Galaxy Hunters Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Setup
• Gameplay
  • Action Phase
  • Maintenance Phase
• End of Game
  • Scoring Breakdown
• Key Terms and Mechanics
  • Credits
  • Radiation
  • Mech Stats Resource Cubes
  • Mutants
  • Hull Damage
  • Resource Tokens
  • Agent Ships
  • Debt
  • Mission Cards
  • Pilots
  • Mechs
  • Pilot Upgrades
  • Invasion
  • Reputation Track
  • Combat
  • Round Reference
• Sample Turn
• Reference
  • Planets
  • Pilot Abilities
  • Pilot Upgrades
  • Mech Equipment Upgrades
    • Armor
    • Energy
    • Gadgets
    • Medals
    • Merchants
    • Weapons
  • Specialist Cards
• Quick Reference
  • Gameplay
  • Combat
  • Resource Tokens

Game Components

• Pilot upgrade tiles
• Mutant tiles
• Upgrade tiles
• Game board
• Mission cards
• Specialist cards
• Pilot tiles
• Mech tiles
• Reputation track markers
• Resource tracker
• Resource tokens (theridium, titanium, lutygen, aurum, diamond, favor)
• Turn marker
• Invasion marker
• Mechs
• Hull damage tokens
• Radiation tokens
• Credit tokens
• Debt tokens
• Mech stats resource cubes (armor, energy, ammo)
• Agent ships
• DNA tokens

Game Setup

1. Unfold the game board.

2. Place the white invasion marker on Planet 1 (Planet Prim).

3. Place the white turn marker on the first square of the turn tracker.

4. Shuffle the mutant tiles and form a face-down pile near planet Ulaan, to the left of the game board. Flip the top four mutant tiles over and place them in the four spots on the planet Ulaan. If a mutant tile with a red back is drawn, shuffle it back in with the other mutant tiles and draw until a tile without a red back is drawn. Red mutant tiles indicate an invading mutant, and mutants can only invade during the game, not during setup.

5. Separate the upgrade tiles according to their player count and then by the colored icon at the bottom of the token. Place the tiles being used on the side of the game board in the section with the corresponding marketplace icon and color. Every eligible upgrade tile for each marketplace should be placed during this step.

6. Each player chooses a player color and takes three ships and one Reputation track marker of that color (green, blue, red, or yellow). Put all the players' colored Reputation track tokens on the start position (upper left) of the Reputation track. From left to right, top to bottom, the order of the tokens on the Reputation track decides player order for the round. The player closest to the start position goes first, and the furthest from start position goes last. If two or more tokens are on the same spot, the one on top goes first, then the next one down and so on. Randomly decide player order for the first round, and give 1 credit to the first player, 2 credits to the second, 3 to the third, and 4 to the fourth.

7. Shuffle the mission cards and distribute one mission card to each player. Players must leave them face-up on the play area, they are not secret information. Then place one mission card face-up on each mission card space on the game board and put the remaining mission cards next to the board.

8. Separate the specialist cards out according to the player count for your game (some specialist cards are only used in games with 3 or more players). Shuffle the specialist cards and form a face-down pile near the board. Place two cards face-up onto the board in the open specialist card spots.

9. Shuffle the pilot upgrade tiles and form a face-down pile near the board. Place two tiles face-up onto the board in the open pilot upgrade spots.

10. Each player gathers one of each resource token, and places them on the '0' section of their resource tracker. Adjust the credit token based on player start order for the first round.

11. Each player sets aside one agent ship. This ship will be added to the player's controlled agent ships on turn 4.

12. The first player receives all the mech tiles and the last player receives all the pilot tiles. The first player chooses a mech and passes all the other mech tiles to the next player in player order. The last player chooses a pilot and passes all the other pilot tiles to the previous player in player order. Keep doing this until all players have taken one mech tile and one pilot tile.

• Put blue cubes on top of the ARMOR space on the mech;
• Put red cubes on top of the AMMO space on the mech;
• Put green cubes on top of the ENERGY space on the mech.

These cubes represent the amount of each resource the mech has. As the game goes by, you will take damage (reducing ARMOR), and will spend AMMO and ENERGY to take actions. When a resource of a given type is spent or reduced, simply remove a cube of that type from your mech.

