Deep Rock Galactic: Space Rig Expansion Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Space Rig
  • Introduction
  • Assignment Setup
  • Mission Setup
  • Mission Example
  • Mission Types
  • Reward Types
  • Mission Modifiers
  • Between Missions
  • Ending an Assignment
  • Individual Missions
  • Achievements
  • Gear Upgrades
  • Hidden Caves
  • New Space Rig Pickup Tokens
• New Mission Types
  • On-Site Refining
  • Escort Duty
  • Underground Deposits
• Missions
  • Level: Novice
    • Mission 1: Dark Caves of Morkite
    • Mission 2: Liquid Riches
    • Mission 3: Escort Duty
  • Level: Experienced
    • Mission 4: Eggciting Opportunities
    • Mission 5: Let the Morkite Flow
    • Mission 6: Hard to Reach Riches
  • Level: Veteran
    • Mission 7: Crammed Spaces
    • Mission 8: Too Good to Be True

Components

• 1 Space Rig board
• 4 upgrade boards
• 18 Space Rig upgrade tokens
• 8 Space Rig pickup tokens
• 10 mission modifier tokens (5 yellow 'anomaly' tokens and 5 red 'warning' tokens)
• 2 tracker cubes
• 12 challenge cards
• 8 beer cards
• 26 mission cards
• 7 Ommoran event cards
• 2 secondary weapon cards
• 2 Rock 'n' Stone cards
• 8 special stickers
• 1 Drilldozer
• 1 Drilldozer board and 5 hit point cubes
• 3 liquid Morkite pumpjacks
• 2 Ommoran Beamers
• 1 Ommoran Heartstone shell
• 1 Ommoran Heartstone gem
• 1 refinery platform token
• 26 pipe tokens (16 straight and 10 angled)
• 7 small hidden caves
• 4 oxygen tanks and 16 oxygen cubes

Space Rig

Introduction

The Space Rig expansion introduces a small campaign system that lets you create an assignment consisting of 4 missions. Before starting the assignment, choose and equip a Dwarf as normal. During the entire assignment, you will play as the same character and earn unique upgrades that will make your Dwarf stronger and better equipped for the later, harder missions. You will get the chance to change weapons as you return to the Space Rig between missions.

Assignment Setup

The setup diagram (lettered A to I) is printed as an image on the page and is not reproduced here; the steps below are the printed text.

• A. Place the Space Rig board on the table.
• B. Shuffle the mission card deck and place it face down on the space with the hologram of Hoxxes IV. Draw the top 2 mission cards. Choose 1 and place it face up on top of its deck, shuffling the other back into the deck. Note: we recommend playing the easier missions before trying the harder ones.
• C. Shuffle the challenge card deck and place it face down on the mission control center.
• D. Flip the top 2 challenge cards face up and place them on the empty spaces.
• E. Shuffle the beer card deck and place it face down on the beer symbol at the Abyss Bar.
• F. Separate the Space Rig upgrade tokens by category (pickaxe, armor, helmet hud). Shuffle the 3 stacks separately, and place them face up on the memorial hall.
• G. Place the large tracker cube on the first space of the assignment track and the small tracker cube on the first space of the reward track.
• H. Draw a random yellow anomaly token (as indicated by the icon above the first mission on the assignment track) and place it face up on the leftmost slot.
• I. Each Dwarf places their upgrade board on the character illustration of their character board. This is where you will store any Space Rig upgrade tokens you receive.

Instead of drawing mission cards, you can also assemble an assignment by playing 4 missions of your own choice. Alternatively, you can choose to replace the Space Rig mission cards with mission cards from another expansion (such as Deep Rock Galactic: Biome).

Mission Setup

Once you have completed the assignment setup, it's time to prepare for your first mission. Your chosen mission card depicts the type of mission at the top (see 'Mission Types' below for an overview of the symbols). At the bottom, it shows the corresponding mission book and mission number you should use.

Before you embark on your mission, first do the following:

