Transgalactica Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
  • Start your engines! Getting ready to play
• Core Game Mechanism
• The Control Panel
• Gameplay
  • General Concepts
  • Bonus Tiles
  • Resources
  • Round Structure
    • Income Phase
    • Action Phase
    • Maintenance Phase
• Action Areas on the Operations Panel
• The Galactic Senate
• Omni
• Exploration
  • Space Pirates
• Outposts
• Wormholes
• Planets
• Mining
• Trading
• Technology
  • Technology Cards
• Military
• Production
• Politics
  • Mission Cards
• End of the Game
• Skills
• Planet Glossary
• Wealth Cards
• Galactic Decrees
• Objective Cards
• Technology Cards Glossary
• Mission Cards Glossary
• Credits
• Icons

Components

• 5 Control Panels (player boards)
• 1 Operations Panel (game board)
• 1 Galaxy Map with 2 sides (2/5 players and 3/4 players)
• 6 Starships (in 6 colors): 5 for the players, plus 1 extra needed only if someone obtains the Second Starship Skill tile.
• 1 Lieutenant: needed only if someone obtains the Lieutenant Skill tile.
• 15 Captains (in 5 colors, 2 per player for 4- to 5-player games, 3 per player for 2- to 3-player games): they can perform Main and Secondary Actions and be sent to Action Planets.
• 30 Crew workers (in 5 colors, 6 per player): they can only perform Secondary Actions, but can also be sent to Action Planets and the Senate.
• 35 Outposts (in 5 colors, 7 per player): used to stake your claim to faraway Planets and allow you to obtain their Resources.
• 5 Score Markers (in 5 colors, 1 per player).
• 60 (20x3) wooden Resource pieces (Energy, Mineral, and Alien): you will need these to pay certain costs during the game.
• 25 Tech markers (5 per player): used to indicate your claim to Technology cards.
• 1 Round counter: used to track the current round of the game.
• 20 Level markers (in 5 colors, 4 per player): used to indicate progress on the various tracks.
• 5 Priority markers: they will help to determine the initiative for each round.
• 5 Politics Level markers: used to indicate the number of Mining rewards and Income benefits on the Control Panel, matching your current level on the Politics Track.
• 30 value-1 Credits + 9 value-3 Credits: money to pay for things.
• 20 Planets (8 Action Planets, 7 Mining Planets, 4 Wilderness Planets, 1 Technological Terror special Planet): unknown worlds ready to be discovered.
• 6 Pirate tokens + 12 blank Pirate tokens: some planets need to be saved from these cruel space pirates—they provide rewards when defeated.
• 50 Bonus tiles: 13 Mining, 20 Basic Bonus (Blue), 17 Advanced Bonus (Red): they provide all sorts of rewards during the game.
• 15 Fleet Income tiles (in 5 colors, 3 per player): they generate rewards if players unlock them—see Income and the Trading Action.
• 10 Skill tiles: unique abilities that make every crew unique—see Skills.
• 5 3rd Captain tiles: used only in 2-player games.
• 5 Player Aid Cards: keep the basics handy during the game.
• 14 Wealth cards: determine the starting Resources for each player at the beginning of the game.
• 14 Objective cards: secret objectives that score points at the end of the game—see End of the Game.
• 30 Technology cards (in 3 Levels): new abilities that are unlocked using the Technology action—see Technology.
• 26 Mission cards (in 2 levels): they generate rewards if players fulfill them and can be obtained through the Politics action—see Politics.

Setup

1. Place the Operations Panel on the table according to the number of players (3 or 4 players).
2. If you are playing with 2 or 5 players, place the corresponding Galaxy map on top of the Operations Panel, according to the number of players.
3. Shuffle separately both the Basic (blue) and Advanced (red) Bonus tiles. Randomly place them face-up on the square spaces above the Technology, Military, Production, Politics and the Round Track, matching the color of each space (place Basic Bonus tiles on blue spaces and Advanced on red spaces). If a space has a number inside it, pile up as many tiles as indicated by the number. Return the remaining tiles to the box.
4. Randomly place the Basic Action Planets (the ones without Trade requirements) face-down on the central positions on the map, indicated by the same icon. Flip all the Planets face-up. Randomly place a Basic (blue) Bonus tile face-up on top of each of these.
5. Shuffle the rest of the Planet tiles and randomly place them face-down to fill up all the other positions on the Galaxy Map. Return the leftover Planets to the box. Flip all the Planets face-up. Randomly place an Advanced (red) Bonus tile face-up on any other Action planet.
6. Separate the Pirate tokens between the blanks and the ones with Pirates on them (Active Pirates). Shuffle the Active Pirate tokens face down and take as many of those as the number of players + 1 (i.e.: if you are 3 players, take 4). Without revealing them, add to those tokens a number of face-down blank Pirate tokens to make the total equal the number of Planet tiles on the Galaxy Map, not counting the initial Basic Action Planets. Randomly place 1 face-down Pirate token on each Planet tile, except the Basic Action Planets. Then, turn all the Pirate tokens face-up, removing the blank ones as you go and leaving only the Active Pirate tokens on the Planets tile.
7. Separate the Mining Tiles shown to the right of this text and randomly give one to each player. Shuffle any leftover tiles with the rest of the Mining tiles and place 1 face-up on the Mining Action space of the Operations Panel. Keep the rest in a face-down pile close to the Mining Action space.
8. Shuffle the 3 decks of Technology cards separately, then draw 3 from each deck and place them face-up on the corresponding slots of the Technology Track. Those will be the only ones available for the current game. Return the remaining Technology cards to the box.
9. Shuffle the 2 decks of Mission cards separately, then draw 3 from each deck and place them face-up on the corresponding slots of the Politics Track, ordering them by numeric value from top (higher number) to bottom (lower number). Place the 2 decks face-down on the corresponding spaces to each side of the Mission Track.
10. Shuffle the 4 Galactic Decree decks separately, then draw 1 card from each deck and place them face-up on the corresponding slots in the upper part of the Operations Panel. Return the rest to the box.
11. Place the Round counter on the Turn I space of the Operations Panel.

