Blueshift

Blueshift Rulebook

Table of Contents

Commander Objectives

In this turn-based strategy game players will lead their species to explore the depths of space, construct great interstellar fleets, conquer planets, and forge trade alliances. Each player begins the game with only a small fleet and one planet or space-station specific to their species. The ultimate success and survival of each species will depend on players' skills as commanders.

Box Contents

This game box includes 1 deck of Action Cards, 60 Game Sectors, 6 sets of unique space fleets, 8 six-sided dice, 6 species reference charts, a bag of clear markers, and various credit tokens (the galactic currency).

Main Game Setup

The game setup can vary greatly depending on the desired length of gameplay, number of players, and creativity of the players. To help with the initial set-up phase, several standard scenarios have been included. It is suggested to start with these standard scenarios, and then progress to custom setups if desired for later games. These scenarios are found on page 19.

For beginners, we recommend playing without the infantry limit on planets and without blockades. See page 11 for more details on these specific rules.

Scenario Selection

First, select a scenario from page 19 or our website (http://www.nebulousgames.com/blueshiftscenarios) that is appropriate to the number of players. (More advanced players may opt to create their own scenario.)

Board Creation

Separate the hexagons into three piles:

Base planet hexagons marked on their backs with species emblems.
Undiscovered planets marked on their backs with blank planet silhouettes.
Undiscovered space marked on their backs with blank space background.

Set aside 3 empty space sectors to be used during the game. Next, set aside pile 1, and shuffle pile 2 and pile 3 separately from each other. Using the scenarios on page 19, create the scenario as selected. Leave the base planet spots open for later base planet placement. Spots marked for planets will get a random face-down undiscovered planet hexagon, and spots marked with a "?" will get a random face-down undiscovered space hexagon. The blue guidelines on the scenario page are to help you set up the board. We find it easiest to start with the left-most column and work your way to the right.

Species Selection

Each player rolls a die. The highest rolling player selects their species first, and then the selection continues clockwise until all players have selected a species.

Base Planet Positioning

The player who chose their species last then chooses one of the blank spaces on the board for a "Base Planet" to place their species' Base Planet sector. The selection continues counter-clockwise until all players have selected a position for their Base Planet.

Starting Resources

Before play begins, each player is given 5 Action Cards for their hand, and a destroyer and a scout to be placed on their base planet. Each player also begins the game with 10 credits, the galactic currency.

Turn Order

The player who won the die roll will take the first turn, followed clockwise the remainder of the game.

Victory Conditions

To achieve victory in a game a player must gain 16 victory points, and hold them until the beginning of their next turn. Victory points are counted as follows:

3 victory points for each planet a player controls.
1 victory point for each space station a player controls.
1 victory point for each planet with whom a player has a trade alliance.

*Trade alliances with space stations do not earn victory points.

Players take "control" of planets and/or space-stations either by invading inhabited planets/space-stations, or colonizing uninhabited ones. If a player loses control or a trade alliance, they lose the associated points.

Note: Throughout the manual you will see things such as 4+, 5+, and 6+ to signify what you need to roll on a 6-sided die for a particular effect. 4+ means you must roll 4 or greater (4, 5, or 6), 5+ means you must roll 5 or greater (5 or 6) and so on.

Sequence of a Turn (7 Phases)

Phase I: Play an Action Card

During this phase, a player must play an action card. This step is not optional, but sometimes the card played will indicate that its effect on the game is optional.

Read the Action Card

Action Cards can affect anything from the rankings of certain planets, to strengthening a player's fleet and giving a player special abilities.
Some cards specify that they can only affect planets that the player "controls" (trade alliances not included), others can affect any "target" planet, in other words, any planet of the player's choosing.

Draw a New Action Card

Always maintain a hand of 5 action cards unless otherwise specified.
If the deck has been completely used, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw pile.

Types of Action Cards

The following icons can be found on the action cards and are quick references for what the card impacts: Ship, Offense, Population, Special, Defense, Prosperity, and Dice.

Example card: "Improved Turrets" (Defense icon). Increase up to 2 target planet/space-station's defenses by 1 rank.

