Twilight Imperium: Second Edition – Hope's End Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
  • Hope's End Contents
• 2.0 New Rules
  • 2.1 New Mapboard Hexes
  • 2.2 Optional Rule: Shock Troops
  • 2.3 Optional Rule: Leaders
  • 2.4 Event Cards
  • New Technologies

1.0 Introduction

Congratulations, you have acquired "Hope's End" the first expansion for TWILIGHT IMPERIUM 2nd Edition ("TI2"). This expansion brings a number of new tools and game options to your TI2 game.

Hope's End Contents

This expansion set includes the following:

Additional Cards (28 Political & 28 Action Cards): Feel free to mix these new cards into your current TI set. These cards add additional game experiences and diversity to TI2. Certain cards require the use of optional rules (like the 'Distant Suns' rules in the basic TI2, or the 'Leaders' rules described herein). Such cards have a keyword printed in their lower left-hand corner allowing you to easily identify and remove these cards if necessary before beginning play.

New Races (2 Race Stands and 22 Control Markers): Included in HOPE'S END are two additional player races: The Mentak Coalition and the Yssaril Tribes. You can play with these races in the same way you play with the other races in TI2.

Deed Cards (58 perforated cards): Included in HOPE'S END are 58 useful Deed cards each representing a unique planet in TI2 and the new planets provided in HOPE'S END. Use these in the following way: When a player successfully invades a planet, he simply takes the corresponding Deed card for that planet (from a central pile of neutral planet Deed cards -- or from the player who has just lost that planet). Use your Deed cards to easily identify your current level of resources, influence, and number of planets owned. The Deed cards are also handy for selecting planets at random (as directed by several new Action cards in this expansion set).

Leaders (24 Leader Counters): The Leader counters are utilized with the "Leaders" game option as described in this rules sheet.

Shock Troops (8 Counters): These counters are used to slide over the plastic Ground Troop counters provided in TI2 to represent 'Shock Troop' status. The rules for playing with Shock Troops can be found in this rules sheet.

New Technologies (4 new technologies): Feel free to include these technologies in play as you would any normal technology in the basic TI2. The new technologies have been included in the comprehensive technology flow-chart located on the back cover of these rules.

New Hexes: Included in this expansion are 13 new hexes, including the 2 homesystems for the Yssaril Tribes and the Mentak coalition. Suggestions for using additional tiles in TI2 can be found later in these rules.

GENERAL NOTE: When first using HOPE'S END, gently separate the cards and counters from their sheets. Be especially careful with the perforated deed-cards so that they do not tear.

2.0 New Rules

Following are the optional rules for the new game elements provided in this expansion set.

2.1 New Mapboard Hexes

The following mapboard types are new, and their rules of play are as follows:

The Nebula

The gaseous nebula makes for difficult space navigation. The great clouds are a hindrance to galactic traffic, but are still frequently traversed when they represent the shortest distance between two systems.

Any ship that enters a Nebula must immediately stop its movement for the turn. No technology can avert this hindrance. (If a ship enters the Nebula on the last step of its movement, the Nebula has no effect!) Fighters have no combat value in a Nebula (but may be taken as casualties).

Nebulas cannot be be placed next to another red-bordered tile (unless there is absolutely no other option for placement).

The Gravity Rift

A smaller sibling of the devastating black hole, and a much rarer anomaly than the useful wormholes, the Gravity Rift poses both allure and hazard for the inexperienced space traveler.

Any ship that attempts to exit a Gravity Rift must roll one die (Fighters are exempt from the effects of a Gravity Rift). If the result is 7-10, the ship may exit the hex through any of the six sides of the Gravity Rift. If the result is 1-6, however, the ship must exit through the hex side with the corresponding numbered result as printed on the Gravity Rift. Movement out of a Gravity Rift never counts towards the ship's movement (gravity simply 'whips' the ship into an adjacent system).

Movement out of Gravity Rifts is always done one ship at a time. Thus a player must roll for each ship individually, and must move that ship before rolling for the next ship.

When a ship is forced to exit through a particular hex side (when rolling a 1-6), the player may choose to let the ship stay (and end its movement) in the Gravity Rift rather than moving the indicated direction.

A Gravity Rift cannot be be placed next to another red-bordered tile (unless there is absolutely no other option for placement).

