Europa Base Alpha Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Overview
• Setup
• Dice
• Cards
• Dice Icons
• How to Play
  • 1. Play a Base Card
  • 2. Face Undermining
  • 3. Attempt to Build Your Base
  • 4. May Repeat Steps 1-3 or Finalize Construction
  • 5. Future Planning
  • 6. Pass First in Flight Token or Tally the Score
  • Tally the Score - End of Game
• Sample Round for One Player
• Undermining Ability Samples
• Ingenuity Ability Samples
• Future Planning Ability Samples
• The Invaders Expansion

Contents

• 80 Cards
• 25 Cut Corner Tokens
• 1 First in Flight (Start Player) Token
• 4 Player Boards
• 20 Green Dice
• 8 Blue Dice
• 4 Red Dice
• 12 Invader Cards (marked with the Invader icon in the bottom left-hand corner)
• 4 Invader Dice

Overview

Each game of Europa Base Alpha will play through a set number of rounds. The number of rounds will vary depending on how many players are in the game.

3 players: 3 rounds 2 or 4 players: 4 Rounds

In each round, players will try to build Bases, as well as hinder other players in doing so, by playing cards and rolling dice. They will also have a chance to make future plans by playing a final card. At the end of the round, players may either keep any cards in their hands or discard them. The First in Flight Token will rotate to the next player clockwise and a new round will begin. Each player will be First in Flight (start player) an equal number of turns in the game. Once the final round has ended, each player will count the points earned from their completed moon bases. Players will then subtract any negative points from collected Cut Corner Tokens. The player with the most points is the winner.

Setup

Europa Base Alpha includes the Invaders Expansion. Before your first game, set back in the box the 4 Black Dice and the 12 Invader Cards with the Invader symbol in the bottom left-hand corner. You can easily include them if you wish in later games. See the Invaders Expansion section below for the Invaders Expansion rules.

1. Give each player a board. Players should place their player board in front of them, facing themselves.
2. Give the First in Flight Token to the oldest player. They will place this token to the left of their player board.
3. Shuffle all the cards together and deal a hand of 5 to each player facedown. Players should keep their cards hidden from other players. Place the rest of the cards in a pile at the center of the playing area. Leave room for a discard pile next to the deck.
4. Each player will then take 4 Green Dice, 2 Blue Dice and 1 Red Die. There are 4 extra Green Dice that should be placed to the side of the play area. These are known as the Extra Green Dice, which may be used later in the game.
5. Place the Cut Corner Tokens to the side of the play area with the Extra Green Dice.

Dice

There are three different kinds of dice that players will use in Europa Base Alpha.

Each player will have 4 Green Dice, 2 Blue Dice, and 1 Red Die, all of which players will roll to try to build a Base. The Extra Green Dice will be mentioned later in the rules. Each colored die has its own unique symbols, as shown on the player boards. Some have two symbols, which means that it is a Double result. A Star symbol is considered a wild (meaning it can be any symbol).

The faces of each colored die, as printed on the player boards:

Die	Faces
Green (4x)	Global Command Center, Intergalactic Transport, Communication Tower, Missile Silo, Personnel Bunker, Double Personnel Bunker
Blue (2x)	Global Command Center, Intergalactic Transport, Communication Tower, Missile Silo, Personnel Bunker, Wild
Red (1x)	Double Global Command Center, Double Intergalactic Transport, Double Communication Tower, Missile Silo, Wild, Wild

Cards

Each of the cards in Europa Base Alpha have four different parts. At no time may a player play a card and use more than one part. In other words, once played, each card will only use one part on the card. Here is the makeup of each card:

• Part 1 - Dice Result Needed to Build the Base (with the Points If Built in the top corner and the Name of Base at the top of the card)
• Part 2 - Undermining Ability
• Part 3 - Ingenuity Ability
• Part 4 - Future Planning Ability

Dice Icons

• Global Command Center
• Intergalactic Transport
• Communication Tower
• Missile Silo
• Personnel Bunker
• Wild

How to Play

During each round, players will do the following:

1. Play a Base Card
2. Face Undermining
3. Attempt to Build Your Base
4. May repeat Steps 1-3 or Finalize Construction.
5. Future Planning
6. Pass the First in Flight Token, or Tally the Score if it is the final round of the game.