15. Each player collects their mech miniature figure, and places it next to their matching mech tile.

Note: Many components in Galaxy Hunters indicate a player count on them. However, some cards and tiles will have 3+ on them indicating they are only to be used during games with 3 or more players. On the game board, docking locations for your Agents will feature a number indicating the player count at which that dock is available to use. Lower player counts result in fewer available docks. If there is no player count indicated, then that component is used during the game no matter the number of players.

Gameplay

Galaxy Hunters is played over the course of nine rounds, and every round has two phases: the Action phase and the Maintenance phase. In each phase, the players will act in order of their position on the Reputation track.

Action Phase

The starting player must perform one of the following actions:

1. Place one agent ship on a planet or on the pilot tile and trigger its effect: a. Place the ship on an empty and eligible docking area of a planet.

   • If a planet has been invaded by a mutant, two agent ships must be placed in one docking space (see Invasion).
   • Immediately trigger the planet's effect. b. There are two docking areas on each pilot tile that can be used to dock ships. c. Some planetary docks are only eligible with a certain number of players, as shown on the game board. Without this many players, the dock cannot be used.

2. Deploy a mech to a planet and trigger its effect: a. Place the mech on an empty or invaded planet space. This is done by placing the mech directly on the art of the planet itself. b. If the planet is empty, immediately trigger its effect as if docking an agent ship. c. If the planet is invaded by a mutant, or it is the Wasteland of Ulaan, which always has mutants on it, proceed to combat (see Combat). After combat ends, the people on the planet are grateful and grant all the planet's effects. Fighting invading mutants grants both mutant rewards and the planet's effects.

Some upgrade tiles, specialist cards, and pilot upgrades grant free actions. The player can flip these tiles or cards over to immediately use the listed ability as a free action any time during their turn. These tiles and cards will be replenished every Maintenance phase.

Some abilities have a repair icon, and a color along with the symbol. This allows the player to replenish a certain number of spent cubes of that color. For example, when a player docks at planet Vas, they may replenish up to 6 of any combination of cubes.

3. After the selected action has been played, the next player will then perform one action. This continues until all available actions have been played. The Action phase then ends, and the Maintenance phase begins.

Maintenance Phase

1. All players return all agent ships and mechs to their play area.

2. Starting with the first player, each player flips all mutant tiles that the player defeated this round, and claim their rewards. Discard the defeated mutants into a common discard pile next to the board. Once the mutant pile next to Ulaan is depleted, shuffle all the discarded mutants to form a new pile.

3. Starting with the first player, each player may purchase a new mission card from the available face-up missions by paying a pink favor resource. Only one mission can be acquired like this per round. If a player chooses to buy a new mission card, draw a new mission card to fill the empty space.

4. Turn all flipped tiles and cards face up to be used again on the next round.

During the Maintenance phase of the fourth round, give all players their last ship.

If it's the Maintenance phase of the fifth or ninth round, players must pay 3 credits for every ship they own. If a player cannot pay, they receive 1 Debt per ship that wasn't paid for. Each Debt costs players -3 victory points at the end of the game.

After each player has completed steps 1-4, proceed with steps 5-7:

5. Discard all mission cards, pilot upgrade tiles, and specialist cards from the game board and draw new ones for the next round.

6. Move the turn-track marker to the next step.

7. Begin the next round with the new player order on the Reputation track.

End of Game

At the end of the ninth round's Maintenance phase, the game is over. After calculating each player's score, the player with the most victory points is the winner and is granted the title of Galaxy Hunter. In the case of a tie, the player that is furthest along the Reputation track is the winner. If there's still a tie, the player with the least Hull Damage, Debt, and Radiation tokens (in this order) is the winner.

Scoring Breakdown

• Mech: +1 VP for each upgrade tile on the player's mech. This does not include medals (yellow tiles) or merchants (pink tiles).
• Pilot upgrades: +1 VP for each upgrade tile on the player's pilot.
• Specialists: +1 VP for each hired specialist card in the player's play area.
• Preferred Neural-Connection Blueprint: +7 VP if the player correctly assembled the 6 indicated mech upgrades listed on their pilot board. This criteria is in addition to the VPs gained for adding upgrade tiles. For example, if a player correctly completed their preferred neural-connection, then that player would score 6 points for the upgrades, plus 7 for completing the neural connection, totaling 13 points.
• Yellow Upgrade Equipment (medals): Gain the VPs listed on all of the player's medal upgrade tiles.
• Pink Upgrade Equipment (merchants): Gain the VPs listed on all of the player's merchant upgrade tiles.
• Missions: Gain the VPs listed on all the player's completed mission cards.
• Reputation track: Gain the VPs listed where the player's marker is on the Reputation track.
• DNA: +1 VP for each DNA that wasn't used to complete a mission.
• Radiation: -3 VPs for each Radiation on the player resource tracker.
• Hull Damage: -3 VPs for each Hull Damage on the player resource tracker.
• Debt: -3 VPs for each Debt on the player resource tracker.

