High Frontier 4 All
High Frontier 4 All Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- A. Introduction & Overview
- B. Components & Anatomies
- C. Core Setup
- D. Yearly Play Sequence
- E. Hands & Stacks
- F. Spacecraft Mass & Fuel Management
- G. Free Actions
- H. Movement
- I. Operations
- J. Supports
- K. Sunspot Cycle Events
- L. Glories
- M. Game End & Scoring
- N. Negotiation
- O. Module 0 — Politics
- Glossary
A. Introduction & Overview
The Core rules (including the glossary at the end) comprise the base game. They are expanded by the included tutorials (Space Diamonds, Race For Glory), variants, and Modules (0–Politics, 1, 2, Futures, 3–Conflict).
A1. Core Overview
Players bid for patents and boost them into LEO to be assembled into Rockets and their Cargos. Water in LEO is used both as currency and as propellant; each water container in LEO is one Aqua. Loaded with Fuel Tanks (FTs) of water, Rockets fly to Sites. A successful prospect makes a Claim, which can be upgraded to a Factory to produce new equipment. Extracting water from a Site produces FTs used as propellant and as money ("Aqua") if shipped back to LEO. Note that water counts as money only when it is in LEO — you cannot pay people with water on Mars.
- Core Game Victory. At the end of 48 years (48 Turns per player), the winner is the player with the highest victory point (VP) total.
- Sunspot Cycles. Each Turn is one year; a game is measured in Sunspot Cycles of 12 years. The standard Core Game is 4 Sunspot Cycles (48 years). Core plus Modules 1 and/or 2 is 5 cycles; Core plus Modules 1, 2, and Futures is 7 cycles.
A2. Metarules
- Terms being defined appear in bold (italicized if defined elsewhere). Capitalized terms are defined in the glossary.
- Sequential Processes are presented in play order, introduced by an overview followed by bullets.
- The Golden Rule. If text on a card, scenario, tutorial, or variant contradicts these rules, that text prevails.
- The Modular Rule. Rules in blue font are modular rules ignored unless playing the relevant Module. Module rules supersede these Core rules; if Modules conflict, the later publication date arbitrates. Some rules are not used, or are used in an alternate version, in the Race for Glory tutorial game.
- Learning the game. See the included tutorials; the standard Core Game (V1 quick start) is recommended for 4 or more players.
A3. Introductory Games
Space Diamonds introduces the map and moving; Starship Builder (at the end of the Space Diamonds book) introduces the cards; and Race For Glory introduces the Core rules via a detailed tutorial, except for Radiation Belts (H10), supports (J), and events (D2).
B. Components & Anatomies
B2. Patent Cards
The 6 types of patent cards in the Core game are: thrusters (rocket engines), robonauts (remotely-powered mining machines), refineries (ore purifiers), generators (producers of pulsed or steady current), reactors (producers of three kinds of radiation energy), and radiators (providers of cooling Therms).
- White & Black-Sides. The White-Side shows a product built on Earth; the Black-Side shows an improved product built in space. Until you build your first Factory on a Site, you use only the White-Side of patent cards.
- Mass. Listed in the upper-left corner; used to determine boost costs and contribution to Dry Mass on the Fuel Strip.
- Platform & ISRU. Cards with an In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) rating inside a platform icon can ISRU refuel (I5a) and prospect (I6). Platform icons include buggy, missile, raygun.
- Thrust Triangle. Cards with a thrust triangle (H2) can move Stacks. The left number is base thrust; the right number is fuel consumption. The triangle's color is its fuel grade (F4b). A flame icon at the apex means it can afterburn (H3a). A push icon (instead of a dot) means it is pushable (H3d).
- Solar-Power. Modifies thrust based on distance from Sol (H3c), independently of other numbers. Applies only if the card is in the support chain (J1c) of an activated thrust triangle. A Solar-Powered card is non-operational in the Neptune (J) Heliocentric Zone or beyond.
- Spectral Type. The letter on the Black-Side (C, S, M, V, D, or H), previewed on the front, indicates what type of Factory can build it as an ET product (I8). Spectral types: C = carbonaceous, S = stony, M = metalliferous, V = vestoid, D = dark, H = helium-3.
- Ability & Restrictions are printed in the card's colored band and apply if the card is Operational (J3).
- Support Cards Required to make the card Operational (J1) are listed in the white field to the left.
- Wrench Icons indicate movement-modifying supports (J5), applied only if the card is in the support chain of an activated thrust triangle.
- Rad-Hardness. Resistance to solar flares (K2d) and Radiation Belts (H10).
- Support Provided. Icons in the top-left indicate which supports the card provides (J).
B3. Glory & Heroism Chits
The 9 glory chits, placed on the map per C7, are worth 1 VP each when claimed by a Human, plus variable VP if brought back to LEO/Bank by a Human (L). Each of the 4 Heroism Chits is always worth 2 VP.
B4. Playmats
Each player has a playmat for storing cards and Aquas (blue beads in the LEO Stack used for money and fuel). It contains a Fuel Strip and a net thrust track to track a Rocket Stack's Fuel and net thrust. Playmat areas include slots for the Rocket stack, LEO stack (Aquas and Glories), and Outpost 1 and Outpost 2 stacks. When patent cards are placed into a slot, place the appropriate Figure/chit on the map.
B5. Solar System Charts
Six Exploitation Tracks (Spectral Types C, S, M, V, D, and H) are on the map, tracking factory stock price and endgame VP. Values shown are 8 / 5 / 4 (the more Factories of a type in play, the lower the price; three or more keeps the bead on the lowest row). There are two placards: the Sol Sunspot Cycle and the Sol political assembly (Module 0, O1).
B6. Crew Cards
Your Crew has a player color, Mass, ISRU platform, rad-hardness, a thrust triangle, and a "humans on board" triangle (meaning it is Human). A Crew defends against Felonies and repairs Glitches. It cannot be traded, sold, or Discarded, and always occupies a Stack (never your Hand). If Decommissioned, it moves to your LEO Stack/Bank.
- Faction Privilege. An Ability listed below the rad-hardness, active in the Core game except during Anarchy (K2e). Privileges include Blink Telescope, Dharma Refuel, Felonious, Launch Fees, Marketeer, Mooncable, Open Source FINAO, Powersat, Secretary-General, Scrum Troubleshooters, Skunkworks, and Taxes (see glossary). All are assumed to result from space facilities in LEO. With Module 2, these facilities are Home Bernals and privileges are disabled until a Bernal is Anchored in a Home Orbit.
- Faction Ideology (Module 0) is used for placing delegates (O2c).
Every Crew has a clout rating from A (most) to M (least), used to determine the 1st Player.
B7. Solar System Map
The map shows Spaces (orbits where a Rocket can halt) and the routes between them. Useful routes are colored and labeled with signposts (e.g. "Earth–Mars").
- Sites. Black hexes representing landable areas of planets, moons, and asteroids. Features: Size (surface gravity — higher means easier prospecting but harder liftoff/landing); Spectral Type (C, S, M, V, D, or H); Atmospheric Site (cloud icon); Hydration (zero to four water drops — how easily water is obtained); Astrobiology Site (leaf icon); Submarine Site (blue wave icon — subsurface ocean); Push Site (push icon — a Factory here yields the Powersat Ability).
- Intersections. Where two routes touch or corner with no icon or circle, the Space is a Hohmann. Changing direction at a Hohmann during movement requires a Pivot (H4c). If lines don't touch, it is a Bridge (not a Space).
- Lagrange & Lander Spaces. A Space marked by any icon (hollow/filled circle or lander icon) is not a Hohmann.
