Hyperspace Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Components
• Game Overview
  • The Civ Sheet
• Game Setup
  • Set up your player area
  • Set up your Homeworld tile
  • Starting Hyper Tokens
• Playing the Game
  • Pool and Storage
  • Public Information
  • The Alpha Rule
• Game End
  • Costs and Penalties
  • The Civilization Progress Board
• Actions
  • Move (Key or Extra Action)
  • System Resources and Rewards
• Build (Key Action)
• Produce (Key Action)
• Research (Key Action)
  • Duplicate Techs
• Battle (Key Action)
  • Combat
  • Battle Techs & Abilities
    • Pre-Battle Phase
    • Main Battle Phase
    • Post-Battle Phase
• Salvage (Key Action)
• Self-Destruct (Key Action)
• Rebirth (Key Action)
• Unique Actions (Key or Extra Action)
• The Rule of Psi
• End of the Game and Scoring
• Player Leaving the Game
• Appendix 1: Component Rules Reference
  • Citizens
  • Colonies
  • Ships
  • Starbases
  • Super Units
  • Techs and Super Techs
  • Secrets
  • Hyper Tokens (Hypers)
  • Native Aliens
  • Wreckage
• Appendix 2: Additional Game Materials
  • Nova Pack Add-on for 5- or 6-player games (requires extra Civs)
  • Add-on Component Rules: Space Monsters
  • Extra Civilizations
  • Dice Pack
• Appendix 3: Glossary
• Appendix 4: FAQ
  • Techs (FAQ)
• Rule Omega – the Final Question
• Components List
  • List of Unaligned Systems
  • List of Techs
  • List of Secrets with End-Game Rewards
  • Star Cluster Maps for Game Setup
• Quick Reference: Key Actions and End of the Game
  • End of the Game and Scoring (quick reference)

Introduction

In Hyperspace, you are an alien civilization engaged in exploring and colonizing the star systems of a newly-discovered star cluster. You must build up your infrastructure and develop your technology, as you fight your rivals for control of the resources that these systems offer.

Components

1 Rulebook 1 Civilization Progress Board 4 Civ Sheets 38 Unaligned System Tiles 4 Homeworld System Tiles 4 Player Aids 38 Secret Cards 25 Civ Randomizer Cards 84 Common Tech Tiles 248 Resource Tokens (from left to right: Atomics, Metal, Organic) 12 Wreckage Tokens 70 Hyper Tokens 12 Key Action Tokens (front and back) 8 Native Alien Tokens 4 Atomics Production Markers (reverse has +10) 4 Metal Production Markers (reverse has +10) 4 VP Markers, 1 in each of the 4 player colors 12 Progress Markers, 3 in each of the 4 player colors 92 Generic Civilization Units, 23 in each player color:

• 8 Colonies per player
• 6 Starbases per player
• 4 Corvettes per player
• 3 Destroyers per player
• 2 Cruisers per player 40 Color Rings, 10 in each player color (6 large rings and 4 small rings) Unique Civilization Units (6 per Civ): 4 Citizens, 2 Super Units 8 Super Techs (2 per Civ) 5 Venge Friendship Tokens (front and back) 1 Venge Grudge Track and Token 1 Fungi Drone 1 Caste Marker 1 Skith 1 Broodmaster 24 Dice: 5 white & 5 black six-sided dice (D6), 3 white & 3 black eight-sided dice (D8), 2 white & 2 black ten-sided dice (D10), 2 white & 2 black twelve-sided dice (D12)

For a list of components available as add-ons to the Core Game, please refer to Additional Game Materials on page 25.

Game Overview

Hyperspace is an asymmetric strategy game about interstellar expansion. In it, you and up to 5 other players control alien civilizations competing for the resources of a newly-discovered star cluster. Build up your empire, seize resources, and battle rivals. Each alien species has its own unique strengths and weaknesses – your path to victory lies in exploiting these.

As your civilization develops, you will score Victory Points (VP) for Exploring new Systems, Researching Techs, and winning Battles. At the end of the game, you also gain VP for colonized worlds and Starbases, as well as Secrets and Hyper tokens you have collected. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins.

The Civ Sheet

1. Portrait
2. Name
3. Setup Instructions
4. Ships and Other Units Build Cost, Attack Rating, Defense Value, Fortress
5. Super Unit
6. Weakness
7. Bonus
8. Victory Ability
9. Super Tech Slots
10. Unique Track Attachments (only for some Civs)
11. Common Tech Slots
12. Pool (left of Civ sheet)
13. Metal Production
14. Atomics Production
15. Storage (right of Civ sheet)

Game Setup

Choose a Start player by any means desired.

Each player chooses a color and takes the set of generic Civilization Units, Progress markers, production markers and base rings in that color. Each player also takes 3 Key Action tokens and a Player Aid card.

Each player then chooses a Civ to play. You can either let each player choose the one they want to play, or shuffle the randomizer cards and deal one to each player. To help make your choice, look at the Complexity track of the Civ which is shown on the randomizer card and on the back of each Civ's sheet. If the green bar is lit, the Civ is "normal" complexity, and is suitable for play by anyone. If the yellow bar is lit, the Civ is "advanced" complexity, and may prove challenging for a player who is new to the game. If the red bar is lit, the Civ is "hyper" complexity and is recommended only for players who are experienced with the game.

Take the Homeworld tiles for the Civs in the game. Return all other Homeworld tiles to the box.

Build the Star Cluster map using the selected Homeworld and Unaligned System tiles as follows:

1. Shuffle the Unaligned System tiles with their Explored (planet) side face down. Place these tiles at random, with the Explored side still face down, in the correct pattern according to the number of players (the example shows the setup for 4 players, for other player counts see page 9).
2. Place the Homeworld tiles at random in the available slots. Turn order during the game proceeds clockwise around the Cluster beginning with the Start player's Homeworld. It is recommended that players move around the table to match the order of play.