Phase II: Collect Tribute and Check for Rebellions

Collecting Tribute

For any planets/space-stations that a player controls, they collect credits equal to its population plus its prosperity.

For any planets/space-stations with whom players have trade alliances, they collect credits equal to its prosperity only.

Blockades

If an opponent's destroyer or battleship is in a planet/space-station sector controlled by, or with whom the player has a trade alliance, the player does not receive income from that planet during their tribute collection phase.

Attempted Rebellions

After collecting tribute, if a player has control of any planets or space stations with zero prosperity, those planets will immediately attempt a rebellion.

Roll a die on behalf of any planet or space-station attempting to rebel; if the roll is higher than the planet's defenses, the rebellion was successful and the planet becomes neutral. The player loses any infantry or interceptors on the planet, and its prosperity is increased one rank.
If the roll is lower than or equal to the planet's defenses, the rebellion was unsuccessful and nothing changes.

Phase III: Moving the Fleet

Loading/unloading units

Before moving, any ship can load/unload units (infantry and/or interceptors) onto a planet in the same sector or from the planet to a ship as long as the ship has enough cargo space. The planet must be controlled by that player. Each loaded infantry/interceptor takes one of the ship's cargo spaces. Destroyers have 2, battleships have 4, and colony ships have 4 cargo spaces. This action does not affect the ships' movements.

After the ship moves it can again load/unload to the planet in its sector. Blockaded planets cannot move infantry or interceptors to or from them until the blockading ships move or are destroyed.

Infantry and interceptors can only move sectors on one ship per turn. (i.e. - you can't pass them off from ship to ship in order to move across the galaxy in one turn!)
Infantry and interceptors cannot be transferred between two ships in empty space. Instead, this must be done on a planet/space-station that you control.

Moving Ships

Each ship a player controls can move one space (sector) in any given direction with the exception of scouts, which can move two sectors. If they move into a sector with enemy ships, they cannot move further.

If the sector is unexplored, the player flips it over to "discover" what is there. You may move ships one at a time into undiscovered sectors to find what is there before moving more ships there.
If a player controls any planets or space-stations that have Power Links on them, they may move ships that start their turn in the same sector one additional sector: scouts can move up to three sectors, destroyers can move up to two sectors, etc.
On the rare occurrence that two other players already have ships in a sector, you may not move your ships into that sector.

The printed manual illustrates these movement rules with example sectors, Sun Harvester and Rhone Ishitar. The Rhone Ishitar sector caption reads:

Rhone Ishitar, Hyper Polarity: After this sector is discovered ships cannot enter or exit from the top or bottom borders. The player that discovers it may decide which direction it faces.

Phase IV: Space Combat

A space battle will commence in any sector in which a player's ships occupy the same sector as enemy ships. The battle will continue until all ships of one or both fleets are destroyed OR until one player decides to flee. The stats for each ship can be found on the back of the species reference cards.

Steps to Resolve Combat:

Attacking Ships Fire

The attacking player rolls a die for each ship in their battling fleet. If the die is greater than or equal to the power of the attacking ship (see reference card), a hit is scored.

For convenience, players may group together ships with the same amount of power and roll several dice together (e.g. 3 dice for three scouts needing a 5+; 2 dice for 2 destroyers each needing a 4+ etc.)

Each player may decide in which order their ships fire. Interceptors being carried by ships in a fleet may fight in combat with the other ships. Interceptors stationed on a planet cannot participate in space combat.

Assigning Attacking Player's Hits

The attacking player chooses to assign hits from their ships to their opponent's ships of equal or lesser size (cost). If all ships of equal size are eliminated, ships may damage the next highest size of ship until combat is over.

e.g. in a space combat of a battleship and an interceptor versus an enemy destroyer and scout, the interceptor may initially only target the enemy scout, the scout and destroyer may only initially target the interceptor, and the battleship may target either the scout or the destroyer. If the interceptor were destroyed, then both the scout and destroyer could target the battleship.
Players flip over destroyers and orbital turrets to show that they are damaged. Players keep track of battleship's damage by placing the clear tokens on the ship for each damage.

Defending Ships Return Fire & Assign Hits

Defending ships fire exactly like attacking ships. The defender's destroyed ships are given a chance to fire back before being removed from the game. Shots are assigned in the same way as attacking shots.

