Galactic Destiny
Galactic Destiny Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Notes on the Revised Rulebook
- The Contents
- Setup
- Components
- A Sector
- Resources
- Movement on the Board
- Corruption Tokens
- The Cost of Evil
- The Point of the Game
- Victory Conditions
- Defeat
- The Basics
- Playing Cards
- Negotiation
- Resolving Trades
- Senators and Actions
- The Turn Sequence
- The Bill of Sentient Rights
- The Senate Phase
- Propositions
- Prosecutions
- The Intrigue Phase
- Campaigns
- Purchasing Fleets and Senators
- The Rebellion
- More Rules
- History, The Parties and The Races
Notes on the Revised Rulebook
This rulebook contains all of the original rules found in the rulebook provided with the game. This new rulebook represents a refinement and refocus of the game. Contained in these pages you will find all the revisions and improvements of the Errata and FAQ as listed on the publisher's website. The publisher has attempted to answer all the questions that have been brought to its attention and to provide clearer and more streamlined rules.
The Contents
This box contains all the components that you will need to play the game.
This Box holds:
- 1 - 3' x 2' playing board
- 10 - 6 sided dice
- 6 - Party cards
- 1 - Action Deck with 50 cards
- 1 - Event Deck with 50 cards
- 1 - Senator Deck with 50 Cards
- 1 - Sector Deck with 50 cards
- 5 - Minister Ability cards
- 1 - Rebellion Card
- 13 - Sector Ability cards
- 7 - Sets of Ownership Icons, 13 for each Party and 10 for the Infestation
- 45 - Corruption/Shadow tokens
- 25 - Track counters
- 7 - Sets of 10 ships
- 1 - Rulebook
Setup
To play the game you need a table with ample room on all sides. Separate the components out into different unique piles. Please note that some rule sets need different setups - these will be marked after this section.
The Board
- Unfold the board and place it in the centre of the table.
- Place the election counter on the Election spot on the Election track.
- Place 5 Republic Fleets (black) on Sector 1.
The Card Decks
- Separate out the card decks (each deck is marked on the back).
- Place the Minister Ability cards and the Rebellion Card on the spaces marked on the board.
- Place the remaining Ability cards beside the board.
- Separate out the six starting Senator cards. Place the unused ones back in the deck.
- Shuffle the decks and place beside the board.
Player Setup
- Each player must choose a Party.
- Each player takes their Party card and reads their starting Sector, Senator, and resources.
- Each player places 1 of their Ownership Icons on their starting Sector.
- Each player collects their starting Senator (the one marked with the Party symbol that matches the symbol on their Party card).
- Each player collects the 10 Fleets in their Party colour and places 2 Fleets on their starting Sector.
- Each player now draws 5 Action cards and 3 Senator cards from the decks.
The Game is now ready to be played.
Components
The Ability Cards
These cards represent special abilities that players can gain by controlling a Ministry or specific Sectors.
The Action Cards
These form your hand and allow you to perform actions in the game.
See page 11 for how to play Action Cards and for more information on Cost, Time, Action, and Card Priority.
Please note that your hand size is 7 Action cards at the end of each turn.
The Event Cards
These are drawn at the beginning of each turn and set the stage for play.
Ties in Conflict
During the game players come into conflict. Sometimes a tie will result. In those cases the Defender always wins ties. Neutral Sectors, the Infestation, and the player who owns a Sector in dispute are always the defender.
The Sector Cards
These are drawn at the beginning of each turn and indicate the 3 Sectors that are up for general Campaigns (marked by placing the Sector tokens on them). These are also the Sectors vulnerable to Infestation that turn, even if they are controlled by a Party.
The Senator Cards
These form the caucus of your Party and your power base.
The Resource Track Counters
These are used on the resource tracks on your Party cards to account for your resources.
The Ownership Icons
These are used to indicate which Sectors a Party controls and which ones it is attempting to acquire. See page 17.
The Corruption/Shadow tokens
The tokens are used to track the state of a Senator's soul. The more evil they are the more of these tokens they acquire. See page 8.
The Sector/Infestation tokens
These tokens indicate the 3 Sectors available for general Campaigns as well as Infested ones. See pages 11 & 13.
The Fleets
These are the military arms of the Parties and the Republic. Each model is a Fleet of ships that can be used to either defend or attack. See page 17.
The Party Cards
These cards act as a player's treasury and information centre.
A Sector
Sectors are defined on the board by the gold lines. A single Sector is one space bounded by the gold lines on the board. Sectors are important since they are the economic and electoral regions of the galaxy that generate resources. Each Sector has the following elements.
Resource Icons
Located in the upper left hand corner of each Sector are two icons. The purple icon is the Influence Resource while the green one is the Money Resource.
Hand Size
If a player has more than 7 Action cards at the end of a turn they must discard down to 7.
Senators do not count towards hand size. You can have as many waiting to be recruited as you wish.
Sector Defence
The red icon in the lower right of each Sector is its Defence. The number listed in the icon represents the Sector's ability to resist Invasions and Campaigns. See pages 17 for details.
The Demographics Icons
In many Sectors there are two icons right below the Sector Defense icon. These are the Demographics Icons and tell you the majority race and political viewpoint in the Sector. These are primarily used during Campaigns. See page 20 for more details.
Special Ability Icons
These are gold icons that appear behind the Sector Number of some Sectors. A Sector with one of these gold icons has a special ability that it grants to the player that controls the Sector. Each ability is listed in the upper right hand of the board and on the Ability cards. When a player takes control of a Sector with an ability, they collect the associated Ability card from the deck - from then on, while you control that Sector you are able to use that ability.
Please note that some abilities can only be used once per turn, such as the re-roll ability of Sector 34. So if the Sector is taken over by another player after the ability has been used the new owner can not use the ability until the next turn.
The Sector Number
Like any good bureaucracy the Republic refers to its Sectors primarily through their number. These are located in the centre of each Sector.
Resources
During the game, players collect the two resources from their Sectors, Sector Abilities, Action cards, and Ministry Abilities. These stockpiles of wealth and favours are tracked on the resource tracks on the player's Party card.
Each track has an upper track and lower track. The upper tracks indicate individual units of the resource with each space being worth 1 unit. The lower track indicates multiples of 10 units of the resource. So, to represent an amount of that resource from 0 - 99 the player must position the track counters on the correct places on the two tracks. If you ever have more than 99 of a resource then the excess is wasted.
To spend a resource, a player simply announces that they are doing so and moves the track counters to the correct positions to represent their new stockpiles.
Please note that each turn every Party gains 5 Money in addition to their Sectors' income.
Movement on the Board
There are two things that move on the board: Fleets and Senators.
Fleets can move to any Sector on the board. Fleets can move only once per turn and must declare if they are attacking or defending when they are moved.
Senators can Admiral fleets or Campaign in a Sector as long as they have an Action to spend. For Campaigns, they are limited to the allowed Sectors as listed on page 19. When Admiraling a fleet, a Senator can travel to any Sector.
A single Senator can Admiral a Fleet or Campaign in several different Sectors provided an Action card, such as Multi-task, is used to give him additional Actions to spend.
eg. Bob sends Senator Fola to Campaign in Sector 34 and then plays a Multi-Task card, which refreshes the Senator, and then sends Fola to Campaign in Sector 36. If he wished Bob could play another Multi-Task and attempt a third Campaign.
Senators attempting multiple Campaigns or Invasions must declare ALL of the Campaigns or Invasions at once on their Initiative. You can't add them after you have passed.
