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| Setup | Game Mechanics | Card Acquisition | Deck Construction | Victory Conditions | General Comments | Setup |
Use a board with large (6 inch) hexes, so that a stack can be placed in each easily. Mix up a bunch of terrain (mostly T1-T2; it will add up quickly; try not to use any terrain that generates more than 2 of any point type), and maybe some installations, hazards, monsters, and null cards (cards that will be considered blank and removed if flipped over). Deal one to each space face down. If possible, have a gamemaster determine what the face down cards are (and possibly put stacks of cards in each hex), and place stars face up. Use small terrain, as getting a big terrain early can throw the game balance way off. In playtesting one player got a planet that made 3 economy per turn, which he used to build a Fleet Freighter, and then a tug, resulting in a production of 15 economy per turn from a single terrain. Larger terrain might be placed in the center of the map so that it is not discovered until later in the game. Alternate setups are possible. Each player may have control over setting up their own starting territory using a certain number and type of cards (5 T1s, 3 T2s, and a T3; none producing more than one economy each).
Each player starts with a single S1 patrol ship (these have no engagement cost, which is essential since no one has any terrain yet; also they return to the player's hand, so no one will be eliminated from the game totally) that enters along an edge. Optionally, each player may begin with a single terrain and one population unit instead. It is suggested that each player get an identical T2 terrain that produces one supply and one energy.
Game Phases: Allocation of points and engagement occurs at the beginning of each turn. Then players acquire cards. Engaged ships may then be moved one hex in any direction. The last three phases are card play phase A, weapons fire, and card play phase B.
Ship movement: Players may move any ship one hex in the movement/allocation phase, or may move it on or off of terrain. Flip over any face down cards in that hex, and consider any card that could be played on a ship to be played on the first ship that enters that hex (hazards, monsters, etc.). The gamemaster (if one is used) or the player to the left of the player whose turn it is gets to make any decisions about how uncontrolled cards in that hex behave. An optional rule is that another player gets a free card play against the ship that first enters a new hex. Starting with the player to the left, and going clockwise around the table, the first player who wants to can play a hazard, monster, luck, or occurence card in that hex.
Weapons fire: Weapons may be fired at any valid targets within the same hex. All units capable of weapons fire within a hex occupied by a target owned by the current player are allowed to fire at any target within that hex, regardless of whose turn it is. Starting with the player to the left of the current player, and continuing in a clockwise direction, each player in a hex declares all weapons volleys within that hex. The current player declares weapons fire last. Effects of weapons fire are then resolved simultaneously. Cards that get to fire weapons in reaction must be handled differently under these rules. These cards resolve the effects of weapon fire before other cards get to fire. For example, player A moves a unit into player B's hex. Player B declares weapons fire, then player A, then B plays 2 R/E7 Heavy Fighters in reaction. Player A's ship is destroyed by the fighters and no further weapons fire occurs due to lack of viable targets. Weapons fire is resolved one hex at a time for each hex that the current player occupies which contains a legal target. Each player who could fire at a target belonging to the current player gets an opportunity to do so, regardless of whether the current player wishes to have combat or not. The current player has control over the order in which hexes are dealt with.
Heavy weapons: Since the terrain mix is limited, it may drastically hinder the playability of the game to allow heavy weapons to damage terrain. Instead, heavy weapons may be used to target unprotected population units on a terrain. Each point of heavy weapons fire may be used to remove one population unit.
Population: Population tokens are considered C1 Crew cards with special restrictions and functions. Population are C1 units in all other regards, and may be eliminated by boarding parties, armed with Ability cards, etc. Other crew cards do not count as population. The most important function of population tokens is that they allow the controlling player to control the terrain that they are on if the majority of population tokens on that terrain belong to that player.
Terrain and installations may carry a number of population up to their current strength. Reductions in strengaa are accompanied by the immediate destruction of enough population to bring the total down to its maximum (attacker's choice). Ships and bases up to strength 4 may only carry one population. Ships and bases up to strength 8 may carry up to 2 population. Ships and bases of strength 9 or 10 may carry up to 3 population tokens. Bases on terrain may be considered to be a single location, with all population units on the terrain. For example, a B1 on a T1 allows the player to have 2 population units on that terrain. If either the terrain or the base is destroyed, the player may place the population on the surviving card, up to its capacity.
