strike

a battle must be resolved after you finish activating the region.

4 Battle

step 1

launch ship Subsequent Launches

If you have 1 or more ships on the map when you launch, it is
First, choose a ship in your launch bay and place it in a region
considered a subsequent launch. During a subsequent launch:
of your choice on the map. The rules for selecting a region
differ depending on whether you are making a first launch or a You must launch to a region that is within range of at least
subsequent launch. 1 of your other ships on the map, using the launching ship’s
range value.
First Launch You may not launch to a region where you already have 1
If you have no ships on the map when you launch, it is or more ships. You may launch to a region where there are
considered a first launch. During a first launch: opposing ships.

You may launch to any region where there are no opposing

ships (and all other requirements are met; see below right).

EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE
Pink's subsequent launch to a region in range.

Other Launch Requirements

TEMP IMAGE You must follow these rules when making any launch:

You may only launch to an Alliance base if you are able to

EXAMPLE
activate it (see Activate Region, next page).
Green's first launch into an unoccupied region.
You may only launch to a nebula if the launching ship has
the Voyage ability (see Starship Abilities, pg. 15).

8 Taking Your Turn Launching

 step 2

activate region Players & OPPONENTS

All other players and all raiders are your opponents, and all
of their ships are opposing ships. The raiders are considered
Once you have launched to a region, you must activate it.
a single opponent. The player currently taking their turn is
What happens when you activate a region depends on its
the active player.
type:
type

Activating a Planet:: Claim the top moon token from

the stack and place it on your station (see sidebar). If the
Active Region
active planet has no unclaimed moons left, instead gain Once you have launched a ship to a region, it becomes the
the resource printed where the moons were stacked. active region for the rest of your turn. Even if the ship you
launch moves to a different region during your turn, the
Activating a Nebula: Claim the moon token (if there active region does not change.
is one) and place it on your station (see sidebar). Then
secretly look at the top 2 cards on the event deck. Choose
1 to return to the top of the deck and 1 to place on the
Recruiting Leaders
bottom. In order to build developments, you will need to recruit
skilled veterans who know the ways of the Edge.
Activating an Alliance Base: Perform the Alliance As a free action at any time on your turn, you may recruit
base’s action (see pg. 10). 1 or more leaders of your color from any region where you
have a ship and place them on your station (see Free Actions,
pg. 13). You will generally want to do this immediately
Claiming a moon by launching to a planetary region.
when you launch a ship to an Alliance base or nebula.

TEMP IMAGE
EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE
Green is claiming a moon by launching to a Claiming Moons
planetary region. Claiming moons that orbit planets or drift through nebulae
is one of the primary ways you will gain resources during
the game.
Whenever you claim a moon from a planet or nebula, place
it in the claimed moons area of your station mat. You may
discard any moon you’ve claimed to gain its resources or slot it
into a moon slot on your station (see Free Actions, pg. 13).
You can have no more than 4 claimed moons at a time. If
you have 4 and you claim another, you must immediately
discard or slot a previously claimed moon to make room for
the new one.

EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE
Claim a Nebula Moon and see the future. TEMP IMAGE

Launching Taking Your Turn 9

 Alliance Base Actions Development Office: Pay
the resource and leader cost
to build a development on an
Shipyard: Either pay the undeveloped planet where you
resource cost to build 1 new
have a transport (see pg. 16).
ship in your launch bay (see pg.
7) or repair 1 of your ships or
station modules (see pg. 22). Monolith of Ancients: Spend
any 2 resources to draw 3
tactics cards.
Maximus Field: Advance the
event marker 1 space, then buy
up to 2 Science or Industry
modules from the main board
(see pg. 14). Trade Hub: Spend any 2
resources to gain 2 credits.
Odessa Field: Advance the
event marker 1 space, then
buy up to 2 Commerce or
Civilization modules from the
main board (see pg. 14).

step 4

raider strike
step 3
battle
After the raiders have had a chance to strike, if 2 or more
opposing players and/or raiders have ships in the active
After you activate a region, check to see if any raiders strike:
region, a battle must be resolved. Battle can only occur in the
If there is already a raider in the active region, proceed to active region.
battle (unless the raider is S-class; see Raiders, pg. 24). The steps of battle resolution are covered on pg. 20.
If there is not a raider in the active region, check to see if
there are any raiders within range of the active region,
using the range value on each raider’s card. If any raiders
are in range, you must choose 1 of them to move to the
active region. Then proceed to battle.

TEMP IMAGE

EXAMPLE TEMP IMAGE

Red Alert! Incoming raider!