Corruption Tokens
During the game, players may choose to perform actions that acquire Corruption tokens on their Senators. These represent the growing darkness infecting the Senator's soul as they commit evil acts.
Corruption tokens are placed on a Senator with the grey side up. They cannot be destroyed or traded except by Special Abilities, Events, and Actions.
Senators can gain Corruption from playing Action cards, using the Corrupt Ability of a Ministry, declaring an Invasion, being the Admiral of an Invasion, breaking a law of the Senate, breaking a deal that they have made, or through Events.
The number of tokens gained for each act are as follows:
| Source | Corruption tokens gained |
|---|---|
| Action cards | As Listed |
| Ministry Corrupt Acts | 1 to 5 |
| Invasions | 2 |
| Breaking a deal | 2 |
| Breaking a law | 2 |
| Events | As Listed |
Corruption from Invasions
Each Invasion that your Party declares in a turn gains your Party 2 Corruption. These tokens must be placed in groups of 2 onto Senators that the Party controls.
If the Party is sending an Admiral to the Invasion the Corruption goes on the Admiral.
If there is no Admiral, the Corruption can be placed on any Senator the Party controls - this is the Senator that ordered the attack. If the Party has no Senators the Corruption is lost and is not applied.
Corruption from Breaking Deals and the Laws of the Senate
When a player breaks a law of the Senate or a deal that they have made with another player they gain 2 Corruption tokens that must be placed on one of their Senators. Just like Corruption gained from Invasions, these tokens must go on the same Senator, but they can be placed on any Senator the player controls, or are discarded if the offending player has no Senators.
Once a player breaks a law of the Senate, they gain their Corruption immediately. However, that law remains broken for them for the entire turn. In other words, doing a prohibited act several times in a turn only garners you 2 Corruption tokens in total - the only exception is Invasions. A player gains 2 Corruption for each and every Invasion they declare in a turn.
eg. The Movement Registration Oversight has been ratified into law and Bob chooses to ignore it. He gains 2 Corruption on one of his Senators and can move his Fleets as he sees fit without paying anything more.
When a deal is created between two players it is binding. If either player breaks the deal, the offending player gains 2 Corruption. Once the deal is broken it can no longer be enforced and the offending player can not get any further Corruption from breaking it.
eg. Julie has agreed to not attack Bob for 3 turns. She immediately breaks the deal. She gains 2 Corruption. However, if she attacked Bob again in the 2nd turn of the deal she would not gain more Corruption since the deal is already broken.
Once a deal is broken by either player, it is no longer binding on any player who was part of the deal.
The only deals that can not be broken or cheated in any way are instant trades. Trades over time, however, can be cheated.
eg. Bob trades Julie 4 Money for 5 Influence immediately. This trade can not be broken.
The Cost of Corruption
Being evil and performing corrupt acts is bad for a political career. Senators that gain Corruption tokens have less political pull than they did before. Old friends don't want to be seen with them, fewer people are willing to listen to them, and the people look down on them and any Party they are associated with.
For every Corruption token that a Senator has on them their Diplomacy is reduced by 1. This can reduce their Diplomacy to 0 or a negative number. This modifier affects the Senator in every instance where they use their Diplomacy: during Campaigns, during votes in the Senate, and when they are Prosecuted. See pages 14 & 20 for more details on this.
Shadow Tokens
Corruption represents a Senator's soul being stained with their evil acts. Shadow tokens, on the other hand, represent the marks of the Ke'Ras as they begin to consume the Senator's soul.
Shadow tokens can be gained when a Senator acquires 3 or more Corruption tokens. A Shadow token replaces the 3 Corruption tokens; remove 2 of the Corruption tokens and flip 1 over to the coloured Shadow token side. A Shadow token acts in all ways like 3 Corruption tokens. However, it can not be removed or altered by Events, Actions or Abilities that affect Corruption tokens.
In these rules a Senator can have up to 4 Corruption tokens without having to trade in for a Shadow Token. Once they gain the fifth token, however, they must trade 3 Corruption tokens in for 1 Shadow token.
eg. Senator Fola has 4 Corruption tokens and then Admirals an Invasion. This gains her 2 more Corruption tokens. Since this would put her past 4 she must trade in for Shadow tokens. Since she has 6 Corruption she trades until she has 2 Shadow tokens.
Please note that a Senator can trade in 3 Corruption for 1 Shadow at any time they wish. You don't have to wait for the fifth Corruption token.
Once a Senator has 1 Shadow token on them they must always trade in for more Shadow tokens as soon as they can - this means as soon as they have 3 more available Corruption tokens.
The Cost of Evil
The Ke'Ras draw their power from the evil that sentients do in the galaxy. The more evil that the Senators perform the more powerful the Ke'Ras become.
For every 3 Corruption tokens in play and for every Shadow token in play the roll for the Infestation gains +1 to its result.
Also, Infested Sectors gain a bonus die for each Shadow token in play.
eg. There are 3 Shadow tokens in play so every Infested Sector gains 3 extra dice to its defence.
The Gifts of the Darkness
The Ke'Ras reward those who serve them. A Senator gains an extra die on every Action that requires a roll for each Shadow token on them. This includes but is not limited to: Invasions they Admiral, Campaigns and Action cards.
eg. Senator Fola has 2 Shadow tokens and is invading Sector 50 with 2 Fleets. Senator Fola rolls 4 dice (2 from the Fleets and 2 from the Shadow tokens) during the Invasion.
Assassinations
Assassinations offer some of the most intense moments of play in the game. These stealthy attempts to sway political power can have dramatic effects on the game.
To perform an Assassination you must use a Senator's Action. That Senator must be an Assassin or you must play an Assassination card. Target a Senator in play and roll a die: on a 6 the target is killed and discarded from play, on a 1 the assassin gains a Corruption token. Every other result has no effect. Prior to the roll any player can spend 5 Influence to add or subtract 1 from the roll result. However, a natural 6 always kills the target and all and only natural 1's gains the assassin a Corruption.
eg. Senator Fola's Party is playing Union Corruption. During the Action she is assassinated. Since Union Corruption does not require her action, the card is resolved as normal.
Assassinations do not interrupt each other. So, if you attempt to assassinate a Senator that is performing an Assassination both attempts are resolved independently and have no effect on each other. Assassination targets, if they are not exhausted, can use their Action to attempt to assassinate someone if they are an Assassin or if you play an Assassination card from your hand.
Optional Rule
Senators that are targeted by Assassinations get their Diplomacy ability in Influence as a counterbid to the attempt. In other words, an Assassin that targets a Senator with a Diplomacy of 6 would need to spend 11 Influence (5 regular + 6 Diplomacy) to get +1 to their roll. This modifier only applies to the first bid.
Assassinations always interrupt other actions other than Assassinations. So, if someone is sending an Admiral, conducting a Campaign, or playing an Action card, an Assassination attempt stops that action until the attempt is concluded.
If an Assassination is successful and has interrupted an Action that the target was performing, the interrupted Action is aborted. This means that the Senator can not perform that action and it has no effect on the game. If it was an Action card (that has an Action tag of 'Yes'), the card itself and any base cost to play it is lost - any variable amount above the base cost is refunded to the owning player.
Action cards that have an Action tag of 'No', do not require a Senator's action so assassinating the Senator involved has no effect on the card - it is resolved normally.