- Home Orbits (for Bernals) are marked with a 7-pointed star.
- Burn Spaces are magenta. There are Lagrange Burns and lander burns (H5e). Entering one expends fuel steps equal to your fuel consumption.
- Aerobrake Path. A dashed brown line. A Spacecraft can parachute to a Site along it, ignoring net-thrust requirements and using no Fuel; entering an Aerobrake Hazard requires a Hazard Roll or FINAO. You can never move against the arrow.
- Buggy Road. A dashed yellow line, used in buggy prospecting and to move Crew (H9a).
- Heliocentric Zones are concentric circles marking decreasing solar energy outward, named for planets from Mercury (D) to Neptune (J). They modify Solar-Powered thrust (H3c); Solar-Powered cards are non-operational in the outermost (Neptune) zone.
- Synodic Comet Sites have a red, blue, or yellow border and are accessible only during the matching-colored season of the Sunspot Cycle.
- Signposts & Colored Lines are informational; they list Burn Spaces to a destination (Burns × fuel consumption = fuel steps for a one-way trip).
B8. Tokens
Blue beads (80 water FTs/Aquas), translucent red disks (40 Busted Sites), opaque disks in player colors (Claims, 9 per player), cubes in player colors (Factories, 7 per player), domes in player colors (Colonies, 7 per player), and Rocket Figures (2 per player). Player-colored cubes and disks are limited to those supplied; other Tokens can use substitutes (substitute domes do not count for endgame VP).
C. Core Setup
The game supports 2 to 5 players (1 in some scenarios). Before starting, decide on any Modules or variants.
- C1. Seniority Disk Placement. Use the "CORE GAME" side of the Sol Sunspot Cycle placard. Place 4 translucent red disks over the Sol icon; one is removed each time the seniority threshold is crossed (each 12-year cycle).
- C2. Assign Factions & Crew. Deal each player a random Crew; each secretly chooses which side to play. (If playing Norse Astronauts/SpaceX, which have no gray components, borrow an unused color and treat it as gray for all purposes.)
- C3. Reserves Setup. Each player takes a playmat, places their Crew into the "LEO" slot faceup, and places in Reserve (in player color): 2 Rockets (map + net-thrust marker), 1 Dry Mass Chit and 1 blue/gray Wet Mass Chit, 7 small cubes (Factories), 7 domes (Colonies), 9 disks (Claims), and 2 rectangular chits (Outpost Stacks).
- C4. Patent Deck Setup. Shuffle each of the six patent decks (thruster, robonaut, refinery, generator, reactor, radiator) separately and place them White-Side up near the map.
- C5. Starting Aquas. Give each player as many Aqua beads as there are patent decks in the game (6 in Core), placed into the LEO slot. (Quick start V1 starts with zero.)
- C6. Exploitation Track Setup. Place a blue bead on each of the 6 starting positions of the Exploitation Tracks.
- C7. Glory & Heroism Chit Setup. Place 1 glory chit on each Heliocentric Zone in its marked spot (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), "1 VP" side up. Unless solitaire or 2-player, place 1 heroism chit in each of the 4 heroism spots.
- C8. Clout, 1st Player, & Sunspot Cube. The player with the most clout becomes the "Sol secretary-general" (1st Player). The 1st Player places a cube of their color (the Sunspot Cube) on the "start" position of the Sunspot Cycle and begins by taking their Turn.
D. Yearly Play Sequence
After setup, play proceeds as a series of years. Each year:
- Player Turns. Starting with the 1st Player and going clockwise, each player takes one Turn (D1).
- Sunspot Cycle Advance. If a threshold is crossed, resolve it (D2).
D1. Player Turn Phase
On your Turn, you may do either or both of the following, in any order: move your Rocket and/or perform an Operation. Except during movement or an Operation, you may perform any number of free actions.
- Movement (H). Move your Rocket once per Turn. Some Modules allow multiple Spacecraft, each moved once per Turn.
- Operation (I). Perform one Operation per Turn.
- Free Actions (G). Perform any number of free actions, including the same one multiple times.
D2. Advance Sunspot Cycle Phase
The 1st Player advances the Sunspot Cube one spot clockwise, which may trigger a threshold:
- Event Threshold. If the cube crosses an "event" threshold, make an Event Roll (K2) applied to all players (starting with the 1st Player).
- Seniority Threshold. If it crosses the "SENIORITY" threshold, remove a Seniority Disk. If none remain, the game ends immediately with scoring (M2).
E. Hands & Stacks
Hand Cards represent patented know-how. Moving a Hand card into a Stack (White-Side up by boosting to LEO, or Black-Side up by ET production at a space Factory) makes it a tangible object.
E1. Hand Cards
Store Hand cards to the right of your playmat.
- No Hand Limit. Your Hand can hold any number of cards. (Academia hand limits apply to auctions — I2a.)
- Open Hands. Your FTs, Hand cards, and Stacks are open for anyone to examine.
E2. Stacks
A Stack is a collection of cards and/or FTs in a designated playmat slot. In the Core game you can have up to 4 Stacks: LEO, Rocket, Outpost #1, and Outpost #2. Each has a map location marked by its Figure.
- No Card Limits, but a Rocket cannot move if its Wet Mass exceeds 32 or its Dry Mass exceeds 23.
- Stack Figures. When a Stack (except LEO) is created, place its Figure/outpost chit on the map. You cannot create a Stack (except LEO) without an available Figure.
- Stack Creation occurs via cargo transfer (G1), boosting (I4), site refuel (I5), or ET production (I8).
- Empty Stacks. If no cards or FTs remain, Discard the Figure/chit from the map and any Glitches.
E3. Number of Stacks Permitted
At the end of your Turn you are limited to one each of: Rocket Stack (your Rocket Figure), LEO Stack (always at LEO, no Figure), Outpost Stack 1 (#1 chit), and Outpost Stack 2 (#2 chit). During your Turn you may create as many Outposts as you wish, but must be down to two by end of Turn. (Modules add Freighter, Kalpana Bernal, and Stanford Bernal Stacks.)
E4. LEO Stack Creation
Your LEO Stack is like a permanent outpost in Low Earth Orbit. Its cards and Aquas reside in the "LEO Stack" slot; it has no Figure. The boost operation normally creates your first LEO Stack.
E5. Rocket Stack Creation
Place cards and/or FTs in the Rocket slot. A Rocket must include an activated thruster to move (H2), but a Crew is not required, and any Stack can be designated a Rocket. Indicate location with a Rocket Figure and place a Dry Mass Chit on the Fuel Strip.
- Creation. Cargo transfer normally creates your first Rocket in LEO from your LEO Stack.
- Rocket Stack Limit. Only one Rocket at a time. To create another, first Decommission the existing Rocket (G6) or convert it to an Outpost (E6).
- Place Dry Mass Chit. Dry Mass = sum of card Masses + 1 per FT in the Rocket.
- Fueling & Wet Mass Chit. A new Rocket's tanks are empty; place a Wet Mass Chit (matching the thrust triangle's fuel grade color) atop the Dry Mass Chit. Add Fuel by cargo transfer (G1) or site refuel (I5), moving the Wet Mass Chit right.
E6. Outpost Stack Creation
As a free action, create or convert a Stack into Outpost #1 or #2 by placing that outpost chit. Limited to 2 outposts by end of Turn. Outposts can be created anywhere (e.g. where a Rocket is Decommissioned after dropping Cargo, at a Factory doing ET production, or at a Hohmann where a Glitch disabled your Rocket). A Fuel Outpost can be created by producing FTs at a Factory (I5b).
