TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Overview
• Setup
  • Game Layout
  • Faction Selection
  • Scenarios
  • Faction Power Chart
  • Preparing Card Decks
• Game Play
  • Action Role Selection/Turn Order
  • Action Roles
  • Buying Cards
  • Configure Starship
  • Upgrade Cards
  • Space Lane
  • Banking
  • Homeworld
  • Empty Deck
  • End of Turn
• Other Cards/Terms
• Combat
  • Combat Example #1:
  • Combat Example #2: two Starships versus one.
• Reinforcement Starships Module
  • RS Module Combat Example #1: Use of one RS Module.
  • RS Module Combat Example #2: Use of the "Destroyer" RS Module.

Game Components

• 1 Rulebook
• 270 Cards: 60 Starship Upgrade, 60 Weapon Upgrade, 60 Crew Upgrade, 60 Tactic Upgrade, 9 Scenario cards, 1 Critical Mass card, 4 Derelict cards, 4 Role Reference cards, 4 Deck Screen cards, 4 Faction cards, 4 Reinforcement cards
• 6 Dice: 1 Black ten-sided die (d10), 1 Black six-sided die (d6), 1 Blue six-sided die (d6), 1 Red six-sided die (d6), 1 Green six-sided die (d6), 1 Purple six-sided die (d6)
• 21 Acrylic cubes
• 4 Faction Power Charts
• 20 Starship Tokens
• 4 Player Mats

Overview

TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition is a 1-4 player deck-building space combat game, involving asymmetric powers and resource management. Each player represents one of the four remaining Terran factions (mega-corporations) in the galaxy.

Prior to beginning a game, players select a scenario, which specifies an objective. The player that achieves this objective wins the game. In any scenario, a player immediately loses if their Homeworld's Defense Points drop to zero (or below).

Setup

Game Layout

Each faction's play area is laid out as follows (see the Game Layout diagram in the rulebook):

#	Area	Description
1	Faction Card	1-of-4 Faction (Mega-corporation) cards.
2	Space Lane	Reserved for Starships, which are used to defend your Homeworld or attack an enemy's Starships/Homeworld.
3	Scenario Card	Chosen Scenario for the game.
4	Role Card	Action role selected by player on their turn.
5	Starship Shipyard	Deck of 15 Starship Upgrade Cards.
6	Engineering Plant	Deck of 15 Weapon Upgrade Cards.
7	Military Academy	Deck of 15 Crew Upgrade Cards.
8	Research Facility

Faction Selection

At the beginning of the game, each player selects one of the four Factions. Each Faction possesses a unique ability (bonus).

Faction	Unique Ability
Acolytes	Economic = Using the Treasurer Role, you may bank 8 credits by discarding any three cards from your hand. Militaristic = May configure a starship with multiple weapons (must comply with the starship capacity rule).
Brethren	Economic = Discount for unlocking starships: -5, -10, -15 and -20 credits. Militaristic = Earn a +5 credit bonus bounty for each starship you destroy.
Covenant	Economic = Using the Treasurer Roll (as printed), earn +5 credits bonus each time you bank less than three (3) cards. Militaristic = When one of your starships is destroyed, the Weapon card goes back into your hand.
Destined	Economic = Using the Treasurer Roll (as printed), you may bank up to four (4) cards with a maximum of 15 credits. Militaristic = When one of your starships is destroyed, the Crew card goes back into your hand.

Scenarios

Scenario	Objective
Trade Wars	First player to collect 100 credits.
Space Wars	Last player in an all out battle for survival.
The Derelict	A light solo scenario focused on combat and surviving an assault from an alien ship.

Trade Wars. In this scenario, each Mega-corporation must balance between defending their Homeworld and accumulating 100 credits. Unlock Starships at: 10, 25, 45 and 70 credits.

Space Wars. In this scenario, defeat all of your opponents. Collect credits to unlock Starships, and try to stay alive! Unlock Starships at: 10, 30, 60 and 100 credits.

The Derelict. In this 1-player (solo) scenario, you must survive the devastating attack from an Alien Starship known as The Derelict. Deploy Starships to defend your Homeworld and ultimately destroy The Derelict to win the scenario.

Place the three The Derelict cards above the Space Lane. The solo player begins each round: Select a Role (Action), Buy Cards, and Configure Starships.

