Andromeda's Edge: Genesis Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Unity Evolved: Hard Solo Mode
• Exotech Cards
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
• New Raiders
  • The Cosmic Frog (B-Class)
  • The Cube (C-Class)
• Commandeering Raiders
• Raider Abilities While Commandeered
• New Factions
  • Precog Hybrids
  • Martian Terraformers
  • Wood Whisperers
• New Development Cards
• New Event Deck
  • Persistence of Memory
• New Alliance Base
  • Innovation Hub
• New Special Regions
  • Corrupted Stars
  • Corrupted Stars Scoring
  • Shrines
  • Launching to a Shrine
  • Shrines Scoring
  • The Cosmic Swamp

Components

• 24 Exotech Cards
• 3 Faction Cards
• 10 Persistence of Memory Event Cards
• 15 Development Ability Cards
• 2 Raider Cards
• 2 Raider Standees
• 5 Leaders (1 of each player color). Use only when playing with Shrines.
• 5 Habs (Martian Terraformers faction pieces) [PROTOTYPE]
• 3 Faction Ship Upgrade Tiles
• 5 Deluxe Control Locks (for use with minis) [PROTOTYPE]
• 5 Punchboard Control Locks (for use with standees)
• 2 Corrupted Stars (region tiles)
• 6 Shrines (half regions)
• 1 Innovation Hub Alliance Base
• 1 Cosmic Swamp (Nethervoid on reverse side)
• 2 Vortexes/Quasars (front/back, re-release of existing content)

Unity Evolved: Hard Solo Mode

Now that you have access to powerful exotech cards, and can plan strategies around the Shrines and Corrupted Stars, you might think Unity would be easy to defeat. But you would be wrong. When using any of the Genesis expansion options, it is suggested that you make the following adjustment after setting up a game with Unity:

• Advance each of Unity's progress track markers 1 space. Unity gains any appropriate rewards for the positions of their markers. Advance the event track marker normally if any such icons are reached.

Note: All Genesis content is designed to work in solo games against Unity. Everything you need to play solo is included in the Escalation expansion, sold separately.

Exotech Cards

Looters and salvagers covet the bizarre exotech that is found within the hulls and husks of raiders. Exotech cards may be used in any game of Andromeda's Edge, and they are strongly recommended to be used in any game that includes other Genesis components.

Setup

Shuffle the deck of exotech cards and place it face down beside the tactics cards. Exotech cards use their own separate discard pile.

• Exotech cards are kept in your hand of tactics cards, and count toward your hand size limit.
• Exotech cards are considered to be tactics cards while in your hand and when played, and may be spent or discarded whenever tactics cards could be. They are also counted when determining vault bonuses.
• Exotech cards may be played as a free action at the time indicated on the card.
• Permanent exotech cards remain in play for the duration of the game. Once played, they are not considered to be in your hand, and cannot be spent or discarded.
• When the exotech deck is empty, shuffle the exotech discard pile to create a new deck.
• Special abilities that affect the tactics card deck or tactics card discard pile cannot affect the exotech deck nor discard pile.
• If an effect would allow you to draw an exotech card, and you are not using exotech cards in your game, or none remain, draw a tactics card instead.

Gameplay

Defeating raiders allows you to gain exotech cards! Whenever you defeat a raider in battle, you may forgo the depicted raider reward to draw 1 exotech card instead.

Some exotech cards have permanent effects when played.

• Unity: If Unity would draw an exotech card, they draw 1 tactics card instead.

New Raiders

Two new raiders are available for you to choose in your games of Andromeda's Edge.

The Cosmic Frog (B-Class)

Emerging from the swirling, fetid maelstrom known as the Cosmic Swamp, this raider leaps forth from planet to planet, insatiably engulfing. This B-class raider comes into play with 4 modules on it that represent devoured worlds. When a player defeats it in battle, they take 1 of the modules as a reward. In addition, while the Cosmic Frog has a range of 2, it never strikes when the active region is adjacent to it. It will only strike if the active region is 2 spaces away. The Cosmic Frog may be used with or without the new Cosmic Swamp special region. See Special Regions.

