Alien Uprising Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Alien Tokens
• Alien Troops Cards, Gestation Cards and Event Tokens
• Dice
• Ship Debris Tokens
• Game Turn
  • Phase I: The Event Phase
  • Phase II: The Crewman Actions Phase
    • Special Actions
    • Standard Actions
  • Phase III: The Alien Actions Phase
  • Phase IV: The Planet Phase
• End of the Game
• Combat
• Optional Rules
• Scenarios

Overview

To achieve either of these goals, the Crew must work together, using their unique Skills and chosen Actions to perform a number of tasks, defend themselves, and to retrieve and repair equipment as well as the Ship. The available Actions each turn will be established by the First Player rolling custom dice. The available Actions include:

• Attack to fight the attacking Aliens.
• Engineering to repair the ship and keep the protective shields up.
• Reload/Recharge to replenish used electrical items and reload guns.
• Scout to identify debris or Alien attackers.
• Wild to perform any Action you choose.
• First Aid to heal Wounds.

Additionally, the dice have an Alien Icon, showing the speed of the enemy and limiting Actions the Crewmen have available.

Components

• 1 Gameboard
• 5 Crewmen Cards
• 17 Alien Uprising Event Cards
• 5 Crewmen Skill Decks
• 1 Rescue Ship Miniature
• 1 F1-D0 Miniature
• 7 Action Dice (5 Base / 2 Special)
• 16 Alien Gestation Cards
• 1 Gestation Hive Miniature
• 20 Ship Debris Tokens
• 41 Items Cards
• 5 Crewmen Miniatures and Tokens
• 49 Alien Tokens
• 47 Status Tokens
• 16 Alien Troop Cards
• 7 Six-Sided Dice
• 20 Shield Tokens
• 11 Blue & Red Event Tokens
• 4 Leader Tokens
• 1 First Player Marker
• 5 Scenario Cards
• 1 Draw Bag
• 12 Crash Salvage Boards
• Rescue Status Board: Used to track the Rescue Ship's progress.

The Game Board: The gameboard depicts the crash site with 4 Sectors. Each Sector is divided into 4 Zones by green lines. Zone 3 is defined as the outside edge, Zone 2 the inner Zone, Zone 1 is outside ship, and Zone 0 is the inside of the ship (the hex inside the red circle).

Crash Salvage Status Boards: These boards are used to identify recovered debris that has been restored and the functionality of the equipment. Note: The Engine, Hull and Homing Beacon boards do not need to be recovered, only repaired.

Crewmen Cards: There will always be a minimum of 3 Crewmen used in the game, and a maximum of 5. If playing with less than 3 players, some players may control more than 1 Crewman. Each Crewman has specific skills represented by a Skill Deck. A list of specific equipment is identified on their card, as well as Base Movement ability, Base Melee Defense, and the number of Wounds before they become knocked out.

Crewmen Skill Decks: Each Crewman has their own deck of skill cards that enable them to perform special things. Cards that have a star icon on them are specific to that Crewman and may only be used for that Crewman. Cards without a star icon are to be used to support other Crewmen as noted on the card.

Alien Uprising Event Cards: The deck of Event cards reveal the changing conditions of the battle and planet that the Crew must deal with during the game. At the start of each turn an Event Card will be drawn and read. This card is either resolved immediately or is an ongoing condition for the Turn. Additionally, some cards have a Crew Decision at the bottom of the card that the Crewmen must address as a group. Most of the time the Decision will be a bonus or penalty that they can choose to pay the price to obtain or avoid.

Items: There are Crewmen specific Items as identified on their Crewman card. Crewmen may not trade any of their starting items, but there are non-Crewmen specific items that can be found over the course of the game that can be assigned to any Crewman and traded as Crewmen desire. Many items use Ammo or require Energy to use. Additionally, Armor is destroyed as it absorbs hits. Crewmen use a marker on the track of each card to identify the status of the Item. As the Item is used, the marker will be advanced down the track to identify the current status. Each card identifies if the Item can be Reloaded/Recharged, or repaired. Some Items have hand icons on the card. Crewmen can only equip 2 hands of Items per Turn and may only switch items during Phase II of each Turn.

Alien Tokens

Health: Most Aliens take 2 Wounds to defeat. The color side of the token will be placed face up when set on the board. When an Alien takes a Wound, flip the token over to the grey side and remove it from the board when taking another Wound. If when flipping a token there is no grey side, the Alien is defeated.

The Slasher is the most common of the Zothren Warriors. The Slasher has 2 Health and rolls 2 dice in each Melee Attack (Melee Dice: Roll 2 Dice in Melee).

The Archer has a Ranged Attack ability. The Archer will always attack first if in a Sector that Attacks, and will never advance from Zone 3, but instead make a Ranged Attack when ordered to Attack (signified by the Lightning Bolt Icon). When activated the Archer rolls 2 dice to attack the Shield (or nearest Crewman if Shields are down or if a Crewman is in their Sector and Zone) and gains a hit for each 4+ rolled. Archers will never take damage from attacking a Shield. If no targets are present, Archers attack the ship! See page 13 for more details.