Star Cluster maps for other player counts. The rulebook prints a 2 Player, 3 Player, 5 Player and 6 Player layout (Unaligned tiles and Homeworld tiles in the patterns shown on printed page 9; the printed maps are diagrams, so follow them as drawn).

Planet Tiles (key printed beside the examples on page 9):

1. Metal Production
2. Organic Salvage
3. Atomics Production
4. Continent Divider Line (3-continent planet)
5. Native Alien
6. Ship Wreckage
7. Continent Divider Line (2-continent planet)
8. Hyper Token

Note: In 2- and 3-player games, all Unaligned System tiles must have at least 2 continents. Before setting up the Star Cluster, remove all the tiles that have planets with only one continent, then build the Cluster from the remaining tiles.

3. Place the Civilization Progress board next to the Star Cluster map.
4. Shuffle the Secret cards and place them face down in a stack near the Civilization Progress board.
5. Take the Common Techs and place them in a container or a bag. This is the Tech Reserve.

Place the Wreckage tokens, Hyper tokens, dice, and Resource tokens (Organics, Atomics, and Metal) within easy reach of all players together with the Native Alien tokens or figures and the Space Monsters (if used). This is the General Supply.

Note: The tokens are not limited to the number supplied with the game – if you run out of a token type, use a substitute for the extra tokens you need.

Aurora's Tip: Some Civilizations may work better than others in 2-player games. When choosing your Civ, check its bonuses and abilities carefully.

Set up your player area

1. Fit the colored base rings onto your Civ's unique figures (Citizens and Super Units). You'll always have four extra base rings. Put these back in the box.
2. Place your Civ sheet in front of you.
3. Place all your plastic figures and your Super Techs (face up) to the left of your Civ sheet. This is your Pool.
4. Take 2 Organic tokens, 2 Atomic tokens, and 2 Metal tokens and place them to the right of your Civ sheet. This is your Storage.
5. Draw 4 Common Techs from the Tech Reserve and place them face up in your Pool alongside your 2 Super Techs. One time only, you may then choose to discard any or all of these Common Techs and draw replacements. Return any discarded Techs to the game box, they are removed from the game. When drawing Techs, always check for illegal Techs (see box).
6. Place your three Progress markers next to the Civilization Progress board (See page 14) and place your VP marker on the Start space.
7. Take 3 Key Action tokens, and place them Action side up nearby.
8. If your Civ has a unique Progress track, place it to the right of your Civ sheet, and put its Progress marker (if any) on the start space. Do not take any rewards marked on that space.
9. Take a Player aid.

Illegal Techs (sidebar): Some Civ abilities specify that certain Techs cannot be used by the Civ - these are referred to as illegal Techs. If, at any time, you draw an illegal Tech, you must immediately discard it (remove from the game) and draw another one. This applies when you draw a Tech on another player's turn as well as on your own turn.

Your Civ sheet shows the costs of your Units and the Techs that you have Researched as well as its unique characteristics described in its Bonus, Weakness, and Victory abilities, Super Units, and Super Techs. You should read these carefully to ensure that you understand how they work.

Your Weakness represents a prominent negative feature of your heritage. It is an ongoing effect that you can never be rid of. Your opponents' Weaknesses are there to be exploited.

Your Bonus represents your species' heritage and nature. It is always available and, if ongoing, is always in effect. Its use is optional, unless otherwise indicated.

Your Victory ability can give you bonus Secrets, Hypers, Resources, VP, or give you other advantages when performing certain actions.

Aurora's Tip: Always keep your Victory ability in mind, as it is designed to complement your other powers and abilities. Try to maximize its use. Some Super Techs are best Researched in the early game, others can be put off until they are needed.

For a detailed view of the Civ sheet, see Page 7.

Your Civ's Super Units are usually Ships, but for some Civs they are enhanced versions of Citizens, Colonies, or Starbases. Unless otherwise stated, Super Units share all the powers, limitations, and benefits of their Unit type, but possess additional abilities and high Attack ratings and Defense values.

Your Civ possesses two unique Super Techs designed to enhance specific Units or abilities.

Set up your Homeworld tile

1. Place one Colony on each continent.
2. For each of your Colonies, place tokens matching the number and type of the continent's available Resource symbols in the Colony slots.
3. Set your Atomics production and Metal production according to the number of the matching tokens in your Colony slots.
4. Choose one continent on your Homeworld and place a Citizen on it.
5. If your Homeworld is marked with one or more Organic symbols, cover each of them up with an Organic token from the General Supply.
6. Place 1 Starbase in orbit.
7. Take the Starting Fleet Ship(s) listed on your Civ sheet, and place them in orbit.

Aurora's Tip: Your Metal & Atomics production does not affect your starting Resources. For example, though the Fungi Homeworld has zero Metal production, they still get 2 Metal in Storage at the start of the game.

Starting Hyper Tokens

Players take a number of Hyper tokens into their Storage depending on their position in turn order. The Start player takes 1 Hyper token, the next player takes 2 Hyper tokens, and so on. Thus, in a 6-player game, the last player in turn order would start the game with 6 Hyper tokens.

Playing the Game

Players take turns in clockwise order, beginning with the Start player, and continuing until the end of the game is declared.

On your turn, you can perform up to three Key Actions. These are represented by your Key Action tokens: Each time you perform a Key Action, flip one of your Key Action tokens face down. At the start of your turn, flip your three Key Action tokens face up.