The Cube (C-Class)

Composed of neatly arranged fragments of modular debris, The Cube annihilates anything that interferes with its purpose of perfect symmetry. This powerful C-class raider uniquely does not roll dice. Instead, it uses the same set of dice values in every battle. It is highly recommended that you use exotech cards in any game that includes the Cube, as their raider reward makes use of the exotech deck.

Commandeering Raiders

Exotech cards and other special abilities in Genesis allow you to commandeer raiders, bending them to your will. When you commandeer a raider, immediately move the standee to your Launch Bay. It is now under your control. Attach your control lock to the base of the raider standee. Put the card of the commandeered raider beside your station mat. Any damage markers on the raider's shield icons remain on the card.

You may not commandeer a raider if you already have a commandeered raider under your control.

• While under your control, a commandeered raider counts as your ship, and not as a raider. Commandeered raiders do not strike. Like your other ships, you may use it to launch, battle, and activate a module when you Return to Station.
• The commandeered raider maintains its attributes such as range, targeting bonus, weapons, and shields. In battle, you are still limited to using only your 6 player dice. Commandeered raiders do not use raider dice.
• All commandeered raiders have the voyage ability, so they may launch to the nebula.
• Some raider abilities function differently when commandeered. See Raider Abilities While Commandeered.
• Commandeered raiders can take damage and can be repaired. Unlike raiders, they may be placed in the Scrapyard when they suffer damage in excess of what their shields can sustain. Damage alone does not cause you to lose control of a commandeered raider.
• When you return a commandeered raider to your Launch Bay, you remove any damage markers from its shields.
• A commandeered raider stays under your control until you lose a battle in which it participated.
• Events cannot cause a player to lose control of a commandeered raider.
• When a player wins a battle against an opponent's commandeered raider, they gain the raider reward (or an exotech card, if they are being used) from the commandeered raider. However, if another raider was present in the battle, the winning player must choose only 1 of the 2 raider rewards. A player may only gain a maximum of 1 raider reward per battle.
• When a commandeered raider has been defeated, remove any damage markers from its shields and remove the control lock from its base. It is now a raider, no longer under any player's control. It now follows standard raider rules. Put the standee in a random nebula. Resolve any "comes into play" effects indicated on the raider card.

Unity: Unity does not commandeer raiders.

Raider Abilities While Commandeered

Cosmic Frog: If the commandeered Cosmic Frog ever takes damage as a result of anything other than losing a battle, move it to the Scrapyard. If a player opponent defeats the Cosmic Frog in battle, they may choose one of the modules from the frog normally. After the commandeered Cosmic Frog has been defeated in battle, discard any remaining modules from its card, and draw a new set of 4. Return the Cosmic Frog to the region where it normally begins. Hop: The Cosmic Frog cannot join battles within range 1, only battles exactly 2 regions away.

Perilon Rifler: Ignore the Devastating Strike ability. Instead, when your commandeered Perilon Rifler joins a battle, increase this ship's targeting by 2.

Saucerian Abductor: When you commandeer the Saucerian Abductor, immediately get your leaders from its card. Other leaders remain on the card.

Hornets: The Swarm ability has no effect on a commandeered S-class raider. You may use the Hornet Sting ability, but if you do, your commandeering effect ceases, and the Hornet becomes a raider again.

Slashers and Vorticon Strikers: The Swarm ability has no effect on a commandeered S-class raider.

Ancient Brain: Ignore the Omniscience ability, instead, as long as the Ancient Brain is commandeered, it has infinite range.

Chupa Vampra: As long as you control the Chupa Vampra, and they are in any region of the board, your opponents suffer from the effect of the Energy Drain ability. You do not suffer from this effect.

Korrugan Smugglers: As long as you control the Korrugon Smugglers, and they are in any region of the board, you benefit from the Smuggled Components ability. Your opponents do not benefit from this effect.

Galactic Kraken: As long as you control the Galactic Kraken, the Tentacles ability does not affect your ships. It will, however, affect raiders and your opponents' ships, though only one kind of raider may occupy any region (excluding commandeered raiders).

Ice Pirates: As long as you control the Ice Pirates, the Freeze ability does not affect your ships. It will, however, prevent raiders and your opponents' ships from joining battles during escalation.