The Brute has huge claws that can crush through Shields and he will charge devastatingly into Melee Attacks. In Melee Attacks the Brute Rolls 4 Dice. The Brute has armor (Burst Icon), and requires 2 Wounds in a single attack to flip his token over to the grey side, but only 1 Wound to defeat once flipped.

The Champion is the best of the Alien Warriors and extremely deadly. It Rolls 3 dice in Melee Combat, and wins all ties (as depicted by the Star Icon). Additionally, the Champion may not be targeted for a Ranged Attack if other Aliens are in the same Sector and Zone as the Champion. The Champion has 2 Health. If only Champions remain in a Zone, then you may target one of them.

The Scavenger is an Alien that pilfers debris from the ship (an action signified by the Recycle Icon). When activated in a Zone with Debris, the Scavenger takes 1 Debris token (choice is up to the First Player) and Discards it to the box sight unseen. He is removed from the board, scampering back to the Hive with his prize. Scavengers never attack Shields, and only attack Crewmen in their Zone if there is no Debris for them to steal. Scavengers have only 1 Health.

The Scout is a fast moving Slasher. The Arrow Icon identifies that the Scout advances up to 2 Zones each time it Attacks, stopping only if a target is available. The Scout will advance from Zone 3 to Zone 2 immediately when placed on the board unless a Crewman or Shield is in Zone 3, in which case it will Attack the Crewman first, or the Shield if no Crewman is in the Zone. The Scout has only 1 Health, but attacks with 2 dice just like a Slasher.

The Tunneler is an Alien that is placed in Zone 1 of that Sector where it appears. It is not blocked by Shields and will immediately attack any Crewman there. Additionally, since they tunnel unless attacking, this Zothren may not be targeted by a Ranged Attack (signified by the Scope Icon) unless it enters the Ship (Zone 0). Crewmen may only Attack the Tunneler with Melee Combat unless both are in Zone 0.

Alien Troops Cards, Gestation Cards and Event Tokens

Alien Troops Cards: Alien Troops Cards drive the battle with the "Bugs" identifying the number of Alien Tokens that are added to each Sector during the turn and identifying which will attack and when. One of these cards is drawn in Phase III of each game turn. The Attack of the Sector will be conducted before placing the new Alien Tokens (note the Attack Arrow is before the Alien Icon) on the Sector. Each Sector is resolved in completion before moving to the next. Some cards have Blue Attack Arrows, which work just like the Red ones, but are only used after you have played the game a few times and are ready for a harder challenge, or via a Gestation or Scenario Card.

• Rescue Ship Icon: If present, will advance the Rescue Ship, but only if the Homing Beacon has been repaired.
• Blue Attack Icon: Not used in base game - see optional rules.
• Red Attack Icon: Sectors with this icon attack!
• Alien Icons: Aliens added to Sectors with these icons.

Alien Gestation Cards: The Alien Gestation Cards represent the rising tension of the situation and are drawn based on the passage of time. Time is determined by the Egg Icons drawn on Event Tokens when placing new Aliens from the Alien Troops cards. Each Alien Gestation Card will add new difficulties based on the color of the card. Green are less dangerous, Blue is medium level difficulty, and Red is most difficult.

The base game setup will use cards from each color, but players that prefer a tougher (or easier) game can change the composition of the Alien Gestation cards as noted in the Optional Rules section. Each card will have a story event, and instructions of what actions to take. See The Alien Gestation Board for more details.

Event Tokens & Alien Gestation Board: There are 2 types of Event Tokens; Blue Planets and Red Planets. The Blue Planets are added to the Alien Draw bag at the start of the game. The Red tokens are added later via Alien Gestation Cards.

• Ship Icon: The Ship Icon ALWAYS moves the Rescue Ship forward one space on the Ship Rescue Track (regardless if the Homing Beacon is fixed or not).
• Egg Icon: Each time an Egg Icon is drawn, the token on the Alien Gestation Board is moved one space forward to the next highest number. If a 2 appears on the Egg Icon, it is advanced two spaces rather than just one.

Some of the Tokens will have both Icons. When that occurs, perform each of the actions.

The Alien Gestation Board is used to track the passage of time of gestation for the Aliens as the battle rages around the crashed ship. Time will pass as the Event Tokens with Eggs are drawn from the Alien Draw Bag. When the Egg Marker reaches the final space of the board (the 4 space on the easy side, the 3 space on the hard side) the following activities occur.

• If Gestation cards remain, draw the top card.
• Perform the steps on the Gestation Card.
• Each Crewman draws 1 of their Skill Cards.
• Move the Egg Marker back to Start.
• If there are still Event Tokens with Eggs on them, continue advancing the Egg Marker. This may cause another Gestation to occur!
• Refill the Alien Draw bag with all Events that have been activated to date (the Blue Events, plus any Red Events that the Gestation cards may have added as well as all previously defeated Aliens).
• If ever a Gestation Card is to be drawn but none remain, the game ends immediately as the Alien onslaught becomes so emboldened that the ship is overrun. The Players lose!

