Space Cadets Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Station Description & Components
  • Other Components
• The Steps in a Turn
• Setup
  • Mission & Difficulty Selection
  • Captain's Log
  • Experimental Equipment Cards
• Engineering
• Helm
  • Map Obstacles
  • Movement Example
• Sensors
• Tractor Beams
• Weapons
• Shields
• Jump Drive
• Damage and Repair
  • Core Breach
• Enemy Action
• Nemesis
• Missions
  • Mission 1: Jump Crystal Mining
  • Mission 2: Scout Patrol
  • Mission 3: Ambush!
  • Mission 4: Seek and Destroy
  • Mission 5: Mother Ship
  • Mission 6: Nemesis Must Die!
• Advanced Systems
• Station Quick Reference
• Credits

Station Description & Components

Captain — Sets the overall strategy and goals for the rest of the crew, and leads strategy discussions. He manages the turn sequence and the sand timer. He also has access to Experimental Equipment cards, which can be used to assist the different Stations. Components: Captain Display, Sand Timer, Nemesis Track Token, 8 Experimental Equipment Cards, 2 Battery Tokens.

Engineering — Gives energy to the other Stations. The more energy that a station has, the more options that it has. The Engineer matches tiles to determine which Stations get energy. Components: Engineering Display, 16 Engineer Tiles, 16 Energy Tokens.

Sensors — Locks onto targets, breaks enemy locks, and scans unknown map tiles. To perform these actions the Sensor officer draws cards with pictures of a shape on them, and has to reach into a bag and find the tile with that shape by feel alone. You draw one Target card for each energy assigned to Sensors. Components: Sensors Display, 8 Sensor Target Cards, 1 Cloak Token, Cloth bag, 3 Lock Tokens, 8 Target Puzzle Pieces.

Shields — Protects the ship from enemy ships, asteroids, and other external damage. Number tiles are drawn and need to be assigned to the different sides of the ship. The number of shield points is determined by the pattern and color of the tiles. For example, two pair gives two shield points, which are doubled if all are the same color. The more energy that is assigned to the Shield Station, the more tiles may be drawn. Components: Shields Display, 32 Shields Tokens, 4 Shields Track Token, I.C.E Token.

Weapons — Attack enemy ships. One torpedo may be launched for each energy allocated to Weapons. The Weapon officer first has to load the Torpedo Tubes, and then fires them. To load the Torpedo tubes, you draw a Torpedo Tube puzzle card, and place torpedo tube pieces onto it to complete that puzzle. For each puzzle completed you launch a torpedo by flicking a disc down the Weapons Track. Sensor Locks and Tractor Beams increase how much damage is done. Components: 24 Torpedo Puzzle Pieces, 18 Torpedo Tube Cards, Torpedo Disc, Torpedo Track.

Helm — Sets the ship speed and plots the movement across the Map. The course is plotted by laying a sequence of Maneuver cards. Energy allows the Helm to change the ship speed and draw more Maneuver cards to choose from. Components: Helm Display, 20 Maneuver Cards, Speed Track Token.

Tractor Beams — Grab crystals and other objects to complete missions, and grab enemy ships to increase weapons damage. You activate the tractor beams by turning over pairs of tiles. If the shapes and number match, you generate Tractor Beam points. Generate enough points and you are successful. Each point of energy allows you to flip one pair of tiles. Components: Tractor Beam Display, 16 Tractor Beam Tiles.

Damage Control — Resolve and Repair Damage. When the ship takes damage that gets through the shields, turn over a card to see the result. Some damage cards cause ongoing effects to a particular Station. These cards may be repaired by turning over Repair cards, which may be successful, cause more damage, or require a die roll. Energy may be used to skip bad Repair cards. If the ship takes damage but there are no more cards to be drawn the ship suffers a Core Breach. The players must work together to repair the Core Breach, otherwise the ship explodes and the mission fails. Components: Damage & Repair Display, Damage Cards (12/side), 12 Core Breach Cards, 11 Repair Cards, 12 Core Repair Cards, Core Breach Tracking Token.

Jump Drive — After completing the mission objectives the players must successfully Jump out of the sector to win the game. The Jump Drive officer rolls five dice and needs to get five-of-a-kind. In turns before the final jump, the players roll the dice to get combinations, like three-of-a-kind, to earn Jump Flux cards that can be used on later Jump rolls to change the dice. Energy is used to gain re-rolls, and to gain extra time to successfully jump. Components: Jump Display, 12 Jump Cards, 5 dice.

Advanced Systems — We hate to keep bringing this up, but based on your Academy scores we have kept information about certain advanced functions for Stations away from you for your initial missions. Once you are comfortable you can use these Advanced Systems as you desire. Rules for Advanced Systems. Components marked with the Advanced System icon are, of course, only used when you choose to use the Advanced System for that Station.

Other Components

1 Player Ship Token, 17 Ship Cards, 4 Crystal Cards, 4 Special Crystal Tokens (for use with promo cards), 10 Map Tiles, 17 Enemy Tokens, 4 Crystal Tokens, 9 Damage Tokens, Rulebook.

The Steps in a Turn

There are 9 steps in a turn that are done in sequence. They are tracked by moving the sand timer along the Captain's Log. Details for each Station are included in the rules for that Station, but this section will give you a sense of the flow of the turn. Most steps are timed, but for some the players may take as much time as required.

Step 1: Discussion and Energy Distribution (This step lasts 3 minutes) The players discuss what they want to do during the turn. Engineering also determines what energy goes to each Station based on the way the Engineering Tiles were played in the previous turn. Engineering may also exchange energy between Stations at a 2:1 trade.

Step 2: Preparation (This step is not timed) Certain Stations need to be set up based on the decisions of the players and the energy they receive. For example, Helm decides how energy will be split between Thrust, to change the ship's speed, and Maneuver, to draw more Maneuver cards. Then Maneuver cards are drawn, ready to be used in Step 3.

Step 3: Action (This step lasts 30 seconds) Five of the Stations simultaneously perform their task – Helm places Maneuver cards, Shields places shield tiles, Sensors finds the target shapes in the bag, Weapons completes the Torpedo Tube puzzles, and Engineering uses the tiles to determine how much energy will go to each Station in Step 1 of the next turn. If a Core Breach is in process the players must also try to repair the breach at the same time. If it is not repaired, the ship explodes and the game is lost.

Note: Since there are five actions that need to be done at the same time during Step 3, if there are 3 or 4 players this step is split into two steps, called 3A and 3B. There is one side of the Captain's Log for 3 or 4 players, and one side for 5 or more players, that show these steps and which Stations are active during each.

Step 4: Resolution (This step is not timed) Shield points are marked on the track, Helm moves the ship on the board and checks for damage from map obstacles like asteroids, or Special Maneuver cards, and then Sensors locks onto targets, scans map tiles, etc, based on the target shapes that were found. These three steps (Shield, Move Ship, Sensor Locks) are done in that order.

Step 5: Tractor Beams (This step lasts 30 seconds) Tiles are flipped on the Tractor Beam display to attempt to tractor an object, or just to learn where the tiles are for future turns.

Step 6: Weapons Fire (This step lasts 30 seconds) The torpedo disc is flicked down the Weapons Track one time for each successfully loaded Torpedo Tube.

Step 7: Enemy Action (This step is not timed) Enemy ships get to move and fire. Next the Nemesis ship moves closer to entering the game, or grows stronger.

Step 8: Jump (This step lasts 30 seconds) The Jump Drives can be activated to either activate Jump Flux cards to make future jump attempts easier, or to jump off of the map and end the game.

Step 9: Repair (This step lasts 30 seconds) If there are any ongoing damage effects, repairs may be attempted.

After Step 9, the players return to Step 1 and start a new turn. The players continue taking turns until the mission is won or lost, or the player ship is destroyed, which always results in mission failure.

Setup

Suggested Assignments for First-Time Players

• 3 Players: Captain (Engineering, Tractor), Player 2 (Weapons, Helm, Jump), Player 3 (Sensors, Shields, Damage)
• 4 Players: Captain (Engineering, Tractor), Player 2 (Weapons, Damage), Player 3 (Helm, Jump), Player 4 (Sensors, Shields)
• 5 Players: Captain (Engineering), Player 2 (Weapons, Jump), Player 3 (Helm), Player 4 (Sensors, Damage), Player 5 (Shields, Tractor)
• 6 Players: Captain, Tractor Player, Player 3 (Engineering, Jump), Player 4 (Weapons), Player 5 (Helm), Player 6 (Sensors), Shield Player

Mission & Difficulty Selection

The group selects the Mission they wish to play, and the Difficulty Level (Easy, Normal, or Hard).

Difficulty Level

The game can be played at three Difficulty Levels: Easy, Normal, or Hard. There are only two differences:

• The Damage Decks are composed of a different mix of Damage Cards (see below)
• The difficulty of enemy ships is changed. See "Missions" for how this is handled.

We suggest playing the missions in order, from 1 to 6. Set up the map per the Mission instructions.

1. Assign Stations to players. Each player takes the components for their Stations. The Stations can be assigned as desired, except that certain stations are active at the same time during Step 3 (Action Step — see "Captain" for details). No player should have two Stations that are active at the same time. Suggested assignments are shown above. Each player sets up according to the rules for their Stations.

