Alien Frontiers: Outer Belt Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Expansion Note
• Setup
• Important New Icons
• Moving The Asteroid Cards
• Navigation Values
• Claiming An Asteroid Card
• Blish Expanse
• Notes on Territories, Alien Tech, and Factions
• Asteroid Cards Included With This Expansion
• Asteroid Cards Available in Alien Frontiers Booster Pack #6
• Asteroid Cards Available Through Promotional Events

Components

• 1 Outer Belt side board
• 22 Asteroid cards
• 1 Territory tile
• 3 Dock Cover chits
• 2 Alien Tech cards
• 2 Agenda cards
• 6 Orange d6
• 8 Orange colony tokens
• 1 Orange scoring rocket
• 1 Asteroid d6

Expansion Note

The regular rules of Alien Frontiers apply, except as modified below.

Setup

Unfold the Outer Belt board and choose the standard side (square docking spaces) or the Rocket Dice side (rocket-shaped docking ports). Place the Outer Belt board to the right of the main board so that the moon illustrations on both boards line up.

Place the Blish Expanse territory tile on the moon on the Outer Belt board.

Shuffle the Asteroid cards then return the top two cards to the box without looking at them. This will keep the exact mix of available Asteroid cards a mystery so that each game is a little different.

Deal one Asteroid card face-up to each card space on the Outer Belt board. Set the remaining Asteroid deck face-down near the top of the Outer Belt board.

When First Player has been determined, give that player the Asteroid Die.

With 4 players, use a Dock Cover chit to block the docking port on the Outer Belt board marked with four dots. With 3 players, block the docking ports marked with four dots and three dots. With 2 players, block the docking ports marked with four dots, three dots, and two dots.

If there is a 5th player in your game, that person starts the game with 2 Fuel and 1 Ore. If there is a 6th player, that person starts the game with 2 Fuel and 2 Ore.

NOTE: It is perfectly acceptable to play Alien Frontiers with 5 or 6 Players, but we recommend no more that 4 players in order to keep the game duration to 90 minutes or less.

Important New Icons

• Navigation Die
• Asteroid Die
• Hold One Turn Before Using
• Ignore Hold One Turn Requirement

Transcriber's note: the printed rules show icons as pictures. In this transcription [Navigation] stands for the Navigation symbol, [Asteroid] for the asteroid symbol on the Asteroid die, and [Hold One Turn] for the hourglass symbol. Numbers in brackets, such as [4], are die faces.

Moving The Asteroid Cards

At the start of your turn, take the Asteroid die and gather all of your ships from both the main board and the Outer Belt board. Roll the dice all at once. Before placing any of your ships on the board, look at the Asteroid die; if it rolled a blank, the Asteroid cards do not move. Pass the Asteroid Die to the next player so that he has it for use on his turn to come.

If the Asteroid die rolled [Asteroid], immediately move the Asteroid cards on the Outer Belt board as follows:

1. The card on the 4th space (closest to the moon) moves off the board and is returned to the bottom of the Asteroid deck face-down. It may come around again in the fullness of time.
2. The card on the 3rd space moves to the 4th space.
3. The card on the 2nd space moves to the 3rd space.
4. The card on the 1st space moves to the 2nd space.
5. The top card from the Asteroid deck is turned face-up on the 1st space.

NOTE: If one or more of the Asteroid spaces were empty when the Asteroid cards moved, the gap in the chain of asteroid cards is maintained in the move. Do not bunch them up.

Ships docked on the Outer Belt board DO NOT MOVE when the Asteroid cards move.

Pass the Asteroid Die to the next player so that he has it for use on his turn to come.

Navigation Values

Because the asteroids in the Outer Belt are in motion, ships need to chart specific courses depending on where the target asteroid is located. This is represented by the [Navigation] symbol and two or three dice values shown at each Asteroid card position on the Outer Belt board. These are the allowable Navigation values for that asteroid space.

Claiming An Asteroid Card

An Asteroid card is claimed by docking specific ships in the docking ports next to the card's current position. The docked ships must meet the requirements shown in the center area of the Asteroid card and the allowed Navigation values for that space. Lets examine the image here for examples.

An Abandoned Ship is in the first position. The symbols in the center of the card show that it requires three dice and all three must be an allowed Navigation value. While the card is in this first space, the allowed Navigation values are [1] or [2]. So, in order to claim the card you would need to dock a [1] [1] [1] or [1] [1] [2] or [1] [2] [2] or [2] [2] [2].

A Heavy Metals Asteroid is in the second position and requires you to dock two ships. One must be a [4] and the other must be one of the position's allowed Navigation values; in this case [2] [3] [4]. So, you may dock a [4] [2] or [4] [3] or [4] [4] to claim the card.

A Terraforming Module card is in position three. It requires two equal-value dice and both must be the allowed Navigation values for that asteroid position; in this case, a [3], [4], or [5]. So, in order to claim the card, you would need to dock a [3] [3] or [4] [4] or [5] [5].

The final card in the example is a Composite Asteroid. It requires only one die but that die must equal one of the allowed Navigation values for that position. So, you could dock a [5] or a [6], but nothing else.

Because the Asteroid cards will move during the game, the ships needed to claim a card will change. For example, when the Heavy Metals Asteroid moves from position two to position three, docking a [4] [2] will no longer be an option because [2] is not an allowable Navigation value for the third Asteroid position.

Each Asteroid position allows for a maximum of three docked ships. If there are insufficient open docks to meet the docking requirements noted on the Asteroid card then you may not dock at that position and may not claim the Asteroid card.