Dice

There are two different types of Dice used in the game. The Action Dice and Attack Dice.

Action Dice: These dice have Icons that represent the actions the Crewmen will take each turn. See Phase II for details on the Action Dice. Note: the 5 Red Action Dice are always used each turn. The 2 Blue Action Dice are bonus dice that become available when achieving triplets in the Action Roll.

Attack Dice: These are 7 standard 6-sided dice (4 Red and 3 Blue) that are used to resolve Ranged and Melee Combat as well as Repair Shields actions. The use of these dice are described in detail throughout the rules.

Ship Debris Tokens

These tokens are scattered throughout the board at the start of the game. Each is placed face down onto each Debris Icon and represent valuable parts of the ship that may be recovered and repaired, as well as some hidden Alien Warriors.

• Crate of Ammo and Energy Sticks: When retrieved and returned to the Ship, this Debris enables the Crewmen to use Alien Icons 4 times in future Action Rolls as a Reload/Recharge Action.
• Turret Cannon: This item enables the Crewmen to make attacks from the ship in a 360 radius 6 times before depleting power. When used, a Crewman rolls 5 Attack Dice, hitting on a 3 or higher. Damage may be applied to any Aliens in the targeted Sector.
• Hull Plating: There are 6 of these and 5 are needed to repair the ship for lift off. Of course, Engines must also be repaired to lift off. The Red Hex symbol shows the Plating offers some cover.
• Energy Crystal: This Item is needed to power many of the Salvage Boards. Crewmen need to make critical decisions on how to use the Energy they retrieve. Installing them is a Free Action.
• Unstable Energy Crystal: Just like the other Energy Crystals, but may explode! See Special Item Card for more details.
• Dish to Repair Sonic Sensors: If repaired, the First Player may always re-roll Alien Icons even if prohibited by a Gestation Card. Alien Tokens are not drawn when re-rolling with the Sensors!
• Homing Amplifier: When added to the Homing Beacon board, this will strengthen the distress call, advancing the Ship 1 space each turn (in addition to its repaired function and Event Tokens).
• Energy Transmitter: When repaired, a Crewmen in Zone 0 (the ship) may power up the Energy Transmitter to add up to 5 Shield Tokens to one Shield Generator up to 4 times.
• Supply Cache: When returned to the Ship, the Crewmen will gain a Sonic Grenade and 3 random Items. These Items cannot be from any of the unused Crewman.

Note: Only the ship's Engine, Homing Beacon, and Hull Sheet Metal Crash Salvage Boards are present at the start of the game (unless using optional rules/scenarios). Crewmen must find the Debris Token for the corresponding Salvage Board and return it to the Ship before they can begin repairs. For example, Crewmen must find the Turret Cannon Debris Token, and bring it back to the Ship before they can repair and activate it. The Homing Beacon and Ship Engine are the only items that can be repaired right away, but cannot be activated until debris is found and returned to the ship to activate them.

Game Turn

For detailed game setup instructions, please refer to the Setup Guide.

The game is played in Turns, and each Turn is divided into 4 distinct Phases:

• Phase I: The Event Phase
• Phase II: The Crewman Actions Phase
• Phase III: The Alien Actions Phase
• Phase IV: The Planet Phase

There are many steps in each of the Phases, and each Phase is completed before advancing to the next. The Phases are explained in detail below.

Phase I: The Event Phase

This Phase provides a story for the Turn as noted on the Event Card drawn. Sometimes these cards offer a Decision to the Crewmen as well as the Event. Decisions are optional and may be chosen to be completed by the Crew or ignored. Each card clearly defines the Event and the result of performing the Decision. In the event of a disagreement among the Crewmen on a Decision, the Captain (or First Player if none) has final say.

1. Draw an Alien Uprising Event Card: Read the Event drawn from the Event deck. This Event will either be resolved immediately or may be an ongoing event that will last the entire Turn as noted on the card.

2. Decisions: If the card has a Decision, the Crew reads it and decides what they want to do. Based on their decision(s) the bonus or penalty the Decision offers is resolved.

This ends the Event Phase and players advance to the Phase II - Crewman Actions.

Phase II: The Crewman Actions Phase

1) Prepare Equipment: If a Crewman has more than 2 Items that show the Hand Icon(s) on the corner, they must identify which 2 hands of Items they will have active this turn. Slide the 2 cards up so it is obvious to all which are prepared, or flip over (exhaust) the cards not being used this turn. Some items require both hands.

Ghost Armor: If the Science Officer wants to activate her Ghost Armor for invisible movement and actions, do so now, paying the energy cost and flipping her Token to show she is invisible (which lasts the entire turn).

