Firestorm Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• What is the Firestorm?
• Introduction to the Rules
• 100. General Game Information
• 101. Starting the Game
  • 101.1 Deck Construction
  • 101.2 Choosing an Alien Race to Play
  • Placing Advantages
  • 101.4 Choosing and Revealing Star Systems
  • 101.5 Beginning the Game
• 102. Turning and Unturning Cards
• 103. Winning the Game
• 104. The Universal Rules
• 105. Card Names
• 106. Permanency and Card Memory
• 107. The Table Layout
  • 107.1 Draw Pile
  • 107.2 Terminate Pile
  • 107.3 Recycle Pile
• 200. Anatomy of a Turn
• 201. Taking Action, Timing, and Priority
  • 201.1 Action Types
  • 201.2 Timing and Priority
• 202. Reset Phase
• 203. Main Phase
• 204. End Phase
• 300. Card Types
• 301. Alien Cards
• 302. Advantage Cards
• 303. Fate Cards
• 304. Planets and Homeworlds
• 305. Hero Cards
• 306. Ship Cards
• 307. Support Cards
• 308. Tactical Cards
• 400. Key Game Concepts
• 401. Costs, Conditions, and Action Legality
  • 401.1 Costs
  • 401.2 Conditions
  • 401.3 Targeting
• 402. Resources and the Resource Pool
  • 402.1 Resource Pool
  • 402.2 Spending and Gaining Resources
• 403. Commands
  • 403.1 Maximum Commands
  • 403.2 Issuing Commands
• 404. Adjacency and Movement
  • 404.1 Adjacency of Locations
  • 404.2 Ship Movement
  • 404.3 Hero Movement
  • 404.4 Support Card Movement
• 405. Damage and Repair
  • 405.1 Structure and Life
  • 405.2 Lethal Damage
  • 405.3 Conquering Planets
  • 405.4 Preventing and Removing Damage
• 406. Exploration
• 407. The Firestorm
• 500. Combat
• 501. Attack and Attacker Declaration
• 502. Attacker Support
• 503. Defense Declaration
• 504. Defender Support
• 505. Combat Actions
• 506. Hero Combat
• 600. Traits
• 601. Occupation, Function, and Alien Traits
• 602. Assassin
• 603. Carrier
• 604. Explorer: X
• 605. Fighter
• 606. Fixed
• 607. Medic and Mechanic
• 608. Military
• 609. Move: X
• 610. Restricted
• 611. Spy
• 612. Sync
• 613. Unique
• 614. Voicing
• Glossary
• Alien Symbols
• Firestorm: Quick Start

What is the Firestorm?

The Firestorm is a mysterious gateway to other worlds and dimensions, in this galaxy and in others. No one is sure of the Firestorm's origin or of how to unlock all its secrets. Many races and individuals have plumbed its depths throughout history, but none of them have done more than scratch the surface. Any given pathway traveled could lead to unimagined riches, unbelievable knowledge, or terrible destruction. Do you have the resources and ingenuity to unlock the secrets of the Firestorm?

Introduction to the Rules

This rulebook is organized numerically for ease of reference during play. There are six major sections, each numbered with a whole hundred (the first section is 100, the second 200, etc.). Within each section are a series of rules that are numbered at integers (so the first rule in section 100 is rule 101, the second in section 200 is 202, etc.). Each rule may have one or more subrules, which are numbered as an integer with a single decimal place (so the first subrule of rule 101 is 101.1, the second in rule 202 is 202.2, etc.).

Throughout the rules you will frequently encounter references to other rules (for example, "See 101.2"). These references tell you where you may find more information about a particular topic.

In addition to the six main sections of the rules, this rulebook contains a glossary of various game-related terms. Throughout the rulebook, you will encounter terms in bold type the first time they are mentioned in the rulebook. These words or phrases appear in the glossary.

100. General Game Information

Firestorm is a game of galactic conquest and exploration. The various races of the galaxy have set out to control the Firestorm and the secrets and mysteries within it. As is usually the case with such struggles, the battle to control and explore the Firestorm has spilled over into galactic war among the various alien races as well. Will your native race triumph, will you be defeated by the military might of your neighbors, or will the uncertainties of the Firestorm be yours at last?

This section outlines how to build a deck to play Firestorm as well as the procedures the players need to follow to begin a game. Some of the concepts will be covered in more detail in later sections.

101. Starting the Game

Before beginning play, each player will need to construct a deck of at least 50 cards, choose an Alien race to play, and have available a number of counters and dice to keep track of various types of information while playing the game.

101.1 Deck Construction

Every player's deck must conform to the following deck construction rules:

• It must contain at least 50 cards, including the one required card (see below), but not including the Alien race choice (see 101.2 below). There is no maximum deck size, however.
• It must contain exactly one planet card that has the Homeworld trait to represent the player's home planet.
• It may contain up to one advantage card to represent the player's galactic objectives. That is, every player's deck must contain either 0 or 1 advantage cards.
• It can't contain more than three copies of any other single card by cardname (including Unique cards and fate cards).
• It can't have more than one fate card for each ten cards in the deck. (For example, Jim's deck contains 50 cards, so he could have up to 5 fate cards. Julie's contains 60 cards, so she could have up to 6 fate cards).

Remember: Cards with an Alien race's symbol may only be played by players playing the appropriate Alien race.

101.2 Choosing an Alien Race to Play

Each player selects any Alien race he or she owns. This Alien represents that player's race in the game. All players reveal their Alien selections simultaneously. It is possible for more than one player to select and play the same Alien.

Placing Advantages

Each player searches his or her deck for the advantage card (if he or she has one) and places it face down on the table. It is possible for more than one player to select the same advantage card. If any player wishes, he or she can turn his or her advantage card face up now. Otherwise, a player may perform the following action at any point later in the game (see 201.1 for more details on actions):

• Any: Turn your advantage card face up.

101.4 Choosing and Revealing Star Systems

Each player searches his or her deck for the Homeworld planet card and up to five other planet cards to form the player's Star System. These cards are placed face down in front of the player. Each planet card, including the Homeworld, has a resource cost printed on the card. The combined resource costs of the selected starting planets (including the Homeworld) can't exceed the amount printed on the player's Alien card. Note that any unused resources printed on the Alien card are lost. Those resources may only be spent on starting planets.

Every player must select his or her Homeworld as one of the starting planets, and each player can't select more than 6 planets total. Once all players have selected planets, everyone places his or her planets (still face down) on the table according to the following diagram.

[Diagram, as printed: the table layout has a row for the Homeworld at location A (labeled "Home World", "(You - Alien/Advantage)") in the center; the "Middle Planets" and "Outer Planets" areas surround it, with the planets of the Star System placed in lettered locations B onward.]

Place the Homeworld at location A. Then, each player places his or her other starting planets into his or her Star System starting with location B and continuing in letter order until that player has no more starting planets. Planets may be placed in any order beginning with location B, but must be placed in letter order without leaving any location empty.

For example, Phil begins with three planets, and must place them in locations A, B, and C. He can't choose to place them in locations A, B, and E.

If a player chose less than six planets for his or her Star System, note that one or more lettered locations will be empty. Even though these locations are empty, leave enough space on the table in front of that player to play cards in these locations. Even though these locations have no planet, they still exist and players can move to or through the locations.

Once everyone has placed planets, all players turn their planets face up simultaneously.

101.5 Beginning the Game

Each player shuffles the rest of his or her deck and presents it to the player to his or her left. That player may cut the deck if he or she wishes. This process will occur many times throughout the game, and is called reshuffling.

Each player draws six cards to form his or her starting hand. If a player draws any fate cards (see 303) in the starting hand, recycle them and the player draws enough new cards to bring his or her hand size up to six. Continue the process of recycling fate cards and drawing new cards until each player has six non-fate cards in his or her hand. Once everyone has a starting hand, the rest of the player's deck forms his or her draw pile (see 107.1).

Each player should have a counter to represent his or her Alien's Tech level, which is printed on the player's Alien card. All players set their counters to the appropriate starting Tech level.

Each player should have a ten-sided die to represent how many commands he or she has. Set them to 0 for now.

Place a number of beads or coins in the center of the table. These represent a general pool from which all players can take beads/coins to represent the resources in his or her resource pool. Everyone should begin with 0 resources.

The game is now ready to begin.

102. Turning and Unturning Cards

Many things possible under the rules as well as many game effects printed on the cards require a player to turn or unturn one or more cards in play.

To turn a card, tilt it 90 degrees so that it is facing sideways towards its player. This is sometimes also called "landscape orientation." Turning a card indicates it has been used this turn, and turned cards usually have limited options until they unturn.

To unturn a card, tilt it back 90 degrees so that it is facing lengthwise towards its player. This is sometimes also called "portrait orientation." Some cards and game effects unturn cards, and everyone's turned cards unturn at the beginning of each turn.

