Roll for the Galaxy
Roll for the Galaxy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Each round, players secretly roll their workers to see what those workers wish to do. Each player uses one worker to select one of the five possible phases, then all players reveal their workers. All player-selected phases occur in numerical order:
- I — Explore: scout for new tiles or gain Galactic Credits.
- II — Develop: develop technologies for powers that modify play.
- III — Settle: settle worlds for more population and places to hold goods.
- IV — Produce: produce goods on worlds, in preparation for shipping.
- V — Ship: ship goods for Galactic Credits or victory points.
Workers that complete tasks go to their player's Citizenry. After the phases, players manage their empires, spending Galactic Credits to recruit workers from their Citizenries back into their cups, to be rolled next round.
Contents
- 5 dice cups
- 5 credit markers
- 5 player mats
- 5 player screens
- 5 phase strips
- 9 faction tiles (wide, numbered 1-9, with dark grey corners)
- 9 home world tiles (with dark grey corners)
- 111 custom dice
- 55 game tiles (double-sided)
- 1 cloth bag (to hold game tiles)
- 33 victory point (VP) chips: 20 small 1 VP chips, 8 medium 5 VP chips, 5 large 10 VP chips
- 5 phase tiles (with large phase symbols)
- this rulebook
Dice colors and distribution
The 111 dice come in seven colors, each specializing in different phases:
- Home die (white, 25) — Explore
- Military die (red, 22) — Develop, Settle
- Consumption die (purple, 9) — Ship (×3)
- Novelty die (cyan, 20) — Produce, Ship
- Rare Elements die (brown, 14) — Develop
- Genes die (green, 12) — Settle, Wild
- Alien technology die (yellow, 9) — Wild (×3)
Same-color dice have identical face distributions. Wild faces can be assigned to any phase. This information is also presented on the right side of the player screens.
Setup
1. Put in the center of the play area: the 55 game tiles inside the cloth bag; all the dice; and the 5 phase tiles, symbol-side up, in numerical order.
VP chip pool: Use 12 VPs per player, drawn from the 1 VP and 5 VP chips (2 players = 24 VP, 3 = 36, 4 = 48, 5 = 60). Set all the 10 VP chips aside for use only in the final round. Put the other VP chips away.
2. Give each player:
- a dice cup
- a credit marker (place it on the "$1" space of the mat)
- a mat
- a screen
- a phase strip (kept behind the screen)
- one faction tile and one home world tile, each chosen at random. Return the rest to the box. Each player places these tiles face-up in front of his mat; together they form the player's initial empire, represented by a tableau of tiles.
Put any unused player components in the box.
3. Each player draws game tiles: Draw two tiles from the bag and place them in the construction zone on the mat. Put one tile development-side-up on the left and one tile world-side-up on the right.
For your first game, place these double-sided tiles so that the lowest-cost development and the lowest-cost world are face up. In later games, choose which of the two ways you want to place each tile.
4. Each player takes dice:
- Put 3 Home (white) dice in your cup.
- Put 2 Home dice in your Citizenry.
- Take all dice granted by worlds in your empire. Put each, as indicated on the tile, in the Citizenry, the dice cup, or as a good placed on that world.
Do not take dice for the world in your construction zone; it grants dice only when settled and moved into your tableau.
Setup fine points
- Dice from your faction and home world are taken only during Setup.
- The home world Doomed World grants no dice; instead, its player starts with 8 Galactic Credits.
- The faction Destroyed Colony has two worlds; both grant dice.
Rounds
Roll for the Galaxy is played in rounds (usually 11-14). Each round consists of 5 steps, each done simultaneously by all players:
- Roll
- Assign
- Reveal
- Do Phases — resolve the selected phases in numeric order
- Manage Empire
Repeat rounds until one or both game-end conditions are met: all initial VP chips have been earned, or at least one player has 12 or more tile squares in his tableau. Finish that round, then total each player's VPs.
Roll
Players simultaneously roll all their workers (the dice in their cups) behind their screens.
Assign
Assign workers to phases by placing them below the phase strip in columns, matching each die face rolled with the phase symbol. In these rules and on the tiles, a worker refers to any die assigned to a phase. Wild faces are wild and can be assigned to any phase (multiple wild dice may go under the same or different columns).