2) Action Dice: The First Player takes all of the Action Dice (5 Basic / 2 Bonus). The First Player rolls the 5 Basic dice (Red dice) to establish the available actions for the turn. The rules for rolling Action dice are as follows:

A. Rolling the Dice: The First Player may roll any or all of the dice a total of 3 times (1 initial roll and 2 re-rolls). They are not required to use any of the available 2 re-rolls, and may re-roll only a few dice.

B. Alien Icon Restrictions: The Alien Icons, when rolled, immediately add an Alien Token to the Board (your choice where to place). On the initial roll they may be re-rolled, however after the 2nd roll (1st re-roll after the initial roll) Alien Icons become locked and may not be rolled again. Alien Icons represent the speed of the aliens and give the Crewmen no action when selected, just a movement (unless a Crewman has a skill or Item enabling them to use the die as an Action). It is possible to add multiple Alien Tokens to the Board by re-rolling Alien Icon dice, since each time you roll an Alien Icon you immediately add an Alien Token, even if re-rolled!

NOTE: Gestation cards may restrict Alien Icons further as the game progresses. The First Player may lose the ability to re-roll them from the initial Action dice roll, and the icon may require that additional Alien Tokens be added.

C. Gaining the Bonus Dice: The First Player may gain the 2 Bonus dice (Blue dice) if they roll 3 of a kind on any of their first 2 rolls. If they take the Bonus dice, they must roll the 3 matching dice and the 2 bonus dice one last time. This roll becomes their last roll even if the initial dice roll resulted in gaining the bonus dice. The Wild icon does not count as a wild symbol when matching dice.

3) Action Dice Selection: Crewmen, starting with the First Player and going clockwise around the board, choose 1 of the Action Dice after all dice rolls are completed. It is possible for some Crewmen to gain multiple Action Dice on a turn, and even possible for some to have no Actions for the turn if a large number of Alien Icons were rolled.

4) Crewmen Turns: Once the Action Dice have all been chosen, the Crewmen take Turns using their Action Dice. Starting with the First Player, each Crewman uses 1 Action Die on their Turn (including an Action Die Movement if they wish) to perform the associated Action on that die. Crewmen will only use 1 Action Die per Turn. Play proceeds clockwise until it makes it back to the First Player, who then may either use another Action Die (and another Action Die Movement if they wish) or pass (if they have no more Action Dice or Items to use). Play again proceeds clockwise to the next Crewman and so on until all Crewmen have passed. If a Crewman only had 1 Action Die this Turn, they must pass on their 2nd Turn (unless they have an Item that allows them to do an Action).

Note: If a Crewman got only an Alien Icon Action Die this turn, they get no action, only an Action Die Movement. They may still use Items that allow them actions, but only movement is given from the Alien Icon die.

Action Die Movement: When a Crewman is making their Action Die movement, they can move any number of spaces equal to or less than their movement ability as noted on their Crewmen card plus bonuses from Items (most of the time this will be 4 spaces). If they stop to perform an Action of any kind prior to taking all their movement (Recover Debris, Attack, Engineering, etc) their movement ends for the Turn. The movement must be done before or after the Action Die action is used.

Important! Crewmen get 1 Action Die Movement on their turn for EACH Action Die they use. Each time they use an Action Die they may move first and then use the Action die, or use the Action die then move.

Scientific Note: Crewmen may move in either direction through an active Shield since they have Security Badges that allow them to pass freely through the electronic barrier. Crewmen may move through spaces with other Crewmen, but may not end their turn on a space with another Crewmen (except in the Ship).

Special Actions

These Actions may be used by spending any non-Alien Action Die.

Running: A Crewman may use any non-Alien Action Die to run. They may discard the die to move their Movement speed again (a second time) on this turn (along with their Action Die Movement).

Recovering Debris: To recover Debris, a Crewman must be on a space that has one or two Debris Tokens and discards 1 non-Alien Action die to look at one of the Debris Tokens. They may then take that Debris or leave it. They may only hold 1 Debris Token at a time and will carry this Debris until they return it to the ship (Zone 0). Place the Debris Token on their Crewman Card to show they are carrying the Debris.

Standard Actions

These Actions are used as noted below by the symbol on the Action Die used.

Attack: Crewmen that choose this Action Die may make a Ranged or Melee Attack on their turn. See Combat on page 14 for details and examples.

Engineering: Crewmen that choose this Action Die may attempt to Repair a Shield or repair Debris Items returned to the Ship, damaged in the Crash. (See the Crash Salvage Repair Boards for requirements to Repair each Item. Mark the repairs with a Wrench Token).

Repairing the Shields: As the Shields are shattered by the Alien attacks, the Crew will need to raise them again, to do so they must execute the steps below:

1. The Crewman must be on the space adjacent to the Shield Generator they want to Repair.
2. They must use an Engineering Action Die and then roll 2 six-sided dice. For each die that is 3+ they add 1 Shield Token facedown to that Shield Generator.
3. No Shield Generator may ever have more than 5 Shield Tokens on it.