E7. Decommissions
A Decommission returns a card to your Hand. Voluntary Decommissions: jettison cargo (G1g), Phileas Fogg (G2c), build colony (G3), voluntary decommission (G6), industrialize (I7). Involuntary: Glitch Rolls, Hazard Rolls (H7), Belt Rolls (H10), CME Rolls (K2d), pad explosions (K2c).
- Rocket Fuel. If a Spacecraft involuntarily loses its last thrust-triangle card, remove its Dry and Wet Mass Chits.
- FTs. If a Stack's last card is involuntarily Decommissioned, Discard its FTs to the Pool.
- Humans. Decommissioned Crew moves to your LEO Stack/Bank. You may not voluntarily decommission Humans except in specific cases (see Crew, Murder/Suicide).
- Radiator Ablation. A radiator played heavy-side rotates to its light Orientation instead of being involuntarily decommissioned by a failed Glitch/Hazard/Belt Roll (see Orientation).
F. Spacecraft Mass & Fuel Management
The Fuel Strip tracks fuel mass steps. Dry Mass is the Spacecraft's mass with empty tanks (cards + FTs). Wet Mass is Dry Mass plus onboard Fuel. Each strip has a player-color Dry Mass Chit and a blue/gray/gold Wet Mass Chit.
F1. Wet Mass Fuel, FTs, & Aquas
Fuel can be stored as Wet Mass Fuel (tracked on the strip) or as Cargo (FTs). You can convert between these forms as a free action (G2).
- Wet Mass Fuel. Amount = number of steps on the black line between the Dry Mass Chit and the Wet Mass Chit.
- Dry Mass FTs. Each FT bead on a Stack is Cargo with Mass 1; adding FT Cargo adjusts both Wet and Dry Mass.
- Aquas. Blue beads in your LEO Stack are currency (boost, auctions, negotiation, FINAO) and simultaneously function as Water FTs for fueling/Cargo.
F2. Dry Mass Adjustment
The Dry Mass Chit shows mass ignoring Fuel (cards + FTs). Adjust before movement.
- Max & Min. A Spacecraft cannot move unless its Dry Mass is 23 or below. A Dry Mass of 0 counts as 1.
- Wet/Dry Adjustment. For each unit of Dry Mass gained/lost, move the Dry Mass Chit one step right/left along the dashed red lines, then move the Wet Mass Chit the same number of steps in the same direction. Never move against an arrowhead.
- FT Dry Mass Adjustment. When changing internal tankage (FT↔Fuel, G2), move only the Dry Mass Chit.
F3. Wet Mass Adjustment
The Wet Mass Chit shows total mass and can never be less than Dry Mass. Adjust at the start of movement.
- Max Wet Mass. A Spacecraft cannot move unless its Wet Mass is 32 or below.
- External Adjustment. Adding Fuel from refueling or cargo transfer moves the Wet Mass Chit right one step per FT.
- Internal Adjustment. Changing internal tankage (G2) does not move the Wet Mass Chit.
- Burning Fuel. Move the Wet Mass Chit left along the black lines during a Burn (H5), afterburn (H3a), or jettison. The Wet Mass Chit must never cross the Dry Mass Chit (no negative propellant).
F4. Fuel Grades & Mixing
Fuel and FTs come in three grades: dirt (gray), water (blue), and isotope (gold).
- The Wet Mass Chit color represents the loaded fuel grade.
- Fuel Grades, lowest to highest: dirt, water, isotope. A Spacecraft can hold only a single grade of Wet Mass Fuel.
- Thruster Fuel Compatibility. A Spacecraft can be fueled with any grade, but cannot Burn/afterburn if the activated thrust triangle's grade is higher than the Wet Mass Chit's. A dirt thruster runs on any color; a water thruster needs blue or gold; an isotope thruster needs gold.
- Fuel Mixing. Adding Fuel of a different grade than the Wet Mass Chit downgrades all Fuel to the lower grade. Jettison or convert Fuel to FTs first to avoid this. Empty tanks cause no mixing. A Spacecraft can carry both blue and gold FTs as Cargo.
G. Free Actions
Except during movement or an Operation, each free action below may be performed any number of times, in any order.
G1. Cargo Transfer
Transfer any number of cards, Fuel, or FTs from one Stack to a Colocated Stack.
- Dry Mass Cargo. Perform a dry/wet mass adjustment (F2) for any mass gained/lost. Each FT is Mass 1 Cargo.
- Fueling Rocket. Load FTs directly as Fuel: for each FT discarded to the Pool from a Colocated Stack, move the Wet Mass Chit one step right (mind fuel mixing, F4d).
- Dirt Refueling. A Spacecraft with an activated dirt thruster and a gray Wet Mass Chit, on a Site with a Factory or any Operational ISRU platform present, can cargo transfer dirt fuel regardless of ISRU rating or Hydration. Adjust Wet Mass to any value (non-Crew dirt thrusters), or by one tank as a once-per-turn free action (Crew dirt thrusters).
- Create Rocket/Outpost Stack (E5, E6).
- Swapping Outpost/Rocket. Exchange any of your Rocket/Outpost Stacks on the map, swapping Figures and contents. Any Wet Mass Fuel is lost unless converted to FTs first (G2b). Converting an Outpost into a Rocket sets both Mass Chits to the outpost's Mass.
- Jettison Fuel. Move the Wet Mass Chit left any number of steps (Fuel lost to space).
- Jettison Cargo or FTs. Decommission the cards/FTs; on a Spacecraft, move both Mass Chits left by the Mass removed.
- Infectious Glitch. If either Stack in a cargo transfer is Glitched, the transfer is a Glitch Trigger for both, and both end up Glitched.
G2. Internal Tankage
Convert Fuel between Wet Mass Fuel and Cargo FTs within your Spacecraft:
- FT to Fuel. Move the Dry Mass Chit left any number of steps and lose that many FTs (same color as the Wet Mass Chit). The Wet Mass Chit stays put.
- Fuel to FT. Move the Dry Mass Chit right any number of steps and gain that many FTs (same color). Cannot be done with a gray Wet Mass Chit (no gray FTs).
G3. Build Colony
Build a Colony by Decommissioning a Human Colocated with one of your Factories that has no Colony, then placing a dome on it.
- Workforce. Decommission one Colocated Human (Crew or Colonist) — they become settlers (not a Felony or Murder). It is a Felony to colonize the kreutz sungrazer.
- Colony Figure. Place a dome atop the Factory.
- Delegate (Module 0). Optionally place a delegate matching the Crew/Colonist's Ideology (triggers a vote tally, O3a).
G4. Claim Jump
If you can commit a Felony (requires Humans), replace an opponent's Claim with your own, unless it is Colocated with a Factory (I7) or a Human opposed to the jump.
- Disk Limit. If out of Claim disks, you may relocate one from another of your unindustrialized Sites.
- Territoriality. With no opposed Humans present, Claim Jump lets you claim Luna without the 1st Player's permission.
G5. Load Glory Chit
With Humans at a Site in a zone that still has an unclaimed glory chit, add it to a Colocated manned Spacecraft (low-value side up). Bringing it to your Bank deposits it in the "Glory" space (high-value side up) via a ticker-tape parade (L). A Crew or Colonist carries at most one glory chit.
G6. Voluntary Discard of Cards & Tokens
During your Turn, Discard or Decommission cards from your Hand or Stacks. Discarding sends a card to the bottom of its patent deck (useful for auction hand limits). If a Stack has no cards/FTs, Discard its Figure to Reserve.
- Factories are a cube on a disk (same color). Discarding the cube makes the Claim available to re-industrialize; Discarding the Claim makes the Site re-prospectable.