If you are playing with a setup scenario where each player starts with a populated terrain, players may be eliminated from the game by losing all of their population. Otherwise, if a player has no population units, that player may start (or restart) his or her empire by placing a population unit upon a single terrain that one of his or her ships shares a hex with. At the beginning of the turn, add one population token to each location (up to maximum capacity) that contains at least one population token owned by the current player, and that generates supply, economy, or energy.
Population units may not move in reaction. Moving a single population unit from one location to another occupies the card used to move it for the entire turn, such that it cannot be used for anything else that turn. For example, three R/E2 transporters would be needed to move 3 population units onto a ship in the same hex. Population units may not be transported outside of the hex that they are in, except by ship movement.
Dragons/Orgons: Population units are D1 Dragon Hatchlings or D1 Orgon Buds that can be combined and separated from other dragons, but cannot move on their own and have no other statistics (damage, etc.). Since they are D units, they may be standard targets of weapons fire. They may also receive the benefits of Dragon Holes, provided they are within the area of effect of that terrain (see below). Each unit that combines or separates consumes a card play. When separating, damage may be divided among units in any way desired, so long as no more damage is allocated to a unit than the unit has strength. For example, a player has a D6 dragon combined with 2 population units. The player allocates 2 points of damage to the population units upon separating from them, consuming 2 card plays and destroying both population units. A Dragon/Orgon player may never play or use equipment, crew, ships, or bases. However, a Dragon (or Orgon) card acts like a population unit for the purpose of determining control of terrain. For example, player A, with 5 population counters on a terrain, would lose control of that terrain when player B lands a D7 Dragon on that terrain.
Card play: Cards that must be deployed into or on your fleet can only be played in hexes where you control a card. Cards played on or against an opponent fleet may be played anywhere. If a player controls no locations, cards may be deployed into the map hex that the player started in. Cards which are deployed into your fleet must be deployed at a location where their purchase cost may have been paid (see lines of supply and getting cards). This is calculated independently of other purchases and engagement costs (so, if a location could receive 2 supply and 2 energy maximum, any number of S2 ships could be played to that location, up to the maximum playable cards per turn, even if those points were used to engage a ship).
Area of effect: Cards played into or on your fleet may only effect the hex they are in. This includes weapons fire, transportation of crew, equipment effects, etc. Cards played against a card or cards may only affect a single hex. Cards played against a fleet also affect hexes adjacent to a hex that is declared to be the origin of the card play. Cards that say they move from one location to another (Juggernauts, etc.) may move one hex during the turn of the player whose turn that card entered play during.
Lines of supply: Any card which can generate or modify supply, energy, or economy (but not ammunition) points can also be used to extend the line of supply. Supply, energy, economy and ammunition points generated in the line of contiguous units may be used as if they were generated at any point upon that line. For example, a player has a T5 Planet, then next to it a S1 Fleet Freighter (engaged with points from the planet), and next to that another S1 Fleet Freighter, and next to that a S4 Ship that is also receiving points from the original planet. If the middle S1 ship were destroyed, then the S4 ship would not be able to get engagement points, and would just float in space until the line of supply was restored (since ships that cannot engage cannot move).
Terrain: Terrain is controlled by (part of the fleet of) the player who has the majority of population on it. If no player has a majority, then the terrain generates no points for anyone and is uncontrolled. Points and effects generated by a terrain may be used within that hex and the hexes adjacent. Supply, energy, economy, and ammunition points may be transported through a line of supply (see rules below), but repair and research may not be transported.
Point output modifiers: Since players have control over the cards that they can acquire, allowing the unrestricted use of point output modifiers may be unbalancing. It is suggested that players agree that only one positive or multiplicative modifier may be applied by a player to a single location. Therefore, a player may not use both a Freighter's +3 economy and a Tug's x3 economy, but instead must choose which to apply during that turn. Cards that contribute a point output modifier may not be moved for the duration of that turn.