The Key Actions are:

• Move
• Build
• Produce
• Research
• Battle
• Salvage
• Self-Destruct
• Rebirth

You may perform Key Actions in any order, and each action can be performed more than once, provided that each time you perform the action you flip a Key Action token face down and pay any costs required by the action.

During your turn, you may also perform any number of Extra Actions. An Extra Action does not require you to flip a Key Action token when you perform it.

Extra Actions allow you to:

• Move Ships to a System containing your Starbase (page 14)
• Discard a duplicate Tech from your Pool (page 17)
• Spend Hyper tokens (page 24)
• Activate "Extra Action" Techs (page 23)

Note: You cannot perform Extra Actions during another player's turn - you can never perform actions during another player's turn except you may use Battle Techs if you are Attacked. A few Techs, abilities, and some Civ unique tracks are triggered by other player's actions, but otherwise the actions a player performs are not interrupted unless a Secret is obtained or handed out.

Pool and Storage

Your Pool contains your unbuilt Units and unresearched Techs. When Units are built, or Techs researched, take them from the Pool. Your builds are limited to the Units in your Pool. If you have no more of a particular Unit in your Pool or Storage, you cannot build that type of Unit until one is returned from the map. Units return to the Pool from play if they are destroyed by another player, or if you Self-Destruct them.

Your Storage contains your Resources (Organics, Atomics, and Metal), Hyper tokens, your damaged Ships, and your Secret cards. Whenever you gain a Resource during the game, take it from the General Supply and place it in your Storage. Whenever you have to pay a Resource cost, take the corresponding tokens from your Storage and place them in the General Supply. Ships move to Storage when they are damaged in Battle.

Public Information

Your Civ sheet, available and researched Techs, Pool, and Storage are public information and must remain visible or available for inspection by other players at all times. This includes Techs in your Pool, and face-down one-use Techs.

The only hidden information in Hyperspace is the Game End value of your Secret cards. These are kept face down in your Storage, and only revealed during scoring.

The Alpha Rule

Abilities, Techs, and Secrets can modify the way the game is played. If the wording on a card, tile, or sheet contradicts a rule in the rulebook, then follow the wording on the game component.

Game End

If you have accumulated a total of 15 or more VP on the Civilization Progress board, then during your turn you may choose to end the game immediately. This is not mandatory – you can choose to play on if you wish.

Once game end has been triggered, each player will score additional VP for the Hypers and Secrets that they have collected, the Systems they occupy, and their Civ's game-end abilities. The player with the most VP is declared the winner.

Costs and Penalties

If you cannot pay the cost of an action, you cannot perform the action.

If you have to pay a penalty, but cannot pay it in full, you must pay as much as you can. If given a choice, you must choose a penalty you can pay in full, or as fully as possible.

Organics: You can use an Organic as if it was any type of Resource, and may be required to spend one to pay a penalty.

The Civilization Progress Board

This board is used to record the progress of your Civilization and the VP you gain during the course of the game. It has four tracks, one showing your current VP total and three that record the milestones your Civ has reached in the fields of Exploration, Research, and Battle.

As your Progress markers advance along the tracks, you receive VP, Secrets, and Hyper tokens as a reward, as indicated on the spaces. The rewards for the Exploration and Research tracks are limited — once your markers reach the end of those tracks you cannot advance further and receive any more rewards from that track. The Battle track is different and the rewards from the final space can be gained multiple times (see page 18 for full details).

Actions

Move (Key or Extra Action)

Movement allows you to Explore the Star Cluster and maneuver your fleets. Only Ships can Move. This action is either a Key Action or an Extra Action depending on the System you are moving to.

First, select any System in which you have one or more Ships, then select an adjacent System tile and declare which of your Ships are moving from the starting System. Two tiles are considered to be adjacent if they share an edge.

If you Move your Ship(s) to an Unexplored System tile:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Pay 2 Atomics.
3. Reveal the System tile by flipping it to its Explored planet side.
4. Place the Ship(s) that moved in orbit around the planet.
5. If the newly revealed System has one or more Organic or Hyper symbols on it, cover each of them up with a matching token from the General Supply.
6. If the newly revealed System has a Wreckage symbol, place the appropriate token in orbit.
7. If one of the continents on the newly revealed planet has a Native Alien symbol on it, place a Native Alien figure / token there. This represents a neutral non-spacefaring species that can be recruited as a Citizen by your Civilization if you build a Colony on its continent.
8. Advance your Progress marker to the next space on the Exploration track of the Civilization Progress board, and gain the reward shown on that space. If you have reached the end of the Exploration track, your Progress marker no longer advances, and you do not gain any additional rewards from this track.

If you Move your Ship(s) to an Explored System where you do not have one of your Starbases:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Pay 1 Atomic.
3. Place the Ship(s) in orbit around the planet.

If you Move your Ship(s) to an adjacent System tile where you have one of your Starbases:

1. Do not flip a Key Action token (this is an Extra Action).
2. Pay 1 Atomic.
3. Place the Ship(s) in orbit around the planet.

Note: This Move Extra Action lets you move one or more of your Ships between two adjacent Systems without performing a Key Action, provided that the destination System contains one of your Starbases. If you have a network of Starbases extending across a number of adjacent System tiles, you may move Ships quickly within that network.

Note: The presence of a rival's Starbase or Ships does not prevent you Moving into a System, nor does such a Move trigger Battle.

Note: Once a new System has been Explored, anyone can exploit the Resources and rewards on the continents and in orbit by Building a Colony and a Starbase respectively, and then performing the Produce or Salvage Key Actions.