- Colony Permanence. A Colony dome is a Human; neither it nor its Colocated Factory/Claim can be voluntarily Discarded.
G7. Glitch Repair
Discard a Glitch (K2b) from a Stack Colocated with your Human (including Colonies and LEO).
H. Movement
Spacecraft can fly. Each of your Spacecraft moves once per Turn, following four steps: (1) adjust Mass Chits (F2, F3); (2) activate a thrust triangle (H2); (3) calculate net thrust (H3) — if less than 1, coasting only; (4) move until you choose or are forced to stop (H4).
H1. Movement Restrictions
- Space Is Big. No limit to Figures on a Space, except each Site has at most one Claim, Factory, and Colony.
- No Double Moves. No component (Figure, card, FT) may move more than once per Turn. (For FTs, this applies even if changed to Fuel and back. Boosting is not movement.)
- No Interruptions. Free actions and Operations occur only before or after each Spacecraft movement.
H2. Thrust Triangle Activation
At the start of each movement, choose one Operational thrust-triangle card to activate, and decide its entire support chain (J1c). These cannot change mid-movement.
- Activation & Movement. A thruster may be activated even without Fuel. The moment the activated thruster is lost or ceases to be Operational, the Spacecraft must halt or coast.
- Coasting. Provided it enters no Burns and makes no Pivots, a Spacecraft that started with an activated thruster may keep moving even with less than 1 thrust, out of Fuel, or at its burn limit. Coasting can still use aerobrake paths, factory-assisted landings, accumulated Bonus Pivots/Burns, or pick up new Bonus Burns from flybys (if Operational).
H3. Calculating Net Thrust
Start from base thrust (left number). Apply modifiers in order to get net thrust — the number of Burns you may perform this Turn, and the value that must exceed a Site's Size for powered landings/liftoffs. If activating brings net thrust to 0 or less, you may only coast.
- Megawatt Afterburn. If the triangle has an afterburn icon and is Operational, expend the indicated fuel steps to increase net thrust by 1 (once per movement, regardless of steps expended). Afterburn also generates one Therm of cooling (J4d) for the thruster's support chain.
- Weight Class Modifier. Adjust net thrust by the band above the Wet Mass Chit: wisp (+2), probe (+1), scout (+0), transport (−1), tug (−2). Calculated after any afterburn Fuel is spent.
- Solar-Power Modifier. If the thruster or its support chain is Solar-Powered, adjust net thrust by the Heliocentric Zone value (−5 to +2). Applied once regardless of the number of solar icons. Solar-Powered cards are non-operational in the Neptune zone unless pushed (then −6).
- Beamed-Power Modifier. If the activated triangle has a push icon, add +1 if you (or a negotiation partner) have the Powersat Ability/privilege, or a Factory on a Push Site. Applies once (no double push), at any range.
- Thrust-Modifying Supports. Apply any thrust modifiers in the support chain (J5); fuel consumption may also change.
H4. Movement Procedure
Move any distance along map lines, limited by a max number of Burns equal to net thrust and by your Fuel. Spend Fuel equal to fuel consumption per Burn Space entered.
- Directional Freedom. With multiple exits, choose any.
- Stopping. Except on lander burns (H5e), you may stop on any Space. Entering a Site triggers a landing (H6) and ends movement.
- Pivot. Changing direction at a Hohmann during a move costs two Burns. Alternatively, stop at the intersection and turn next Turn (a Loiter — no Fuel). Passing straight through requires no Pivot. A ballerina icon grants a Bonus Pivot.
- Free Turns. Change direction freely at any Space marked with an icon (lander/half-lander, Lagrange, Burn, Hazard, etc.).
- No U-Turn. You cannot immediately exit a Space by the route you entered — unless you halt and move next Turn.
- Aerobrake Arrow. Never move against an aerobrake path's arrow.
H5. Burns
A Burn expends fuel steps (not tanks) equal to the activated triangle's fuel consumption. A Burn happens when entering a Burn Space (Lagrange or lander) or when Pivoting at a Hohmann (two Burns).
- Expend Fuel. Move the Wet Mass Chit left by the fuel consumption per Burn.
- Fractional Fuel. Some thrusters consume fractional steps; place the chit between spots. At movement's end, round the total up (move left to the next numbered spot).
- Burn Limit. Total Burns in a movement (excluding Bonus Burns) cannot exceed net thrust (as calculated at start).
- Insufficient Fuel. Cannot enter a Burn without enough Fuel (Wet Mass Chit must never pass Dry Mass Chit).
- Lander Burns. Special Burn Spaces for landing/takeoff. You may not end movement on one, and cannot enter one unless you can continue through it (with enough thrust and Fuel for later Burns/landings). Bonus Burns and factory-assist cannot be used to enter lander burns (with exceptions). Half-Burns (half-lander icon) count as one full Burn but use half the fuel steps.
- Fuel Grade Requirement. The Fuel expended must be the triangle's grade or better.
H6. Site Landing & Liftoff
Landing on a Site ends movement; liftoff does not. Use one of three methods:
- Powered. The activated thruster's net thrust must exceed the Site Size to enter or leave. No Fuel expended. (Synodic Comets have limited accessibility, B7h.)
- Aerobrake Landing. Following an aerobrake path lands without thrust, Fuel, or an activated triangle. Entering an Aerobrake Hazard forces a Hazard Roll. Sail cards are Decommissioned on entering an Aerobrake Hazard (whether activated or not).
- Factory-Assist. If a Site has a Factory, a Spacecraft with an activated Operational thruster may enter/exit without exceeding Site Size. Using factory-assist incurs a Hazard Roll unless the Site is colonized or you have Powersat. You may use an opponent's Factory with permission, or without it via Factory Hijack (Felony). Cannot be used to enter/exit a lander burn (except acetylene rocketplanes). Acetylene Rocketplane Liftoff: from an Atmospheric Site, factory-assist into a lander burn by expending blue FTs equal to twice your initial Wet Mass (this water cost doesn't add to Wet/Dry Mass).
H7. Hazard Rolls
Certain Spaces are hazardous; on entering one, roll 1d6. On a 1, every card and FT in the Stack suffers involuntary Decommission/Discard. Hazard Rolls occur for: Crash Hazards, Aerobrake Hazards, factory-assist liftoffs/landings, and Epic Hazards.
- FINAO Exception. Before rolling, you may pay 4 Aquas ("Failure Is Not An Option") to avoid the roll.
H8. Flybys
Entering a Space with a flyby grants Bonus Burns equal to the number printed.
- Operational Thruster required (including coasting).
- Bonus Burns don't count toward the burn limit, require no Fuel, and can be spent anytime a Burn is normally required, except lander burns.
- Venus Flyby works only when the Sunspot Cube is in season blue.
- Multiple Flybys may benefit a single movement.
- Solar Oberth Flyby (Mercury/D zone) grants Bonus Burns equal to the Spacecraft's base thrust (not net thrust), only the first time entered per move. Its lander burn is the flyby: pay Fuel and make its Hazard Roll on entry. Afterburning on the solar oberth grants one extra Bonus Burn.
- Mag Sail. If activated, each Radiation Belt entered confers Bonus Burns like a flyby (first time per belt per move).
- Glitch Trigger. Entering a flyby is a Glitch Trigger.
H9. Buggy Roads
Relevant for prospecting (I6) and Adjacency. The Martian: with an Operational buggy-platform card, as a once-per-turn free action move your Crew or Colonist to a new Site along a buggy road, creating an Outpost. The buggy itself doesn't move (unless the Crew/Colonist has its own buggy platform).