All raiders have the Voyage ability, so they can always Battle can occur even if the active player no longer has
move into nebulae (see Starship Abilities, pg. 15). any ships in the active region.

10 Taking Your Turn Launching

RETURNING TO STATION Return Steps

During a return to station turn, you return all your ships from the map and scrapyard to your station. 1 Activate Modules
You may use ships you return from the map to activate modules on your station.
2 Prepare for Launch

If you have no ships left in your launch bay at the start of your turn, you must return to station.
3 Discard Energy

step 1

activate modules
During this step, you may activate any number of modules on
your station, in any order. To activate a module, either take 1 ship
from anywhere on the map (or the repair barge; see pg. 12)
and place it on the module, or take 1 energy from your storage
area and place it on the module.
In addition, you must follow these rules:
You may only activate each module once during this step
(unless a game effect says otherwise).

You may only activate a module using energy if you have EXAMPLE TEMP IMAGE
already activated a module in the same row using a ship. A single ship activates all Science Modules.
Another ship starts the Industry modules and
You may not activate modules with any damage markers on
energy does the rest.
them (see pg. 15).

Science Modules: Unlike other modules, Science modules

can’t be activated individually when you return to station.
Instead, you can activate them by activating your Primary
Reactor module (see below). This must be done with a ship.

Moon Inputs: If a module has a moon slot on the input side

of an action, you may only activate it once you have slotted a
moon into it (see pg. 14). EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE
Damaged or incomplete modules cannot
be activated.

Core Modules
Primary Reactor: Gain 2 energy and activate Shipwright: Either pay the resource cost to
build 1 new ship in your launch bay (see pg.
any number of your other Science modules.
7) or take a repair action (see pg. 22).

Architect: Either draw 1 tactics card or pay

the resource cost to build 1 development on a
Treasury: Gain 1 credit. planet where you meet the requirements (see
pg. 16).

Returning to Station Taking Your Turn 11

 step 2

The Repair Barge prep for launch

Ships in the top area of the scrapyard can’t be used to
activate modules. However, ships that have been moved After you have finished activating modules, return all your
to the repair barge area at the bottom of the scrapyard ships from station modules,
modules the scrapyard
scrapyard, and the map to the
board can be used to activate modules, as if they were launch bay on your station. Remove all damage markers from
on the map (see Repairing, pg. 22). This includes ships any ships with shields (see Shields, pg. 24).
moved to the repair barge during the current turn.
You may not choose to leave ships behind on the map or in the
scrapyard, unless a game effect says otherwise.

step 3

discard energy
TEMP IMAGE
After ships are returned to the launch bay, return all energy
you spent to activate modules to the supply.

Tactics Cards
Action
Tactics cards are resources you can gain during the game and May be played at the indicated time. Some may
play to take special actions. Each tactics card indicates when it be played on other players’ turns. Can’t be played
can be played. during battle.
After you play and fully resolve a Tactics card, place it in a face up
discard pile next to the deck. If the deck is ever empty, shuffle the
discard pile to make a new deck.
Event
Tactics Card Limit May be played at the indicated time on your turn.
When played, immediately advance the event
At the start of the game, you have a hand limit of 5 tactics cards. marker 1 space (see pg. 19).
You must discard down to this limit at the end of your turn. You
can increase this limit by advancing on the Civilization track (see
Progress Tracks, pg. 18).
Battle
May be played at the indicated time during battle.
Some may only be played during a battle you are
participating in. You may play any number of
battle cards during a single battle.

diplomacy
May only be played during the Diplomacy step
of a battle you are participating in (see pg. 20).
You may only play 1 Diplomacy card per battle.

12 Taking Your Turn Returning to Station // Tactics Cards

Free Actions
You may take any number of the following free actions during your turn, regardless of whether
you are launching or returning to station. Free actions may be used at any time on your turn,
either before, after, or during other actions.