Move Example: Explore. The Broodmaster player decides to explore the adjacent System. It costs 2 Atomics and 1 Key Action. The ships are moved to the new System, and WASP 28 is populated with the appropriate tokens (2 Organics, 1 Native Alien, and 1 Corvette Wreckage).

Move Example (continued). With another action, the Broodmaster player decides to move the Destroyer to Trappist 1 from WASP 28, leaving the Corvette behind. This costs 1 Key Action and 1 Atomic.

Move Example: Starbase Network. In a later round, the Broodmaster player decides to move the two Corvettes back to WASP 28. Because the ships are moving to a Starbase, this is an Extra Action and only costs 1 Atomic, NOT a Key Action.

Aurora's Tip: Don't be afraid to trigger an early combat, and for heaven's sake don't feel that you need a gigantic fleet for battle. A single Ship of yours, damaging or destroying a single Ship of theirs, is enough to advance on the Battle Progress chart for a helpful early Secret or 2 VP. Later, you may want a more potent force, to ensure that you can knock out enough enemy units to earn a VP. But even then, a super-colossal fleet is mostly wasted. Smaller battles are quicker to pull off, and net you just as much profit.

System Resources and Rewards

Sidebar, printed beside the Move examples:

• Atomics: Produced by Colonies — used for Research and to power actions such as Move or Battle.
• Metal: Produced by Colonies — used to build Units.
• Organics: Placed on continents after a System is discovered and can be Salvaged by a Colony on the same continent — act as wild card Resource: can be spent as either Atomics or Metal.
• Native Aliens: Non-spacefaring species that count as one of your Citizens if you Build a Colony on the continent where they are located.
• Hyper tokens: Placed in orbit and can be Salvaged by a Starbase in the same System — one-time reward with a number of uses (see page 24).
• Wreckage tokens: Placed in orbit and can be Salvaged by a Starbase in the same System — one-time reward giving you a Ship of the same type.

Build (Key Action)

Your Civilization will only prosper if you Build. Colonies and Citizens produce the Resources you need, while Starbases and Ships allow you to explore and fight.

With this action, you may either:

• Build 1 Colony, 1 Starbase, or 1 Citizen; OR
• Build Ships

To Build a Colony, Starbase, or Citizen:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Pay the cost shown on your Civ sheet.
3. Take the Unit from your Pool and place it on the Star Cluster map:
   • Place a Colony on a continent in any revealed System, provided that none of your opponents have a Unit on the continent already (ignore the presence of Native Aliens).
   • Place a Starbase in orbit around a world where you have a Colony, provided that there is no Starbase there already.
   • Place a Citizen on any continent where you have a Colony.
4. If you placed a Colony, set its production by placing tokens matching the number and type of the continent's available Resource symbols in the Colony slots, then update your production tracks on your Civ sheet.

To Build Ships:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Pay up to 4 Resources to Build Ships, using Metal and/or Atomics depending on the costs shown on your Civ sheet.
3. Take the Ships from your Pool or Storage.
4. Place the Ships on any System tile(s) where you have a Starbase.

Aurora's Tip: You do not need a Ship in a System to place a Colony. A common game tactic is to Explore a planet and then immediately build a Colony there. If a planet has more than one continent, other players can build Colonies there on their turn. Usually newly-uncovered planets are rapidly colonized.

Aurora's Tip (hierarchy): There is a hierarchy to building. You must build a Colony before you can build Citizens and Starbases in the same System, and you must build a Starbase before you can build Ships there. Since there can be only one Starbase per System, these often become the focus of Battles.

Produce (Key Action)

Your Colonies and Citizens produce the Atomics, Metal, and Organics that your Civilization needs to thrive.

To Produce:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Check that the production tracks on your Civ sheet are up to date. Or you can check this while the previous player takes their turn.
3. Decide whether you are producing Atomics or Metal, then take the number of tokens shown on the chosen track from the General Supply and place them in your Storage.
4. Each of your Citizens that has been placed on a continent produces one Organic. Take the Organic tokens from the General Supply and place them in your Storage.

Research (Key Action)

Your Civ sheet has four slots on it for Tech tiles. The two small slots are for researching Common Techs, chosen from those you have in your Pool. The two large slots are used when you Research the Super Techs that are unique to your Civilization. If the slot you want to use is occupied by a Tech, you must first Self-Destruct that Tech in order to clear the slot (see page 20). You cannot Self-Destruct a Super Tech.

To Research a Common Tech or Super Tech:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Select an empty research slot on your Civ sheet and pay the cost shown. For almost all Civs the cost is in two parts:
   • A. Pay 1 or 2 Atomics.
   • B. Choose one rival to gain 1 Organic. This Organic comes from the general supply, not from your Storage.
3. Choose a Tech from your Pool that is different from one already on your Civ sheet.
4. Place the Tech in the slot you paid for. A Common Tech must be placed in a small slot, a Super Tech in a large slot.
5. If the new Tech is marked with a Hyper token, gain 1 Hyper token (marked #2 on the diagram on the right).
6. If you researched a Common Tech, draw a new random Tech from the Tech Reserve and place it in your Pool. Check for Illegal Techs as normal.
7. Advance your Progress marker to the next space on the Research track on the Civilization Progress board, and gain the reward shown on that space. If you have reached the end of the Research track, you can still perform the Research Key Action, but your Progress marker no longer advances, and you do not gain any reward from the track.

Diagram key (Research page): 1. Tech Name; 2. Hyper Token (gain a Hyper token when researched); 3. When and how to activate the Tech; 4. Effect; 5. Tech Color / Type: Green: Economic; Yellow: Politics; Red: Combat; Blue: Special. Diagram labels: 1. Available Tech Slot and Cost; 2. Researched Tech.