• Read the 2 challenge cards. Completing challenges allows you to unlock rewards on the reward track, such as upgrades and rounds of beer. These rewards will surely come in handy, as the difficulty will inevitably increase throughout the assignment. Some challenge cards will stay active for the entire mission, while others might become inactive as the mission progresses.
• Whenever a Dwarf fulfills the requirements on a challenge card, advance the tracker cube on the reward track. If it reaches a space with a symbol, a reward is unlocked (see 'Reward Types' below for a detailed description of each symbol). The reward only resets after the entire assignment has been completed (not after every mission). If you want, you can mark rewards on the track with health cubes, to keep track of which ones you have unlocked during the current mission.
• Look at the active mission modifier tokens. Mission modifier tokens are drawn randomly, and make the mission harder. They affect the current mission only. The symbols above the assignment track show which tokens to draw before each mission. The yellow tokens are called 'anomalies'. They are less dangerous than the red ones, called 'warnings' (see 'Mission Modifiers' below for a detailed description of the tokens).
• Draw the top 2 beer cards from the deck. Pick 1 to use for this mission, shuffling the other one back into the deck. Place the chosen beer card face up on top of its deck. It represents a benefit all of the Dwarves will receive from enjoying a round of beer at the Abyss Bar. The chosen beer card affects the current mission only. The first round is on the house, as depicted above the first mission space on the assignment track. Future rounds of beer will need to be earned, as we'll see later.

Now you are ready to start your first mission!

Mission Example

Printed example (page 8). Challenge level: Veteran. Mission 8: Morkite Madness.

In the example setup (page 7), the players chose the mission card that refers to mission 8 in the base game mission book, called 'Morkite Madness'.

Because this is the first of the 4 missions, the assignment track indicates that the players must draw 1 random anomaly token as part of setup. They draw the 'More Bugs' token, which means 2 additional Grunts must be placed at each tunnel exit.

Objective: Collect 7x Morkite.

Before starting: remove the 'Cave Leech Attack' card from the event deck and place it next to the board, for rules reference.

Mission specific event: Cave Leech cluster: a Cave Leech attacks the active Dwarf.

Mission Types

The icons at the top of the mission cards indicate the type of mission:

• Mining Expedition. Mine Morkite from the cave walls.
• Egg Hunt. Locate and mine alien eggs. Be careful, because the Grunts are very protective of them!
• On-site Refining. Build pipelines to 3 liquid Morkite wells and start pumping!
• Drone Retrieval. Find and retrieve lost equipment valuable to the company.
• Point Extraction. Mine Aquarqs and drop them off at the minehead.
• Escort Duty. Protect the Drilldozer as it burrows its way towards the Ommoran Heartstone.
• Elimination. Locate and eliminate a huge creature.
• Underground Deposits. Blast through the soil and retrieve precious minerals.

Reward Types

• Gear upgrade. After completing the current mission, each player may choose 1 of the available Space Rig upgrade tokens and place it in the corresponding slot of their upgrade board. If you already have an upgrade of this type, you must discard it first. Players decide among themselves who will pick first. Once an upgrade has been chosen, the next one in the stack will be available for someone else to pick. A gear upgrade only benefits the Dwarf that has it equipped.
• Rock 'n' Stone card. The active player immediately draws a Rock 'n' Stone card. If this happens between missions, the team decides who receives the card.
• Beer card. Before the start of the next mission, your party will get to draw 2 beer cards and choose 1. This reward applies even if the current mission fails and has to be replayed.
• Throwable. The active player immediately draws a throwable. If this happens between missions, the team decides who receives the card.
• Permanent weapon upgrade. From now on, and for the rest of the assignment, each Dwarf may carry over 1 weapon upgrade between missions. You may change the upgrade you want to carry over, and you are also allowed to move it to a different weapon.

Reward example: The active Dwarf destroys a stalagmite, which triggers the effect of one of the challenge cards. He advances the tracker cube 1 step on the reward track, covering the beer symbol. As a result, the team will be treated to a round of beer before the start of the next mission.

Mission Modifiers

These represent special conditions that affect the rules of the current mission. They are discarded and replaced with new modifiers before the start of the next mission.

Anomalies (yellow):

• Hard Stalagmites. Stalagmites require a total of 2 pickaxe hits to be destroyed. Also, the Driller can no longer drill-move into stalagmites. You can use health cubes to track damage dealt to stalagmites.
• Worthless Stalagmites. Do not roll the mineral die when stalagmites are destroyed.
• Fast Critters. Grunts move 2 additional spaces when moving.
• More Bugs. During setup, place 2 additional Grunts at each tunnel exit.
• Tough Swarms. Add 1 extra Grunt to each tunnel exit at the start of every swarm.

Warnings (red):

• Hungry Grunts. Grunts attack with 2 creature dice instead of 1.
• Lethal Enemies. Creatures on the board deal 1 additional damage whenever they deal damage. This includes creatures that deal damage using explosive dice.
• Toxic Creatures. Whenever a creature is killed adjacent to you, roll a creature die. If the result is [!], you suffer 1 damage.
• Hyperactive Creatures. If an event card didn't activate creatures or trigger a swarm, activate all creatures anyway.
• Low Oxygen. Each Dwarf starts the mission with an oxygen tank containing 4 oxygen tokens. Each time a Dwarf wants to use his third action on his current turn, he must spend an oxygen token first. If the Dwarf is out of oxygen tokens and decides to use his third action, he suffers 1 damage. A Dwarf's oxygen tank is automatically refilled when he collects supplies at a supply pod. Free actions do not use oxygen.

