Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Wormholes and Sectors
Due to the immense distance between Sectors, Ships may only Move using the Wormhole network, represented by the Wormholes on the edges of Sector tiles. Wormholes may normally only be used to Explore, Move to, and Influence adjacent Sectors if the connecting edges each contain a Wormhole, creating a Wormhole Connection.
Warp Portals (an optional module) make all Sectors bearing them adjacent to each other with a full Wormhole Connection, allowing Move, Influence, and Diplomatic Relations through them.
Round Structure
Each game Round consists of four phases:
- Action Phase: Take Actions clockwise, one Action at a time, until all players have Passed.
- Combat Phase: Resolve battles and conquer Sectors.
- Upkeep Phase: Pay Civilization Upkeep Costs and Produce Resources.
- Cleanup Phase: Return Influence Discs from Action Spaces to the Influence Track and draw new Tech Tiles.
The game ends after the 8th Round.
Action Phase
Starting with the Start Player and moving clockwise, you may take one Action or Pass. This continues until all players' Summary Tiles are flipped to the Reaction Overview side, at which point the Action Phase ends. The number of Actions you may take is limited only by the number of Influence Discs on your Influence Track.
Taking an Action: Move the leftmost Influence Disc from your Influence Track to the Action Space on your Action Track corresponding to the chosen Action. Stack subsequent discs on any already there; the same Action may be taken multiple times. The Money Income cost rises as you empty your Influence Track. The possible Actions are Explore, Research, Upgrade, Build, Move, and Influence.
Passing: The first time you Pass in a Round, flip your Summary Tile to the Reactions Overview side. The first player to Pass receives 2 Money and the Start Player Tile for the next Round. After Passing, on subsequent turns you may take one Reaction or Pass. The Action Phase ends immediately once all players have flipped their Summary Tiles.
Colony Ships: At any time during your Action or Reaction, you may flip one or more faceup Colony Ships facedown. For each Colony Ship used, move one Population Cube from your Control Board to any empty Population Square in a Sector you Control, taking it from the Population Track matching the square's color. Colony Ships are the only way to move Population Cubes to Sectors.
Explore
Each Explore Action grants Explore Activations (per your Species Board). For each Activation, choose an Unexplored Zone next to a Sector where you have Control or at least one Unpinned Ship, and flip a Sector tile from the stack matching that Zone's ring (I, II, or III). Then choose to place the flipped Sector or discard it.
To place a Sector, it must be oriented so that a Wormhole Connection is made with a Sector where you have Control or a Ship (unless you have the Wormhole Generator Tech). If the placed Sector shows a Discovery Tile symbol, place a Discovery Tile facedown on it; if it shows Ancient symbols, place that many Ancients on top.
Discovery Tiles: As part of your Explore Activation, take the Discovery Tile from any undefended (no Ancients) Sector explored this Action. (Tiles from Sectors with Ancients can only be claimed in the Combat Phase.) All Discovery Tiles are double-sided: reveal the tile and choose to use its variable reward (Resources, Ancient Tech, an Ancient Ship/Structure, a Ship Part, etc.) or keep it VP-side up for 2 VP. After placing an explored Sector, you may take Control by placing your leftmost Influence Disc on the Sector's Influence Space — but you may not take Control of a Sector containing Ancients until they are destroyed.
Discarding an explored Sector ends that Explore Activation. If a Sector stack empties, shuffle its discard pile into a new stack.
Research
Each Research Action grants Research Activations. For each, Research one available Tech Tile from the Tech Tray by paying its Science cost, then place it on the leftmost space of the matching Tech Track (Military, Grid, or Nano). Each Tech in a category discounts further Techs in that category, but all Techs have a minimum Science cost. You cannot Research a Tech you already have, and cannot discard a Researched Tech.
Tech types: Ship Part (enables Upgrading that part), Build (enables Building that ship/structure), Instant (one-time effect), and Permanent (active until game end). At game end, each Tech Track scores the VP shown in the leftmost VP symbol not covered by a tile.
Upgrade
Each Upgrade Action grants Upgrade Activations. For each Activation you may:
- Return any number of Ship Part Tiles from your Blueprints to the Upgrade Tray (Ancient Ship Parts are removed from the game instead), then
- Move any one Ship Part Tile from the Upgrade Tray onto an empty or pre-printed Ship Part space on a Blueprint, subject to: you must have Researched the requisite Tech; total Energy Consumption must not exceed total Energy Production; Drive parts cannot go on Starbase Blueprints; and Interceptor, Cruiser, and Dreadnought Blueprints must have at least one Drive.