discard a Discovery
Recruit a Leader or Supremacy Token
At any time on your turn, you
If you have an unused Discovery or Supremacy token,
may recruit any number of
you may discard it at any time on your turn to take
leaders of your color from
the action on it (see Progress Tracks, pg. 18).
any region or regions where
you have ships. Place each of
them in the recruited leaders
area of your station.
Collect a Free Resource
TEMP IMAGE Events or other effects may place resource tokens on certain
regions on the map (see Event Track, pg. 19). At any time on
your turn, you may collect any number of resource tokens from
any region or regions where you have ships.
Use a Development Ability Card
If you have an unused development ability
card, you may flip it face down at any time Slot a Moon Token (Any TIMe)
on your turn to take the action on it (see
At any time (not just on your turn), you may slot a moon from
Developments, pg. 16).
your claimed moons area into a moon slot on a station module
or the tactical operations area on your station (see Slotting
Moons into Modules, pg. 14; Tactical Operations, pg. 21).
Discard a Moon Token Once you have slotted a moon, you may no longer discard it to
gain its resources. If you replace a moon that is already in a slot,
At any time on your turn, you may discard a moon you’ve
you must discard it without gaining its resources.
claimed to gain the resources and/or VP printed on it. If you
discard a moon with a repair icon <repair> on it, you may repair
1 damaged ship or station module (see Repairing, pg. 22).
You may discard a moon as part of paying a resource cost. Place
each moon you discard in a face up pile next to the board (separate
from the face down moons that have not yet been placed).

EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE TEMP IMAGE
EXAMPLE
It is a free action on your turn to discard a
moon for its reward. Slotting a moon is a free action.

Free Actions Taking Your Turn 13

 station modules Slotting Moons into Modules
Some modules have moon token slots where you can slot moons
The remnants of the precursor civilization are littered across the you have claimed.
Edge, and the Frontier Alliance has been hard at work salvaging
it. For a price, they will sell you this technology in the form of Moon Input: If a moon slot is
modules you can add to your station. Each module you buy on the cost side of an action,
enhances your capabilities when you return to station (see then the slotted moon’s
Returning to Station, pg. 11). resources become the cost to
activate the module. A module
Station modules come in 4 types, corresponding to 4 of the 5 with an empty input slot can’t
progress tracks (Science, Industry, Commerce, and Civilization). be activated until a moon is
Whenever you gain a new module, advance 1 space on the slotted there (see Activate With this moon slotted,
corresponding progress track. Then place the module in a row Modules, pg. 11). A moon you can trade 1 for
next to the core module of the matching type on your station 1 +1 .
with a repair icon can’t be
mat. Modules in each row may be rearranged at any time (since slotted as an input.
they can be activated in any order).
Moon Output: If a moon
Buying Modules slot is not on the cost side
of an action, then you gain
Whenever you buy 1 or more modules, take the following steps: the slotted moon’s resources
whenever you activate the
Choose modules from the indicated column or columns and With this moon slotted,
1 pay the resource costs printed above each of them on the
module.
you can take 1 repair
action and gain 1 .
board.
Add each module to the appropriate row next to your
2 station. If any module has 1 or more damage icons
If a moon slot has VP printed on it, you score those VP
once, when you slot a moon into it.
once
<damage> in the bottom left corner, place 1 damage
marker on it per icon (see Damaged Modules, next page).

3 For each module bought, advance 1 space on the Industry Modules

corresponding progress track. Industry modules have half-moon slots on each side, forming a
If you can’t or don’t want to buy the maximum number complete slot when 2 are placed next to each other.
4 of modules you are able to, you must discard 1 module You may only slot a moon into a complete slot. Once you have,
from the indicated column for each you did not buy. You you gain the slotted moon’s resources when you activate the
must buy at least 1 module before you discard any. Each modules on both sides of it. The order you activate them does not
discarded module is placed on the bottom of its deck. matter.
When you are finished buying or discarding modules, If you rearrange your Industry row such that you separate 2
5 refresh the module columns by sliding modules down to fill Industry modules with a moon slotted between them, you must
any empty spaces and revealing new ones from the decks. discard the moon (without gaining its resources).

When you activate

BOTH these modules,

EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE you gain 1 + 1 .

Buying a Science and an Industry module from You may activate an Industry module that has
Maximus Field. incomplete or unfilled half-moon slots.

14 Detailed Rules Station Modules

Damaged Modules
Some of the modules the Alliance has salvaged are not fully Modules with damage markers can’t be activated, and they reduce
functional and will need to be repaired before you can use them. the amount of VP you score when resolving events and tallying
Hazards across the Edge can also cause damage to modules you’ve final scores (see Event Track, pg. 19; Final Scoring, pg. 25).
added to your station.
In order to remove damage from your modules, you must take a
When you buy a damaged module (with 1 or more <damage> repair action (see Repairing, pg. 22).
icons in the bottom left), you must place 1 damage marker
on it per icon.

When a game effect such as an event or tactics card damages

a module on your station, place 1 damage marker on an
undamaged module of your choice, if possible. (You may
damage a core module.)