Between Missions

When you finish a mission (whether it was successful or not), advance 1 step on the reward track. If you complete a mission successfully with all Dwarves, advance 1 additional step on the reward track. If this unlocks a new reward, the team receives it now, before the next mission starts.

Prepare the next mission as follows:

• Discard the challenge cards, the beer card, the mission card, and the mission modifier tokens from the previous mission;
• Draw 2 new challenge cards. Draw 2 new mission cards and choose 1;
• Discard all minerals from the M.U.L.E / shared supply space;
• Advance 1 space on the assignment track and prepare the new mission modifier tokens according to the symbols shown above the space. Once the tracker cube reaches the yellow area of the reward track, you must add an additional yellow modifier 'anomaly' token to the missions from now on;
• If you brought back a malt star or unlocked a beer on the reward track, draw 2 beer cards and pick 1 for the upcoming mission. Shuffle the other back into the deck. Place the active beer card face up on top of its deck. You can only ever have 1 active beer card per mission;
• If you fail a mission, you must replay it. In that case, do not advance on the assignment track, but still follow all the other steps of setup described above.

Prepare your character board as normal, with the following changes:

• Keep your upgrade board and any upgrades that are on it;
• Discard any weapon upgrades (except for 1, if the permanent weapon upgrade is in effect). Discard your secondary weapon, and pick a different one to play with for the next mission (not overclocked);
• Decide which primary weapon you want to use. Replenish your health, and your primary and secondary ammunition slots as normal;
• Retrieve any tokens that are specific to your Dwarf.

Ending an Assignment

After you've successfully completed the fourth mission, you have completed your current assignment. Congratulations, Dwarves! Check to see if you've earned the right to add an achievement sticker to the Space Rig board.

At the end of the assignment, discard all upgrades you earned. Feel free to start a new assignment, maybe this time with a different Dwarven class?

Individual Missions

If you just want to play a single mission, and not an assignment, disregard the Space Rig board and pick a mission of your liking, just like in the base game.

You can still play with the upgrades and mission modifier tokens, if you want. Choose the upgrades you would like to use, and compensate by drawing and playing with 1 anomaly token per upgrade, or 1 warning token per every 2 upgrades. You may choose the upgrades, anomalies and warnings you want to play with, or draw them randomly. It's completely up to you!

Achievements

There are 8 unique achievement stickers to attach to the Space Rig board, on each side of the memorial hall. Your team can unlock them by fulfilling their special requirements. They serve no purpose during the game other than providing you with a sense of accomplishment!

Note: achievements can ONLY be unlocked when playing a mission on hazard level 4 or 5.

• Hard-boiled. Successfully complete an egg hunt mission from which all Dwarves return with full health.
• Roughnecks. Successfully complete an assignment by playing only veteran missions on hazard level 5.
• Up Close and Personal. Finish off an Oppressor or a Dreadnought with a pickaxe attack.
• Breathtaking. Successfully complete a mission in which you decided to add the 'Low Oxygen' warning token as an EXTRA modifier, in addition to the regular mission modifier tokens.
• Veteran Dwarves. Successfully complete an assignment in which the tracker cube on the reward track reached the yellow segment of the reward track.
• Super Protection. Successfully complete an escort mission in which the Drilldozer never took any damage.
• Exterminators. Successfully complete an assignment in which no creatures were left alive on the board (revealed cave tiles only) in any of the assignment's missions (failed and replayed missions not included).
• Hoarders. Successfully complete an assignment in which no visible gold or Nitra were left behind in the cave system in any of the assignment's missions (failed and replayed missions not included).

Gear Upgrades

Gear upgrades can only be unlocked via the reward track during assignments, and are only applied to the upgrade board between missions.

The gear upgrades are divided into pickaxe upgrades (economy), armor upgrades (protection) and helmet hud upgrades (ranged attacks). Whenever you are awarded a new upgrade, choose any one you want from the top of either of the 3 stacks.

Each Dwarf can only ever have 1 upgrade of each type. If you take an upgrade of a certain type and already have one of the same type on your upgrade board, you may return the old one to the box and replace it with the new one.