2. Create Damage Decks. Sort the Damage Cards by side (Fore, Aft, Port, Starboard) and remove the Shift Change card for each side. Then make two piles for each side - one with the Structure Damage cards, and one with the Station Damage cards. So there will be a total of eight piles (two for each of the four sides of the ship), plus a Shift Change card for each side. For each side of the ship make a deck consisting of 8 Damage cards. The exact mix of cards is based on the Difficulty level, per this table:

	Easy	Normal	Hard
Structure	3	2	1
Shift Change	1	1	1
Station	4	5	6

Take these cards without looking, shuffle each of the four decks separately and place them onto their space on the Damage Display. All cards not used are returned to the box without looking at them.

3. Begin play with the first discussion period. NOTE: For the first turn Step 1 is NOT timed, so players can formulate a strategy.

Sample Five Player Setup

Here's a sample five player setup for the first mission, using the suggested Station assignments. Specific rules about how each station is set up and operated can be found in the Station rules.

Abby is playing Captain and Engineering. As Captain she takes the Captain's Log and sand timer. She gets a choice of four pieces of Experimental Equipment, and chooses the X-95 Torpedoes, Tachyon Capsule, Focusing Crystal, and Matrix Stabilizer. She also places the Nemesis marker on the '5' space per the Mission Setup instructions. For Engineering she takes the Engineering Display, the 16 Engineering Tiles, and the 16 Energy Tokens.

Ella is operating the Shields and Tractor Beams. She takes the Shield Display, placing the 32 Shield Tokens alongside. She also takes the four Shield Strength markers and places them on each shield, on the zero strength space. For the Tractor Beams she takes the Tractor Beam Display and the 16 Tractor Beam tiles. The Tractor Beam tiles are placed face down and mixed up, and then placed face down on the Display. Ella will have to use Energy and her memory to figure out where the matching pairs are!

Estrada is in charge of Sensors and Damage Control. For Sensors he takes the Sensor Display, the bag with the Sensor tiles, and the Sensor Target cards. He also takes the lock tokens.

Isaac is in charge of Weapons and the Jump Drive. For Weapons he takes the Torpedo Tube cards and pieces, and the Torpedo Track and Weapons disc. For the Jump Drives he takes the Jump Drive Display Mat and the 12 Flux cards. The Flux cards are all placed to the left of the Display Mat to show they are Inactive. The Jump Drives will also require five dice when they are activated, but the dice are used for many things and are shared.

Carmen takes on the Helm, and is responsible for guiding the ship across the map. The Helm Station components consist of the Helm Track, the Standard Maneuver cards and the Special Maneuver cards, along with the Speed token, which starts on Speed 2, per the mission instructions. The Special Maneuver cards are spread out and placed face up so that Carmen can grab them if she needs to.

The players set up the map tiles per the Mission instructions. In Mission 1, initially only one map tile is placed. The dotted squares show where the other tiles will be placed when they are scanned by Sensors or the ship moves onto them. The unused map tiles are placed in a convenient location where they can be drawn later. Per the mission instructions the ship can be placed along the left edge of the map tile. The players have a choice of the exact square, and during their first discussion will need to decide where to place it. If you are playing a mission that has fixed enemies on certain map tiles, you can draw and place the enemy cards face down where those tiles will go, or simply draw them when they are needed. Here the map is set up for Mission 1 with the enemies and crystals placed in advance.

The Damage Display is set up by placing a stack of eight damage cards in the appropriate boxes (Fore, Aft, Port, and Starboard). Finally the Repair deck is shuffled and placed face down on the Repair space.

Helping Other Officers

The players are free to give advice to the other officers while they are performing their action. However only the officer is allowed to actually touch the components for their Station.

Example: During Step 5, Ella, the Tractor Beam Officer, is flipping tiles to find matches. The other players are free to remind her where tiles are located, but only she can actually flip the tiles over.

Captain's Log

Equipment: Captain's Log, Experimental Equipment Cards

The Captain's Log tracks the flow of each turn through nine steps. There is one side for 3-4 players, and one side for 5+ players. At the start of the turn place the sand timer on space '1'. Each time it runs out flip it over and advance it to the next space. Each space has a specific action that the players perform. The Station Icon shows which station(s) are active during each step. See the specific Station rules for details. The white number steps are strictly timed. The activity must stop when the sand timer runs out. The red number steps are NOT timed. The players may take as much time as needed to perform these steps. The players should refrain from discussing strategy during these steps. Strategy discussions should be held only during the white number steps. Step 1, Discussion, has six circles. This phase lasts 3 minutes, and is a time for the players to plan what they will do during the turn, although of course they may have to change depending on events. The sand timer is never placed on the Station icons, only on the white or red numbers, except for Step 1.

IMPORTANT: During the Turn 1 Discussion step the timer is not used. The players may take as much time as desired.

If a step is not required (such as Repair) it may be skipped. After the last step for the turn the Sand Timer is moved back to the first Step 1 circle. It is recommended that for the first turn of your first game the players do not use the sand timer, but take as much time as desired for each step.

NOTE ON TIMING: Where there are two timed steps in a row (like Tractor Beam and Weapons) you do not need to immediately start the sand timer for the second step. You can take the time to make sure the Weapons player is set up and ready to start. Similar with Repair. After Jump, the players can have a quick talk as to whether they want to try to Repair or not before the timer is started. You should also take some time at the end of the turn to clean up all Stations, cards, etc, and make sure you are ready for the new turn before starting the sand timer on Step 1.

During the Action Phase, the five stations shown (plus Core Breach) perform their Action Phase actions at the same time. See each station's rules for details.

NOTE: On the 3/4 player side, this step is split into 3A and 3B. Follow the icons for which Stations are active for each step. This is done so that the numbering of all steps is consistent regardless of the number of players.

Experimental Equipment Cards

During setup the Captain chooses four Experimental Equipment cards for the game. The other cards are placed back in the box. During the game, the Captain may use one card each turn. It can only be used once, and is discarded after being played.

This Track is used to track when Nemesis enters the game. See the Nemesis rules for details.

Engineering

Equipment: 16 Engineering Tiles, Engineering Display, 16 Energy Tokens

The Engineering Officer (EO) is in charge of allocating energy to the different systems. The more energy a system has, the more effective it will be. The rules for each system describe how energy is used. The EO plays Engineering Tiles like tiles, attempting to get as many matches as possible. The more matches obtained, the more energy is available.

Step 1 (Discussion and Energy Distribution) During Step 1 Energy tokens are placed on the Engineering Display based on the tile layout from the prior turn. Two energy of the same type may be used as one energy of any other type. Remember that no more than four energy can go to any one System. Once the final energy distribution is determined, the EO gives the energy tokens to each Station. SPECIAL FIRST TURN RULE: Since the tiles were not set up in the prior turn, Energy is distributed in a simple way on the first turn. The EO simply receives twelve energy tokens and can freely distribute them amongst the Systems as she sees fit, but still no more than four per Station.

Step 2 (Prepare Stations) The tiles are returned to the Engineering Tile pool face down, reshuffled, and seven tiles are drawn.

Step 3 (Action Step) The EO flips over the seven tiles and matches up the symbols. Each energy tile has one System icon in the center, and four half icons, one on each edge. A System will receive an Energy Token for each complete icon that the EO puts together. So at a minimum, one energy will be automatically given for each icon at the center of a tile. The tiles may be placed against each other in any fashion, on the table surface. Not all symbols on the edge of the tiles need to match. This is a valid placement. It just doesn't generate an Energy.

Example: During last turn's Action Phase, the Engineering Officer placed the seven Engineering Tiles as shown. During Step 1, the Energy Tokens are placed on the Engineering Display as follows: Helm: 2, Shield: 2, Sensors: 2, Weapons: 2, Tractor: 3, Jump: 2, Repair: 0. During the discussions the EO decides to trade the two JUMP energy for one additional energy to Weapons. The energy tokens are distributed to the Stations, and the Captain moves the sand timer to Step 2 (Preparation). The EO picks up these tiles and shuffles them back in with the unselected tiles. Seven are then drawn and placed face down, ready for Step 3 (Action).

Helm

Equipment: Helm Board, 14 Maneuver cards, 6 Special Maneuver cards, Speed Token

The Helmsman is responsible for navigating the ship through the mission sector, taking advantage of obstacles and gravity wells to complete the mission as quickly as possible and avoid hostile fire. The player ship token is always in a map square facing a specific direction. The Helmsman uses Maneuver cards to plot the movement of the ship. There are two types: Standard Maneuver cards, which are drawn at random, and Special Maneuver cards, which are kept in a separate pile and can always be used. But Special Maneuver cards may cause damage to the ship.

Step 2 (Preparation) During Step 2 the Helmsman divides the energy received from Engineering between the Thrust box and the Maneuver box. The energy can be divided in any way desired. Next the Helmsman adjusts the speed of the ship by one, either up or down, for each energy in the thrust box. The ship speed can not go below zero or above six. Move the Speed marker on the Helmsman display to show the current speed. Once the speed is adjusted the Helmsman draws a number of Standard Maneuver cards equal to the Speed plus the number of energy in the Maneuver box.