Ship Part symbols and their effects: Hull (damage a Ship can absorb before destruction), Drives (Movement Value), Energy Sources (Energy Production), Weapons (roll dice to Hit; bursts = damage), Computers (added to your die rolls to Hit), Shields (subtracted from opponents' rolls to Hit). All values from Ship Parts are cumulative.
Build
Each Build Action grants Build Activations. For each, Build one Ship or Structure in any Sector you Control by paying its Materials cost, subject to: you must have Researched the requisite Tech for a Starbase or Structure; each Sector may have at most one Monolith and one Orbital. Basic building costs — Interceptor 3, Cruiser 5, Dreadnought 8, Starbase 3, Orbital 4, Monolith 10 (Materials).
Move
Each Move Action grants Move Activations. For each, Move one Ship up to its Movement Value (total of its Drives), subject to: Ships may only Move via a Wormhole/Warp Portal Connection; may not Move to Unexplored Zones; and Pinned Ships may not Move from a Sector containing opponent Ships. Each opponent Ship in a Sector Pins one of your Ships (your choice). Pinning is determined for each Move Activation. The GCDS Pins all Ships in the Galactic Center.
Influence
Each Influence Action grants Influence Activations and lets you flip up to two used Colony Ships faceup. Each Activation moves one Influence Disc from your Influence Track or a Sector you Control to: an Uncontrolled Sector with no opponent Ships and a Connection to a Sector where you have a Ship or Control; or an Uncontrolled Sector where only you have a Ship; or the rightmost empty space of your Influence Track. You may not use more than one Influence Activation in the same Sector per Action.
Removing a Disc from a Sector returns all its Population Cubes to their respective Population Tracks (gray/Orbital cubes to a track of your choice).
Reactions
After Passing, the only Actions you may take are Reactions. Move an Influence Disc to the Reaction Track space for the chosen Reaction — weaker versions of three Actions: Upgrade (one Upgrade Activation), Build (one Build Activation), or Move (one Move Activation).
Diplomacy (4+ players)
In games with four or more players, any two players may at any time during their Action propose Diplomatic Relations, subject to restrictions: only between players with a Wormhole Connection joining Sectors they Control (not via Wormhole Generator); not if either player's Ships are in a Sector controlled by or containing the other's Ship; not if they already exchanged Ambassadors; and not if either holds the Traitor Tile or lacks an empty Reputation Track space.
If both agree, they exchange Ambassador Tiles, each containing a Population Cube from one of their Population Tracks, placed on the Reputation Track (boosting Resource Production and worth 1 VP each). Relations last until game end and cannot be discarded voluntarily.
Breaking relations: Only an Act of Aggression — having any of your Ships in a Sector where the other player has a Ship or Control at the end of your Action — removes an Ambassador Tile. Moving through an opponent's Sector is not an Act of Aggression if your Ships remain Unpinned. The initiator receives the Traitor Tile, which forbids forming Diplomatic Relations and gives a −2 VP penalty at game end.
Combat Phase
The Combat Phase consists of six steps: Determine Battles (identify Sectors with opposing Ships), Resolve Battles (in descending Sector Number order), Attack Population, Influence Sectors, Discovery Tiles, and Repair Damage.
A battle occurs where a Sector holds more than one opponent (player or non-player Ancients, Guardians, or the GCDS). With multiple opponents, players battle two at a time in reverse order of entry. The player who first entered is the Defender; the last is the Attacker. A player Controlling the Sector is always the Defender. Ancients, Guardians, and the GCDS are always Defenders.
Resolving a Battle
Battles are resolved through repeated Engagement Rounds until all of one player's Ships have Retreated or been destroyed. Steps per battle: determine order of resolution; determine Attacker and Defender; determine Initiative; fire Missiles once (in Initiative order); then repeat Engagement Rounds.
- Initiative is the total of Initiative symbols on each Ship type's Blueprint. Ties are resolved in favor of the Defender. Ship types Activate in Initiative order.
- Attacking: When a Ship type Activates, its owner decides to Attack or Retreat. Attacking rolls one die of the corresponding color per Die Symbol; all dice are rolled simultaneously and assigned to opponent Ships.