Key Terms and Mechanics

Credits

These are the game's currency. Credits are used to acquire new upgrades for the players' mechs, pay salary for their ships, and pay costs at some planets.

Radiation

Some planets emit radiation on their surface, so whenever a player lands a ship on one of these planets, that player must also gain a number of Radiation as indicated on the planet. Each Radiation costs -3 victory points at the end of the game.

Mech Stats Resource Cubes

These represent the amount of armor, ammo, and energy a mech has. These cubes are placed on top of the mech tile on their respective spots. In combat, mechs may take damage, which removes blue Armor cubes from the mech tile. Using weapons to fight mutants costs Ammo (red cubes) and Energy (green cubes). These resources can be replenished by taking a Repair action, either on planets or on a pilot repair landing dock.

Mutants

These are the genetic aberrations resulting from illegal experiments on distant planets. Pilots are hired to rid planets of these anomalies, and for that they are well rewarded.

There are five races of mutants, each with a unique DNA type.

All mutant tiles have the same information:

• Front: DNA code/type of monster, Strength, Armour, Monster # level.
• Back: # of DNA, # of Favor resources, # of credits, # of reputation points.

Whenever a mutant tile with a red back is on the top of the mutant pile, flip the tile over and put the mutant on the planet with the invasion marker, then move the invasion marker to the next planet. Repeat this process until the top mutant tile does not have a red back.

Hull Damage

If a mutant's Strength exceeds a mech's current Armor resource cubes, the mech receives Hull Damage.

Example: If you attack a mutant with 4 Strength and your mech only has 2 Armor cubes, remove the 2 Armor cubes and move the Hull Damage token up two spaces on the resource tracker.

Note: Mechs with zero Armor cubes can't go into combat. They must be repaired first.

Resource Tokens

These pay for mech upgrade tiles. There are six types: Theridium, Titanium, Lutygen, Aurum, Diamond, Favor.

Agent Ships

These are members of the players' Megacorps and they work with their pilot to gather resources. Players start the game with two agent ships, and on the fourth round, they acquire a new agent of their color.

There are also two upgrade tiles that grant agents for hire (white and black ships), which can be used just like the players' agents.

Debt

Every time a player can't pay credits for their agent ships on the fifth and ninth rounds, that player moves their Debt token up one space for each ship that they were unable to pay for. Each Debt costs -3 victory points at the end of the game.

Mission Cards

These represent rewards players gain at the end of the game. Accumulate all the DNA tokens listed on the mission card, then discard those DNA tokens and flip over the mission card to complete a mission.

Every player starts with a random mission card and can acquire one new mission card per Maintenance phase. There are also some specialists and upgrade tiles that can acquire new mission cards.

Pilots

These are the hunt team's commanders and are responsible for hunting down and exterminating the mutants across the galaxy.

Pilot tile elements:

1. Illustration of pilot inside mech
2. Mech's blueprint
3. Victory points awarded if the blueprint is met
4. Pilot's info and name
5. Repair landing dock space
6. Ability #1
7. Ability #2
8. Ability #3
9. Ability #4
10. Recall mech to landing dock space

Every pilot has four abilities, but not all of them are available in each game – the mech each player chooses will indicate the two pilot abilities that can be used. Make sure to pay attention to which abilities are enabled.

Pilots also have two landing dock spaces that can be accessed by their Agent ships on each player's turn. Land an Agent ship on the pilot's tile to trigger its effects:

• By landing a ship on the Repair dock space, the player can replenish any four of their mech's stat cubes.
• By landing a ship on the Recall dock space, the player may recall their mech. Whenever the player's mech is on the game board, they may move one of their ships on this dock space to recall the mech and use it once more this round.

Players will use their ships and mech to gather resources from planets across the galaxy in the early game. These resources are used to purchase upgrade tiles, which will increase the firepower of a player's mech. Place upgrade tiles around mech tiles as shown below.