TEMP IMAGE

Starship Abilities
Each ship in your fleet has different abilities that help it excel at
exploration, development, or combat. Player and raider ships can When this ship launches or moves, you may spend 1
have the following abilities: energy to give it infinite range.
This can only be used when you launch or move the
ship due to a game effect. It does not allow you to move
the ship as a free action.
While this ship is on a planet, you may build a development This does not allow the ship to enter nebulae (unless it
there (see Developments, pg. 16). also has Voyage).
This ability is only found on transports.

When this ship participates in a battle, your targeting

During a first launch, this ship may launch to a region with value is increased by 1 (see Targeting Value, pg. 21). This
opposing ships (see Launch Ship, pg. 8). affects all your ships participating in the battle.

This will start a battle at the end of your turn. If you have multiple ships with this ability participating
a battle, their effects stack.
Your targeting value can’t exceed 5.

When this ship launches or moves, it may enter a nebula

(see The Map, pg. 6).

Starship Abilities Detailed Rules 15

 Developments Building a Development
Whenever you build a development, follow these steps:
The many planets of the edge are fertile ground for bustling
metropolises, humming factories, and monoliths to your Pay the planet’s development cost. Discard the leaders
supremacy – but you will have to get to them before other 1 you spend from your station to your personal supply.
factions do.
Claim a development tile of the appropriate type and
There are 5 types of developments you can build, each 2 slot it on top of your transport on the planet.
corresponding to 1 of the progress tracks. Each planet can only
have 1 development of a specific type (indicated on the left Claim a development ability card of the appropriate
of the planet’s tile). Once someone has built a development on a 3 type and place it face up near your station.
planet, no one may build another there.
Advance 1 space on the corresponding progress track,
4 then score VP based on the number of leaders on the
There are 3 planets of each type in the game, meaning a developed planet and in adjacent regions (see next page).
maximum of 3 developments of each type can be built.

Development
Requirements
In order to build a
development, you must have:
A transport on an
undeveloped planet; and

At least enough resources TEMP IMAGE TEMP IMAGE

and recruited leaders to
pay the development cost When you build a development, you can build it on any
printed on the left side of planet where you have a transport (not just the active
the planet’s tile. region, if there is one).

Populating Developments Assigning Leaders to Developments

When you build a development, you must use a transport to Building a development also requires skilled leaders to oversee
populate it. This transport permanently becomes part of the its operations. Each development type requires a certain
development. It can’t return to your station or your supply, and number of leaders (which is the same on all planets that
you can’t build it again later. support that development).
ZOOM IN ON
You must always have at least Like transports, leaders you
LEADER VALUE OF
one ship; which means you cannot assign to build developments DEVELOPMENT
use your last ship to create a permanently become part of the
development, leaving you with no development and can’t be returned
ships. to your station or recruited again
later. Although the leader pieces
are removed from the map, each
development tile displays the
number of leaders that is assigned This Obelisk
has 1 leader
to it, which is important for scoring assigned to it.
developments (see next page).

16 Detailed Rules Developments

Development Scoring
When you build a development, you score VP equal to the total
number of leaders on the developed planet and in all adjacent
Development Abilities
Each development ability card you claim gives you access
regions up to a maximum of 10VP. Count leaders that belong
to a once-per-game free action (see Free Actions, pg.
to all players, including unrecruited leaders, the number of
13). If you build multiple developments of the same
assigned leaders printed on the new development you built,
type, you may claim multiple copies of the same card, and
and the number of assigned leaders printed on any adjacent
use each of them once.
developments (see Assigning Leaders to Developments, below
left).
Observatory (Science)
Flip this card to secretly look through
2 2 the stack of discovery tokens on the
Observatory Discoveries space
3 and choose 1 to claim.

7 Factory (Industry)
Flip this card to take up to 2 repair
TEMP IMAGE actions (see Repairing, pg. 22).

At the end of the game, each of your developments will

also score VP based on your development level on the
corresponding progress track (see pg. 18).

Spaceport (Commerce)
Flip this card and spend any 2
resources to gain any 3 resources.

Developments on the Map

Building a development on a planet does not prevent other
City (Civilization)
players from launching their ships to or activating that Flip this card to choose any 1 module
planet. Developments do not count as occupying planets and add it to your station at no cost.
(only ships do). This is important for determining where
you can launch ships during subsequent launches (see
Launching, pg. 8).

Developments in Battle Obelisk (Supremacy)

Each development you build allows you to roll +1 die in Flip this card to gain 4 energy.
each battle you participate in on the developed planet and
each adjacent region (see Battle Resolution, pg. 20).