Destroyed Ships Removed from Play

If a ship has no more HP (hit points), it is destroyed, and removed from the game.

If a ship is destroyed in space combat, interceptors that were on it may finish combat. Once combat is resolved, they may load onto another of the player's battling ships with cargo space. If there are no available ships with cargo space the interceptors are lost and removed from play.
Any infantry the ship was carrying may immediately be moved to a one of the other battling ships that has cargo space available. If there are no available ships with cargo space the infantry are lost and removed from play.

Repeat

This process is repeated until one or both fleets are destroyed, OR until one player decides to flee.

Flee Attempts

Before any round of combat, either player may announce that they will flee rather than engage in combat. The attacker must decide first, followed by the defender, other than the first round, when the attacker cannot flee. If a player flees during the first round of combat, they take one round of attacks at full power from their opponent. If a player flees after the first round of combat, their opponent must roll 6's to hit the fleeing ships. After taking the hits, the fleeing player does not roll attack dice, but may move all of their remaining ships to any adjacent sector of their choice (see following).

The sector a player flees to cannot have enemy ships in it.
The defender cannot flee to a sector that the enemy attacked from that turn.
Fleeing is not an option if there are no sectors to which a player can flee.
The attacking player must retreat to one of the sectors they attacked from.
If the fleeing fleet contains any orbital turrets, the orbital turrets must remain behind and finish the combat. In this case, the other player may decide for each ship whether to roll with normal power to target the orbital turrets, or to roll for 6+ (if after the first round of combat) to target the fleeing ships.

Phase V: Land Actions

After movement and space combat, each of the player's ships that are on the same sector as a planet or space station they do not control may perform one action. The player may perform actions one at a time, waiting to determine if other ships should perform the same or different actions. The possible actions are as follows:

Bombard

For each destroyer in the sector a player may roll one die (or 3 dice for each battleship). Any roll of a 4+ is a successful bombardment. For each successful bombardment, the defending player must choose to either lower the planet's defenses by one rank, or lose one infantry stationed there (if they have infantry there).

Invade for Control

For each destroyer, battleship, or infantry-loaded colony ship in the sector the player may roll one die. If any of the rolls are equal to or greater than the planet's defenses, the invading player takes control of that planet. They remove any opponents' markers, infantry, and interceptors, and place a marker showing their control of the planet.

A ship carrying infantry gets +1 to its roll for every infantry it is carrying.
A planet with infantry gets +1 to its defenses for every infantry on the planet.
Players cannot invade planets with 0 population; they must be colonized by a colony ship. (See ships - Colony Ship pg. 11)

Negotiate for Trade Alliances

If a player has a scout, colony ship, destroyer, or battleship in the same sector as an inhabited planet not controlled by any player, they may roll one die regardless of how many ships are there. The player cannot negotiate with a planet the same turn as bombarding or invading it.

After rolling a die a player consults the trade agreement table and may choose whether to pay the given amount. If they do, they have successfully forged a trade alliance and place the appropriate "trade alliance" marker on the planet.

Trade agreement table (roll result: price to pay for the alliance):

1: refusal of trade alliance
2: agreement for 8 credits
3: agreement for 4 credits
4: agreement for 2 credits
5: agreement for 1 credit
6: agreement for 0 credits
7+: agreement and gain 4 credits (achievable via cards and abilities)

If an opponent already has a trade alliance with the planet, a player may roll on the same chart to attempt to replace the trade alliance with their own, but must double the prices (not including the 7+). If they choose to pay, they immediately replace their opponent's trade alliance on the planet with their own.

Colonize Uninhabited Planets

During phase IV, if you move a colony ship to an uninhabited planet, you may choose to colonize the planet. If you do so, immediately remove your colony ship from the board, place your control marker on the planet, and increase the planet's population by 1 rank. Any infantry or interceptors that were carried by the colony ship may be placed on the planet.

Phase VI: Purchases and Repairs

Purchase new units

A player may spend their accumulated credits to purchase any amount of units they can afford. After purchasing them, the player places them on a planet/space-station they control.

