Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition
Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In Ascending Empires, you are the leader of a vast Empire that has journeyed to a new galaxy using ancient alien Warpgates. You gain Victory Points (VP) by Occupying Planets, Building Structures, Developing Technologies, Attacking enemy Starships and Planets, and Completing Missions. Players take turns in clockwise order until the end of the game is triggered. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.
Important Concepts
Here you will find detailed information about components and their key concepts. Read this section first, then return to it for reference when reading the Playing the Game section.
Starmap
The Starmap is made up of two neoprene mats that represent the galaxy and its most valuable locations.
Quadrants
The Starmap has 4 Quadrants, each labeled with a symbol in 3 corners. Starmap holes will hold Location discs in place, so they don't move during the game. If a Location disc becomes dislodged from its hole, push it back into place.
Locations
Discs that are slotted into the holes in the Starmap during setup are collectively referred to as Locations.
Planets
Throughout the game, you will Discover, Land on, and Build Structures on these Planets. In a 4-player game, each Quadrant has one of the following:
- Purple Planet
- Orange Planet
- Pink Planet
- Green Planet
- Blue Relic Planet
Occupying Planets
A Planet is Occupied when you place Troops or Structures of your color on the top of a Planet, build a Starbase in a Planet's Orbit, or when Robots (used in solo and 2- and 3-player games) are placed on top of a Planet.
- Starships in Orbit of a Planet do not contribute to occupation.
- You cannot Occupy a Planet already Occupied by another Player or Robot.
- If any piece unintentionally falls off a Planet or a Starbase is displaced from a Planet's Orbit, it must be immediately returned to its location on the Planet or back in its Orbit.
- The maximum number of Troops and/or Structures that can be on a Planet is 3.
- This limit does not include Starbases orbiting the Planet.
Note: When this rulebook refers to placing a component "on" a Planet, it means to place the component directly on top of the Planet disc.
Blockading Locations
A Location is Blockaded when an enemy Starship Orbits it. At a Blockaded Location, you cannot:
- Build
- Deploy
- Perform Maneuvers
Warpgates
The Warpgates were created millions of years ago by an alien race known as the Builders, allowing you to bring Starships from your home galaxy to this new galaxy. Warpgates cannot be Attacked or Blockaded. The Quadrant that contains the Warpgate of your color is considered your Home Quadrant. Occupying a Planet in your Home Quadrant is worth 1 VP, while Occupying a Planet in other Quadrants is worth 2 VPs.
Artifacts
These ancient planet-sized Artifacts are only found in deep space and cannot be landed on or have Starbases built in their Orbits. Artifacts allow Starships to extend their hyperspace jumps by granting free movement to Starships Orbiting them. If playing with the optional Megastructures module, Artifacts can also be transformed into Megastructures during the game.
Orbit
The white rings printed on the Starmap around every Location (Planets, Warpgates, and Artifacts) represent the Location's gravitational field. A component that touches the shaded area between a Location's surface and the white ring surrounding it is "in orbit" of that Location.
Reminder: Placing a piece in Orbit is not the same as placing a piece on a Planet.
Victory Point Tokens
During game setup, a specific number of gold 1VP tokens are placed near the Starmap to form a VP token pool. When the rules tell you to gain VP, you take them from here. When no VP tokens are left, the end of the game is triggered. For tallying scores at the end of the game, purple 5VP tokens are supplied for easier calculation. The player with the most Victory Points will be the winner of the game.
Discovery Tokens
Discovery tokens are placed facedown on top of the facedown Location discs during setup. When you Discover a Location, simultaneously flip over and reveal the Location disc and the Discovery token. Black Discovery tokens are Events that trigger immediately and are then discarded. Some Events affect the Location where the Event was discovered. White Discovery tokens are Relics that are placed near your Dashboard to be used on a later turn.
Starships
You begin the game with 2 Starships but can increase this number by building Starbases. You will be flicking your Starships across the Starmap, trying to get them in Orbit of Planets so you can Land on them, allowing you to place a Troop on that new Planet and expand your empire.
You will perform Attacks by flicking your Starships into the Attack range of enemy Starships and enemy-Occupied Planets. Each of your basic Starships has an Attack Strength of 1 and a Defense of 1.
Advanced Starships
The 4 Advanced Starships are unavailable at the start of the game; they are unlocked by gaining the level 3 Technology that matches their color and icon. When unlocked, immediately place the Advanced Starship disc near your Dashboard, to be Launched or Deployed on a future turn.
You may Deploy or Launch it as you would a standard Starship. Once on the Starmap, it behaves like a standard Starship except where specified by its Technology. Most Advanced Starships cannot land, indicated by an icon to the right of the Advanced Starship's name on the Technology tiles.
The Attack and Defense Strength of an Advanced Starship is indicated to the left of its name on the Technology tiles.
Troops
You begin the game with 4 Troops but can increase this number during the game by building Cities. You will use Troops to Occupy and Defend new Planets, Build Structures, and Launch Starships.
Dashboard
You will keep all your Troops, Starships, and Structures at your disposal on your Dashboard. You will also use it to manage and track your available Energy.
Technology Tiles
Technology tiles are placed near your Dashboard to form a Technology tree and will be used to track what Technologies you have gained. Each Technology color corresponds to one of the four primary Planet types (Orange, Purple, Pink, and Green). (See Research Facility.) Technology involving Starbases will have the Starbase symbol to the left of its name.
Each Technology tree has four levels (1 through 4) in each color. The level 1 through 4 tiles for each color are:
- Orange: 1 Long Range Lasers (Your Starships now attack other Starships at long range); 2 Energy Absorption (End of Turn if you Attacked: gain Energy); 3 Star Hammer (Advanced Starship; +1 Attack Strength when Attacking Planets); 4 Hyper-Jump Troops (After Attacking a Planet: Move up to 3 Troops from your Dashboard or already in play to this Planet).
- Purple: 1 Gravity Snare (After Flicking: if still in play after colliding with a Planet with no enemy Starships in Orbit, you may place your Starship back in its Orbit. This Starship can't be flicked again or relaunched if landed this turn); 2 Hyper-Jump Stations (Maneuver: Flick one of your Starships that is in Orbit of a Planet with one of your Starbases); 3 Phaseship (Advanced Starship; Deploy this Starship anywhere on the Starmap. Instead of flicking this Starship, you must place it anywhere on the Starmap); 4 Mobile Starbases (End of Turn: You may move any of your Starbases to non-enemy faceup Planets).
- Pink: 1 Energy Transmission (When a Planet you occupy becomes Blockaded: gain Energy); 2 Orbital Defenses (Your Starbases have a Defense of 2); 3 Constructor (Advanced Starship; When Building at a Planet with this Starship in Orbit, reduce Build cost by 1 Troop); 4 Zero Point Energy (End of Turn: gain 2 Energy).
- Green: 1 Geothermal Harvesters (When you build an Outpost: gain Energy); 2 Orbital Habitats (You may Deploy Troops to Planets with your Starbase); 3 Juggernaut (Advanced Starship; Cannot be Attacked. Not Destroyed when Rammed. Cannot Ram); 4 Organic Structures (Once per turn After Building: Build at a different Planet).
Mission Cards
These are objectives that all players may achieve during the game. When you meet the requirements shown on a Mission, you can perform an Interact action (see Interact) to place either 1 or 2 cubes on the Mission card to show that you have completed it, scoring you VP at the end of the game.
Player Cubes
You will place your cubes on Technologies you have gained, Missions you have accomplished, and other components to show you have control of them. These cubes are not meant to be limited and in the rare occurrence that you run out of cubes, use a suitable replacement.
Energy
During the game, you will be able to spend Energy tokens to increase (Boost) the number of times you can perform your selected action on your turn. You will also use Energy to activate the powerful abilities granted by some Technologies.
Gaining Energy
Each player starts the game with 1 Energy and will increase the amount of Energy they have by Building Cities and Starbases. When you Build a City or Starbase, take the Lock token located on the space directly above the Structure shown by the arrow, flip it to its Energy side, and place it in the Ready Energy area of your Dashboard. Additionally, you will refresh all your Spent Energy.
Spend Energy
You may move the amount of Energy shown from the Ready Energy area to the Spent Energy area of your Dashboard. You then gain the benefit to the right of the symbol.