The Derelict takes an Action by rolling the d10 (see Derelict Reference card). The Derelict begins the scenario with a Critical Mass of "1" which may increase or decrease (you lose the scenario if The Derelict's Critical Mass reaches "6"). [The printed text has no closing parenthesis here; it is added for readability.] Use Critical Mass card and smoke cube as a counter. Roll the black d6 to determine the Derelict's Firepower, then follow normal combat rules. The Derelict will attack the starship with the highest Resistance it can destroy. Unlock Starships at: 15, 35, 60, and 90 credits.

Faction Power Chart

The Faction Power Chart contains the Treasury which tracks your Credits; a Homeworld Defense Track records any sustained damage to your Homeworld; and an Unlocked Starships Track records your Space Lane allowance. At the start of the game, place your cubes on the spaces as indicated in the rulebook diagram.

• Treasury (Credits). At the start of the game, your Treasury possesses 0 Credits. During the game, certain Roles will allow you to gain Credits, adding them to your Treasury.
• Homeworld Defense Track. Track damage sustained by your Homeworld from attacking enemy Starships. If the Track reaches "0" your Homeworld is destroyed.
• Unlocked Starships Track. Track the number of Starships allowed in your Space Lane.

Preparing Card Decks

1. Each player divides their Upgrade cards into four separate piles: Starships, Crew, Weapons, and Tactics.
2. Shuffle each pile and place them in their corresponding location per the Game Layout.
3. Each player starts their deck with eight identical Upgrade cards, identified by a "glowing sun" in a circle located at the bottom, left corner of each Upgrade card:
   • Four Level 1 Upgrade cards, each worth 1 Credit.
   • Four Level 2 Upgrade cards, each worth 2 Credits.
4. Each player shuffles their Starting Deck, places it on their Player Mat according to the Game Layout, and then places the Deck Screen card on top of their deck.
5. Each player draws five cards into their hand.
6. Player's may roll initiative dice to determine who will be the starting player. From that point forward, the game proceeds in clockwise order.

Game Play

Action Role Selection/Turn Order

At the start of each turn, a player chooses a Role from the Role Reference Card. Play then proceeds in clockwise order.

A turn consists of the following steps:

1. Action: Perform the Action as specified by the Role chosen from the Role Reference Card for this specific turn.
2. Buy: Upgrade cards. Purchase Upgrade cards from the following locations: Starship Shipyard, Engineering Plant, Military Academy, Research Facility. Use the Trade Value (which indicates the Trade Value of the Resource) on the back of your Upgrade cards to Buy new Upgrade cards. All Upgrade cards you buy go into your Discard pile.
3. Configure Starship: Place a Configured Starship in the Space Lane, using the S + W + C formula.
4. Discard: At the end of your turn, you may chose to discard any cards from your hand and refresh your hand to five cards.

Action Roles

• Chancellor: Combine forces to attack one opponent using starships from other players. All players involved in the offensive attack may share Tactic cards and must each use the Chancellor role this round. After the attack is concluded, the players involved in the attack may each play their Buy, Configure and Discard portions of their turn.
• Treasurer: Increase your Treasury by an amount equal to the Trade Value of up to three cards in your hand and then discard them.
• Admiral: Attack your opponent's Starships or Homeworld (if no Starships are present).
• Captain: Reconfigure up to two Starship Upgrade cards. Place the Reconfigured cards in the Discard pile.
• Commander: Reconfigure up to two Crew Upgrade cards. Place the Reconfigured cards in the Discard pile.
• Engineer: Reconfigure up to two Weapon Upgrade cards. Place the Reconfigured cards in the Discard pile.
• Saboteur: Force one player to Discard two cards OR all players to Discard one card from their hand, allowing you to disrupt their plans.
• Mechanic: Remove up to three cards from your hand, permanently removing them from your deck.
• Smuggler: Choose an opponent to randomly select three cards, you choose to bank one card and return the other two. Banked card gets discarded into the opponent discard pile.
• Trader: Draw two cards into your hand to improve prospects during your turn.

Buying Cards

After taking your Role-related Actions, you may use any number of cards in your hand to Buy Upgrade cards at a cost equal to their Trade Value (1-5). Place any bought Upgrade cards immediately into your Discard Pile, along with the cards used to Buy them. Any cards unused for Buying Upgrade cards remain in your hand.

