Arkade
Arkade Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Quick Start
(Printed on page 1 of the rulebook as "So wird gespielt".)
- Switch the machine on and insert a coin.
- Select the game mode.
- Add a second person and press the start button.
Components
- 1 double-sided game board: classic board side and board side for experts
- 12 (flying) saucers
- 2 saucer flight dice
- 1 spaceship
- 1 spaceship flight die
- 1 shot die
- 12 Defence bonus chips (back side and front side)
- 12 Alien bonus chips (back side and front side)
- 11 boosters
Goal
The Alien has a different goal from the Defence; the two sides compete against each other. The Alien tries to bring a saucer to the last row of the board, while the Defence must destroy all of the saucers.
Arkade can be played in two different modes: the Strategy Mode is a turn-based tactical variant, and the Arcade Mode is a short, fast simultaneous game.
Setup for Both Modes
Take the components out of the game box.
The Alien and the Defence sit opposite each other. Place the game board in the box, and place the box in the middle of the table, each side with its own playing area in front of it.
The Alien:
Place the 12 saucers with the heart side facing down on the board spaces of the first two rows. Depending on the desired difficulty, there are two possible starting formations for the saucers:
- Fig. 1 (colour-offset): the starting formation shown in Fig. 1, with the colours offset from one another (first row marked).
- Fig. 2 (colour pairs): the simplified starting formation shown in Fig. 2, with the saucers placed in colour pairs (first row marked).
Place the two saucer flight dice ready.
- Strategy Mode: Shuffle all Alien bonus chips, draw 6 of them at random and place them face down next to the game box. The other 6 are returned to the box without looking at them.
- Arcade Mode: The 12 Alien bonus chips are not needed and are returned to the box.
The Defence:
Place the spaceship on space 1 of the defence line.
Depending on the desired difficulty (in brackets), the Defence receives at the start the following number of boosters: 4 (high), 6 (normal) or 8 (low). Any remaining boosters are set aside for now.
Place the spaceship flight die and the shot die ready.
- Strategy Mode: Shuffle all Defence bonus chips, draw 6 of them at random (2 of each colour) and place them face down next to the game box. The other 6 are returned to the box without looking at them.
- Arcade Mode: The 12 Defence bonus chips are not needed and are returned to the box.
Strategy Mode
Gameplay
The Alien and the Defence take turns, and the Alien begins.
The Alien:
Roll both flight dice. You may re-roll one or both dice up to 2 times (at most 3 rolls in total). Only the result of your last roll counts, and it allows you to move your saucers by a total of 0 to 2 spaces.
A saucer may fly to an adjacent space sideways or in the direction of the Defence, if the colour of the target space and the colour of the flight die match.
The numbered arrows in the diagram:
- no backward flight
- not rolled blue twice
- no flying over a saucer
- no diagonal flight
Note: A saucer cannot fly diagonally or backwards, fly over other saucers, or head for occupied spaces.
You may let 2 saucers each fly 1 space, or 1 saucer fly 2 spaces (1 space per flight die), or forgo the flight wholly or partly.
Alien bonus spaces are board spaces outlined in one of the 3 saucer colours. If a saucer lands at the end of its flight on a bonus space of a matching colour, you may turn over one random one of your still face-down bonus chips (if any) and immediately apply its effect (see page 7). If you cannot do so, the effect fizzles without result and the bonus chip is removed from the game. Each saucer may trigger several bonuses during the course of the game.
The Defence:
On your turn, roll the flight die and the shot die at the same time. You may re-roll one or both dice up to 2 times (at most 3 rolls in total). Only the result of your last roll counts, and it allows you, in any order, one spaceship flight and one shot.
On the defence line you may move your spaceship to the space with the rolled number, or leave it where it is.
At any time during your turn you may use one or more boosters. Each booster allows you to move your spaceship 1 space sideways along the defence line. The booster(s) used are removed from the game.
In your spaceship's column you may shoot at the flying saucer nearest to you, if its colour matches the shot die colour. If you hit a saucer with a visible heart, it is turned over (and its shield is now deactivated). A hit saucer without a heart is destroyed and set aside.
As soon as you have destroyed 2 saucers of the same colour, you turn over one of your still unused bonus chips of that colour, immediately apply its effect (see page 6), and remove the chip from the game.
End of the Game
The Defence wins the game when it has destroyed all of the saucers.
The Alien wins when a saucer has reached the last row of the board.
Arcade Mode
Gameplay
Both sides start playing on the signal, without waiting for each other.
The Alien:
Roll both flight dice, and use both, one, or none of them before rolling both flight dice again.
A saucer may fly to an adjacent space sideways or in the direction of the Defence, if the colour of the target space and the colour of the flight die match.
The numbered arrows in the diagram:
- no backward flight
- not rolled blue twice
- no flying over a saucer
- no diagonal flight
Note: A saucer cannot fly diagonally or backwards, fly over other saucers, or head for occupied spaces.
You may let 2 saucers each fly 1 space, or 1 saucer fly 2 spaces (1 space per flight die), or forgo the flight wholly or partly.
In Arcade Mode you play at the same time, so you roll, move your saucers as needed, and then roll again immediately, without waiting.
The Defence:
On your turn, roll the flight die and the shot die at the same time, and use both, one, or none of them before rolling both dice again. The result allows you, in any order, one spaceship flight and one shot.