Duplicate Techs

There are two copies of each Tech in the game. You are allowed to have both copies of a Tech in your Pool, or even Research one and leave the other in your Pool, but you cannot Research the same Tech more than once.

As an Extra Action, you can discard a duplicate Tech and draw a new one from the Tech Reserve. If you gain a Tech on another player's turn that duplicates one you already have, you still must wait till your own turn to discard it.

Battle (Key Action)

A Battle is the most common way to remove your rivals' Units from the Star Cluster map.

To declare a Battle:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Pay 1 Atomic.
3. Select the System where you want to fight the Battle.
4. If more than one rival is present in the System, select a single opponent to fight. All other Civs will be neutral bystanders.
5. Proceed with one round of Combat (see below).
6. If you destroy or damage at least one of your rival's Units during the Battle, advance your Progress marker to the next space on the Battle track of the Civilization Progress board, and gain the reward shown on that space. If you are already on the last space of the Battle track, instead of moving your marker, gain the reward on the last space again.

Aurora's Tip: You can only advance on the Battle track if you are the Attacker. A Defender, even if successful, never advances.

Sidebar, Battle track: The last box of the Battle Progress track is unique in that it's the only box you can gain more than once. Gain 1 Hyper token. Then add up the Defense values of all the Units that you removed and receive 1 VP for every full 8 points of Defense value, up to a maximum of 2 VP. A destroyed Colony that was boosted by a Hyper token is only worth 6 Defense value for the purpose of the track.

Note: Simply moving into a System containing enemy Units does not trigger a Battle. Civs will share a System in peace until one of them initiates a Battle. The Battle Key Action allows you to fight one Battle. If you wanted to fight two Battles on your turn, that requires 2 Key Actions.

You can also declare a Battle against a Space Monster or a Native Alien that has not been recruited by a Civ. In such cases, the Monster or Native fights alone, and is controlled by the player to your right.

Combat

One round of Combat takes place to determine the outcome of the Battle.

The player initiating the Battle is the Attacker. The player who was Attacked is the Defender. In each phase of a Battle, player choices, and the triggering of Techs and abilities, are taken in the order: Attacker, Defender, and then neutrals if applicable.

A round of Combat has three phases:

1. Pre-Battle Phase
2. Main Battle Phase
   • A. Attack
   • B. Casualties
3. Post-Battle Phase

Battle Techs & Abilities

Many Techs and abilities are used in Battles. These are designated "Pre-Battle", "Battle", or "Post-Battle" to indicate when they are applied. Unless a Tech or ability specifically states otherwise, neutral parties to the Battle cannot use them. Use of a Tech or ability in Battle is always optional, apart from Civ weaknesses, which always apply.

Pre-Battle Phase

During the Pre-Battle phase, the Attacker and Defender may use any Techs or abilities labeled as "Pre-Battle" provided they can meet the requirements needed to trigger the effect.

Main Battle Phase

The Main Battle has two steps:

Attack

• All of the Attacker's and Defender's Units in the System must participate in the Battle, including Colonies.
• All Units have an Attack rating, listed on your Civ sheet, and is either a die roll or a fixed number (Colonies, for example, have an Attack rating of 0).
• Both participants in the Battle take the number of dice indicated by the type and number of your Units in the System.
• Roll the dice and make a note of the total, ensuring you add the fixed value of any Units that do not roll a die. This total is your Attack value — the number of points of damage you can inflict on your opponent's Units.
• Attack rolls are considered to be simultaneous, even if you have to take turns rolling dice. Do not move to the Casualties step until both players have rolled all their dice and totaled the results.

Casualties

• Each Unit has a Defense value — the number of points of damage it can withstand before being destroyed. All damage is inflicted simultaneously, and the destruction of a Unit does not affect its Attack roll.
• To inflict damage on your opponent's Units, first select a target Unit that participated in the Battle. Subtract points of damage from your Attack value and apply them to the target one at a time. Once you match that Unit's Defense value, it is destroyed and placed in its owner's Pool. Remember that each Hyper in a Colony slot increases the Defense value of that Colony by 6. Repeat this process until you run out of targets, or your Attack value reaches 0. You must always fully apply damage to the current target before moving on to the next one (Exception: if you have researched the Tactical Computer Tech you can apply damage to multiple targets). Extra points of damage are lost if the final target is destroyed.
• After all damage has been applied, any Ship that has sustained damage less than its Defense value is damaged and placed in its owner's Storage.
• Colonies, Citizens, Starbases, and some other Units, are classified as Fortresses. Fortresses must be completely destroyed before being removed from the map, otherwise they remain in place. Partial damage to these Units has no effect (although some abilities or Techs may change this).
• If a Colony is destroyed, its owner should immediately update the appropriate production track(s).

Battle Example. The Broodmaster player (using purple) decides to declare Battle on the Skith player (using blue) in Trappist 1. After paying 1 Atomic to start a Battle, each side gathers their Attack dice. Broodmaster rolls 3D6 (1 from the Starbase, 2 from the Corvettes, and zero from the Colony) and rolls a 3+6+1 for an Attack value of 10. The Skith rolls 1D6+1D8 (D6 from the Citizen, D8 from the Destroyer, and zero from the Colony) and gets a 6+5 for an Attack value of 11.

Battle Example (continued). The Broodmaster player applies 6 of their 10 points of damage to the Skith Colony (6 Defense value) destroying it and the remaining 4 points to the Destroyer (8 Defense value), damaging it. The destroyed Colony is sent back to the Skith Pool and the damaged Destroyer is sent to the Skith Storage. The Skith player applies 6 of their 11 points to the Broodmaster Starbase, destroying it, 4 more points to the Corvettes (2 points each), destroying them. The remaining 1 point can't damage the Colony because it is a Fortress, so that point is lost.