Each player takes:

1. A personal Control Panel, placing it in front of them.
2. 7 Outposts, placing them on the dedicated spaces on their Control Panel.
3. 1 Starship.
4. 1 Credit.
5. 1 random Mining tile (see Setup Step 8), placing it on their Control Panel. Then, they obtain the reward shown on their tile (see Icons).
6. 3 Fleet Income tiles of their color, placing them randomly in spaces 2, 4, and 6 of their Trade Track.
7. 1 Politics Level marker, placing it in the top position of their personal Politics Track.
8. 5 Tech markers, placing 2 on their Cargo Bay and 1 each on spaces 1, 3, and 5 of their Trade Track.
9. If you are playing a 2-player game, place the 3rd Captain tile on this space.
10. 3 Captains and 1 Crew worker (if 2 players) or 2 Captains and 1 Crew worker (if 3-5 players), placing them on the dedicated Active Duty spaces on their Control Panel.
11. Their remaining Crew on the Cryogenic Chambers.
12. Shuffle the Objective cards and deal 2 to each player. These cards are meant to be secret, and only 1 of them will be used to score points at the end of the game.

Start your engines! Getting ready to play

Randomly set out on the table a number of sets of 2 Wealth cards each equal to the number of players and a number of random Skill tiles equal to the number of players.

Starting with the last player in turn order and going backwards, each player chooses either a set of Wealth cards or a Skill tile. Then, starting with the first player (who picked last) and going in normal turn order, each player chooses the type of item they did not take in the first round (so, if you chose Wealth cards first, you would take a Skill tile).

Each player immediately takes any resources or starting bonuses from the Wealth cards they chose. All Wealth cards can now be returned to the box. All track advances from these cards have a total discount, regardless of the icon on the cards.

Each Skill tile has a special asymmetric power that applies to the player who owns it for the whole game. Details of all the Skill tiles can be found in the Skills section.

Then players place their first Outpost and their Starship on the central Planet. This will be the starting position on the map for all players.

You can find a How to Play video at www.devirgames.com/transgalactica.

If this is your first game, we recommend that you play with 3 or 4 players. This is a game with a high level of interaction between players, which actually plays best at higher player counts, but this could present a challenge for a table filled with inexperienced players. On the other hand, if you enjoy the quick strategic back and forth tension of a 2-player experience, this may be perfect for you.

Core Game Mechanism

This game uses a worker-placement system based on 2 kinds of workers: Captains who may perform powerful Main Actions and Crew who can only follow a Captain to perform lesser Secondary Actions or visit certain Planets to perform actions there. Each turn, when a Captain takes a Main Action, all the other players (in turn) choose whether to follow the same action with their Crew.

The Control Panel

Each player has a panel to keep track of their Starship's progress and crew.

Mining Track. Players can obtain new Mining tiles by using the Mining Main Action and placing them on the empty slots of this track, from top to bottom. Each time the player performs a Mining action, they receive all the benefits shown on the tiles placed on this track, up to the level indicated by their progress on the Politics Track.

Politics Level. Each time a player advances in the Politics Track of the main board, they also move their Politics Level marker on this track. This indicates the limit of benefits they can receive when performing the Mining action (see Mining) and during the Income Phase each round (see Income Phase).

Income. During the Income Phase each round (see Income Phase), players receive all the benefits shown on any Fleet Income tiles and Pirate tokens placed on this track, up to the Level indicated by their progress on the Politics Track. There are dedicated spaces for Pirate tokens and Fleet Income tiles. It is not necessary to have all the spaces filled from top to bottom in order to gain rewards.

Trade. When players take the Trading action (see Trading), they gain Tech markers and slide Fleet Income tiles to the left, over to the Income area. The player's Trade level is the highest visible number on this track.

Outposts. Players keep their available Outposts in this space. On top of the track, the cost in Mineral Resources required to place each of them onto a Planet is shown (1 Mineral for Outposts 2 and 3, and 2 Minerals for each of the rest). When an Outpost is removed, the player gains the indicated reward, and again each Income Phase (as long as there is an Income icon printed).

Skill. Each fleet has their own signature ability. These are chosen at the beginning of the game and grant a special ability unique to the player who has it. They are explained in detail in the Skills section.

Active Captains and Crew on Duty. Players begin the game with a number of Captains and Crew on their Starship, but they can obtain more as the game progresses. Players gain the visible rewards during the Income Phase of each round, based on the workers they have not yet unlocked (meaning that the more Crew they have active, the smaller the reward).

Cargo Bay. Players store their Tech markers, Credits, and Resources here. The leftmost icon stands for any Resource.

Mission Log. Players place the Mission cards they obtain with the Politics action here until they are resolved.

Cryogenic Chambers. New members of the crew who haven't yet become available wait in cryo-sleep in this area of the ship.

Reminders: As a free action during your turn, you can pay 1 Credit and receive 1 Energy or 1 Mineral resource.

Example: The player is taking a Trading action and advances their Trade Level to 4, sliding the corresponding Fleet Income tile to their Income section. They can now fulfill the Mission on the Mission Log that requires a Level 4 in Trade. When taking a Mining action, the player will gain both 1 Mineral Resource and 1 VP, as they have reached the required Politics Level of 1. Since they have a Politics Level of 1, during the next Income Phase they will gain 1 VP from the Pirate token and 1 Credit from the first Fleet Income tile. They cannot receive the benefit of the second Fleet Income tile below it, as they have not advanced their Politics far enough. They will also gain 1 VP as they have placed their 5th Outpost, plus 2 VP and 1 Resource of their choice from the visible Crew spaces.

Track Levels. As you can see, all the tracks on the board and on the Control Panels have numbers in a hexagonal shape. This number indicates the Level that a player has reached on that track.

Gameplay

The game is divided into 5 rounds. In each round, players take turns in the order indicated by the Priority Track from left to right, mainly by placing their Captains in the empty Main Action spaces in the different areas of the Operations Panel. This allows them to execute an action while benefiting from a perk for using the Main Action space. Then the other players may follow using the same action without the bonus using their Crew. This goes on until everyone has no more available workers on their Control Panel or they decide to pass. Then the current round is over, and the players get ready for the next one.

