Exile Sun

Exile Sun Rulebook

Table of Contents

Before We Begin

The core mechanics of Exile Sun can be a bit daunting at first. The opening phase of even the first round presents players with important strategic decisions and until a player has an understanding of the flow of the game and the value of certain combinations they are really unprepared to make those decisions.

It is highly recommended that new players read the entire rule book before playing the game. Many of the different mechanics and decisions are interlocked in such a way that the strategic options take on real meaning only after understanding the game as a whole. "Let's just learn as we go," does not work well for this game!

Before playing the game a short demonstration of the battle system will help players understand the value of the different game elements. Players may also choose to abandon the first game after a few cycles, once players have an understanding of the rules. This would allow players to start the next game with knowledge of the game flow and the ability to make meaningful strategic decisions from the start.

New Players

Here are a few concepts to keep in mind when first playing the game*:

This game rewards aggressive play, Get out there and make opportunities to accomplish your Agendas. Defensive players will lose in the long run.
When placing your system, remember, blocking others out also blocks you in.
Try not to leave planets unoccupied.
Try to always anticipate other player's decisions and capitalize on them.
Buy Overhead in chunks, not one at a time.
Even a lost battle can be useful. It can drain an opponent's resources or slow them down.
Try to stack Agenda objectives with capturing planets for more points.
If an Agenda card seems too difficult for your current circumstances, switch it out as soon as possible!

* Refer to this list once you have read the rest of the rules.

Components

Tech Cards x 36
Initiative Cards x 6
System Tiles x 6
Ship Cards x 150
Agenda Cards x 26
Key Tiles x 4
Colony Card x 6
Control Card x 6
VP Track x 1
Colony VP Token (front and back)
Decoy Fleet Token (front and back), per colony: 2/4 Decoy
Scout Ship / Damage Tokens (front and back), x 10 each
Fleet Tokens (front and back), per colony: 2x Heavy, 3x Medium, 3x Light, 1x Shipyard Fleet Token

Setup

Setting up the map is the first step to playing the game. Map components are divided into two categories, Systems and Keys.

Systems

Systems contain a Military zone, two planets, trade routes, as well as some naturally occurring asteroids. Each player starts in a system. A sample System is shown below. As the arrows suggest each player may orient his system in any direction during set up.

Keys

Keys come in two shapes and allow Systems to fit together in a fair manner. Sample Keys are displayed below.

The manner in which the systems and keys fit together, and the quantity of each is determined by how many players join the game. The different arrangements are displayed below for 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 players.

Once the Map configuration has been determined do the following:

Place the keys that correspond to the diagram above on the table. Keys are always placed first during map set up.
Separate the Colonial Technology cards (Blue) from the regular Technology cards (Green). And sort the Colonial Tech cards into 6 stacks of three identical cards each.
Randomly pass out the initiative cards. This will determine the order for placing each system as well as turn order for the first cycle of the game.
After placing the map keys, each player does both the following in the order of the initiative cards:
- Choose a System and place it in the location shown in the diagram above. Follow the sequence of the numbers.
- Choose a Colony and a Colonial Technology stack.
After each player has chosen a Colonial Technology any remaining Colonial Tech cards are shuffled with the regular Tech cards and placed in the group play area. This deck has a discard pile.
Players should now sit by their System.
Place the Colony VP Token for each Colony on the '0' space on the victory track and place it next to the board.
Separate the Agenda cards into two stacks by color (Red and Yellow), Deal each player one of each randomly, then shuffle the remaining Agenda cards together and place them in the group play area. This deck has a discard pile.
Separate the Ship Cards and Fleet Tokens by color and pass them out to the players.
Each player must now set up their play area as follows:
- Locate from among the Fleet Tokens the fleets listed on the Colony card as 'Starting Fleets' and place them with their value side down on the map anywhere inside their system. (Not split spaces on the border).
- Place the remaining Fleet and Scout tokens in their player area.
- Separate the Ship cards into these stacks on the Colony card:
  1. Storage Deck (Left), with 5 Strike Craft Cards, 1 Flagship Card and 1 Shipyard Card.