Example: The speed is at '3'. The Helmsman receives 3 energy from Engineering, and decides to put 1 in the Thrust box and 2 in the Maneuver box. She adjusts the speed up to 4 (she could have also reduced it to 2), and draws six Standard Maneuver cards - 4 for the speed, and 2 for the 2 energy in the Maneuver box.

Note: The Maneuver cards drawn are kept face down and cannot be looked at until the start of the Step 3.

Step 3 (Action Step) During the Action Step the Helmsman has to plot the movement of the ship. One Maneuver card must be placed in each space on the Helm display up to the speed. So if the speed is four, four cards must be played in spaces 1-4. If the speed is zero no cards may be played, and the ship will not move. For each space the Helmsman may choose one of the Standard Maneuver cards that were drawn during the Preparation Phase, or a Special Maneuver card. The Special Maneuver cards are all kept face up and available every turn, and any number of them may be used each turn (limited by the speed of course). However they may cause 1 or 2 internal damage to the ship, as noted on the card, during the Resolution Phase. If the Helmsman has not placed Maneuver cards in all the required spaces (up to the speed) the remaining spaces are filled at random from the Standard Maneuver cards remaining from the drawn cards.

Step 4 (Resolution) During Step 4 the ship is actually moved on the map according to the plan of the Helmsman. In order, from left to right, the Maneuver cards are executed. The ship is considered to have followed the path shown on the card, and encounters all effects in each space entered. If a Special Maneuver card is resolved, roll for the damage after the movement for that card is resolved. As the ship enters special spaces resolve the effects immediately. When all ship movement is complete the Standard Maneuver cards are shuffled back into the Maneuver deck, and Special Maneuvers are placed to the side to be used again if desired.

Map Obstacles

Asteroids: Each time the player ship enters an Asteroid square, roll a die and:

• All enemy ships that are more spaces away from the players than the die roll lose lock on the player ship.
• If the roll is 1, 2, or 3, the players take that much damage to a random shield.

Nebula: Each time the player ship moves enters a Nebula square, roll a die and:

• All enemy ships that are more spaces away from the players than the die roll lose lock on the player ship.
• If the roll is a 1 or 2 one Sensor Lock is discarded. The Sensor Officer chooses which is lost.

NOTE: There are several different colored nebula on the maps. They all use these same rules.

Gravity Arrow: If the ship moves across an edge containing a gravity arrow the speed is adjusted for the next turn. The Maneuver cards planned for this turn are not affected. For each side crossed with an arrow increase the Speed marker by one. For each side crossed against an arrow decrease the Speed marker by one. This will affect the speed that you begin the next turn with. You are also considered to have this speed for any tractor beams or enemy weapon fire.

Rift: Take one die of damage on a random shield. Rifts also block weapons fire and tractor beams.

Crystals and Enemy Ships have no effect on movement.

Unscanned Map Tile: If the ship is plotted to move onto an unscanned down tile, draw a map tile and place any units on it. The ship will move onto the newly exposed spaces. For obvious reasons this can be dangerous.

Sector Edge: If the ship is plotted to move off of the edge of the Mission map it stops immediately. The ship takes 2 damage to a random shield. It is then rotated 180 degrees, and the speed is set to zero. The remaining Maneuver cards are cancelled.

Figuring out Range In Space Cadets, whenever you calculate the range, count the shortest path without going diagonally. When counting range for Torpedoes or Tractor Beams there are usually many possible paths of the shortest length. You can choose ANY path desired. That is why Rifts usually will only block weapons and tractors if they lie on the same row as the ship and the target. Otherwise there is usually (but not always) a way to trace a path around the Rift.

Movement Example

At the start of the turn, the player ship is located as shown, with a speed of three. The Helmsman receives three energy tokens from Engineering. During Preparation he decides to increase speed to four, and so places one energy token in Thrust, and two in Maneuver. So he draws six cards (4 speed + 2 maneuver) and keeps them face down until the start of the Action Phase. When the timer starts for the start of the Action Phase, the Helmsman turns the cards over. And he places them, one per square, in the order he chooses. Note that he decided to use one Special Maneuver card (Cruise). During Step 4 the ship is moved. Its position after each card is shown on the right. During card 1 (Slow Left) the ship moves against a Gravity Arrow, so the speed is dropped to 3. During card 3 the ship moves through a Nebula, so a die is rolled to see if a Sensor Target card is lost and if Enemy Ships lose lock. A 3 is rolled, so there is no effect on the Sensors. Any enemies more than 3 squares away lose lock. The Helmsman will also need to roll for possible damage from the Cruise. He rolls a 2, so no damage is taken. All tractor beam and weapon fire attempts will be from position 4, with a speed of 3. The players will start next turn from that location.

Sensors

Equipment: Sensor Display, Sensor Bag with 8 Sensor Tiles, 8 Sensor Target Cards, 3 Lock Tokens.

The Sensor Officer (SRO) generates Sensor Points by selecting the right shape tiles out of the bag by feel alone. Sensor points are then used to explore map tiles, and lock targets for the weapons and tractor beams.

Step 2 (Preparation) The SRO may designate up to three target objects for the sensors. This is done by placing matching Crystal or Enemy Ship card on the A, B, or C slots on the Sensor Display. Any existing target in that slot is removed before the new target card is placed, and any lock on it is lost. There is no range limit to sensors. For each energy token allocated to Sensors, the SRO draws one of the Sensor Target cards and places it face up below one of the sensor spaces on the Sensor Display. Each tile placed in a sensor column can potentially generate one Sensor Point.

Step 3 (Action Phase) During the Action Phase the SRO reaches into the bag of Sensor Tiles and, by feel alone, selects a tile and pulls it out of the bag. If it matches one of the Target cards, place the piece on that card. If it does not match any of the Target cards, the SRO places it on the Target card of her choice. This Target card can no longer be matched that Action phase. Therefore the number of pieces the SRO can pull out of the bag is equal to the number of Target cards.

Step 4 (Resolve Sensors) The Sensor Display is checked to see which Target shapes were successfully matched. The SRO earns one Sensor Point for each successful match. Sensor Points are spent by the SRO on various activities. Points under the A, B, and C boxes are used to gain or break locks on the matching target:

• Lock (1 pt): Place a sensor token onto the enemy or crystal card.
• Superlock (3 pts): Place a Superlock token on the Sensor Display.
• Upgrade Lock (2 pts): Flip a Lock token to the Superlock side.
• Break Lock (1 pt): Flip the enemy ship token on the map from its 'Locked' side to its 'Unlocked' side.

Activities that require more than one Sensor Point must be done all at once. You cannot save points from turn to turn. So, for example, two Sensor Target cards must be placed under a target and matched to upgrade from a Lock to a Superlock.

Tiles under the Sector Scan box can be used to explore map tiles:

• Sector Scan (1 pt): Draw an unexplored map tile, and place any units on it per the Mission Rules. The tile is placed as drawn. The players may not rotate it to their liking.

After points are spent, all Sensor Tiles are placed back in the bag, and the Sensor Target cards are shuffled back into the deck. Points may not be saved from turn to turn. You do not have to decide what the points will be used for until you spend them. At the end of the turn, all Superlocks flip back to regular Locks. They may be upgraded to Superlocks in a future turn as normal. Note that Locks are never lost unless moving through Nebula, special enemy abilities, or other effects.

Example: During Preparation the Sensor Officer receives four energy tokens from Engineering, so he can place four Sensor Target Cards. He decides to place one under Slot A to attempt to get a lock on the Cruiser, two under Slot B to upgrade the lock on the Crystal to a Superlock, and one under Sector Scan, to explore a map tile. During the Action Phase the Sensor Officer is only able to find three matching tiles. A Lock token is placed on the Cruiser to show that there is now a lock. One Map tile may also be drawn. Only one tile is found under the Crystal, so the Lock is not upgraded to a Superlock. All tiles are returned to the bag, and the Sensor cards are shuffled back into the deck.

Tractor Beams

Equipment: Tractor Beam Display, 16 Tractor Beam Tiles

Tractor Beams are used to capture crystals, help shoot enemy ships, and other functions defined by the Mission. To gain Tractor Beam points the Tractor Beam Officer (TBO) will flip pairs of tiles over to find matches. The tiles flip back though, so memory is important!

Step 5 (Tractor Beam Attempts) During Step 5 the Tractor Beam Officer (TBO) is responsible for trying to get successful Tractor Beam attempts on targets on the map. To resolve an attempt, the TBO announces either a crystal or enemy ship as the target. The team must have a Sensor Lock on the target or the attempt cannot be made. The maximum range of the tractor beams is four spaces. The TBO expends one energy and turns over two tiles on the Tractor Beam display. If the two tiles have the same color and number, a number of points equal to the number on the tiles is earned. If the tiles do not match they are turned back face down. If there is a Super Lock on the target, the tractor beam points earned are doubled. The number of points needed to have a successful Tractor Beam attempt is equal to the sum of the ship's speed (not the target's speed) and the distance to the target. For example, if the ship is moving at speed three, and is two squares away from the target, five tractor beam points are required to be successful. Note that this is the current speed of the ship after this turn's movement, which may have been affected by gravity arrows. If the total number of tractor beam points equals or exceeds the target value, the attempt is successful. If not, and there is additional energy remaining on the Tractor Beam display, the TBO may expend another energy to turn over another pair of tiles. If these match, they add to the total points accumulated towards the attempt. The attempt continues until it is successful, there is no more energy, or the TBO decides not to continue that attempt. If the attempt is successful the matching tiles are removed from the display and are kept to the side. They may not be chosen again until the display is Reset.