Post-Battle Phase

During the Post-Battle phase, the Attacker and Defender may use any Techs or abilities labeled as "Post-Battle", provided they can meet the requirements needed to trigger the effect.

Salvage (Key Action)

The Salvage Key Action can be used in three different ways. Flip a Key Action token face down, then do any or all of the following:

• If you have a Colony on a continent that has one or more Organic tokens on it, pick up as many of these tokens as you wish from any or all of those continents and place them in your Storage.
• If there are Hyper or Wreckage tokens in orbit in a System where you have a Starbase, gather these tokens. Place the Hyper tokens in your Storage, and replace the Wreckage tokens with the appropriate Ships from your Pool. You may not salvage a Wreckage token if you lack the matching ship in your Pool.
• If you have any damaged Ships in your Storage, you may return any or all of them to the map. Place these Ships at your Starbases as if they had just been built.

Salvage Example. Zelda chooses the Salvage Key Action. She has:

1. A damaged Destroyer in Storage
2. 3 available Organics on continents scattered across her empire
3. A Hyper token sharing an orbit with her Starbase

She picks up the Hyper token, all 3 Organics, and also repairs her Destroyer, placing it at one of her Starbases.

Self-Destruct (Key Action)

If you want to remove a Unit from the map, remove a researched Tech from your Civ sheet, or purge a Common Tech from your Pool you must Self-Destruct it.

To Self-Destruct the chosen item:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down, then do one of the following:
   • Take one of your Units from the map and place it in your Pool.
   • Take a researched Common Tech from your Civ sheet and remove it from the game.
   • Discard a Common Tech from your Pool (remove it from the game), then replace it with a new Tech drawn from the Tech Reserve.

Notes: You cannot Self-Destruct a Super Unit or a Super Tech, even if the latter is face down. If you Self-Destruct a Colony, return any tokens in its slots to the General Supply.

Rebirth (Key Action)

Rebirth is a way to regain a foothold in the game if your Civilization has been irreparably damaged by your opponents.

To perform a Rebirth:

1. Flip a Key Action token face down.
2. Discard all your Resources from Storage. Keep your Hyper tokens.
3. Destroy all rival Colonies, Citizens, and Starbases on your Homeworld tile. This does not count as a Battle and you do not receive any rewards for doing this.
4. Place one of your Colonies on each newly-empty continent of your Homeworld tile.
5. Take 2 Organic tokens, 2 Atomic tokens, and 2 Metal tokens and place them in your Storage.

Note: The Yaddith cannot use Rebirth after their Homeworld has been destroyed, and the Azota cannot place Colonies on continents with Deadworld markers on them.

Unique Actions (Key or Extra Action)

Abilities, Techs, and Super Techs can provide Civs with access to Unique actions. If the Unique action is a Key Action, then you must flip a Key Action token face down in order to perform it. Some Unique Tech actions are one-use, and you must flip the tile face down when you perform them.

The Rule of Psi

Hyperspace has a lot of rewards and bonuses, which need to be tracked carefully. It is possible that you may not notice you are entitled to an advance on a Progress track until after the fact, or that you didn't pick up a stray Hyper or Organic when you Salvaged.

If you want to gain these rewards retrospectively, as long as all other players agree, just gain them immediately. Note, however, that you cannot reset the game to an earlier state to trigger other effects, or perform other actions, that might have been enabled by the rewards.

Example: Chris is at 13 VP, and suddenly remembers, during Zelda's turn, that he was entitled to an advance on the Exploration track, which would have given him 2 VP. The other players all agree and he adds 2 VP to his total. However, he then cannot say, "On my turn, I would have ended the game!" It's too late for that, since the turn has passed on to Zelda already. He'll have to wait for his next turn to declare game end, assuming it doesn't happen before then.

Save time travel for the Skith.

End of the Game and Scoring

If you have accumulated a total of 15 or more VP on the Civilization Progress board you may, on your turn, declare that the game is over. The game then ends immediately.

Each player gains additional VP as follows:

• 1 VP per planet on which the player has at least 1 Colony.
• 1 VP per System in which the player has at least 1 Starbase.
• VP and Hypers from face-down Secret cards.
• VP gained from certain end of game Civ abilities.
• 1 VP for every 3 Hypers they put back in the general supply. Note: Players should retain any remaining Hypers for resolving tie-breaks.

The player with the most VP is declared the winner.

If two or more players tie for the most VP, the tied player with the most remaining Hypers is the winner. If there is still a tie, all the tied players share the victory.

Player Leaving the Game

If a player leaves a game before it ends, do the following:

• Leave that player's Units on the map.
• Skip that player's actions for the rest of the game. If a player (or a Monster) has a Tech or ability that can be triggered at the start or end of another player's turn, this still happens.
• If that player's Civ is Attacked, the player who is seated to the right of the Attacker makes decisions on behalf of the Defending Civ.

Appendix 1: Component Rules Reference

Citizens

• You may place a Citizen on any continent where you have a Colony by performing the Build Key Action. You may have more than one Citizen on a continent. Most Citizens are free of cost.
• Citizens produce Organics when you perform the Produce Key Action, and they also act as planetary defense forces in Battle.
• Citizens cannot move; they stay on the continent where they were built. If one of your Citizens survives a Battle in which its Colony was destroyed, it prevents enemy Units from being placed on its continent.
• There can never be a Citizen sharing a continent with a rival's Unit of any type.