New battleships, destroyers, scouts, and colony ships can only be placed on planets that a player controls that has a spaceport. You may purchase a spaceport and place new ships on it in the same turn.
Infantry, Interceptors, Orbital Turrets, Spaceports, and Power Links can be built on any planet or space-station a player controls (no spaceport required).
Players may choose to place new Infantry and Interceptors directly on their ships in the sector they are built in.
Players cannot purchase more units than they have pieces available for their species (i.e. since you only have 9 destroyer pieces, you can never build more than 9 destroyers).

Infantry Limit

A planet may not have more infantry than total population, if they do, at the end of their turn they must remove infantry until they are equal, either onto a ship with cargo space or they must be removed from the game.

Example: if a planet/ space-stations with population of 2 has 3 infantry on it, the controlling player must eliminate 1 infantry from the planet/space-station.

Repair damaged ships

If a player has any damaged ships in planet or space-station sectors they control or with which they have trade alliances, they may pay 3 credits per damage to repair the damages.

Phase VII: End of Turn Events

Victory Points

If the player has not updated their marker on the victory point chart during their turn, they may do so at the end of their turn.

Recycle Card

You may choose to discard a single card from your hand in order to draw a new card.

Species

Each species has a reference card with its ship stats and a species page in the manual. The species pages below give each species' background and special abilities as printed.

Alpha Primarus Coalition (Base Planet: New Earth)

Background

After the fall of the Træg'Rone Empire, hundreds of Human planets were scattered across the galaxy in separate and warring factions. Once the major backbone of the old Empire, humanity bore the bulk of the lingering hatred for the Træg'Rone. Individually too weak to resist, countless billions of human lives were lost. After several decades of turmoil, the Coalition emerged as a somewhat unstable alliance between many of the larger factions as an effort to protect their species and regain their former glory. Although the Coalition has numerous connections and informant networks across the galaxy, they are only a shadow of the power they held while the Empire was still thriving.

Special Abilities

Adaptation: When you take control of a new planet, either by colonizing or by invasion, you may choose to roll a die. On a 3+ you may move that planet's population up one additional rank. This can only effect a planet once per game.

Spy Network: Once per round, after an opponent has moved ships into a sector occupied by your ships, you may choose to move up to 4 of your ships from a single neighboring sector into the attacked sector.

Xan'il (printed subtitle: XA'CALACTAN'ILL)

Background

The origin of the Xan'il is unknown, but it is clear their existence preceded all other species in the galaxy. Though small in numbers, their carefully-guarded technology is far superior to that of "the inferior species". Throughout history, they have managed to meddle in the affairs of almost every major event in the galaxy, even possessing 4 of the 11 seats in the Træg'Rone Empire's governing council before its collapse. The Xan'il shrewdly took advantage of the Empire's collapse, somehow acquiring a hefty portion of its armada, wealth, and planetary possessions. Their motives and plans of conquest are unknown to any but their own.

Special Abilities

Cloak Generators: Enemy ships must roll a 6 to hit any of your ships that flee, even on the first round of combat (Marrow-Kir bonus does not apply). In addition, if your opponent rolls any 6's to hit you as you flee, you get to assign which ships are hit.

Increased Cranial Capacity: Your hand size for action cards is 8 rather than 5.

Marrow-Kir (printed subtitle: MARROW-KIR-TOBATH)

Background

These large reptilian-like warriors, though citizens of the Empire, were feared and driven back until they occupied only their original home world. There they were kept guarded by a sizeable Imperial fleet, prisoners on their own planet. Surprisingly, these savage warriors did not strike back. Unbeknownst to the Empire, the Marrow-Kir were merely awaiting for the prophecies of their ancients to be fulfilled: that they would be freed from bondage and again reign undisputedly as their species had for thousands of years in the annals of history. Following the destruction of the Træg'Rone Empire, the Marrow-Kir took the initiative and easily swept aside their captors' fleet, ruthlessly beginning to fulfill their long-anticipated prophecies.

Special Abilities

Ruthless Attack: Add plus 1 to the rolls of your interceptors, scouts, destroyers, and battleships during the first round of space-to-space combat in which you are the attacking fleet.

Forced Draft: Rather than play an action card, you may choose to roll a die. On a 3+ you may immediately place an infantry on any planet you control.