The Cube: When your commandeered Cube is in battle, you must use the Predictable ability. You do not roll dice, and you ignore targeting, even if you have other ships in the battle. You may use cards such as Perfect Shot to give additional dice results, but you may not use any abilities that would reroll your dice.

Void Drake: Ignore the Shadow Warp ability. Instead, when your commandeered Void Drake joins a battle, each opponent, including the raiders, must move 1 of their ships from the active region to the Nethervoid.

Hive: When you commandeer the Hive, do not return any Hornets from the supply to the Hive. If the commandeered Hive ever takes damage as a result of anything other than losing a battle, move it to the Scrapyard. If the commandeered Hive is defeated in battle by a player, they may take 1 Hornet from the Hive normally. After the Hive has been defeated in battle, return any Hornets from the Supply to the Hive and put the Hive on the Monolith of the Ancients.

Ion Storm: Ignore the Ionic Disruption ability. Instead, when your commandeered Ion Storm joins a battle, each opponent (excluding raiders) must damage 1 of their ships in the active region.

Mortality Sphere: As long as you control the Mortality Sphere, the Barrage ability only affects your opponents. It has no effect on raiders.

New Factions

Called to the Edge by inevitable fate, 3 new factions are available for players to choose from.

Precog Hybrids

From their synthetic-organic neural baths, the Precog Hybrids see all that is, or ever was, or ever will be.

• They are a faction that is focused on events and can make use of exotech cards.

Martian Terraformers

A lost expedition of planetary engineers from another galaxy, these Martians know how to transform lifeless planets.

• This faction uses 5 Habs: a new component included with this expansion. Habs are used to mark planets that have been terraformed.

Wood Whisperers

Brought to the stars using technology they barely understood, these druids seek the source of the corruption that plagues many worlds.

• This faction features a new way to use damage markers after they are removed using repair actions.

New Development Cards

Advances in planetary engineering have made it possible to build developments with different abilities. Genesis includes 15 new development cards, 3 for each development type. These are simply added to your supply of development cards. These new cards are the same as the originals, except each has a new one-time ability. When you build a development, select your development card from any of the cards matching the development you constructed. You may choose the original development card or 1 of the new cards. Developments are component limited. There can never be more than 3 of a given type in the game.

Some new development cards have abilities that allow you to select and gain components from the box.

• Unity: Unity never takes any of the new development cards. When Unity develops, they simply take 1 of the original development cards of the appropriate type.

New Event Deck

Persistence of Memory

A new age has begun, a time of lasting change informed by the words of prophets.

During setup, you may choose to use the Persistence of Memory event deck instead of other event decks. These event cards feature persistent effects that last until the next event is resolved. Keep the event card face up beside the board to remind all players of the persistent effect. When you reveal the next event, the previous effect immediately ends. Place the new event card on top of the previous one.

New Alliance Base

Innovation Hub

A locus of cutting-edge research, the Innovation Hub is a safe haven from Unity for brilliant academics and engineers.

Setup: The Innovation Hub is an optional new Alliance Base. During game setup, you may leave the Shipyard tile in the box and use the Innovation Hub instead. Shuffle the Innovation Hub in with the starting tiles that are placed on the board. As with any other Alliance Base, during player setup, each player places 1 of their leaders on the Innovation Hub.

Gameplay: When you launch to the Innovation Hub, choose 1 of its actions to perform.

• Draw 1 exotech card.
• Spend 1 resource of any kind to perform 2 repairs.
• Spend 1 credit and 1 resource of any kind to gain 1 upgrade.

Note: Whenever the Shipyard is referred to by any game effect or ability, use the Innovation Hub instead. For example, if a raider would begin on the Shipyard, it begins on the Innovation Hub.

New Special Regions

Corrupted Stars

The same dark corruption that flows in the veins of raiders has engulfed entire stars on the Edge. Restore these stars by scraping away the corruption and revealing the light beneath!

Corrupted Stars are a new kind of special region, like the Quasars and Vortexes. While corrupted, they decrease the value of adjacent developments. Once restored, adjacent developments become very valuable.