Reload/Recharge: Crewmen that choose this Action Die can restore ONE Weapon's Ammo or ONE Item that is rechargeable back to Maximum Strength. If the Weapon or Item is drained (Token is on the bolt icon) you must roll a d6 to see if the charge works. On a roll of 2-6, the item is successfully Reloaded or Recharged. On a roll of a 1, the item is not charged this time, and the Action lost.

Scout: Crewmen that choose this Action Die can do one of two things:

1. They may use this die on their turn to identify (turn face up) 1 Debris Token in their Sector.
2. If (and only if) no Debris Tokens remain unidentified, you may use this Die to look at the top card on the Alien Troops Deck, and decide to leave it, or put it on the bottom of the deck.

Note: If you identify a piece of Debris with an Alien on it, discard it. Do not draw an Alien Token and no attack occurs.

Wild: Crewmen that choose this Action Die may change it to any Action on that die.

Note: The term Wild is only to identify that it may be turned to any Action on the die after taken, not that it is considered Wild for the rolling of 3 of a kind to gain the Bonus dice. 3 Wild Icons may be used to gain the Bonus Dice.

Alien Dice: Any Alien Dice are lost Actions, representing the speed of the Aliens and reduces the available Actions of the Crew. They add 1 Alien Token to the Sector of your choice when rolled. Alien Actions may be re-rolled after the initial Action dice roll, but become locked after the 2nd roll (first re-roll). Gestation cards may cause this die to bring on extra Alien Tokens, and/or lock permanently.

First Aid: Crewmen that choose this Action Heal 2 Wounds. This may be used to Heal themselves, or another Crewman in the same Sector within 3 spaces. This Action can only be gained on the Bonus Dice.

Playing Crewmen Skill Cards: The Crewmen may play their Skill Cards any time the cards would apply, and this is usually during the Crewman Phase of the game. There is no limit to the number of cards a Crewman can play on their turn, but cards played are not replenished when spent. See Crewmen Cards for more details. Cards with a "Star" Icon can only be played on yourself.

After all Actions are finished, the Crewman Actions Phase ends and the Alien Actions Phase begins.

Phase III: The Alien Actions Phase

1) Alien Troops Card: The First Player draws an Alien Troops Card and resolves each Sector on the card (starting with Sector 1) individually as follows:

Step 1: If the Homing Beacon has been repaired, and a Ship Icon appears on the Alien Troops Card, Advance the Rescue Ship 1 space. Step 2: If a Red Arrow appears in the Sector, all Aliens present Attack (see Combat on page 14 for details). Step 3: If an Alien Icon appears in the Sector, draw and place that number of Tokens in the Sector. Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for Sector 2, then Sector 3, and finally Sector 4.

Aliens do not use the same movement spaces the Crewmen use. They are placed in a Zone of the Sector and always move forward toward Zone 0 (the Ship), attacking any Crewmen in their Zone, or the Zone they advance into.

Note: When using miniatures for Aliens, it is recommended to stack similar Tokens under miniatures or to only place minis on the board after they have advanced from Zone 3. Thematically, this shows the distance of the "Bugs" and helps Crewmen identify the bigger threats, as the miniatures help visualize these closer threats.

Important: If a Crewman is in a Zone with 1 or more Aliens and that Sector does not attack, then the Aliens do not attack him/her. However, if the Aliens are given an attack order, all of them will attack the Crewman in their Zone, or will divide the Attacks equally as possible between multiple targets when more than 1 Crewman is present. It's always the Crews' choice on how multiple Alien Attacks will be divided, and disputes are settled by the Captain (or First Player if no Captain is in play).

Drawing an Event Token: If an Event Token is drawn (a Blue or Red Planet) it does not count as a drawn Alien Token. The Event will be held and resolved in the Planet Phase.

Note: It is a good idea to place the Event Token(s) drawn on the Alien Gestation Board to resolve later.

Placing Alien Tokens: When Alien Tokens are drawn they are placed in their respective starting Zone of the Sector. In most cases this will be Zone 3, the furthest Zone from the Ship. There are two exceptions:

1. Tunnelers are always placed in Zone 1 next to the ship, as they burrow in sand, digging under Shields.
2. Scouts are placed in Zone 3 and will immediately Attack the Shields. If no Shields are present, advance to Zone 2, if a Crewman is present (and Attack), otherwise advance directly to Zone 1 (and Attack).

Alien Token Facing: Place the Alien Token on the board so that the color side will be facing up. When the Alien takes a Wound, the Token will be flipped over to the grey side, and removed when taking another Wound. If the Alien Token has no grey side, it is removed with a single hit.

Note: If using miniatures, face the Miniature toward the Ship, and when taking a Wound, add a Wound Token to the base. Remember that Brutes require 2 hits to flip to grey, and another hit to remove.

Important: Each Sector's Attack Arrow signals that Aliens attack first and then add new Alien Tokens.