When you claim an Asteroid card, take the card from the Outer Belt board and place it on the table in front of you. Read the directions on the card to learn when and how you can use the card.

After claiming an Asteroid card, leave your ships docked on the Outer Belt board. Gather them as usual at the start of your next turn.

The [Hold One Turn] symbol found on most Asteroid cards indicates that the player who claims the card must wait one full turn before using the card. The player may, of course, hold it longer if they choose. The "waiting turn" is meant to symbolize the time it takes to get the asteroid from the Outer Belt to Planet Maxwell. It is best to turn a card sideways on the table to indicate that it is "in transit" and then turn it right-way-around when your next turn begins to show that it may now be used.

Any Asteroid card may be raided as if it were an Alien Tech card. An Asteroid card "in transit" may be raided but the raiding player must then hold it for a full turn before using it. Asteroid cards are protected by the Holographic Decoy, just like Alien Tech cards.

Blish Expanse

The Outer Belt board shows a new territory on the moon – Blish Expanse. If you control Blish Expanse, you may ignore the [Hold One Turn] requirement (the Ignore Hold One Turn Requirement symbol) on any Asteroid card you claim.

Notes on Territories, Alien Tech, and Factions

Any rules text from the base game or other expansions that refers to territories on the planet should be read to apply equally to Blish Expanse, the new territory on the moon.

The Plasma Cannon works as usual on ships docked on the Outer Belt board.

When using the Seismic Detonator Alien Tech card or the REV from the Xeno Explorations faction, the only territory adjacent to Blish Expanse is Van Vogt Mountains.

Asteroid cards do not benefit from the Pohl Foothills bonus.

Asteroid Cards Included With This Expansion

• Abandoned Ship: [Navigation] [Navigation] [Navigation] – Discard this card and pay 3 Fuel to move one of your ships from the stock to the Maintenance Bay. Gather and use the new ship on your next turn as usual.
• Alien Beacon: [3] [Navigation] – Worth 1 Victory Point while you possess this card. Lose one Victory Point if the card is raided from you.
• Alien Satellite: [4] [Navigation] – Worth 1 Victory Point while you possess this card. Lose one Victory Point if the card is raided from you.
• Belter Pilot: [3] [Navigation] – May use once per turn to change one of your unplaced ships to a [2] or [3].
• Composite Asteroid: [Navigation] – Discard this card to receive 2 Fuel and 1 Ore.
• Damaged Ship: [Navigation] [Navigation] – Discard this card and pay the usual Shipyard fee to move one of your ships from the stock to the Maintenance Bay.
• Heavy Metal Asteroid: [4] [Navigation] – Discard this card and pay 2 Fuel to receive 3 Ore.
• Iron Asteroid: [Navigation] – Discard this card and pay 1 Fuel to receive 2 Ore.
• Orbital Pilot: [2] [Navigation] – May use once per turn to change one of your unplaced ships to a [1] or [2].
• Ship In Distress: [2] [Navigation] – Discard this card and pay 1 Fuel to look at the top two cards in the Alien Tech deck. Keep one of the Alien Tech cards and return the other to the top of the Alien Tech deck.

Asteroid Cards Available in Alien Frontiers Booster Pack #6

• Cargo Salvage: [Navigation] – Discard this card then roll the Asteroid die. If you roll [Asteroid], take 3 Fuel from the stock. Otherwise, take 1 Ore from the stock.
• Cometary Fragment: [Navigation] [Navigation] – Discard this card then roll the Asteroid die. If you roll [Asteroid], take 1 Fuel from the stock. Otherwise, take 4 Fuel from the stock.
• Hyperspace Pilot: [Navigation] [Navigation] [Navigation] – May use once per turn by paying 1 Fuel to change one of your unplaced ships to a [5] or [6].
• Message Buoy: [Navigation] [Navigation] – Discard this card then deal an extra Agenda card to each player. This Agenda card does not count against a player's limit of three Agenda cards.
• Orbital Debris: [Navigation] [Navigation] – Discard this card then roll the Asteroid die. If you roll [Asteroid], take 1 Ore from the stock. Otherwise, take a random Alien Tech card from the Alien Artifact discard pile.
• Raider's Rock: [Navigation] = [Navigation] – Discard this card to raid [Fuel or Ore] [Fuel or Ore] [Fuel or Ore] or [Alien Tech card] or an Asteroid Card from one player currently docked at any position on the Outer Belt board.
• Ship's Lifeboat: [?] [Navigation] – Discard this card to receive three track-advances at the Colonist Hub.

Asteroid Cards Available Through Promotional Events

• Tactical Meteoroids: [1] [Navigation] – Discard this card to send any number of ships docked on one Orbital Facility, Faction Facility, or Asteroid to the Maintenance Bay.
• Micro-Singularity: [6] [Navigation] – Discard this card to remove all cards currently on the Outer Belt board from the game. The Outer Belt board remains empty until someone rolls an [Asteroid] on the Asteroid die and places one Asteroid card on the first Asteroid position. Thereafter, the Outer Belt board works as usual.

Transcriber's notes on the card section: the Contents list on page 2 says 22 Asteroid cards, but the card descriptions above name 21 distinct cards; they are transcribed as printed. Some card icons are rendered from the card art: the Fuel/Ore split icon on Raider's Rock is transcribed as "Fuel or Ore" and the blank card icon as "Alien Tech card" (the same icon Orbital Debris uses for the Alien Artifact discard pile). Ship's Lifeboat's cost is printed as "[?]" and is transcribed as printed. The printed typo "yourt" (Abandoned Ship) is read as "your".