On the defence line you may move your spaceship to the space with the rolled number, or leave it where it is.
At any time during your turn you may use one or more boosters. Each booster allows you to move your spaceship 1 space sideways along the defence line. The booster(s) used are removed from the game.
In your spaceship's column you may shoot at the saucer standing nearest to you, if its colour matches the shot die colour. If you hit a saucer, it is destroyed and removed from the game.
In Arcade Mode you play at the same time, so you roll, apply the effects as needed, and then roll again immediately, without waiting.
End of the Game
The Defence wins the game when it has destroyed all of the saucers.
The Alien wins when a saucer has reached the last row of the board.
Effects of All Bonus Chips
Defence Bonus Chips
Asteroid on a collision course! The Defence beams the asteroid onto any free board space (except Alien bonus spaces). The saucers cannot pass the asteroid and must fly around it. Shots of the Defence are not blocked by the asteroid. The Alien may remove it by destroying a saucer flying directly in front of the asteroid (in any order, in addition to the flight die effects).
Magnetic field affects the saucers' flight path! (x2) The Defence sets up the magnetic field on any free board space (except Alien bonus spaces), to slow down saucers, since the magnetic field cannot be passed. To neutralise it and remove it from the game, the Alien must fly a saucer onto a space adjacent to the magnetic field and roll an orange flight die result. In addition, the Alien needs a flight die result of the target space's colour to reach the space that has become free.
Defence outpost established in space! Any board space of the last row remains blocked by a Defence outpost until the end of the game. It works like a second, immovable spaceship that controls the column in question. A shot die may now be assigned either to the spaceship or to the outpost, in order to fire a shot at a saucer in the respective column. Shots of the spaceship are not blocked by the outpost. Saucers cannot land on the space of the outpost.
Intergalactic mine with high energy deposits discovered! Depending on the mine, the Defence receives 1 or 2 additional boosters for its spaceship.
Comet keeps saucers at a distance! The Defence chooses and moves a saucer 1 or 2 free spaces away from itself, depending on the comet.
Spaceship equipped with a plasma cannon! The plasma cannon may be kept for use in a later turn. When used, the Defence can therefore shoot up to 2 times in one turn (with the shot die and the plasma cannon). If the plasma cannon hits a saucer of the same colour, that saucer is destroyed immediately, even if it has activated a shield (saucer with the heart facing up). The destroyed saucer and the plasma cannon used then leave the game.
Spaceship's GPS updated! The new GPS may be kept for use in a later turn. When used, the Defence can therefore move its spaceship 2 times in one turn (with the flight die and the GPS). If the spaceship flies by means of the GPS to any space of the defence line, the GPS is then removed from the game.
Alien Bonus Chips
Transcriber's note: the multiplier markers printed on the Alien chips (x4, x2, x2) and the chips without a marker (Improved engine, Repaired saucer, Spaceship reactor) add up to 11 chips, while the component list on page 2 gives 12 Alien bonus chips. The chips are transcribed as printed; the discrepancy is in the source.
Shield for the saucer that collected the bonus chip! (x4) The Alien turns the saucer heart side up, if possible (otherwise the bonus chip is lost). If a shot of the Defence hits the saucer, it is only turned over (heart side not visible) and remains on its board space. Only with a further shot hit is the saucer destroyed and removed from the game.
Improved engine accelerates the saucer! The saucer that discovered the engine immediately flies one more free space in the direction of the defence line, if possible (otherwise the bonus chip is lost).
Rift in the galaxy moves a saucer forward! (x2) The Alien moves any saucer along a free, straight flight path (without obstacles such as other saucers on the spaces) forward to the target row of the triggering saucer. If its flight ends on a bonus space of a matching colour, another bonus chip is turned over according to the rules.
Caption of the example diagram on page 7: Yellow receives the bonus chip "Riss"; Pink flies forward with no second bonus chip for flying over!
Saucer hits the Defence spaceship! (x2) The Defence immediately loses one booster (if it has any).
Repaired saucer returns to the squadron! The Alien places any previously destroyed saucer on any free board space of the first row, if possible (otherwise the bonus chip is lost).
Spaceship reactor suffers damage, ship partly unable to manoeuvre! If the spaceship flight die shows a 1 or a 6 in the Defence's next turn, the spaceship may be moved there; otherwise it must stay where it is. Additional movements (for example with boosters or GPS) are forbidden. Shots may be fired at any time. The Alien bonus chip "Reaktorschaden" leaves the game at the end of the turn and then loses its effect.
Variants: Space Fun for Everyone
Easy start in Strategy Mode: Alien and Defence play without bonus chips.
More complex fun for experts:
- In Strategy Mode: both sides have a maximum of 2 rolls instead of 3.
- In Arcade Mode: Alien and Defence play with bonus chips.
Arcade atmosphere like at the machine: The Defence fires every shot with a loud "Peng!".
Balancing the experience (ensign against fleet admiral): The difficulty can be adjusted depending on the side of the board being played.
- Pro Defence: receives fewer starting boosters (max. 4 to 6).
- Beginner Alien: uses the classic board side with the simplified saucer starting formation (colour pairs, see page 3, Fig. 2).
- Pro Alien: uses the board side for experts with the colour-offset saucer starting formation (see page 3, Fig. 1).
- Beginner Defence: receives 8 starting boosters.