2) Aliens Attack: The following Steps are executed for each Alien Token in the attacking Sector:

Step 1: If 1 or more Crewmen are in the Alien's Zone, the players choose 1 and the Alien makes a Melee Attack against that Crewman. Once resolved, that Alien Token's Attack is over. Skip Steps 2 and 3. If no Crewmen are in the Alien's Zone, go to Step 2.

Step 2: If an Alien is in Zone 3 and a Shield is up (1 or more Shield Tokens on the Shield Generator), the Alien must Attack the Shields and bring them down before they can enter Zone 2. To do this, (based on the Order of Battle), they will make an Attack, rolling the number of dice indicated on the Dice Icon of their Token. If no Shield Tokens are present, or the Alien is outside of Zone 3, proceed to Step 3.

Step 2 continued: Roll all of the Aliens Attack Dice and compare the highest Attack die rolled to the top Shield Token.

• If the highest Die is equal to or greater than the Shield Value, the Shield is shattered and discarded.
• If the highest Die is less than the Shield Value, the Alien suffers a Wound and the Shield remains intact.
• If the top Shield is shattered by the highest die, a new Shield is turned up (if any exist) and the next highest die is compared to the new Shield number.
• This process is repeated until all of this Aliens Attack Dice have been compared to the Shields, or all Shields have shattered.
• Once all dice have been compared, this Alien Token's turn is over. Do not perform Step 3.

Step 3: If an Alien Token did NOT perform Step 1 or 2, then they will Advance 1 Zone toward the ship. If a Crewman is in their newly entered Zone the Alien performs Step 1. If no Crewmen are in that Alien Token's new Zone, the Attack is over.

Important: The Aliens with Attack orders may not advance from Zone 3 into Zone 2 while the Shield in that Sector is active (has Tokens). They must destroy it first and this may take several Aliens charging into the Shields. Brutes and Champions have the greatest success at shattering Shields.

Example: 2 Slashers are in Zone 3, Sector 1. An Attack order was given on the Alien Troops Card. There are no Crewmen in this Zone, so the first Slasher goes to Step 2 and rolls 2 dice getting a 5 and a 4. There are 2 Shield Tokens on the Shield Generator. The first Shield Token is flipped and is a 4. The Slashers "5" shatters this Shield, and the 2nd Shield Token is flipped. It's a 4. The Slasher's 2nd attack die shatters the second Shield as well. His turn is done. Slasher #2 proceeds right to Step 3 (since there are no Crewmen present or Shield Tokens) and advances to Zone 2. A Crewman is in the Slashers new Zone, so he gets to perform Step 1, Attacking the Crewman with 2 dice.

Alien Melee Attacks: When attacking a Crewman, an Alien's Melee die number (Red Die Icon) indicates how many dice they roll AND how many attacks they make! See Combat on page 14.

Example: A Brute would roll 4 dice in Melee Combat, and could inflict Wounds on all 4 dice! (if all 4 of the Alien's dice were higher than the defending Crewmans highest die). There is an Order of Battle for the Aliens to attack. Use it to activate each Alien in the Sector, starting in the outer most Zone (Zone 3) and moving inward. Each Alien, using the Order of Battle, will perform the steps above.

Order of Battle:

• Archers Fire (Attack) but never advance. If no targets are present, they attack the ship!
• Brutes Attack or Advance & Attack
• Champions Attack or Advance & Attack
• Scouts Attack or Advance 2 Zones if no target appears in the 1st they enter and Attack
• Slashers Attack or Advance & Attack
• Scavengers steal 1 Debris if available. If not, they Attack a Crewman (never a Shield) or Advance
• Tunnelers are placed in Zone 1 when drawn and Attack. They will Attack or Advance & Attack in future Turns.

Multiple Targets: The Crewmen decide who gets attacked when the Aliens can target more than 1 of them. This is one advantage the Crew has (to spread the damage as opposed to allowing the Aliens to choose the weakest).

Ship Overrun by Aliens: If 1 or more Aliens move from Zone 1 to Zone 0 (inside the Ship) perform the steps below for each Alien that enters the ship:

Step 1: Advance the Alien Gestation Marker 1 space on the Alien Gestation Board. This may cause a Gestation. Step 2: If a Gestation occurs, immediately refill the Alien and Event Tokens into the Draw Bag. Do not wait for the Planet Phase to resolve. Step 3: Attack a Crewman. If no Crewman is present to Attack, the advancing Alien destroys the ship! The players lose!

Aliens in Ship: If an Alien (or Aliens) ends their move in the Ship, they will automatically attack a member of the Crew every turn until defeated. Each Time an Alien attacks in the ship, perform steps 1, 2, and 3.

Alien Archers Attacking the Ship: An Alien Archer that is given an Attack order in a Sector where the Shields are down (and no Crew targets are in the Sector), will fire at the Ship. They must roll a 5 or 6 to hit the ship. Each 5 or 6 results in advancing the Gestation Marker 1 space on the track. This may cause a Gestation!

After resolving all Alien Attacks, the Alien Phase is over. Advance to the Planet Phase.