Here are the details for each step:

1. Play a Base Card

At the beginning of a round, all players will pick a card from their hand at the same time and place it facedown above their player board where it says "Under Construction." After everyone has chosen a card, players will then flip over their card at the same time and, starting with the player who has the First in Flight Token and going around clockwise, each player will tell everyone the name on the card and the points it is worth. This is called their Base Card. For example, a player will say, "I am going to attempt to build Delta Prime for 12 points!" Allow the other players to see the card. This card is played for the Base Card section on the card. The three parts below this section (Undermining, Ingenuity, and Future Planning) are ignored. (See cards on previous page.)

To build the Delta Prime Base, a player needs to roll 2 Global Command Centers, 2 Communication Towers, 1 Missile Silo, and 2 Personnel Bunkers. It is each player's goal to build their Base by rolling the result shown at the top of the card within 3 rolls of their dice during Step 3 of the round.

2. Face Undermining

Starting with the player who has the First in Flight Token and going clockwise, each player may play one or more cards from their hand and place them next to another player's Base Card that was played in the previous step. Cards played in this way are called Undermining Cards. Two Undermining Cards in total may be played next to each Base Card played. Players can play Undermining Cards on more than one base, but again, an Undermining Card may not be played onto a Base Card if it already has two Undermining Cards already on it. Cards played during this step are played to enact the Undermining Ability on the card and all other parts of the card are ignored. This Undermining Ability will make it more difficult for that player to build their base. Each player will have a chance to play cards for the Undermining Ability or pass. The player who plays an Undermining Card is known as the attacker; the player who had the Undermining Card played on them is known as the defender. You are not required to play cards in this step. Once all players have either played cards or passed, continue to Step 3.

Example (printed on page 4): The Attacker plays the Undermining Ability on Pi West on the defending player's base card Delta Prime.

Optional rule for beginners: Only one Undermining Card may be played in total on each Base.

3. Attempt to Build Your Base

Players will roll all of their dice up to 3 times to try and roll the combination as shown on their Base Card. (This is meant to be done simultaneously, but you might want to do this separately during the first round for new players.) These are called the main rolls. After each roll, players may keep any or all of the results, setting aside those dice, and then reroll all remaining dice. The only exception to this is the Star results. If kept, Stars may not be rerolled and must be used in building the Base.

If a player has rolled the combination needed to build their Base within 3 rolls, taking into account any Undermining Cards, they have planned well and will wait until Step 4. All Undermining Cards played on the Base Card are then discarded.

If they did not roll the combination within 3 rolls, they may play as many cards from their hand to use the Ingenuity Ability on those cards. This is called an Ingenuity Card. If played as an Ingenuity Card, all other effects of the card are ignored. Once cards are played for this ability, they are discarded. (Some Ingenuity Abilities state unique times when they are to be played.)

Players may also use their Future Planning Cards, if they have any, to help build their Bases. (See Step 5.) If a player has rolled their combination after using Ingenuity Cards and/or Future Planning Cards, they have planned well and will wait until Step 4. All Undermining Cards played on the Base Card are then discarded.

As dice are rolled to build your Base, the Star Icons on the dice represent Cut Corners, but they are wilds, and so can be used to represent any needed result. You do not need to determine what a Star represents until all your rolls are final. But if kept, Stars may not be rerolled, must be used to build your Base, and each one will earn you a Cut Corner Token that will be worth –2 points at the end of the game. Place any Cut Corner Tokens earned on that Base Card.

If a player Fails to Build Their Base and is unable to use Ingenuity or Future Planning Abilities to help build, they must discard their Base Card and any other Base Cards earned during this round. (See Step 4.) Cut Corner Tokens earned this round and any Undermining Cards played against them will also be discarded.