Hivemind (printed subtitle: Krillakt)

Background

Over fifty years ago, the Hivemind Swarm arrived at the borders of the galaxy and swiftly took control of numerous outer planets by destroying or infesting the native populations, enveloping the planets' surfaces in hive-like structures. By the time the Empire mounted a defensive, the Hive already held a powerful grip on the outlying sectors. The subsequent Termination War consumed the outer regions of the galaxy and led to immense destruction, both in terms of lives and in economic loss. The war's incalculable toll on the Træg'Rone Empire, and the Empire's inability to destroy the Hivemind ultimately led to its collapse. Just before its fall, the Empire led a daring assault through the Hivemind's outer line and detonated a powerful anti-biological warhead directly on the assumed central Queen's planet. This is likely the only reason the swarm has not already overrun the remainder of the galaxy.

Special Abilities

Drone Mentality: Your planets will never rebel.

Infested Ships: If you have a destroyer or scout that started your turn orbiting an uninhabited planet, then during your purchase units phase you may choose to pay 13 credits (if a scout) or 10 credits (if a destroyer) to colonize the planet without losing the ship. As normal, move the population of the planet up one and place your control marker on the planet.

Tivare (printed subtitle: Saphron Hub)

Background

The Tivare are a race of merchant-traders, well-known throughout the galaxy for their shrewd intelligence. During the Termination War, the Tivare thrived, selling millions of credits worth of weaponry to the Empire to fight the dreaded Hivemind while craftily staying far from the combat themselves. At the outset of the Galactic War between the species, the Tivare passed as innocent merchants. Unchecked, their influence and armada continued to grow alongside their endlessly-expanding trade routes until they rivaled even the most powerful species. They are renowned as masters at establishing trade alliances, due in large part to their skills of negotiation and extensive knowledge of languages. However, some would argue that the massive fleet merely days behind any negotiator is far more persuasive.

Special Abilities

Tivare Negotiation Method: Add +1 to any negotiation rolls you make.

Trade Route Mastery: Spaceports and Power Links cost you 7 credits less to construct.

Android Tribunal (printed subtitle: AT-01)

Background

The Androids first came into existence as the result of years of research by the Træg'Rone Empire to create a super-soldier to exceed the power and reliability of normal infantry. They were manufactured with imbedded human nervous systems for enhanced speed, coordination, and processing power; and built-in internal control programs to keep them subject to their operators. To this day, scientists still try in vain to discover when and how the first androids overrode their control programs. Over several months, hundreds of thousands of androids went offline from their operators and sabotaged much work of their once-masters, further crippling the dying Empire. Gathering of their own free will, the androids created a society and government which they refer to as The Tribunal. Determining The Tribunal to be the ultimate pathway to achieving societal and economic prosperity, they now advance across the galaxy, giving all in their path a choice: live under the The Tribunal's law, or be destroyed.

Special Abilities

Tireless Efficiency: Any time that planets/ space-stations you control would have their ranks increased by a card's ability, you may move one single rank up by two instead of one. (This does not allow you to move ranks beyond what is possible on the planet/ spacestation.)

Super Soldiers: Rather than play an action card, you may choose to roll a die. On a 3+ add a +1 to any invasion roll that you make this turn.

Ship and Building Overview

Ships (price, power, HP, capacity):

Scout (price 8, power 5+, HP 1, capacity -): Can move 2 sectors.
Destroyer (price 20, power 4+, HP 2, capacity 2): Can invade with 1 die (successful if equal to or greater than planet's defenses) OR can bombard with 1 die (4+ successful).
Battleship (price 50, power 4+, 4+, 4+, HP 4, capacity 4): Can invade with one die (successful if equal to or greater than planet's defenses) OR can bombard with 3 dice (4+ successful).
Colony Ship (price 10, power 6+, HP 1, capacity 4): Can colonize uninhabited planets. Can invade planets if carrying infantry.

Units:

Infantry (price 5): If stationed on a planet it adds +1 to defenses per infantry. If carried on an invading ship, add +1 per infantry to the invasion roll.
Interceptor (price 5, power 6+, HP -, capacity -): If carried on a ship that engages in space-space combat this becomes a ship with Power of 6+ and HP of 1. After the combat is over it must again be carried by a surviving ship. This ship cannot move independently of the ship it is carried on.