Mechs

Commanded by their pilots, mechs are used to trigger planet effects or combat mutants in order to fulfill missions and gain reputation throughout the galaxy. At the beginning of the game, each player must choose a mech to upgrade and transform into a mutant-killing machine.

Nine is the maximum number of upgrade tiles a player can have on a mech. If a player has the maximum number of tiles and gains a new tile, one of the existing mech tiles can be replaced. Equipment can be placed in any slot, and a mech may carry the same equipment in multiple slots.

All pilots have a mech blueprint that shows the optimal configuration for their chosen mech. Equipping a mech with the proper upgrades in the corresponding slots as shown on the blueprint grants additional victory points at the end of the game. The mech's other three slots can be upgraded with any equipment tiles, without affecting the blueprint.

Pilot Upgrades

Around the pilot's blueprint below, there are four red spheres, indicating that a pilot can have four pilot upgrades on them. These pilot upgrades have a gold border (different from mech upgrades), and they can be acquired on planet Phyta by paying 3 credits when placing a ship or mech on the planet.

Invasion

During setup, the invasion marker is placed on the planet Prim. This marker indicates the next planet to be invaded by mutants. Whenever a mutant is defeated in the Wasteland of Ulaan and a new mutant is drawn to fill its space, pay attention to the next mutant on the top of the pile. If the next mutant has a red back with an invader symbol on it, this mutant invades the planet with the invasion marker.

Put the invading mutant on the planet space on the game board, and move the invasion marker to the next numbered planet in ascending order. Check the top of the mutant pile once more. If there's another red backed tile with an invader symbol on it, that mutant invades the planet with the invasion marker. Repeat the steps listed above until a mutant tile without a red back is on top of the mutant pile.

Only one mutant can be invading a planet at a time. If all the numbered planets are being invaded when a red-backed invader tile is drawn, it cannot be placed, and stays on the top of the mutant pile. After the next player to defeat an invading mutant leaves the planet's space, the new invader immediately moves to that planet.

If there's an invader mutant on the top of the pile waiting for a planet to be cleared and a player lands on the Wasteland of Ulaan and kills a mutant, then the invader mutant is placed on the empty space in Ulaan as if it was a regular mutant.

Mutants on planets block the planet's landing spots. There are two ways to travel to an invaded planet:

• Move a mech to the planet and combat the mutant. After combat, the player will be able to trigger the planet's effect as usual.
• Move two agent ships to the same docking space. One ship is needed to distract the mutant while the other triggers the planet's effect as usual. A player with only one ship cannot land on an invaded planet's docking space.

On turns 3 and 7 of the round track, there are red invasion symbols. These indicate that an invasion is coming, even if there are no red-backed mutant tiles on top of the pile. Draw the top mutant tile, and put it on the planet with the invasion marker (just as with an invader mutant). If the next mutant on the pile is a red-backed invader mutant, invade the next numbered planet as usual.

Note that some planets don't have numbers on them. These planets have advanced defense systems. Invading mutants will not attack these planets, choosing easier targets instead.

Reputation Track

The more mutants each player kills, the more renown they gain across the galaxy.

This track is where the players proudly show their current status. As previously stated, player order is also determined by the Reputation track. From left to right, top to bottom, the player closest to the start is the first player, and the player closest to the end of the track is the last player for that round. If two or more players are on the same spot, the one on top plays first.

Example: In this example, the red player goes first, then green, then yellow, and then blue.

The Reputation track also grants victory points at the end of the game, as listed on the spots on the track.

Some landing dock spaces on planets are only accessible once a player reaches a certain position on the Reputation track. Once their reputation marker reaches the corresponding symbol on the Reputation tracker, the player is able to use that landing dock space for the remainder of the game.

This shows your prestige in the galaxy. As you advance as a hunter of mutants, your reputation will follow you.

Combat

Combat will always happen whenever you put your mech on Wastelands of Ulaan or on a planet space that contains an invader mutant.

Important: Combat can only happen if the following requirements are met:

1. The mech already has a weapon upgrade tile attached to it.
2. The mech has at least 1 blue Armor cube on its tile.
3. The mech's weapon upgrades have an Attack value equal to or higher than the mutant's Defense.

When a player meets all requirements for combat and deploys their mech to a planet where there's a mutant, follow these steps:

1. The mutant always has the upper hand and attacks first. It deals damage to the mech's Armor equal to its Strength. If the mech does not have sufficient Armor cubes to absorb the damage, any additional damage is dealt as Hull Damage and marked on the tracker. Each Hull Damage is worth -3 victory points at the end of the game, and cannot be removed by the Repair action.