H10. Radiation Belts & Belt Rolls
Entering a Radiation Belt incurs a Belt Roll: roll 1d6, subtract your net thrust (don't subtract a negative). Any card with rad-hardness less than the result is involuntarily decommissioned.
- Failure Is An Option. You may not pay Aquas to avoid a Belt Roll.
- Season Red Radiation. All Belt Rolls get a +2 penalty in season red.
- Heavy Radiators rotate to light Orientation instead of being decommissioned.
- Solar Flare Protection. A Stack on a non-Sol Radiation Belt is shielded against solar flare events (K2d).
I. Operations
You may perform one Operation each Turn.
I1. Income Operation
Receive 1 Aqua from the Pool into your LEO Stack/Bank. (Replaced by the Fundraise Operation in Module 0.)
I2. Research Auction Operation
Choose a patent deck and auction its top card.
- Academia Hand Limit. A player with four or more Hand cards may not initiate or bid.
- Procedure. As initiator you make the first bid (minimum 0). Others (within the hand limit) may bid in any order until no one raises.
- Bid Currency. Aquas only.
- Win Procedure. If the initiator wins, they pay the bid to the Pool. If someone else wins, they pay their bid to the initiator. The winner adds the card to their Hand.
- Ties. The initiator wins a tie they are in; otherwise the initiator chooses the winner among tied players.
- Information. The top card's front is always visible; once announced, any player may inspect its back.
- Bonus Supports. If the card requires supports (J), the winner also takes the top card of each required support type into their Hand (top of that type's deck, regardless of subtype; you don't get supports for the supports).
I3. Free Market Operation
Obtain Aquas by selling one card:
- Selling Hand Card. Return a Hand card to the bottom of its deck; receive 3 Aquas.
- Selling Black-Side Card From LEO. Discard a Black-Side card in your Bank to your Hand; receive Aquas equal to the factory stock price for its Spectral Type (4, 5, or 8; or 10 if no Factory of that type exists). Radiators sell the same regardless of Orientation. "ANY" spectral-type cards cannot be sold.
I4. Boost Operation
Bring one or more Hand cards into LEO/Home Orbit by spending Aquas equal to their combined Mass.
- White-Side Only (Black-Side cards are only made in space by ET production).
- No Movement Restriction. A card may move the same Turn it enters LEO.
- Radiator Orientation. Choose a radiator's Orientation (heavy/light) as it is boosted, paying Aquas for that Mass.
I5. Site Refuel Operations
These three operations produce FTs at a Site; each is a Glitch Trigger.
- ISRU Refuel. An Operational ISRU-platform card produces water FTs equal to 1 + Site Hydration − card's ISRU rating. Place FTs in a Colocated Stack or create an outpost. Busted Sites can still be ISRU refueled; an opponent's Claim/Factory/Bernal has no effect.
- Factory-Refuel. A Factory produces either 7 blue FTs (water) or 1 gold FT (isotope). You may use an opponent's Factory with permission (no permission needed to land or ISRU there), or without permission via Factory Hijack (Felony).
- Air-Eater Refuel. At the end of movement on an Aerobrake Hazard, a Spacecraft with an Operational pac-man (air-eater) card and an activated thruster gains FTs equal to 5 − fuel consumption (drop fractions of consumption before subtracting). You may remain to refuel over several Turns; each Turn requires a Hazard Roll or FINAO.
I6. Prospect Operation
A successful prospect places a Claim on an unclaimed, non-Busted Site. Prospecting is a Glitch Trigger. Five steps:
- Operational Requirement. Have a Stack with an Operational ISRU-rating card on the Site (with raygun/buggy-road exceptions). Prospecting either Luna Site needs the 1st Player's permission unless Claim Jumping.
- Hydration Requirement. The card's ISRU rating must be ≤ the Site's Hydration (water drops).
- Size Roll. Roll 1d6; a result ≤ Site Size succeeds. (Size 6+ is automatic. Prospecting the kreutz sungrazer always succeeds.)
- If Successful: place a Claim (relocate a disk from an unindustrialized Site if out).
- If Unsuccessful: place a translucent red disk — the Site is Busted (no future prospecting, but can still be ISRU refueled).
Prospecting types by platform: Raygun — prospect multiple Sites (at and/or Adjacent to the card's Stack) with one Operation, at range (choose all Sites before rolling; roll each separately; range 0 only at Atmospheric Sites). Buggy — one re-roll on a failed Size Roll; also prospects all high-enough-Hydration Sites connected by a buggy road with one Operation. Missile — no special rules.
I7. Industrialize Operation
Build a Factory at a Site where you have an unindustrialized Claim. Decommission an Operational robonaut and refinery (plus their support chains) and place a cube atop the Claim. This is a Glitch Trigger. A Factory on a Push Site yields the Powersat Ability.
- Overlapping Support Chains. The Decommissioned cards can share a support.
- Stacking Limit. One Factory per Site.
- Spectral Type. The Factory takes the Spectral Type of its Site (determining what it can ET produce). The Decommissioned cards' types don't matter.
- Exploitation Track. Adjust the bead to track total Factories of each Spectral Type (3+ stays on the lowest row).
- Colonies. A Colony can be built on a Factory as a free action (G3); Colonies are permanent.
- Cube Limit. Your Reserve is 7 cubes. To place a Factory/Sunspot Cube/delegate with none left, Discard another cube (not a Sunspot Cube, colonized Factory, or Dirtside).
- Radiator Exception. Industrialization does not require a radiator/cooling support (the nightside provides cooling). This applies to industrialization only.
I8. ET Production Operation
Bring one Hand card into play Black-Side up at one of your Factories, into an Outpost Stack at that location.
- Spectral Type. The card's Spectral Type must match the Factory Site's.
- Black Cards Only. Only Black-Side cards can be produced; cards without a Black-Side (e.g. Crew) cannot.
- Movement Timing. The card may move the same Turn it enters play.
- Martial Law. Negotiate (N6) or use a Felony to ET produce at an opponent's Factory.
- Radiator Orientation. Choose the Orientation of any radiators produced.
I9. Delivery Operation
If you have a Stack at a Factory containing a Black-Side card and the required FTs, move the card to LEO by expending FTs equal to twice the number of Heliocentric Zones the Factory is from LEO, plus 1 if the Site Size is 7 or more. This is a Glitch Trigger. (Not available while using Module 1's Freighters; only Black-Side cards can be delivered.)
J. Supports
There are 3 support-card types: generators, reactors, and radiators. They support other patent cards (thrusters, robonauts, refineries, other supports). A single support can make multiple cards Operational.
J1. Using Supports
If a card lists supports in its white field, it needs the indicated support type/subtype — Operational and in the same Stack — to be Operational.
- Support Subtypes. Generators have 2 subtypes; reactors have 3 (stationary, burst/plasma, exotic). Cards specify which subtype they need.
- Sharing Supports. One support can satisfy all same-type requirements in its Stack, but you may assign no more than one support per requirement.
- Support Chains. The card, its required supports, those supports' supports, etc. form the support chain. Specify the entire chain used for movement (H2).
- Radiators provide all or part of their Therms as part of the support chain; a card's cooling can come from multiple radiators.
- Pulsed Generators can simultaneously support and be supported by a reactor.
J2. Non-Operational Consequences
A card must be Operational to activate for thrust, prospecting, refueling, industrializing, or for any printed Ability while in a Stack (not for Hand cards or free-marketed cards).
- A non-operational thrust triangle cannot be activated.
- A Stack cannot ISRU refuel or prospect without an Operational ISRU card (except factory dirt refuel, G1c).
- Air-eater refuel requires an Operational pac-man card.
- Industrializing requires the robonaut and refinery to have all supports met except Therms (I7g).