Planet cards as well as most support cards can't turn or unturn.

103. Winning the Game

There are a number of ways you can win a game of Firestorm. Two that every player may use are called the Standard Victory Conditions. They are:

• Total Victory: A player controls the last remaining unconquered Homeworld.
• Transcendent Victory: A player ends a turn with a Tech level of 30 or more.

Transcendent Victory is checked in action order during the End Phase of each turn.

A player's advantage card may also describe one or more Alternative Victory Conditions as well. The advantage card will describe in detail how these Alternative Victory Conditions work, but your advantage card must be face up in order to take advantage of such a victory condition. Alternative Victory Conditions are checked, in action order, during the End phase at the same time Transcendent Victory is checked.

104. The Universal Rules

There are three Universal Rules that apply at all times during the game, and take precedence over all other rules. They are:

• The Galactic Rule: Whenever a card text contradicts the rules in one way or another, the card always takes precedence. If a card says you can't do something, or that a particular action is impossible, that text always trumps the rules as well as any card which says you can take that particular action. If more than one card changes the costs or values of something, those changes are cumulative unless they say otherwise. When multiple effects cause a value to change, apply multiplication or division (actions such as doubling or halving a value) effects before addition/subtraction effects (such as "+1" or "-1").
• The Cosmic Rule: Whenever the rules or a card require or allow more than one player to do something at the same time, the first player has the first opportunity to take the action, or, if the first player is not involved, the player closest to the first player in the current action order has the first opportunity. In combat, this rule is slightly modified—the attacking player always has first opportunity during a combat.
• The Solar Rule: Whenever a player loses or leaves the game, all cards he or she owns which are currently controlled by an opponent remain in the game until the game ends or the opponent would lose control of the card back to the eliminated player. Terminate all other cards owned by the eliminated player (including planets) when the player leaves the game (The locations of any planets removed this way still exist and may be moved to normally). Recycle all cards controlled but not owned by the eliminated player when he or she leaves the game.

105. Card Names

Card names affect four aspects of the game:

• Deck construction—No player can have more than 3 copies of any card by name in his or her deck (see 101.1).
• Uniqueness—There can't be more than 1 copy of any card (by name) in play having the Unique trait (see 613).
• Restricted—Each player can't have more than 1 copy of any card (by name) in play having the Restricted trait (see 610).
• Duplicate fate cards—Each player can only have one copy of a particular fate card resolve from his or her deck in a game (see 303).

Card names never determine card type or any traits a card might have. Example: A card named "Military Support" doesn't have the trait Military unless the word "Military" appears in the card's trait box. It's also not a support card unless the card's type indicates this.

106. Permanency and Card Memory

If a card or game effect permanently changes the statistics, traits, or text of any card in play, such changes only apply to that particular copy of the card. If another copy of the same card enters play, it doesn't have the permanent changes. Note that if a card that does not enter play or a game effect makes a change and doesn't state a duration, that change is permanent. Cards in play that make changes and do not state a duration are constant effects rather than permanent.

Example: Research Facility reads, "You have +1 Tech." Since Research Facility is a support card that remains in play, it has a constant effect. As long as Andrea controls Research Facility, she has +1 Tech. As soon as the Facility leaves play, she loses that +1 Tech.

Additionally, if the changed card leaves play and then later returns to play, it will "forget" any permanent changes that had been affecting it.

107. The Table Layout

In addition to each player's Star System, the center of the table is a common area known as the Firestorm. The Firestorm is a gateway between Star Systems as well as to undiscovered planets in the outer reaches of the galaxy. The players' Star Systems, the Firestorm, and any newly discovered planets form the galaxy.

In addition to the galaxy (which contains various planets as well as other cards deployed into play), each player has his or her Alien race and advantage card (if he or she has one), a hand (which is kept secret from everyone except the owner), as well as three card piles.

107.1 Draw Pile

The draw pile contains all of a player's undrawn cards, face down in a random order. Whenever the rules, a card, or a game effect instructs a player to draw a card, he or she takes the top card of his or her draw pile and puts it into his or her hand. Whenever the rules, a card, or a game effect instructs a player to reveal a card from his or her draw pile, turn the top card of his or her draw pile face up so that every player may see it, and then put the card into his or her recycle pile.

107.2 Terminate Pile

The terminate pile contains cards which have been removed from the game by other cards or game effects, any fate card which resolves or is cancelled, and any ship, hero, or support card that has the Unique trait and which leaves play. This pile is face up, and any player may look at another's terminate pile. The owner of the pile may change the order of the cards in the pile at anytime.

Conquered planets are handled differently. See Rule 405.3.

Whenever a fate card resolves or is cancelled or a ship, hero, or support card with the Unique trait leaves play, put it into the owner's terminate pile. This action is known as terminating the card, and some cards and game effects may instruct a player to terminate cards for other reasons.

Terminated cards are "out of the game" and can't be affected by anything in the game. They won't be shuffled back into the players' decks until a new game begins.

107.3 Recycle Pile

The recycle pile contains all of a player's discarded cards, cards revealed from a player's draw pile, played tactical cards, as well as any non-Unique ships, heroes, or support cards that have left play and were not terminated. This pile is face up, and any player may look at another's recycle pile at anytime; however, nobody may change the order of the cards in the recycle pile.

Whenever a player discards a card from his or her hand, reveals a card from his or her draw pile, plays a tactical card, or a ship, hero, or support card he or she owns (and which doesn't have the Unique trait) leaves play, place it face up on top of the owner's recycle pile. This action is known as recycling the card, and some cards and game effects may instruct players to recycle cards for other reasons.

If more than one card goes to a particular recycle pile as a result of a single action, the owner of the pile may put those cards into the recycle pile in any order.

Whenever a card or game effect cancels another card, the cancelled card goes to the recycle pile (even if it has the Unique trait) unless it is a fate card (cancelled or resolved fate cards always are terminated).

Whenever a player's draw pile has no cards left in it, and he or she must draw or reveal a card, that player reshuffles his or her recycle pile (face down) and places it on the table to form a new draw pile. If a player has no cards in his or her recycle pile (because they are all terminated, in play, or in the player's hand) when this occurs, simply ignore the draw or reveal effect. Because the effects of some cards, game effects, and rules actions key off of the reveal or draw, this might cause another part of the effect to fail to do anything as well.

200. Anatomy of a Turn

Unlike many other collectible card games, every player may participate equally in each turn of the game in Firestorm. Every turn of the game has three phases called Reset, Main, and End. During each of these phases, players can or must perform a variety of actions. Each phase occurs during every turn, even if nobody can or wants to do anything during that phase.

Before explaining how a turn works, it's important to understand how to take various actions during that turn.

201. Taking Action, Timing, and Priority

Actions are those things that players may perform in order to generate effects that change the game and help players towards victory. There are three main kinds of actions a player can take:

• Rules actions: Actions that do not require a card in hand or the text of a card in play, and are actions that a player may perform due to one or more rules of the game. Examples include such things as moving ships and declaring attacks.
• Card actions: Actions that require a player to play a card from his or her hand. This includes playing tactical cards, deploying ships, heroes, planets, or support cards into play, as well as drawing and revealing fate cards.
• Game effects: Actions that require the text of a card already in play. This includes some text on a player's Alien or advantage, as well as on some ships, heroes, planets, or support cards.

201.1 Action Types

Most actions can only be performed at certain times during the game. The point at which an action can be performed is known as its action type. The following action types are possible in Firestorm:

• Automatic actions take place at a set time during every Reset and End phase (the Main phase has no automatic actions), and during the Combat subphase. These actions fall outside the normal priority order, and are usually performed by each player in action order during the appropriate phase.
• Any actions may be performed during any phase of a turn whenever it is the player's chance to do something.
• "Phase" actions (where "Phase" is one of the three phase names: Reset, Main, or End) may only be performed during the appropriate phase of a turn.
• Combat actions may only be performed during a ship combat in the Combat subphase. Only players who have a planet or ship at the combat's location or who are playing a card that enables the player to move one or more ships to the combat's location may play Combat actions.
• React actions can only be performed in response to another action, and only if the React's conditions are met. It is impossible to play a React "in advance"; one must wait until its conditions are true. Note that some Reacts may be further limited as to when they may be played. For example, "Combat React" (playable only during a combat) and "Main React" (playable only during the Main phase) are possible.
• Limited actions apply only to game effects, tactical cards and rules actions. A Limited game effect may only be performed once per turn. per copy of that game effect a particular player controls. A given player may only play a copy of a Limited tactical card once per turn. Each player may play a specific rules action once a turn. Limited isn't an action type unto itself, but further modifies an Any, "Phase," Combat, or React action.
• Only Once actions may only be played once during a game, regardless of who plays it. Once someone has played a given Only Once tactical card, no other player can play that tactical card during the game. Each Only Once game effect may only be played once per copy of the action in play.