Refresh Energy
When you Build a City or Starbase or activate certain Technologies, you will refresh some or all of your spent Energy based on the Refresh Energy symbols shown on the component.
- One refresh icon: Move one Energy from your Spent Energy area to your Ready Energy area.
- "ALL" refresh icon: Move all the Energy from your Spent Energy area to your Ready Energy area.
Destroyed
"Destroyed" means that Troops, Starships, or Structures are removed from the Starmap because of the effects of combat or movement. These pieces are returned to their owner's Dashboard, allowing players to reuse them in subsequent turns. Destroyed pieces are not permanently lost.
Range Ruler
You will use your Range ruler to determine the range (short or long) a Starship is to other Starships. Planets, Starbases, or other Starships do not block the line of sight when measuring range. If the Range ruler can touch both Starships with an edge, then the Starships are within range of each other.
Game Setup (4 Players)
This setup is specifically for a 4 player game. Additional setups are provided for 2 and 3-player games.
1. Set Up the Starmap
A. Place the 2 playmats in the center of the table, forming the Starmap.
B. Each player chooses a player color and places a faceup Warpgate disc of that color in a corner hole nearest to where they are sitting.
C. Each player places 2 of their Starships in Orbit of their Warpgate.
D. In each of the 4 Quadrants, randomly place the following set of 6 Location discs facedown in the remaining holes: 1 Orange Planet, 1 Purple Planet, 1 Pink Planet, 1 Green Planet, 1 Blue Relic Planet, 1 Artifact.
E. Randomly place the following set of Discovery tokens facedown on top of the 6 facedown Location discs in each Quadrant (each token has a Quadrant written on its back to help sort out where it goes): 2 Energy tokens, 2 Relic tokens (matching the icon of that Quadrant's Technology), 4 "Discover New Planet +1VP" tokens, 2 "+1 Troop" tokens, 1 Robot/warship-related token, 4 Empire tokens.
F. Place 1 set of Planet Overlay tokens (1 Purple, 1 Pink, 1 Orange, and 1 Green) faceup near the Starmap. The colored sides will be used for Terraforming and the opposite sides will identify Destroyed Planets.
G. Place 42 VP tokens near the Starmap so all players can reach them. Place the remaining VP tokens back in the box.
H. Shuffle the Mission cards and deal 4 of them near the Starmap while randomizing their A and B sides faceup.
I. Place the Relic Archive card faceup near the Starmap.
2. Set Up Dashboards
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Each player takes a Dashboard of their chosen color and places the following components on it:
- 1 Lock token on the spaces above each Starbase and City marked with a Lock icon.
- 4 Starbases, 4 Cities, 8 Research Facilities, and 4 Outposts on their matching spaces.
- 4 Troops on their matching Troop spaces.
- 1 Energy token in the Ready Energy area of the Dashboard.
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Leave all remaining Troops, Starships, and Advanced Starships in your player tray and then place your tray somewhere near your Dashboard.
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Each player takes a set of Technology tiles and places them next to each other with their A-sides faceup near their Dashboard.
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Each player takes a set of matching 15 Player cubes, a Range ruler, 1 Reference card, and places them near their Dashboard.
3. Randomly determine a start player to take the first turn of the game.
Playing the Game
Beginning with the start player and proceeding in clockwise order, players will take turns taking actions until the end of the game is triggered.
Taking a Turn
On your turn, you must choose ONE of these actions to perform:
- Move (x2)
- Deploy (x2)
- Build (x1)
- Interact (x1)
Important: Each action's icon has a number next to it; this is the number of times you may perform this action on your turn before boosting it.
Prevented Actions at a Blockaded Location
A Location is Blockaded when an enemy Starship Orbits it. At a Blockaded Location you cannot Deploy, Build, or Perform Maneuvers.
Boosting an Action
Some actions can be Boosted by spending Energy. For each Energy spent, increase the power of the action by 1. You can Boost as many times as you wish as long as you have the required Energy. You can Boost your action anytime on your turn as long as it is before resolving any End of Turn steps.
Example: By spending 1 Energy during a Move action, you can flick three times instead of twice, while spending 3 Energy would allow you to flick a total of five times during the same Move action.
Actions with the Build icon cannot be Boosted. (Build cannot be Boosted.)
Move (x2)
(To add a non-flicking option, see Sublight Movement in Variable Setup.)
This action lets you flick one of your Starship discs already on the Starmap. You can flick 1 Starship once per Move action but you can take this action twice on your turn. While moving, your Starship can ricochet off any Location discs and your other Starships. In addition to flicking your Starship, you may perform any number of Maneuvers before and after you flick.
A flick can be accomplished by holding the end of your index or middle finger against your thumb or the surface of the Starmap and then snapping or tapping it against the disc to propel it across the Starmap.
For an accurate, pain-free shot, move your finger up as close as possible to the disc before flicking it. This will improve your accuracy.
Feel free to use whatever flicking style works for you as long as you are not pushing or dragging the disc. Before the game begins, practice flicking a few times.
Ramming
If you flick a Starship and it hits an enemy Starship, a Ram occurs.
- Your Starship and the enemy Starship are both Destroyed.
- Ramming earns no Victory Point unless stated otherwise.
- Only the first enemy Starship hit triggers a Ram.
Lost in Space
If you flick your Starship off the Starmap as part of a Move action, it is considered lost in space and Destroyed and returned to your Dashboard. If an enemy Starship is knocked off the Starmap due to a collision that does not cause a Ram, place it back on the edge of the Starmap near the position where it went off. You can never cause an enemy Starship to become Lost in Space.
Maneuver
A Move action allows you to perform any number of Maneuvers before or after the flick, not restricted to the flicked Starship. Some Technologies provide new Maneuvers.
Reminder: You are not allowed to perform a Maneuver at a Blockaded Location.
Maneuver: Use an Artifact
You may flick one of your Starships that Orbits an Artifact.
Since Artifacts provide this Maneuver, you may use them to quickly and easily move around the Starmap, flicking your Starships into their Orbit and using this Maneuver to flick again. You can leverage Artifacts to reach tricky spots on the Starmap, bypass obstacles, or set up an Attack.
Maneuver: Move a Starship in a Location's Orbit
You may reposition your Starship around a Location's Orbit: this Maneuver may be used to place your Starships in Attack range of enemies that are located outside the Orbit.
Maneuver: Land
Take 1 of your Starships in Orbit of a faceup Planet and place it on your Dashboard. Then take a Troop from your Dashboard and place it on that Planet. When you Land on an unoccupied Planet, you now Occupy that Planet.
If you do not have any Troops available on your Dashboard, you cannot Land a Starship. You cannot land on a Planet that another player already Occupies.
Maneuver: Launch
Take 1 of your Troops from a Planet and place it on your Dashboard. Then take a Starship disc from your Dashboard and place it in that Planet's Orbit. If you do not have any Starships available on your Dashboard, you cannot Launch a Starship.
Reminder: To be considered in Orbit, a Starship only needs to touch ANY part of the shaded ring surrounding a Planet.
Maneuver: Discover a Location
If your Starship is in Orbit of a facedown Location, you may Discover it by flipping the Location and the Discovery token on top of it faceup. Discovery tokens come in two types:
- Event: These Discovery tokens are Events. If the Discovery token you just revealed is an Event, immediately resolve its effect and discard this token.
- Relic: These Discovery tokens are Relics. If the revealed Discovery token is a Relic, place it next to your Dashboard to be used on a future turn.
Important: If you already have 3 Relics in your possession, you must place the newly discovered Relic on the Relic Archive card. Refer to the Relic Archive card's instructions on how to retrieve the Relic later.
Deploy (x2)
You can bring into play from your Dashboard 1 Troop or 1 Starship as described below, but you can take this action twice on your turn.
Deploy a Troop
Take one Troop from your Dashboard and place it on a Planet that has one of your Outposts or Cities.
Deploy a Starship
Take one Starship from your Dashboard and place it in the Orbit of your Warpgate.
Example: Jan takes the Deploy action on his turn, which can be performed twice. He places a Troop on a Pink Planet with his City on it and then places a Starship in Orbit of his Warpgate. Jan then decides to Boost this action, spending 2 Energy to Deploy 2 additional Starships to his Warpgate.