General Concepts

When an icon has a red number next to it, that means the player must spend that many units.

When an icon has a black number next to it, that means the player gains that many units.

When an icon appears with an Income or a Mining action icon, the player receives that benefit during the Income Phase or when performing the Mining action respectively.

When an icon has an orange diamond next to it, that means the player gains a discount equal to the total amount (a diamond next to a single icon is a discount of that one item; a diamond by itself next to a cost is a total discount, meaning the whole cost is waived).

Example: "Black and Yellow are on the third space of the Military Track, so they both have Level 3 on this track. Red is on the fourth space, so they have a Military Level of 4. Purple has reached the fifth space, and currently is at Level 5 in Military."

Bonus Tiles

Players will receive Bonus tiles from several sources during the game. These are divided into 2 types by color: Basic (blue) and Advanced (red), but that is only relevant during setup. When a player gets one of these tiles, they place it face up in their playing area, near their Control Panel. When they receive a Mining Bonus, it goes straight to the Mining section of their Control Panel.

From that moment on, whenever they want to during one of their turns, they may activate their Bonus tile by flipping it face down to obtain its reward. Used Bonus tiles remain face down and cannot be activated again until the end of the game unless a specific effect tells you otherwise. There is a glossary of all the icons on these tiles in the Icons section.

Some of these tiles have a Mining icon. These are placed on the Mining section of the player's Control Panel and can only be activated during a Mining action (see Mining).

Resources

The Resource types are Energy, Mineral, and Alien.

Credits are not considered Resources. Players can make change with the 3-Credit tiles at any moment during the game. Both Resources and Credits are used during the game to pay certain costs.

Round Structure

Each round is divided into the following phases, played in this order:

• Income Phase
• Action Phase
• Maintenance Phase

Income Phase

At the beginning of each round, there is an Income Phase. All players receive everything that is shown for every Income icon they control. You don't need to do this in turn order.

Specifically, a player's income can be from:

• Planets with an Income icon where the player has an Outpost.
• The reward indicated in the space currently occupied by the player's marker on any of the tracks on the Operations Panel.

Each time a player reaches an Income bonus on any track or their personal Control Panel, they immediately receive that bonus once, in addition to receiving it during Income Phases later.

Example: This player advances in their Trade track, gaining the reward of the first Fleet Income tile. They will not be able to obtain that reward in the Income Phase until they advance on the Politics Track.

Action Phase

Once all players have received their income, in the turn order indicated from left to right on the Priority Track, each player plays their turn by doing 1 of the 3 following actions:

1. Place 1 of their Captains on an empty Main Action space in one of the action areas of the Operations Panel and immediately take the corresponding Main Action. No other Captain will be able to use this Main Action space for the rest of the phase (unless an effect says otherwise). When a player chooses this action, after they finish their action, the other players in turn order may choose to place 1 of their workers (Captain or Crew) on the Secondary Action (square area) of the same action area. Each player who does so immediately performs the corresponding Secondary Action.
2. Place 1 of their Captains or Crew on an available Action Planet. This can be done only if the player has an Outpost on that Planet and the action space on that Planet has not already been used this round (see Planets).
3. Pass. When a player has no more workers available or there is no available action they can or wish to take, they must pass (you may take an action on a later turn if the situation changes).

Maintenance Phase

After all players have passed, the current round ends by completing the following steps:

• The player(s) who has the highest Military Level gains 1 VP per space they are ahead of the second-highest player on the Military Track. In case of a tie, all tied players earn as many VP as the distance to the next-highest player.
• The player(s) who has the lowest Military Level loses 1 VP per space they are behind the second-lowest player on the Military Track. In case of a tie, all tied players lose as many VP as the distance to the next-lowest player.
• Players take their Captains and Crew back and place them on the corresponding spaces of their Control Panel. Exception: Leave any workers on Galactic Senate seats on the board.
• If a tile was taken from the Mining Action area (see Mining), replace it with a tile drawn from the face-down pile.
• Players update their positions on the priority track from last to first (from right to left) by counting the number of empty Outpost slots on their Control Panel and moving their Priority marker to the first empty space in the matching Priority Track tier if needed, to the right of any existing Priority marker there. Note that if you did not place any new Outposts this round, you do not need to move your marker. Players continue doing this from right to left on the Priority Track until all players have updated their turn order position for the following round.
• Advance the Round counter 1 space. If the counter leaves the last space of the track, the game immediately ends (see End of the Game). If not, the first player receives the Bonus tile next to the Round counter on the Round Track.
• Proceed with the next round's Income Phase.

Using the Priority Track — examples:

• End of Round 1: Purple and Black each now have 2 Outposts on the board (the first one is their initial Outpost). Purple played last during this round, so he moves into the 2nd tier first, then Black places her marker to his right. Yellow will be the first player and Black will play last in the next round.
• End of Round 2: Black and Red have each built 1 more Outpost. Black moves first to the 3rd tier and Red places their marker to the right of Purple on the 2nd tier. Yellow will still be the first player and Black will still play last in the next round.
• End of Round 3: Purple and Yellow have built new Outposts. Purple moves his marker to the right of Black on the 3rd tier. Then Yellow places her marker on the first available space of tier 2, to the right of Red. In the following round, Red will play first, then Yellow, then Black, and finally Purple.

Action Areas on the Operations Panel

The Operations Panel is made up of:

1. Victory Points (VP) Track
2. Galactic Senate Offices
3. Galactic Senate Decrees
4. Round Track
5. Galaxy Map and Priority (turn order) Track

There are 8 different action areas on the Operations Panel:

Immediate Actions:

• Omni (see Omni)
• Exploration (see Exploration)
• Mining (see Mining)
• Trading (see Trading)

Expanded Actions (these are linked to a progress track):

• Technology (see Technology)
• Military (see Military)
• Production (see Production)
• Politics (see Politics)

The Galactic Senate

If a player has satisfied the requirements for a Galactic Decree, they may claim a seat in the Senate during their turn. In order to do so, they must permanently assign 1 of their Active Duty Crew workers to the Senate.