201.2 Timing and Priority

In order to prevent confusion and "who spoke first" conflicts, Firestorm uses a strict timing and priority system to determine who gets to act when.

The timing system is based on the "around the world" principle where each player gets an opportunity to perform one action, and then the next player gets a chance, and so on.

Beginning with the first player (who is determined at the beginning of each turn), each player receives a chance to perform any legal action he or she can perform or pass. If the player performs an action, that action occurs immediately unless someone wishes to play a React to the action (see below). Once the action is completed, the next player in action order receives a chance to perform an action or pass.

The current phase continues until every player passes in a row. Once this happens, the game immediately goes onto the next phase.

When a player performs an action, it is possible to play Reacts to that action. Reacts are played in the same action order as regular actions, except the player who played the action being reacted to is given first chance to play a React. Each React occurs immediately unless someone wants to react to the React (and so on). If a React cancels the original action, that action does not occur, and the next player will be given a chance to perform an action. If the original action isn't cancelled, the player who performed it does anything necessary to make the action legal again, if possible, and if the action is still legal, it then occurs (If the action is still illegal or impossible, cancel it).

Actions (including Reacts) do not "stack" or "pile" in Firestorm. Every action occurs immediately unless a player Reacts to it or something causes the action to become cancelled.

Action legality is covered in more depth in Rule 401, "Costs, Conditions, and Action Legality."

202. Reset Phase

The Reset phase starts the turn and gets everyone ready for the actions that are going to occur later on. At the beginning of the Reset phase, each player performs the following automatic actions (in turn order, beginning with the first player):

1. Unturn all turned cards you control, except those which may remain turned or which an effect prevents from unturning.
2. Reset energy on all ships and planets you control to the level of their power statistic.
3. Reset your commands to their maximum (the number printed on your Alien plus any bonuses you may have).
4. Gain resources for the planets you control.

Now determine who will be the first player for this turn. Each player (simultaneously) reveals the top card of his or her draw pile and adds that card's cosmic value to his or her current Tech level. The player with the highest total value is the first player for this turn. If there is a tie, the tied players reveal again until the tie is broken.

Note that on the first turn of the game, there won't be a first player at the beginning of the Reset phase. During this turn, perform the Reset phase automatic actions simultaneously. Also note that fate cards can't resolve until a first player has been chosen. See 303 for more details on fate cards.

If all players agree that a first player can't be determined (usually because of a series of unbreakable ties of the cosmic value plus Tech level formula), the last turn's first player acts as first player for this turn as well.

The first player now gets a chance to perform an action, and chances to take actions then proceed in turn order. Any and Reset actions are legal during the Reset phase.

203. Main Phase

The main phase is where most of the action in the game occurs, including movement, ship combat, exploration, and the deployment of new cards.

There are no automatic actions during the main phase. The first player immediately gets a chance to take an action, and chances to take action then proceeds in turn order.

Any and Main actions are legal during the main phase. In addition, any player may perform any of the following actions:

Combat Actions:

• Main: Issue 1 command to declare an attack on target planet or ship you don't control at the location of a ship you control. You can't attack a ship or planet that has already been attacked this turn (See section 500 for more details on ship combat.).

Movement Actions:

• Main: Repay the cost of a Retrofit you control to attach it to another ship at the same location.
• Main: Repay the cost of an Installation you control to attach it to another planet.
• Main: Attach a Gear you control to another hero at the same location.
• Main: Turn and move a ship you control. Do this only if that ship hasn't moved this turn. (That ship can't move farther than its Move: X trait value) (See 404.2 for rules on ship movement.)
• Main: Move a hero you control to a new destination. (See 404.3 for rules on hero movement).
• Main: Issue 1 command, turn and move any number of ships you control. Do this only if none of those ships have moved this turn. Those ships can't move farther than the ship with the lowest Move: X trait value.
• Main: Issue 2 commands to turn and move any number of ships you control at the same location to the same new location. Those ships may declare an attack on target planet or ship you don't control at the new location. You can't attack a ship or planet that has already been attacked this turn. Do this only if none of those ships have moved this turn. Those ships can't move farther than the ship with lowest Move: X trait value. (See 404.2 for limitations on ship movement)
• Main: Issue 1 command to turn and move a ship you control with the Explorer: X trait to the location of a planet with available exploration points to remove X exploration points from that planet. You gain +X Tech. You can't gain more Tech this way than the number of available exploration points at that planet.

Combination Actions:

• Main: Issue 1 command to turn and move a ship you control. That ship may declare an attack on target planet or ship you don't control at its new location. You can't attack a ship or planet that has already been attacked this turn. Do this only if that ship hasn't moved this turn. (That ship can't move farther than its Move: X trait value.) (See 404.2 for limitations on ship movement.)

Empire Management Actions:

• Main: Pay 2 resources to remove 1 damage from target ship, planet, or hero you control.
• Limited Main: Pay 5 resources to gain +1 Tech. Soven players pay 7 resources instead of 5 to perform this action.
• Limited Main: Issue 1 command to gain 1 resource.

Deployment Actions:

• Main: Issue 1 command to deploy a ship at your Homeworld planet or at a planet you control which has the constant effect, "You may deploy ships at this location."
• Main: Issue 1 command to deploy a hero at the location of a planet you control. You must deploy this hero on the planet or a ship you control at the same location as that planet.
• Main: Issue 1 command to attach a support card to target subject you control at any location other than the Firestorm.
• Main: Issue 1 command to deploy a planet that is adjacent to the Firestorm. Put a die on that planet to indicate the number of exploration points available at that planet. This planet can't be the target of attacks until end of turn.

Exploration Action:

• Main: Turn any number of ships or heroes you control with the Explorer: X trait at a planet with available exploration points to remove X exploration points from that planet, where X is the combined X values of Explorer traits of the turned ships and heroes. You gain +X Tech. You can't gain more Tech this way than the number of available exploration points at that planet.

204. End Phase

The end phase is where players check to see if anyone has won the game other than by Total Victory, and where players get to discard useless cards from their hands and draw more cards.

The first player gets a chance to perform an action when this phase starts. Any and End actions are legal now. Once all players have passed in a row, instead of the phase immediately ending, each player (in action order) performs the following automatic actions in order:

1. See if you fulfill any victory conditions (Transcendent or Alternative). If you do, you win the game, and the game ends immediately.
2. Every ship that began the Main phase unturned and in the Firestorm and that is still in the Firestorm now suffers lethal damage. Ignore this effect for ships that moved out of the Firestorm this turn and are currently in the Firestorm.
3. Discard cards from your hand equal to the number of Homeworlds you control plus the number of Homeworld planets you have conquered. You may issue 1 command to discard an additional card from your hand. (You can't discard more than 1 additional card this way each turn.)
4. Draw cards until you reach your maximum hand size (usually 6). Resolve fate cards drawn at this time in the usual way (see 303).

300. Card Types

There are eight card types in Firestorm. They are alien, advantage, fate, planet (includes Homeworlds), hero, ship, support (divided into three categories: Gear, Retrofits, and Installations), and tactical. Each of the types are described in detail in this section.

Every card has some combination of statistics or text that describes the card's abilities and functions. Cards may also have one or more traits. Note that the names of traits are always capitalized, both in these rules and on the cards' game text.

Every planet, hero, ship, support, and tactical card has a resource cost printed on it in the upper left corner. This value is how many resources a player is required to spend to play or deploy that card.

Planet, hero, ship, support, and tactical cards have a cosmic value printed on them just to the right of the title. This is a random number from 0 to 4. The cosmic value is used to determine the first player of each turn (see 202), and it may also be keyed on by various traits or cards, or may serve as a sort of "randomizer" for some cards or game effects. It's also important for hero combat (see 506).

Some hero, ship, support, and tactical cards have a Tech Requirement, which indicates the minimum Tech level a player must have to play that card. Tech Requirements are printed to the right of a card's resource cost inside a diamond-shaped box.

Every planet, hero, ship, and support card as well as some tactical cards have one or more yellow dots to the right of the resource cost (between the cost and Tech Requirement on cards which have a Tech Requirement) which indicate the number of commands a player must issue to deploy or play that card.

Planets, ships, heroes, and support cards may also have an Alien symbol (see 301 for the various Alien symbols). Cards with an Alien race's symbol may only be played by players playing the appropriate Alien race.

301. Alien Cards

The back of each starter deck box represents an alien race. A player may use the box or cut out the Alien card from the back for play. Each Alien's text describes special abilities of that Alien as well as any game effects the Alien can play. Each Alien card also has the following statistics: Resources (indicates number of starting the resources the player has to spend on starting planets), Tech (player's starting Tech level), and Command (the player's base maximum commands).