Build (x1)
This action lets you build a Structure on a Planet that you Occupy. You may only build one Structure on your turn. A Planet can have multiples of the same Structure.
Important: The Build action cannot be Boosted by spending Energy.
Outpost
Take 1 of your Troops from a Planet and place it on your Dashboard. Then take 1 Outpost from your Dashboard and place it on that Planet. The Outpost will:
- Increase the Defense of the Planet by 1
- Allow you to Deploy Troops to that Planet
City
Take 1 of your Troops and 1 of your previously built Outposts from the same Planet and place them on your Dashboard. Then take 1 City from your Dashboard and place it on that Planet. The City will:
- Increase the Defense of the Planet by 2
- Allow you to Deploy Troops to that Planet
- Unlock a Troop and gain 1 Energy (see Unlocking Troops and Starships)
Starbase
Take 2 of your Starships from the Orbit of a single Planet and place them on your Dashboard. This Planet must either be Unoccupied or Occupied by you. Then take 1 Starbase from your Dashboard and place it in the Orbit of that Planet. The Starbase will:
- Increase the Defense of the Planet it is in Orbit of by 1
- Unlock a Starship and gain 1 Energy (see Unlocking Troops and Starships)
Unique Properties of Starbases
- You Occupy a Planet with your Starbase in Orbit, even if there are no Structures or Troops on the Planet.
- You may Build more than one Starbase at a Planet.
- Starbases are part of the Planet they Orbit: they cannot be Attacked directly, and are only Destroyed when their Planet is Attacked.
- A Ram does not occur when a Starship collides with a Starbase. If your Starbase is knocked out of Orbit by a moving Starship, then you must place your Starbase back anywhere in the same Planet's Orbit.
- During your turn, you may reposition your Starbases freely at Planets that are not Blockaded.
Research Facility
Take 1 of your Troops from a Planet and place it on your Dashboard. Then take 1 Research Facility from your Dashboard and place it on that Planet. You might gain a Technology matching the color of that Planet (see below).
Gaining a New Technology
Your Technology level for a color is equivalent to the number of Research Facilities you have on Planets of that color. When you Build a Research Facility, recompute this level and place a cube on the Technology of the matching color and level; you can now use this Technology.
Example: Valerie places a Research Facility on her third Orange Planet. This allows her to gain the 3rd-level Technology "Star Hammer".
- If you are the first player to Develop a given Technology, immediately gain VP equivalent to its level.
- In practice, Technologies are Developed from the lowest to the highest level, but special effects can circumvent this. (For an example, see the Reconstructor Megastructure.)
- If you lose a Research Facility, you do not lose any Technology of that color: you are only set back in acquiring further Technology of that color.
Example: One of Greg's Purple Planets with a Research Facility has been Attacked, lowering his number of Research Facilities on Purple Planets from 2 to 1. On Greg's next turn, he rebuilds a Research Facility on a Purple Planet but gains no new Technology, as he already has the Purple 2nd-level Technology.
Research Facilities on Relic Planets
These Planets were once used to Host the Council of Empires. They could quickly adapt and change their habitats to match Ambassadors and Leaders from different worlds, even replicating entire ecosystems. While it is not known how these Planets function, you can activate the global terraform feature to change the whole Planet to match one of the known Planet types used by the 4 Civilizations that made up the ruling Council.
When you Build a Research Facility on a Relic Planet, immediately take an available Terraform Overlay token in the color of your choice from near the Starmap and place it on top of this Relic Planet to Terraform it into that color. Check to see if you gain a Technology of the color you selected. A Terraformed Planet is no longer a Relic Planet and will remain the chosen type of Planet for the rest of the game. Occupied Relic Planets that have not been Terraformed are worth 2 additional VP at the end of the game.
Terraforming Example: Pick up all miniatures on the planet. Place the Terraforming overlay on the planet. Then place back all miniatures on top of the Terraforming overlay.
Interact (x1)
This action lets you activate the ability of a component that has the Interact icon.
Activating Relics
Relics are one-time use items that you may activate using the Interact action to gain different benefits (see Discovery Token Breakdown). After activating a Relic, you must remove it from the game. You may perform some or all of the benefits shown on a Relic in any order.
Interact with the Relic Archive
The Relic Archive is an artificial planetoid constructed by the Guardian Robots and used as a library of Relics.
Once per turn, you can take one of the Relics on the Relic Archive and place it in your personal supply. If you already have 3 Relics in your supply, you cannot Interact with the Relic Archive.
Completing Mission Cards
You can Interact with a Mission card if you meet its requirements and do not already have a cube on that Mission card. Place a cube on the Mission card, or 2 cubes if you are the first player to Interact with this card; this will score you VP at the end of the game.
Boosting the Interact Action
You may Boost the Interact action as many times as you wish as long as you have the required Energy. However, you cannot activate the same game component more than once per turn. You must finish resolving the effects of a game component before you start activating another one.
Example: You Interact with a Relic. After resolving it, you Boost the Interact action by taking a Relic from the Relic Archive card. Then you Boost the action again by Interacting with that new Relic.
Unlocking Troops and Starships
Building a City or Starbase will increase the number of Troops, Starships, and Energy at your disposal. After building one of these Structures, follow these steps:
- Take the Lock token from the space directly above the City or Starbase you built. Flip the Lock token to its Energy side and place it in the Ready Energy area of your Dashboard.
- Refresh all previously spent Energy by moving all Energy tokens from the Spent Energy area to the Ready Energy area of your Dashboard.
- Take 1 Troop or 1 Starship of your color from your component tray and place it on the space the Lock token was taken from.
Note: You do not lose the Energy, Troop, or Starship that was gained from building one of these Structures if it is later destroyed. If you Rebuild that same Structure again, you will not unlock a new Troop or Starship, but you will still refresh all of your spent Energy.
End of Turn
When you are done with your chosen action for the turn, complete these steps in order: 1) Resolve Attacks, 2) Resolve End-of-Turn Effects, 3) Check for End of Game.
Resolve Attacks
- Only your Starships will Attack.
- Starships have 1 Attack Strength and 1 Defense. (Some Advanced Starships have different values.)
- Choose a single target for each of your Starships: either an enemy Starship within range, or an enemy Planet your Starship Orbits.
An Attack automatically occurs when the combined Attack Strength of your Starships against a target is greater than the target's Defense.
Attacking Enemy Starships
Your Starships may only target enemy Starships within short range (unless otherwise specified by an ability or Technology). An Attack destroys the targeted Starship (returning it to its owner's Dashboard).
Example: Both red Starships have an Attack Strength of 1 and are within short range of the blue Starship. The red player's Starships have a combined Attack Strength of 2, and the blue Starship has a Defense of 1. Because the total Attack Strength is greater than the defense of the targeted Starship, it is destroyed and returned to the blue player's Dashboard, and the red player takes 1 VP.
Attacking Enemy Planets
Your Starships may target enemy Planets they Orbit. An Attack on a Planet returns all of its pieces (Troops, Structures, and Starbases) to their owner's Dashboard.
A planet with an enemy Starship in its Orbit is Defended and cannot be Attacked.
A Planet's Defense is the sum of the Defense of its pieces:
- Troop: 1 Defense
- Outpost: 1 Defense
- City: 2 Defense
- Starbase: 1 Defense
Research Facilities do not contribute to Defense.
After resolving an Attack, gain VP equivalent to the target's Defense (minimum 1 VP).
Example: The red player has 4 Starships in Orbit of the yellow player's Planet. Each Starship has an Attack Strength of 1, so the red player has a total Attack Strength of 4. The yellow player has a Troop and an Outpost, which only have 1 Defense each, plus a Starbase contributing another Defense of 1, for a total Planetary Defense of 3. The red player's Attack succeeds, and the Troop, Outpost, and Starbase are returned to the yellow player's Dashboard. Then the red player takes 3 VP.
Resolve End-of-Turn Effects
Resolve end-of-turn effects, in the order you want. Most end-of-turn effects are granted by Technologies.
Check for End of Game
The end of the game is triggered when one of the following is true:
- There are no more VP tokens left in the shared pool.
- All Planets have been Discovered and are Occupied (by Players and Robots).