Figure 1 – Example Player Area

Cards In Hand

There are three kinds of cards that each player has to manage in his hand thorough out the game: Tech cards, Ship cards and Agenda cards. While all are said to be 'in hand', the purposes and even sizes of these cards differ. So often these different cards are kept separate. The maximum number of Agenda cards a player may have in hand is Two. The maximum number of Tech cards is 6 and the maximum number of Ship cards is listed on each players Colony card.

A Game Cycle

Game play occurs in Cycles, with each broken into 3 phases. These phases are:

Budget – Acquire Cards and Fleets
Move – Move Fleets, Scan Fleets
Battle – Battle, Claim Planets & VPs

Each phase is detailed as follows:

Budget Phase

Initiative Cards – First each player may view and select an Initiative card. These primarily establish turn order for the Move and Battle Phases. Players choose cards in clockwise order starting with the player who had Initiative card '#4' the last cycle. The player with first choice simply picks up the initiative cards, chooses one and hands the rest to the player on his left. Players must immediately reveal their selection.

'Booster Rockets' allow a player to choose an Initiative card out of order. The player who plays this Tech card may do so at any time and then choose Initiative immediately. The order then proceeds as if there were no interruption. If two or more players use a Tech card at the same time the number on the card determines who may choose first, then second and so on, then the order proceeds clockwise in the original rotation.

EX: Jared, Jason, Brett and Gabe are choosing initiative cards and are seated in the above order around the table. Jared had Initiative card #4 on the previous cycle so he gets the first choice. After Jared chooses a card, Gabe decides to use a 'Booster Rocket' Tech card to select an initiative card out of order. After Gabe chooses a card then Jason would pick and then Brett, according to the original rotation.

If the #4 Initiative card was not chosen, the player who went last during the last cycle has the first choice of Initiative.

Budget Points – Immediately after choosing an Initiative card, players use their Control card to allocate the number of Budget points listed on their initiative card. These are put in different expense categories on the Control card. These points may be arranged in any order and based on how they are used players will acquire a certain number of the items listed below. Once all players have allocated their budget points the Control cards are revealed.

Players may gain a bonus in any category where they have the most or second most Points allocated. Two Players tied for 'Most' both get the bonus listed for 'Second Most'. Ties between more than two players and ties for 'Second Most' get no bonus.

After all players have allocated their Budget points, the Control cards are revealed and the player with Initiative card #5 may move any single Budget Point from any one category to another. After this, bonuses are determined and awarded. It is best to award items one category at a time.

Overhead Expenses – For every point in this category a player may move one Ship card from his Overhead Deck into his Reserve Deck. This increases the potential value of future ships. Every time cards are moved in this way the Reserve Deck must be shuffled.
Fuel Supply – For every two points in this category a player may select a Fleet token of his choice from his/her supply and deploy it, value side down, adjacent to any planet he controls or his shipyard. If there are no spaces available directly adjacent to a certain planet or shipyard, then a player may deploy next to an adjacent fleet. Only available tokens may be acquired. (Shipyards p15)
Ship Building Costs – For every point in this category a player may draw a Ship card from the top of their Reserve deck into their hand. Players may not preview their Overhead and Reserve Decks.
Tech Research – Players placing any number of points into this category may draw only one Tech Card.

All players can hold only a limited number of Tech and Ship cards. If a player qualifies to acquire more of either type of card, but cannot hold them, then the player may draw all the cards they qualify for and then select which to put into their hand. Surplus Tech cards would then be discarded and surplus ship cards would be placed under the player's Reserve Deck.

Tech Card Rules. At the Beginning of each cycle the Tech deck and its discard pile must be shuffled together. Tech Cards may only be used during the phase listed at the bottom of each card, and only during a player's own turn.

Counting a Fleet's Moves. Players always count a fleet's moves based on the space the fleet is moving onto. For Example: Jason is moving a fleet from a normal space into a trade route. With a single move Jason may move two spaces into the trade route despite the fact that he started in a normal space. Likewise, moving from a normal space into an asteroid field uses up two moves, but moving from an asteroid field into a normal space only requires one. The original location is irrelevant.

Move Phase

During the Move phase a player has the option to move each of their fleets on the board. Each fleet token may move 4 times. One move usually covers only one space.