302. Advantage Cards

Advantage cards represent the galactic objectives or general philosophy of a particular player's Alien race. Each player's advantage card begins the game face down, but he or she may turn it face up as an Any action. A player must reveal his or her advantage card to claim any Alternative Victory Condition it allows, or to take benefits from any special ability it provides, or to play any game effect it has. Advantage cards don't have statistics or traits.

[PAGE 36-43 CARD SAMPLE SPREADS: image-only card illustrations; the legend below is the printed Card Legend.]

Card Legend

• A - Resource Cost (See Costs 401.1)
• B - Command Cost Dot (See Costs 401.1) *
• C - Minimum Tech Required (See Conditions 401.2) *
• D - Card Title
• E - Cosmic Value (see Glossary)
• F - Card Type
• G - Card Illustration
• H - Artist Credit
• I - Alien Symbol (see 301)
• J - Card Traits
• K - Game Effect Text
• L - Flavor Text
• M - Company Info
• N - Set Bug and Rarity
• O - Tech Statistic
• P - Resource Statistic
• Q - Command Statistic
• R - Combat Statistic
• S - Life Statistic
• T - Influence Statistic
• U - Structure Statistic
• V - Power Statistic

• Not present on all cards.

303. Fate Cards

Fate cards represent random cosmic and galactic events (some small, some large) that happen during the game. Fate cards don't have statistics or traits.

Except when drawing cards for your starting hand and during the first Reset phase until a first player has been selected (see 202), any time a player draws or reveals a fate card (including during the End phase), stop whatever else is occurring in the game. If that particular fate card hasn't yet resolved for its owner this game, follow its instructions immediately and then terminate the fate card. Once the fate card has been dealt with, continue with whatever was occurring before the fate card was drawn or revealed (Note: Merely looking at a fate card in a player's draw pile won't set it off. It must be specifically drawn or revealed by an action.)

Every fate card (by name) may resolve only once per game for each player. If a player reveals a second copy of a given fate card, cancel and terminate it with no effect. (Note that a fate card that is cancelled by other means the first time it appears for the player may still resolve later, as it hasn't resolved once yet. The cancelled copy is still terminated, however.)

If multiple fate cards are drawn or revealed during a single action (such as during the resolution of an action that involves everyone revealing a card), resolve them in action order. If multiple fate cards are drawn or revealed by the same player during a single action, resolve them in the order they were drawn or revealed from the draw pile.

304. Planets and Homeworlds

Planets are both the backbone of the economy in Firestorm, as well as the objective of conquest and exploration. Each player begins the game with one to six planets (one of which has the Homeworld trait) in his or her Star System. Planets may have text representing abilities or game effects as well as one or more traits. Each planet has the following statistics: Resources (determines how many resources that planet produces each turn); structure (represents how much damage the planet can take before being conquered); and Tech (determines how many exploration points are available there if the planet is deployed outside of a player's Star System).

Note that some planets also have combat and power statistics as ships do (see 306 below). Unlike other statistics (and only on planets), these values will appear in the area where the list of traits normally appears, and they are written as "COM: number/number."

Homeworlds are special planets that represent the planet on which a player's Alien race originated. Each player can't have more than one homeworld in his or her deck. All home worlds are assumed to have the text "You may deploy ships at this location" in addition to whatever other text they may have.

Each player begins the game only with the planets in his or her Star System. If a player deploys planets for exploration during the game, once all exploration points have been removed from that planet, it begins producing resources for that player as if it were in his or her Star System.

305. Hero Cards

Hero cards represent influential characters or groups in the Firestorm universe. Heroes can fight, aid in exploration, or provide bonuses to other cards. Every hero has the following statistics: Combat (represents how effectively the hero fights in combat), influence (represents how adept the hero is at directing or manipulating others); and life (represents how much damage the hero can sustain).

Most heroes also have at least one trait. See Section 600 for a description of the various traits.

Heroes with an influence of 3 or more also have the following action:

• Any: Turn this hero to gain 1 command. This may increase your commands beyond their maximum.

306. Ship Cards

Ships are the main forces in the conquest and exploration of other planets, and they form the backbone of each player's military force. Ships have the following statistics: Combat (two numbers separated by a slash—determines how well the ship can inflict [the number before the slash, also called offensive combat or guns] and withstand [the number after the slash, also called defensive combat or shields] damage; structure (indicates how much damage the ship can take as well as how many support cards can attach to it); and power (determines how much energy the ship gets each turn to inflict and prevent damage)

Each ship is considered to have the following two game effects printed on it:

• Combat: Remove 1 energy from this ship to have it inflict damage equal to its guns to target ship in the opposing fleet.
• React: Remove 1 energy from this ship to prevent up to X damage to this ship, where X is the ship's shields. (Extra points you could prevent above the amount of damage the ship would suffer are lost.)

Ships can have any of a number of traits (see section 600), and all include a trait describing the ship's primary function.

When a ship enters play, put a die on it indicating how much energy the ship has (this is equal to the ship's power statistic by default, but other cards and game effects can increase or decrease this number).

All ships also have the Move:X trait, which determines how many locations that ship can move each turn.

A ship (other than a Fighter, see 605) may have Retrofit support cards or Fighters attached to it up to its current structure. If the ship's structure falls below the number of support cards on it, the controller must recycle support cards to get down to the limit. Note that each Fighter aboard a ship counts as a support card for this purpose.

307. Support Cards

Support cards must attach to another card in play. To attach one card to another, slide the attaching card underneath the card to which it is attached. The card to which a support card is currently attached is called its subject. Support cards allow a player to modify planets, ships, and heroes to give them special bonuses or to allow them to generate additional game effects. Unless they say otherwise, newly deployed support cards can only attach to a subject the owner of the support card controls.

Support cards come in three types, each of which is indicated by a trait on the card. The three types are Gear (attaches to heroes), Installations (attaches to planets), and Retrofits (attaches to ships).

Support cards have some special rules:

1. For each Installation beyond the first a player wants to attach to a planet, he or she must pay 2 additional resources for each Installation already attached to the planet.
2. A particular planet, ship, or hero can't have more than one copy a particular Installation, Retrofit, or Gear card attached to it.
3. Support cards (except those with the Fixed trait) can be moved from one subject to another. Moving Gear is free, but you must repay the resource cost to move an Installation or Retrofit, and you must pay the additional resource (see #1 above) to move an Installation. See 404.4 for more details on moving support cards.

308. Tactical Cards

Tactical cards provide bonuses or special abilities, some of which have durations, some of which are permanent. Tactical cards always indicate when they can be played as well as what special ability they grant or what game effect they have. This will also frequently indicate the duration of their effect. If a tactical card doesn't state a duration, its effects are permanent.

Every tactical card indicates at what times it can be played. See 201.1 for details on action types.

400. Key Game Concepts

This section covers other important rules for playing Firestorm, including how to pay costs and meet conditions necessary to perform certain actions, resources, commands, adjacency of locations, movement of cards in play, damage and its removal, and special rules for the Firestorm location.

401. Costs, Conditions, and Action Legality

Many actions a player can perform, both under the rules and using cards or game effects, require paying certain costs in order to perform that action. Some actions also require that certain conditions be true in the game in order for the action to be performed and to have an effect.

401.1 Costs

At the time a player wants to perform an action, he or she needs to be able to pay any costs associated with that action. What the cost for the particular action is will be described on the card or game effect which allows that action, or described somewhere in these rules. The most common costs are turning cards, paying resources from the player's pool, or issuing commands.

To take an action with a cost, the player announces it when it's his or her chance, and then immediately pay all costs for the action. If Reacts later increase or add additional costs, the player performing the action must pay those costs at the time the action would occur. If the player can't or doesn't want to pay the additional costs, cancel the action. If the action doesn't occur due to Reacts, invalid conditions (see 401.2 below), being cancelled or not paying additional costs, the acting player doesn't get a refund of any costs already spent, including resources.

Costs for an action can be described in one of three ways:

1. They appear as the printed resource cost of a card (in the upper left corner) or the printed needed commands (the dots to the right of the resource cost). This is the cost to play or deploy that card. All planets, ships, heroes, support, and tactical costs have a printed resource cost, though some of them are 0. Most planets, ships, heroes, and support cards require a command, as do some tactical cards. Some require more than one.
2. They are described in the rules. This includes all the rules actions (actions nobody needs a card to perform), such as movement, initiating a ship combat, or using a trait.
3. They are described in the text of the card or game effect being played. Such costs are always written as, "Pay some cost to do some effect." You must successfully pay the cost before the "to" in order for the effect after the "to" to occur.

If an action requires a player to turn a card as part of its cost, he or she must turn an unturned card. A player can't turn a card that is already turned to pay a cost.