The TBO may decide to Reset the display before or after any Tractor Beam attempt. If the board is reset, remove all the tiles and shuffle them together. Place them face down, one on each space, as at the beginning of the mission. The TBO may conduct as many attempts as desired during the same turn, as long as energy remains, so you can tractor multiple objects on one turn.

Successful Tractor Beam If the target was a Crystal, remove the Crystal from the board and count it as captured for the mission goal. If the target was an enemy ship all torpedoes that the players fire at that ship do double damage this turn. Some missions have special uses for the Tractor Beam. These attempts are carried out as normal except as noted on the Mission card.

Failed Tractor Beam If the Tractor Beam attempt fails, any matching tiles that are face-up are turned face down and not discarded. The Sensor Lock on the target is not lost.

No-Target Tractor Beam Attempts If there is energy assigned to the Tractor Beams the TBO can use the energy and turn over tiles without declaring a target, if desired. This can never result in a successful attempt, but can be useful to learn the locations of the tiles.

Example: Two Energy Tokens have been assigned to the Tractor Beams. The players are trying to tractor a crystal that is two squares away, and the ship is at speed three, so the Tractor Beam officer needs to find five points worth of matching tiles. With the first energy she turns over two matching 'Star 3' tiles, and so gains three Tractor Beam points. Only two more and she will succeed! With the next energy she turns over a 'Triangle 3' and 'Star 4', which don't match, so not enough points are obtained to successfully tractor the crystal. All four tiles are flipped back over. The points for the 'Star 3' tiles were not used, so they do not need to be discarded. So next turn the Tractor Beam officer will know where these tiles are, if she can remember!

Weapons

Equipment: 18 Torpedo Tube Cards, 24 Torpedo pieces, Weapon Track, Weapon Disc

The Weapons Officer (WO) is responsible for loading the Torpedo Tubes, and for launching the torpedoes at enemy ships.

Step 2 (Preparation) The WO can attempt to load one torpedo tube for each energy that is allocated to Weapons. For each torpedo tube, the WO randomly draws one Torpedo Tube card, placing it face down.

Step 3 (Action Step) At the start of the Action Step the WO turns over the Torpedo Tube cards. He then places Torpedo pieces to match the shape on the card. No Torpedo pieces may extend outside the shape, and the pieces may not overlap.

Example: Two energy are allocated to Weapons, so two torpedoes may be loaded. The WO draws two Torpedo Tube cards and places them face down in Step 2. During Step 3 (Action Step), he completes one puzzle but not the other. Only one torpedo will be fired.

Step 6 (Fire Weapons) During Step 6, the WO fires one torpedo for each successfully completed puzzle. Torpedoes may be fired at enemies up to six spaces away. If the shortest possible torpedo path goes through a Rift, the torpedo may not be launched. This usually only happens if the player and enemy ships are on the same row with a rift directly in between. The WO launches torpedoes at the target one at a time using the Weapon Track. It is resolved by flicking the Weapon disc. The Weapon Disc is placed anywhere completely behind the line equal to the range to the target, and the WO flicks it along the track. The damage a shot does is based on the zone that it ends in. If the disc is touching the boundary of two zones it is considered to be in the zone with higher damage. If the disc falls off the track or touches the table surface the shot misses and does zero damage. The amount of damage is shown on each zone. If there is no lock on the target use the grey numbers. For a Lock use the white damage numbers. If the players have a Superlock on the target use the red damage numbers. If there is a tractor beam lock on the target, all damage is doubled. The total damage on the target is determined by the sum of all the torpedoes fired at the target. The WO does not need to pre-announce how many torpedo shots will be taken at each target. After the Torpedoes are launched the Torpedo Tube cards and pieces are placed back in the pool. Each enemy ship type is rated for how much damage it can take before being destroyed. Once this damage is reached, remove the enemy ship from the map (see "Enemy Action" for details).

Enemy Shields: Enemy ships have a Shield Rating. The enemy shields absorb this much damage each turn. Any excess damage actually damages the enemy ship. The shields reset each turn.

Example: An enemy Carrier has a shield rating of two. The WO fires a single torpedo at the ship during a turn and does two damage. No damage is done to the Carrier. Next turn the WO fires three torpedoes at the Carrier. They cause 2, 1, and 3 points each, for a total of 6. The first two points are absorbed by the shields, and the Carrier takes four damage.

Damage is tracked by placing Damage Markers on the Enemy Ship card. When the damage is equal to the damage rating of the enemy it is destroyed and removed from the map. At the end of the turn, all torpedo cards and pieces are returned to the pool.

Example: The Weapons Officer has one loaded torpedo tube and decides to take a shot at Hades. The ship has a Lock on the Hades and it is 3 squares away, so the shot can be taken. The WO places the disc behind the Range 3 line and flicks it down the track. It lands on the line between the '3' and '4' areas, doing 4 points of damage. If it was a Superlock it would be 7 points of damage.

Shields

Equipment: Shield Display, 32 Shield Tiles (4 each of 1-8), 4 Shield Strength Markers

Shields are used to protect the ship from the many dangers of deep space, from asteroids to enemy laser fire. Shields are unpredictable, though, and the energy that flows through them must be properly aligned to achieve the best protection. The shields are set up by the Shield Officer (SDO). Each turn the shields need to be set up again – there is no carryover between turns. The SDO places shield tiles in the different zones of the Shield Display to create the shields that protect different parts of the ship. Different combinations give different amounts of protection.

Step 2 (Preparation) After energy tokens are moved from the Engineering Display to the Shield Display, the SDO randomly pulls a certain number of shield tiles, as indicated on the Shield Display, keeping them face down.

Step 3 (Action Step) Once the Action Step begins the SDO turns over the tiles and can place them on the Shield Display. There are five zones on the shield display – four that correspond to the four different sides of the ship, and one central zone, that is shared by all four outer zones. A maximum of three tiles can be placed in each of the outer zones, and a maximum of two tiles can be placed in the center. There are no restrictions on which tiles can be placed in which zones, except that two matching tiles (a pair) cannot be placed in the center box.

Step 5 (Determine Shield Points) During Step 5, the SDO determines the strength of each of the four outer shields. There will be up to five tiles for each shield – three from the zone itself, and the two common tiles in the center. Compare the tiles with the patterns that are listed at the bottom of the Shield Display. The SDO moves the marker on the shield to match the highest value pattern for the tiles. Only the best pattern counts.

Bonus: If there are three tiles on an outer shield zone and all are the same color, the number of shield points is doubled.

If the ship takes damage, determine which shield is hit, as explained in the Damage rules. Remove one point from the shield to cancel one point of damage. The ship itself is not damaged until all shield points from the shield that suffers the damage are removed. At the end of the turn, all shields are reset to zero, all tiles are removed from the display, turned face down and shuffled back into the pool.

Example: Two energy have been allocated to shields, so the Shield Officer draws 8 tiles and keeps them face down. When the Action Phase starts, he turns them over and discovers that the tiles are 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, and 8, and begins to place them onto the Shield Display. During the Action phase the tiles have been placed as shown to the right. The Starboard shield has a 5-tile straight (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), and so is set at strength 3, which is doubled to 6, since all three tiles in the Starboard zone are blue. The Front Shield has 'two pair' (two 2's and two 6's, including the center tiles), so the shield strength is '2'. Even though the two tiles are the same color, it is not doubled since three are required for the bonus. If the '8' tile was orange it could be placed in the Front shield to get the double bonus. The Aft and Port shields are at zero strength, since they do not have a valid pattern.

Jump Drive

Equipment: 5 Dice, Jump Display, 12 Jump Flux cards

The Jump Drive allows the ship to jump off the map and end the mission. To do this the Jump Drive Officer (JDO) rolls five dice and needs to get five-of-a-kind. Obviously this is hard to do with one throw, so Energy and the Jump Flux cards can be used to manipulate the dice and make it easier.

Jump Flux Cards Each Jump Flux card has two sections. The top shows what is required to get that card, and the bottom shows what effect it has on the dice. Each earned Jump Flux card can be used one time during a Step 9 Jump attempt. Turn the card over after it is used to show that it is no longer available. After the Jump attempt is complete, turn all Jump Flux cards back to their available side, and they can be used in a future turn. While Energy is assigned to the Jump Drives by Engineering, the Jump Flux cards have to be earned in turns prior to actually attempting to Jump. But whether trying to collect a Flux card or Jump, the procedure used is the same, and is performed in Step 9. At the start of the game the 12 Jump Flux cards are placed to the 'Inactive' side of the Jump Drive Display.