When a player triggers the end of the game, all players get one last turn, including the player that triggered the end of the game. After all the players have taken one final turn, proceed to scoring. If the VP pool is empty, players may still gain VP, taking them from the reserve VP tokens that were put back in the box during setup. In the unlikely event that more VP tokens are needed, and none are left in the box, use a substitute to count as VP tokens.
Scoring
At the end of the game, add Victory Points for the following things to the number of physical VP tokens you gained during the game.
Score Troops
First remove all of your Troops from your Planets and take 1 VP for every 2 Troops you removed rounded down. This step must be performed before scoring Occupied Planets.
Note: After Troops are removed, any Planets left without a Structure (Building or Starbase) are not considered Occupied anymore.
Score Occupied Planets
- Gain 1 VP for each Planet you Occupy in your Home Quadrant (the Quadrant containing your Warpgate).
- Gain 2 VP for each Planet you Occupy in a Quadrant that is not your Home Quadrant.
- Gain 2 VP for each Relic Planet you Occupy that has not been terraformed.
Note: You gain Victory Points for Planets that you Occupy even if they are Blockaded.
Score Structures
Gain 1 VP for each Structure symbol that is visible on your Dashboard.
Score Missions
Players will score the 1st place VP if they have 2 cubes of their color on a Mission card. Players with only 1 cube on a Mission card will score the VP shown for all others.
Final Score
Add the VP gained from scoring Troops, Occupied Planets, Structures, and Mission cards to all of the VP tokens you gained during the game to determine your final score. The player with the most points wins.
In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most physical VP tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the highest total Technology levels wins.
Setup and Rules for 2 and 3 Players
The recommended setups for 2- and 3-player games involve Guardian Robots, Guardian Warships, and Wormholes. Feel free to experiment and create your own setups.
Starmap for 3 Players
A. Each player chooses a player color and places a Warpgate disc of that color in a hole (shown in the illustration with a W) nearest to where they are sitting.
B. Place the unused Warpgate and one Artifact facedown with an "A" Wormhole token on them, as shown in the illustration.
C. Place a full set of 5 Planets (Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, and Relic) and 1 Artifact facedown randomly in all the holes marked 1. Repeat this step for the holes marked 2 and 4.
D. Place a set of 5 Planets (no Artifact) facedown randomly in the holes marked 3.
E. Place a set of the following Discovery tokens randomly facedown on the Locations that were placed in the holes marked 1. Repeat this step for the Locations placed in the holes marked 2, 3, and 4.
Note: There will be one Discovery Token in Quadrant 3 that can't be placed on a Planet. That token is removed from the game.
F. Place 1 set of Planet Overlay tokens (1 Purple, 1 Pink, 1 Orange, and 1 Green) faceup near the Starmap. The colored sides will be used for Terraforming and the opposite sides will identify Destroyed Planets.
G. Place one Robot miniature on each of the four center Locations shown in the illustration. Place their Discovery tokens onto the Relic Archive card. Flip the Locations faceup. If it is a Planet, the Robot is placed on it. If it is an Artifact, reveal another Location in the same Quadrant and place the Robot on that newly revealed Planet (and its Discovery token also goes on the Relic Archive card).
H. Shuffle the Mission cards and place 4 near the Starmap, randomizing their A and B sides faceup.
I. Place 32 VP tokens near the Starmap.
Guardian Robots
The recommended setup for 2- and 3-player games places Robots on the 4 central Planets.
- Each Robot placed on a Planet increases its Defense by 1. You gain VP normally for Attacking a Robot-Occupied Planet.
- After you Attack a Planet with 1 or 2 Robots, the Robots immediately move to an Undiscovered Location of your choice in the same Quadrant, and they Discover it.
- If the Location is an Artifact, leave it faceup and choose again.
- If the Robots Discover a Relic, they place it on the Relic Archive card. If they Discover an Event, they remove it from the game with no effect.
- If the Quadrant has no Undiscovered Location, choose from its Unoccupied Planets.
- If the Quadrant has no Unoccupied Planet, choose again from the start, but from all Locations on the Starmap.
- If all Locations are Discovered and all Planets Occupied, trigger the end of the game.
Once the Robots have a valid Planet, place them on it, then add 1 additional Robot to that Planet.
Note: A Robot will never go back to the Planet from which it was removed.
If you Attack a Planet with 3 Robots, the Robots are pushed to their breaking point and self-destruct, taking the Planet with them rather than leave its secrets to invaders. Remove the 3 Robots from the Starmap and place a Destroyed Planet token on the Planet.
Destroyed Planets
Destroyed Planets cannot be landed on or have Starbases in their Orbit. You can have Starships in Orbit of a Destroyed Planet and reposition them using the Maneuver if not Blockaded.
Planets are Destroyed when a Planet with 3 Robots is Attacked or when a Player uses the Star Harvester Megastructure to Attack a Planet.
Starmap for 2 Players
A. Each player chooses a player color and places a Warpgate disc of that color in a hole (shown in the illustration with a W) nearest to where they are sitting.
B. Place 2 Artifacts faceup as shown in the illustration.
C. Place one Relic Planet facedown in all 4 corner holes and place Wormhole tokens on them, matching the illustration. Alternatively, you can replace pairs of Wormholes with Destroyed Planet tokens.
D. Place the 2 unused Warpgates and 2 remaining Artifacts facedown with Destroyed Planet tokens placed on them in the holes as shown in the illustration.
E. Place a set of 4 Planets (Orange, Purple, Pink, and Green) facedown randomly in all the empty holes.
F. Place a set of the following Discovery tokens randomly facedown on the Planets that were placed in the holes marked 1. Repeat this step for the Planets placed in the holes marked 2, 3, and 4.
G. Place 1 set of Planet Overlay tokens (1 Purple, 1 Pink, 1 Orange, and 1 Green) faceup near the Starmap. The colored sides will be used for Terraforming and the opposite sides will identify Destroyed Planets.
H. Place a Guardian Warship disc on the designated space of each Quadrant.
I. Place one Robot miniature on each of the four center Planets shown in the illustration. The Planets with Robots placed on them should be flipped faceup. Their Discovery tokens should then be flipped faceup and placed on the Relic Archive card.
J. Shuffle the Mission cards and place 4 near the Starmap, randomizing their A and B sides faceup.
K. Place 22 VP tokens near the Starmap.
Wormholes
These tunnels connect distant points in the galaxy, allowing Starships to travel instantly between them. These stable wormholes are believed to have been experiments performed by the Builders that led to the final creation of the Warpgates.
As a Starship Maneuver, you may pick up a Starship that is in the Orbit of a Wormhole and place it so that it is touching the Orbit Ring of the corresponding Wormhole of the same letter. Wormholes cannot be Blockaded.
Variable Setup and Optional Modules
Once you are comfortable playing Ascending Empires, try any of these options to randomize setup and add new content to your game.
Randomize Discovery Tokens
Randomly select one or two Event Tokens.
Randomly select 4 Relic Tokens or 5 if only playing with 1 event.
Replicate this set of 6 Tokens 3 more times so you have 4 identical sets of Discovery tokens (one set for each Quadrant).
Shuffle each set of Discovery tokens and place each set facedown on top of all facedown Locations discs in each Quadrant.
Randomize Technology
The start player randomly sets the faceup side (A or B) of each of the 8 Technology tiles.
Each other player then replicates the same combination of Technology tiles so all players have identical faceup Technology tiles.
Guardian Warships
These sentient Warships were created by the long-extinct alien race known as the Builders to protect their Planets and Technologies. To play with Guardian Warships, you must follow the rules for randomizing Discovery tokens and include the Guardian Warship Discovery token as one of the Events selected when setting up the game. When you Discover this token, immediately take 1 VP and place a Guardian Warship disc on the designated space in the same Quadrant where the token was discovered. Then discard the token.
- Guardian Warships have a Defense of 2 and can be Attacked like normal Starships.
- You will gain 2 VP for Attacking a Guardian Warship, and you will also Refresh 2 Energy.
- Guardian Warships count as enemy Starships for Rams but are not Destroyed. If your Starship collides with a Guardian Warship, it will be Destroyed. However, the Guardian Warship is unaffected by the collision.
- If a Guardian Warship is dislodged from its designated space, replace it in the space.
Sublight Movement
Before the game begins, all players must unanimously agree to enable this option.