Shadow Tokens and Assassinations
The Basics
Shadow tokens do give extra dice on Assassinations. However, the assassin still needs to roll a 6 on one of the dice. If they roll a 6 and a 1 then both results apply - the target is killed but the assassin gains a Corruption token.
eg. Senator Gazali has 1 Shadow token and attempts to Assassinate Senator Fola. The bidding war ensues and in the end there is a +1 advantage to the attempt. This means that Fola is killed on a roll of 5 or 6. Gazali rolls his 2 dice (1 for the attempt and 1 for the Shadow token) and gets a 4 and a 2. Since neither die was a 5 or better the attempt fails and Fola survives.
The Point of the Game
Galactic Destiny is a game and as such it is meant to be fun. To achieve this we have created a game that allows for more freedom and choice than most other games available. This means that the game is adaptable and can accommodate many different strategies to win. It also makes the game more enjoyable as different players strive for different goals.
Rule Disputes
During the game there might be disputes over the rules of the game or how to interpret them. When this occur first consult this manual to see if the examples help. If the examples do not help, come to an agreement at the table and continue playing - this is a game and should be fun.
If you still have questions please visit our website or www.boardgamegeek.com to look at our FAQ. You can also contact us at the email address at the beginning of this manual.
Victory!
After an Election, if any player has Senators aligned to his Party in each of the 5 ministry positions, he wins the game.
When a player controls 10 or more Sectors on the board at the end of a turn they win the game. They have absolute control of the government and can pass whatever laws they wish, including ones that make sure that there aren't anymore of those pesky elections to deal with.
If there are multiple Parties that have 10 or more Sectors, the Party that controls the most Sectors wins. If there is a tie then the game proceeds through another turn.
Defeat!
The galaxy and its Republic are not all that stable. The Ke'Ras are always waiting just beyond the realm of sight and sound to break through and Infest the galaxy again. As you play the game you will have opportunities to indulge in evil acts. These can make you stronger and give you the push you need to achieve some goal.
Each evil act, however, increases the evil in the galaxy and makes the Ke'Ras and their Infestations stronger. If it goes too far then all is lost and the galaxy will fall into another era of horror.
If, at the end of any turn 10 or more Sectors are Infested, the game ends immediately and all the players lose. This condition overrides any victory conditions - so if a player has control of 10 or more Sectors and could win the game, they would instead lose if the Infestation had 10 Sectors.
Victory Conditions
- Control all 5 Ministries.
- Control 10 or more Sectors.
Defeat
If the Infestation controls at least 10 Sectors at the end of any turn all the players lose.
The Basics
Initiative
During each turn all players have an initiative determined by the Senate positions they hold. In all cases, going later in the initiative sequence is considered to be 'better' and going earlier is 'worse'. Since you must make your moves on your initiative and can rarely change them, the player who can see what the other players have done first has an advantage. If there are ever multiple players with the same initiative then they must roll off to determine their order.
If a player holds multiple positions, they always go on their 'best' initiative. When there are multiple players competing in the same Sector, the entire dispute is resolved on the 'worst' initiative of anyone present.
Initiative is as follows (from worst to best):
- The Republic Fleets and the Infestation
- Unseated: players without a ministry
- Minister of Defence
- Minister of Justice
- Minister of Finance
- Minister of Interior
- Prime Minister
- the Rebellion
The Infestation Roll
During the Galactic Phase one player must roll to see if the 3 Sectors drawn that turn become Infested by the Ke'Ras. That player rolls 2 dice and adds +1 to the result for every 3 Corruption tokens in play and for every 1 Shadow token in play. If the total result is 10 or greater, the Sectors are Infested. Flip the Sector tokens over to their Infestation side.
eg. Bob rolls the 2 dice and gets a 7. There are 6 Corruption tokens on the board adding 2 for a total of 9. There are also 4 Shadow tokens which add 4 for a total of 13. Since the result is greater than 10 the Infestation occurs.
Please note that the Infestation takes control of any Sector it occurs in. This means that if a Party had one or more of its Sectors drawn from the Sector Deck and they become Infested then the Party removes their Ownership Icon(s) from the Sector(s).
Furthermore, Infested Sectors are NOT available for Campaigns. They can only be Invaded. When an Infested Sector is Invaded and defeated the Infestation token is removed from the Sector and it becomes neutral. Invading an Infested Sector in this manner does not cost your Party Corruption. A Party may declare, when they declare the Invasion, that they are taking the Sector over for themselves. This costs them 2 Corruption as normal but if they win then they are able to take control of the Sector.
Deals and the Laws of the Senate
During the game all players are encouraged to make as many deals and trades as they want. This is a game about politics, after all.
Players are free to trade anything they wish in the game except for Corruption and Shadow tokens. Those must remain on the Senators that gain them.
Any trades made during the game that involve immediate transfers of resources, Senators, Sectors, or Cards can not be broken or cheated. If you agree to it then you must do it.
eg. Bob agrees to trade Julie 7 Money and 4 Influence for Sector 56, which Julie's Party controls. Once Bob pays the resources to Julie, she must give him the Sector.
Any trades that involve promises, however, can be broken.
eg. As part of the deal above Bob agrees that he will give the Sector back next turn. Since this is a promise he is free to break it and keep the Sector.
Breaking deals, however, has a price. Any time a player breaks a deal or a law of the Senate they gain 2 Corruption tokens which must both be placed on a single Senator currently aligned to their Party. (For more on Corruption, see page 8)
eg. Bob does decide to keep the Sector and must place 2 Corruption tokens on one of his Senators. He chooses to place them on Senator Fola.
Rolling Dice
Various actions in the game require players to roll dice. Follow these rules when dice are involved.
Any card, action, or resource used to influence the roll must be spent prior to the roll. Once the dice are rolled nothing further can be done to change the result, other than cards or abilities that specifically grant a re-roll.
Exploding 6
During Invasions and Campaigns any dice that roll a natural 6 grant another die. These extra dice do not generate further dice if they roll a 6.
Playing Cards
During the game players will be able to play cards from their hands. Many of them do not involve other players and can be played whenever the player chooses - as long as they meet all the requirements of playing the card.
The Basics
When a card is played, the player who is using the card must announce it. Then, each player may either play an Action card or Ability. If they do not speak up in a reasonable amount of time, they have chosen not to interfere and can not change their minds after the card's effects have been resolved.
Card Time Sequence
Each Action card has a time listed. This is General, Senate, or Intrigue. This code lists which phase of a turn this card can be played in. Cards that list a time of Senate can only be played during the Senate phase of a turn. Cards listed with Intrigue can only be played during the Intrigue phase. A Time of General means that the card can be played either in the Senate or Intrigue phases.
Please note that no cards can be played during the Galactic phase.
Card Priority
When an Action card is played to interfere with another Action card, their Card Priority number is compared to see if the new card can affect the old one. Cards can interfere with cards that have the same or higher Priority number. Card Priority works in order from 0 to 5. Parties whose cards are negated in this fashion still lose the card's base cost to play, if any.
eg. Bob plays a 'Public Humiliation' using Senator Fola's action. Julie decides to interfere and plays a 'Distraction'. The 'Public Humiliation' has a priority of 3 and the 'Distraction' has a priority of 2. Therefore the 'Distraction' interrupts and negates the 'Public Humiliation'. Both cards are discarded and play continues.
Transcriber's note: the example as printed has the 'Distraction' (priority 2) interrupting the 'Public Humiliation' (priority 3), which conflicts with the rule above that cards interfere only with cards of the same or higher Priority number. The example is transcribed as printed.
The Ghost in the Dark
The Ghost in the Dark card negates other Action Cards. In effect it deletes all of the effects of the card. This means that any costs associated with the card are ignored. However, the Ghost in the Dark card can not affect abilities listed on Senators, Ministry or Sector Abilities.