There are several types of Jump Flux cards:

• Claimed by getting four dice in a straight (like 2/3/4/5): allows you to reroll any number of dice, just like using an energy.
• Claimed by getting 3 of a kind (three cards): allow you to flip over one die of the indicated type. For example, the first card lets you turn a 6 into a 1 or a 1 into a 6.
• Claimed by getting 4 of a kind (two cards): allow you to change any odd number to an even number (for the 1/2/3 card) or an even number to an odd number (for the 4/5/6 card).
• Claimed by getting a Full House (3 of one number and two of another): allows you to increase a pair with the same number to either one higher or lower. For example, if you have a pair of 3's they could be changed to two 4's or two 2's.
• Claimed by a straight with all five dice: allows you to turn over up to two dice. For example a 2 and a 4 could be turned into a 5 and a 3. If you turn over two dice it must be done at the same time. You cannot turn one over, then do a reroll, then turn another over.
• Four cards claimed by having the total on the dice be less than or greater than the values shown: the top two cards allow you to change the value of 1 die by plus or minus 1. The bottom two cards allow you to change two dice by +/-1 each or one die by +/-2. Note that the bonus must be used at one time. You can't give one die +1, then reroll, then give another die +1.

Step 9 (Jump) There must be at least one Energy in the Jump Drives in order for them to be activated. If the JDO activates the Jump Drives:

• Roll 5 dice
• Use Jump Flux cards obtained in earlier turns to change the dice, and use Energy to reroll as many dice as desired.
• Keep using Jump Flux cards and Energy as desired until the JDO either runs out of cards, Energy, or time. (Remember that this is a timed step!)

If trying to Jump out of the map and you have five-of-a-kind, the Jump is successful and the mission ends! If the mission does not end, the JDO can take one Inactive Jump Flux card whose criteria is met and move it to the Active side of the Jump Display. If the JDO gets 5-of-a-kind any Jump Flux card may be taken. If the JDO is not able to take a Jump Flux card the ship takes 1 internal damage to a random side.

Using Energy As described above, the JDO can spend 1 energy to reroll as many dice as desired. EXCEPTION: see "Core Breach" below. There is another use for Energy in the Jump Drives however. As you get more Jump Flux cards it can be very challenging to figure out how to manipulate the dice. So the JDO can also spend 1 energy to flip the sand timer and get an additional 30 seconds. The JDO can buy as many rerolls or 30-second extensions as she can afford with the Energy assigned to Jump.

Damage and Repair

Equipment: Damage Control Display, Damage Cards, Repair Cards, Core Breach cards, Core Repair cards, Core Breach Token

The Damage Control Officer (DCO) is in charge of determining where damage occurs and attempting repairs. At the start of the game, the four Damage Decks are set up as explained in the SETUP section, based on Difficulty. The Core Breach marker is placed on the '0' space, with the "OK" side. When damage is taken it needs to be determined which Shield is hit. For enemy fire this is determined by the relation of the enemy to your ship. If the shot is exactly along a diagonal the Shield Officer chooses which shield is hit.

Random Side of the Ship: Sometimes the damage is applied to a random side of the ship (damage from Asteroids, for example). In this case roll a die and use the numbers on the Damage Display to determine which side is hit. On a 5 or 6 the Captain chooses which side of the ship is damaged.

One point of damage is canceled by each shield point. If all of the shield points are used up then excess damage will hit the ship. EXCEPTION: Internal Damage Internal damage (from Jump Drives or Repair, for example) is not stopped by shields. It always simply damages a random side (with the Captain choosing on a 5 or 6), but is otherwise handled the same as normal damage. Damage that exceeds the shields or ignores them will hit the ship. Draw the top card from the Damage Deck corresponding to that side for each point of damage, and apply the effects.

Damage Card Effects Structure Damage cards say "No Effect". These are simply discarded. Others will have an effect on the ship. There are two types of effects:

• IMMEDIATE: Apply these results right away, but just one time.
• ONGOING: These effects apply going forward in the game until the card is Repaired.

Each card with an Ongoing effect shows the Station it applies to on top of the card. Give the card to that Officer so they remember to apply the effect. Many Ongoing effects use the phrase Absorb Energy. What this means is that when energy is handed out to the station, the amount of energy listed must first be placed on the card with the Absorb effect. Any additional energy goes to the station. If there is not enough energy to be placed on the cards with Absorb Energy no energy is available for that station, but there is no further effect.

Shift Change There is one Shift Change card in each Damage Deck. When this card is revealed, players need to change Station assignments by switching seats. First the Captain calls for volunteers to change assignments. All people who volunteer (which can include the Captain) must get new seats. The Captain decides which player goes to which seat. If a player was running two or more Stations, the new occupant of that seat will be in charge of all of those Stations. If fewer than two people volunteer to be reassigned, the Captain must select players to get up to two. When another Shift Change card comes up, players may be switched back to the positions they originally held. They do not always have to be moved to a seat they have not occupied.

Repair The Repair Procedure allows the team to discard Ongoing Damage cards. As with all systems, up to four energy can be allocated to the Repair system. It can be allocated even if no systems are damaged, if the Engineer thinks that the ship is about to be damaged. Repairs happen during Step 9 (Repair). The Damage Control Officer makes the decision on whether to attempt repairs or not, and when to stop the process. Note that Repairs may be attempted even if no energy is allocated to repair. However, as you will see, it is safer to do so if some energy has been allocated. If repairs are being attempted, the DCO turns over the sand timer and draws a single card from the Repair Deck, and turning it over. There are three types of repair cards: Automatic Success, Automatic Failure, and Random. If it is an Automatic Success, place it in the Success space on the Damage Display. If it is an Automatic Failure, place it in the Failure space. If it is a Random Repair, the DCO rolls a die and places it in either Success or Failure depending on the outcome. However, if energy was allocated to Repair, one energy token may be used to cancel the effects of the card. If it is a Random Effect card, the DCO must decide whether to cancel the card BEFORE rolling the die to see the effect. Once the die is rolled the result must be accepted (although you don't have to be happy about it). The DCO then may choose to stop the Repair process or continue by drawing another card, and repeating the above effects depending on what is drawn. The DCO can continue to draw cards for as long as desired, however once the energy tokens are used it can be a dangerous proposition. After the DCO decides to stop drawing cards, or the 30 seconds expires, the repair is resolved. First, for each Failure the ship takes one damage to a random side. Next, for each Success, one Ongoing Damage card may be discarded, including one just drawn from damage caused by Repair. Then all used Automatic Success cards are removed from the game, and the deck is reshuffled, ready for next turn. Damage cards are never placed back on the Damage Display. Repair simply stops the Ongoing effects from occurring.

Example: The players take enemy fire to the Aft side of the ship, and are hit for eight damage points. The shields are at strength three, so the aft shields are dropped to zero, and five damage points hit the ship. The Damage Officer must draw five cards from the Aft deck. There are only three, so these three are drawn and revealed, and the remaining two points will cause a Core Breach.

1. The three cards are flipped and are two Structure Damage cards, which have no effect, and the Reverse Thrust card. The card has an Immediate effect and speed is reduced by two. It also has an Ongoing effect, so it is left with the Helmsman. The first energy token that is assigned to Helm each turn will be placed on this card until it is Repaired.
2. Now the Core Breach is marked. The Core Damage Marker is moved up one box to the 3 space and flipped to the Core Breach side. During the next Action Phase the players will have to repair the Core Breach by matching three Core Breach cards or the ship will explode!

For Step 9 (Repair) the players decide to try to repair the new Helm damage plus an older Shield Damage Card. There is one energy in Repair. The Damage Control Officer shuffles the Repair Deck and the Captain starts the timer.

3. The DCO turns over the top card. It is an Automatic Repair card, so he places the card in the Repair stack. The players still have an Energy token left in Repair, and so decide to press on.
4. The DCO flips another card, and it is a Random Repair card. He decides to chance it, and rolls a die. Unfortunately a '1' is rolled, and the ship takes a damage. The card is placed on the Repair Fail space on the Damage Display. The DCO wants to press on, and turns over an Internal Damage card. He decides to use the energy token to skip the card. Rather than risk another repair attempt with no energy to skip bad cards, the DCO decides to end the Repair. The 30 second timer was almost up in any case.

Now the results of the Repair are resolved. There is one card in the Repair Fail pile, so the ship takes an internal damage.

5. A '3' is rolled for the side of the ship affected, so the Aft will take damage, and there are no more Damage Cards there, so the Core Damage marker is moved up one box to the 4 space. The players' job will be that much harder during the next Action Phase!

There is one card in the Repair Success space, so one Damage Card may be discarded. The DCO decides to discard the Helm Damage card. The Shield Damage card will remain affecting the ship unless it is also repaired. The automatic Repair card is discarded. The other cards (the automatic Internal damage card and the random repair card) are shuffled back into the Repair deck for next turn.

Core Breach

Equipment: 12 Core Breach cards, 12 Core Repair cards

If all of the Damage Cards for that side of the ship are gone from the Damage Display and there are still Damage Points remaining to be applied, the ship has suffered a Core Breach, and may explode next turn, in which case the players lose. If the ship suffers a Core Breach, advance the Core Damage marker by one box and flip it to the Core Breach side. The marker is only advanced by one box regardless of the number of damage points suffered by the 'event' that caused the damage. Each shot from an enemy ship, damage from map elements, or damage from repair is a single 'event'. So if you take damage from one enemy ship which causes damage to the core, and then damage from another enemy ship which also causes damage to the core, the Core Damage marker goes up two boxes, regardless of how much actual damage was inflicted by each enemy. The Core Breach marker is not moved any further if it reaches the 11 box, but it still may be flipped and repaired as normal.