Configure Starship

You may Configure a Starship (comprised of three Upgrade cards) and deploy it into the Space Lane once you "unlock" the ability to launch Starships, per each Scenario's Treasury Credit-Level requirement.

Configure Starships by combining three Upgrade cards:

• Starship ["S"]
• Weapon ["W"]
• Crew ["C"]

Upgrade Cards

During the game, players will have the opportunity to purchase Upgrade cards (Starships, Crews, Weapons, and Tactics) to enhance their decks. The price of an Upgrade card is its Trade Value (located at the bottom left corner of the card).

• Starship Shipyards. This area contains available starships; the base card for a Configured Starship. Example: the SCS - Convoy has a Trade Value of "1" and a "5" Capacity. It's the least expensive Starship built at the Shipyards and is typically either manned by a more novice Crew and a less advanced Weapon system.
• Engineering Plant. The Engineering Plant contains Weapons, the second component of a configured Starship. Example: Dual Turbo Cannons have both a Firepower and Trade Value of "4" which means it's reserved for some of the larger Starships.
• Military Academy. The Military Academy graduates the Mega-corporation's Crews, the third component of a configured Starship. With a Resistance and Trade Value of "1" these Recruits are slated for less resistant Starships and may boast stronger Weapon systems.
• Research Facility. The Research Facility contains newly devised Tactics, designed to assist the Crew or enhance the Starship's chance of survival, especially in combat. As Tactics may be played at any time, the Discrete Hardware Tactics card allows an attacking player to increase their Initiative Roll by +3.

Space Lane

Deploy configured Starships into the Space Lane to protect your Homeworld against attacks or to attack an opponent's Starships and/or Homeworld.

When deploying a starship in the Space Lane, use the following card positions to allow your opponent to read the configured starship cards correctly.

• Capacity. A Starship's Capacity (located in the top-right hexagon) indicates the total value (5-to-9) of Weapons and Crew that it may carry.
• Capacity uses the following formula for Starship Configuration: Capacity >= Firepower + Resistance
• Firepower. A Weapon's Firepower (located in the top-right circle) indicates the amount of damage (1-to-5) your Starship inflicts on an opposing player's Starship or Homeworld.
• Resistance. Each Crew's Resistance (located in the top-right square) indicates the maximum damage (1-to-5) that a Starship can withstand. A Starship is immediately destroyed if the amount of damage it sustains equals (or exceeds) the Resistance value.

Banking

Banking refers to the Credits you earn when you perform certain Actions. For example, the Chancellor Role allows you to Decommission a Starship (discard it) and bank up to three cards, thereby earning you the total Trade Value of those three cards.

Homeworld

The Homeworld is your base of operation. It lies on some planet's surface away from the skirmishes in space. Each Homeworld has a limited amount of Defense Points. In the case of the Exterra race, the Homeworld can withstand eighteen points of damage.

When those Defense Points reach zero or below, that player is eliminated from the game. To defend a Homeworld, a player must configure one or more Starships.

If there are no Starships in the Space Lane available to defend the Homeworld, the Homeworld takes damage equal to the opponent's Starship's Firepower.

In the case where the opponent has several Starships and the defender has none, add each Starship's Firepower and subtract that total amount from the Homeworld's Defense Points.

Note: When attacking a Homeworld, there is no rolling for initiative, as damage is applied directly to that player's Defense Points.

Empty Deck

When your Deck is empty, take your Discard Pile, re-shuffle it and then use it as your Deck. Place the Deck Screen card on top of the deck to hide the topmost card.

End of Turn

At the end of a player's turn, that player must replenish their hand to five cards. A player draws no additional cards if their hand contains five or more cards.

Other Cards/Terms

• Deck. Each player has a Deck from which to draw cards into their hand. At the end of each turn, a player refreshes their hand to five cards.
• Discard Pile. When you Buy an Upgrade Card from one of the four piles, place it into your Discard Pile. When you run out of cards in your Deck, shuffle the Discard Pile and then place it as your Deck. Players may also decide to discard cards from their hand. Discarded cards are placed into the Discard Pile.
• Scenario Card. The Scenario Card provides information on the victory conditions and specifies the rules for "unlocking" Starships.
• Deck Screen Card. The Deck Screen Card is used to hide the topmost card of a player's Deck. Its purpose is to conceal the content of the next card.
• Faction Card. The Faction Card represents each player's choice of which Faction (Mega-corporation) they intend to play. Each Faction has its own special ability which is unique.