Pickaxe upgrades:

• Each time you damage a creature with a pickaxe, deal 1 extra damage. This upgrade does not apply when using the Driller's close combat drill attack.
• Each time you kill a creature with a pickaxe (except Grunts), collect a Rock 'n' Stone card. This upgrade does not apply when using with the Driller's close combat drill attack.
• When mining gold from walls, also roll the mineral die and collect the result.
• When harvesting a Loot Bug or a Gold Bug, gain 1 extra gold.
• When mining stalagmites, gain 1 additional Nitra. This upgrade applies even when the 'Worthless Stalagmites' anomaly token is in play.
• You may move 1 additional space when moving (you are carrying a light-weight pickaxe).

Armor upgrades:

• Crawling back to your feet after you've been knocked down only costs 1 action.
• Creatures on the board cannot web you.
• Creatures on the board cannot stun you. Special events and cards can still stun you.
• Creatures on the board cannot knock you over. Special events and cards can still knock you over.
• Creatures only roll 1 die when attacking you. This upgrade applies even when the 'Hungry Grunts' warning token is in play.
• When you collect supplies from a supply pod, you may also fully heal by taking any number of health cubes from the general supply (limit: once per supply pod).

Helmet HUD upgrades:

• You start each mission with 1 additional throwable. Choose which card you want from the deck, then reshuffle the deck.
• You start each mission with 1 additional throwable, drawn randomly. Throwing is now a free action for you.
• You may bring 2 primary weapons on missions. You can use both of your primary weapons during the missions. This weapon comes with no extra ammo, but it shares ammo with your other primary weapon. You can still have a secondary weapon. Weapons upgrades are individual.
• You start each mission with 1 additional Rock 'n' Stone card.
• When you overclock your secondary weapon, it is fully reloaded immediately.
• You may pick an extra secondary weapon. You can use both of your secondary weapons during the missions. This weapon comes with no extra ammo, but shares ammo with your other secondary weapon. You can still have a primary weapon. Secondary weapons must be overclocked and upgraded individually.

Hidden Caves

Small hidden caves. The small hidden caves are set up and revealed just like the regular hidden cave segments; refer to the mission map to find out where to place the small hidden caves. Pick them randomly and place them face down on the board, without looking at them.

You can recognize the new Space Rig pickup tokens by a green question mark on their back. They work the same as regular pickup tokens, but can only be found inside the small, hidden caves. When you reveal a small cave with a green flare symbol, place a random face-down pickup token on it.

Also place any stalagmites, weapon upgrades and creatures depicted on the newly revealed segment.

Small hidden cave example: In this example, the Engineer chops down a wall adjacent to a small hidden cave segment. The segment is flipped and its contents are revealed. The Engineer places a random Space Rig pickup token face down on the green flare space, as well as a Grunt on the space below it, as depicted on the cave tile.

New Space Rig Pickup Tokens

• Gold Bug. Gold Bugs are like regular Loot Bugs, but they yield 1 additional gold when harvested. When you harvest them, take 2 gold and roll the mineral die to see what else you retrieve. Add the resources you gathered to the M.U.L.E / shared supply space immediately.
• Abandoned Gear. A previous mining expedition must have left this gear behind. Immediately collect 1 primary and 1 secondary ammo, as well as 1 health cube. If you do not have room for all of these resources, leave anything you couldn't carry on the space. Someone else can retrieve it later.
• Yeast Cone. Yeast cones are rare treats: when you collect one, discard it immediately and draw 2 Rock 'n' Stone cards.
• Malt Star. When you collect a Malt star, add it to the M.U.L.E / shared supply space. Malt stars can be used to buy a round of beer at the Abyss Bar between assignment missions, or discarded at any time during or after the current mission to draw 1 Rock 'n' Stone card (one in total, not one for every Dwarf).

New Mission Types

On-Site Refining

Management has tasked you with extracting and refining liquid Morkite on Hoxxes IV. To prepare for your team's arrival, a static refinery platform has been sent down to the cave system. In order to accomplish this new type of mission, your team must complete 3 objectives:

1. Locate the 3 Morkite wells in the nearby hidden caves
2. Connect the 3 Morkite wells to the refinery platform
3. Collect all the liquid Morkite and escape in the drop pod

1. Locate the 3 Morkite wells in the nearby hidden caves

Your mission overview will show hidden cave segments marked with a pumpjack symbol. When you reveal one of these caves, a pumpjack is automatically deployed onto a well of liquid Morkite. Place a pumpjack miniature on the hidden cave's flare symbol, instead of a pickup token. Once it's connected to the refinery platform, the pumpjack will start extracting the liquid Morkite from the well.

Locating a pumpjack example: In this example, the Engineer moves to the space next to the piece of gold in the wall. He digs out the gold, revealing a hidden cave segment. The Engineer flips the tile and places all of the objects on it as usual. Instead of a pickup token, he places a pumpjack on the flare symbol. The orientation of the pumpjack doesn't matter.