4. May Repeat Steps 1-3 or Finalize Construction

If a player Failed to Build Their Base in the last step, they will skip this step, although they may still play Undermining Cards on other players. If a player did build their Base, they must choose to either Finalize Construction or Attempt to Build another Base. Players will choose to do this starting with the First in Flight player and going around clockwise.

Finalize Construction: If a player chooses to Finalize Construction, they will place any Bases built this round facedown to the right of their board where it says "Built." They will also place any Cut Corner Tokens earned on top of those cards. A player may look at their Built cards at any time during the game, but other players may not look at them. A player who has Finalized Construction may not attempt to build any more Bases this round but may still play Undermining Cards on other players.

Attempt to Build Another Base: If a player was successful in building their Base Card, they may instead Attempt to Build another Base. If a player decides to build another Base, they will choose a new card from their hand to play as a Base Card and place it faceup above their board and on top of the last Base played with only the points and name showing on the card underneath. Make sure any Undermining Cards played on the last Base Card have been discarded.

Once everyone has decided, starting with the First in Flight player and going around clockwise, players are given the choice to Undermine Bases once again as stated in Step 2. Once players have done that or passed, players who are building will roll their dice and continue just as they did in Step 3. If they fail at building this Base, THEY FAIL AT BUILDING ALL BASES THIS ROUND and will follow the rules for Failing to Build a Base (see Step 3). They will not be able to build any more Bases this round.

If they succeeded, they may follow through the process all over again and try to build another Base or pass and Finalize Construction.

5. Future Planning

Once all players have either Finalized Construction or Failed at Building any Bases, they may play one card from their hand and place it under their player board with only the bottom of the card visible. This is called a Future Planning Card. This ability may be used once for each Base that a player attempts to build. They are not discarded unless the card states otherwise. A player may have only one of each kind of Future Planning Card at any given time. In other words, a player may not have two Future Planning Cards with the exact same ability at the same time.

6. Pass First in Flight Token or Tally the Score

Pass the First in Flight Token to the next player clockwise. Each player may discard any or all cards in their hands and will draw a new hand of 5 cards from the deck. In other words, each player will have a hand of 5 cards at the beginning of a round, unless they have a Future Planning Card that states otherwise.

If you have played 4 rounds in a 2 or 4 player game or 3 rounds in a 3 player game, then do not pass the First in Flight Token. Instead, discard any cards that remain in player's hands and tally up the score as stated below.

Tally the Score - End of Game

If you have played 4 rounds for a 2 or 4 player game or 3 rounds for a 3 player game, the game is over. Total up the points on all built Bases and subtract any points from Cut Corner Tokens. The player with the most points wins.

If there is a tie, then the tied player with the least Cut Corner Tokens will win. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the built Base worth the most points wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the Base worth the second highest points wins, etc.

Sample Round for One Player

During Step 1 of a 4-player game, everyone has played a Base Card.

Moving to Step 2, Emme has the First in Flight token and passes on playing an Undermining Card. Maggie, who is next, plays an Undermining Card on Gabe's "Zeta" Base, with the effect "One die MUST be wild!". She also plays another Undermining Card on Emme's "Alpha" Base Card. Then Jack plays an Undermining Card to Gabe's Base, "MUST keep at least 2 dice every roll!", making it the second and last card that can be played on Gabe's Base. Lastly, Gabe passes on playing an Undermining card on anyone.

Now, at Step 3, Gabe has 3 rolls to try to get 2 Global Command Centers, 1 Intergalactic Transport, 1 Missile Silo, and 3 Personnel Bunkers. One of the results on the dice must be a Star (wild) and he must keep at least two dice after each roll.

His first roll is: 2 Intergalactic Transports, 1 Communication Tower, 1 Double Personnel Bunker, 2 Missile Silos, and a Double Intergalactic Transport. He must keep at least two of these dice, but he may keep more. He decides to keep 1 Double Personnel Bunker, 1 Intergalactic Transport, and 1 Missile Silo.

He rolls the remaining dice for his second roll. He gets 1 Personnel Bunker, 2 Intergalactic Transports, and 1 Communication Tower. He decides to keep the Personnel Bunker and one of the Intergalactic Transports (which works out as he needs to keep at least 2 dice after each main roll). He does not need the Communication Tower, but he still needs 2 Global Command Centers. Also, one of these results still needs to be a wild.