Combat

Combat may be initiated between two separate Factions' Starships. A player selecting the Admiral Role launches one or more Starships against either an opponent's Starships or Homeworld, and chooses specific targets for each attacking Starship.

Assault: Each player rolls their respective Faction's Initiative die. Refer to the table below for results:

Roll result	Condition	Outcome
Attacker's Roll > Defender's Roll	Attacker's Firepower >= Defender's Resistance	Defender Destroyed!
Attacker's Roll = Defender's Roll	Defender's Firepower >= Attacker's Resistance	Attacker Destroyed!
Attacker's Roll < Defender's Roll	-	Defender Outmaneuvers Attack!

Combat Example #1:

Jonathan: (#1) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance; (#2) = 1 Firepower/2 Resistance. Sarah: (A) = 3 Firepower/3 Resistance; (B) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance.

Sarah has selected the Admiral role and attacks Jonathan. Starship (A) attacks Jonathan's Starship. (#1) Both Sarah and Jonathan roll a "3" which results in a counter-attack. However, Jonathan's Starship (#1) only has a Firepower of "2" so it cannot destroy Sarah's Starship. If Sarah decided to attack both Starship (# 1 and #2) with her Starship (A and B), Jonathan could have used both of his Starships to destroy Sarah's Starship (A).

But Sarah's turn is not over yet. She can still decide to attack Starship (#2) with her Starship (B). Both players roll their Initiative die and this time Sarah is successful. Therefore Sarah destroys Jonathan's Starship (#2).

Sarah then ends her turn and Jonathan is left with only one Starship (#1). Meanwhile Sarah has two Starships still in the Space Lane (A and B).

Combat Example #2: two Starships versus one.

Jonathan: (#1) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance. Sarah: (A) = 3 Firepower/3 Resistance; (B) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance.

Let's us assume that Jonathan played his turn and did not deploy a second Starship on his turn. Now it's Sarah's turn and she has two (2) Starships that she can attack with. Let's say that Sarah uses the Admiral Role yet again to attack Jonathan. Since Jonathan's only Starship has a Resistance of "3", Sarah must attack with her Starships "A" (3 Firepower) or use a Tactic card to boost her Firepower (if she wanted to use Starship "B").

What is now important to understand... Because Jonathan has only one Starship to defend with, Sarah will occupy Jonathan's Starship #1 with her Starship A. Even if she is unsuccessful in the attack, Sarah will cause -2 Defense Points to Jonathan's Homeworld. Why? Let me explain in further detail.

If one player has less Starships than the other and the attacking player has more Starships, only the Starships required to attack will engage the defender. The remaining Starships will automatically strike the Homeworld. Same goes for a 3 versus 2, if only 2 Starships are required to attack the opponent's 2 Starships, the extra Starship (#3) can and will directly attack the opponent's Homeworld. Or a 4 versus 1, if only 1 Starship is required to attack the opponent's Starship, the extra three Starships can and will do direct damage to the opponent's Homeworld (Defense Points).

The philosophy is something like this: while you have engaged the Starships in attack, they are busy and cannot protect the Homeworld from the remaining opposing Starships.

Reinforcement Starships Module

When playing with this module, a player may choose to spend 10 Credits (see additional cost below) to send a Reinforcement Starship (RS) to the Space Lane. Your Starship tokens (or Starship miniatures) represent RSs. Each faction has one of each type of RS Class; Sentinel, Gunship, Frigate, Cruiser, Destroyer. RSs are used as "backup" or "reinforcement" to enhance your combat tactics.

Additional credits required each time you use an RS that is in the Space Lane: Sentinel = 1, Gunship = 2, Frigate = 3, Cruiser = 4, Destroyer = 5.

Choose the RS Class you want to send to the Space Lane by placing its RS token/miniature on top of the configured Starship.