2. The mech then returns fire! To do so, the player chooses the weapon (or weapons) that they will attack with. Each weapon can be fired only once per combat. The player then pays the firing cost in red Ammo cubes, green Energy cubes, or both, equal to the amount listed on the chosen weapon(s). If a player does not have sufficient Ammo or Energy, the weapon may not be used. If the damage from the combined weapons equal or exceed the mutant's Armor (shown in blue on the bottom right of the mutant tile), the mutant is defeated!

3. The victorious player takes the mutant tile and places it in their player area, to be rewarded during the next Maintenance phase. If the combat took place in the Wastelands of Ulaan, immediately draw a new mutant tile to take its place, filling the empty hex.

Note: Occasionally the next mutant on the top of the pile is a red Invader mutant. If that is the case, the invading mutant is placed on the planet that currently has the invasion tracker on it, as previously explained. Invading mutants always invade, but there may be some cases where 2 or more invading mutants are drawn and invade, before you're able to place a standard mutant in the empty hex.

Note: If the combat took place on a planet with an invader mutant, immediately trigger that planet's effects by gathering its resources, visiting the market (if it's a market planet), or by getting new upgrades. Do not replace the defeated mutant on this planet. It stays liberated!

Round Reference

Third Round: Invasion! At the beginning of the round, draw the top mutant tile and put it on the planet with the invasion marker.

Fourth Round: During the Maintenance phase, give all players their last ship.

Fifth Round: During the Maintenance phase, pay 3 credits for every ship owned, gain 1 debt per ship that wasn't paid for.

Seventh Round: Invasion! At the beginning of the round, draw the top mutant tile and put it on the planet with the invasion marker.

Ninth Round: During the Maintenance phase, pay 3 credits for every ship owned, gain 1 debt per ship that wasn't paid for.

Sample Turn

The sample turn begins at the start of the second round. In the previous round, Mark had collected enough resources to purchase one Precision Blaster, while Sarah gained an Officer, granting her an additional neural link between her pilot and mech.

1. The players refer to the reputation track, and determine that Mark goes first since his marker is on the top. Mark wants another Precision Blaster, but needs more resources to do so. He starts his round by sending a ship to dock at Planet Killith, collecting Aurum needed for the upcoming purchase.

2. Due to Katharina Lagger's neural link to her mech, Sarah pays three fewer credits when visiting Planet Phyta. She takes advantage of this, and docks a ship at the planet. Sarah collects the Super Sonic Rifle Expert upgrade, placing it on an available pilot upgrade slot.

3. Now that he has the required resources, Mark lands his other ship at Planet Triarii and purchases a second Precision Blaster. Referring to his mech blueprint, Mark places this new tile in the top-right slot.

4. Saving up to buy the Super Sonic Rifle, Sarah sends a ship to Morak's planet, gaining 3 Theridium.

5. Ready for combat, Mark travels to the Wastes of Ulaan to fight a mutant. He chooses to fight the blue mutant since it will deal 1 less damage to him in combat. After losing 4 armor cubes to the mutant's attack, Mark fires both of his Precision Blasters, spending 4 energy cubes and 2 ammo cubes to attack the mutant. The mutant has been defeated, but Mark has spent all his energy and ammo cubes. He will have to repair next turn before he can attack again. a. He collects the defeated mutant tile, and will claim its resources at the end of this round. b. A new mutant tile is immediately placed in the empty hex at Wastes of Ulaan. i. After placing the new mutant tile, the next hex displayed is an invader! It is immediately placed on Planet Prim.

6. Still saving up for the Super Sonic Rifle, Sarah sends her mech to Silians planet to collect 2 Titanium.

7. With all available actions completed, the players move on to the maintenance phase, setting up for the next round.

Reference

Planets

These are the places to which the players send ships and mechs to extract resources, shop for upgrades, learn new abilities, hire specialists, repair their mechs, and combat mutants. Some planets don't have a planet number on them because they cannot be invaded by mutants. These planets are heavily guarded, and mutants cannot find a way through the planet's defenses.