Negotiation
The heart of the game is the deals and promises that the players make to each other. In that vein we encourage you to always seek out deals with your neighbors. If you don't have enough of a particular resource, ask and see who is willing to lend you a hand - for a price of course.
If there is ever a dispute over the terms of a deal, the player who initiated the deal has the final say in the dispute. If the offending player admits that they have broken the deal then they gain 2 Corruption tokens on one of their Senators and the deal and its effects are broken. See page 8 for more details.
However, if the either player in the deal feels they are being cheated, they can sue the other player in the Galactic Court.
Each player states what they believe the deal was and stands forward 1 Senator that they control. Both Senators are immediately prosecuted (this occurs outside the normal time sequence of the game) and the Party who gets the lower result on the prosecution roll wins the case - their version of the deal is ratified and is now binding. Neither player is allowed to break this new deal since the law courts enforce it.
All the normal rules for prosecutions apply as well. This means that the Senators run the risk of having additional fines levied against their Party or even being executed. The courts do not look kindly on lies or those who seek to exploit others - that is one of the ways the Ke'Ras gain their power.
If the prosecution roll, after all modifications, is a tie then each party in the dispute rolls a single die. Whichever die rolls highest wins. Keep rolling until there is a clear winner.
If a player does not have a Senator to stand forward in this dispute then it comes down to a tie-break die roll. If a natural 2 is rolled by either player then their opponent gains 1 Corruption on their Senator that they stood forward.
Resolving Trades
Resources can always be traded with the bank at 3:1, this means that you must spend 3 of one resource for 1 of the other. You can always trade anything you want with other players at any mutually agreed rate.
Anytime that you agree to trade with another player you exchange the items agreed on. If it is Resources then the appropriate counters on the Resource tracks are moved.
Senators in play are handed across and are not Exhausted. Senators that have not been brought into play are handed over and must be recruited before they can be placed on the table.
Action cards are handed over immediately. Sectors are traded by the current owner removing their Ownership token from the Sector and the new owner placing one of his down.
Fleets are removed from the board by the player that has traded their fleets away. The player that has purchased the fleets puts down a corresponding number of their own fleets onto the board. Trading Fleets does not in any way modify the number of Fleets a Party can have in play at a time. That number is always 10.
Senators and Actions
Each Senator has 1 and only 1 Action per turn. These can be used to: play Action cards, Admiral an Invasion, Campaign in a Sector, or (in the Politics and Manipulation rules) use a Corrupt Ministry Ability.
When a Senator uses their action they are exhausted. Senators are refreshed at the beginning of each turn.
When a Senator is exhausted they are turned on their side. They can no longer use Action cards that require actions. They still contribute their vote to their Party in the Senate phase.
When a Senator is refreshed they are straightened and are able to perform actions again. Every Senator refreshes at the beginning of each turn in the Galactic Phase. If you are able to refresh a Senator during your turn (such as using a Multi-task card), you may use their action again immediately.
The Turn Sequence
Galactic Destiny is played in a series of turns divided into phases. Each phase of a turn must be completed and done in the order listed.
The Galactic Phase
This is the first phase of a turn and is where all the accounting and galaxy wide effects and Events are resolved. No Actions, Abilities, Cards or anything else can be played during this phase of a turn.
The order of play in the Galactic phase is:
- Refresh all Senators in play.
- If there are less than 5 Republic fleets in play, put one into play at no cost.
- Draw 3 Event cards and resolve them immediately. Any Events that remain in play are placed in the Active Events space on the board.
- Draw 3 Sector cards and mark the Sectors with the Sector tokens.
- Each player, in initiative order, draws 2 Action cards. (This is skipped the first turn)
- Each player, in initiative order, draws 2 Senator cards. (This is skipped the first turn)
- One player rolls for the Infestation. See Page 11
- All players collect their resources.
- Move the Election Counter 1 space on the track. The counter moves from the space marked '1' towards the space marked 'Election'.
Please note that if there are not enough Action cards left in the deck reshuffle the discard pile.
If there are not enough Senators left distribute the remaining ones equally to the players - if there isn't enough to go around give them out in Initiative order until all the Senators are dealt out. Some players may not get new recruits.
Collecting Resources
At the end of the Galactic Phase each Party generates resources from the Sectors it currently controls. This is very simple. Just look at each Sector that has one of your Party's Ownership Icons; and add the amounts listed in the Resource Icons to the balance in your treasury.
Each player gains 5 Money in addition to what they gain from their Sectors. This additional money represents donations and other forms of capital. This Money can never be affected by Events. Each player gains this amount, at a minimum, per turn.
The Bill of Sentient Rights
-
No Sentient shall ever be obligated to adhere to or support any political Party or ideology. The Senate can not create resources or assign Sectors. Money and Influence only come from the board, Action cards, or Ministry Abilities.
-
No Sentient shall be deprived of their freedom or property unless indicted with due process in a court of law. The Senate can not remove resources or Sectors from a Party other than through fines in Prosecutions or through taxes.
-
All Sentient beings are equal before the laws of the Republic. The Senate can not single out a Party or Parties but must govern the galaxy fairly - making general laws that all must follow.
-
Being the key property of sentient life, freedom of choice is inviolate; civil society demands that individual freedom be restricted, but nature forbids that it be extinguished. The Senate can not change the rules of the game, alter costs or wording on Action or Ability cards, eliminate a player's ability to play Action cards or Campaign.
-
Never again shall the galaxy be allowed to slide into the darkness of war. All aggression is outlawed throughout the galaxy. Invasions of Sectors are illegal and cost 2 Corruption tokens on the Admiral that leads the invading Fleets. This corruption cost can never be altered.
The Senate Phase
This phase is the heart of the politics of the game. Here is where the players may create and enforce the laws of the Senate. It can be a powerful tool to curb the ambitions of some or to fuel others.
This is a phase of Propositions. These are laws placed before the Senate for it to consider. They are voted on and either ratified into law or discarded.
A Proposition
Propositions can be anything that a player wants. You are playing as lawmakers in a functioning government. As such you can make whatever laws that you wish - as long as they don't violate the constitution. The constitution of the Republic is the Bill of Sentient Rights. Every proposition that is passed by the Senate must adhere to these rules. If it does not (by the agreement of the majority of the players) then it is struck down regardless.
First Turn Elections
As an optional rule you may decide to make the first Election of the game a random one. In this case, no votes are called. Instead the 5 Ministry cards are shuffled and dealt out randomly to the players.
We find that this speeds up the first turn and helps with new players.
The Workings of the Senate
- Elections (if the counter is on the Election spot)
- Vote on the distribution of the Republic Fleets.
- Vote on the Senate's list of Prosecutions.
- General propositions
- Prosecutions
The Prime Minister and his Duties
During the Senate Phase the player that controls the Prime Minister is responsible for making sure that the Senate runs smoothly. All Propositions are addressed to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister facilitates the debate around the propositions and should make sure that everyone has their say on the Proposition.
If there ever is no current Prime Minister this responsibility passes to the Minister of Interior, then Finance, Justice, and Defence. If there are ever no Ministers at all in the Senate then no Propositions can be tabled.
Taxes
The Senate can not remove resources or sectors from a Party but it can tax actions that they perform. Any action in the game world can be taxed - except for Action cards and voting in the Senate. Taxes go to the Republic and can be used to purchase Republic Fleets at the end of a turn. Any unused taxes disappear at the end of each turn - they can not be stockpiled. Not paying taxes is the same as breaking a Law of the Senate.