If an action requires a player to spend resources or issue commands, he or she must have the correct amounts available when he or she performs the action. Partial payments aren't allowed. If a player can't pay the entire resource cost or issue that many commands, he or she can't perform the action. If a React or other effect causes the acting player to be unable to fully pay a cost for an action, all payments made so far are lost and the action is cancelled.

If an action requires a player to sacrifice something, he or she chooses an appropriate card in play that he or she controls, and recycles it (or terminate it if it has the Unique trait).

If an action requires a player to discard cards from his or her hand, choose an appropriate number of cards from the hand and put them into the owner's recycle pile. Some effects also force random discards (in which case, determine randomly using a die what card to discard), or allow an opponent to choose what a player discards.

Some cards and game effects increase or decrease various costs before the action is performed. If more than one such card or game effect increases or decreases the cost, add all of them together to arrive at the final cost modifier.

Example: The Muero Alien card reads, "Limited Any: You may deploy a Military card at –1 resource cost (minimum 0)." War Effort reads, "Until the end of the next turn, players may play Military cards for –1 resource cost (minimum 0)." If Lauren uses the Muero ability to play a Destroyer, the Destroyer costs 2 fewer resources, one for the Muero ability, and one because of War Effort.

401.2 Conditions

Many actions have conditions that must be true before the action can occur. At the time the player wishes to perform an action, all of its conditions must be true. If Reacts make any condition untrue when the action would occur, cancel the action.

The most common condition is a Tech Requirement. In order to perform an action or deploy a card with a Tech Requirement, the acting player must have a Tech level greater than or equal to the Tech Requirement. If he or she doesn't, the player can't perform the action.

All Reacts also have conditions that determine when that particular react can be played. These will be clearly stated on the card or in the rules.

Some game effects also have conditions. These are written on the cards using the key phrase, "Do this." The conditions following "do this" must be true at the same a player performs the action.

Example: Trohh Grozz reads, "React: Turn Trohh Grozz as an opponent plays a card to increase that card's cost by +1 resource. Do this only if Grozz is at the location of a planet that opponent controls." Because the key phrase "do this" appears, Greg can only play Grozz's ability if Grozz is at the opponent's planet.

401.3 Targeting

Targeting has a very specific meaning in Firestorm. Only cards in play in the galaxy (ships, planets, heroes, and support) and players can be targeted. It's not possible to target cards in a player's hand, draw pile, recycle pile, or terminate pile, nor can anyone target the Firestorm location or a location in a Star System (though a player can, of course, target the planet at a particular location). An action must meet one or more of the following requirements to be targeted:

• Initiating a ship combat always targets whatever a player is attacking.
• Using a ship to inflict damage in combat always targets the ship receiving the damage.
• A support card being deployed targets its intended subject.
• Cards, game effects, and rules actions that use the word "target" in their text are targeted. Example: D14 Missile reads, "Sacrifice D14 Missile to have it inflict 2 piercing damage on target ship." Because it uses the word target, D14 Missile has a targeted action. A card that reads, "Gain 1 resource." doesn't use the word "target," so it's not a targeted action even though a player is gaining the resource.

In order to perform an action that requires a target, the acting player must be able to select legal target(s) as he or she performs the action. If the player can't select all the necessary targets when he or she wants to perform the action, the player can't perform the action. If one or more of the targets become illegal before the effect occurs (i.e., due to Reacts), the action still affects any remaining targets as well as allowing any untargeted parts of the effect to occur. Note that even if all the targets are illegal or no longer there when the action would occur, non-targeted parts of the action can and will still occur.

If something targets an opponent, the acting player must select a player other than himself or herself. If something targets a player, the acting player may select any player, including himself or herself.

402. Resources and the Resource Pool

Each player needs a number of counters, beads, coins, or dice to represent his or her resources. Place a large pile of whatever counting device the players mutually agree upon in the center of the table to form the general pool.

402.1 Resource Pool

The total number of resources to which a player has access is called his or her resource pool. Each player should place all his or her resources in a handy pile near the draw pile. Be careful not to mix up resources and commands (We recommend using beads or coins to track resources and a die to track commands).

402.2 Spending and Gaining Resources

Many actions in Firestorm require spending resources, either as a cost (see 401.1) or part of the effect. Whenever something instructs a player to spend resources, the player removes the appropriate amount of resources from his or her pool and returns them to the general pool.

A player can gain new resources in various ways:

• During the Reset phase, every player gains resources for each planet he or she controls. How many resources a planet or Homeworld produces is printed on the card as the resource statistic, and may be modified by Installations attached to the planet. At the appropriate time during the Reset phase (see 202), each player simply adds the resources to his or her pool.
• Whenever a player conquers a planet, he or she immediately gains resources equal to the amount the conquered planet would produce during the Reset phase (printed plus any modifications to it). See 405.3 for more details on conquering planets.
• Many cards and game effects can also produce resources.

403. Commands

Many actions in Firestorm require a player to issue commands in order to perform those actions. Each player should use a ten-sided die to track the number of issuable commands he or she has available (Any other counting method with a zero on it will also suffice).

403.1 Maximum Commands

During the Reset phase of each turn, each player will reset his or her available commands to their maximum (see 202). A player's base maximum commands total is printed as the command statistic on his or her Alien race card. Cards and game effects may permanently or temporarily increase or decrease a player's maximum Commands as well.

403.2 Issuing Commands

Each of the following actions requires the acting player to issue 1 command as an additional cost for taking that action (see 401.1):

• Deploying a ship, hero, planet, or support card (see 203).
• Initiating a combat against a single target with one or more ships (see 203 & 501).
• Enabling your ships to retreat from a combat (see 505).
• Discarding an additional card during the End phase (see 204).
• Converting a command to a resource during the Main phase (see 203).

Some tactical cards also require issuing 1 or more commands as part of their cost.

Cards requiring a command as part of their cost will have one or more yellow dots to the right of the card's printed resource cost indicating how many orders must be expended. Game effects and rules actions requiring the issuance of a command will describe this in their text.

Some cards and game effects may also cause a player to issue commands with no effect.

404. Adjacency and Movement

One of the unique aspects of Firestorm is the ships and heroes move around a "game board" consisting of the various players' Star Systems, the Firestorm, and newly discovered planets in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

404.1 Adjacency of Locations

Each lettered area in a player's Star System (see below) is a location, even if there is no planet in that lettered area. The Firestorm is also a location. Additional planets any player deploys during the Main phase (see 203) also create a location. Every location consists of an orbit, where ships are when at that location, and possibly a planet as well.

Not all locations in Firestorm are adjacent, or "next to," to one another. This concept restricts movement of ships and heroes. The following rules outline which locations are adjacent to which other locations:

• Location A in a Star System is only adjacent to locations B and C in the same Star System.
• Location B in a Star System is only adjacent to locations A, D, and E in the same Star System.
• Location C in a Star System is only adjacent to locations A, E, and F in the same Star System.
• Location D in a Star System is only adjacent to location B in the same Star System as well as the Firestorm.
• Location E in a Star System is only adjacent to locations B and C in the same Star System, as well as the Firestorm.
• Location F in a Star System is only adjacent to location C in the same Star System as well as the Firestorm.
• Locations in the same row of a Star System are not adjacent to one another.
• No location in one player's Star System is adjacent to any location in another player's Star System (that is, a ship must travel through the Firestorm to reach an opponent's Star System).
• Newly deployed Planets are each only adjacent to the Firestorm, and form their own independent Star System (which has only a single location). That is, these locations may only be reached by travel through the Firestorm.

404.2 Ship Movement

All ships have the Move: X trait, where X is a number representing how many adjacent locations that ship can move each turn. Unturned ships can move as a Limited Main action as follows:

Ships with Move: 0 can't move normally (although cards and game effects may move them). These ships must remain in the location where they were originally deployed.

A ship with Move: 1 can move from its current location to any adjacent location.

A ship with Move: 2 or Move: 3 can move from its current location across an appropriate number of consecutive adjacent locations (1 or 2) to reach its final destination.

Ships may move either individually, or together as a single action. To move more than one ship as a single action, each of the ships must start their movement in the same location and finish their movement in the same new location, and none of them must have previously moved during this turn.

Note that a turned ship can't move (unless it somehow becomes unturned), and no ship can move more than once during a Main phase, regardless of whether or not it is turned. Ships with Move: 2 or Move: 3 that elect to only move one location earlier in the Main phase can't move a second location during a later time in the same Main phase.

If there is more than one "path" or option for a ship with Move: 2 or Move: 3 to move, the player moving the ship decides which path the ship follows. If more than one ship moves during a single action, all the moving ships must follow the same path.

Example: Two ships with Move: 2 wish to move from Sam's Homeworld (at location A in his Star System) to a planet at location E in Sam's Star System. Sam can move these ships from A to B to E or from A to C to E, his choice, but both ships must follow the same path.