Phase selection. Each player selects a phase by taking one worker and placing it on any space on the phase strip. Only selected phases occur. This assigns that worker to the selected phase; the player ignores that die's face and treats it as if its face were the selected phase.
Reassign. Some developments have powers that let a player Reassign workers to other phases, placing those dice in other columns below the phase strip. All players also have one built-in Reassign power, Dictate, shown on the phase strip: place any worker to the right of the phase strip (the Dictate area), then Reassign another worker to a different column. The worker in the Dictate area is returned to the cup during Reveal.
Each Reassign power can be used at most once per round. Many powers are optional, as indicated by "may" in their descriptions. When all players are done assigning workers and using Reassign powers, proceed to the next step.
Reveal
Each player lifts his screen to reveal his assigned workers, announcing the phase he selected. Flip the matching phase tile from its symbol side to its black side.
2-player game: roll a spare Home (white) die. If the rolled face is a phase that neither player selected, flip that phase tile over as well; this phase will also occur this round.
Return to players' cups any workers assigned to phases that were not selected, and any workers next to the Dictate area.
Do Phases
Simultaneously, players do all selected phases in numeric order. To do a phase, use all workers assigned to it, including the worker that selected it. Do not perform any phase not selected this round.
Each worker does a task depending on its assigned phase:
- Explorer: scout for a new tile (and optionally replace tiles in the construction zone), or stock to gain 2 Galactic Credits.
- Developer: develop the topmost development on the construction zone stack.
- Settler: settle the topmost world on the construction zone stack.
- Producer: produce a good on a non-gray world in your tableau.
- Shipper: trade a good for 3-6 Galactic Credits, or consume a good for 1-3 VP chips.
In each phase, all workers must be used if possible. They are used one at a time in any order. For Explore and Ship, complete one worker's task before deciding the next worker's task. As they complete tasks, return used workers to the Citizenry. If, after completing all possible tasks, a player has spare workers for a phase, return those to the cup.
Galactic Credits. Powers use the $ symbol to indicate credits (e.g. "+$2"). Track credits on the mat by shifting the Galactic Credit marker. A player may never have more than $10 at a time; any excess is lost. Credits are spent during Manage Empire to recruit dice from the Citizenry.
Most developments have a power. Powers can affect a phase or how a worker does a task.
Phase I — Explore
Use each explorer to either Scout or Stock. Put it in the Citizenry after using it.
To Scout: after possibly abandoning some tiles from your construction zone, draw 1 or more tiles from the bag and examine them. Then, in any order, choose whether each drawn tile will be a development or a world, and put it under its construction zone stack. Draw 1 more tile than the number of tiles abandoned (you may simply draw 1 tile without abandoning any).
Tiles can be abandoned from any position in your construction zone stacks. Put abandoned tiles under the Explore phase tile. You may abandon tiles every time you Scout, including tiles you drew in earlier Scout tasks this phase. At the end of the Explore phase, return all abandoned tiles to the bag.
During Explore, developers and settlers on construction zone stacks stay on top of their stacks, even if a stack is emptied by abandoning tiles. The rule that both construction zone stacks must have one tile applies only during setup, not during play.
To Stock: add 2 Galactic Credits to your total.
Phase II — Develop
Put each developer, one at a time, on the topmost tile in the development construction zone stack. Once the number of developers equals the topmost development's cost (the number shown), the development is complete: move its tile to the tableau and put the developers who completed it in the Citizenry.
Use any remaining developers to build the next tile in the stack. A player may complete more than one development in a Develop phase. If any developers remain after all developments are built (the stack is empty), return them to the cup.
Occasionally, due to Explore powers or Scouting, the topmost development might already be complete during an Explore phase. Do not move its tile or return its developers until a Develop phase occurs; at the start of the next Develop phase, resolve completed developments, choosing which developers to return to the Citizenry.
Most developments grant a power once built, usable either during the Assign step or in the phase(s) shown. Powers are mandatory unless their text includes "may," and are used, if applicable, in a phase that occurs even if you have no workers assigned to it. Three developments have "immediate effects" instead, similar to worlds.