Buildings:

Spaceport (price 20): You can only place purchased ships on planets/ spacestations that have a spaceport.
Power Link (price 15): Ships that you control that begin their turn in a sector with a Power Link that you also control add +1 to their movement this turn.
Orbital Turret (price 8, power 5+, HP 2, capacity 1): This building acts as a ship orbiting your planet that cannot move. Max of 2 turrets per planet.

Planet Briefing

The shaded cell on a planet represents the starting rank of each stat. You use the clear glass markers to keep track of the statistics of a planet after they change.

Prosperity stat: Each prosperity contributes one to your income if you control the planet or have a trade alliance with it. If the prosperity of a planet is 0 then it attempts to have a rebellion.
Defense stat: In order to take over an enemy planet you must roll equal to or higher than the planet's defenses. Infantry stationed on a planet increase its defenses by 1. Can be lowered by enemy bombardment and/or action cards.
Population stat: Each population contributes one to your income if you control the planet. Also allows you to have more infantry on that planet. When Population is at 0 the planet is uninhabited.
Additional abilities: Icons for if a planet has a Spaceport and/or the Power Link ability.
Planet/Station name: The name of a Planet or Space Station.
Ability/Rule description: Description of special abilities or rules that some Planets or Spacestations may have.

Sector types: Front of empty space (no planet); Back of unexplored planet sector; Back of unexplored unknown sector. The example base planet is New Earth; the example discoverable planet is Tritan 4.5.13 (Omega Construction: Interceptors cost you 1 less, regardless of where they are built).

Strategy Tips

Species' Abilities

Use your species' abilities to their maximum potential, as they should make a difference in your strategy to win. At the same time, don't feel obligated to use them if doing so would be un-strategic. Also, don't forget that your opponents have abilities too, and be sure to include them in your strategizing. It's no fun to launch a monstrous attack, just to realize that your pesky Alpha Primarus Coalition opponent can move an even bigger fleet to help defend her lone destroyer.

Small Choices Bring About Great Consequences

Be careful when planning your moves and especially your purchases. Buying a colony ship loaded with infantry can be your downfall when you should have bought a destroyer to help fend off an enemy fleet.

Money Money Money!

It is important to increase your income as fast as you can early in the game. It's hard to beat an opponent that is building a destroyer every turn when you can only afford a scout in the same amount of time. You can do this by playing cards to increase the statistics of your planet, by pushing to take over new planets, or by making early game trade alliances with more distant planets.

The Leap of Faith

It will seem fairly easy to take control of your first few planets. However, it is always the last 3 or 4 victory points that are the most challenging to obtain. Thus, winning will often require you to make a daring maneuver for that last needed planet.

Comeback

Unlike in many other strategy board games, it is possible to make a comeback and win after falling behind. This is especially true in 3 or 4 player games. Instead of using brute force to dominate the game, look for opportunities to sneakily achieve the domination conditions as two other powerful rivals duke it out on the other side of the galaxy.

Treachery!

Feel free to forge under-the-table alliances with other players, and then play an "engage warpdrive" to craftily take control of their base planet while their fleet is away. Or it can be fun to have your "ally" send his fleet into another player's just to place you as the dominant armada in the galaxy. You get the idea. It is a good idea to be wary of other players that may have the same idea.

Last of All

See the humorous side of things when you are stabbed in the back, or when you roll eight 1's with your destroyers and five 5's with your interceptors. Don't take yourself too seriously, you're playing this to have fun!

Player Scenarios

The printed manual gives five player-count scenarios on page 19. Each is shown as a hexagon layout: a sector marked "B" is a Base Planet (front), a sector marked "?" is a Planet Sector or Unknown Sector (back), as shown in the manual's legend. Set up each scenario using the Board Creation rules above. The hex layouts are diagrams and cannot be reproduced as text; consult the printed page 19 for placement.