Overview: Sublight Movement allows players to maneuver their Starships using standard rocket propulsion instead of unpredictable hyperspace jumps (flicks). This slower, tactical method is not suited for combat, reflecting the vulnerability of ships that would be easily spotted and destroyed before battles began.
Execution:
Choice: On your turn, you may opt for Sublight Movement instead of flicking your Starship. You can choose this option for some or all of your movement flicks.
Distance: Move your ship a distance equal to the length of the long-range side of the Range ruler.
Restrictions:
Enemy Planet Orbit: Starships using Sublight Movement cannot enter the Orbit of a Planet that another Player or Robot occupies.
Proximity to Enemy Starships: Your Starship cannot be in long-range distance of an enemy Starship during any of its moves using this option.
Ancient Libraries
The Ancient Libraries are places containing immense universal knowledge and have technology dedicated to teaching and educating all within their walls.
To play with Ancient Libraries, you must use the directions for randomizing Discovery tokens and include the Ancient Library Discovery token as one of the Events selected when setting up the game.
When you Discover this token, immediately refresh up to 2 Energy, place the Ancient Library miniature on this Planet, and discard the token. If this token was found on an Artifact, place the Ancient Library miniature on any Discovered Planet in this Quadrant with available space (i.e. there are less than 3 Troops/Structures on the Planet). If there is no available space for the Ancient Library, set it to the side of the Starmap near this Quadrant and then place it on the next Planet Discovered in this Quadrant. Although rare, it is possible for an Ancient Library not to be placed on a Planet.
- Ancient Libraries do not add to the defense of Planets.
- When a Planet with an Ancient Library is Attacked successfully, all player pieces on that Planet are returned to their owner's Dashboard, but the Ancient Library will remain on the Planet.
Before removing Troops for end-of-game scoring, gain 1 VP per Troop in Quadrants where you Occupy a Planet with an Ancient Library.
Empires
Having been separated by the vast expanse of space for millennia, the different human Empires now appear alien in culture, government, and even physical appearance. Empires add a unique asymmetrical ability to each player and reflect various play styles.
Shuffle the Empire cards and give the player to the right of the Start player a number of cards equal to the number of players +1. That player will select one card and then pass the remaining cards to their right. The rest of the players will do the same until all players have chosen one card, then return the last remaining card to the box. Players should place their Empire card near their Dashboard faceup and read aloud their Empire's ability.
Double Energy Token
When playing as the Vlix Empire, you begin the game with the Double Energy token. Spending this Energy token will Boost the action you are taking twice. If you do not use both Energy, the remaining Energy is lost. Effects that refresh a single Energy can be used to Refresh the Double Energy token.
Megastructures
Created millions of years ago by the Builders who constructed the Warpgates, the Artifacts that impart Hyperspace energy to Starships in their Orbits can also be transformed into massive star-sized Structures. As soon as enough Energy is applied to the Artifact, it will begin to transform.
To play with this module, choose or randomly select one of the Megastructure cards, place it near the Starmap (return the others to the box), and place the four Megastructure miniatures near the card. If you are playing with the Star Harvester, then place the Plasma Blast disc and Survivors card near the Star Harvester card.
Awakening a Megastructure (Maneuver)
As a Maneuver, you may spend the amount of Energy shown on the top of the Megastructure card to place a Megastructure on an Artifact that you have a Starship orbiting. Then place one of your cubes on top of it to show you have control of the Megastructure. Megastructures count as Artifacts for the purpose of using Maneuvers and Abilities.
Megastructures cannot be Attacked, but players can lose control of them.
The Dyson Ring requires an expenditure of 2 Energy to awaken it. Once spent, place a Megastructure in play to represent it.
Take Control of a Megastructure (Maneuver)
As a Maneuver, you may spend the same Energy required for its awakening +1 to take control of the Megastructure: replace your opponent's cube with your own.
Using Megastructures (Interact)
If you control a Megastructure, you may use an Interact action to activate one of its powers. Each Megastructure may only be activated once per turn. However, if you use Energy to boost your Interact action, you could activate more than one Megastructure on your turn. If you have multiple Megastructures under your control, you must designate which one is being activated.
Reminder: You cannot use Maneuvers at a Blockaded Location, but you can Interact with the Megastructure card to activate its effects.
Dyson Ring: On your turn you can Interact with the Dyson Ring to either Build or Overload. You could not do both even if you had the energy to Boost your Interact action because each Megastructure can only be used once per turn.
Dyson Ring
- Build on Structure: Take an Outpost from your Dashboard and place it on this card, or replace your Outpost already on this card with a City from your Dashboard. At the end of the game, score Structures on this card as follows: Outpost 1 VP, City 2 VP.
- Overload: Remove your cube from this Megastructure, then all Troops and Starships in this Quadrant are returned to their owner's Dashboards. Gain 1 VP for every 2 enemy pieces removed (round down).
Proximity Mines
With this Technology, you are able to place Mine tokens on the Starmap as a Maneuver during a Move action.
Once per turn as a Maneuver: Select one of your Mine tokens from your supply or from the Starmap and place it within Short Range of one of your Starships. The Mine token may not be placed on top of or touching any Starships or Orbit.
Any Starship that strikes a Mine token while moving is returned to its owner's Dashboard, and the Mine token is returned to your supply. In other words, the Mines only Destroy the first Starship that comes into contact with them, and they do not Destroy Starships that they would be pushed into.
If an opponent's Starship is Destroyed from moving into your Mine token, you gain 1 VP.
Classic Ascending Empires
These rules let you recreate the original gameplay of the First Edition of Ascending Empires using the components of the Zenith Edition. Minor changes have been made in order to correct known balance issues and to adapt gameplay to the new components in this box. (Except where noted, assume New Era rules apply.)
Starmap for 4 Players
A. Place a Warpgate with a matching color Homeworld token faceup on top of it in each space shown with an H.
B. Place a set of 6 Location discs (Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, Relic, and Artifact) facedown in all of the holes marked 1. Repeat this for holes marked with 2, 3, and 4.
C. Create 4 pairs of Terraform tokens as follows and randomly place each pair facedown (Destroyed Planet side faceup) near each of the four Quadrants: A = Purple/Orange, B = Purple/Pink, C = Green/Pink, D = Green/Orange.
D. Place 40 VP tokens near the Starmap.
Starmap for 3 Players
A. Place a Warpgate with a matching color Homeworld token faceup on top of it in each space shown with an H.
B. Place a set of 5 Location discs (Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, and Artifact) facedown in all of the holes marked 1. Repeat this for holes marked with 2, 3, and 4.
C. Fill the remaining holes with facedown Location discs and place 1 Robot on each of those discs.
D. Create 1 set of 4 Terraform tokens (Orange, Purple, Pink, Green) and randomly place 1 token facedown (Destroyed Planet side faceup) near each of the four Quadrants.
E. Place 36 VP tokens near the Starmap.
Setup Starmap for 2 Players
A. Place a Warpgate with a matching color Homeworld token faceup on top of it in each space shown with an H.
B. Place a set of 4 Location discs (Orange, Purple, Pink, Green) facedown in all of the holes marked 1. Repeat this for holes marked with 2, 3, and 4.
C. Fill the remaining holes with facedown Location discs and place 1 Robot on each of those discs.
D. Place 32 VP tokens near the Starmap.
Homeworlds
Place a Homeworld token of your color on top of the Warpgate disc of the same color. This will be your Homeworld for the entire game.
- You may Deploy Troops and launch Starships from your Homeworld.
- You may never Build Structures or Mine on your Homeworld.
- Homeworlds may never be Attacked or Blockaded by enemy Starships.
Set Up Player Dashboards
Flip a Dashboard of your chosen color to its backside and take the following matching colored pieces:
- 4 Troops placed on the Troop area of your Dashboard.
- 4 Outposts, 4 Cities, and 8 Research Facilities are placed near your Dashboard. In addition, take the Range ruler and the orange Battleship (use the orange Advanced Starship in your color).
- 1 cube is placed on each level 0 Technology on your Dashboard.
- Place 2 Starships in Orbit of your Homeworld.
- Place remaining Troops and Starships to the side.
Robots
The classic rules only use Robots to block off Planets. Planets with Robots cannot be Attacked or landed on and are considered out of play.