The first time a player claims each Decree, they take that card and assign it to an empty space in one of the 4 Senate Offices, then they permanently place 1 of their available Crew on the Golden seat in that Office and receive the indicated reward. If another player later fulfills the requirements for the same Decree, they may permanently place 1 of their Crew on the Silver seat in that Office and receive the indicated reward (they may not move the Decree to a different Office). If they do, the player holding the Golden seat receives 1 Credit from the supply.

Once taken, a seat is filled for the rest of the game and is no longer available. If a player does not have any Crew available, they cannot claim the Decree, but they may do so later on if they have Crew available and there is still a Seat available for that card.

Example: Red has managed to fulfill the criteria of this Senate Decree. They want to improve their Military Track, so they place the Decree by that Office and assign 1 of their Crew to the Golden seat. They then advance their marker on the Military Track (they could have chosen to advance their Trade Track instead) and gain 5 VP.

In a later round, Yellow fulfills the same Senate Decree. She cannot choose a different Office, but she can still place 1 of her Crew on the Silver seat of the current Office and gain the same reward as Red. She chooses to advance on the Trade Track and gains 5 VP (but could have chosen Military instead). Red takes 1 Credit from the general supply.

All track advances from the Galactic Senate have a total discount, regardless of the icon on the board.

Omni

Main Action: Pay 1 Credit or 1 Alien Resource to perform any Main Action on the board (including one already taken). This is the only way to do the same action twice during one round. If that action has any costs, you must pay them as normal.

Secondary Action: Pay 1 Credit or 1 Alien Resource and perform any Secondary Action on the board. It does not have to be the one that corresponds to the Main Action chosen by the acting player. If that action has any costs, you must pay them as normal.

Exploration

"I need a full inventory of our food rations. We've just embarked ourselves on a very long journey towards the unknown." "We have sardines, sir. Only sardines. We've got 3.5 million cases of canned sardines, 50 cans per case." "Well… I hope that we don't have anyone allergic to blue fish on our crew. Sergeant, can you get me the Procurement manager on the intercom please?" — Captain Marvels, USS Challenger

Main Action: Do the following in any order (or even just 1 of the 2):

• Move your Starship on the Galaxy Map up to 1 space plus 1 additional space for each gray Planet where you have an Outpost. Each movement places the Starship in a Planet's orbit. Pay the Energy cost for the trip as depicted on the map for each space moved.
• Place 1 Outpost on an empty site on the Planet where your Starship is currently in orbit, either before moving or at the end of the movement (not during an intermediate stop). Pay the Mineral cost to place the Outpost as depicted on your Control Panel and check the requirements indicated on the Outpost site on the Planet, if any. Mining Planets offer an immediate reward when building an Outpost there. Each player cannot have more than 1 Outpost on any given Planet.

Secondary Action: Choose only 1 of the following:

• Move your Starship on the Galaxy Map up to 1 space plus 1 additional space for each gray Planet where you have an Outpost. Each movement places the Starship in a Planet's orbit. Pay the Energy cost for the trip as depicted on the map on each space moved.
• Place 1 Outpost on an empty site on the Planet where your Starship is currently in orbit. Pay the Mineral cost to place the Outpost as depicted on your Control Panel and check the requirements indicated on the Outpost site on the Planet, if any. Mining Planets offer an immediate reward when building an Outpost there. Each player cannot have more than 1 Outpost on any given Planet.

Space Pirates

If the Planet is occupied by Pirates (there is a Pirate token on it), players cannot settle any Outposts there until the Pirates are defeated. Any player ending their movement on the Pirate planet who has a Military Level that at least matches the Pirate's strength may defeat the Pirates as a free action. If they do, the player removes the Pirate token from the Planet, scores the indicated VP, and places it in a matching space in the Income section of their Control Panel. They receive that same VP reward during the Income Phase of each later round.

Important: Pirates can only be defeated during an Exploration action.

Example: This player's Starship is on this Planet with a Pirate token when she advances on the Military Track. She now has the Military Level required to defeat the Pirates, but will have to wait for a future Exploration action in order to take a free action to defeat them.

Outposts

Every Planet has 1 or more Outpost sites on them, but a player cannot have more than 1 Outpost on the same Planet.

Some sites have a required Trade Level that the player must have reached on their Control Panel before they can place an Outpost on that site.

Example: The first player who wants to place an Outpost on this Planet needs to have at least a 2 showing on their Trade Track, but the second needs at least a 4.

Wormholes

Some Planets show a Wormhole. If a player's Starship is in orbit at a Planet with a Wormhole or when they activate a Bonus tile with a Wormhole, they may use an Exploration action to move their Starship directly to any other Planet with a Wormhole, anywhere on the Galaxy Map, by paying 1 Alien resource.

Planets

Each Planet is one (or more) of the following colors: green, yellow, purple, or gray.

The first 3 colors generate Resources (see Production), while gray Planets boost Starship movement during the Exploration action.

Some Planets also have a Bonus tile on them. The first player to build an Outpost on one of these Planets takes the Bonus tile.

Action Planets. All players who have an Outpost on an Action Planet may choose to send a worker there on their turn, using a Captain or Crew. This is the only way to obtain the rewards offered by this Planet. Once an Action Planet has been used for its action, it cannot be used again by any player until the following round.

During the Setup of the game, it is important to differentiate the Action Planets from the Basic Action Planets: a Basic Action Planet has no Trade requirement for placing Outposts, while other Action Planets have at least one Trade requirement for placing Outposts.

Example: Red has an Outpost on this Action Planet, so they can send a member of their Crew to activate its action: pay 1 Resource to advance 1 space on the Technology or Politics Track. They may do this up to 2 times with a single action.

Mining Planets. Each Mining Planet produces a specific bonus immediately when a player builds an Outpost there, and again each time that player performs a Mining action for the rest of the game.

Example: Yellow has just built an Outpost on this Mining Planet, thus gaining 1 Alien Resource. She will be able to do the same each time she performs a Mining action later in the game.

Wilderness Planets. Each Wilderness Planet requires the permanent assignment of a Crew worker in order to place an Outpost there: the player must discard 1 of their Active Duty Crew (return it to the box). These Planets give various bonuses during the Income Phase.