Setup: Prior to setting up the starting region tiles, take the Corrupted Star tiles and turn them corrupted side up. Place them on the board spaces with the matching icons [two region icons, not reproduced]. Then place all other starting tiles normally, skipping over the special regions. Place the same number of planets and Alliance Bases you would normally.

Put 3 damage markers on the left Corrupted Star. If you are playing a solo or 2-player game, put 2 damage markers on the right Corrupted Star. Otherwise, put 4 damage markers on the right Corrupted Star.

Raiders: Like Vortexes and Quasars, a new Raider that would begin on a random nebula instead begins on the corresponding Corrupted Star.

Action: When you launch to a Corrupted Star, spend 1 energy to advance on a progress track of your choice and remove 1 damage marker from the region.

Note: Damage markers may only be removed from a Corrupted Star by performing the action depicted on the Corrupted Star [repair region icon]. Repair actions from other game effects or abilities may not be used for this purpose.

Restoration Complete: When no damage markers remain on a Corrupted Star, it is fully restored. Follow these steps:

1. Damage: Each player chooses 1 of their ships within range 1 of the Corrupted Star, if any, and damages it.
2. Shockwave: The active player moves all ships, leaders, and any other game components from the Corrupted Star to adjacent regions of their choice. Flip the region over to its restored side.
3. Restored Star: Ships, including raiders, may no longer enter, or move into or through, a Restored Star. As a result, on a turn when the restoration of a star is complete, raiders will not strike, and no battle will occur. New raiders, however, may still begin on the Restored Stars.

Unity: When a Unity ship launches to a Corrupted Star, remove 1 damage marker from it. Instead of advancing on a track, Unity advances their command wheel as if they had launched to an Alliance Base. Advance Unity's Command marker 1 space on the Command Wheel. When a shockwave occurs, move the Unity probe along with other game components to an adjacent region of your choice.

Setup diagram labels: place damage markers here; restoration effect; -2 VP for each adjacent development (Corrupted Star). No ships can launch here; 5 VP for each adjacent development (Restored Star).

Corrupted Stars Scoring

Restored Stars: At the end of the game, after development scoring, each player then gains the indicated VP for each development they have adjacent to Restored Star. A development adjacent to 2 Restored Stars receives both bonuses.

Corrupted Stars: Corrupted Stars confer a VP penalty on adjacent developments instead of a VP bonus at the end of the game. (-2)

Corrupted Star Scoring Example: At the end of the game, the corrupted star on the left, Sia, was restored, but the other, Ceti Alpha, was not.

• A: The yellow player has an observatory and a city adjacent to Sia Restored, so they receive 4 VP for the positions of each of these developments, for a total of 8 extra VP.
• B: The blue player has a factory that is adjacent to both Sia Restored and Ceti Alpha Corrupted. They receive 4 VP for being adjacent to Sia Restored, but lose 2 VP for being adjacent to Ceti Alpha Corrupted. As a result, they receive a total of 2 VP for the position of their factory.
• C: The green player has an obelisk adjacent to Ceti Alpha Corrupted, so they will lose 2 VP.

Shrines

Lost for ages in lifeless and broken asteroid fields, lie the ancient Shrines. Restoring a Shrine causes a powerful shockwave, but comes with a great reward.

During the game, while face-up, Shrines are considered to be regions that may be launched to. They are not planetary regions, nor alliance bases. When a player launches to a Shrine, they perform the Shrine action.

Setup: After setting up the region tiles, randomly draw Shrine half tiles. For a 2-player or solo game use 2 Shrine tiles. Place them on the upper left and upper right 1/2 region spaces of the board. For a game of 3 or more players, use 4 shrine tiles. Place them on each of the 1/2 region spaces of the board. Turn the Shrines face-up, so that the action is revealed.

Additional Leaders: Included in this expansion is 1 additional leader per player. These are intended to be used only in games that include the Shrines. Each player places their additional leader in the leader's area of their station.

Cosmic Debris Setup Variant: This variant uses all six Shrine tiles, and cannot be used with the Nethervoid. Prior to setting up the region tiles, draw 2 random Shrine tiles and place them side by side on the space depicting the [icon]. Turn them face-up. For all purposes during the game, these 2 Shrines in the middle of the board count as 2 different adjacent regions. After setting up the region tiles, set up the remaining 4 Shrines as described above.