Taking a Turn
Beginning with the Start Player and proceeding in clockwise order, players will take turns taking actions until the end of the game is triggered.
You must perform one of the following actions on your turn:
- Deploy Troops
- Move
- Mine
- Build a Structure
- Develop Technology
Note: You cannot Deploy, Mine, Build, Launch or Land at a Blockaded Location (one with an enemy Starship in its Orbit).
Deploy Troops
Take up to 2 Troops from your Dashboard and place them on any non-Blockaded Planets you Occupy or on your Homeworld.
Troops may be placed on the same Location or different Locations.
Only one player may Occupy a Planet at one time.
Instead of placing Troops, you may Retreat, allowing you to remove any number of Troops from Occupied (even Blockaded) Planets instead. These Troops are placed back on your Dashboard.
Move
Each option below costs one Movement point. You may spend up to two Movement points. After you have spent all your Movement points or wish to end your turn, you will check for Attacks against enemy Starships and Planets.
Flick
You may flick one of your Starships already on the Starmap. Your Starship may freely ricochet off of Planets while moving. If you flick your Starship off the Starmap, it is considered lost in space and is returned to your Dashboard.
A Ram occurs when you flick your Starship into an enemy Starship. Your Starship and the enemy Starship are both destroyed. Nothing happens if your Starship hits another of your Starships. Any collisions after the first collision do not cause a Ram. If a Ram causes a third Starship to leave the Starmap, place it back on the edge of the Starmap where it left.
Launch
Take 1 of your Troops from a Planet or your Homeworld and place it on your Dashboard. Then take a Starship disc from your Dashboard and place it in the Orbit of that Planet or Homeworld.
Land
Take 1 of your Starships in Orbit of a Planet and place it on your Dashboard. Then, take a Troop from your Dashboard and place it on that Planet. If the Location disc you are landing on is facedown, Discover it by flipping it faceup. If that Location is a Relic Planet or an Artifact, then take one facedown Terraform token that is next to the Quadrant in which the Relic Planet or Artifact was Discovered, flip it faceup to its Planet-side, then place it on top of the Relic Planet or Artifact.
Resolving Attacks
This is performed once all Movement points have been spent, or you choose to end your Move action. All of your Starships will Attack where possible. The rules for carrying out Attacks are the same as in the New Era rules.
Mine
Take 2 Troops from the same Planet and place them on your Dashboard and gain 1 VP, or you can remove 3 Troops from the same Planet and take 2 VP.
Build a Structure
You can build the following Structures on the Planets you Occupy:
Outpost
Take 1 Troop from a Planet and place it on your Dashboard. Then take an Outpost and place it on that same Planet. An Outpost increases the Defense of the Planet it is on by 1.
City
Take 1 Troop and 1 Outpost from the same Planet and place them on your Dashboard. Then take a City and place it on that same Planet. A City increases the Defense of the Planet it is on by 2.
Immediately after building a City, take either 1 Troop or 1 Starship from those set aside when setting up the game and place it on your Dashboard, increasing the number of Troops or Starships at your disposal.
Research Facility
Take 2 Troops from the same Planet and place them on your Dashboard. Then take a Research Facility and place it on that same Planet.
- A Research Facility has a Defense of 0.
- You are only permitted to have 1 Planet with 2 Research Facilities at one time. Both Research Facilities would contribute towards your Technology Level in that color.
Develop Technology
Increase a Technology by 1 level following these rules.
- Technology must be developed from the lowest to the highest level.
- You must have a number of Research Facilities equal to the Technology Level being Developed. These Research Facilities must be on Unblockaded Planets of the same color as the Technology that is being Developed.
Technology Bonuses
If you are the first player to Develop a Technology, then you will gain VP equivalent to the level of Technology just Developed.
When you Develop an entire row of Level 1 Technology, add 1 Troop and 1 Starship to your Supply.
When you Develop an entire row of Level 2 Technology, add 1 Troop and 1 Starship to your Supply.
Battleships
Once you have gained 3rd level Orange Technology, return two of your Starships to the box, either from your Dashboard or the Starmap, in any combination. Then place the Battleship disc on your Dashboard. The Battleship has an Attack Strength of 2 and a Defense of 1. It cannot Land on planets and can only be launched from your Homeworld. It is destroyed as normal if it Rams an enemy Starship, but is not destroyed when Rammed by an enemy Starship.
Scan Locations
After you have taken an action, you may pick up and secretly look at any undiscovered Location(s) with 1 of your Starships in its Orbit. After looking, place the Location(s) facedown in the same holes.
End of Turn
After taking your turn, the player to your left becomes the active player and will take a turn. This will continue until a player takes the last VP token. At that point, the other players will have 1 last turn before the game ends.
Scoring
Calculate your score as follows:
- Each Occupied Planet = 1 VP
- Outpost built = 1 VP
- City built = 2 VP
- Having 3 Cities in 3 different Quadrants = 3 VP
- Having 4 Cities in 4 different Quadrants = 6 VP
Add the VP tokens gained during the game to your final score. The player with the most points wins. In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most VP tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the highest number of Technology Levels wins.
Solo Campaign
Introduction
In this solo adventure, you'll explore a series of scenarios, each presenting unique goals you must accomplish to win while AI-controlled Robots and Warships will challenge your every move.
The six solo scenarios can be played in any order. However, they have been designed to increase in difficulty and complexity creating a sense of progression. Together, they tell a story that will take you to the farthest reaches of the universe.
Game Setup
All scenarios will use the following setup steps as their starting point.
- Starmap: Set up the Starmap as in a standard 4-player game. Use the Warpgate matching your player Dashboard; other Warpgates are inert and have no effect on gameplay other than blocking off the corner holes. Leave the Mission cards and VP tokens in the box. Do not place Starships in orbit of the inert Warpgates.
- Relic Archive card: Place the Relic Archive near the game board.
- Invasion Deck: Combine the 5 Planet Target cards, Escalation card, and Drone Scouts card. Shuffle them to create the Invasion Deck, then place it facedown somewhere near the Starmap. Leave plenty of space to the right of this deck so cards can be splayed out as they are discarded.
- Warship Cards: Shuffle the 5 Warship cards and place them faceup to the left of the Invasion deck.
- Technology Cards: Place the 4 Solo Technology cards with their "A" sides faceup in a row above your Dashboard.
- Limited Supplies: Place 12 Robots, 4 Warship discs, 6 Destroyed Planet tokens, and 1 of each of the 4 Terraform tokens near the Starmap.
- Scenario: Select a scenario to play, then follow its additional setup instructions. The selected scenario may give you optional bonuses. These are not carried over from scenario to scenario but provide an edge to offset some of the additional difficulty of the specific scenario.
- Sublight Movement Rules: If you wish to play an easier game, you can use the Sublight Movement rules.
Playing the Game
On your turn you will draw from the Invasion deck, then take an action.
Draw from Invasion Deck
At the start of your turn, draw the top card from the Invasion Deck. If there are no cards to draw, shuffle all discarded cards to recreate it, then draw from it. You will only draw and resolve one Invasion card each turn. The drawn Invasion card is placed faceup into a splayed discard area to the right of the Invasion Deck. It is important to make sure that you can see all of the cards that have been previously discarded. Keeping track of what cards have already been played is a very important strategy to utilize when playing the solo game. The action taken by the Guardian Robots and Warships will depend on the type of card drawn as follows:
Target Planet card
Look for a faceup Planet that matches the color on the Target Planet card for a Robot to invade. If no matching Planets are available, reveal a new Planet of your choice and discard the Discovery token from this Planet. In this case, the Robots have spent their turn exploring rather than invading, and you may then proceed with taking your action for the turn.
If a Planet matching the Target Planet card is available, then follow this order of priority to place 1 Robot:
- Place the Robot on a Planet that already has Robots, prioritizing Planets with 2 Robots, then with 1 Robot.
- Place the Robot on an unoccupied Planet. If you have to choose between two Planets, choose the one with the most player Starships in Orbit. These Starships will be destroyed and returned to your Dashboard.