2. Connect the 3 Morkite wells to the refinery platform

You must construct pipelines that connect each of the 3 pumpjacks to the outlets on the refinery platform, so the liquid Morkite can start flowing. For 1 action, a Dwarf can construct any number of connected pipeline segments on his own space and on any spaces adjacent to him. Likewise, for 1 action, a Dwarf can deconstruct (remove) any number of pipeline segments on his own or adjacent spaces.

• Pipeline Segments - Construction. Construction must start at an available outlet of the refinery platform, or at a pumpjack. Pipeline segments must be connected in a continuous line of pipes leading from the refinery to the pumpjack. Each pumpjack must have its own line of pipes, and they cannot intersect. Pipeline segments can be constructed on any space a Dwarf can legally move through during a movement action, like empty spaces, and on spaces containing deep pits, pickup tokens, and even other Dwarves. However, segments cannot be placed on spaces with resupply pods or sentry guns. Segments cannot be constructed on spaces containing creatures, walls or stalagmites.
• Pipeline Segments - Movement & Line of Sight. Pipeline segments do not restrict movement for Dwarves or creatures. They also do not block line of sight. However, you cannot place supply pods or sentry guns on a pipeline. Creatures and Dwarves can stand on any pipeline segment. While moving, a Dwarf can slide along a single pipeline. When a Dwarf steps onto, or starts, a movement action on a pipeline segment, he can move to any pipeline segment connected to his current segment at no movement cost, as long as the segment in question is part of the same connected pipeline and the path to it is not blocked by any creatures (the Scout cannot grapple over creatures while at the same time sliding along a pipeline for no movement cost). Dwarves do not block movement for other Dwarves sliding on a pipeline.
• Refinery Platform & Pumpjacks. Pumpjacks block line of sight for Dwarves and creatures alike. Pumpjacks do not block movement, but no Dwarf or creature may end their movement on a pumpjack. The refinery platform is a flat surface, which means it does not block movement or line of sight. However, you cannot place supply pods, platforms, ziplines or sentry guns on it.

Pipeline construction example: In this example, the Engineer spends 1 action to construct 3 pipe segments, starting from the pumpjack and leading toward the refinery platform. (A) On his turn, the Driller can spend 1 action to construct a single pipe segment, finishing the pipeline. (B) Only 2 pumpjacks left to connect!

3. Collect all the liquid Morkite and escape in the drop pod

Once all 3 pumpjacks are connected to the 3 connection points on the refinery platform, you are ready to start collecting the liquid Morkite.

For 1 action, a Dwarf standing on or adjacent to the refinery platform has to activate the pumps. When that's done, place 1 Morkite crystal on each of the 3 pipeline segments closest to the pumpjack to indicate the liquid Morkite has started flowing.

Moving Morkite & checking for leaks

Once the flow has started, do not draw event cards at the end of each Dwarf's turn. Instead, carry out the following steps, in order, until the extraction is complete:

• If any of the pipelines are currently damaged, the extraction has stopped; don't move any liquid Morkite crystals on any of the pipelines. Instead, draw and resolve an event card, then end your turn (skip the rest of the steps).
• If all pipelines are intact, move all crystals 2 pipeline segments closer to the refinery. Collect any crystals that flow onto the refinery platform and place them in the M.U.L.E / shared supply space.
• If all 3 crystals have now been collected, it means the extraction is complete. In that case, the Dwarves have completed their objective, and should head back to the drop pod! Draw and resolve a swarm card, then end your turn (skip the next step).
• If 1 or more pipelines still contain a liquid Morkite crystal, check these pipelines for damage. Roll 1 creature die once for each crystal on a pipeline and check the result below.
  • Blank: no effect;
  • Grunt face: place 2 Grunts as close as possible to the pumpjack, even if that's on the pipeline itself;
  • [!]: the pipeline bursts. Flip the pipeline segment containing the Morkite crystal to its damaged side.

After you are done rolling, activate all creatures. End your turn, but don't draw an event card.

Repairing damage

All of the damaged pipeline segments must be repaired before the Morkite can start flowing again. To repair a pipeline segment, a Dwarf must be standing on or adjacent to it and then spend 1 action to repair it. Flip the pipe segment back to its fixed side. There's no need to activate the refinery platform again: the extraction will automatically continue once all pipelines have been repaired.

At the end of the current Dwarf's turn, move the Morkite crystals and check for damage again, as described above.