Scanning – A successful scan allows a player to view the value hidden under an enemy fleet token. Each of a player's fleets may sacrifice a move to make an attempt to scan. Attempting to scan an adjacent fleet is automatically successful. However, attempting to scan farther requires the roll of the die. Each fleet can make only one attempt to scan per cycle.

Scan Roll Successes

Distance	Success
1 Space (adjacent)	Always
2 Spaces	3 or Higher
3 Spaces	5 or Higher

Trade Routes (green) – Each move usually covers only one space however, when traveling into a Trade Route space, a player may use one move to travel two spaces if both are in the Trade Route.
Gateways (green) – Gateways allow fleets instantaneous travel between any two Gateways. Players using a Gateway count their moves onto the origin Gate (as a Trade Route space) and then count moves onto a space adjacent to the destination Gate. The destination Gate itself doesn't cost any moves because it is the same space as the origin Gate. Fleets may never end their moves on a Gateway.
Military Zones (yellow) – This zone acts as a trade route for the Colony that controls it. A player has control of a Military zone while holding all planets in the system.
Asteroid Fields (brown) – Two moves are required to enter an asteroid field.
Moves must be plotted around enemy fleets, however, players may move through their own fleets.
A fleet caught in a battle may do nothing. It may not scan or move. However, an uninvolved fleet may scan a fighting fleet.
Moving onto the same space as another fleet starts a Battle. Battles are resolved after all players have taken their Move.

Battle Phase

Once all players have taken their move actions, any fleets that are in the same space must battle. Battles are resolved in turn order by the aggressor. Because the aggressor moved onto the defender's space the aggressor's token will be on top. If a player has initiated more than one battle he may choose their order. To resolve a battle follow these steps:

Players involved in a battle must first determine the number of Ship cards they will use in battle. A player must use the number of Ship cards that correspond to the fleet token being represented.
- Heavy fleets = 5 Ship cards
- Medium Fleets = 4 Ship cards
- Light Fleets = 3 Ship cards
- Scouts = 1 Ship card each
Players may choose which Ship cards to use for each battle from the among the Ship cards in hand or from the Strike Craft and/or Flagship in their Storage deck. The Strike Craft and Flagship may be used in any battle for free.
A player must use at least one Ship card from his/her hand in battle. If a player has no Ship cards in his/her hand then the player must use the Flagship and Strike Craft from the Storage Deck.
Players are not allowed to see the size of an opposing fleet until after choosing the Ship cards they plan to use in battle. A player may have previously scanned it, of course.
Once each player has chosen the cards they will use in battle, the cards are placed adjacent to the player's Colony Card. (Figure 2)

Figure 2 – Battle Setup

Next each player counts his total Fleet Power, shown inside the uncovered circles. Fleet power represents the offensive and defensive potential of each ship. In essence each ship may choose to fire upon an enemy ship or incoming torpedoes. Players may get extra power from Tech cards. (Figure 3)
This fleet power is then secretly allocated on a Control Card toward the defense of friendly ships and attacking enemy ships. The Power points may be distributed in any combination but only up to 8 points in any one column. This is called 'Setting your Tactics'. (Figure 4)

Figure 3 – Counting Your Total Fleet Power

Figure 4 – 'Setting your Tactics' (12 Points Allocated for the ICP)

After Tactics are set, the Control Cards are revealed and players may compare 'Attack' vs. 'Defend' to see how many points of damage each ship takes. If a Player accidentally allocates more points than they have, their opponent may choose where to remove the excess. (Figure 5)
For every point of damage a ship takes, one armor point is covered up. These points are represented by the circles on each Ship card. (The numbers inside the circles have no bearing on absorbing damage, the numbers only apply to Fleet Power before tactics.)
After damage has been allocated, destroyed ships are removed and then a new round begins. (Figure 6)
If a ship was destroyed on the current round may be healed with 'Repair Bots'. However ships lost on preceding rounds may not be healed.
These rounds continue until the last player with surviving ships is the winner.
At the end of battle the loser's fleet token is removed from the map and if necessary the winner's token is scaled down to account for casualties. (See Scouts p14)
Any players who have won planets receive their Victory Points after the battle has been resolved. Complete Agenda cards for battles may then be claimed.