Growing Pains (3 Players)
Warpath (4 Players)
Conflict (2 Players)
Kingdoms (6 Players)
Rivals (5 Players)

Frequently Asked Questions

Before reading this section, note that most questions can be answered by simply following the order of events as outlined in the 7 turn phases. If you cannot find the answer here or in the rulebook, try to reason out what is a logical solution. If you and your opponent cannot agree, roll a die or flip a coin to decide what to do.

Q: What happens if a ship carrying either infantry or interceptors is destroyed in combat?

A: At the end of the battle, all infantry and/or interceptors that were on a destroyed ship may be moved to any other of your ships that have open capacity.

Q: Can a battleship split up its dice between invading and bombarding?

A: No. A battleship must choose whether to roll a single die in an invasion attempt, or to roll three dice in a bombardment attempt.

Q: Can I move a scout or other ship first to explore a sector, and then move my other ships the same turn to follow if it is safe?

A: Yes. This is a good tactic to employ, especially if you are concerned that something damaging might be in an unknown sector.

Q: Can a planet's statistic be moved either above or below what is available on its hexagon?

A: No. However, note that each infantry on a planet adds +1 to the planets' defense (not an additional defense rank).

Example: A planet has a maximum defense of 5 on its hexagon, but is currently one rank lower at 3. If you placed one infantry on it its effective defenses would be 4 (not 5). By the same token, if you placed 3 infantry on it its effective defenses would be 6.

Q: What happens if two players obtain the necessary amount of victory points to win in the same round?

A: The player who first obtained the domination conditions would win after holding the points until the beginning of his/her next turn.

Q: Can you build buildings or use abilities of planets that you only have trade alliances with?

A: No, you must control a planet to do either of these things.

Q: Can you build ships on a planet that is being blockaded by enemy ships? If so, what happens to them?

A: Yes. The ships remain in the same sector until either player has a combat phase. At that time, if the player who controls the blockading ships has not moved their ships away, then combat will take place.

Q: Why is this game so awesome..?

A: It just is.

Glossary

Base planet: Each species begins the game with one unique Base Planet that is specific to their species.

Battleship: The most feared ship in the galaxy. Each player only has one battleship available to build. Can perform all of the actions of a destroyer. Can carry up to 4 units. Must be built on one of your spaceports. Can absorb lots of damage before being destroyed. Can only be targeted by other battleships in space combat. Bombards with 3 dice (that each need 4+).

Blockade: If you leave a destroyer or battleship orbiting an enemy planet, then the controlling player does not collect income from that planet. Blockaded planets cannot move infantry or interceptors to or from them until the blockading ships move or are destroyed.

Bombard: An attempt by a destroyer or battleship to lower the defenses of a planet in the same sector. If the ship rolls higher than its own power, then the player controlling the planet must choose to either lose one infantry on that planet or lower its defenses one rank.

Capacity: The ability a ship has to carry infantry and/or interceptors. Each capacity allows one unit to be carried.

Colonize: This is the only way to gain control of an uninhabited planet. Once a colony ship arrives at the sector the colony ship is removed from the board, you gain control of the planet, and you move up its population by one rank.

Colony ship: Ship used primarily to carry units or colonize uninhabited planets. Can also form trade alliances. Must be built on one of your spaceports. If a colony ship has infantry on it, it is able to invade planets following all normal invasion rules.

Control: You begin the game only controlling your one Base Planet. You may take over further planets by invading inhabited planets or colonizing empty planets. If you control a planet it gives you income equal to its prosperity plus its population. Controlling a planet also allows you to build units on that planet.

Defenses: One of the 3 statistics of a planet. In order to take over an enemy planet you must roll higher than the planet's defenses. Infantry stationed on a planet increase its defenses by 1. Can be lowered by bombardment.

Destroyer: Powerful ship that can form trade alliances as well as invade, bombard, or blockade enemy planets. Can also carry up to 2 units. Must be built on one of your spaceports. Can absorb damage before being destroyed.

Fleeing: Rather than roll attack dice in any round of combat, either player may choose to flee. If a player flees then they do not roll attack dice that round, but may move their ships to an adjacent sector of their choice after taking a round of hits from their opponent as normal (The sector they flee to cannot have enemy ships in it and cannot be the sector that the enemy attacked from. If this is not possible, then you cannot retreat). The attacking player must roll for at least one round of combat. If the attacker retreats, they must retreat to one of the sectors they attacked from. If the fleeing fleet contains any orbital turrets, they must remain behind and finish out the combat.