Example (page 21): all the pumpjacks have been connected. The Engineer is standing next to the refinery platform and spends 1 action to activate the pumps. A Morkite crystal appears on each of the segments adjacent to the 3 pumpjacks. At the end of the Engineer's turn, the liquid Morkite in all the pipelines moves 2 spaces closer to the refinery platform. Then, the Engineer checks for damage to the pipeline. He rolls 1 creature die for each crystal on the pipeline segments. He rolls a [!] for the topmost pipeline. This pipeline bursts, and the pipeline segment containing the Morkite crystal is flipped to its damaged side. The Engineer rolls a blank symbol for the rightmost pipeline, so it stays intact. He rolls a Grunt face for the bottom pipeline, so he must place 2 Grunts as close as possible to the pumpjack. All creatures now activate. Since at least 1 of the pipelines is damaged, the damaged segment must be repaired by a Dwarf before any of the Morkite crystals can continue flowing toward the refinery platform.

Transcriber's note: the creature die faces are shown only as icons in the printed rules. They are written here as words: "Grunt face" is the die face showing a Grunt head, and [!] is the exclamation-mark face.

Escort Duty

Ommoran Heartstones are some of the most prized materials in the galaxy, and one of these enormous gems is hiding right here in this cave system! It's encapsulated within a rock shell so hard that only a big, mobile drill can penetrate it. That's why you've been tasked with defending the automated, mobile Drilldozer as it slowly crawls toward its high-value target.

The Drilldozer starts in the location indicated by the mission map. Place it so its drill points toward its target at the opposite end of the map. Place the Heartstone Gem inside the shell, before placing the shell on the board.

Drilldozer Rules

At the end of each Dwarf's turn, before an event card is drawn, the Drilldozer moves 1 space toward the Ommoran Heartstone in a straight line. As it moves, it will carve out a tunnel, 1 space wide. Mobile creatures and Dwarves in front of the moving Drilldozer will be pushed to the nearest empty space. This also goes for frozen and stunned creatures. Everything else is destroyed when the Drilldozer runs into it, including minerals. The Drilldozer can move over pits.

The Drilldozer blocks movement and line of sight. It takes up 2 spaces on the board. Creatures and Dwarves cannot move on top of it, but creatures will gladly try to destroy this intimidating piece of machinery from nearby spaces.

Whenever a creature is activated, it will always attack or move towards the nearest target. If several targets are at an equal distance, the order is Dwarves first, then the sentry gun, and finally the Drilldozer. Damage to the Drilldozer is tracked on the separate Drilldozer board. The Drilldozer is not affected by any effects except taking damage.

If the Drilldozer ever has 5 points of damage, it is destroyed and the mission fails. Dwarves can repair the Drilldozer by spending 1 action per damage point repaired, but they must be adjacent to it to do so. The Drilldozer remains operational when damaged.

Once the Drilldozer is adjacent to the Ommoran Heartstone shell, a Dwarf will have to activate its drill function by spending 1 action while adjacent to the Drilldozer. Once the Drilldozer has been activated, start drawing Ommoran event cards instead of regular event cards.

Ommoran Event Cards

This is where things get hectic. Shuffle the 7 Ommoran event cards and return 1 to the box without looking at it. For 6 turns following the activation of the Drilldozer, draw Ommoran event cards instead of regular event cards.

Some of the cards will instruct you to place Ommoran Beamers on specific spots inside the cave. The Beamers and the Heartstone shell block movement and line of sight for Dwarves and creatures alike.

Note: the sentry gun cannot assist against falling rocks or Beamers mentioned on the Ommoran event cards. Also, the Driller's Flaming Ground does not protect against the damage from falling rocks or Beamers. The same goes for the Gunner's shield.

Mission End

After the 6th Ommoran event card has been resolved, the Drilldozer has finished drilling through the shell, and the Ommoran Heartstone gem is exposed. Open the Heartstone shell to reveal the Ommoran Heartstone gem itself. Return to drawing normal event cards from now on.

A Dwarf adjacent to the Heartstone can pick up the gem for 1 action. Add it to the M.U.L.E / shared supply space. All Dwarves must now return to the drop pod to complete the mission. You can leave the Drilldozer behind: Management considers it an acceptable loss compared to the value of the Ommoran Heartstone. Since the Drilldozer stopped making loud noises, creatures will no longer attack it.

Example: In this example, the Drilldozer has finished its journey and stops in front of the Heartstone shell. The Engineer moves to a space adjacent to the Drilldozer and spends 1 action to activate it. For the next 6 turns, Ommoran event cards are drawn instead of regular event cards. The first one is drawn immediately after the Engineer's turn, as he was the one who activated the Drilldozer. In this example, the event card instructs you to place an Ommoran Beamer on one of the !-tokens, as shown. The Beamer must be destroyed before it destroys the Drilldozer, which is its only target.