Unity: If Unity launches to a Shrine, they perform the Shrine action, but do not pay a resource cost to do so. If the Shrine offers a progress track choice, Unity will choose the track on which their marker is at the highest number that does not already have their leader on it. Unity cannot launch to a Shrine if they cannot perform the depicted action. When a shockwave occurs, move the Unity probe along with other game components to an adjacent region of your choice.

Launching to a Shrine

Follow these steps when launching:

1. Pay Cost: Spend the resources depicted on the tile.
2. Damage: Each player chooses 1 of their ships within range 1 of the Shrine, if any, and damages it.
3. Shockwave: The active player moves all ships, leaders, and any other game components from the Shrine to adjacent regions of their choice.
4. Advance: Move your marker up 1 space on the depicted progress track.
5. Enshrine Leader: Take 1 leader from your station and place it on the same numbered space as your progress track marker. This leader remains on that numbered space for the remainder of the game.
6. Flip: Flip the Shrine over to its restored side.

Restoring to a Shrine Example:

1. Pay Cost: The yellow player launches their transport to the commerce Shrine. They spend 1 credit and 1 titanium.
2. Damage: The yellow player chooses to damage their heavy cruiser in an adjacent region, and not their transport on the Shrine. They put a damage marker on their heavy cruiser's shield icon. The blue player has 2 transports in an adjacent region. They move 1 of them to the scrapyard.
3. Shockwave: The yellow player moves their transport into the adjacent trade hub.
4. Advance: The yellow player advances their marker on the commerce track to the next space, moving from 9 to 10.
5. Enshrine Leader: They take a leader from their station and put it on the 10 space of the commerce track.
6. Flip: They flip the Shrine tile to its restored side.

Scoring: Yellow player's leader on the commerce track will earn them 10 additional VP at the end of the game during final scoring.

Restored Shrine: Ships, including raiders, may no longer enter, or move into or through, a restored Shrine. When a player restores a Shine [sic], no raiders strike and no battle occurs, because no ships can enter the restored Shrine region.

Leaders on Progress Tracks: A single player may never have two leaders on the same Progress Track. Once placed on a track, a leader cannot be recruited or moved. At the end of the game, when scoring Progress tracks, each player also scores VP for the positions of each of their leaders on Progress Tracks.

Shrines Scoring

Restored Shrines: At the end of the game, after development scoring, each player then gains the indicated VP for each development they have adjacent to each restored Shrine. A development adjacent to 2 restored Shrines receives both bonuses.

Unrestored Shrines: Shrines that have not been restored provide no end of game bonuses.

Restored Shrine diagram: no ship can deploy here; 3 VP for each adjacent development.

The Cosmic Swamp

Oozing out of the nebula on the edge of the galaxy is a horrid, galactic mire, littered with the regurgitated remnants of devoured worlds.

Setup: Prior to setting up the starting region tiles, place the Cosmic Swamp on the board space designated for the Nethervoid. You may choose the Cosmic Frog as your B-class raider, but this is not required.

Swamp Lurker Variant: During setup, you may choose to have the Cosmic Frog begin on the Cosmic Swamp. This variant will likely cause far more conflict.

Gameplay: The Cosmic Swamp Action: When you launch a ship to the Cosmic Swamp, roll battle dice for the ship you launched. This is not a battle. However, you may use energy and adjacent developments to roll additional dice, and you may use tactics cards or other abilities to affect your roll. Choose 1 of the rolled dice as your result. You do not need to choose your highest result. Gain the benefit matching the number on the chosen rolled die.

The Cosmic Swamp tile's six spaces, as printed, are: 1 Flip 1 development card face up; 2 Draw 2 exotech cards; 3 Claim 1 nebula moon; 4 Select and gain 1 discovery token from the box; 5 Select and gain 1 faction upgrade from the box; 6 Select and gain 1 supremacy token from the box.

Unity: When Unity launches to the Cosmic Swamp, they ignore the action of the region, and instead advance their command wheel as if they had launched to an Alliance Base.