All Planet Effects (Action/Reward):

• Planet #1, Prim: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 4+, 5+, reputation dock. Effect: +1 radiation + 2 lutygen resource + 2 credits.
• Planet #2, Sillian's Planet: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, reputation dock. Effect: 2 titanium resource + repair 1 Ammo cube.
• Planet #3, Morak's Planet: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, 5+, reputation dock. Effect: 3 theridium resource.
• Planet #4, Peragon: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, reputation dock. Effect: 1 Radiation + 1 diamond resource.
• Planet #5, Killith: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 4+, reputation dock. Effect: 1 aurum resource + repair 1 Energy cube.
• Planet #6, Hauta: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 2+, 4+, reputation dock. Effect: must pay 2 Radiation to enter + repair 1 Armor cube.
• Planet #7, Phyta: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, reputation dock. Effect: must pay 3 credits to enter; choose a pilot upgrade OR a specialist to hire.
• Planet #8, Mutara: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, 4+, reputation dock. Effect: can buy a blue armor upgrade or pink star upgrade item from the markets around the board.
• Planet #9, Miniyan: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, 4+, reputation dock. Effect: can buy a green energy upgrade or yellow medal upgrade item from the markets around the board.
• Planet #10, Aurum: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, 5+, reputation dock. Effect: gain 4 credits.
• Planet Triari: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, 4+, reputation dock. Effect: can buy a red weapon upgrade or gadget upgrade item from the markets around the board.
• Planet Vas: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 2+, 3+, 4+, reputation dock. Effect: repair up to 6 stat cubes of any type from your mech.
• Wasteland of Ulaan: Only mechs can land on this planet space. There are no landing dock spaces for ships. Any number of mechs can land on this planet space and choose one of the mutants to combat. Effect: As a free action during a player's turn, that player can pay 3 credits to discard all the mutants shown and draw new ones. All red-backed invader mutants that may be drawn invade as usual, and new mutants must be drawn.
• Arkadiah Portal: Landing dock spaces: 2+, 3+, 4+, reputation dock. Replicates any other planet's resources or markets, provided the player placing their agent onto the portal has paid the required cost of 2 credits.

Pilot Abilities

Higorn Arrantis:

• A1. Always spend -1 energy cube with this type of weapon.
• A2. Always get +1 reputation from mutants killed.
• A3. When visiting planet Prim, get +1 lutygen resource.
• A4. Suffer 1 less damage from this type of mutant.

John A. Guntzel:

• A1. Always spend -1 Energy cube with this type of weapon.
• A2. Always add +1 damage with this type of weapon.
• A3. Suffer 1 less damage from this type of mutant.
• A4. When visiting planet Sillian, get +1 titanium resource token and +1 Ammo cube repaired.

Katharina Lagger:

• A1. Suffer 1 less damage from this type of mutant.
• A2. When visiting planet Phyta, pay -3 credits for pilot upgrades of specialists.
• A3. Always repair 2 extra cubes on a repair action.
• A4. Always spend -1 Energy cube with this type of weapon.

Searu Arrakis:

• A1. When visiting planet Killith, get +1 aurum resource.
• A2. Suffer 1 less damage from this type of mutant.
• A3. Always add +1 damage with this type of weapon.
• A4. Always repair 2 extra cubes on a repair action.

Pilot Upgrades

• Ion Gun Expert: Add +1 damage for weapons of this type.
• Precision Blaster Expert: Add +1 damage for weapons of this type.
• Maneuvering Expert: Comes with 2 blue Armor cubes, which may be used before/instead of depleting the mech's standard Armor.
• Repairing Expert: Grant +1 repair when taking a Repair action.
• Mutant DNA Expert: Suffer -1 damage when attacking these types of mutants.
• Radiation Cleaner: As a free action on the player's turn, pay 3 credits to remove one Radiation.
• Mutant DNA Trader: Flip this tile until the next Maintenance phase to trade any 2 mutant DNA tokens for another DNA token of your choice.
• Neural Connection Expert: Choose one pilot ability that is not enabled by the neural connection with the mech, and enable it for the rest of the game.
• Radiation Immunity System: No longer gain Radiation from planets after this upgrade is purchased.
• Supersonic Gun Expert: To fire with this type of weapon, spend 1 less energy.
• Mutant DNA Expert: Suffer -1 damage when attacking these types of mutants.
• Maneuvering Expert: Comes with 4 blue Armor cubes, which may be used before/instead of depleting the mech's standard Armor.
• Favor Expert: Don't pay favor resource to buy mission cards.