Underground Deposits

A valuable underground deposit is concealed beneath each of the !-tokens and must be exposed by using explosives. If your Dwarf starts the mission without any weapons with explosive damage, you are allowed to exchange your throwable for a weapon with explosive damage. Pick one of your choice, then reshuffle the throwable deck.

Once any explosive damage is dealt to a deposit (!-token), count the amount of accessible ground spaces currently surrounding the token. Do not count spaces with a stalagmite or deep pit spaces, as they are not accessible. When counting ground spaces, consider platforms covering deep pits as ground spaces, as well. Take a number of minerals equal to the amount of spaces you counted. The first 3 minerals must be Aquarqs, the rest must be gold.

Place the minerals randomly on these spaces. These gold and Aquarqs can be collected by simply moving over them, but remember that Aquarqs are heavy and must be carried back to the platform one at a time.

Example: In this example, there are 4 accessible ground spaces surrounding the deposit. The Driller deals explosive damage to the deposit and takes 3 Aquarqs and 1 gold. He shuffles them, then distributes them randomly and evenly across the 4 ground spaces. Finally, he removes the !-token. One of the Aquarqs in this example goes straight to the Driller's space, meaning the Driller can pick it up right away.

Example: Same scenario as before, except this time, the Driller destroyed the stalagmite next to him, and the Engineer has placed a platform over the pit. Once the damage is dealt to the deposit, the current player takes 3 Aquarqs in their hand, plus 3 Gold, as all spaces surrounding the deposit now count as ground spaces.

Missions

Each mission page prints the mission map as an image (the tile layout, hidden caves and starting positions); it is not reproduced here. The mission's flavour text, objective and mission specific event are transcribed below. Missions are grouped by challenge level.

Level: Novice

Mission 1: Dark Caves of Morkite

Comb your beards, miners! A whole new sector has opened up for us on Hoxxes IV, including some interesting areas with liquid Morkite and precious Ommoran Heartstones. This is a simple mining mission however, so polish your pickaxes, and get to it! Mine the Morkite, and watch your head! Scans show lots of airborne bugs down there.

If you have time for it, you should explore the small hidden caves: they could contain valuable resources. Don't worry too much about running into local wildlife: by now you know how to defend your operation.

Objective: Mine: 5x Morkite. Collect: 4x alien fossils.

Mission specific event: Airborne threats. Activate all creatures, then place a Mactera Spawn at the exit closest to a Dwarf.

Mission 2: Liquid Riches

This time we have sent down an on-site refinery to process liquid Morkite. Yes, that's right, three wells of liquid Morkite have been detected. Our scanners show us they're located within the nearby hidden caves. Dig into them, and connect the refinery platform to the pumpjacks. Each pumpjack will be dropped down from orbit once you've identified the location of a Morkite well.

Objective: Collect the liquid Morkite from all 3 Morkite wells.

Mission specific event: Blasted Interference. Activate all creatures, then place an Exploder at exit 2.

Mission 3: Escort Duty

It's time to head out and collect an Ommoran Heartstone gem, miners. The gem is protected by a thick outer shell, located somewhere deep inside the cave system. We'll provide you with an automated Drilldozer unit. It will burrow its way to the Heartstone shell all by itself, but it is up to YOU to protect it against nasties in the caves. Once it arrives at the Heartstone shell, one of you must activate the Drilldozer, protect it, and then finally retrieve the Heartstone gem.

Objective: Retrieve: Ommoran Heartstone Gem.

Mission specific event: Active Glyphids. Place a Grunt at a tunnel exit of your choice, then activate all creatures.

Level: Experienced

Mission 4: Eggciting Opportunities

It appears that the much sought-after eggs can also be found in this neighborhood. Get down there and secure five of the alien eggs! The creatures should pose no major threat, so maybe you will have some spare time to explore the minor caves, as well. Tread carefully however, as this cave system seems particularly unstable. Tectonic activities occasionally shake up the premises.

Objective: Collect: 5x alien eggs.

Mission specific event: Great Shake. Each Dwarf not standing adjacent to another Dwarf (or BOSCO) must roll 2 creature dice. Any [!] result knocks over the Dwarf. Ignore any other results.

Mission 5: Let the Morkite Flow

Time for another on-site refining mission, fellas. The drop pod has landed on the outer edge of a deep cavern. Use your tools to cross it, or go around. Whatever you decide, hurry up: we've got liquid Morkite to collect! Crystals are sparse and spread out inside this cave system, which is rumored to occasionally get swarmed by Glyphid Grunts. So load up, and get those pipes connected!