Example: Black has an outpost on this Wilderness Planet. On each Income Phase, he can pay 1 Alien Resource in order to unlock the next step on his Trade Track.

Mining

"The extraction of lithium is advancing at a great pace. We will be able to power our ship's engines for the next decade with that!" "The thing is that we run on nuclear reactor-powered engines, sir. You specifically asked for those." "I did, didn't I? Do you think we can sell that lithium anywhere in this system?" — Captain Thunderhead, The Ballistic

Main Action: Take the Mining tile from this space and place it on the Mining section of your Control Panel (do not replenish the tile at this time). Then receive the reward from all the Mining tiles on your Control Panel up to the Level you have reached on the Politics Track (see Politics). Also, receive the reward indicated on any Planet with a Mining icon where you have an Outpost.

Secondary Action: Receive the reward from all the Mining tiles on your Control Panel up to the Level you have reached on the Politics Track (see Politics). Also, receive the reward indicated on any Planet with a Mining icon where you have an Outpost.

Trading

"I used to sell real estate on the moon back in '77." "Really? and how did that go?" "It wasn't that bad… I guess it beats putting together a Rock 'n Roll band." — Captain Carruthers, ISS Fontaneda

Main Action: This action has a cost of 2 Mineral Resources and 1 Alien Resource. As a Main Action, you receive a discount and only have to pay any 2 of these 3 resources. After paying, unlock the next space on the Trade Track of your Control Panel. If there is a Tech marker there, move it to your Cargo Bay, and if there is a Fleet Income tile there, gain its reward and slide it to the left so the reward can be obtained again in later Income Phases (as long as you have the required Level on the Politics Track).

Secondary Action: Each player who follows does the same exact things, just paying the full required costs with no discount.

Technology

Main Action: Choose only 1 of the following:

• Advance your Technology marker 2 steps along the track.
• Advance your Technology marker 1 step along the track then place a Tech marker from your Cargo Bay on one of the Technology cards corresponding to your current Level on this track or lower.

Secondary Action: Choose only 1 of the following:

• Advance your Technology marker 1 step along the track.
• Place a Tech marker from your Cargo Bay on one of the Technology cards corresponding to your current Level on this track or lower.

If you reach a space with Bonus tiles, take the top tile from the stack (see Bonus Tiles). If there are no tiles but there is a reward printed, obtain that reward.

Technology Cards

When a player encounters this icon, they can claim 1 of the Technology cards that are available by placing a Tech marker from their Cargo Bay on that card (if you have no Tech markers available, you cannot place one). These cards offer permanent rewards to the players who have placed their Tech markers on them. There is no limit to the number of different players who can place a Tech marker on each of these cards, but players can only place 1 marker on each card. Each of these cards works in a slightly different way, and you can check their mechanics in the Technology Cards glossary.

These cards are divided into 3 Levels, and there will be 3 of each Level randomly placed on the board during setup. Those 9 cards will remain the same for the whole game. In order to access one of them, players need to have reached at least the corresponding Level on the Technology Track.

Example: In order to access this Level 3 Technology card, a player needs to have a level of 7 on the Technology Track.

Military

"If you don't understand love, how can you expect to fight your demons?" "Captain… That doesn't make any sense, sir." "Would you just fire my missiles already?... Would you, please?" — Captain DeMichaelis, HMS Flamboyant

Main Action: Advance your Military marker 1 step along the track. In order to do so, you must have the Technology Level indicated below the track and pay 1 Energy and 1 Credit or 2 Energy.

Secondary Action: Advance your Military marker 1 step along the track. In order to do so, you must have the Technology Level indicated below the track and pay 2 Energy and 1 Credit.

If you reach a space with Bonus tiles, take the top tile from the stack (see Bonus Tiles). If there are no tiles but there is a reward printed, obtain that reward.

Production

Main Action: Perform the following steps in order:

• Advance your Production marker 1 step along the track. If you reach a space with Bonus tiles, take the top tile from the stack (if any).
• Gather Resources. Use a number of your Outposts on the Galaxy Map equal to the Level you have reached with your Production marker to produce Resources. Each chosen Outpost produces 1 unit of the resource corresponding to that Planet's color (or one you choose in the case of multicolored Planets). Place them in your Cargo Bay.

Secondary Action: Choose only 1 of the following:

• Advance your Production marker 1 step along the track. If you reach a space with Bonus tiles, take the top tile from the stack (see Bonus Tiles).
• Gather resources. Use a number of your Outposts on the Galaxy Map equal to the Level you have reached with your Production marker to produce Resources. Each chosen Outpost produces 1 unit of the resource corresponding to that Planet's color (or one you choose in the case of multicolored Planets). Place them in your Cargo Bay.

Politics

"The Senate needs to pass the bill on coffee sweeteners. We really don't have an opinion on that, do we?" "Galactic Sugar Holding is offering 3.6 million to vote against the bill. Stevia Enterprises tells us that if we vote for it, they will pay us 1 million per year for the next 5 years. Cash." "Well, to be honest, I've always loved that sweet taste of Stevia in my morning coffee." — Captain Marshmallow, WFC Icebreaker

Main Action: Choose only 1 of the following:

• Advance your Politics marker 2 steps along the track.
• Advance your Politics marker 1 step along the track and pick 1 of the Mission cards you have reached (from bottom to top), placing it on 1 of the 2 slots of the Mission Log on your Control Panel (if available). Replace the Mission card at the end of your action, adjusting the order of the cards by number if needed.

Secondary Action: Choose only 1 of the following:

• Advance your Politics marker 1 step along the track.
• Pick 1 of the Mission cards you have reached (from bottom to top), placing it on 1 of the 2 slots of the Mission Log on your Control Panel (if available). Replace the Mission card at the end of your action, adjusting the order of the cards by number if needed.

If you reach a space with Bonus tiles, take the top tile from the stack (see Bonus Tiles). If there are no tiles but there is a reward printed, obtain that reward.

Politics Level Marker. Each time a player advances a step in the Politics Track, they also advance their marker 1 space on their Control Panel. This marker indicates which benefits the player will receive when performing a Mining action or during the Income Phase.