Developments Detailed Rules 17

 Progress Tracks
The 5 progress tracks provide various rewards during the game and are a significant source of VP at the end
of the game. You can advance on the progress tracks by building developments, buying station modules,
and (in the case of Supremacy) winning battles.

Science Track Commerce Track

When you reach a Discovery token space, At the end of the game, each unspent
secretly look through the stack of tokens resource you have is worth VP equal to
there, claim any 1 token, and keep it near the highest vault bonus space you have
your station mat. You may keep it face reached.
down until you use it. You may use it as a
free action on your turn (see Free Actions,
pg. 13).

Supremacy Track Industry Track

If you are the first to reach a Supremacy When you reach a ship upgrade space,
token space, claim the token there and choose any 1 ship upgrade tile from your
keep it near your station. You may use supply and place it on the appropriate slot
it as a free action on your turn (see Free in your launch bay.
Actions, pg. 13).
You may then immediately take 1 ship of
If you reach a Supremacy space and the that type from your supply and place it in
token is gone, instead score 2 VP. your launch bay at no cost.
cost
All ships of the corresponding type gain the
Civilization Track new values and abilities on the upgrade tile.

When you reach a tactics card limit space,

the number of tactics cards you can keep If you choose an upgrade for a ship type you have already
upgraded, the new upgrade replaces the old one.
at the end of your turn is increased.
You may then immediately draw new
tactics cards until you have reached your
limit.

Event Spaces development levels

When any player reaches a progress track Each progress track has 3 development levels.
levels At the
space with an event icon,
icon immediately end of the game, each of your developments scores VP
advance the event marker 1 space (see Event based on the highest level you have reached on the
Track, pg. 19). corresponding track (see Developments, pg. 16).

18 Detailed Rules Progress Tracks

The Event Track
Throughout the game, certain actions like buying station modules or advancing on progress tracks will
advance the marker on the event track.
track When the marker reaches the end of the track, a new planet is
revealed immediately and an event card must be resolved at the end of the current turn.

Triggering an Event
If the event marker reaches the end of the track on your turn,
you must do the following: Event Cards
If the event marker is on your station at the end of your
Immediately reveal the top planet tile from the stack turn, you must reveal an event card from the deck, then
1 and place it in the next empty space on the map (in resolve each of the following effects in order:
left-to-right, top-to-bottom order).
Stack 3 moon tokens matching the planet’s color on the 1 Score VP: Each player scores the number of VP
2 planet and flip them face up so the top one is visible.
printed next to their marker on the indicated
progress track, minus 1 VP per damaged module
Place the event marker on your station to remind you on their station (to a minimum of 0 VP).
3 to resolve an event card at the end of your turn.
2 place new Raider: Find the raider card of the
indicated letter class and place it face up near the
board. Then place its miniature in the region listed
on its raider card (see Raiders, pg. 24).

3 Special Effect: Resolve the special effect as

instructed.

4 Reset Event Track: Return the event marker

to the starting space on the track and discard the
event card face up next to the deck.

EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE
Triggering an event leads to galactic 1
expansion and more moons!

Unless specifically stated otherwise, players may not play cards, use
tokens, or use special abilities during the resolution of an Event.

2
3

Event Track Detailed Rules 19

 Battle Resolution
During the final step of a launch turn, if the active region is occupied by 2 or more
players or by 1 player and the raiders, a battle must be resolved. Battle can occur
even if the active player does not have any ships in the active region.
Everyone with ships in the active region must participate in the battle (including
raiders). Players who have ships within range of the battle may also choose to
participate by moving their ships into the battle during the Escalation step (see below).
A battle can only happen during a launch turn, and then only in the active region. If a
player’s or raider’s ships share a region with opposing ships at any other time or in any
non-active region, no battle is resolved.

step 1 step 3

escalation preparations
Beginning with the active player and proceeding in turn order, Each participating player counts how many dice they will roll
each player with ships in range of the active region may and determines the targeting value they will use for rerolls. If
move any number of those ships to the region to join the raiders are participating, also count their dice and determine
battle. (This includes players who are not currently part of the their targeting value.
battle.) Each player only gets 1 chance to make this decision.
Then, beginning with the active player and proceeding in turn
order, each player may spend any amount of stored energy to
gain +1 die per energy spent. Each player only gets 1 chance
to spend energy.