Core Breach Repair If the Core Damage Marker is on the Core Breach side, the players must successfully complete a Core Breach Repair during Step 3 (Action Step) at the same time they are doing their normal jobs. During Step 2 (Preparation), shuffle the Core Breach deck and pass out a number of cards equal to the number in the space the Core Damage marker is in. The Captain decides who gets these cards, except that no player may get more than one card until all players have one, no player may get more than two until all have two, etc. These cards remain FACE DOWN. The Core Repair deck is then shuffled and taken by one of the players with a Core Breach card. The Core Repair Deck remains face down until the timer begins the Action Step. During Step 3 (Action) the player with the Core Repair deck must turn over one of their Core Damage cards, find the matching symbol in the Core Repair Deck, and place it on their Core Damage card. They then pass the Core Repair deck to another player with a Core Damage card. That player then turns over their Core Damage card and must find the matching Core Repair card, passing it on afterwards, and so on. If a player has more than one Core Damage card they must pass the deck in between finding those cards. They cannot find both of their Core Repair cards at once, and must keep the second face down until the deck makes it back to them. If the players have not found all the Core Repair cards by the end of the Action Phase THE SHIP EXPLODES AND THE PLAYERS LOSE THE MISSION. If you succeed in repairing the Core Breach, flip the Core Damage token back to the Core OK side, but leave it in the same box on the Core Damage track.

Jumping During Core Breach Jumping during a Core Breach is particularly challenging. If there is a Core Breach in effect, the ship may Jump if there is at least one energy in Jump, as normal. However no energy may be used for either re-rolls or 30 second extensions. You may only use your initial roll plus active Jump Flux cards to manipulate the dice, and must stop after 30 seconds. If the Core Breach is repaired these restrictions no longer apply.

Enemy Action

Placing Enemies Each mission will specify how enemy ships enter the game. Unless otherwise specified, draw an enemy ship card of the correct Difficulty at random when a map tile containing the ship is placed for the first time. Then place the matching enemy ship token as instructed by the Mission. Enemy ship token facing does not matter. Unlike the players, the enemy ships never have a specific facing, so the enemy ship token can be placed in any orientation. The Mission rules give the details of where the enemy ships are placed on the map tiles.

Each Enemy Ship Token shows: Health, Defense, Movement, Attack Range, and Damage to players.

During Step 7 (Enemy Action), each enemy ship follows a sequence of actions:

1. Attempt to Gain Target Lock on player ship
2. Move / Lose Lock
3. Fire on player ship

The enemy ships act in any order, at the preference of the players. Each enemy performs all of its actions before moving on to the next enemy.

Gaining Target Lock Enemy ships need to gain a target lock on the players before they know where the player ship is located. Once a lock is gained, it does not need to be gained again unless the lock is lost. If it is lost, enemies will attempt to regain it as normal. In order to gain a lock roll a die. If it is equal to or greater than the number of squares from the enemy to the player ship, the enemy gains lock, and it is flipped over onto its 'locked' side (the token has an Unlocked Side and a Locked Side). If the target number needed is higher than six there is no reason to make the roll. If the players fire on an enemy ship it automatically locks onto the players.

Movement Enemy ships do not move unless they have a Target Lock on the players. During movement, the enemy ship will move a number of spaces towards the player ship as shown on the ship card. For example, Vengeance moves 3 spaces, and a Cruiser moves 2 spaces. The path taken must follow these rules:

1. The enemy ship must move as close to the player ship as possible. If the enemy ship reaches the same space as the player ship, it stops moving immediately.
2. If multiple paths exist, it will take the path that causes the least damage to itself.
3. Otherwise it is the Captain's choice of which path the enemy ship takes.

If an enemy ship passes through an obstacle like an asteroid space, it may be damaged. So keeping obstacles between you and the enemy ships can be a good tactic.

Obstacle Effects on Enemy Ships When enemy ships are moving they may be affected by or take damage due to obstacles on the map. This damage is never stopped by shields on the enemy ships.

• Nebula: No effect.
• Gravity Arrow: No effect.
• Rift: Enemy ship takes 1 point of damage. Rifts also block weapons fire.
• Asteroids: Enemy ship takes 1 point of damage.

Firing If the enemy ship has target lock on the player it will fire at the players if it is within range. Range is indicated on the Enemy Ship card. Obstacles that block the player ship from firing torpedoes (like Rifts) also stop enemy fire. Fair is fair! If the enemy is within range the players are automatically hit. They roll one die for each white 'cube' icon on the Ship Card and apply any modifiers to determine the amount of damage. This is applied to the player shield facing the enemy. If the enemy ship entered the same space as the players' the damage hits the shield that faced the enemy ship just before it moved into the same space as the players. If it began the turn in the same space as the players the damage is done on a random side of the ship. Damage done is modified based on the player ship's speed, as shown on the helm track.

Example: the players are at speed one, which has a +2 modifier. The enemy causes 3 damage, which is increased to 5 due to speed.

The speed modifier only applies if the ship is hit by the enemy, not by asteroids, repair damage, or other effects.

Losing Target Lock If an enemy ship is more than six spaces from the player ship AFTER it moves, it loses lock on the player ship and is flipped back to the unlocked side.

Enemy Action Example It is the start of Step 7 - Enemy Action. There are two enemy ships on the map - The Cruiser, and Vengeance. Neither ship is locked onto the players, since they do not have their red border side up. The players decide to do the actions for the Cruiser first. The first step is to roll to see if the ship locks onto the players. Since the Cruiser is 4 spaces away it will lock on if a 4, 5, or 6 is rolled. Fortunately for the players the Cruiser rolls a 2, and it does not see the player ship. Since it is not locked on, it does not move or attack. Next up is the Vengeance. It is 5 spaces away, but the players roll a 5, so the Vengeance detects the players and locks on! It is flipped to the red-bordered side. Next for the Vengeance is movement. It has a movement of 3, so it will try to get as close to the players as possible by moving three spaces. The possible ending points are marked by A, B, and C. The Captain can choose where the Vengeance will end up, most likely based on where the shields are the strongest. If it moves to B, damage can go on either the fore or starboard shield at the player's choice (but not both). The players decide to move it to position A, in the hopes that they will be able to charge forward next turn and lose contact. Plus there are three points of shielding on the starboard shields, so hopefully that will be enough to withstand the attack. The Vengeance now fires. Looking at the card it can fire up to four spaces and does one die of damage, plus one extra point for each damage done to Vengeance. Vengeance is still undamaged, so it is just a die roll. A 4 is rolled, for four points of damage. The player ship is moving at speed three, so the damage is not modified for speed. Three points are stopped by the shield, which is reduced to zero. One point gets through and the Damage Control Officer draws a Damage card from the top of the starboard deck. It is the Array Fault card, which damages the Sensors. The card is given to the Sensor Officer who hopes it can be repaired soon! There are no other enemy ships to activate so the Nemesis Marker is moved down one box to the 3 space. That is the end of the Enemy Action step. The Vengeance will remain locked onto the players going into next turn, so unless they manage to break the lock it will automatically move three spaces towards the player ship.

Nemesis

The Nemesis ship follows the players throughout the galaxy. It always has a lock on the player ship and can never be destroyed. Also it grows stronger each turn. Fortunately the players have several turns before Nemesis arrives on the map, but you cannot take too long to finish your mission.

Set Up At the start of the mission place the Nemesis token on the number space indicated in the Mission Briefing. This track is located on the Captain's Log.

Nemesis Step During Step 7, Enemy Action, the players perform the following steps for Nemesis:

If Nemesis has not entered the game yet: If the Nemesis Marker is on the 0 space of the Nemesis Track place the Nemesis ship onto the map on the same square the players began the game on. The players can place a damage token on that space as a reminder if necessary. Nemesis does not move or fire the turn it is placed on the board. Otherwise, move the Nemesis marker down one space on the Nemesis Track.

If Nemesis is on the map:

1. Take a normal enemy action with Nemesis (Move and Fire). Note that Nemesis is always locked onto the player ship and will move accordingly.
2. Move the Nemesis Marker up one space on the track (so if it is on the 1 space, move it to the 2 space). The marker cannot advance further than the 3 space (indicated by the Yellow circles).

IMPORTANT: Nemesis's movement speed and attack strength are increased by the space the Nemesis marker is in (or decreased if it is in one of the negative spaces).

Example: The Nemesis marker is in the 2 space. Nemesis will move 5 spaces instead of 3, and will cause damage equal to the roll of two dice plus two.

Attack and Damage on Nemesis While the players cannot destroy Nemesis, they can damage it. Players may lock onto, tractor beam, or otherwise affect Nemesis as normal. For every 2 points of damage that the players score on Nemesis, move the Nemesis marker down by 1 box. If the players fire multiple torpedoes at Nemesis, add all the damage together before determining how far to move the marker.

Example: The players fire two Torpedoes at Nemesis, doing 2 points of damage with the first, and 1 point with the second, for a total of three points. The Nemesis marker is moved from the '0' space to the '-1' space.