Objective: Collect the liquid Morkite from all 3 Morkite wells.

Mission specific event: Grunts Everywhere. Place a Grunt at each tunnel exit, then activate all creatures.

Mission 6: Hard to Reach Riches

We are sending you on an extraction point mission, gang. Lots of Aquarqs to mine, and gold, as well. Looks like these valuables are all clustered pretty close together. The thing is: it will take some effort to get to the mine head. You will have to traverse some narrow, critter-infested caves. Remember to carry the valuable Aquarq crystals to the mine head one at a time. Also, be sure to collect all the apoca blooms you can find.

Objective: Mine: 5x Aquarqs. Collect: 4x apoca blooms.

Mission specific event: Explosive Acquaintances. Place an Exploder at exit 2, then activate all creatures.

Level: Veteran

Mission 7: Crammed Spaces

Miners, listen up! This is another escort mission. We are going for another Ommoran Heartstone and the Drilldozer has already been sent down, so get to it! Minerals are sparse in this cave system and can only be found in 2 small clusters, so blast away anything attacking the Drilldozer. The Heartstone shell is situated in a small cave—you might want to expand it a bit, unless you want to fight the creatures through a narrow bottleneck.

Objective: Retrieve: Ommoran Heartstone Gem.

Mission specific event: Eroding Walls. Attach a single space cave segment to any empty cave space on the board. This represents the walls of the cave eroding away. If this connects a cave with 1 or more Dwarves to a hidden segment, reveal that segment. Then increase the swarm threat by 1.

Mission 8: Too Good to Be True

It's time to pull out your big axes, miners. The M.U.L.E. is hungry today! This cave system is almost a dream come true: a multitude of Morkite, and barely a single bug in sight! Well, almost. Scanners show a disturbing amount of critter activity nearby, but luckily they haven't made their way into this cave system… yet. You'd better not linger for too long down there. Good luck, and happy digging!

Objective: Mine: 8x Morkite.

Mission specific event: Swarm! Draw and resolve the next Swarm card(s).

Mission 9: Hard Earned

Great news, Dwarves! A new cave system has scanned positive for huge pockets of liquid Morkite! We have already sent down a refinery platform, which you'll have to connect to the pumpjacks. Some wildlife encounters are to be expected, but be advised that reaching minerals is going to take some effort. It's up to you to decide if it's worth the detour to collect the extra gems.

Objective: Collect the liquid Morkite from all 3 Morkite wells.

Mission specific event: Grunts Everywhere. Place a Grunt at each tunnel exit, then activate all creatures.

Mission 10: Busy Night

We have another escort job for you tonight, and it's going to be in a busy cave system. The caves are already crawling with critters, but don't let that distract you. There should be plenty of resources for you to collect, so you can safely gear up and complete BOTH of your objectives. This cave system has more of those precious alien fossils, and we want you to bring them back home, together with the Ommoran Heartstone gem.

Objective: Retrieve: Ommoran Heartstone Gem. Collect: 4x alien fossils.

Mission specific event: Sticky Entanglement. Place a Web Spitter at exit 1 (or a Grunt, if all Web Spitters are already in play). Then increase the swarm threat by 1.

Mission 11: Subterranean Trouble

This mission is a blast... Literally! You will have to blow your way through solid rock: it's the only way to get to the valuable Aquarqs in this region. Besides Aquarqs, an unknown amount of gold is also hidden underground. So be sure to pack some explosive weapons, as it is the only way to expose the minerals. What are you waiting for? Go blow things up!

Special rules: Creatures on isolated cave segments do not activate until the segment is connected to another segment.

Objective: Mine: 6x Aquarqs. Collect: 5x apoca blooms.

Mission specific event: Waves of Grunts. Place a Grunt at tunnel exit 2 for every Mission Specific Event card drawn so far (including the one drawn this turn).

Mission 12: Caves of the Huuli Hoarder

It's time for some real excavation, miners! These jagged caves have precious eggs for you to collect, as well as an underground Aquarq deposit. Make your way to the deposit and expose it by using explosives. There is only one deposit down there, but that doesn't mean you should take it easy ... An Exploder and who knows how many Grunts are waiting for you, so stay sharp!

Objective: Mine: 3x Aquarqs. Collect: 3x alien eggs.

Mission specific event: First card only: Huuli Hoarder. You startle a Huuli Hoarder and it tries to flee. Pick an empty space as close as possible to your Dwarf. All Dwarves, including you, may perform a reaction shot against it (2 health, no resistance). This creature is filled with minerals. When you kill it, roll the mineral die 3 times and collect the results. Subsequent cards: place a Grunt at every Exit, then activate all creatures.