Figure 5 – Damage Example

Figure 6 – Round Two

Destroyed ships are returned to the bottom of their respective decks:
- Battleships and Cruisers to the Overhead Deck
- Destroyers and Frigates to the Reserve Deck
- Strike Craft to the Storage Deck
Damaged ships are immediately repaired and return with any other surviving ships to the player's hand.
If a Shipyard or Flagship was lost then that Ship card is given to the opposing player as a trophy to be kept in his Storage Deck. (See Shipyards p 15 and Victory! p 13)
At the end of the Battle Phase players have the option to discard their entire hand of ship cards, to the bottom of their Reserve deck if they wish.

'Missing' – Occasionally during Combat a circumstance arises where a player makes an error while 'Setting their Tactics' by placing power points in the wrong column. In this case they would 'Miss' by either attacking or defending a ship that does not exist.

No arbitrary ruling was created to deal with this scenario; rather it would be best for the players to come to an agreement on how this case will be handled at the beginning of the game, taking the experience of other players into account.

When an obvious error is made players may agree to either:

Let the error stand and force the player who made the mistake to deal with the consequences.
Or when an obvious mistake has been made as mentioned above, allow players to redo that round of combat.

It would be best if this consensus could be reached before the game starts.

Game Over

The game ends when:

One player reaches 10 victory points.
The Agenda Deck runs out of cards.
One player has no fleets on the board, being effectively removed from the game.
If, at the end of a cycle, a player holds five or more planets this player wins immediately regardless of VPs.

In these first three scenarios the player with the most Victory Points is the winner.

Victory!

Victory is granted to whoever is the first to reach 10 or more Victory Points, or to the player with the most VP at the end of the game. Victory Points are gained in a variety of ways: by destroying other players Flagships and Shipyards, by maintaining control of a Colony's home planets, capturing other planets, and by accomplishing the objectives listed on Agenda Cards.

A VP based victory can only be claimed between cycles. This means, if two players have both acquired an equal number of VPs, enough to win, during the same cycle, they have tied. In the case of a tie, if only one of the players has control of both their home system planets, he is the winner. If still tied, then if only one of the players has his own flagship he is the winner. If still tied, the player with the most planets currently under control is the winner.

Example: Darren and James are comparing VPs. Darren has 3 points listed on the VP track, 2 Flagships, 1 shipyard and current control of both of his home planets, this makes 7 VPs total. James has 5 points listed on the VP track, 1 Flagship and current control of one of his home planets, this also makes 7 VPs. Because James currently has more Planets than Darren, he is the winner.

Public/Private VPs – Public victory points are gained by completing Agenda cards and capturing planets; these are represented on the victory point track by the map. All other types of VPs are private and not counted until a player claims victory or the game ends.
Flagship and Shipyard cards may be counted as private victory points. Whenever a player's Flagship or Shipyard is destroyed the card is given to the victor as a trophy who may count it as an additional VP. A player may never use a trophy Flagship or Shipyard in battle.
Every time a player acquires any planet space from an opponent a public Victory Point is awarded them on the VP Track. Unoccupied planets remain under the control of the player who occupied them last.
While a player has control of both planets in his/her Colony's home system one private victory point is counted.
Agenda Cards – When a player completes the objective listed on an Agenda Card he announces this fact to the other players, shows the card to prove the claim and then advances on the VP track the number of victory points listed on the card. The Agenda card is then discarded.
- The ability on Initiative #6 regarding drawing new Agenda Cards must be used before the battle phase.
- Accomplished Agenda cards are never shuffled back into the Agenda deck.
- If an Agenda card calls for the Destruction of a fleet then mutual annihilation will accomplish that Agenda, However, VP's for capturing planets and for Agenda cards that require a player to hold a planet would not be awarded if both sides lose all their ships.
- After completing an Agenda card, a player must draw a new one, always keeping two in hand.

At the beginning of the game players start with 3 private VPs: their Flagship card, Shipyard card and current control of their home system planets.

Public Information

There are many forms of hidden information in this game. Players may wonder in some cases what they are required to keep public and what may be hidden. The following are bits of player information that must be kept public. All other types of information may be hidden.