TEMP IMAGE
Ship Weapons: Each ship adds
a number of dice equal to its #
weapons value.
value

Developments: Each player

If the active region is a nebula
nebula, only ships with Voyage
may join a battle there (see pg. 15).
adds +1 die for each of their
developments in or adjacent to
1
the active region.

step 2
Energy: Each player adds +1
die per energy they spend. 1
diplomacy Dice Limit: No participant may
Beginning with the active player
roll more than 6 total dice.
dice max 6
and proceeding in turn order, each
participating player may play 1 (and Targeting Value: Each
participant’s targeting value
only 1) diplomacy tactics card from
their hand and immediately resolve
its effects. Each player only gets 1
is the number of ships they
have in the active region, plus
#
chance to play a diplomacy card. any targeting bonuses, to a
maximum of 5 (see sidebar).

20 Detailed Rules Battle Resolution

 step 4

roll dice Targeting Value

Each battle participant has a targeting value which is the
minimum result they can roll on each of their dice during
All participants (including raiders) simultaneously roll their that battle. Whenever a participant rolls a die and gets a
dice. Each participant then rerolls all dice results that are less result below their targeting value, they must reroll the die
than their targeting value until each of their dice results are until it is equal to or greater than their targeting value.
equal to or greater than their targeting value (see sidebar).
Each participant’s targeting value is the number of ships
they have in the active region, plus modifiers from ship
If a tie has not been broken after all dice have been upgrades, tactics cards, and other game effects, up to a
compared, there is no winner and everyone loses. maximum of 5. If a modifier would increase a participant’s
targeting above 5, they still only reroll results of 4 or less.

step 5

outcome
To determine the winner, each participant (including the
raiders) compares their highest single die result. If there is a
tie, the tied players compare their next highest die result. (If
tie
a tied player has a die left to compare but their opponents do
not, they win the tie.) This continues until there is no longer TEMP IMAGE
EXAMPLE
a tie.
With a targeting value of 3, re-roll all 1s or 2s.
After rerolling, green,
blue, and the raiders
compare their dice
from highest to Like players, S-class raiders have a targeting value equal
lowest. to the number of their ships in the active region. Other
Blue and the raiders raider types have a targeting value of 1 (plus bonuses).
tie on the first die,
but blue wins on the
a second.
Tactical Operations
Whenever you lose a battle,
Once a winner is determined, resolve the following outcomes: you may use the tactical
operations action on your
Winning Player: If a player won, they advance 1 space station. This allows you to
on the Supremacy track (see Progress Tracks, pg. 18). either draw 1 tactics card or
gain the resources on a moon
Defeated Players: Each defeated player may take the token you have slotted there.
tactical operations action on their station (see sidebar).
Then all of their ships in the active region are scrapped
and placed in the scrapyard (except for those with shields; With this moon slotted, you
see pg. 24). can choose to gain 1 or 1
when you lose a battle.
Defeated Raiders: If any raiders were defeated, the
winner also claims the reward on their card. Then a single
Remember you can slot a moon at any time, including
raider in the active region is scrapped and returned to its
when you are about to use tactical operations.
raider card (unless it has shields; see pg. 24).

Battle Resolution Detailed Rules 21

 Scrapping Ships Repairing ships & modules
Whenever a ship suffers damage in battle or from another game Whenever you take a repair action (for example by visiting the
effect, it is scrapped and removed from play (unless it has Shipyard or discarding a moon token with a repair icon), choose
shields; see below).
shields 1 of the following options. If you repair multiple times with a
single action, you may choose the same option or a different one
Whenever a player’s ship is scrapped, it is placed in the top each time.
area of the scrapyard.
Repair a Scrapped Ship: Move 1 of your Starships from
Whenever a raider is scrapped, it is returned to its raider the top area of the scrapyard to the repair barge area at the
card. (Raiders are never placed in the scrapyard.) bottom. Starships on the repair barge can’t be launched back
onto the map until they return to your station, but they can
Your ships in the scrapyard will return to your launch bay the be used to activate station modules when they return (see
next time you return to station,
station and can be launched again on Returning to Station, pg. 11).
future turns (see Returning to Station, pg. 11).
Ships you return from the top area of the scrapyard can’t be Recharge Shields: Remove 1 damage marker from 1 of
used to activate modules on your station. However, ships that your ships’ shield icons in your launch bay.
have been moved to the repair barge area at the bottom of the
scrapyard using repair actions (see right) can be used to activate Repair a Station Module: Remove 1 damage marker from
a station module when they are returned. 1 module on your station (see Damaged Modules, pg. 15).

Nothing to Repair: If you have no ships or modules you can

repair, gain 1 VP.

EXAMPLE
TEMP IMAGE
When you gain a Repair, move your ship to the
Repair Barge, or repair a Shield or a Module.
Don't have any damage? Get 1VP.