Mission Cards

These cards are divided into 2 decks, and there will always be only 3 cards from each deck on the board. These cards are arranged in numerical order from top to bottom (higher number on top), observing the numbers in the top left corner of the cards.

Players can obtain these cards during the game, and they will place them in the corresponding slots of the Mission Log on their Control Panel when they do. They can only take cards up to the Level they have reached with their marker on the Politics Track (for example, you won't be able to access cards from the upper deck until you reach the 5th level on the Politics Track). Players can only have up to 2 Mission cards at a time. In order to obtain a new Mission if both slots are full, they must return one of the same Level to the board to replace the one they just took, and re-arrange the cards in the proper order if needed. If there is an open space after a Mission card is taken, replace it with a card from the appropriate deck.

Each of these cards has an indicated cost and a requirement on the left side. As soon as the player can fulfill the requirement and pay the cost during their turn, they collect the indicated reward and discard the card from their Mission Log, leaving it face-down in their playing area. Mission cards can be fulfilled at any time during the player's current or future turns as a free action. There are 3 different types of Missions:

• Commercial Missions (purple left area): have Trade requirements.
• War Missions (red left area): have Military requirements.
• Cultural Missions (blue left area): have Technology requirements.

There is a glossary of these cards in the Mission Cards section.

Example: Red has reached the 5th level on the Politics Track, so when they decide to take this action again, they can claim this Mission card and place it in their Mission Log. Later on, as soon as they have a Military Level of 4, they can pay 3 Energy Resources to gain 5 VP and 2 Alien Resources, and move their Starship 1 space to a new Planet without paying the Energy cost.

End of the Game

After the 5th round of the game, each player does the following:

• Score 1 of their 2 Objective cards, of their choice.
• Each Credit they have left generates 1 VP.
• Every 3 Resources in their Cargo Bay (rounded down) generates 1 VP.

At this point, whoever has the most points is the winner! In case of a tie, those players will peacefully share their dominion of the galaxy… at least for now.

There is no final Income Phase at the end of the game. Points are awarded only for Resources and Credits you have left over at the end of the last round.

Skills

There are 10 Skill tiles, each granting a unique asymmetric ability to the player who has it for the whole game (see Setup):

• During setup, take the Lieutenant figure instead of 1 of your Crew. This character can only be placed on Secondary Action spaces, but it performs the Main Action instead.
• You start at Trade Level 2: Slide your first Fleet Income tile over to the Income area during setup. Unlock the Tech marker.
• You start with 1 additional Crew on Active Duty and a second Outpost placed on an Action Planet of your choice during setup (update the Priority Track accordingly).
• Place the Technological Terror special Planet in your playing area. It offers a private multicolor Planet with a portable Wormhole and a Mining bonus of 2 VP.
• Personal Wildcard action space: Only you can place 1 of your Captains or Crew here to take any action on the board. It works like the Omni action, but without the extra cost (see Omni).
• Place the Second Starship alongside yours. You may split the total movement value of the Exploration action between your 2 ships. Also, you have an additional move, which can be either a free space on the map or placing an Outpost. If you take the Secondary Action, you may use this power to move both ships 1 space or move 1 and place an Outpost. Example: If you take the Main Action, assuming you have 1 gray Planet, you could place up to 2 Outposts using both ships and move one of them, or you can move both 1 space and place 1 Outpost.
• Advance 1 step on the Politics Track during setup. Also, you may access Mission cards available 1 step on the track further than normal and with a discount of 1 Resource.
• Advance 1 step on the Military Track during setup. Also, gain 2 VP each time any player gets a Military advance from cards or Planets.
• At the end of setup, randomly set aside 3 Basic Bonus tiles and 2 Advanced Bonus tiles from the leftover bonus tiles. You may use 1 of these once per round.
• At the beginning of each Income Phase, for each Resource type or Credits that you have 0 units of, you gain 1.

Planet Glossary

When a player has an Outpost on a Planet, they get the following rewards when taking a Production or Exploration action. A Trade icon inside an Outpost site indicates the required minimum Trade Level the player must have on their Control Panel in order to place an Outpost there.

Mining Planets:

• Green Mining Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 1. Mining: 1 Mineral or 1 Energy Resource during a Mining action.
• Purple Mining Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 2. Mining: 1 Alien Resource during a Mining action.
• Gray Mining Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 4. Mining: Advance 1 step on the Production Track.
• Multicolor Mining Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 4 / 6. Mining: 3 VP.
• Gray Mining Planet (alternate) — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 1. Mining: 1 VP.
• Yellow Mining Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 2. Mining: 1 VP.
• Green Mining Planet (alternate) — Outpost requirement: None / Trade Level 4. Mining: 2 VP.

Action Planets:

• Gray Action Planet — Outpost requirement: None. Action: Move your Starship to a Planet with a Wormhole for free and gain 1 Alien Resource.
• Yellow Action Planet — Outpost requirement: None. Action: Gain any 2 Resources.
• Purple Action Planet — Outpost requirement: None. Action: Up to 2 times per action, pay 1 Resource to advance 1 step on the Technology or Politics Track.
• Green Action Planet — Outpost requirement: None. Action: Gain 1 Credit and 1 VP.
• Purple Action Planet (alternate) — Outpost requirement: None / Trade Level 1. Action: Activate all of your Mining Planets like in the Mining action, but do not gain any Mining rewards from your Control Panel. Then, gain 2 VP for each Mining Planet you just activated.
• Yellow Action Planet (alternate) — Outpost requirement: None / Trade Level 1. Action: Up to 3 times per action, pay 1 Resource to gain 1 VP.
• Green/Gray Action Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 1 / 2. Action: Perform the Exploration Main Action.
• Yellow/Purple Action Planet — Outpost requirement: Trade Level 2 / 4. Action: Place 1 of your Tech markers on a Technology card you have access to OR obtain a Mission card you have access to.