Income: The amount of money you gain during your "Collect Taxes" phase. This is equal to the prosperity and population of all planets you control, plus the prosperity of planets that you have trade alliances with.

Infantry: Can be stationed on planets or carried on ships that have capacity. If on a planet, adds +1 to its defenses. If on a ship it adds +1 to that ship's invasion rolls (these effects are cumulative). You can only have 1 infantry per population on a planet at the end of your turn. Can be built on any planet or spacestation you control.

Interceptor: Unit that can be carried on any ship that has capacity. Once the ship carrying it engages in space-space combat this unit acts as a ship that can fight, adding a small amount of firepower and the ability to absorb some damage. Can be built on any planet or spacestation you control.

Invasion: An attempt by a destroyer, battleship, or colony ship with infantry to take control of a planet in the same sector. Each ship attempting to invade may roll one die. A roll higher than the planet's defenses results in that player taking control of the planet.

Land Actions: This takes place during phase 5 of each player's turn. During this phase each of your ships may perform one action with the planet which they are orbiting (which ones depends on the type of ship). These include bombarding, invading for control, and forming trade alliances. You may perform actions one at a time for each of your ships, and then decide what to do with your other ships.

Orbital turret: Ship that cannot move once it is built. Max of two per planet. Can carry 1 unit.

Population: One of the 3 statistics of a planet. Each population contributes one to your income if you control the planet. Also allows you to station more infantry on that planet.

Power link: Ships that begin their turn on a planet you control that has a power link can move an additional sector.

Prosperity: One of the 3 statistics of a planet. Each prosperity contributes one to your income if you control the planet or have a trade alliance with it. If the prosperity of a planet is 0 then it attempts to have a rebellion. (see "Rebellion")

Rank: One notch on a statistic of a planet. Can be improved by various cards and abilities.

Rebellion: A planet you control that has 0 prosperity will attempt to rebel against you after you collect tribute from it in phase 1 of your turn. To see the results of this, roll one die, and if it is higher than that planet's defenses then the planet has successfully rebelled against you - you lose control of the planet and lose any units that you have on that planet. Upon a successful rebellion the planet's prosperity moves up one rank. Upon an unsuccessful rebellion, nothing changes on the planet.

Scout: Medium strength ship that can form trade alliances. Can move two spaces. Must be built on one of your spaceports.

Sector: Term in the game referring to one hexagon on the board.

Spaceport: You can only place purchased scouts, colony ships, destroyers, and battleships where you have a spaceport. Costs 20 credits to build.

Space Station: Are sometimes discovered in sectors that look like empty space. Acts like a planet in every way except that controlling one is worth only 1 victory point, and a trade alliance with one is worth 0 victory points.

Space Combat: This takes place during phase 6 of each player's turn. Combat will occur in any sector that you have ships occupying the same sector as an opponent's ships.

Trade alliance: When you have a trade alliance with a planet you gain income each turn equal to the planet's prosperity. Any ship can attempt to make trade alliances with inhabited planets. A player cannot attempt to make trade alliances with a planet the same turn they bombard and/or invade it.

Turn Order: This is determined at the beginning of the game by each player rolling a die. The highest player goes first, followed clockwise the remainder of the game.

Uninhabited: A planet that has 0 population. The only thing you can do with uninhabited planets is bring a colony ship to colonize them (see "colonize").

Victory points: This is how players keep track of how close they are to winning the game. The first player to achieve 16 victory points and hold them for one round of play wins. Planets you control are worth 3, trade alliances with planets are worth 1, and space stations you control are worth 1. Trade alliances with space stations do not provide victory points.

Notes on Transcription

The manual's currency symbol (Ҁ) is rendered as "credits" throughout, following the "Box Contents" wording "the galactic currency".
The printed glossary entry "Land ACtions" and the duplicated "Space Combat" entry are transcribed as printed.
The "Ship and Building Overview" table and the Planet Briefing diagrams are rendered as text from the printed page labels; the hex diagrams themselves are not reproducible as text.