- Place the Robot in Orbit around a player-controlled Planet, giving priority to Planets with the highest number of Robots already in Orbit. If no player-occupied Planets have Robots in Orbit, select the player-occupied Planet with the lowest defense. Then, immediately evaluate if an attack on that Planet is successful. Calculate the Attack Strength by counting each Robot as 1 Attack Strength and compare it to the Planet's defense. If the Robots' combined Attack Strength surpasses the Planet's defense, the Planet is considered overrun. In this case, remove all player pieces from the Planet and place the attacking Robots on the Planet (any Robots in excess of 3 remain in Orbit).
Warship card
Each Warship has a series of symbols that will instruct you to take special actions:
- Place a Warship disc in a designated area within a Quadrant of your choice. Should any of your Starships be within long range of the Warship as it is initially placed on the Starmap, they are destroyed and then returned to your Dashboard.
- Reveal 1 Location, discarding its Discovery token. If it is a Planet, place 2 Robots on it. If an Artifact, keep revealing Locations and discarding Discovery tokens until the 2 Robots can be placed on a Planet.
- Similar to the above action, but place 1 Robot on two different Planets.
- Place a Robot on the Planet that has the most Robots already on it.
- Place 2 Robots in the Orbit of a player-occupied Planet. Prioritize a Planet that already has the most Robots in Orbit. Otherwise, place the Robots in the Orbit of the player-occupied Planet with the lowest defense. Then check for an attack on this Planet.
- Similar to the above action, but place 1 Robot in the Orbit of two different player-occupied Planets.
- Once all Planets have been revealed, if an Invasion card instructs you to reveal a new Location, instead, place a Robot on the Planet with the most Robots (choose one if tied). If you cannot place a Robot, you lose the game.
Take an Action
Once you've dealt with an Invasion card, proceed to take your action following the game's standard rules. After completing your action, start a new turn by drawing the top card from the Invasion deck. Repeat this cycle until you either win or lose the scenario.
Losing
While each scenario has specific conditions that must be met to win, all scenarios can be lost in the same ways.
- You immediately lose the scenario if you need to place a Robot, Warship, or Destroyed Planet token on the Starmap, and none are left in the supply to be placed.
Rule Changes
The solo campaign of Ascending Empires introduces specific rule modifications to accommodate the unique challenges and dynamics of playing against the game itself. These changes are essential to understand as they significantly differ from the standard rules used in multiplayer games.
Robots
- Each Robot has an Attack Strength of 1 and a Defense of 1.
- When you attack a Planet with Robots or Ram a Robot that is in Orbit of a Planet, place the Robot back into the supply of Robots.
- If you have to choose between multiple Planets to place a Robot on, choose the Planet with the most of your Starships in Orbit.
- If you have to choose between multiple player-occupied Planets to place a Robot in Orbit around, choose the Planet with the lowest defense.
- A Planet with a Robot in its Orbit is Blockaded.
- When a Robot is placed on a Planet or in the Orbit of a Planet that also has your Starships in its Orbit, all of your Starships in the Orbit of that Planet are destroyed and returned to your Dashboard.
Relics
In the solo game, Relics function according to the standard rules. However, when a Robot discovers a Relic, it is discarded immediately instead of being placed on the Relic Archive card.
Warships
Warships follow the normal rules. However, when you destroy a Warship, gain the following:
- Refresh 2 Energy.
- Take a random Relic from the Relics that have been discarded by Robots.
- Place the Warship on the Invasion deck. The next time you draw from the Invasion deck, place the Warship back into the Warship supply instead of drawing a card. This allows you to skip the next Invasion card draw step. While unlikely, it is possible to destroy two Warships in one turn. Doing so would let you skip the next two Invasion card draw steps.
Building Research Facilities
When you build a Research Facility, place a cube beneath the Technology card corresponding to the Planet's color where the facility is constructed. If the facility is built on a blue Relic Planet, choose one of the four available Terraform tokens for that Planet and place a cube under the relevant Technology card. Technology cards grant abilities based on the number of cubes beneath them: one cube unlocks the bottom ability, and two cubes unlock both abilities.
Important! Each Technology card can be used once per turn unless otherwise stated on the card.
Megastructures
In scenarios that involve Megastructures, when you uncover an Artifact, place a Megastructure on top of it. While you have a Starship in Orbit of a Megastructure, you may spend 2 Energy to gain control by placing a cube on the Megastructure. Once under your control, you can deploy Starships to that Megastructure. Megastructures also retain the Artifact status, enabling it to provide additional movement as outlined in the standard rules for Artifacts.
Ancient Libraries
In scenarios featuring Ancient Libraries, discovering a Relic Planet immediately results in the placement of an Ancient Library on that Planet. These Libraries are invulnerable to damage and remain on the Planet indefinitely but have a Defense value of 0. Robots will never land on these Planets, but players are free to occupy them in the usual manner or even have Settlers on them if the Scenario calls for that. If a Planet with an Ancient Library is occupied by a player or Settler, Robots will blockade and attack as normal. Should such a Planet be successfully attacked by Robots, all player pieces on or in Orbit of the Planet are destroyed and returned to the player's Dashboard, while any Settlers present are eliminated from the game. After the Planet with an Ancient Library is attacked by Robots, all of the Robots in the Orbit of that Planet are Returned to the supply.
Rescuing Settlers
In certain scenarios, your victory hinges on the successful rescue of Settlers. To initiate a rescue mission, flick a Starship disc from the Orbit of a Planet with a Settler on it, indicating the start of the rescue. Immediately place the Troop piece, representing the Settler, near where the Starship stopped moving to show the Settler is now on board. This Starship, with its precious cargo, is restricted from landing or attacking until it safely arrives at the Orbit of your Warpgate. Successfully bringing the Starship to your Warpgate's Orbit completes the rescue, allowing you to place the Settler next to your Dashboard. However, should the Starship be destroyed — by a collision with Robots or Warships, or if it veers off the Starmap — the rescue mission fails, and the Settler is removed from the game.
- Settlers have a Defense of 1.
- You cannot land on a Planet with a Settler.
- Robots will prioritize Planets with Settlers as if they were player-occupied Planets.
- If a Robot is placed in Orbit of a Planet with a Settler, that Planet is Blockaded, which prevents a rescue from being initiated.
Solo Scenarios
Scenario 1: Galactic Pioneers
Journeying through the Warpgate, your fleet arrives in the Andromeda Galaxy, ripe with ancient relics left by the Warpgate builders. Alien robots are amassing and hoarding these artifacts. Your mission: to establish research facilities across the galaxy, uncovering the secrets of diverse worlds while navigating the threat of these powerful guardians.
Additional Setup: Reveal the 4 centermost Locations on the Starmap and discard their Discovery tokens without looking at them. If there are multiples of the same color Planet, place a Robot on all but one of the same type of Planet. If an Artifact is revealed, reveal another Planet in that same Quadrant.
Objectives: You immediately win if ALL of the following conditions are true.
- You have 1 Research Facility in each Quadrant and all on different color Planets.
- You have at least 5 energy.
Scenario 2: Lost Horizons
Warping into a galaxy filled with the echoes of a forgotten alien empire, you are tasked with a noble mission: to rescue settlers stranded on desolate Planets. Your objectives extend to bolstering your empire's foothold by constructing command centers on strategic Planets, safeguarding the future of your scattered people.
Additional Setup: Reveal all of the Locations in the Quadrant that's diagonal to your Home Quadrant and discard their Discovery tokens without looking at them. Place one Troop of a color you are not using on the 5 revealed Planets. These Troops symbolize abandoned settlers from an alien empire. Your mission is to rescue these settlers while establishing a firm presence in this galaxy.
This scenario uses the rules for Rescuing Settlers.
Scenario Bonus: Randomly flip 1 Technology card to its B side and place 1 cube on that card.
Objectives: You immediately win if ALL of the following conditions are true.
- Rescue at least 4 Settlers.
- You have a Planet in two different Quadrants with a Starbase and a City.
Scenario 3: Battle for Dominance
The moment you enter the galaxy, you're met with the daunting sight of an ancient Guardian Warship heralding a palpable tension. To secure your empire's presence, cities must rise in every quadrant, a task made all the more challenging by the looming threat of these celestial sentinels. This chapter of your journey demands a balance of strategic expansion and warfare, ensuring dominance in a galaxy where every move could tip the scales of power.