Colonies

• You may establish a new Colony by performing the Build Key Action to place a Colony on any continent that does not contain any rivals' Units or one of your own Colonies.
• Colonies increase your production of Metal and Atomics, and each planet you have at least one Colony on is worth 1 VP at the end of the game.
• Each Colony figure has three slots on it. When a Colony is built, place Atomic and Metal production tokens equal to that continent's Resource values into these slots. This allows you to see at a glance what your production is in each category.
• Some effects let you add Resource or Hyper tokens to empty slots, but you can never have more than 3 tokens on a Colony. If you want to place a token in a Colony slot, and all three slots are filled, you must discard an existing token to place a new one. If, later, you remove tokens from a Colony, you cannot refill slots with tokens representing the continent's full Resource value — the opportunity to place these tokens only occurs at the time the Colony is built.
• Whenever you add or replace a Resource token in a Colony slot, adjust your production value for that Resource immediately.
• There can never be a Colony sharing a continent with a rival's Unit of any type.

Ships

• You can build Ships by performing the Build Key Action to place up to 4 Resource worth of Ships in orbit in Systems where you have Starbases. Ships are always in orbit. They cannot be built on, or move to, the surface of a planet.
• Ships are normally the only Units that can move, and they are the primary means of Exploring the Star Cluster and fighting Battles.
• The only limit to the number of Ships you can build is the number remaining in your Pool and Storage.

Starbases

• You can place a Starbase in a System by performing the Build Key Action. You must have a Colony on the System's planet in order to place a Starbase there, and there cannot be a Starbase already in the System (either yours, or a rival's).
• Starbases provide your Civilization with orbital defense and manufacturing capabilities, and they also give you VP at the end of the game.
• Starbases facilitate Ship movement, but do not themselves move.

Super Units

• You can build Super Units by performing the Build Key Action.
• Almost all Super Units provide their owner with one or more Hypers when they are destroyed outside of Battle.
• You cannot Self-Destruct a Super Unit.

Techs and Super Techs

• Before you can make use of a Tech, it must be Researched, using the Research Key Action. This moves it from your Pool to an empty slot on your Civ sheet.
• You always have 4 Common Techs to choose from in your Pool; when one is Researched or Self-Destructed, immediately replace it.
• Most Techs have constant effects throughout the game, but some are one-use only.
• One-use Techs provide an action that can be performed once only. When you perform the action, flip the Tech tile face down to indicate that it has been used. You must Self-Destruct the Tech before you can re-use the slot it occupies.
• You must always pay any costs associated when using a Tech, but you are never required to take all its benefits. If a Tech gives multiple benefits, you may choose which ones you want to take.

Aurora's Tip: A major part of game strategy is tied up in which Techs you adopt. You can use the Self-Destruct Key Action to try and find Techs that complement your Civ's strengths, or compensate for its weaknesses.

Secrets

• Developing your Civilization brings with it both dangers and opportunities: As your Civilization fights Battles, Researches Techs, and uses its abilities it will uncover Secrets of great value, or great peril.

• When you perform an action that results in you gaining a Secret card, complete the action first and then draw the Secret card. Then, resolve it as follows:

  1. Read the text aloud to all other players, but do not tell them the Game End reward.
  2. Resolve the card's effects.
  3. Place the card face down in your Storage.

  At the end of the game, reveal the card to gain the benefit.

• If a Secret's effects results in one or more additional Secrets being drawn, either by you or an opponent, fully resolve the current Secret first, then resolve additional Secrets, in the order they were drawn. No player can perform any Key or Extra Actions until all the Secrets are completely resolved.

• If two Secrets are given out at once, and it is impossible to tell which Secret should be resolved first, the player whose turn it currently is decides the order.

Note: Space Monster Secret cards (part of the Nova Pack add-on) do not get added to your face-down Secrets.

Secret Cards (printed reference): 1. Cultural Exchange: Each rival gives you 1 reward from Storage. It must be different for each rival, and you choose your reward. Select from VP, Hyper token, Organic, Metal, or Atomic. Diagram key: 1. Secret Name; 2. Hyper Token: Gain a Hyper token when played; 3. Secret Effect; 4. Hyper Token: Gain a Hyper token at the end of the game; 5. Victory Points: Gain this many Victory Points at the end of the game.

Hyper Tokens (Hypers)

Some Techs, Secrets, Systems and abilities yield Hypers — a small reward representing the benefits that accrue to a Civilization as it develops.

During your turn, Hypers can be spent as an Extra Action as follows:

• Pay 1 Hyper to gain 1 Atomic or 1 Metal.
• Place 1 Hyper in a slot on one of your Colonies. Each Hyper in a Colony slot increases the Defense value of that Colony by 6. This does not increase the Colony's Defense value for purposes of the third box on the Battle Progress track.
• Pay 3 Hypers to gain 1 VP.
• Pay 5 Hypers to draw and resolve a Secret card from the deck. You cannot do this at game end, it must be done on your turn.

Secrets and Techs that give players Hypers immediately are marked with a Hyper symbol on the card or tile itself. Note that some Secrets provide Hypers only at the end of the game, be careful not to gain them immediately.

Native Aliens

Some of the Systems you explore may already be inhabited by non-spacefaring species.

• If a new planet has a Native Alien Symbol on one of its continents, place a Native Alien figure/token there.
• If a Native Alien located on a continent with no Colony on it is selected as an opponent for Battle, it should be treated as a Fortress with a 1D6 Attack rating and a Defense value of 6.
• If you build a Colony on its continent, the Native Alien counts as one of your Citizens, and can produce and fight for you.
• If the Native Alien is killed in Battle, remove it from the game. If the Colony is destroyed, but the Native Alien is left behind, it can become a Citizen of the next Civ to build a Colony on its continent.
• There is no difference between the different-looking Native Aliens (other than thematic).