- Abilities/restrictions are inactive if the card is non-operational (except movement-modifying supports, a card needn't be in the support chain for its Ability to be active — e.g. magnetoshell, air-eater).
J3. Operational Cards
A card becomes non-operational the moment any requirement is violated: Solar-Power (non-operational in the Neptune zone unless pushed); not all supports present; support chain not all Operational; insufficient cooling Therms. You may also choose to make a card non-operational.
J4. Cooling Therms
Cards listing cooling icons require that many Therms, supplied by radiators and/or afterburn cooling, to be Operational.
- Therm Production. Each Therm can be supplied to a single Colocated card during a movement or Operation.
- Therm Assignment. Each time a card needing cooling is used, enough Therms must be available for it and its whole support chain. A thruster must meet its Therm needs to be activated; a card's Ability is locked unless Therm needs are met.
- Therms Reuse. Radiator-produced Therms are not exhausted by an individual use; they may be reused across all support chains during a single Turn. (Afterburn Therms are not reusable.)
- Afterburn Cooling. An afterburning triangle produces one Therm (like a radiator) during that movement only, for the activated thruster and its chain. A non-operational thruster may afterburn if that single Therm makes it Operational.
- Radiator Orientation. A radiator's mass and Therms depend on its Orientation (see glossary).
J5. Movement-Modifying Supports
A movement-modifying support (black triangle with wrench icon), if Operational and chosen in the activated triangle's support chain, changes net thrust and/or fuel consumption. Order of operations: multiply/divide, then add/subtract, rounding fractions up at move's end. Three types:
- Thrust-Modifying: adds/subtracts thrust when calculating net thrust.
- Solar Thrust-Modifying: with at least one Solar-Powered support in the chain, modify thrust by the Heliocentric Zone value (−5 to +2), applied once.
- Fuel-Modifying: multiply fuel consumption by the indicated amount per Burn (round up at move's end).
- Exceptions. Ignore movement-modifiers for supports needed only by radiators, reactors, Freighters, or GW thrusters. Movement-modifiers don't affect afterburning.
K. Sunspot Cycle Events
At the end of each year, the 1st Player advances the Sunspot Cube one spot. Crossing an event threshold triggers an Event Roll applied to all players.
K1. Colors Of The Seasons
The Sunspot Cycle has three colored seasons — red, blue, yellow — determining Synodic Comet accessibility, the Venus flyby, and season-dependent events.
K2. Event Roll
Roll 1d6 and resolve: 1–2 Inspiration, 3 Glitch, 4 Pad Explosion, 5–6 season-dependent.
- Inspiration (1–2). Put the top card of each patent deck (and the Colonist queue) on the bottom of that deck.
- Glitch (3). Each player places a Glitch (red disk) on their Stack with the most cards that has neither a Glitch nor Colocated Humans. Later, if a Glitched Stack performs a Glitch Trigger, make a Glitch Roll (roll 1d6; any Colocated card with rad-hardness exactly equal is Decommissioned; the Glitch remains). A Glitch is removed by glitch repair (G7).
- Pad Explosion/Space Debris (4). Each player Decommissions their highest-Mass card in LEO (Crew, Black-Side, Purple-Side, Colonist, and Bernal cards are immune).
- Solar Flare (5–6, season red). Make a CME Roll (1d6) for overall severity, applied to every card in all non-LEO Stacks. Add the card's Heliocentric Zone modifier (−5 to +2); any card with rad-hardness less than the result is decommissioned unless shielded. Shielding: cards in LEO or cycler (Van Allen); cards on a Radiation Belt except the 14 around Sol (magnetic field); cards on Sites (bunker).
- Anarchy (5–6, season blue). Until the cube exits season blue, each player's faction privilege is replaced by the Felonious privilege. (Module 0: the Active Law is inactivated but can still be lobbied and moved; make a Purge Roll removing one delegate of each color in the rolled Ideology.)
- Budget Cuts (5–6, season yellow). Each player Discards a Hand card of choice to the bottom of its deck.
- Event Order. Multi-player effects resolve starting with the 1st Player, clockwise.
L. Glories
Glory chits start in the Heliocentric Zone indicators (B3, C7). Landing a Human on any Site in a zone whose glory chit is not yet taken lets you take it and place it on the Human's card, lowest-VP side up. Each Crew/Colonist carries at most one glory chit. No glory can be obtained from a Site a Human has previously landed on.
- Ticker Tape Parade. If a Human returns to your Bank carrying a glory chit, it goes to your playmat's "Glory" space, highest-VP side up.
- Tragedy. If a glory-carrying Human is Decommissioned (death or colonization), the chit goes to the Glory space but stays lowest-VP side up.
- Heroism. The 4 heroism chits (games of 3+ players) start on the map's heroism spots. Before the last year, any player may nominate another (or themselves) for a heroism chit; players vote starting with the 1st Player, and it is permanently awarded on a majority (1st Player breaks ties).
M. Game End & Scoring
M1. Core Endgame
The game ends after 48 years (four Sunspot Cycles), when the last Seniority Disk is removed. (With Modules 1/2 it is 5 cycles; with Futures, 7.)
M2. Scoring
The player with the most VP wins (ties broken by most Aqua, else shared).
- Token VP. 1 VP for each wooden/plastic Token of your color on the map (and, in Module 0, on the Assembly) — Rockets, Claims, Factories, domes, Bernals, delegates.
- Bonus VP (by location): Factory Stock Price +8 / +5 / +4 VP per Factory per its Exploitation Track (2 VP each if the game ends in War; doubled if linked to a Space Elevator); Colony Dome +1 VP (Astrobiology) / +2 VP (Submarine, Bernal); Glory & Heroism Chits as their faceup value; (Module 2) Dirtside Hydration and (Modules 0/1/2) Future Stars as listed.
- Politics VP (Module 0). Per the final position of the Active Law (skip if Anarchy/War): Freedom +1/Factory cube; Honor +1/glory chit; Unity +1/Ideology you hold a delegate in; Authority +1/Claim disk; Equality +1/Colony dome; Individuality +1/Token on Sites with Hazardous lander burns.
N. Negotiation
At any time (even on an opponent's Turn), negotiate mutually-desirable deals. Deals may involve promises and/or transfers; deals that cannot be carried out the Turn they are made are non-binding. Item transfers (cards, non-Aqua FTs, Figures) cannot occur during movement, an Operation, or a free action. You cannot transfer glories, Futures, Anchored Bernals, or any promoted card (except unemancipated Robots).
- N1. Negotiated Aquas. Transfer Aquas freely between players.
- N2. Negotiated Hand Cards. Transfer Hand cards to other players. A traded card cannot be traded again from its new Hand until the start of its original owner's next Turn.
- N3. Negotiated Stacks & Figures. When a Stack/Claim/Factory/Colony changes ownership, swap Figures and move contents. Mind Stack, disk, and cube limits. Only the active player may perform free actions on their Turn. A Crew/Colonist moved into an opponent's Stack stays under your control, providing only Human benefits (glitch repair, thrust activation).
- N4. Negotiated Faction Privileges. Powersat (add push to a pushable Spacecraft); Felonious (allow an opponent to commit Felonies); Mooncable (dirt refuel another player's Rocket at LEO/Home Orbit); Scrum Troubleshooters (glitch repair, not after the Glitch Roll); 1st Player (permit prospecting Luna; place seniority disks as legacy votes, Module 0).
- N5. Negotiated Factory-Assist. Use a consenting opponent's Factory for factory-assist (or without consent via Felony).