Phase IV: The Planet Phase

The Crewmen perform the following actions:

1) Resolve Event Tokens: If any Event Tokens were drawn during the course of the Turn, these Tokens are now resolved.

• If the Event Token has a Ship image on it, advance the Rescue Ship 1 space on the Rescue Track.
• If the Event Token has an Egg on it, advance the Alien Gestation Marker the number of spaces as identified on the Event Token.
• If the Homing Beacon Repair Board has a Homing Amplifier on it, advance the rescue ship 1 space.

2) Check for Gestation: If the Alien Gestation marker advanced onto the last egg on the board (or past), a Gestation occurs and perform the following steps. If that has not occurred, skip to 3.

Step 1: If Gestation Cards remain, draw the top card.

• Perform the steps on the Gestation card.
• Each Crewman draws 1 of their Skill Cards.
• Refill the Alien Draw bag with all Events that have been activated to date (the Blue, plus any Red that the Gestation Cards may have added) as well as any defeated Aliens. Gestation Cards are Ongoing Effects for the Aliens that occur each turn, unless otherwise noted.

Step 2: If a Gestation card is to be drawn but none remain, the game ends immediately as the Alien onslaught becomes so emboldened that the ship is overrun. The players lose!

Note: It is possible to have multiple Gestations in this phase, as the track "wraps" back to start!

3) Pass the First Player Token: The First Player Token is passed to the next Crewman in the game. That Crewman will be the First Player for the next turn.

4) Ghost Reappears: If the Ghost Armor was active, Allie Blade becomes visible, flip her Crewman token back to face up.

End of the Game

The game ends if one of the following conditions has occurred at the end of Phase IV.

1. Gestation with no Remaining Cards: If the Crew is to draw a Gestation Card and no cards remain, the game ends as "Bugs" swarm over the ship, devouring the crew and tearing the wreckage to shreds. The Players lose the game!

2. Rescue Ship Arrives: The Rescue Ship advances onto the Rescued space on the track. When this occurs, the "Bugs" scatter and the Crew is rescued. The Players win the game!

3. Ship Repaired - Lift Off: The ship is repaired and powered with everyone on (in Zone 0) and no Aliens on board. The Crew moves into the ship ahead of the charging Aliens as the ship lurches from the sand, hovers momentarily and then streaks into the sky. The Players win the game!

4. Aliens Enter the Unmanned Ship: If the ship is ever unoccupied (no Crewmen), and an Alien is present (or enters), the ship explodes! The Players lose the game!

Combat

There are 2 types of Combat in the game, Ranged Attacks and Melee Attacks. Most of the time Crewmen will be attacking using Ranged Attacks and Melee Attacks will be initiated by the Aliens. The Crewmen require an Attack Action die (or a Wild) to make an Attack. Aliens will Attack if an Alien Troops Card gives them an Attack Order (Red Arrow) in a Zone that targets are in, (or one they moved into). See page 12 for details of Alien Attacks. The types of Attacks are:

Ranged Attack: Items identify the number required (Range) to hit the target when making a Ranged Attack. A Crewman's location on the board identifies the Sectors that they can see (Numbers in their hex also known as Line of Sight - LOS). You may only attack Aliens in Sectors that you can see.

To Hit Numbers: Close Range / Medium Range / Long Range

Ranged Combat Resolution: Ranged Attacks require Ranged Weapons that have a To Hit Section on the top showing Range from Close Range (Same Zone) to Medium Range (1 Zone Away) to Long Range (2 Zones Away).

• Crewmen may shoot out through the Shields, but not in past active ones.
• Crewmen may shoot into any Sector their location identifies as a Legal (Line of Sight). Your current hex will show LOS.
• Corners do not effect Zones when determining range.

Example of Blaster Attack: The Crewman has a Blaster and wants to shoot at an Alien 1 Zone away from his location. The To Hit Number is the second number above the Blaster (4) at this Range. He expends 1 Ammo by sliding down the Ammo Marker 1 space and rolls 2 Six-Sided Dice with this Weapon as noted on the Ranged Attack notes of the card. Each 4 or better does 1 Wound to the target. He rolls the dice and gets a 5 and a 3, scoring 1 hit.

Ammo/Energy: Expend 1 Ammo for each shot from a Blaster. Some weapons enable the Crewman to spend more than 1 Ammo/Energy on an attack, either because the weapon is an automatic weapon that fires multiple bullets, or because the weapons provides a modifier to the Attack when expending additional Energy. Each Weapon clearly defines if more than 1 Ammo/Energy may be used on an attack, and the value of using additional Ammo/Energy. Melee Attacks generally do not require Ammo/Energy unless noted. Sort of like using the Weapon as a club, as a last resort...