Parties in Good Standing
Every Party in the game is in Good Standing with the Senate. This means they are legitimate political parties that have their Senators in the Senate. They are allowed to vote on all Senate propositions and are bound by the Senate's laws.
A Party in Rebellion is no longer in Good Standing - they are a rebel. See page 21 for more details.
Voting on the Republic Fleet
When the Senate votes on the orders to the Republic Fleet each party may propose any orders it wants. These orders include where each model is being sent (the Fleet can be sent to multiple sectors) and which Senators will admiral the fleets.
The Republic Fleet can not be ordered to attack a party unless it is in Rebellion. It can not be ordered to take a Sector over for a Party. It always returns Sectors to neutral. Please see page 18 for more information.
If a Senator is voted on to admiral a Republic Fleet they must do so - if they can not for any reason they have broken the Law of the Senate and gain 2 Corruption. These Senators would be exhausted during the Intrigue Phase when the Republic Fleets are moved.
However, if the Minister of Defence uses his corrupt ability to change the orders to the Republic Fleets any admirals sent by the Senate can refuse to go. They do not gain any Corruption (they are refusing to obey an illegal order) but they do remain exhausted.
Senate Votes
Each Party has its Voting Strength and its Vote Total. When a Party votes on a proposition it votes with its Vote Total.
Voting Strength
A Party's Voting Strength is equal to the combined Diplomacy (the purple banner in the top right hand of the Senator card) of all its Senators (including exhausted Senators). Each Corruption token on its Senators reduces a Party's Voting Strength by 1. Shadow tokens reduce it by 3. A Party can have a Voting strength of 0 or less.
This is your Party's Voting Strength for the entire Senate phase (you get it for each vote) and is only modified if the total Diplomacy of your Senators is reduced or increased. This can only happen if you lose or gain Senators, Corruption, or Shadow tokens or if Action cards are played that add or reduce Diplomacy.
Also, if a Seduction card is played on one of your Senators that Senator is removed from the Senate and does not add to your Voting Strength.
Vote Total
On each vote a Party has a Vote Total. This is equal to the Party's Voting Strength plus any Influence the Party wishes to spend. Each point of Influence spent increases the Vote Total by 1.
Bidding Influence is performed in a roundtable fashion, with each Party bidding and counter-bidding until they have spent all the Influence they wish.
Once the bidding is over, the vote is tallied by the Prime Minister and the proposition either succeeds or fails. Regardless, once the vote is over each Party's Vote Total returns to its base value of the Party's Voting strength.
If there is a tie a die is rolled for each side of the proposition. The highest die result wins. Keep rolling until there is a clear winner.
If a Party ever has a Vote Total of less than 0 after they have bid all the Influence that they wish - their vote has no effect on the Senate.
A Party may only spend as much Influence on a Senate Vote as the total of its Senators printed Diplomacy.
Once a vote is cast it can not be changed. The PM calls the votes in the order that he sees fit. A player may vote however they wish (they don't even have to vote for their own proposition). Once all the votes are cast, the PM adds the totals and declares the winning proposition.
Elections!
During the Galactic Phase if the Election counter is moved onto the Election space (or the current Prime Minister calls one) all ministries are immediately vacated. No abilities granted by the ministries can be used until after the election. The first ministry elected is the Prime Minister. Each player may stand forward a Senator in their Party for the position. After all speeches and deals are made, a vote is called. This is a standard Senate vote. The winner takes the ministry, the Senator is placed on the Prime Minister space on the board and the Prime Minister card is given to the victorious player.
Now each of the other positions must be elected in the order that the new Prime Minister decides. If there is no current Prime Minister the order is decided by the player with the least number of Senators. Once all the positions have been voted on, the Election counter is placed back at the top of the track on the space marked as '1'.
A Senator can only hold 1 Ministry at a time. Therefore, you must have at least 5 Senators to control all 5 Ministries.
Please note that you can vote to keep a ministry vacant, in which case it is filled with an unnamed Senator and its abilities can not be used until a real Senator holds the ministry. The ministries remain like this until the next Election; where all the ministries are elected again.
Propositions
List of Propositions
To help new players get an idea of how the Senate works we have included here a set of 6 sample propositions. If players wish, they can limit the available propositions to the ones listed. This means that no one could create their own. This will result in a faster game.
Democratic Oversight Committee
To maintain the electoral process the Senate commits to stationing at least 1 of its Fleets in each Sector available for general Campaigns for the next 2 turns.
Every Party must send at least 1 Fleet to defend these Sectors for the next 2 turns.
Righteous Integrity Act
To ensure peace and a spirit of cooperation the great Parties of the galaxy are bound by law to not seek to sway the minds of the populace of Sectors already loyal to a Party for 2 turns.
No player may Campaign in a Sector controlled by another Party for 2 turns.
Homeland Defence Initiative
To maintain a fighting force strong enough to face any threat, the Parties agree to pay into the treasury of the Republic the sum of 3 Money every turn for the next 2 turns. The funds will be used to build the Republic Fleets.
At the end of each turn, for 2 turns, each player must spend 3 Money and buy a Republic Fleet.
Free Trade Compact
To foster fair business practices, the Senate is invested with the power to investigate and audit the Parties at will. This means that any deal or trade that a Party wishes to conduct with another Party must be ratified by a Vote of the Senate.
Trades that involve Resources, Fleets, or Sectors must occur during the Senate phase and must be ratified by a Vote of the Senate. Deals that involve promises or card exchanges are not subject to this law.
Movement Registration Oversight
To make travel safer the Senate needs to oversee and approve all movements of ships between Sectors. All Parties must register their movement and pay the administrative costs of 2 Money per Fleet moved for the next 2 turns.
To move a Fleet in the next 2 turns a player must pay the Republic 2 Money. This Money can be used to buy Republic Fleets or it is lost.
Free Speech & Education Consulate
To ensure that the democratic process is fair and that the populace knows all the issues involved each Party must conduct an educational Campaign prior to their political one in all Sectors they wish to sway to their cause for the next 2 turns. This educational Campaign will cost 2 Influence per Sector.
To declare a Campaign in the next 2 turns a Party must pay 2 Influence per Campaign declared.
These listed propositions are just sample ideas and players are encouraged to come up with their own. Be creative. In the above examples we always listed a duration of 2 turns. A proposition can have a duration of however long you wish - the laws of the Senate are binding. You can also put in any restrictions, requirements, or conditions that you see fit - as long as they don't break the Bill of Sentient Rights.
Prosecutions
Once all the propositions are voted on, the PM hands the Senate over to the Minister of Justice. The Minister may prosecute any Senator in play (see the Minister of Justice card for more details) that is NOT part of the Rebellion. Prosecutions are excellent ways to purge Corruption and Shadow tokens from the game - since a dead Senator no longer has any Shadow tokens to fuel the Infestation. They are also useful tools to hinder or destroy your rivals.
Please note that the justice system in the galaxy can only attempt to prosecute an individual Senator once per turn. So, if a Senator can somehow prevent the prosecution from proceeding or is found innocent they can not be prosecuted again until the next turn.
Each prosecution costs the Minister of Justice or the Party that proposed the prosecution (if it was voted on by the Senate) 2 Influence. This must be paid prior to the roll.