- N6. Negotiated On-Site Operation. Use an opponent's Claim/Factory/Crew/Colony/Bernal/Colonist for an On-Site Operation (refuel, prospect, industrialize, ET production), or without consent via Felony if you have Humans present and they don't.
- N7. Negotiated Abilities. Share an Ability on a Stack card (or Colonist specialty) with an opponent's Colocated Stack.
- N8. Negotiated Glitch Repair. A Glitch on an opponent's Stack Colocated with your Human is always automatically removed.
O. Module 0 — Politics
Factions elect delegates into 7 Ideologies, each with a Law.
- The Assembly is the hexagonal placard where Factions place delegates and manipulate Laws.
- Ideologies: freedom, honor, unity, authority, equality, individuality, and (center) centrist.
- Economic vs. Political Pull. You gain delegate cubes by fundraising, building Colonies, or exomigration. You are limited to 7 cubes, split between Factories and delegates.
- Active Law. A gold star marks the active Ideology's Law.
O1. Political Assembly Setup
Add the assembly placard: place the Active Law (gold star) in centrist; each player adds one cube (delegate) into the Ideology of their player color.
O2. Delegates & Fundraise Operation
The Fundraise Operation replaces the Income Operation: (1) receive 1 Aqua; (2) optionally elect a delegate from Reserve into your faction Ideology or one where you already have a delegate; (3) optionally move one delegate to an adjacent Ideology. Building a Colony or exomigrating also lets you place a delegate in the matching Ideology.
O3. Law Activation
After any effect that places/removes/moves a delegate: Vote Tally — if any Ideology has delegates ≥ the Active Law's, the active player must move the Active Law into an Ideology with the most delegates (may stay if tied with its current Ideology). Activation — the new Ideology's Law becomes active for all Factions.
O4. Lobby (free action)
As a once-per-turn free action, pay 1 Aqua and Decommission one of your delegates in an inactive Ideology to use its Law throughout your Turn. (Centrist Law can be lobbied only during a pad explosion event. During Anarchy/War, Laws may be lobbied; payment is waived in War.)
O5. Laws
- Free Trade Act (freedom): sell two cards for 5 Aqua total via free market.
- Paleoconservative Directive (honor): fundraise income equals the number of glory chits you hold.
- UN General Assembly (unity): every other Ideology with 2+ delegates also activates its Law; no one may lobby.
- Martial Law (authority): once per Turn after a fundraise vote tally, additionally Discard an opponent's delegate; prevents changing the 1st Player at cycle end.
- Research Grants (equality): when initiating a research auction, skip the auction and pay 1 Aqua to take any patent deck's top card (no bonus supports or hand limit).
- Freedom To Roam Treaty (individuality): treat an opponent's Factory/Bernal as your own for On-Site Operations, factory-assist, Promotions, or Space Elevators, without permission.
- Mishap Insurance (centrist): during a pad-explosion event, a Faction with a centrist delegate gains Aquas equal to the Mass of its decommissioned card.
O6. 12-Year Legacy
When a seniority disk is removed, the 1st Player adds it to an Ideology's circular spot as a legacy vote (counts only in the final vote; cannot be moved). Placing the final disk ends the game; the final 1st Player performs a vote tally counting delegates and legacy votes. Except under active Martial Law, the 1st Player then passes the role to another player.
O7. Political Scoring
After the final vote, if no Anarchy/War, apply endgame Politics VP (M2c): Freedom +1/Factory cube; Honor +1/glory chit; Unity +1/Ideology with your delegate; Authority +1/Claim disk; Equality +1/Colony dome; Individuality +1/Token on Sites with Hazardous lander burns; Centrist no change.
Glossary
- 1st Player. Owns the Sunspot Cube (the "Sol secretary-general"). Starts each player-turn phase and completes the sunspot-cycle phase. Determined at setup by best clout. Prospecting Luna needs the 1st Player's permission.
- Adjacent. A Space is adjacent to another if you can trace a route between them without passing through another Space. Ignore Crash Hazards and lander burns when determining adjacency. Spaces joined by buggy roads are never adjacent.
- Aerobrake Hazard. A parachute-icon Space; entering forces a Hazard Roll unless using FINAO. Sails are Decommissioned on entry. Air-eater refuel (I5c) happens here.
- Anarchy. Occurs in season blue as an event (K2e); all players lose faction privileges but gain Felonious. (Module 0: inactivates the Active Law and makes a Purge Roll.) Ends when the cube exits season blue.
- Anchored (Module 2). A Bernal that has undergone the anchoring operation, providing atmosphere and shielding; place a dome on it. Becomes immobile, Human, and converts Adjacent Factories into Dirtsides.
- Aqua. A blue bead (water FT) in your Bank; a 40-tonne water tank used as currency and as Water FT.
- Astrobiology Site. A leaf-icon Site; a Colony here is worth +1 VP.
- Atmospheric Site. A cloud-icon Site; relevant to liftoffs, raygun prospecting, and air-eater refueling. All have nearby Aerobrake Hazards.
- Bank. The Space where your Aquas are stored, normally LEO (shifts to your Home/ET Home Bernal in Module 2/3).
- Belt Roll. Made on entering a Radiation Belt (H10). Roll 1d6, subtract net thrust (+2 in season red); cards with lower rad-hardness are decommissioned.
- Bernal (Module 2). A large orbital habitat delivered as an empty shell, then given atmosphere and shielding from local materials. Up to two per player. Acts as a Spacecraft until Anchored.
- Black-Side Card. A patent card built in space (B2a); can never be boosted.
- Bonus Burn. A Burn used without spending Fuel and not counting toward the burn limit; gained from flybys (H8). Cannot be saved for the next Turn.
- Bonus Pivot. A ballerina-icon extra Pivot made without spending Fuel or counting toward the burn limit. Listed on Sails and some promoted thrusters.
- Burn. Spending fuel steps equal to fuel consumption, by entering a Burn Space or making a Pivot.
- Burn Space. A magenta Space (Lagrange or lander burn). You may not halt on a lander burn.
- Busted. A Site under a translucent red disk — no Claims/Factories possible, but still ISRU-refuelable.
- Cargo. Cards, FTs, Freighter cubes, Mobile Factories, and Bernals carried in a Spacecraft Stack; their combined Mass is the Dry Mass.
- Claim. A player-color disk on a successfully prospected Site; worth 1 VP.
- CME Roll. A 1d6 roll for solar-flare severity (K2d), unavoidable by FINAO; compared to unshielded cards' rad-hardness (with zone modifiers).
- Colocated. Occupying the same Space.
- Colonist (Module 2). A non-patent card added via exomigration; can be Human or Robot; works per its Profession.
- Colony. An industrialized Claim or Bernal topped with a dome (max one per Factory/Bernal). Added by Decommissioning a Human (G3). Permanent, always Human, worth endgame VP.
- Crash Hazard. A white-skull Space; entering forces a Hazard Roll unless using FINAO.
- Crew. A Human card with Mass, ISRU platform, rad-hardness, and usually a thrust triangle. Cannot be traded/sold/Discarded; always in a Stack. Its faction privileges are active except during Anarchy.
- Decommission. Returns a card to your Hand, Crew to LEO/Bank, FTs to the Pool, Colonists to the queue. Voluntary (jettison, build colony, industrialize, Murder/Suicide) or involuntary (Glitch/Hazard/Belt/CME Rolls, pad explosions).
- Discard. Return a patent card to the bottom of its deck, or a token to the Pool/Reserves. Distinct from Decommission (which goes to Hand).
- Dry Mass. Spacecraft mass with empty tanks (cards + FTs + Mobile Factories). Min 1, max 23.
- ET. Extraterrestrial ("not from Earth").