Wilderness Planets:

• Yellow Wilderness Planet — Outpost requirement: Discard 1 Crew from Active Duty. Effect: During the Income Phase, gain 1 Credit.
• Green Wilderness Planet — Outpost requirement: Discard 1 Crew from Active Duty. Effect: During the Income Phase, advance 1 step on the Production, Technology, or Politics Track.
• Gray Wilderness Planet — Outpost requirement: Discard 1 Crew from Active Duty. Effect: During the Income Phase, pay 1 Alien Resource to unlock the next step on your Trade Track.
• Purple Wilderness Planet — Outpost requirement: Discard 1 Crew from Active Duty. Effect: During the Income Phase, pay 1 Credit to advance 1 step on the Military Track.

Technological Terror (special planet, only available with the corresponding Skill tile): Mining: 2 VP.

Wealth Cards

Check all these icons in the Icons section. All track advances from these cards have a total discount, regardless of the icon on the cards (see Setup for how Wealth cards and Skill tiles are drafted).

Galactic Decrees

There are 12 Galactic Decree cards (see The Galactic Senate), each with its own requirement:

• Have Outposts on 3 Planets of different colors.
• Have Outposts on 3 Action Planets.
• Have Technology and Politics Level 6.
• Fulfill at least 1 Mission of every type: Commercial, War, and Cultural.
• Have Outposts on 3 gray OR 3 yellow Planets.
• Have Outposts on 3 Mining Planets.
• Have Trade and Military Level 4.
• Claim at least 3 Technology cards.
• Have Outposts on 3 purple OR 3 green Planets.
• Have Outposts on 3 Planets of different types: Action, Mining, and Wilderness.
• Have 3 Pirate tokens on your Control Panel.
• Fulfill at least 3 Commercial OR 3 War Missions.

Objective Cards

There are 14 Objective cards (see Setup and End of the Game). Each scores as follows:

• 2 VP for each claimed Technology card OR each fulfilled Mission.
• 4 VP for each fulfilled Cultural Mission.
• 4 VP for each fulfilled Commercial Mission.
• 4 VP for each fulfilled War Mission.
• 3 VP for each Pirate token collected OR each fulfilled War Mission.
• 3 VP for each Outpost on a yellow Planet (including multicolored Planets).
• 3 VP for each Outpost on a purple Planet (including multicolored Planets).
• 3 VP for each Outpost on a green Planet (including multicolored Planets).
• 4 VP for each Outpost on a grey Planet (including multicolored Planets).
• 2 VP for each Outpost on the Galaxy Map OR each claimed Technology card.
• 5 VP for each Pirate token collected.
• 3 VP for each Outpost placed on a planet with a Trade requirement.
• 2 VP for each Outpost on the Galaxy map + 1 VP for each leftover Resource (in addition to the usual VP for leftover Resources), up to a maximum of 12 VP.
• 1 VP for each level on the Technology, Politics, and Production Tracks.

Technology Cards Glossary

There are 30 Technology cards in 3 Levels, granting permanent rewards to any player with a Tech marker on them (see Technology).

Level 1:

• Each time you obtain a Technology or Mission card, gain 1 VP.
• You may pay 2 Resources of your choice to use a Wormhole (instead of 1 Alien). You also gain 2 VP when doing so.
• Each time you gain a Trade or Military symbol (from Mission cards), gain 1 VP.
• Each time you take an action on an Action Planet, gain 2 VP.
• Each time you advance on the Production Track, you also gather Resources as if you were taking a Production action (meaning that if you take the Production Main Action, you gather Resources twice).
• Every time you unlock a new space on your Trade Track, you get a discount of 1 Alien Resource (so, you pay only 2 Minerals).
• Each time you move your Starship, gain 1 VP. Also, you may move 1 additional space without paying the extra Energy cost.
• Each time you advance on the Military Track, you may also advance 1 step on the Technology OR Politics Track (paying the normal cost).
• Each time you take a Mining action, you gain 1 extra Resource of your choice and 1 VP.
• You may hold a 3rd Mission card.

Level 2:

• Each time you take a Secondary Action, gain 1 VP.
• You receive a discount of 1 Credit when completing Mission cards.
• Once per round, you may pay 1 Alien Resource to gain 2 VP and flip over and re-use a Bonus tile. If you do so, discard the Bonus tile. Flip your Tech marker to indicate that you have used this ability for the round.
• Each time you take an Exploration action, advance 1 step on the Production Track.
• During the Maintenance Phase, double your VP gain if you are at the top for Military or avoid losing VP if you are at the bottom.
• Each time you claim a Seat in the Senate, gain 3 VP.
• You may place an Outpost on Action Planets even when there are no available sites.
• Once per Round, you may use an action on an Action Planet with an Outpost that belongs to another player. Flip your Tech marker to indicate that you have used this ability for the round.
• Your Technology and Politics Levels are 1 Level higher than the one shown by your marker.
• Your Captains can take Main Actions already used by other players, and if you do, nobody can follow.

Level 3:

• END GAME: Gain 1 VP per Level on your Trade and Military Tracks.
• Once per round, you may take a Secondary Action with the full benefits of the Main Action. Flip your Tech marker to indicate that you have used this ability for the round.
• ONE TIME ONLY: Immediately advance 1 step on the Military Track OR unlock the next space on your Trade Track. You may pay 2 Alien Resources to get both benefits.
• END GAME: Gain 1 VP for each level you have reached on the Production Track.
• END GAME: Gain 1 VP for each Tech marker of any color (including yours) on all Technology cards where you have a Tech marker.
• ONE TIME ONLY: Immediately take any 1 Main Action without using any Captain or Crew.
• END GAME: Gain 1 VP per Level on your Technology and Politics Tracks.
• END GAME: Gain 2 VP additional per item scored on your Objective card, up to a maximum of 12 VP. For example: With the "3 VP for each yellow Planet" card, you get 2 additional VP for each yellow Planet.
• ONE TIME ONLY: Immediately place an Outpost on an empty Action Planet site.
• ONE TIME ONLY: Immediately fulfill a Mission card from your Mission Log, either ignoring the cost OR requirements (but not both).

Mission Cards Glossary

There are 26 Mission cards in 2 Levels (see Politics).