Ships with Move: 2 or Move: 3 that move across locations in this are considered to have entered and been in those locations, but only momentarily. This will cause things which trigger on entering or leaving a location to occur, and it will invoke the Firestorm rules requiring a ship to exit into a different Star System than the one from which it entered the Firestorm (see 407).

There are two additional restrictions on ship movement:

• If a player's ship would move across any location not in the player's Star System (and not counting the Firestorm) where there are one or more ships controlled by an opponent, that ship must stop (it can't continue its movement until the next turn).
• If a ship moves into the Firestorm, when it moves out again, it must move to a Star System other than one from which it entered the Firestorm.

See Rule 407 for additional details about the Firestorm location.

404.3 Hero Movement

An unturned hero on a ship or planet at any location can move as a Main action in any of the following ways:

• Main: Move any number of heroes you control at the same location to a ship or planet at the same location.
• Main: Turn any number of heroes you control at the same location to move them to the same planet or ship at an adjacent location other than the Firestorm.

If a hero is on a ship, and that ship moves, the hero moves wherever the ship does. This kind of "riding" movement doesn't affect the hero's ability to move using any of the Main phase actions described above. Fighters attached to another ship as support cards move in the same way.

404.4 Support Card Movement

Any of the following actions can be performed to move support cards from one subject to another:

• Main: Repay the cost of a Retrofit you control to attach it to another ship you control at the same location.
• Main: Repay the cost of an Installation you control to attach it to another planet you control.
• Main: Attach a Gear you control to another hero you control at the same location.

Note that any support card with the Fixed trait can't be moved using these actions.

405. Damage and Repair

405.1 Structure and Life

Every planet, ship, and hero has a statistic (called structure for ships and planets and life for heroes) that represents the amount of damage it can sustain. Planets, ships, and heroes can be damaged in a variety of ways—through ship combat, through hero combat, or via tactical cards and game effects.

Every 1 damage dealt to a ship, planet, or hero subtracts 1 from that card's structure or life statistic. Indicate damage on a ship, planet, or hero using beads or dice (be sure to differentiate damage from energy on ships).

405.2 Lethal Damage

When a planet, ship, or hero's structure or life reaches 0 (or less), it has sustained lethal damage. Planets that sustain lethal damage in a ship combat at their location are conquered (see 405.3 below). A ship or hero that sustains lethal damage is recycled (terminated if it has the Unique trait) and any attached support cards are recycled. Additionally, whenever a ship carrying heroes sustains lethal damage, the heroes on the ship also immediately sustain lethal damage.

405.3 Conquering Planets

Whenever a planet sustains lethal damage during a ship combat occurring at its location, the attacking player conquers the planet. When a planet is conquered, all of the following actions occur:

1. The conquerer immediately gains resources equal to the planet's resource statistic (printed value plus any modifiers).
2. Recycle any ships at the planet's location with the Move: 0 trait.
3. Recycle any support cards attached to the planet.
4. Heroes on the planet suffer lethal damage.
5. Flip the planet over so it is face down on the table. It is now considered out of play for the remainder of the game, though its location still exists and may be moved to/through normally.

If due to planets leaving play (via conquest or lethal damage), a player has the last remaining Homeworld in play, that player achieves Total Victory and wins the game immediately.

If a planet suffers lethal damage during a time other than a ship combat at its location, the planet is not considered conquered. Simply perform actions 2-4 listed above.

405.4 Preventing and Removing Damage

There are two ways to avoid damage, prevention and removal.

If damage is prevented, it is considered never to have been inflicted on the ship, hero, or planet in question.

Damage can normally be prevented by using various Reacts or by using a ship's shields React (see 306). However, some damage is piercing damage. Piercing damage can't be prevented using the shields React, though other cards and game effects can prevent it normally.

Damage can also be removed from ships, planets, and heroes after it has been inflicted by using a variety of methods, including the two Main phase actions (see 203), use of the Medic or Mechanic traits, or through the use of some cards and game effects.

Actions that prevent damage cannot be used to remove damage already on a ship, planet, or hero. Actions that remove damage cannot be used to prevent damage from being inflicted on a ship, planet, or hero. That is, prevention can only be used before the damage is inflicted while removal can only be used after it has been inflicted.

406. Exploration

For the more peaceful races, exploration is preferable to battle on the road to galactic domination. Every race may increase its Tech Level by discovering and exploring new planets.

Whenever a player deploys a new planet (see 203), he or she should place a die on that planet equal to the planet's tech statistic. This represents the number of available exploration points the intrepid adventurer may find there. Note that planets in a player's Star System don't have available exploration points, and can't be explored.

Planets newly deployed by a player during the Main phase (those that are adjacent to the Firestorm) can't be the target of ship attacks until they begin a turn in play.

In order to explore a planet, a player must first deploy or move a ship or hero with the Explorer: X trait to the location of the unexplored planet.

To explore a planet, perform the following Main action:

• Main: Turn any number of ships or heroes you control with the Explorer: X trait at a planet with available exploration points to remove X exploration points from that planet, where X is the combined X values of Explorer traits of the turned ships and heroes. You gain +X Tech. You can't gain more Tech this way than the number of available exploration points at that planet.

If a player ends any turn with a Tech level of 30 or more, he or she achieves a Transcendent victory and wins the game.

407. The Firestorm

The Firestorm is a truly mysterious place that few understand. The following special rules apply to the Firestorm location:

• Players can't deploy support cards on ships or heroes in the Firestorm.
• Players can't deploy heroes in the Firestorm.
• Unless the hero has the Spy trait or is aboard a ship, a hero can't move into the Firestorm.
• Players can't target ships, heroes, or support cards in the Firestorm with targeted actions (including attacks).
• Unturned ships that begin a Main phase in the Firestorm must move out of the Firestorm by the end of the Main phase. Any such ships still in the Firestorm when the End phase of the same turn ends suffer lethal damage.
• When a ship in the Firestorm moves out of the Firestorm, it must move to a Star System other than the one from which it originally entered the Firestorm. Note that this also governs retreating from a ship combat.

500. Combat

Ship-to-ship combat is one of the most exciting aspects of Firestorm; however, it is also one of the most complicated. This section will cover in depth all the rules for attacking another player's ship or planet. It also covers (in Rule 506) hero combat.

Whenever a player uses one of the Main phase actions to initiate a ship combat (see 203), the Main phase "pauses" and a special Combat subphase begins. While the Combat subphase is initiated from the Main phase, it's not part of the Main phase, and Main actions and only actions that can only occur during the Main phase can't be performed during Combat.

A series of automatic actions now occur. These automatic actions are described in the following rules:

501. Attack and Attacker Declaration

1. Initiate the combat: A player performs one of the Main phase actions to initiate a ship combat. (See 203 for the various attack declaration actions.) The player who performs this action becomes the attacking player for the combat.
2. Gather attacking forces: The attacking player chooses any number of unturned ships he or she controls that are currently at adjacent locations. Turn those ships and move them to the location of the combat. Remember that any ships in the Firestorm moved this way can't move back into the Star System from which they originally entered the Firestorm (see 407).
3. Determine attacking forces: The attacking player chooses any number of ships he or she controls at the target's location (other than those you just moved into the location). The chosen ships plus all ships moved in step 2 above form the attacking fleet.

502. Attacker Support

1. Ask for support: Beginning with the player to his or her left, the attacking player may ask each opponent except for controller of the target of the attack (the defending player) for support in the combat. To ask for support, the attacking player asks the first player to his or her left for support. If he or she accepts, the player performs actions 2 and 3 below immediately. If that player declines or after he or she has performed actions 2 and 3 below, the attacking player repeats the process with the next player. Continue repeating this process until all potential supporters have either accepted and performed actions 2 and 3 below, or declined.
2. Gather supporting forces: The supporter chooses any number of unturned ships he or she controls at adjacent locations. He or she turns and moves those ships to the location of the combat. Remember that any ships in the Firestorm moved this way can't move back into the Star System from which they originally entered the Firestorm (see 407).
3. Determine supporting forces: The supporter chooses any number of ships at the target's location (other than those he or she just moved into the location). The chosen ships plus all ships moved in step 2 above join the attacking fleet.

503. Defense Declaration

1. Gather defending forces: The defending player chooses any number of unturned ships he or she controls at adjacent locations. He or she turns and moves those ships to the location of the target. Remember that any ships in the Firestorm moved this way can't move back into the Star System from which they originally entered the Firestorm (see 407).
2. Determine defending forces: The defending player chooses any number of ships at the target's location (other than those he or she just moved into the location). The chosen ships plus all ships moved in step 1 form the defending fleet. Note that if the target of the attack is a ship, it may join the defending fleet, but it doesn't have to join.