Reinforcement Starships' Benefits:

1. Sentinel: Add +2 to defending player's Initiative roll due to Radar Jammer.
2. Gunship: Add +2 to the attacking player's Initiative roll due to Enhanced Sensor Array.
3. Frigate: When this starship is destroyed, the Reinforcement starship is eliminated instead of the Configured Starship due to Decoy Beacon.
4. Cruiser: Allows the player to re-roll the Initiative die once, due to Cloning Device.
5. Destroyer: Eliminate one enemy Reinforcement Starship of your choosing.

Note: It is not recommended to use Reinforcement Starships Module with the Derelict Solo Scenario.

RS Module Combat Example #1: Use of one RS Module.

Jonathan: (#1) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance; (#2) = 2 Firepower/2 Resistance; + "Cruiser" RS Module. Sarah: (A) = 3 Firepower/3 Resistance; (B) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance.

Let's assume that Jonathan has just played his turn and decided to deploy a second Starship. In addition, he paid 10 credits to deploy the "Cruiser" Reinforcement Starship (RS Module) and plays it on Starship #2. When used, this RS Module allows the player to re-roll his initiative die one additional time. However that Starship must be part of combat to use its ability.

Now it's Sarah's turn and she has two (2) Starships that she can attack with. Let's say that Sarah uses the Admiral Role to attack Jonathan. Since Jonathan deployed a second Starship, Sarah can attack with both her Starships "A" and "B" (Total 5 Firepower) versus Jonathan's #1 and #2 Starships (Total 5 Resistance). Alternatively, Sarah can be more prudent and do two separate attacks instead... reducing the effectiveness of Jonathan's "Cruiser" RS Module.

So this means that Sarah can use Starship "A" to attack Jonathan's Starship #1 and then use Starship "B" to attack Starship #2. Let us assume that Sarah rolls a "5" and Jonathan rolls a "3". Therefore Sarah destroys Jonathan's Starship #1. However on the second attack Sarah rolls a "4" and Jonathan rolls a "1". Jonathan decides to use the "Cruiser" RS Module which allows him to roll his Initiative die a second time. To do so, he must spend 4 credits and this time Jonathan rolls a "5" therefore blocking the attack.

This leaves Sarah with two Starships (A and B) and Jonathan with only one (#2).

RS Module Combat Example #2: Use of the "Destroyer" RS Module.

Jonathan: (#1) = 4 Firepower/3 Resistance; + "Destroyer" RS Module. (#2) = 2 Firepower/2 Resistance; + "Cruiser" RS Module. Sarah: (A) = 3 Firepower/3 Resistance; + "Destroyer" RS Module. (B) = 2 Firepower/3 Resistance.

On Jonathan's turn, he decides to deploy a second starship and equips it by paying 10 credits to deploy a "Destroyer" RS Module on Starship #1. Now both of his starships have a RS Module to be used against his opponent Sarah.

Now it's Sarah's turn and she decides to pay 10 credits to configure her own "Destroyer" RS Module on Starship A. Since she is on the offensive, Sarah decides that she will attack Jonathan's Starships #2 with her Starship A. She pays an additional 5 credits to destroy Jonathan's "Cruiser" RS Module. Now combat may continue and players roll their initiative die. Sarah rolls a "3" and Jonathan rolls a "5". The attack is "blocked"... No starship is destroyed.

Still it's not the end of Sarah's turn... She may attack Jonathan's Starship #2 with her Starship B. She decides that she will perform this attack. Both players roll their initiative die and the results are Sarah rolls a "3" and Jonathan rolls a "2". Jonathan's Starship #2 is defeated. Sarah now ends her turn.

It is now Jonathan's turn and he decides that he will attack Sarah's Starship A with his Starship #1. Remember, both Starships have a "Destroyer" RS Module. Jonathan pays 5 credits to use his "Destroyer" RS Module and because this is a combat situation, Sarah also pays 5 credits to use her "Destroyer" RS Module. The result is that BOTH "Destroyer" RS Modules are removed from play. Now no player has any RS Modules remaining. Both players roll their initiative die. Jonathan rolls a "3" and Sarah rolls a "1". Sarah's Starship A is destroyed.

Jonathan ends his turn and both players have only one Starship in their Space Lane: Starship #1 for Jonathan and Starship B for Sarah. Neither Starship has any RS Modules.

Note: Each player may only use one RS Module per battle.