Additional Tiles

The additional tiles provided allow you to create a larger galaxy for the players to roam. When adding the HOPE'S END mapboard tiles to your original TI2 tiles, you should have the following:

• 8 Homesystems
• 1 Mecatol Rex
• and 43 regular gameboard tiles

The new regular tiles allow you to create some larger and more interesting starting mapboard constellations. The setup diagrams on this page illustrate a few examples of how to utilize the new tiles to create larger complex boards that provide for different game mechanics than those described in TI2. (All these examples use 42 tiles. Simply discard one random tile before beginning their setup). We recommend that you only use these larger maps with a 6 player game, so that the required number of planets, resources, and influence do not become too easily acquired by the players in order to win the game.

[Setup diagrams: three example constellations, labelled "Vortex," "Snowflake," and "Gauntlet." Key: dark hex = Homesystem; grey hex = Mecatol Rex; white hex = Game Tile.]

Feel free to experiment with other constellations and setup variants.

2.2 Optional Rule: Shock Troops

As an empire grows, so does its need for elite troops. In the course of a galactic expansion, after many struggles and many wars, veterans and especially hardened troops emerge. These elite ground force divisions are called 'Shock Troops' and can be wielded by players to more effectively bring down enemy strongholds and potentially conquer valuable hardware.

Acquiring Shock Troops

When a player rolls an unmodified result of '10' (a hit) with a normal Ground Force unit during Invasion Combat, roll the die once again. If the new roll results in a "9" or a "10", immediately give that unit the "Shock Troop" status (place the Shock Force counter over the flag).

Rules for Shock Troops

Shock Troops are considered to be Ground Forces in that they exercise control of a planet and require Carrier units for transportation. All other references to Ground Forces (from cards, etc) would also apply to Shock Troops. The following additional rules apply to Shock Troop specifically:

• The combat value of all Shock Troop units is "5" (a great improvement over the standard Ground Force units).
• After a successful invasion, if any Shock Troop units have survived the battle, the invading player may capture enemy Spacedock and P.D.S. units on the planet (i.e., immediately, at no cost, replace the enemy installations with installations of the invading player). Normally such installations would be destroyed after a successful invasion.
• During combat, Shock Troop units must be taken as the first casualties. This does not apply to casualties inflicted by the defensive P.D.S. fire before the invasion battle takes place.
• There can never exist more than 8 total Shock Troops on the board at any one given time. If all 8 Shock Troops are in play, no additional Shock Troops may be created (until the number of existing Shock Troops again drop below 8 due to casualties).

2.3 Optional Rule: Leaders

Included in this expansion are three leader counters for each of the eight TI2 races. These counters represent exceptional personalities that assist their race in the struggle for galactic domination.

There are five different types of Leaders: Generals, Admirals, Diplomats, Agents, and Scientists. Each Leader type has its unique abilities described at the end of this section.

Placing Leaders

A player's three Leaders always begin the game on a single planet in their Homesystem. Leaders are always considered to be located on a friendly planet or on a space ship. ANY ship type can transport one or several Leaders (in the same fashion that Carriers transport Ground Forces). Leaders do not count towards the carrying capacity of any ship (including the Carrier). A Leader does not exercise control over a planet by him/herself.

Movement of Leaders

Immediately BEFORE the Movement Segment, a player may move Leaders from a planet onto a specific friendly ship in the same system, or from a specific ship to another ship in the same system (Leaders may not change ships at any other time and may not land on planets before the Invasion Combat Segment).

During the Invasion Combat Segment, Leaders may move from a ship onto a friendly planet in the same system. A Leader may also accompany one or more friendly Ground Forces onto an enemy planet in an invasion attempt. If a Leader accompanies such an invasion, he/she partakes in the battle and is automatically CAPTURED should the invasion attempt fail (see below).

Killing and Capturing Leaders

If the ship on which a Leader is present is destroyed during Space Combat, roll a die. On a result of 1-5 the Leader is killed and removed from play. On a result of 6-9 the destroyer CAPTURES the enemy Leader. On a result of '0' the Leader escapes and the owner may immediately place the Leader on any friendly planet.

If a ship carrying a Leader is destroyed in any other occurrence than Space Combat, the Leader is automatically killed and removed from play.

If a planet containing a Leader is successfully invaded by another player, roll a die. On a result of 1-5 the Leader is CAPTURED. On a result of 6-9 the Leader escapes and the owner may immediately place the Leader on any friendly planet. On a result of '0', the Leader is killed and removed from the game.

If a Leader is present on a planet whose control marker is destroyed by bombardment (or the planet changes ownership for any other reason than Invasion Combat) the Leader escapes and may immediately be placed on another friendly planet.

Leaders cannot exist on Neutral or Enemy planets.

OPTIONAL RULE: Play with the Leader counters face-down on the table. Only (temporarily) reveal a Leader to other players when that Leader is utilizing his/her special skills.