On his third roll, he gets a Personnel Bunker and a Star (wild). He keeps both dice, but he is still short 1 result.

He plays a card from his hand with an Ingenuity Ability that states, "May reroll up to 2 Blue Dice." He rolls the Blue die that was previously a blue Intergalactic Transport result, since he does not need it. He gets a Star. He now has completed the Base and decides to keep it, ending his turn. He must take 2 Cut Corners Tokens for using 2 Star results.

Gabe then decides during Step 4 not to build any more Bases and Finalizes Construction by placing his built Base to the right of his board facedown with the Cut Corner Tokens he earned on top. Gabe still has 2 cards in his hand that can be used as Undermining Cards against the other players should they wish to continue building another Base.

During Step 5, Gabe places one card below his player board with a Future Planning Effect that reads, "Draw 6 cards at the beginning of a round instead of 5. Collect 1 Cut Corner Token," This ability is available to use during the next round.

Undermining Ability Samples

• "MUST keep at least 2 dice every roll!" – The player must set aside 2 dice after each of their main 3 rolls. These dice may be rerolled (except for a Star (Wild) result) if an ability allows any extra rolls.
• "Roll 1 less" – The player must roll 1 less Blue Die while attempting to build their Base.
• "May only be a wild" – The Red Die may only be used if it is a Star.
• "Base must include an additional result to build." – The player must include an additional Communications Tower to construct this Base.
• "Attacker destroys 1 Future Planning Card! Must discard 1 other card to be played." – Attacker must discard 1 additional card from their hand to play this Undermining Card.

Ingenuity Ability Samples

• "A Blue Die may be turned to a Missile Silo."
• "May reroll up to 3 Green Dice." – You do not need to roll all 3 dice. You may choose to roll 1 or 2 Green Dice.
• "May roll an extra Green Die." – This may only be played after the 3 main rolls. You may choose to roll an extra die and then play another Ingenuity Card that would allow you to reroll Green Dice and reroll the extra die.

Future Planning Ability Samples

Each Future Planning Ability may be used once for each Base being built.

• "A Green Die may be turned to a Personnel Bunker."
• "Draw 6 cards at the beginning of a round instead of 5. Receive 1 Cut Corner Token." – Collect 1 Cut Corner Token at the beginning of a round if you draw 6 cards. Place the token on top of your Built Base Cards.

The Invaders Expansion

"Watch out! It's an alien invasion! It is very risky to build on Europa when there are aliens lurking around, but it is also a perfect time because it is a great motivator for your workers to get the job done fast. Besides, nothing amazing gets done without a little bit of risk, right?"

The Invaders Expansion includes 12 additional cards with abilities that are not on any other cards in the base game. The expansion also includes the unpredictable Invader Dice!

The Invader Dice have these sides:

• Wild (Star)
• Double Wild (Double Star)
• Double Missile Silo
• Invader Result (3 faces)

Shuffle the 12 expansion cards with the rest of the cards in the core game. Give each player an Invader Die that is set aside. The Invader Die is not rolled with the rest of a player's dice unless an Ingenuity Ability or a Future Planning Ability states otherwise.

The Ingenuity Ability on some expansion cards allows a player to roll their Invader Die after their main 3 rolls. There are also some expansion cards that have a Future Planning Ability that allows the player to include the Invader Die as part of their main 3 rolls.

The Invader Die is rolled just like all of the other dice in the game with one exception: if an Invader result is rolled, that player must destroy one die that may not be used or rerolled again for the building of the current Base. The destroyed die may be one that was already set aside for building. In addition, the Invader Die MUST be rolled again as part of the main 3 rolls, or if it was during the third roll or an additional roll, it must be rolled again until a non-Invader result is rolled. For each Invader result rolled, the player MUST destroy a die.

This die can be very profitable as it is the only die with a Double Missile Silo result and a Double Star result. It may also be very destructive, as it may destroy too many dice needed for building your Base! Hence the risk.