504. Defender Support

1. Ask for support: Beginning with the player to his or her left, the defending player may ask each opponent except for the attacking player for support in the combat. To ask for support, the defending player asks the first player to his or her left for support. If he or she accepts, the player performs actions 2 and 3 below immediately. If that player declines or after he or she has performed actions 2 and 3 below, the defending player repeats the process with the next player. Continue repeating this process until all potential supporters have either accepted and performed actions 2 and 3 below, or declined.
2. Gather supporting forces: The supporter chooses any number of unturned ships he or she controls at adjacent locations. He or she turns and moves those ships to the location of the target. Remember that any ships in the Firestorm moved this way can't move back into the Star System from which they originally entered the Firestorm (see 407).
3. Determine supporting forces: The supporter chooses any number of ships at the target's location (other than those he or she just moved into the location). The chosen ships plus all ships moved in step 2 above join the defending fleet.

Note that it is possible for the same player to support both the attacking player and the defending player. This doesn't allow such a player to inflict damage on his or her own ships, nor does it allow the same ship to be in both fleets.

505. Combat Actions

Beginning with the attacking player and proceeding in order to his or her left, each player may launch any number of Fighters (any amount between "none" and "all") attached to ships with the Carrier trait he or she controls in the combat. Every Fighter launched this way joins the same fleet as the Carrier (even if the a supporter has ships in both fleets, the Fighters always join the same fleet as their originating Carrier).

Note that ships with attached Fighters that lack the Carrier trait can only launch their Fighters as a Combat action during the combat. They cannot automatically launch now.

The attacking player now receives a chance to perform an action. Chances then proceed in action order just as normal actions would, except only the attacking player, defending player, and any player who controls at least one ship or planet at the combat's location, or who wants to play an action to enable one or more ships to move into either fleet may perform actions.

Any and Combat actions are both legal now, as well as any of the following actions:

• Any ship in either fleet may perform its Combat action to inflict damage with its guns (see 306). If a hero aboard the ship inflicting damage this way can perform a React to increase the damage, only one such increasing action may be performed as a React to this action (regardless of the number of heroes aboard the ship).
• Any ship in either fleet may use its shield React to prevent damage that would be inflicted upon it.
• Combat: Issue 1 command to enable ships you control to retreat from this combat.
• Combat: Retreat a ship you control to an adjacent location that is in the direction of your Homeworld (you can retreat to the Firestorm if necessary). This ship is no longer in the combat. Do this only if you have issued a command to allow retreating. (If the combat is occurring at the location of your Homeworld, you can't retreat.)
• Any: Launch a Fighter from any ship you control. That Fighter joins the same fleet as the ship that launched it.
• Any: Target Fighter you control in the combat lands on target ship you control at the same location. (You can land on a ship in the opposing fleet as long as you control it.)

Note that you cannot perform a combat damage-inflicting action against a ship you control, even if that ship is in the opposing fleet. You can inflict non-combat damage on ships you control normally, however. (For example, by using a game effect such as D14 Missile.)

Important: Heroes riding aboard ships in a combat cannot move from ship to ship in the combat unless a game effect or Tactical card allows them to do so. If the ship a hero is aboard is destroyed or retreats, that hero is also destroyed or retreats, as appropriate.

If an action asks someone to do something to the opposing fleet or to a ship in the opposing fleet, observe the following rules:

• If you are the attacking player or supporting the attacking player only, the action affects the defending fleet.
• If you are the defending player or supporting the defending player only, the action affects the attacking fleet.
• If you are supporting both the attacking and defending player, or the only ships or planet you control at the location of the combat isn't in either fleet, the action affects whichever fleet you choose (but it can't affect both, nor can this allow you to get around the prohibition against damaging your own ships with the combat damage action).

Combat continues until all players pass in a row or until only one fleet remains. If every ship in the defending fleet is destroyed or retreated, and the target of the attack was the planet or a ship not in the defending fleet at this location, combat continues and the remaining ships in the attacking fleet may inflict damage on the target (assuming those ships have any energy remaining). If this happens, combat continues until the target is conquered or destroyed, all ships in the attacking fleet are destroyed or retreated, or until every player passes in a row.

If a combat ends due to every player passing in a row, no further ship movement occurs, and the ships just remain at the location of the target. Turn all ships that participated in the combat. Note that if the target was a ship, and the ship didn't join the defending fleet, it won't turn, nor will any other ships at the location that didn't join a fleet.

506. Hero Combat

Heroes can fight other heroes. This usually occurs using the Assassin and Spy traits, but some tactical cards and game effects may enable one hero to attack another at the same location.

To resolve a hero combat, perform the following actions in order. During a hero combat, only Reacts may be performed, regardless of what phase the hero combat occurs in:

1. Turn the hero that is initiating the attack. This is the attacking hero.
2. The attacking hero's controller places the top card of his or her draw pile face down (without looking at it) on top of the attacking hero.
3. The defending hero's controller may choose a card from his or her hand and place it face down on top of the defending hero.
4. Reveal both cards. Add the cosmic value of the attacking hero's card to that hero's combat statistic, then subtract the cosmic value of the defending hero's card (if there is one) from that value. This is the amount of damage the attacking hero will inflict.
5. Any player may play Reacts to the inflicting of the damage (usually these will be damage prevention Reacts).
6. The defending hero suffers the appropriate amount of damage. Now choose the appropriate choice from the list below:
   • If the defending hero now has lethal damage, and the attacking hero has the Assassin trait, recycle or terminate (as appropriate) the defending hero and hero combat ends.
   • If the defending hero now has lethal damage (and the attacking hero doesn't have the Assassin trait), play a single round with the roles reversed as below, except the attacking hero can't retreat and it is recycled or terminate, as appropriate, following the single round).
   • If the defending hero doesn't have lethal damage, reverse roles (attacking hero becomes defending hero and vice versa), and go onto step 7 below.
7. The attacking hero may retreat. If it does, hero combat ends. Otherwise, repeat steps 2-5 above (remembering that the heroes' roles are now reversed).
8. If the defending hero suffers lethal damage, recycle or terminate it as appropriate and hero combat ends. If the attacking hero suffered lethal damage on the first round (see 6 above), recycle or terminate it now, and hero combat ends. If both heroes are still alive, reverse roles again, and repeat step 7.

If a hero retreats from the combat, turn it. It may immediately move to another ship or the planet at the same location or stay where it is.

600. Traits

All planets, ships, and heroes have one or more traits that represent who or what that planet, ship, or hero is, as well as what special abilities it may possess. The section describes the abilities and actions granted by the various traits in the game.

601. Occupation, Function, and Alien Traits

Some traits do not grant special powers, but instead serve to describe the planet, ship, or hero. While these traits do not grant abilities in and of themselves, cards and game effects may key off certain traits.

These traits are divided into three general types:

• Occupation traits describe a hero's job or philosophy. These include such things as: Diplomat, Admiral, Engineer, Oracle, Scientist, or Researcher.
• Function traits describe the intended purpose of a ship or non-sentient hero. These include such things as: Destroyer, Platform, or Battleship.
• Alien traits describe the race a hero belongs to or the race that generally builds and uses a particular ship type. These are the same as the alien races in the game (Human, Soven, Muero, and Dysori). Note that Alien traits do not affect who can play a particular card—that is the function of the Alien symbols (see 300).

There is also one special trait—Homeworld. This trait is discussed in Rule 304. Every player must have a Homeworld planet in order to play the game.

If a card somehow gains more than one copy of a particular trait, one of the following occurs:

• If the trait contains an X value, the combined X values of each copy combine into one larger X value.
• If the trait doesn't have an X value, the second copy of the trait doesn't do anything.

The following rules describe all of the traits that grant special powers.

602. Assassin

Assassins are trained to kill to other heroes. Assassins have the following abilities:

• Assassins may be deployed at any planet.
• Limited Main: This hero begins a hero combat with target hero at the same location. (see 506).
• Assassins have a "first strike" ability in hero combat—If the Assassin inflicts lethal damage on the first shot of a hero combat it initiated, the defending hero gets no chance to strike back before dying.

603. Carrier

A Carrier is a very large ship designed to manufacture and carry Fighters. Carriers have the following abilities:

• Its controller may deploy ships with the Fighter trait directly onto the Carrier, regardless of the Carrier's location (unless it is in the Firestorm). Essentially, the Carrier is building the Fighter.
• Fighters loaded onto Carriers that join a ship combat may be automatically launched just prior to combat actions commencing during the combat. These launched Fighters join the Carrier's fleet.

604. Explorer: X

Explorers find new planets and treasures on far flung worlds. Explorers have the following ability:

• Main: Turn this Explorer and any number of other ships or heroes you control with the Explorer: X trait at a planet with available exploration points to remove X exploration points from that planet, where X is the combined X values of Explorer traits of the turned ships and heroes. You gain +X Tech. You can't gain more Tech this way than the number of available exploration points at that planet.