Captive Leaders

Upon capturing a Leader the captor places the captured leader by his playing area, indicating that he holds this Leader captive. During the Political Phase, a captor may freely transfer a captive to another player, including the owner (in which case the Leader is FREED and is immediately placed on any friendly planet in play). A captor may choose to execute a captive Leader at any time. Simply announce the execution and remove said Leader from the game.

Rescuing a Captive Leader

Every time a planet held by another player is successfully invaded, if that player holds any captive Leaders, roll a die. If the result is a '0', a captive Leader has been found, and the invading player takes the Leader (randomly if the invaded player held several captives). If the Leader is one of the invaders own, that Leader is FREED and immediately placed on any friendly planet. If belonging to another race, the Leader is now simply the captive of the invader (who, of course, may choose to return the Leader to its owner during the Political Phase).

Leader Abilities

The effect of each leader type is described below:

Scientist

• When a Scientist is present on any planet outside their player's homesystem, that player may use double that planet's resource value in credit towards the purchase of technology during the Technology Phase.
• Each round a player may purchase one P.D.S. system or a Spacedock for only 5 credits on a planet containing a Scientist.

Diplomat

• A diplomat present on a planet about to be invaded may force the invasion to be delayed one turn. The invading Ground Forces must retreat to their fleet, and may not attack until the next turn. (After a diplomat has used this ability, he/she may not use it again the next turn). A diplomat may not use this ability on Mecatol Rex.
• A fleet containing a Diplomat may pass through systems containing ships belonging to opponents, but only if the opponent grants his permission.

General

• When a General participates in a battle during the Invasion Combat Segment, the controlling player may choose to re-roll ONE die roll during every round of the battle. Multiple friendly General Leaders can still only affect one roll.
• Dreadnoughts receive a -4 to their roll when bombarding a planet that contains an enemy General.

Admiral

• When an Admiral participates in a Space Battle, the owner may roll one additional die for the ship that the Admiral is on.
• No fleet may play a 'Skilled Retreat' card when attacked by a fleet containing an Admiral (unless the retreating fleet also contains an Admiral).
• Up to three Dreadnoughts that start and end their movement with an Admiral receive +1 in movement.

Agent

• If an Agent participates in an invasion combat attack, enemy P.D.S. may not fire at the invading Ground Forces.
• An Agent may be sacrificed at any time to act as a 'Sabotage' Card. Remove the Agent from play after such use.

2.4 Event Cards

Certain cards among the new Political Cards provided in HOPE'S END are "Event" cards, and are not treated as regular Political Cards (so they cannot be Vetoed or otherwise influenced by Cards and Special Abilities that affect regular Political Cards).

When an Action rather than a regular Agenda is drawn during the Political Phase, read its effects out loud, and immediately resolve the card. Thereafter draw another Political Card and continue with the Political Phase as normal.

New Technologies

The four new technologies have been included in the comprehensive technology flow-chart on the back cover of the Hope's End rules sheet. The flow-chart is reproduced below as a list of every technology it shows, with its printed effect. The sheet does not mark which four are the new ones, and the prerequisite connectors (AND / OR) between the boxes are a diagram that is not reproduced in prose here; consult the printed flow-chart for those.

• Antimass Deflectors: All of your ships may move through Asteroid Fields, but may never end their move in an Asteroid Field.
• Assault Cannon: Before any combat begins, your participating Dreadnoughts may each fire one shot. Your opponent must remove these casualties immediately with no defense.
• Cybernetics: All of your Fighters now receive +1 during Space Battles.
• Dacxive Animators: If you win an Invasion Combat, roll once for every Ground Force killed (yours and your opponent's). For every roll of 9 or 10, place one new Ground Force Unit on the planet.
• Deep Space Cannon: During your "Space Combat" Segment, each of your P.D.S. may fire once at an enemy fleet in an adjacent system.
• Enviro Compensator: Gain one Influence for every Space Dock you own.
• Gen Synthesis: During the "Place New Units" phase, you may purchase and place one Ground Force unit on each of your planets that does not contain a spacedock. No more than one Ground Force per planet may be produced in this manner per turn.
• Graviton Laser System: Your cost for P.D.S. is now 5 credits per P.D.S.
• Graviton Negator: Your Dreadnoughts may bombard planets that contain P.D.S. Fighters may participate in Invasion Combat like Ground Forces. Surviving Fighters are returned to space after Combat. Fighters cannot establish control over a conquered planet.
• Hylar V Assault Laser: All of your Cruisers now receive +1 in battle.