Shields
Some ship types have shield icons printed in their launch bay
area or raider card. When a ship with shield icons would be
scrapped, instead place 1 damage marker on 1 of its shield
icons and leave it on the map.
Once a shield icon is covered with a damage marker, it is
depleted. If all of a ship’s shields are depleted, the next time
depleted
it would receive a damage marker it is scrapped
scrapped, and all of its
damage markers are removed. Depleted shields can also be TEMP IMAGE
recharged using the repair action (see above).

22 Detailed Rules Scrapping Ships // Repairing Ships & Modules

battle example
The Yellow player launches a transport to an icy planet and The Blue player needs more firepower, so they spend 2 energy to
claims a moon. The Saucerian Abductor has range 2, and moves gain 2 additional weapons dice for a total of 5.
into the active region during the Raider Strike Phase. Battle must
be resolved because the active region is occupied by 2 or more
opponents and/or raiders. Roll Dice
All dice, including the Raider dice, are rolled simultaneously, and
Escalation the following are the results.

The Yellow player escalates first, joining the battle with a

transport from within range 1, and paying 1 energy to jump Targeting
their heavy cruiser into the active region from 2 spaces away.
The Blue player has 2 ships in the battle, so their targeting value
The Blue player decides next, joining with 1 transport from is 2. They reroll any results of 1. The Yellow player has 3 ships,
within range 1, and their fighter from within range 2, but they leading to a targeting value of 3. They reroll any results of 1 or 2.
opt to leave their other transport out of this battle. After rerolls, these are the final results.

Outcome
Comparing each opponent’s single highest die, yellow and
blue are tied, but the raider is defeated. Comparing the second
highest die, the blue player has a higher value. The Blue player
wins the battle.
Winning Player:
The Blue player advances 1 space on the Supremacy track.
Diplomacy Defeated Player:
The Yellow player chooses to not play a Diplomacy card, and
The Yellow player’s ships become damaged. They scrap their
passes. The Blue player plays “Hailing Frequencies” and gains
2 transports and move them to the scrapyard, and they put
1VP for each opponents’ ship in the active region. They gain 4VP.
a damage token on their heavy cruiser shield icon. The heavy
The card also allows any player to end the battle. Neither player
cruiser remains in the active region. The Yellow player performs
chooses to do so.
the tactical operations action on their player mat. In this case,
they may choose to draw 1 tactics card, or gain 2 ice because of
Preparations their slotted moon.
Defeated Raider:
The Yellow player will already be rolling 6 weapons dice in this
battle, 1 for each transport, 3 for their heavy cruiser, and 1 more The Saucerian Abductor is returned to its card. The Blue player
for their adjacent Obelisk. They take no actions during battle gains the reward for defeating the raider.
preparations.

Battle Example Detailed Rules 23

 Raiders
Over the course of the game, menacing raiders will emerge from the nebulae to threaten and
prey on your operations. Each class of raider has a raider card that determines its values and
abilities. Except for S-class raiders (see below), only 1 raider of each class is used in each game.
Only 1 class of raider can occupy a region at a time. A raider can never be placed or move
into any region where a raider of another class is present (see below; Raider Strike, pg. 10).

Weapons
placing new raiders
Raiders of different classes are placed on the board when event
cards are resolved (see Event Cards, pg. 19). Each raider’s card
indicates which region it is placed in.
Range
When a raider launches to a random nebula,
nebula roll a die and
Shields Starting region place it in the nebula with the matching number.

When a new raider would launch to a region occupied by a

Reward for raider of another type, instead place it in a random nebula.
defeating
If the raider of the indicated class is already on the map,
instead place 2 S-class raiders in the region indicated on
their card. If there are fewer than 2 left in the supply, place as
many as possible.
Class
Once a raider has been scrapped and returned to its raider
card, if another event card with its letter is resolved, it
card
returns to the map.
Special effects

S-Class (Swarm) Raiders

Unlike other raider classes, there can be multiple S-class raiders
on the map at the same time, and they can occupy a region
together (but not with other raiders).
Additionally, S-class raiders act together whenever possible:
During the Raider Strike step of a launch turn, if an S-class
raider is in the active region or moves into the active region,
then all other S-class raiders in range also move to the
active region (see Raider Strike, pg. 10).
If multiple S-class raiders participate in a battle, each of
them rolls dice, and they have a targeting value equal to
the number of raiders present (plus targeting bonuses).
If multiple S-class raiders are defeated in a battle, only 1 is
removed from play (see Battle Resolution, pg. 20). Any
others remain in the active region. The winner of the battle TEMP IMAGE
still gains the reward on the S-class raider card.