The Minister indicates which prosecution he is doing and rolls 2 dice. Each Corruption token on the accused adds +1 to the total and each Shadow token adds +3. The Minister adds the results and consults the Prosecutions Table (listed on each Party card):
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 10+ | Execution: the accused is thrown out an air lock. |
| 6-9 | Guilty!: the accused loses any Ministry they hold and their Party is fined 5 Money. |
| 3-5 | Innocent!: the accused is free to go. |
| 2 | Disgraced!: the Minister of Justice is humiliated and gains 1 Corruption token. |
If there is no Minister of Justice then only Prosecutions voted on by the Senate can be carried out. The PM is now responsible for rolling the dice. Fines from prosecutions are removed from the game. Also, the Disgraced roll result only adds Corruption to the current Minister of Justice. If there is no Minister this Corruption is not gained by anyone.
The Intrigue Phase
Like the name says, this phase of a turn is where most of the intrigue occurs. Stealthy assassinations, stirring public speeches, and military Invasions are all done during this phase.
The phase advances in a series of steps where all players declare their intents and then resolve them. This means that you must plan out what you are going to do. If you have an earlier initiative than another player, they have the advantage - they can see what you do prior to declaring their own actions. (See the 'Initiative' box on page 11 for more.)
The order of play is as follows:
- Declare all Invasions
- Resolve all Invasions
- Declare all Campaigns
- Resolve all Campaigns
- Purchase Fleets and Senators
Invasions
These are pretty simple - move your Fleets into a Sector and state that you are invading it. You may also place one of your Ownership Icons in the Sector with the gray scale side up; to indicate your intent to take the Sector for yourself.
You may send a Senator as the Admiral for the Fleets but you must state this now and use the Senator's action now. That Senator immediately gains 2 Corruption tokens.
If you do not send an Admiral, place the 2 Corruption tokens you gain for the Invasion on any Senator you control.
Please note that you can only send 1 Admiral to a battle. Although, each side fighting in the battle may have an Admiral present. So, if the PoP, CoS, and BIP were all fighting each other in a Sector they could each have 1 Admiral present.
On the other hand, if all three were helping each other out then each could then still have 1 Admiral present. In this case each Party would roll separately and add their totals at the end. An Admiral can only give bonuses to Fleets from their Party or to the Republic Fleets that they are commanding.
You may also defend a Sector. This costs you no Corruption. You may defend any Sector on the board, even ones controlled by another Party. Simply move your Fleets into the Sector and do not place one of your Ownership Icons in the Sector.
Once you have moved all your Fleets to where you want them, play passes to the next player in initiative order. You may not change or add movements once you have passed - unless you use a 'Feint' card.
Please note that Fleets can move anywhere on the board as long as they adhere to any movement restrictions in the Fleet Movement section, See page 19.
The Feint Card
When a player plays the Feint card they are restarting the 'declare all Invasions' step of the Intrigue Phase. The main difference, however, is that no one may declare in this new phase except for players that play a Feint card.
So, when one player plays a Feint card, any other players may do the same. If multiple players have played a Feint card, they declare again, in initiative order. No one else may change their declarations.
Players may change the Admiral they sent to a battle when re-declaring. If they previously sent an Admiral, that Senator remains exhausted.
Please note that a player only receives Corruption and Shadow tokens for the declarations he makes after the Feint - since all previous declarations are voided, any Corruption gained by them is removed.
Note also that the Minister of Defence's Special Ability to re-deploy the Republic Fleets functions just like a Feint card. As per initiative, Republic Fleets declare first in the new declaration phase.
Resolving Invasions
Battles are resolved in Initiative order from worst to best. If there are Fleets with different initiatives fighting in the same battle the conflict is resolved on the WORST initiative, i.e. the earliest initiative present.
When a player wins an Invasion, they flip their Ownership Icon to the coloured side - this replaces any Ownership Icons currently in the Sector.
The invading player gets to roll 1 die per Fleet they have sent. Add the results to get a total.
The defending player gets 1 die base +1 die for each defending fleet. Add the rolls together and then add the Sector Defence value, this gives you the total defence value. Compare this to the attacker's total and whoever is higher wins. Defender wins ties.
Please remember that any dice that roll a natural 6 grants you a bonus die that you roll and add to the result. Bonus dice do not generate further bonus dice.
Admirals add their Command rating to the result of the roll. An Admiral can only be sent if at least 1 Fleet is present from the side the Admiral is fighting for (either their Party or the Republic Fleets).
eg. Senator Jemak has a Command of 6. So, if he invaded a Sector with 3 Escort Fleets he would roll 3 dice and add 6 to their total.
If the Sector is unowned, the Minister of Defence rolls for the neutral Sector.
Either side may play any Cards or use any Abilities they wish to affect the outcome of the battle, prior to the dice being rolled. Once all Actions are resolved they may roll the dice. Only cards or abilities that grant re-rolls can be used after the dice have fallen.
Bonuses to Battles
The tactical situation on the board is very important. A player gains bonuses based on the Sectors that they hold and the Sector they are trying to take.
A player gains +1 to their roll (as long as they have at least 1 of their own Party fleets participating in the Invasion) for every Sector adjacent to the invaded Sector (Sectors up/down and left/right - corners do not count) that has the player's Ownership Icon. Republic Fleets do not gain this bonus unless a Party Fleet is present.
Defenders also gain these bonuses for adjacent Sectors under their control for both Invasions and Campaigns. They are not required to have 1 of their Party Fleets present to gain this bonus.
Please remember that a player can only Invade a specific Sector once per turn.
Victories and Retreats
Victorious Fleets remain in the Sector where the battle occurred. Defeated Fleets move back to any Sector controlled by their Party. Players can choose where their Fleets retreat. Defeated Fleets do not need to retreat to the same Sector. If a player does not have any sectors they can retreat their Fleets to any neutral sector on the board.
The Republic Fleets always return to Sector 1 after a battle - whether they win or not.
Multiple Sides in a Battle
Some battles will have more than 2 sides to them. In this case fleets and Parties congregate into sides based on what outcome they desire. Everyone rolls their own dice, adds their bonuses, and then declares their result. Each Party fighting for a certain outcome adds their totals together. If everyone in a Sector is fighting for themselves then to be successful they must have the highest total overall.
eg. The BIP has invaded a neutral Sector attempting to take it for their own, they have 4 fleets. The COS and GSP have moved in 4 Fleets (2 each) to help defend the Sector. The POP has also moved in 2 Fleets to help the BIP while the TMP has moved 8 of his own Fleets in to take the sector for himself. This is a three sided battle. There is the Sector supported by the COS and GSP (5 dice + Sector Defence), the BIP support by the POP (6 dice), and the TMP by itself (8 dice). In this case each side would roll and their totals together and then compare to the other two sides. Whichever side gets the highest overall total would win.
Fighting the Infestation
The Infestation acts like any other neutral Sector. It rolls 1 die and adds the Sector's Defence rating to the result. Infested Sectors gain 1 additional die for every Shadow Token in play. In all other ways they are exactly the same as every other battle.
Casualties of War
Every die that rolls a 5 or 6 inflicts a casualty on your opponent. This means 1 of their Fleets is destroyed at the end of the battle - after they have rolled. Extra dice granted from rolling 6's also inflict casualties.
Some abilities (such as the Butcher, see page 22) alter this number.
Once the result of the battle is determined each player involved must remove a number of Fleets equal to the total number of casualties scored by his opponent. When assigning casualties it is the player who is losing the Fleets who allocates them. Even neutral Sectors and the Infestation inflict casualties. If there are multiple opponents the Player that is inflicting the casualties decides where they go.