Map Terrain: Nemesis takes damage from map spaces the same way as normal enemies. Each point of damage taken in this way moves the Nemesis marker down one box. The Nemesis marker never goes above 3 or below -2.

Missions

At the start of the game the players select which mission they would like to play, and the Difficulty level. Difficulty affects the number of Station Damage cards that are included in the deck, and the level of enemy ships.

Each Mission Briefing includes:

• Description
• Setup
• Nemesis Marker Starting Position
• Special Rules
• Objective

Each Mission Briefing also contains a diagram showing the layout of the map tiles. BLACK map tiles are placed at the start of the mission. WHITE map tiles are placed when the players move onto them, or explore via Sector Scan (see "Sensors"). When a new tile is placed draw it from the bottom of the map tile stack so you don't know what is coming up. The map as a whole is referred to as the 'Sector' in the rules. For example, the Sector Edge on the Map Obstacles chart refers to the outer edge of the completed map layout.

Some map tiles will show two enemies and a crystal to be placed. Unless otherwise noted these are placed as shown below. Crystals are placed in the center square of the tile. The two enemy ships are placed adjacent to the crystal, on opposite sides.

Enemies are shown by a letter in a colored circle. The color and letter in the circle indicate the difficulty of the enemy.

• E: Easy
• N: Normal
• H: Hard

In addition, some enemies have a star after them (N*, for example). The difficulty of these ships will vary based on the difficulty chosen.

• On Normal difficulty, do not change the level of the enemy. An N* remains a Normal enemy.
• On Easy difficulty, lower the level of the enemy by one step. An N* becomes Easy, and an H* becomes Normal. E* stays Easy.
• On Hard difficulty, increase the level of the enemy by one step. An E* becomes Easy and an N* becomes hard. H* stays Hard.

Since you can play each mission at three difficulties, plus there will be different map tiles, enemies, and damage cards each game, you will find that each Mission can be enjoyably replayed many, many times. In addition, please check the Stronghold Games website for official as well as player-created missions!

If a tile contains a crystal and two enemies, first place the crystal in the center of the tile. Then the enemies can either be placed in the two "l" locations or the two "u" locations, but not one "l" and one "u". They must be on opposite sides of the crystal.

Mission 1: Jump Crystal Mining

Jump crystal clusters have been detected entering the sector. Retrieve all crystals and evacuate the sector safely. Enemies are also attempting to secure the crystals, so exercise caution.

• Ship Starting Speed: 2
• Nemesis Marker: 5
• Special Rules: None
• Objective: Capture all crystals via Tractor Beam and Jump out of sector.

Mission 2: Scout Patrol

An offensive has been planned for the Deneb sector. Your mission is to scout the sector, noting enemy fleet presence and determining the best path for the fleet.

• Ship Starting Speed: 2
• Nemesis Marker: 4
• Special Rules: Crystal tokens represent Patrol points. To successfully patrol a sector you must move on or through the square containing the crystal marker. If you do, remove it from the map. Tractor Beams may only be used to hold enemy ships, not crystals.
• Objective: Remove all four crystal tokens and jump out of the sector. For every three enemy ships destroyed reduce the number of required tokens by one.

Mission 3: Ambush!

The distress signal you were responding to was a decoy. It's a trap! And the enemy has set up a nullification field which destroyed your jump crystals, so the jump drives are inoperable. Fortunately there is a crystal nearby. If you can grab it and survive long enough to spool up the drives, you may just get out of here.

• Ship Starting Speed: 0

• Nemesis Marker: 6

• Special Rules: Step 8 (Jump) is skipped until the crystal has been successfully captured by tractor beam. Enemy ships can only lose lock on the players by the Sensor Officer using the Break Lock action. They will not break lock from being too far away after movement. One new enemy ship will enter each turn over the first six turns of the game. The difficulty of the opponent is shown on the table below.

  Turn	1	2	3	4	5	6
  Enemy	E	E*	N	N*	H	H*

  When an enemy enters, place it on the outside corner of the tile that the player ship is on (shown by the black circles on the outer corners of the starting tile). The new Enemy ship enters locked onto the players, but does not move the turn it is placed. It may attack if in range. When Nemesis enters it is also placed on the outside corner of the tile the players occupy.

• Objective: Jump out of the sector.

Mission 4: Seek and Destroy

The enemy is regrouping, and has started placing defensive Omega satellites throughout the border sectors. They believe this will protect them from our offensive, but it may prove their undoing. Our elite hacking team has figured out how to use the tractor beams to take control of the satellites and turn them against the enemy.

• Ship Starting Speed: 2
• Nemesis Marker: 5
• Special Rules: The Crystal tokens represent the Omega satellites. Satellites have the profile shown below (Health 0, Defense 3, Attack Range 3, Damage 3). They are always considered to have a lock on the players. If the players successfully tractor beam a satellite it remains on the map, but is now controlled by the players. At the start of Step 7, Enemy Activation, it will attack the enemy ship of the Captain's choice within three squares. However the damage done is halved, rounded up (for example, on a die roll of three, the enemy ship takes two damage). This damage is stopped by enemy shields as normal, but is cumulative with the damage the players have done during the turn. Enemy ships will never attack the satellites. However if they are damaged by a satellite they will lock onto the players, as if the players had caused the damage. Note: The promotional special crystals should not be used for this mission.
• Objective: Destroy all six enemy ships and jump out of the sector. Satellites (Crystals) do not need to be destroyed.

Mission 5: Mother Ship

The enemy Mother Ship has been located, and must be destroyed. Agents have also identified data caches that will allow you to compromise its shields.

• Ship Starting Speed: 2
• Nemesis Marker: 6
• Special Rules: The crystals represent the Data Caches. The enemy ships in tiles with Crystals are placed on the center square with the crystal. The Mother Ship is represented by the Hades unit. When this tile is revealed, place Hades in the center square and the two enemies are set up as if Hades was a crystal. Hades uses its normal values, but has twelve shields. These shields are reduced by three for each crystal that is successfully tractored.
• Objective: Destroy Hades and Jump out of sector.

Mission 6: Nemesis Must Die!

We have been contacted by a highly placed officer within the enemy's ranks. She has decided to defect to our cause, and claims to have detailed knowledge of the Nemesis ship. With luck, we can use that information to destroy Nemesis once and for all. She has left her ship in an escape pod, but her absence was discovered sooner than we hoped, and our rescue team is out of position. We need you to use tractor beams to retrieve the escape pod before it is destroyed. If you succeed in that task, determine Nemesis's weakness, and then destroy it.

• Ship Starting Speed: 2

• Nemesis Marker: 4

• Special Rules: The map starts completely explored. The single ships in the first two tiles are placed in the center square. The third tile is set up normally, with the crystal in the center and the two enemy ships adjacent. The crystal represents the escape pod. An enemy ship that is not locked onto the players will move towards the crystal and stop when it is adjacent. An enemy that is adjacent to the crystal and NOT locked onto the players will cause 1 point of damage to the escape pod. If the escape pod receives 7 points of damage before it is successfully tractored, it is destroyed and the players lose the Mission. If the players succeed in retrieving the escape pod before it is destroyed, they can begin to configure the ship systems to destroy Nemesis. To complete this phase of the mission, the players earn points for accomplishing the following goals:

  • Engineering: 1 point for gaining 14 Energy from the Engineering Tile placement, or 2 points for gaining 15 Energy from the Tile placement. (Does not count batteries. Points awarded during Step 4.)
  • Shields: 1 point for Total Shield strength 10-12, or 2 points for Total Shield strength 13+. (Points awarded during Step 4.)
  • Jump: 1 point for getting 5-of-a-kind during Step 8, or 2 points for getting 5-of-a-kind during Step 8 without using a 30-second extension.

  Each Station only counts the highest award it has won, and once earned, the points cannot be lost.

  Example: The total strength of all four shields adds up to 14, so the players earn two points. Next turn the shields add up to 11. The players still have two points for the Shields. If they had gotten 11 points first, and then 14 points the next turn, the 1 point award would be upgraded to 2 points.

  If the players have achieved a total of 3 points the ship is configured and Nemesis can be destroyed. Roll a die to determine how Nemesis is destroyed:

  Die Roll	Objective
  1-2	Have a Superlock on Nemesis and have a torpedo land in the last section of the Weapon Track
  3-4	Do 20 points of damage to Nemesis in a single turn
  5-6	Be in the same square as Nemesis and hit it for 10 points of damage in a single turn

• Objective: Destroy Nemesis and jump out of the sector.

Advanced Systems

This rules section contains optional rules for most Stations. These give the players more options, but also introduce more danger. The players may decide to add these as desired before the game begins.

Engineering: Batteries At the start of the game place the two battery tokens on the Battery spaces of the Engineering Display. These may be used as Energy for any Station during Step 1, but no more than 4 energy can be assigned to a single Station as normal. The two batteries can be used on the same or different turns. There is a damage card that causes the batteries to explode if they have not been used yet.