Mech Equipment Upgrades

These are used to improve a mech's capabilities to better hunt down and destroy mutants. There are six different types: Armor, Weapon, Medals, Energy, Gadgets, Merchants.

Armor Upgrade Tiles

• Ability
• Victory point number
• Name
• Type
• Resource cost
• To use this ability you must flip this tile. It will be unflipped at the Maintenance phase.

Weapon Upgrade Tiles

• Item display
• Amount of damage it inflicts
• Name
• Number
• Type
• Resource cost
• Amount of energy cubes you must spend in your mech in order to fire this weapon
• Amount of ammo cubes you must spend in your mech in order to fire this weapon

Armor

• Medium Armor Pack: Comes with 2 blue Armor cubes, which may be used before/instead of depleting the mech's standard Armor.
• Heavy Armor Pack: Contains 4 blue Armor cubes, which may be used before/instead of depleting the mech's standard Armor.

Energy

• Light Battery Core: Comes with 2 green Energy cubes, which may be used before/instead of depleting the mech's standard Energy.
• Heavy Battery Core: Contains 4 green Energy cubes, which may be used before/instead of depleting the mech's standard Energy.

Gadgets

• Agent for Hire: Gain the white ship token and meeple. Pay salary for this new ship on turns 5 and 9 as usual.
• Ammo Auto Reload: Flip this upgrade tile to reload 4 red Ammo cubes on the mech. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Armor Mechanic: Flip this upgrade tile to repair 4 blue Armor cubes on the mech. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Auto Repair: Flip this upgrade tile to repair 1 Armor, 1 Ammo, 1 Energy, and 1 of your choice from your mech. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Double Shop: Flip this upgrade to make a second purchase on any of the market planets. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Double Shot: Flip this upgrade to shoot with the same weapon twice. This is used to effectively double a weapon's damage. Shooting again consumes Ammo as normal. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Energy Charger: Flip this upgrade tile to refill 4 green Energy cubes on the mech. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Tax Loophole: You don't have to pay salary on turns 5 and 9.
• Mercenary: Gain the black ship token. In order to use this ship, the player must pay 2 credits every round but doesn't have to pay salary for this ship on turns 5 and 9.

Medals

• 2 Pilot Upgrades: At the end of the game, gain 6 victory points if the player has at least 2 pilot upgrades.
• Extra Help: At the end of the game, gain 7 victory points if the player has either one of the extra ships (black or white).
• Finance Empire: At the end of the game, gain 6 victory points if the player has more credits than other players.
• Hire 2 Specialists: At the end of the game, gain 7 victory points if the player has hired at least 2 specialists during the game. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained for completing the Pilot and Specialist medal if the player has it as well.
• Mission Completed: At the end of the game, gain 6 victory points if the player has a completed mission on your mech. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained for completing missions.
• Mech Blueprint: At the end of the game, gain 6 victory points if the player has completed your pilot/mech blueprint. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained as indicated on your pilot board for completing the mech's blueprint.
• Pilot and Specialist: At the end of the game, gain 6 victory points if the player has at least 1 pilot upgrade and 1 specialist on your player area. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained for completing the Hire 2 Specialists medal if the player has it as well.
• Rep Achievement (5 VP): At the end of the game, gain 5 victory points if the player has passed this symbol on the Reputation track. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained as indicated on the Reputation track.
• Rep Achievement (6 VP): At the end of the game, gain 6 victory points if the player has passed this symbol on the Reputation track. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained as indicated on the Reputation track.
• Rep Achievement (7 VP): At the end of the game, gain 7 victory points if the player has passed this symbol on the Reputation track. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained as indicated on the Reputation track.
• Rep Achievement (8 VP): At the end of the game, gain 8 victory points if the player has passed this symbol on the Reputation track. These victory points are gained in addition to the victory points gained as indicated on the Reputation track.
• Radiation Free: At the end of the game, gain 7 victory points if the player doesn't have any Radiation tokens on their mech.