605. Fighter

A Fighter is a small, extremely maneuverable ship. Fighters have the following abilities:

• Fighters can carry only one hero.
• Fighters can't be the subject of support cards.
• A fighter can board another ship to "ride" with it as though the Fighter were a support card attached to the ship. Fighters board and disembark from ships as an Any action. (They may also launch automatically from Carriers that enter into combat. See 505).
• Combat React: Sacrifice this Fighter as damage is being inflicted on a ship you control to prevent 1 damage to that ship.

606. Fixed

Support cards with the Fixed trait can't be moved from one subject to another. Once a Fixed support card deploys onto a subject, it can't be moved unless it leaves play and is deployed again.

607. Medic and Mechanic

Medics are heroes who are adept at healing other heroes. Mechanics are heroes skilled in art of repairing ships.

A Medic has the following ability:

• Any: Turn this Medic to remove X damage from target hero at the same location, where X is the Medic's influence.

A Mechanic has the following ability:

• Any: Turn this Mechanic to remove X damage from target ship at the same location, where X is the Mechanic's influence.

608. Military

Military heroes are trained in ship-to-ship combat. They have the following abilities:

• Combat React: Turn this hero as its ship inflicts damage with its guns to inflict +X damage, where X is the hero's combat.
• Combat React: Turn this hero as its ship would suffer damage to prevent up to X of that damage, where X is the hero's combat.

609. Move: X

Move: X represents how far a ship can move each turn. For more details on ship movement, see 404.2.

610. Restricted

Any individual player can't control more than one copy of a Restricted card at one time. If an action would cause a player to gain control of a second copy of a Restricted card, cancel that action and recycle any cards played as part of that action.

611. Spy

Spies have all the abilities of an Assassin (see 602), except that heroes they attack are allowed a counterattack even if the Spy's initial strike inflicts lethal damage. Spies also have the ability to move as though they were a ship with Move: 1. Spies can move from location to location and enter the Firestorm. Spies also have the following action:

• Limited Main: Discard two cards at random from your hand to destroy target support card at this Spy's location.

612. Sync

Sync allows two ships to fire at once as though they were a single ship. During a ship combat, the two ships may deal damage as a single action. To do this, remove an energy from both ships, and add the two ship's guns statistics together. Then, inflict that much damage on the target.

Note that Sync only allows two ships to fire together at once. Sync won't allow three or more ships to fire together.

613. Unique

There can't be more than one copy of a Unique card in play at a time. If an action would bring a second copy of a Unique card into play, cancel that action and recycle any cards played as part of that action.

614. Voicing

Some hero and Gear cards have the Voicing trait. Voicing Gear requires a special talent to use, which only heroes with the Voicing trait possess. A hero with Voicing can have up to X Voicing Gear cards attached to it, where X is the hero's influence.

Gear with Voicing can't be attached to a hero without Voicing. If an action would cause a hero with Voicing to have too many Voicing cards attached to it, the hero's controller chooses one—Cancel the action and recycle any cards played as part of that action; or sacrifice any number of attached Voicing cards until the action becomes legal.

Glossary

• Action: Anything the rules, a card, or a game effect allow a player to perform. Actions are performed, reacted to, and then generate effects which alter the game.
• Action Order: The order in which players receive chances to perform an action, beginning with the turn's first player, and proceeding clockwise around the table. See Rule 201.2.
• Action Type: Determines when a particular action may be performed. See Rule 201.1 for more information on action types.
• Actual Value: The current value of a statistic or trait, including the printed value, plus all modifications due to effects (constant, permanent, or duration), plus (specifically for structure or life) modifications due to inflicted damage. The opposite of printed value.
• Adjacency: The set of rules that determine which locations in the galaxy are next to one another. See Rule 404.1 for complete details on adjacency.
• Advantage: One of the eight card types. Advantage cards represent a race's philosophy or objectives. See Rule 302.
• Alien: 1) A card type on the back of each starter deck box representing the different races a player may play in Firestorm. 2) The Alien race to which a card belongs or which most commonly uses it. See Rule 301 for descriptions of Alien cards. Also see Rule 601.
• Alternative Victory Conditions: Ways to win the game described by a player's advantage card. See Rule 103 for information on winning the game.
• Any: An action type which may be performed during any phase or during combat. See Rule 201.1.
• A support card attaches to its subject to indicate to which card the support card belongs. See Rule 307 for more information on support cards.

Alien Symbols

[Image-only page in the source PDF. The printed symbols are labeled Human, Dysori, Muero, Sovan, and Unaligned. The symbol artwork is not transcribed as text.]

Firestorm: Quick Start

Choose a starter with the Alien race you wish to play. Your Alien will have four distinctions of note:

1. Resources: Resources are used throughout the game and are used as a monetary unit. Resources accumulate turn to turn, with the exception of the starting Alien Resources that are used to pay for Planets.
2. Starting Technology Level: Technology Level is a threshold to be met. The Level may increase during play.
3. Starting Command Level: Command Level is the number of commands with which you begin the game.
4. Special Abilities

Before the game starts you spend your Resources on Planets to populate your Solar System. Your first purchase must be your Homeworld. You may have no more than six Planets when you start. You may have as few as one (being your Homeworld). It is suggested that you spend all of your Resources as you lose all unspent starting Resources as soon as the game begins.

You may now choose an Advantage card. This card will grant you an additional ability or modify your Alien card in some way.

Lay out your Planets on the play mat, starting with your Home World in slot A and filling each slot in order.

Shuffle your deck and deal yourself six cards. Place any Fate cards in your initial Hand into the Recycle pile and draw back up to six. Repeat if necessary.

Let's start playing!

Firestorm has three phases (Reset, Main, End) of each turn. When all players pass consecutively, you move into the next phase.

Example:

Reset Phase: all players perform the following automatic actions beginning with the First Player:

1. Unturn all cards
2. Reset all Power
3. Reset your number of Commands to its starting level.
4. Collect your Resources: Your Resources will be found on Planets and Installations under the designation RES.

Select First Player: Turn over a card and add its Fate value to your Technology level. The player with the highest total goes first next turn.

Then starting with the First player, players may take turns playing cards:

6. Play any cards or perform any actions that say Any or Reset.

Main Phase: You may, in no particular order and beginning with the First Player:

1. Deploy a Hero (who may be placed on any of your Planets).
2. Deploy a Ship (which must be placed on your Homeworld).
3. Move a Ship a number of locations up to its Move rate.
4. Declare combat.
5. Attach a Support card to a Hero, Planet or Ship
6. Play any card or perform any action that says Any or Main.

End Phase: Play any card or perform any action that says Any or End.

You may discard a second card by issuing a Command.

Draw up to fill your Hand, resolving Fate cards as they come up.

Remember: Anytime a player draws or reveals a Fate card, stop play, perform the effects of the Fate card and then resume play.

Combat:

This section outlines how combat works. Firestorm has a number of winning conditions, the most viable for sealed decks is military. You are considered the winner when you destroy your last opponents Homeworld.

Attacker:

1. The Attacker issues a Command and either declares he is attacking a planet or ship where he is located, or moves into a different legal location and declares he is attacking either a ship or planet in that location.

1. He may move any unturned Ships at adjacent (see the play mat for adjacency) locations to have them join the combat.
2. He may add in any ships already at the target location.
3. He may ask each player, moving clockwise, to join him in the attack. Any supporter may follow steps A & B and are considered part of the Attacking Fleet.

Defender:

1. If the Defender chooses to intercept the Attacker, he may perform the actions seen above to form the Defending Fleet.

Battle:

Before the Battle starts, each player (starting with the attacker and moving clockwise) may "launch" any Fighters they have attached to Ships with the Carrier trait. If Ships have Fighters attached but do not have the Carrier trait, they must release them as a Battle Action.

Starting with the Attacker and moving clockwise, you may:

1. Perform any Combat or Any actions.
2. Spend a point of energy to inflict Damage equal to the first number in its Combat score.
3. This causes an immediate Reaction Phase. In this Phase the recipient of the Damage may spend a point of energy to activate his Shields. This will stop as many points of damage as the second value listed under Combat on the Defending ship or Planet. You can React as many times as needed (and if energy is available) to prevent damage.
4. Any other Reactions to Damage may be taken. Like every other Phase, this Reaction Phase continues until all players pass consecutively.
5. Launch a Fighter. This Fighter joins the Fleet of the Ship that launched it.

As with every other Phase, Combat lasts until all players pass consecutively. You must pass if you have no other legal action to take.

These are the basics of Firestorm. There are many other aspects of the game that you can be found in the main rules. Go ahead, explore the rulebook and enjoy the world of Firestorm!