The number of cards a player has in hand.
A player's current Initiative card is public.
A player's Ship card decks and Colony card must remain visible.
All budget purchases must be announced.
Decoy tokens must be announced when redeployed. Additional purchased fleets may be deployed at the same time to keep other players guessing.
Agenda cards must be announced when they are accomplished to advance the listed number of victory points. In all other cases Agenda cards must be kept private.
The status of a players Flagship, Shipyard and trophies may be kept private.
Players may never look at the contents of their Reserve or Overhead Decks.

Token Details

Scouts

Scouts are used when a Fleet loses some ships but is not completely destroyed. However, Scouts are not always necessary. If, for example, a player has a Heavy Fleet that loses one ship, then the Heavy fleet may be replaced with a Medium one. However, if a Medium fleet is not available in the player's supply, then a Light Fleet and one Scout may be used. Scouts are only deployed in this way, when a damaged fleet cannot be accurately represented by one token. Here are a few Examples:

Heavy – 1 ship = Medium
Heavy – 1 ship = Light & 1 Scout
Medium – 1 ship = Light
Medium – 1 ship = 3 Scout
Light – 1 ship = 2 Scout
If a Scout is created with another fleet (a Light for example), it must be placed in a space adjacent to the larger fleet as Scouts and fleets cannot occupy the same space.
Scouts may join only other Scouts to form a new fleet. (If the appropriate token is available)
Two or more Scouts may defend themselves in battle. However, Scouts may never be used to start a battle.
If a single Scout is attacked by a fleet it loses automatically.
Up to 5 Scouts can travel in a group and occupy the same space.
Scouts may be used to scan an enemy fleet.

Shipyards

Each Player has only one shipyard and it is represented by the fleet token bearing an 'S'. If attacked, this token is handled as if it were a Heavy fleet (5 ships). However, the Shipyard card must be included in the battle.

If the Shipyard is lost in the ensuing battle, the card is given to the opponent and the fleet token is either removed or reduced depending on the outcome of the rest of the ships in the battle.

If the Shipyard card is not lost and no other ships are lost then the token stays where it is.
Rule Exception! – If the Shipyard card is not lost, but other ships are lost then the Shipyard fleet token still remains in place as a Heavy Fleet. The only way to remove a Shipyard Fleet token is to destroy the Shipyard Ship Card itself.

Players may also deploy new fleets adjacent to their shipyard token. To do this, a player must flip the 'S' token to reveal the location of the shipyard token and then place a fleet adjacent to it. The shipyard token may then be re-flipped to conceal it. If a Shipyard card is destroyed the owner may not deploy the 'S' token again for the rest of the game.

Decoys

Each player has a number of Decoy tokens to deploy at the beginning of the game. These represent a single Recon Probe. All rules regarding normal fleet movement and scanning apply to decoy fleets. Decoy fleets are always removed from the map when successfully scanned or attacked by an enemy fleet. Once removed, a Decoy fleet may be redeployed during your next build opportunity. Fuel Supply points are not required when deploying a Decoy, they are deployed for free.

If undiscovered, a Decoy token will automatically defeat a single Scout, however 2 or more Scouts will force combat and reveal the fleet as a decoy.
When redeploying a Decoy token it is advisable that a player deploy at least one other fleet so other players may be kept guessing as to which one is which.

Example Game Cycle

James, Jared and Brett are going to play 'Exile Sun'. While this example doesn't include the details of the Move and Battle phases, examining it can clarify the effects of some rules and provide a short list of things to do in each phase.

Set Up

Map keys are placed on the table
James passes out the Initiative Cards Randomly:
- James gets # 3
- Jared gets # 4
- Brett gets # 6
James chooses a system, Places it, and picks a Colony Card and Colony Technology
- Jared then does the same
- Brett then does the same
The remaining Tech Cards are shuffled.
The Agenda cards are separated, each player is given one of each, then the remaining are reshuffled
Each player sets up their starting area and deploys their starting fleets