Merchants

• Favor Trader: Purchasing this tile is worth 4 victory points at the end of the game. Flip this tile to sell pink favor resource for credits: 1 Favor for 3 credits or 1 Favor for any other color resource token of the player's choice. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Gold Merchant: Purchasing this tile is worth 4 victory points at the end of the game. Flip this tile to sell resources for credits: lutygen for 3 credits and aurum for 4 credits. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Ore Merchant: Purchasing this tile is worth 5 victory points at the end of the game. Flip this tile to change 1 diamond ore into 1 lutygen and 1 aurum resource. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Spare Armor: Purchasing this tile is worth 5 victory points at the end of the game. Flip this tile to buy additional Armor cubes for the player's mech for credits: 2 Armor cubes for 4 credits. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Spare Parts: Purchasing this tile is worth 4 victory points at the end of the game. Flip this tile to buy energy or Ammo cubes for the player's mech for credits: 2 Energy cubes for 4 credits or 2 Ammo cubes for 4 credits. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.
• Stone Broker: Purchasing this tile is worth 5 victory points at the end of the game. Flip this tile to sell resources for credits: theridium resource for 1 credit and titanium resource for 2 credits. Unflip the tile during the next Maintenance phase.

Weapons

• Ammo Pack: Comes with 4 red Ammo cubes, which may be used before/instead of the mech's standard Ammo.
• Ion Gun #789: Spend 1 Ammo and 2 Energy cubes from the player's mech to deal 2 damage to a mutant. Can only be used once per combat.
• Precision Blaster: Spend 1 Ammo and 2 Energy cubes from the player's mech to deal 3 damage to a mutant. Can only be used once per combat.
• Supersonic Rifle: Spend 1 Ammo and 2 Energy cubes from the player's mech to deal 4 damage to a mutant. Can only be used once per combat.

Specialist Cards

A player can have any number of specialist cards but never two with the same name. Only one specialist can be hired per visit to planet Phyta. After hiring a specialist, the card is placed near the pilot and mech tiles. Some specialist cards have effects that are always active, while others are flipped over when used and then turned face-up during the Maintenance phase. Here is a list of all specialist cards:

• Scientist: Spend 1 credit, +1 DNA for every mutant killed this turn.
• Sniper: Spend 2 credits, turn face down to add +2 damage to one weapon during combat.
• Engineer: Spend 2 credits, turn face down to repair any two cubes on a mech.
• Banker: Turn face down to gain two credits from the reserve.
• Miner: Spend 1 credit, turn face down to gain any one resource.
• Communications Officer: Spend 3 credits, turn face down to recall the player's mech.
• Dealer: Turn face down to gain any one resource at a discount when purchasing any type of equipment type listed on the card.
• Smuggler: Spend 1 credit, turn face down to use a landing spot that already has another player's ship on it.
• Officer: Enables one extra pilot ability that is not normally connected to the current mech.
• General: Spend 1 credit, +1 reputation for every mutant killed (always active).
• Radioactive: At the end of the game, Radiation is worth +1 victory point instead of -3.
• Recharger: Spend 2 credits, turn face down to grant the player's mech +2 Energy cubes.

Quick Reference

Gameplay

Action Phase — Perform one of the following actions:

• Place an agent ship on an open planet dock. Trigger the planet's effect.
• Place agent ship on Pilot dock. Trigger dock's effect.
• Deploy mech to a planet. If the planet is invaded, the mutant must be defeated before triggering the planet's effect. If the planet is empty, trigger the planet's effect.
• After performing one action, the next player will choose and perform one action. This continues until all available actions have been played.

Free Actions — Several upgrade tiles and specialist cards grant free actions that can be used at any time during the player's turn.

Maintenance Phase — Perform the following actions:

• Return all agent ships and mechs to player area.
• Claim rewards from defeated mutants. Discard defeated mutant tile into common discard pile.
• May purchase one mission card. Refresh any empty space immediately.
• Refresh all flipped tiles for the next round.
• Fourth Round: Gain a third agent ship.
• Fifth and Ninth Round: Pay 3 credits for every ship owned. Gain 1 debt per ship that wasn't paid for.
• Refresh all mission cards, pilot upgrade tiles, and specialist cards.
• Move the turn-track marker to the next step.

Combat

Mutant attacks first, dealing damage to mech armor.

• Remove blue armor cubes equal to mutant attack number. For each damage received beyond all armor cubes, receive hull damage.
• Choose weapon, or weapons, to attack. Pay ammo and energy cost. Deal total damage to the mutant.
• If damage dealt matches or is greater than the mutant armor, it is defeated. Collect the mutant tile. If the player is at the Wastelands of Ulaan, immediately draw a new mutant tile and fill the empty hex.

Resource Tokens

Theridium, Titanium, Lutygen, Aurum, Diamond, Favor, Hull Damage tokens, Radiation tokens, Credit tokens, Debt tokens.