Please note that no casualties can be assigned to Republic Fleets while opposing Party fleets are still present.
Fleet Movement
Fleets can only move once per turn. However, they have unlimited range and can move anywhere on the board.
Admirals as Casualties
If a Party has sent one of its Senators as a Admiral of an Invasion there is a possibility that they will get killed.
During a battle, if you suffer more casualties that you can account for with the Fleets you have present, any Admiral of your forces is killed and discarded from play. This applies to the Republic Fleets as well.
eg. The PoP has sent 2 Cruiser fleets along with Senator Fola as Admiral to invade Sector 10. The Sector Defences Inflict 2 casualties so both Fleets are wiped out - Fola, however, escapes. If the Sector had inflicted 3 or more casualties Senator Fola would have perished.
The Republic Fleet
The Republic Fleets (the black/grey models) are the police and peacekeeping forces of the Senate. They make sure that Republic law is maintained and that no one tries to usurp the democratic process.
The Republic can have 10 Fleets in play at a time.
The Republic Fleets are at the Senate's command. They will obey the orders of the Senate as long as they are lawful and adhere to the following guidelines:
The Republic Fleets can never allow a Sector to be taken over by a Party. They are there to maintain democracy, not instill tyranny. This means that the Republic Fleets will actively oppose anyone trying to Invade a Sector where they are present.
eg. Bob invades Sector 32 with 5 Fleets. Normally the Sector would only get its base defence die against him. However, there are 2 Republic Fleets on patrol here. Seeing Bob's hostile intent they join forces with the local forces to repel the Invasion, granting the Sector their 2 battle dice.
Furthermore, if the Republic Fleets are attacking a Rebellious or Infested Sector, their orders are ALWAYS to return the Sector to neutral. If a player sends his own Fleets and tries to take the Sector for himself he must fight independently of the Republic Fleets and defeat them as well.
eg. 5 Republic Fleets have been Sent to Sector 50 to fight the Infestation there. Julie Sends 7 of her own Fleets to take the Sector for herself. There is 1 Shadow token in play so the Infestation rolls 2 dice and adds 5 getting a total of 13. The Republic Fleets roll 5 dice getting a total of 20. Julie, however, rolls only an 18. Normally she would take the Sector since she has beaten the Infestation. In this case the Republic Fleets beat her back and return the Sector to neutral.
When the Minister of Defence uses his corrupt ability it overrides these rules. The Republic Fleets can be ordered to do anything, even Invade a Sector and hand it over to any Party.
At the beginning of Each turn, if there are less than 5 Republic Fleets in Play, the Republic automatically purchases 1 Fleet and puts it into play. The money comes from the Republic itself and does not cost the Parties anything.
Campaigns
Campaigns are your Party's peaceful attempts to sway a Sector over to your ideology. You may declare a Campaign in any Sector adjacent to a Sector you currently control - corners do not count, so only Sectors up/down and left/right of the currently held Sector are available.
In addition, each Party may Campaign in the 3 Sectors marked with the Sector token - as long as they are not Infested. These are the 3 Sectors drawn during the Galactic Phase.
Campaigns are declared in Initiative order. To declare a Campaign a player places one of their Ownership Icons with the grey side up in the Sector(s) in which they wish to target. Each Campaign requires an action and exhausts a Senator. You may declare as many Campaigns as you want as long as you have available Sectors and Senators.
Please note that only a single Senator may be sent to a Campaign. Defending players can not send Senators to their own Sectors. Instead they gain the Sector defence as a bonus to their roll. A defending player can spend Influence to enhance their roll.
Resolving Campaigns
Campaigns are resolved in initiative order from worst to best.
Please note that since Campaigns are resolved after Invasions, a successful Campaign can claim a Sector that has been invaded in the same turn.
eg. Bob invades Sector 32 in the first part of the Intrigue Phase. Julie holds Sector 31 and so, when declaring Campaigns, decides to try to take Sector 32 away from Bob. Julie conducts a successful Campaign and takes the Sector as her own, leaving Bob to plot his revenge.
During a Campaign you send a Senator in an attempt to persuade the populace of the target Sector to join your Party. Your Senator conducts a series of speeches, photo-ops, and guest appearances where he illustrates the benefits your Party would bring to the Sector.
During a Campaign the Sector rolls 1 die and adds its Defence Rating to its roll.
The Campaigning Senator rolls 1 die and adds his Diplomacy to the roll.
Please remember that any dice that roll a natural 6 grants you a bonus die that you roll and add to the result. Bonus dice do not generate further bonus dice. Also, remember that you can not Campaign in Infested Sectors.
Prior to the roll, the Party conducting the Campaign can spend as much Influence as they wish. Each point spent adds 1 to the roll.
If the target Sector is controlled by another Party, that Party can also spend Influence to enhance the Sector's roll.
If the Sector is unowned it can not have its roll modified in any way.
Any Party involved in the Campaign either as aggressor or defender adds 1 to their roll for every adjacent Sector that they currently control.
If multiple Parties are conducting Campaigns in the same Sector the entire affair is resolved on the worst initiative present. Each Party rolls separately and the Sector rolls once. All the values are compared and the highest total wins.
When resolving a Campaign the Senator conducting the Campaign can add 1 to his roll if the Sector has the same race icon in its Demographics Icons as what appears on the Senator's card.
Furthermore, the Senator can also add 1 to his roll if the Sector has the Party Icon of the Party that controls the Senator.
On the other hand, the Senator must subtract 1 from his roll for every Corruption token he possesses and 3 for every Shadow token.
Purchasing Fleets and Senators
Once all Invasions and Campaigns are complete all players may purchase Fleets or Senators from their reserves.
Costs:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Party Fleet | 5 Money |
| Republic Fleet | 3 Money |
| Senator | as listed |
Purchases can be done in any order and in any quantity that a player chooses. All you need is enough Money to cover all the costs.
Please note that Senators purchased can not use their action until the next turn. They are spending time getting used to being part of your Party.
When you purchase Fleets you may put them in any of your Sectors on the board. All Fleets are considered to be defending unless they are given different orders. If you have no Sectors then place them anywhere you wish.
Please note that if a Senator that you are purchasing has the Party Icon of your Party on them, they cost you 2 less Money than normal. This is to represent their natural leanings towards your Party and its ideology.
The Rebellion
The Fight for Good:
During a game a player may feel that the Republic has become too corrupt or evil to survive. Or they may see that any chance for dominance within the system is beyond their reach and so instead seek to destroy the system.
This is the path of Rebellion. A Party in Rebellion is no longer a sanctioned Party in the government. Its Senators are now outlaws. It preaches dissent from hidden bases to those citizens that feel dissatisfied with the government.
Declaring Rebellion
A Party can declare Rebellion during any turn after the first. A Party can not declare Rebellion during the Galactic Phase of a turn. Only one Party can be in Rebellion at a time. If a player wishes to declare Rebellion but there is already another player currently in Rebellion, the first player must wait until the current Rebellion is over to start their own.
When a player declares Rebellion, all of their Senators immediately flee the Senate, relinquishing any Ministries they held, and disappear into the underground - this negates any prosecutions that they might have been up for.
Also, the Sectors the rebellious player controls may or may not join him in Rebellion. When a player declares Rebellion they nominate a single Sector they control - this Sector joins them in Rebellion. The player must then roll a die for every other Sector they control. If they roll a 6 the Sector joins them. On any other result, the Sector turns neutral and the player must remove their Ownership Icon from it.
Nothing can be used to augment or adjust this roll except for cards or abilities that allow a re-roll.