Level 1:

• Commercial — Cost: 1 Mineral. Requirement: none. Reward: 1 VP, 1 free Starship move without any Energy cost.
• War — Cost: 1 Energy. Requirement: none. Reward: 1 VP, 1 free Starship move without any Energy cost.
• Cultural — Cost: 1 Mineral and 1 Energy. Requirement: none. Reward: 2 VP.
• Cultural — Cost: 1 Mineral and 1 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 1. Reward: 2 VP, advance 1 step on the Politics Track (paying the normal cost).
• War — Cost: 2 Energy. Requirement: Military Level 1. Reward: 2 VP, 1 Alien Resource.
• Commercial — Cost: 2 Mineral. Requirement: Trade Level 1. Reward: 2 VP, 1 Credit.
• Cultural — Cost: 1 Mineral and 1 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 2. Reward: 3 VP.
• Commercial — Cost: 2 Mineral. Requirement: Trade Level 1, Outpost on a Mining Planet. Reward: 3 VP, advance 1 step on the Production Track.
• War — Cost: 2 Energy. Requirement: Military Level 1, Outpost on an Action Planet. Reward: 3 VP, advance 1 step on the Technology Track.
• War — Cost: 1 Energy and 1 Credit. Requirement: Military Level 2. Reward: 3 VP, 1 Alien and 1 Mineral Resource.
• Commercial — Cost: 2 Mineral and 1 Alien. Requirement: Trade Level 2. Reward: 3 VP, 1 Credit, 1 Energy Resource.
• Cultural — Cost: 1 Mineral and 1 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 2, Outposts on 2 Planets of the same color. Reward: 3 VP, place a Tech marker on an available Technology card.
• Commercial — Cost: 2 Mineral and 1 Alien. Requirement: Trade Level 2, Outposts on 2 Planets of different color. Reward: 4 VP, 2 free Starship moves without any Energy cost.
• War — Cost: 2 Energy and 1 Credit. Requirement: Military Level 2, 1 Outpost on 1 Planet, 1 Pirate token. Reward: 4 VP, advance 1 step on the Trade Track at no cost.

Level 2:

• Commercial — Cost: 3 Mineral. Requirement: Trade Level 4. Reward: 4 VP, 1 Credit, advance 1 step on the Technology Track.
• War — Cost: 3 Energy. Requirement: Military Level 4. Reward: 5 VP, 2 Alien Resources, 1 free Starship move without any Energy cost.
• Cultural — Cost: 2 Mineral and 2 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 4, Outposts on 2 Planets of different colors. Reward: 5 VP, advance 1 step on the Military Track.
• War — Cost: 2 Energy and 1 Credit. Requirement: Military Level 4, Outposts on 2 green OR purple Planets. Reward: 5 VP, move 1 Crew from your Cryogenic Chambers to Active Duty.
• Commercial — Cost: 2 Mineral and 1 Alien. Requirement: Trade Level 4, Outposts on 2 gray OR yellow Planets. Reward: 5 VP, move 1 Crew from your Cryogenic Chambers to Active Duty.
• Cultural — Cost: 2 Mineral and 2 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 4, Outposts on 3 Planets of the same color. Reward: 6 VP, move your Starship to a Planet with a Wormhole.
• Cultural — Cost: 1 Mineral, 1 Energy, 1 Alien and 1 Credit. Requirement: Technology Level 6. Reward: 6 VP, advance 1 step on the Production and Politics Tracks (paying the normal cost).
• Commercial or War — Cost: 2 Alien and 1 Credit. Requirement: Trade OR Military Level 4. Reward: 6 VP, 1 available Mission card.
• Cultural — Cost: 2 Mineral and 2 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 6. Reward: 6 VP, place a Tech marker on an available Technology card.
• Commercial or War — Cost: 2 Mineral and 2 Energy. Requirement: Trade OR Military Level 6, Outposts on 3 Planets of different colors. Reward: 7 VP, perform a Mining Main Action immediately.
• Cultural — Cost: 2 Mineral and 2 Energy. Requirement: Technology Level 8. Reward: 7 VP, place an Outpost at your Starship's current position (if possible).
• Commercial or War — Cost: 2 Alien and 2 Credits. Requirement: Trade OR Military Level 6. Reward: 12 VP.

Credits

From an idea by Andrea Chiarvesio. Author: Daniele Tascini. Proofreader: William Niebling. Illustrations: Edu Valls. 3D Renders: David González. Editor: David Esbrí. Graphic design & layout: Meeple Foundry. The author thanks his testing team: Federico Pierlorenzi, Loris Damiani, Daniel Marinangeli, Giovanni Edoardo, Asienka.

Published by Devir Contenidos S.L., Via Augusta 153, Entl., 08021 Barcelona. www.devirgames.com

Icons

• Captain — see the Control Panel section.
• Crew — see the Control Panel section.
• Outpost — see Outposts.
• Credit — see Resources.
• Energy Resource — see Resources.
• Alien Resource — see Resources.
• Mineral Resource — see Resources.
• Any Resource (Mineral, Energy, or Alien) — see Resources.
• Victory Point — see Resources.
• Free Movement — Move your Starship without any Energy cost.
• Move your Starship to a Planet with a Wormhole (without paying any cost) — see Wormholes.
• Wormhole — see Wormholes.
• Track Level — In this case, Technology — see the Control Panel section.
• Temporary Military Level increase of 2 Levels until the end of the round.
• Temporary Trade Level increase of 2 Levels until the end of the round.
• Omni Action — see Omni.
• Exploration Action — see Exploration.
• Mining Action — see Mining.
• Trading Action — see Trading. (Also: Any Main action.)
• Technology Action — see Technology.
• Military Action — see Military.
• Production Action — see Production.
• Politics Action — see Politics.
• Advancement on a track — In this case, 2 steps in Production — see Production.
• Advancement of 1 on a track — see Production.
• Advancement on any of the indicated tracks.
• Cultural Mission — see End of the Game.
• Requirement: You need to have reached this Level on a track in order to carry out the action — In this case, having a Trade Level of 3 or higher.
• Place a Tech marker on an available Technology card.
• Obtain 1 available Mission card.
• War Mission — see End of the Game.
• Place 1 Outpost on a Planet, paying any related costs — see Outposts.
• Income Phase — see Income Phase.