Additional Setup: Reveal the 4 centermost Locations on the Starmap and discard their Discovery tokens without looking at them. If there are multiples of the same color Planet, place a Robot on all but one of the same type of Planet. If an Artifact is revealed, reveal another Planet in that same Quadrant.
Place 1 Warship on the designated space in the Quadrant that is diagonal to your Home Quadrant.
Scenario Bonus: Randomly flip 1 Technology card to its B side and place 1 cube on that card.
Objectives: You immediately win if ALL of the following conditions are true.
- Have 1 City in each Quadrant.
- No Warships on the Starmap.
Scenario 4: Echoes of Infinity
Following newly acquired coordinates, your fleet emerges into an uncharted galaxy. Here, four enormous megastructures created by the Builders are guarded by robots, hinting at untold powers. Your mission is to take control of them, all while ensuring that the looming threat of warships is kept at bay. Each discovery brings you closer to understanding the Builders' grand design as you navigate this galaxy.
Additional Setup: Reveal the 4 centermost Locations on the Starmap and discard their Discovery tokens without looking at them. If there are multiples of the same color Planet, place a Robot on all but one of the same type of Planet. If an Artifact is revealed, reveal another Planet in that same Quadrant.
Place 1 Warship in the Quadrant that is diagonal to your Home Quadrant.
This scenario uses the rules for Megastructures.
Scenario Bonus: Randomly flip 2 Technology cards to their B sides and place 1 cube on both cards.
Objectives: You immediately win if ALL of the following conditions are true.
- Control 4 Megastructures.
- No Warships on the Starmap.
Scenario 5: Legacy of the Builders
Your journey spans the cosmos as you seek long-lost libraries, remnants of the Builders' magnificent civilization. Your mission is to unite the most brilliant minds from across the galaxy's vast empires, gathering them to pore over the knowledge preserved within these ancient halls. These scholars, committed to unraveling the mysteries of the Builders' advanced technologies, are crucial for unlocking their most profound secrets.
Additional Setup:
- Remove the Blue Target Planet card from the Invasion Deck. It will not be used for this scenario.
- Take 3 Troops from each of the player colors that you aren't using and place them on their respective Warpgates. For example, if you are playing Red, you would place 3 Yellow Troops on the Yellow Warpgate, 3 Blue Troops on the Blue Warpgate, and 3 White Troops on the White Warpgate.
- Place 1 Warship in each of the Quadrants that are orthogonally adjacent to your Home Quadrant.
- Reveal the 4 centermost Locations on the Starmap and discard their Discovery tokens without looking at them. If there are multiples of the same color Planet, place a Robot on all but one of that type of Planet. If an Artifact is revealed, reveal another Planet in that same Quadrant.
This scenario uses the rules for Rescuing Settlers and Ancient Libraries.
Special Rule: In this scenario, you will deliver the Settlers to specific Planets with Ancient Libraries on them. When you reach the Orbit of a Planet with a Library, immediately place the Settler on the Planet.
Scenario Bonus:
- Randomly flip 2 Technology cards to their B sides and place 1 cube on both cards.
- Randomly take 2 Relics that were discarded during setup.
Revealing a Blue Planet: Immediately after revealing a Blue Planet, take one of the available Terraform tokens of your choice and place it on this Planet. Then place an Ancient Library on this Planet.
Technology Bonus: Immediately after placing a second Settler on the same Planet with a Library, place 1 cube on the Technology card that matches that Planet.
Objectives: You win as soon as you have met all of the following conditions.
- All 4 Planets with Ancient Libraries must have 2 Settlers of different colors on them.
- No Warships on the Starmap.
Scenario 6: Heart of the Builders
Your journey culminates in a galaxy that pulses with the pure energy of creation itself. Here lies the Heart of the Builders, a megastructure that powers all Warpgates and holds the knowledge of the universe. Guarded by the most advanced Builder technology, including a fleet of Warships that surpass any known power, the Heart is the ultimate prize. Your final challenge is orchestrating a masterful campaign against the Heart's defenses, leveraging every alliance, technology, and strategy you have acquired.
Additional Setup:
- Place 1 Megastructure in the very center of the Starmap.
- Reveal the 4 centermost Locations on the Starmap and place 2 Settlers (Troops of an unused player color) on each of these Planets. If the revealed Location is an Artifact, swap it with another disc from the same Quadrant, keeping both discs revealed. All Discovery tokens from these revealed Locations are discarded. You should end up with the four centermost locations being Planets with two Settlers each.
- Place 1 Warship on the designated space of all 4 Quadrants.
This scenario uses the rules for Rescuing Settlers.
Special MegaStructure
While a MegaStructure is placed in the center of the Starmap, this scenario does not use the MegaStructure rules. This MegaStructure cannot be taken over by spending Energy, and colliding with it will destroy your Starships but not harm the MegaStructure. Make sure the MegaStructure remains in the center of the Starmap.
Scenario Bonus:
- Randomly flip two Technology cards to their B sides.
- Place 1 cube under all four Technology cards.
- Reveal one Location in your Home Quadrant, and then place one Starbase in Orbit of that Planet and one Outpost on that Planet. If you reveal an Artifact, then reveal another Location to place your Outpost and Starbase.
Objectives: You win as soon as you have met all of the following conditions.
- Rescue all 8 Settlers from the 4 center Planets (if a Settler is killed, then you immediately lose the game).
- Build a City on each of the 4 center Planets (Settlers must be removed from a Planet before you can build on it).
- Have no Warships on the Starmap.
Story Conclusion
(Read once you win the 6th scenario)
With the Heart of the Builders secured, your journey ends not in conquest but in stewardship: the Warpgate network reconnects the galaxies under a new Galactic Council, ushering in an age of shared knowledge and unity. Yet as the Council settles into peace, a distant unease stirs — rumors of a malevolent force awakening beyond known space, a shadow older than the Builders themselves.
Discovery Token Breakdown
Relic Tokens
- Warp Beacon: Place up to 4 Starships from your Dashboard in Orbit of one or more Planets you Occupy. This may be performed at Blockaded Planets.
- Bonus Move Action: Take up to 4 flicks. You cannot add more flicks by spending Energy to Boost. This is considered a normal Move action, so you can Ram and perform Maneuvers.
- Teleport Beacon: Place up to 2 Troops on the same Planet or 1 Troop on two different Planets. You must Occupy or have a Starship in Orbit of these Planets. This may be performed at Blockaded Planets.
- Bonus Move Action/Attack Strength Bonus: Take up to 2 flicks. You cannot add more flicks by spending Energy to Boost. You can Ram and perform Maneuvers. At the end of your turn, apply a +1 Attack Strength to the strength of a single Attack against an enemy Starship or Planet. This bonus cannot be combined with other Attack Strength bonuses from other Relics used this turn. However, it can be used with a bonus granted by Technology or an Empire ability.
- Matter Relocator: You must have a Starship in Orbit of 2 different Planets. Swap both Planets. All items on the Planets will move with the Planets, including Starbases. These Planets can be discovered or undiscovered. The only restriction is that they cannot be Occupied by an opponent.
- Warp Beacon/Bonus Move Action: Place up to 2 Starships from your Dashboard in Orbit of one or more Planets you Occupy. This may be done at Blockaded Planets. In addition, you can take up to 2 flicks with these or your other Starships. You cannot spend Energy to Boost this action. However, you can Ram and perform Maneuvers.
- Attack Strength Bonus: At the end of your turn, apply a +2 to the strength of a single Attack against an enemy Starship or Planet. This bonus cannot be combined with other Attack Strength bonuses from other Relics used this turn. However, it can be used with a bonus granted by Technology or an Empire ability.
- Teleport Beacon/Bonus Build Action: Place 1 Troop on any Planet you Occupy or have a Starship in Orbit. You can also Build on a Planet. Either action may be performed at a Blockaded Planet. Once you Build, you must immediately stop your Interact action, ending your turn.
Event Tokens
- When revealed, choose to either refresh 2 Energy or place a Troop on any planet you Occupy or have a Starship in Orbit. This can be done at Blockaded Planets.
- When revealed, refresh up to 2 Energy and place an Ancient Library into play (see Ancient Libraries).
- When revealed, take 1 VP and place a Guardian Warship disc into the Quadrant where this Event was revealed (see Guardian Warships).