Phase III — Settle
Put each settler, one at a time, on the topmost tile in the world construction zone stack. Once the number of settlers equals the topmost world's cost, the world is complete: move its tile to the tableau and put the settlers who completed it in the Citizenry.
Use any remaining settlers to build the next tile. A player may complete more than one world in a Settle phase. If any settlers remain after the stack is empty, return them to the cup.
As with developments, a world completed during an Explore phase is not resolved until the next Settle phase.
Each world has an immediate effect, shown on its tile, that occurs once upon placing the tile. All worlds grant dice; some worlds also give Galactic Credits. For immediate effects that involve removing one of your dice, return it from any location to the center.
Phase IV — Produce
Each producer creates a good on a non-gray world in the player's tableau. The producer die becomes the good; put it on the world. Any producer die (of any color) can become a good on any non-gray world.
Matching a good's color with its world's color matters only if the good will later be Consumed, not if it will be Traded. Each world can have at most 1 good (unless the player owns the Galactic Reserves development). Return any excess producers to the cup.
Phase V — Ship
Each shipper takes a good from a world in the player's tableau and either Trades or Consumes it. Put both dice (the shipper and the good) in the Citizenry.
Trade earns Galactic Credits according to the color of the good's world (not the color of the dice):
- Novelty: $3
- Rare Elements: $4
- Genes: $5
- Alien Technology: $6
Some powers further increase these amounts.
Consume earns the shipping player 1 to 3 VP chips:
- 1 VP chip always;
- +1 VP chip if the good's color matches the world it is on;
- +1 VP chip if the shipper's color matches the color of the good's world.
A Consumption (purple) die, used as either the good or the shipper, matches all colors and always earns +1 VP. Using 2 Consumption dice for both the good and the shipper always earns both VP bonuses. Some powers further increase the VP chips earned or even earn Galactic Credits.
If the initial pool of VP chips runs out, add the set-aside 10 VP chips to the pool and continue earning VP chips for Consume tasks. Emptying the initial pool of VP chips is one of the two ways to trigger game end (the game ends after completing the entire round).
At the end of the phase, return any excess shippers to the cup.
Manage Empire
Recruit. Recruit workers by selecting dice from the Citizenry, putting them in your cup, and decreasing your Galactic Credits by 1 for each die recruited. Do this until either your Citizenry is empty or your credits run out. After recruiting, if your credits are at "0," shift the marker to "1." If you have fewer credits than dice in the Citizenry, you freely choose which dice to recruit. You must recruit as many dice as you can afford.
Recall. You may recall any developers and settlers (from their construction zone stacks) and goods (from their worlds), putting them in your cup. Recalling dice, unlike recruiting, does not cost Galactic Credits. If you have no dice in your cup after recruiting, you must recall at least one die.
Reset. Flip all phase tiles back to their symbol sides.
Check game end. If either the VP chip pool was exhausted, or any player has 12 or more tile squares in his tableau (counting his double-sized faction tile as 2 tile squares), the game is over.
Winning
Total each player's score:
- VP chips.
- VPs equal to the costs of all developments and worlds (the printed cost numbers). Include both numbers from a faction tile. Do not include any tiles in the construction zone.
- Bonus VPs for 6-cost developments (beyond the 6 VPs for the development itself), as indicated on those tiles. When figuring these bonuses, round any fraction up to the next whole number. Some 6-cost developments count toward their own bonuses (such as Galactic Federation).
The player with the most VPs wins. If two or more players tie, each tied player adds the number of dice in his cup plus his Galactic Credits; the highest total among the tied players wins. If there is still a tie, all tied players win.
Timing
Most play can and should be done simultaneously. However, player order can matter when a player might build to 12 or more tile squares (triggering game end), or when the VP chip pool might be exhausted (triggering game end). When strict timing is needed, do the phase in clockwise player order, starting with the player who has the lowest-numbered faction tile.
Etiquette
Existing and newly drawn tiles beneath the top tile of each construction zone stack are secret; a player may look at tiles in his own stacks at any time, but when asked must tell other players the size of each stack. Tiles abandoned during Explore (under the Explore phase tile) are secret. The only other secret information is the workers rolled behind screens during Roll and Assign. Because there is no way to verify actions behind screens, the game relies on players taking care not to make mistakes.