- Hitting: A die showing bursts is always a Hit; a blank is always a Miss. Otherwise, add your Computers and subtract the target's Shields; a Hit Value of 6 or more is a Hit.
- Damage: Hits inflict damage equal to the number of bursts. A Ship taking damage greater than its Hull Value is destroyed (place the miniature by your board to track Reputation Tiles). Excess damage cannot be reassigned; mark non-fatal damage with Damage Cubes.
- Retreat: Move all your Ships of a type to the edge of a neighboring Sector you Control with no opponent Ships. On your next Activation they complete the Retreat. Retreating Ships cannot Attack but remain eligible to be Attacked until moved.
- Stalemate: If neither player can destroy the other's Ships (all unarmed or Missile-only), the Attacker must Retreat or be destroyed.
- Non-player opponents: Another player rolls their dice, assigning them to destroy your Ships largest to smallest, else to inflict maximum damage.
Missiles fire once, at the start of combat, in Initiative order (rolling dice per Missile Die Symbol).
After a Battle
Each participant draws up to five Reputation Tiles (in order of Sector entry): 1 for participating; 1 per Interceptor/Starbase/Ancient destroyed; 2 per Cruiser/Guardian; 3 per Dreadnought; 3 for the GCDS. Keep up to one per draw on your Reputation Track (worth 1–4 VP each). If all your remaining Ships Retreat, you don't draw the participation tile. Then return destroyed Ships to their owners.
End of Combat Phase
- Attack Population: Remaining Ships attack opponent Population Cubes in their Sector (each Ship attacks once with non-Missile weapons; cubes have 0 Shield). Each damage destroys one cube, sent to the owner's Graveyard. Orbitals and Monoliths cannot be destroyed.
- Influence Sectors: If you have a Ship in a Sector with no opponent Population Cubes, remove the Controlling player's Influence Disc; you may then place your own Influence Discs in Sectors where you have a Ship and no disc is present.
- Discovery Tiles: Claim tiles in Sectors where you have a Ship.
- Repair Damage: Remove all Damage Cubes from Ships.
Upkeep Phase
- Colony Ships: Activate any remaining Colony Ships to move Population Cubes to Sectors (not to Sectors containing opponent Ships).
- Civilization Upkeep: Compare your Money Income (highest exposed number on your Money Population Track) with your Civilization Upkeep Cost (highest exposed number on your Influence Track). Adjust your Money Storage by the net difference. Trade at any time (at your Trade Value) to convert one Resource to another.
- Bankruptcy: Your Money Storage may never go below zero. Trade or Abandon Control of Sectors until you can pay. Abandoning a Sector returns its Influence Disc (lowering upkeep) and all its Population Cubes.
- Player Elimination: A player unable to pay after Trading and Abandoning, or with neither Ships nor Controlled Sectors at the end of the Combat Phase, is eliminated (still scoring).
- Production: Gain Materials and Science equal to the highest exposed numbers on your respective Population Tracks.
Cleanup Phase
- Draw regular Tech Tiles from the bag into the Tech Tray until the count for your player count is reached (2p: 5, 3p: 6, 4p: 7, 5p: 8, 6p: 9). Rare Techs don't count toward this.
- Move all Influence Discs from your Action Track back to your Influence Track, and all Graveyard Population Cubes to their tracks.
- Flip all Colony Ships faceup and your Summary Tile to the Action Phase side. Advance the Round Marker. A new Round begins with the Action Phase.
Game End and Scoring
The game ends after the 8th Round. The player with the most VP wins; ties are broken by the highest total Resources in Storage (Materials + Science + Money). Players gain Victory Points from:
- Reputation Tiles — 1–4 VP per tile.
- Ambassador Tiles (4+ player Diplomacy) — 1 VP per tile.
- Controlled Sectors — 1–4 VP per Sector (the VP printed on the tile).
- Monoliths on Controlled Sectors — 3 VP each.
- Discovery Tiles kept VP-side up — 2 VP each.
- Traitor Tile — −2 VP.
- Progress on each Tech Track — the leftmost uncovered VP symbol (e.g., a full track of 4+ tiles scores its VP).
- Species bonuses — e.g., Descendants of Draco score 1 VP per Ancient on the board at game end; Planta score 1 extra VP per Controlled Sector.