24 Detailed Rules Raiders

Game End
When any player’s VP marker reaches the designated space on
the VP track, this triggers the end of the game.
Scoring example
When game end is triggered, immediately remove the event
The game ends, and the Yellow player has 62VP.
marker from the event track. events can’t be triggered during
the final turns of the game.
The active player finishes their current turn, and each player Progress Tracks
takes 1 more turn, including the player who triggered the end
The Yellow player scores 9 VP for Science, 20 VP for Industry,
of the game. Players then proceed to final scoring. After final
10 VP for Supremacy, 12 VP for Commerce, and 8 VP for
scoring, the player with the most VP is the winner.
Civilization. Their score is now 121.

Final Scoring Developments

They Yellow player has built 1 Factory and 2 Spaceports.
1 Progress Tracks: Each player scores the VP printed Their factory is level 3 due to their position on the industry
next to their marker on each of the 5 progress tracks. track so it scores 10 VP. The Spaceports are each level 2, so
they each score 7 VP. Their score is now 145.
2 Developments: Each player scores VP for each of their
developments based on the highest development level
they have reached on the corresponding progress track. Station Module Damage
They have 4 damaged modules in their station, so they
deduct 8 VP. Their score is now 137.
Development Level LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3

VP per Development 5 7 10 Vault Bonus

The Yellow player reached the first Vault bonus space on
Damaged Station Modules: Each player loses 2 VP for the Commerce track, so they will receive 1 VP per resource
4 in their possession. They ended the game with 2 Titanium,
each damaged module on their station.
0 Carbon, 0 Ice, 1 Credit, 4 Energy, and 3 tactics cards for a
Vault Bonus: Each player scores VP for each unspent total of 10 resources. They receive 10 VP. Their score is now
5 147.
resource they have (including tactics) based on the
highest vault bonus they have reached on the Commerce
track.
track Civilization Modules
6 Civilization Modules: Each player earns any end-game They ended the game with 2 undamaged Civilization end
VP on undamaged Civilization modules on their station. of game scoring modules. The Land Ministry rewards them
10 VP; 4 VP + 2VP for each of their 3 developments. The
7 Leaders: Each player scores 1 VP per leader left on their Cognition Collective awards them 6 VP; 3 VP +1 VP for each
station. of their 3 tactics cards.
Their score increases by 16 to 163.

Resolving Ties Leaders

If there is a tie, the tied player with the most station modules
wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the most They have 2 leaders on their station, earning them 2 VP.
resources wins. If there is still a tie, victory is shared. Their final score is 165.

Game End 25
Resource actions (pg. 7) acquiring modules (pg. 14)
Choose 1 Science module and pay its
Draw 1 tactics card.
card
resource cost to add it to your station.

Gain 1 and 1 . Choose 1 Industry module and add

it to your station at no cost.
cost

Gain 1 or 1 .
Choose any 1 module and add it
to your station at no cost.
cost
Spend 1 to gain 1 .

advancing progress tracks (pg. 18)

ny 1 resource (may be ).
Any
Advance 1 space on the Civilization track.

All players gain 1 .

Advance 1 space on any progress track.
Reminder: may be spent in place of / / .

Production actions Moon slots (pg. 14)

Pay the resource cost to build 1 ship After slotting a moon here, gain its
in your launch bay. (pg. 7) resources when you take this action.

Pay the resource and leader cost to build a

After slotting a moon here, pay its
development on an undeveloped planet
resources to take this action.
where you have a transport. (pg. 16)

Repair 1 ship or module

module. If none to repair, When slotted as the input of an action,
score 1 instead. (pg. 22) you may take that action at no cost.

Gain 1 ship upgrade

upgrade. Place 1 matching ship
in your launch bay for free. (pg. 18) Starship Abilities (pg. 15)
You may use this ship to build a
other actions development on a planet.

1 Score 1 victory point.

point During a first launch, this ship may
launch to a region with opposing ships.
ships .

Look at the top 2 event cards.

cards Return 1 to the
top of the deck and 1 to the bottom. (pg. 9) This ship may enter nebulae
nebulae..

Your tactics limit is increased. Draw tactics When this ship launches or moves, you
7 until you are at your limit. (pg. 18) may spend 1 to give it infinite range.
range .

Flip 1 of your development ability cards face While this ship is in battle, add +1 to
up. You may use it again. (pg. 16) your targeting value.
value