Budget Phase

For the first cycle of the game the players use the Initiative cards they already have.
Brett chooses to now draw 2 more agenda cards and then put any 2 under the agenda deck.
Jared, James and Brett secretly allocate their Budget Points on the Control Card:
- James = 3 Bp in Overhead, 2 Bp in Fuel, 1 Bp in Tech
- Jared = 1 Bp in Overhead 2 Bp in Ship Building, 3 Bp in Fuel, 1 Bp in Tech
- Brett = 2 Bp in Overhead, 2 Bp in Ship Building, 2 Bp in Tech
The Control Cards are revealed and each category is resolved as follows:
- Overhead cards moved into Reserve:
  - James = 5 (Most)
  - Jared = 1
  - Brett = 3 (2nd Most)
- Ship Cards from Reserve to Hand:
  - James = 0
  - Jared = 3 (Jared may hold only 1 more Ship card so he Draws 3, chooses one to place into his hand and puts the rest under his reserve deck) (Tied for Most)
  - Brett = 3 (Brett may hold only 2 more Ship cards so he Draws 3, chooses two to place into his hand and puts the rest under his reserve deck) (Tied for Most)
- Fleet tokens placed next to a planet:
  - James = 2 (2nd Most)
  - Jared = 3 (Most)
  - Brett = 0
- Tech Cards drawn to Hand:
  - James = 1

Move Phase

James may now move each of his fleets 4 times.
- James moves 1 fleet into Jared's system and 1 fleet into Brett's system, He scans a few enemy fleets and decides to attack Jared's planet.
Jared may now move each of his fleets 4 times.
- Jared is unable to use the fleet token being attacked by James, however he uses his nearby fleet to scan James' Fleet attacking his planet.
- Jared also attacks one of James' Fleets near the border of their Systems
Brett may now move each of his fleets 4 times.
- Brett now spreads out and tries to capitalize on Jared's many battles by attacking Jared's fleet near their mutual border.

Battle Phase

The battles occur in this order:
- James Battles Jared on the Planet
- Jared Battles James on the Border
- Brett Battles Jared on the Border
Here are the Results:
In the first battle James uses 2 Battleships, and a Frigate against Jared's 2 Cruisers, a Destroyer and 2 Frigates.
- Jared wins with a Cruiser and 2 Destroyers surviving. (A Light token is placed where Jared's Heavy token was.)
In the Second Battle Jared conserves resources by using 4 Strike Craft and a Frigate against James' 2 Cruisers and a Strike Craft.
- James wins with a Cruiser surviving (One Scout token is placed where James' Light token was.)
In the last battle Brett uses 2 Battleships and 2 Cruisers against Jared's 1 Cruiser, 2 Destroyers, 1 Frigate and 1 Flagship.
- Brett Wins with 1 Battleship Surviving. (One Scout token is placed where Brett's Light token was.)

Players Now Claim VP's

Jared claims 1 VP on the Track for destroying a Medium Fleet in the first Battle.
James claims 1 VP on the Track for destroying two Frigates in the first Battle.
Brett Claims Jared's Flagship card as a Trophy and places it in his Storage Deck to be counted as an additional Private VP.
The players now group all the initiative cards and hand them to Jared for the start of the next cycle.
The Tech cards and discard pile are also now shuffled together.

Variants

The Long War

The regular version of the game is played to 10 Victory points, and this is recommended for newer players. However, more experienced players may choose to play to 15 victory points. This will give players a more epic and thematic game play experience.

Two Players

Exile Sun works well with only two players however these few adjustments to the game components must be made:

Remove Initiative #1 and #5 from play.
Remove these Agenda Cards from play:
- "Aggressive Campaign" (3 cards)
- "Rout the Opposition" (3 cards)

Also, while this question would only arise in a two player game, take note. Players must spend at least 1 Bp in an expense category to gain any bonus. Players may not get "2nd most" having spent 0 Bp.

Colony Card Breakdown

A – If the Colony has a 'Capital' advantage it will be listed here. Usually a ½ Budget Point in one specific Category.
B – The Colonies starting fleets to be deployed during set up (D = Decoy or blank Fleets).
C – Colony Biography.
D – Ship Cards are placed here during Battle.
E – Storage Deck for Ship Cards.
F – Advantages. This is a graphical summary of each colony's advantages.
- Armor: an advantage in the distribution of power points on a Colony's Ship cards.
- Command: an advantage in Max Ship cards.
- Capital: an advantage in one Budget Category.
- Stealth: an advantage in number of Decoys.
G – Movement and Card Maximums.
H – Overhead Deck for Ship Cards.
I – Reserve Deck for Ship Cards.