Installations: Installations are uncontrolled until a player has crew in play on the installation with a total strength that is greater than the strength of the installation. Essentially the player must overcome the native crew complement of the installation. The player with the greatest total strength of crew above the minimum required gains control of the installation.
Psys: Psy effects are treated like weapons fire, and may only affect the hex which contains the Psy. Fields affect the same area as terrain, and so may be used in any adjacent hex. Optional rule: fields may be used along a line-of-psy, which works in a way similar to a line of supply. A Psy card may use any field which is either adjacent, or is connected to the Psy by a contiguous line of Psy cards. For example, hex 1 contains a Field, hex 2 contains a P1, hex 3 contains a P3, and hex 4 contains the P7 Psy who wishes to utilize the field in hex 1.
Although it is possible to play the game using normal decks and rules for drawing cards randomly, the following set of rules is suggested:
Getting cards: A point system is used to buy cards, which must be paid at one time during the allocation phase. A player may purchase any card which is available to him or her based on the deck construction rules you are using. Costs are as follows:
Cards are acquired after point allocation. The maximum number of cards drawn is as normal, based on hand size and modifying cards, but a player need not draw cards if he or she does not want to or is unable to pay for them. It is assumed that players will be honest about their purchases. If you wish, you may play that players must show their purchases.
Although traditional rules may be used (creating monstrous decks of thousands of cards), the suggested method is as follows: Decks are made of the main empire and generic ships, dragons, bases, equipment, crew, psys, and fields. Advantages that allow the use of foreign/exclusive technology allow the addition of those cards to the deck. Cards of other types are allowed only if they meet one of the following criteria: they are an empire-specific card or they are used in a special system of an empire specific card (i.e., manuever cards are used by manuevering systems on Gekonauak ships). You may decide that other cards are legit to use in decks (certain terrain, such as artificial moons, etc.). Certain cards have usefulness way out of proportion to cost, such as ships that require no engagment costs (patrol ships). You may wish to limit the number of those in each player's deck.
You may further wish to limit the size of decks with other contruction rules. Decks may be contructed only from 'tracks' of cards containing one card of each type leading up to the highest value card of that type in that track. For example, if you want to have 3 E9 cards, you must have 3 E cards or each lower value. A maximum number of cards may be specified per deck (for example, 60), or a total number of points (for example, 200).
Another option is to play civilization style, where each player owns a deck containing only empire-specific cards. All other cards are placed in a central area which all players purchase cards from. A player can be screwed by not buying essential cards before the other players. You could alternately do a draft of these cards before the game starts, where each player takes turns picking out cards to use in their deck.
Several other card sources are suggested:
The player with the most population in play at the end of the game wins. The end of the game may be determined by a set period of time or by a target population level (25 is suggested, or more if starting planets or larger terrain are used). Optionally, alternate victory conditions may be used. These could be in addition to the main condition, or instead of it. Each player may choose a condition, may have a condition randomly assigned, or may have it linked to a specific empire. Finally, this alternate condition may either be known to all players or may be kept secret. Several are suggested here for playtesting:
Another option is to have some players begin the game with a large number of units, population, and terrain. Their victory condition might be have maintained their empire (retain all terrain) at game end (in turns or a time limit). Or they might have as their victory condition that they control every controlled terrain after several turns have passed (the evil empire).
The feel of this game is quite different from the feel of traditional Galactic Empires games. I believe it captures a traditional sci-fi mood of exploration and technology better. Players may find themselves setting up remote research bases to deal with a problem, and may develop fronts to deal with aggressors. It also radically changes the value of certain types of cards. Some have become essential (transporters, shuttles), and others are really useful (Spy Technicians, CFOs and other cards that store points). Bases become much more important, and fighters/shuttles played in reaction become instrumental in determining battle outcomes by eliminating units before they have a chance to fire. As always happen when adapting card games to new rules structures, many cards make no sense within this play structure and other cards may be extremely limited in function.