For Race for the Galaxy players
Some rules that differ from Race for the Galaxy:
- The phase order is different; Ship (this game's version of Consume) occurs after, not before, Produce.
- There is no "bonus" for selecting a phase (though you do guarantee it occurs).
- Players are not limited to one tile constructed per build phase.
- All developments are unique.
- The minimum number of workers to place a tile is 1, not 0, even if discounts would reduce it below 1.
- Tiles' VPs equal their cost (except "6+" developments).
- There is no direct military conquest. Instead, Military dice are biased toward Develop and Settle, representing the military preference for expansion.
- Trade prices are $1 higher (a Genes good trades for $5).
- A player may Trade multiple goods in a Ship phase (as many as you have shipper-good pairs).
Fine points
Dice terms: Workers are dice in a player's cup, below a player's phase strip, or being used to select a phase. Dice that are unowned, in a Citizenry, or in a Dictate area are not workers. Based on their assigned phase, workers become explorers, developers, settlers, producers, or shippers. Producers put onto worlds become goods.
Explore — running out of tiles: If a Scouting player must draw more tiles than are in the bag, he first draws all tiles in the bag, then takes all abandoned tiles under the Explore phase tile, puts them in the bag, and draws the rest. If there are still not enough tiles, the Scouting player places all tiles drawn so far in his construction zone; then each player with at least 3 tiles in his construction zone (including the Scouting player) must abandon 1 tile into the bag, and the Scouting player draws to finish the task. When the bag is low, players may wish to do the entire Explore phase in player order.
Develop and Settle: You must use all your developers (or settlers) — placing them one at a time on the top tile — if you have any developments (or worlds) in the construction zone. You must use all applicable discounts you have. A player can end with more than 12 tile squares by building several tiles during the final round.
Produce and Ship: Any color producer can produce on any non-gray world. A good's Trade value is determined by its world's color, not the good's color. You do not declare in advance what shippers will do; decide each task (Trade or Consume) as you do it. Wild faces provide no extra VP chips in Consume (only the colors of the dice involved matter). You may deliberately mismatch goods and shippers to earn fewer VP chips, if strategically useful.
Manage Empire: You must recruit as many dice as you can afford from the Citizenry. There is a reason to recall workers on the final round: the tie-breaking rule counts dice in the cup, but not workers in the construction zone or goods.
Immediate effects: When removing a die as part of an immediate effect, you may remove any of your dice. Removing a die from your cup, phase strip, construction zone, or worlds has no effect beyond its removal (if you remove the only die used to select a phase, that phase still occurs).
Development powers: Reassign powers can be used only during the Assign step; all other powers specify their phase(s). A power can be used as many times as it is triggered. You do not need workers assigned to a phase to trigger powers that occur in it, and you can use a development's power in the phase you build it. Only a die's column, not its faces, determines which of the five workers it is.
Frequently overlooked rules
- Play is simultaneous — there are no separate player turns.
- The die placed on the phase strip (to select a phase) is still a worker.
- Each player may select only one phase. Each Reassigned worker — including one assigned by Dictate — goes below the phase strip.
- All workers perform their tasks sequentially, one at a time. Players do not declare their tasks in advance.
- Workers that complete tasks go to the Citizenry (not the cup).
- Unused workers return to the cup (not the Citizenry).
- Abandoned tiles go under the Explore phase tile.
- Each Consumption (purple) die, as either a good or shipper during Consume, earns +1 VP.
- Each player's faction and home world tiles together count as 3 tile squares toward the 12 needed to trigger game end.
Tile distribution
Each of the 55 game tiles has a world on one side and a development on the other, with costs ranging from 1 to 6. Worlds break down as 15 Novelty, 13 Rare Elements, 9 Genes, 7 Alien Technology, and 11 Other worlds. Developments break down as 18 with Reassign powers, 34 with other powers, and 3 with immediate effects.
Credits
Game design, development, and rules: Wei-Hwa Huang & Tom Lehmann. Original graphics: Wei-Hwa Huang. Tile illustrations: Martin Hoffmann, Claus Stephan. Graphics: Mirko Suzuki. © 2014 Wei-Hwa Huang, Tom Lehmann; © 2014, 2020 Rio Grande Games.