Melee Combat Attack: Most of the time Melee Attacks will be initiated by the Aliens, but Crewmen can initiate a Melee Combat Attack if they wish. To do so, they must be in the same Zone as the Alien they wish to Attack and move the Alien Token over to their space to represent they are engaged in Melee Combat. The below rules apply to the resolution of Melee Combat regardless of which side initiates the Attack:

• Attacking Crewman will roll Blue dice based on the Melee Attack for Weapons and Items they use.
• Defending Crewmen will use their Defense Skill (usually 1 Blue die) and any Defensive Items used.
• Aliens will roll Red dice equal to the number shown on their Token (Dice Icon) when Attacking or Defending.
• Roll all dice together and proceed to Melee Combat Resolution.

Melee Combat Resolution: Melee Combat is resolved the same way regardless of who the Attacker is. The Attacker rolls all the dice together (Blue and Red) and pairs all of their Attack Dice against the Defenders single highest die. The Defender never causes the Attacker damage (unless using a Skill or Skill Card to do so).

Damage: For each of the Attacker's dice that are greater than the Defender's highest die, the Defender suffers 1 Wound. Ties (or a Defender die that is higher) are considered a parry and no damage is dealt to either side.

Example of a Crewmen Melee Attack: The Captain is attacking a Slasher and has a Laser Sword and a Blaster. He uses the Blaster to give him 1 die (its Melee ability, so no Energy used), and activates his Laser Sword by expending 1 Energy to get a 2nd die and a bonus +1 to all his Melee Dice rolled this turn. The Captain will roll 2 dice in combat and add 1 to his dice result. The Captain rolls 2 Blue dice (for himself) and 2 Red dice (for the Slasher). The Slasher rolls a 5 and a 3. The Captain rolls a 6 and a 3. With a +1 added to each of his dice, the Captains dice are 7 and 4, so his first Attack is a hit, but his second Attack is not enough to Wound the Slasher a second time, since only the Slashers highest die is used for his Defense (7 vs. 5 = hit, 4 vs. 5 = miss).

Example of an Alien Melee Attack: A Brute is attacking the Pilot. She has a base Defense of 1 die and chooses to use her Laser Pistol, giving her 1 extra Melee die. The Brute's Melee Icon is a 4, so he gets 4 Melee dice. The dice are rolled, and the Red dice (Alien Brute) are 4,4,3,1 while the Blue dice (Pilot) are 3 and 1. The Pilot suffers 2 Wounds but parries the other two Attacks. (4 vs. 3 = hit, 4 vs. 3 = hit, 3 vs. 3 = parry and 1 vs. 3 = parry) The Pilot must take the damage, as she has no Armor, but may use her Med Kit next turn to Heal herself.

Breaking from Melee Combat: If a Crewman was in Melee Combat on their last turn, they may break from Combat and move with a -1 penalty to their Movement on this turn. They do not have to remain in Melee Combat with the Alien.

Cover and Combat: There are 3 types of spaces on the board - Grey (Open), Red (Light Cover) and the Ship Hex (Heavy Cover). When Aliens are Attacking a Crewman that is on one of these spaces, (whether Ranged Attack from Archers, or Melee Attacks) the cover provides some benefit to the Crewman as follows:

• Grey Hex: Provides no Defensive Advantage
• Red Hex: May force 1 Alien Attack die to be re-rolled
• Ship Hex: May force 2 Alien Attack dice to be re-rolled

Wounds: All Wounds that are suffered by Crewmen in Combat are marked off by sliding the Wound Marker down (1 space for each) on the Wound Track of their Crewman Card. Armor, while it lasts, will be used to absorb Wounds and will be destroyed when reduced to Zero. Alien Wounds are tracked by flipping the Alien Token over so the Tokens grey side is exposed. If there is no grey side, or an Alien Token is already on its grey side and Wounded again, the Token is removed. When a Crewman's Wound Marker falls below the Red Arrow on their Crewman Card, they are Mortally Wounded, and may never Heal above that Red Arrow.

Crewman Reduced to Zero Health: If a Crewman is reduced to Zero Health, they are not dead - just severely injured (let's face it, they are the heroes of this science fiction tale). The following steps are followed:

1. Drop carried Debris (if any) on the space injured.
2. Place this Crewman in the Ship (Zone 0).
3. Discard all their Skill Cards. Restore Health to 4.
4. Draw 1 new Crewmen Skill Card (for this player only).
5. Draw 1 Alien Gestation Card and execute it per normal rules. Refill the Alien Draw Bag, but do not change the Alien Gestation Board. This may trigger end game!

Optional Rules

Any of the following rules may be used by Players to best craft the game as needed.

• Change the mix of Gestation Cards (Green are easy, Blue medium, and Red are hard)
• Add or reduce the size of the Gestation Deck
• Add or Ignore Cover and Combat and/or Breaking from Melee Combat rules
• Use the harder Alien Gestation Board
• Use the Blue Attack Arrows on the Alien Troops Cards

Don't like Optional Rules to adjust your game? Try a Scenario!

Scenarios

We have included 5 Scenarios with this game. Scenarios are provided to give variety to each game, and to add new challenges. Each Scenario will tell a story and any different setup options or special rules. More Scenarios will be available in the future.