Helm: Evade The Evade Special Maneuver card is now available to the Helm player. It is used the same as any normal Special Maneuver, except that if it is used it MUST be placed in the first position on the Helm Display (marked Evade). When the ship is moved during Step 3, roll a die for this card. The ship is moved to that space, and suffers the effects of any terrain as normal, including hitting the edge of the sector. The remainder of the ship's move continues from that position. On a '5' or '6' the ship stays in the same square. If Evade has been played, all enemies firing at the players do one less damage than normal during Enemy Action. This is cumulative with the standard damage modifiers based on speed.

Sensors: Cloaking Device The ship is equipped with a Cloaking Device which hides it from enemies. During Step 2 (Preparation) the Sensor Officer may place two Sensor target cards under the Cloaking Device box on the Sensor Display. If both are successfully matched, the Cloaking Device is active, and place the Cloak token in the Cloaking Device box. All enemy attempts to lock onto the players subtract 2 from their lock die roll. However Cloaking interferes with Sensors. While Cloak is active, all locks and superlocks are lost, and no new ones can be gained. The Cloaking Device does not carry over from turn to turn, and must be reactivated.

Example: An enemy that has not locked onto the players is two squares away. Normally it will lock onto the players by rolling a 2 or higher. If the Cloaking Device is engaged, a roll of 4 or higher is required to lock onto the players.

Shields: IsoChromic Enhancer (ICE) At the start of the game the Shield Officer places the ICE token on its space on the Shield Display. During Step 3 (Action) the Shield Player may place this token into any outer zone. It takes up a spot, so there will only be room for two other tokens. However, it counts as either color when determining the shield strength. After the ICE token is used, leave it on the space in the zone it was placed, and turn it over to the BLACK side (with red "Shields" Symbol). On the next turn the ICE token is frozen in that position, and no other tile can be placed there. In addition it prevents any color doubling on that side of the ship. At the end of that turn place the ICE token back in its position on the side of the Shield Display. It can be used again next turn.

Example: 1 and 2 are in the Core box, and 3 and 4, both orange, are in the Aft box. Normally this would be worth two points, but the Shield Officer is concerned they will be taking damage to the aft of the ship. He places the ICE token in the last space in the Aft box, so the shield strength will be doubled to 4. Next turn the ICE token is left in the Aft box and turned over to the Black side. Only two shield tokens can be placed in the Aft box that turn, and the shield strength cannot be doubled. Then the token is moved back to the ICE space so it can be used again.

Weapons: Seeker Missiles During Step 2 (Preparation) the Weapon Officer may load each tube with a normal Torpedo or a Seeker Missile. The energy cost is still 1 for each tube. Some tubes may be loaded with Seeker Missiles, and others with normal Torpedoes. To load a Seeker Missile place two Torpedo Tube Puzzles face down for that tube instead of one. Both puzzles must be completed during Step 3 (Action) in order for the Seeker Missile to be successfully loaded. If only one puzzle is completed for that tube, no shot can be taken. When firing a Seeker Missile in Step 6, the player flicks the disc normally, but may flick it a second time from where it ends up. After two flicks, the final position is used to determine the damage caused. If the first flick falls off the track, the torpedo misses and the second flick cannot be taken.

Example: The Weapons Officer only received one energy, so she decides to use it to load a Seeker Missile. During Step 3 she flips two puzzle cards, and successfully completes both, so the Seeker Missile is loaded! During Step 6, she launches the Missile at a Superlocked enemy that is four squares away. The first flick only makes it into the 1 Damage zone, but her second flick advances the disc to the 7 damage zone, destroying the enemy!

Tractor Beams: Tribeam Before turning over a pair of tiles, the Tractor Beam officer may declare a Tribeam attempt. For one energy, the Tractor Beam officer turns over three tiles. If all three have the same shape, Tractor Beam points are scored equal to the pair, as normal, plus half the value of the extra tile (round up). The three tiles are then removed, as normal, leaving one tile behind that cannot be matched. If the three tiles are not all the same shape, the ship takes one internal damage.

Example: The Tractor Beam Officer declares a Tribeam attempt, and turns over three tiles. Two are 4-hexagon tiles, and one is a 3-hexagon tile. 6 Tractor Beam points are earned for one energy! If two 3-hexagon tiles and one 4-hexagon tile had been flipped, 5 Tractor Beam points would be earned.

Jump: Blink At the end of Step 8 (Jump) the Jump Officer may Blink the ship. One Active Jump Flux card that has been earned (either on this or a prior turn) is returned to the Inactive pool, and the ship is placed in any square exactly two squares away from its current position, facing any direction. If the ending square is an Asteroid or Nebula square, roll for effects as if moving into the square normally.

Example: At the end of the Jump Step, the Jump Drive Officer decides to Blink the ship to try to get away from Vengeance. In prior turns she earned the Full House card and one of the Three-of-a-Kind cards. She wants to hold onto the Full House card, so moves the Three-of-a-Kind card back to the Inactive side. The ship has to be moved exactly two squares, so she moves it into the square shown. Since it is an Asteroid square, a die needs to be rolled. It is a 3, so the ship suffers three damage, but since Vengeance is four squares away it flips back to its unlocked side.

Station Quick Reference

Captain

• Move sand timer on Captain's Log
• Experimental Equipment: one time use special ability. May play max of one per turn.
• Make all final decisions (enemy ship placement and movement, damaged side on a 5/6 random side roll, etc)

Engineering

• 7 tiles each Action Step
• 1 Energy for each complete symbol
• Trade Energy 2:1 (must be same type)

Helm

• Thrust Energy: Speed up or down 1
• Maneuver Energy: Draw one extra Standard Maneuver card.
• Draw Standard Maneuver cards = Speed + Maneuver energy
• All Special Maneuvers available each turn

Sensors

• One Target card for each energy.
• Target cards placed under desired column
• Draw shapes from bag to match target cards.
• Each successfully matched target = 1 sensor point
• Superlocks turn to regular locks at the end of the turn.

Tractor Beams

• Flip 1 pair of tiles for each energy.
• Matched pairs generate Tractor Points equal to number on tile (matching two 1's = 1 point).
• Required points = Player Ship Speed + Distance
• Max Range: 4 Squares
• Superlock: Tractor Beam points x2

Weapons

• Draw one torpedo puzzle for each energy. Keep face down until Step 3.
• Use puzzle pieces to complete puzzle.
• May shoot one torpedo for each completed puzzle.
• If disc lands on line in between two sectors, use the higher number.
• Tractor Beam lock on target: Damage x2
• Max Range: 6

Shields

• Draw tiles based on Energy per chart on Display
• Place up to two in Center zone, and three in Outside zones.
• Pair not allowed in Center
• Shield strength on each side of ship based on three tiles in Outside Zone plus shared Center zone.
• If there are three tiles in Outer Zone and all are same color, Shield Points x2
• Shields stop damage from Map Obstacles and Enemy fire.

Jump

• Optional to activate. Must have at least one Energy in Jump to activate.
• Roll 5 dice.
• 1 Energy = 1 reroll of any number of dice
• 1 Energy = 30 second extension
• May also use any Jump Flux cards gained in earlier turns.
• When done changing dice, claim one Jump Flux card.
• If no Jump Flux card can be claimed, 1 internal damage.
• May re-use Jump Flux cards each turn.
• Core Breach: No Jump Energy may be used.
• 5-of-a-kind: May end Mission or take any Flux card.

Damage Control

• Draw 1 Damage Card for each point of internal damage or external damage not stopped by Shields.
• Apply effects. Ongoing effects continue until Repaired.
• Need to draw a card but none available on that side = Core Breach

Repair

• Repair optional. May repair with no Energy.
• Draw a card. Auto Repair or Auto Damage, place in correct pile.
• Random damage: Roll a die and place in correct pile.
• 1 Energy = Skip a card (before roll for Random)
• After deciding to stop, resolve Damage first, then repair.
• Discard all Automatic Repair cards.
• Reshuffle all other cards back into deck for next turn.

Core Breach

• During Step 2, give Core Breach cards = Core Breach level to players. No player gets more than one until all have one.
• During Step 3, turn card over (one at a time) and find match in Core Repair deck. Then pass to next player.
• If all Core Repair cards found, flip marker to Core OK. Otherwise players lose.

Enemy Action

• Each enemy activates in turn.
• 1. Try to lock on players: Die Roll >= Range
• 2. Move towards players and attack
• Nemesis after other enemies. Move marker down one box if not on map (or place Nemesis on map if at zero). If Nemesis on map, activate normally then move marker up one box (MAX SPACE: 3)
• Add number that the marker is in to Nemesis speed and damage.
• Each two damage players inflict on Nemesis or each 1 damage from Map Obstacles moves Nemesis marker down 1 box.

Credits

Game Design: Brian Engelstein, Sydney Engelstein, Geoff Engelstein Illustration and Graphic Design: Karim Chakroun Rules Editing: Ryan Sturm and Chad Mekash Project Manager: Stephen M. Buonocore

The designers wish to thank Susan Engelstein, wife and mother, for her patience with endless rules discussions during long car rides. Thanks also to all the Space Cadets playtesters over the years, including those at Dexcon, Gencon, Origins, Metatopia, JoCo Cruise Crazy 2, The Stronghold, ConnCon, and the Bridgewater-Raritan High School RPG Club. We regret that there are too many of you to list here, but you have our gratitude for the way you all seemed to find the loopholes.