Benefits of Rebellion
Working in the underground and fighting a war against the government is hard. People are willing to do a lot more in extreme circumstances than they could ever conceive. Rebellious players gain the following:
They gain no Corruption for Invasions.
All Sector Defense numbers are reduced by half, round up, for all the Rebellion's Invasions and Campaigns.
A rebel player may conduct Campaigns in any Sector on the board.
All rebel Senators gain the Assassin ability. See page 22.
All rebel Senators gain the Saboteur ability. See page 22.
A Rebellious player is not affected by the laws of the Senate and can not be prosecuted by the Senate.
A rebellious player can not be targeted by Actions that have a time tag of 'Senate'.
The Price
A rebel player can only win by gaining 10 Sectors on the board. Also, since they are fighting directly against the Republic, the other players can order the Republic Fleet to attack and turn neutral any rebellious Sector on the board. They can also use their Party Fleets for the same purpose - helping the Republic Fleet or alone. This costs them no Corruption - however they can not take the Sectors over for themselves unless they attack with only their own Party Fleets and gain the 2 Corruption.
Also, no one trusts a Rebel: deals with a player in Rebellion are not binding and suffer no Corruption for either side if they are broken. Remember that instant trades can not be broken or cheated.
Making Peace
A rebellious player can make peace with the Republic and seek to rejoin the Senate. This can be done by either the remaining players in the Senate offering peace to the rebel or vice versa. Regardless of who initiates the peace talks both sides must agree (the players in the Senate must decide through a Vote of the Senate during the Senate Phase). If the treaty is signed the rebellious player immediately rejoins the Senate, their Senators come out of hiding, and the player loses all benefits and drawbacks of being in Rebellion.
More Rules
The following are a few additional rules that you need to be aware of.
Sector Abilities
Each Sector that has a gold Sector Ability Icon in it grants the Party that controls it a special ability. These are detailed on the Ability cards and on the board.
Ministry Corrupt Abilities
Also, players have access to the corrupt Abilities of the Ministries. When using a Corrupt Ministry Ability the owning player uses the Action of the Minister and then chooses how many Corruption tokens to place on the Minister. Each token placed at this point allows the Senator to reap the rewards.
eg. Bob has Senator Fola as the Minister of Finance. Bob uses Fola's action and places 3 Corruption tokens on her. For that Bob gains 9 Money.
The main exception to this is the Minister of Defence. This Ability only costs 1 Corruption token. However, the Minister can gain more Corruption through this act by declaring Invasions with the Republic Fleets - these Invasions incur Corruption tokens just like all other Invasions.
If Invasions are done by using the Minister of Defence's Corrupt Ability the Corruption must go on the Minister unless there is an Admiral at the Invasion(s).
Senator Abilities
Assassin: This Senator can perform an assassination, using their action, as if you had played the card.
Atheist: This Senator's first Shadow token does not affect the number of dice rolled by them or the Ke'Ras.
Believer: This Senator gains 5 Command when fighting the Ke'Ras.
Bureaucrat: This Senator earns 3 Money at the beginning of each turn they hold a Ministry.
Butcher: In Battle this Senator destroys opposing Fleets on a 4 or higher.
Code Breaker: This Senator can re-roll 1 of their battle dice. The new result stands.
Coward: This Senator cannot die in battle but does not re-roll any 6's in battle.
Master Assassin: As an action, this Senator can perform an assassination as if you had played the card. This attempt gets a +1 to their roll.
Master Spy: As an action, this Senator may pay 4 Money and look at another Party's hand. You may discard cards from their hand at a cost of 4 Money per card.
Merciful: This Senator does half casualties in battle (round up).
Pacifist: This Senator rolls 2 fewer dice in battle.
Political Animal: To prosecute this Senator, the cost is 1 Influence more than normal.
Public Speaker: This Senator gains 1 Diplomacy to Campaigns in Sectors.
Religious Leader: Use this Senator's action and target a Senator in play. Pay 2 Influence for every Corruption token you remove from the target.
Saboteur: As an action, this Senator may pay 6 Money and destroy a Fleet in play of their choice.
Spy: As an action, this Senator may pay 4 Money and look at another Party's hand.
Strategist: This Senator gains +1 to one of their battle dice. This die must be chosen before the roll, and can cause a re-roll if the new result is 6 or higher.
Tactician: This Senator gains 1 extra battle die.
Ancient Indulgences (Sector 8): Once per turn in the buying Phase, your Party may remove one Shadow token in play for the cost of 10 Money.
Blackmarket Data (Sector 5): Once each turn you may look at another player's hand.
Boon of Peace (Sector 32): At the end of each turn where there are no successful Invasions, your Party gains 10 Money.
Friendly Discount (Sector 9): Your Party may purchase Fleets for 2 less Money than normal, minimum 0.
Informer Network (Sector 10): Your Party has the best Initiative - better than the Rebellion.
Militant Population (Sector 4): Each Sector your Party controls gains 1 extra battle die for defence.
Military Monopoly (Sector 28): Your Party gains 1 Money for every Fleet the other Parties purchase.
Opiate Persuasion (Sector 30): The first Senator your Party recruits each turn costs 5 less Money.
Purity Blessings (Sector 6): At the end of each turn, if there are no Senators in play that have any Shadow tokens, your Party gains 10 Influence.
Random Augury (Sector 33): Each turn, you may give another player one Action card from your hand. Then name a card. If they have the named card, they must give it to you.
Voice of Authority (Sector 1): All Senators in your Party gain +1 Diplomacy while you control this Sector.
Welcome Insurrection (Sector 29): On your Party's first Invasion each turn, gain no Corruption.
Will to Power (Sector 34): You may re-roll one die each turn and choose the better result.
Ministry Abilities
Please note that each of these abilities have the following statistics:
- Time: Senate
- Action: No
- Card Priority: 5
Prime Minister: You are responsible for the running of the Senate and can veto any Proposition for the cost of 1 Influence. You may call an Election in the Galactic Phase of any turn.
Minister of Interior: This senator represents the people and gains +1 Diplomacy.
Minister of Finance: You may audit any Senator in the Senate for the cost of 1 Influence. Roll a die and on a 6 the Senator gains a Corruption token.
Minister of Justice: You are responsible for the prosecutions each turn. Before resolving prosecution, announce any additional trials you wish. Prosecutions cost 2 Influence per Senator.
Minister of Defence: This Senator is the leader of the Republic Fleets and gains +2 Command while in office.
Ministry Corrupt Abilities - Effects
Please note that each of these abilities have the following statistics:
- Time: General
- Action: Yes
- Card Priority: 5
Prime Minister: Target another Party that is in good standing in the Senate and for every Corruption token placed on the Minister (to a maximum of 5) reduce the target Party's Influence by 3.
Minister of Interior: For each Corruption token (to a maximum of 5) placed on the Minister, extort 3 Influence from the Republic.
Minister of Finance: For each Corruption token (to a maximum of 5) placed on the Minister, embezzle 3 Money from the Republic.
Minister of Justice: None.
Minister of Defence: Place 1 Corruption token on the Minister and re-deploy the Republic Fleets as you see fit. They can be ordered to do anything you wish - including invading a Sector(s) for you.
Please note that any Corruption gained by Invasions attempted by this ability MUST go on the Minister.
History, The Parties and The Races
The publisher's "History and Legend" (pp. 24-25), "The Parties" (pp. 26-27) and "The Races" (pp. 28-30) sections are setting background and faction flavour text. They are not transcribed here.