- Event Roll. 1d6 each time the Sunspot Cube crosses an "event" threshold (K2).
- Exoglobalization. Elimination of government-enforced restrictions on exchanges, extended to extraterrestrial resources.
- Exploitation Tracks. Record each Spectral Type's factory stock price (more Factories = lower price; max 10, min 4). Used for free market and endgame scoring.
- Faction. One of the 5 player colors, each a "basal societal unit" with a faction privilege.
- Factory. A cube on a Claim, marking an industrialized Site; provides VP and benefits. A Factory on a Push Site grants the Powersat Ability.
- Felony. An activity prohibited except in season blue (after Anarchy) or with the Felonious privilege; requires a Colocated Human. Includes Murder, Suicide, Claim Jump, and Factory Hijack.
- FINAO (Failure Is Not An Option). Pay 4 Aquas before a Hazard Roll to auto-succeed. Not usable for Glitch/CME/Belt Rolls.
- FT (Fuel Tank). One Mass unit of fuel (a bead). Water FTs in LEO/Bank are also Aquas. Colors: blue (water), gold (isotope).
- Fuel. Wet Mass Fuel (propellant). In the Core game, dirt or water.
- Glitch. A red disk on a Stack from the glitch event; performing a Glitch Trigger while glitched forces a Glitch Roll. Removed by glitch repair (G7).
- Glitch Triggers. Entering a flyby, cargo transfer, site refuel, prospect, industrialize, delivery, or anchoring.
- Hand. Patent cards to the right of your playmat; no hand limit (but academia limits apply to auctions).
- Hazard Roll. Roll 1d6; on a 1, every card/FT/cube in the Stack is decommissioned. Avoidable with FINAO.
- Heliocentric Zone. A concentric zone centered on Sol (Mercury/D to Neptune/J), each with a thrust/flare modifier (−5 to +2). Solar-Powered cards are non-operational in the Neptune zone unless pushed.
- Hohmann. A Space where routes intersect or corner with no icon. Changing direction here mid-move requires a Pivot.
- Human. A card with the orange "humans on board" triangle (Crew, Colonist). Colony domes, cards in LEO, and Anchored Bernals are also Human. Humans prevent/cause Felonies and repair Glitches.
- Hydration. Water availability on a Site (0–4 drops). If less than a card's ISRU rating, that card cannot ISRU refuel or prospect there.
- ISRU. "In Situ Resource Utilization" rating (0 best to 4 worst). A unit can ISRU refuel or prospect only if its ISRU ≤ the Site's Hydration. Water FTs gained from ISRU refuel = 1 + Hydration − ISRU.
- Jettison. Free action to Decommission Cargo/FTs or dump Wet Mass Fuel, with the corresponding mass adjustment.
- Lagrange Point. A circle-marked intersection where you can turn for no movement/fuel cost.
- LEO. Low Earth Orbit, the closest Space to Earth; holds your LEO Stack and Aquas. Always contains Humans; vulnerable to pad explosions.
- Mass. How heavy a card/FT is (each Mass = 40 tonnes); shown upper-left on cards and on the Fuel Strip.
- Module. A rules set referencing the Core rules, added to tailor the experience.
- Operation. In the Core game, one per Turn from 9 kinds (I). Modules add fundraise, promotion, homesteading, anchoring, and epic-hazard operations.
- Operational. A card in the same Stack as all its (Operational) required supports, with cooling met. Solar-Powered cards are non-operational in the Neptune zone. You may declare a card non-operational.
- Orientation. Radiators have heavy and light orientations (different Mass/Therms). Chosen when the card enters a Stack; changes via ablation, jettison, or specific cards.
- Outpost Stack. A map Stack marked by one of your two outpost chits. Cannot move but can convert into a Spacecraft or transfer cards to a Colocated Stack. Max two by end of Turn.
- Pivot. A change of direction at a Hohmann during a move, costing two Burns.
- Pool. The general supply of Aqua, red disks, and other unowned tokens.
- Powersat. A faction privilege or Ability giving +1 push at any range to a Spacecraft with the push icon (no effect if already pushed). A Push Factory yields it. Also allows safe factory-assist (no Hazard Roll).
- Radiation Belt. A radiation-icon Space; entering forces a Belt Roll.
- Reserves. A player's out-of-play tokens beside their playmat.
- Rocket. A Stack of cards marked on the map by your Rocket Figure. One at a time.
- Sails. Thruster cards (gossamer films propelled by Sol) with fuel consumption zero. Decommissioned on entering an Aerobrake Hazard; enjoy one Bonus Pivot. Include photon kite sail, mag sail, photon heliogyro, electric sail.
- Seniority Disks. Translucent red disks over Sol counting the game's Solar Cycles; one removed each time the seniority threshold is crossed. When none remain, the game ends.
- Site. A hexagonal landable Space with a Size (number), Spectral Type (letter), Hydration (0–4 drops), and possibly other icons.
- Size. A Site's surface-gravity number, used for the prospecting Size Roll and for powered landing/liftoff thresholds.
- Sol. Our star; dominates the Heliocentric Zones, powers Solar-Powered cards and Sails, and gives dangerous flares in season red.
- Solar-Powered Card. A solar-icon card; modifies thrust per zone (H3c). Non-operational in the Neptune zone (and cannot be used in the Jupiter zone+ when anchoring a Bernal) unless pushed by a Powersat.
- Space. A map position accessible along route lines. Bridged intersections (gaps in routes) are not Spaces.
- Spacecraft. The Rocket, Freighter, Mobile Factory, and Bernal Figures. Each moves once per Turn; Rockets and Bernals track fuel on the Fuel Strip.
- Space Elevator (Module 1). A structure linking two Spaces, letting connected Factory owners move Cargo/Humans; built via an epic-hazard operation.
- Spectral Type. A Site's resource letter: C = carbon, S = stone, M = metal, V = vestoid, D = dark, H = helium-3. A Factory ET produces only Black-Side cards of its Site's Spectral Type.
- Stack. A collection of cards and/or FTs tied to a map location (via a Figure, except LEO).
- Submarine. A Colony on a waves-icon Site (an underwater base) worth extra VP.
- Sunspot Cube. A 1st-player-color cube tracking the Sunspot Cycle, advanced just before the 1st Player's Turn.
- Sunspot Cycle. The 12-year year tracker, divided into red, blue, and yellow seasons; crossing event/seniority thresholds triggers events/disk removal.
- Synodic Comet Site. A red/blue/yellow-bordered Site accessible (for landing/liftoff) only in the matching season. The kreutz sungrazer (Saturn zone) auto-succeeds at prospecting but decommissions everything on it when the cube leaves season yellow; colonizing it is a Felony.
- Therm. A unit of cooling (supply or demand), shown by the thermometer icon.
- Token VP. VP for wood/plastic tokens of your color at endgame (disks, cubes, domes, Rockets, Freighters, Bernals; Module 0 delegates). Domes may be worth extra VP.
- Turn. One player's turn (one Earth-year): one Operation, any number of free actions, and move each Spacecraft once.
- War of Independence (Modules 1/3). Between Independents (wanting independence from Earth) and Loyalists. Disables Earth operations (income, research, free market, boost, delivery), replaces research auctions with war grants, and forbids FINAO; if the game ends in War, Factory stock prices drop to 2 and Politics VP don't score.
- Wet Mass. A Spacecraft's total Mass (Dry Mass + onboard Fuel).
- Wet Mass Fuel. Fuel tracked on the Fuel Strip via the Wet Mass Chit (color = grade: gray dirt, blue water, gold isotope).
- White-Side Card. A patent card built on Earth (B2a).