Wreckage

Occasionally, while Exploring, you may encounter derelict Ships in orbit around planets.

• If a newly discovered System has a Wreckage symbol on it, place the appropriate Wreckage token in orbit.
• If you have a Starbase in the System, and you perform the Salvage Key Action, remove the token and replace it with the appropriate Ship from your Pool. If you do not have any of those Ships in your Pool, you cannot Salvage the Wreckage.

Appendix 2: Additional Game Materials

Nova Pack Add-on for 5- or 6-player games (requires extra Civs)

The Nova pack provides two new player colors — black & white — that allow Hyperspace to be played with up to six players. It introduces Monsters to the basic game and provides Native Alien figures to replace the tokens.

For each of the two new player colors it contains:

• 23 Units and 10 color rings
• Atomics production markers
• Metal production markers
• 3 Key Action tokens
• 4 VP and Progress track markers
• 2 Player Aid cards

Also included:

• 8 Native Alien figures (to replace the tokens in the base game)
• 8 Space Monster Secret cards
• 13 Space Monster figures: 1 Cosmic Cloud, 1 Crystal Entity, 1 Galaxy Eel, 1 Giant Claw, 1 Monolith Monster, 1 Space Amoeba, 1 Startropolis, 6 Von Neumann Beasts

Add-on Component Rules: Space Monsters

Space Monster Secret cards are shuffled in to the Secrets deck. Unlike normal Secrets cards, they are not kept by the player who draws them, and they provide no bonus at the end of the game.

If you draw a Space Monster while gaining a Secret, first check the number of VP that players have. If at least one player has less than 2 VP, discard the Space Monster and draw another Secret card.

Otherwise:

1. Gain 2 Hypers as printed on the card.
2. Read the Monster card aloud to all the players.
3. Place the Monster's figure in any System, provided that you follow any restrictions on the card. Set the card aside to remind players of its ongoing effects and the Monster's Attack rating and Defense value. If you place a Space Monster in an Unexplored System, do not reveal that System.

Optional Secret deck set-up for Space Monsters: If you prefer to draw Space Monsters at roughly regular intervals during the game, then lay out the eight Monster cards and deal the other Secrets onto them. Shuffle each pile separately, then stack the piles to form the Secrets deck.

• Space Monsters are Fortress Units, but they are not Ships, Citizens, Colonies, Starbases, or rivals for the purpose of targeting by Techs or Secrets. As they are enemies and Units, however, they are valid targets for effects that specify "enemy Units" or "all Units".
• Space Monsters cannot initiate Battle, but can be Attacked. In Battle, the Monster is controlled by the player to the right of the player who took the Battle Key Action. The Monster's controller rolls the dice to determine its Attack value, and makes all decisions when assigning damage. Exception: the Von Neumann Beast can Attack, and in that case is controlled by the activating player.
• If you destroy a Space Monster in a Battle, receive the appropriate rewards on the Battle Progress track.
• Space Monster effects are never optional and are always in effect until it is destroyed. Space Monsters affect all players in a similar way, including the player who placed them.
• Some Monsters make new Key Actions available to all players until the Monster is destroyed. To perform a Monster Key Action:
  1. Gain 3 Organics.
  2. Perform the action as described on the Monster's card.
• Performing a Monster action does not advance the activating player on any VP track. For example, even though the Replicate action causes the Von Neumann Beast to Attack a rival, the Player who chose to Replicate does not advance on the Battle track.

Space Amoeba card (printed example): 2D6 Attack; Defense 15. If any player has fewer than 2 VPs, discard this card and draw another. Otherwise, place the Amoeba in any explored System. Devour (Key Action: Gain 3 Organics): Any player can take the Key Action: Devour. Gain 3 Organics, then the Amoeba destroys 1 other Unit in its System, chosen by the player. A Colony protected by a Hyper token is safe.

Extra Civilizations

21 new Civs add variety to the base game, introducing new abilities, Units, and Super Techs that players must learn to exploit or counteract.

Each new Civ comes with a Homeworld tile, 4 unique Citizens, 2 Super Units, and 2 Super Techs. The Civs, with their extra components, are:

1. Automata
2. Azota; Extinction track, 4 Deadworld markers
3. Collectors; Museum of Time track and Destiny marker
4. Dacians; Vampirism marker (two-sided)
5. Daldath
6. Glazaqtoq; extra Homeworld
7. Mendeku; Mimicry checklist, 7 checklist markers
8. Nomia; 1 Pest counter, 5 Paralyzed tokens
9. Old Ones; 5 Elder God tokens
10. Salps; Fulfillment track & token
11. Starspawn; 3 slumber tokens
12. Thoth; Curse token
13. Urumak; Rut track & marker; 6 population counters
14. Valkar
15. Vorck
16. Xk-13
17. Yaddith
18. Yithians; Mindswap track
19. Zepzeg; PERSUADE marker
20. Zevolt (Note: the Zevolt Civ does not have any Super Techs)
21. Humans

Dice Pack

The Hyperspace Dice Pack:

• 6-sided: 5 yellow, 5 blue, 5 green, 5 violet; 20 in total
• 8-sided: 3 yellow, 3 blue, 3 green, 3 violet; 12 in total
• 10-sided: 2 yellow, 2 blue, 2 green, 2 violet; 8 in total
• 12-sided: 2 yellow, 2 blue, 2 green, 2 violet; 8 in total

Appendix 3: Glossary

• 1DX, 2DX, etc. – the format used to describe the game dice. The first number is the number of dice. The second number is the number of faces on the die. For example, "2D6" would mean that you would roll two six-sided dice. Similarly, "1D8" means you roll a single eight-sided die. "1D6+1D8" would mean you roll one six-sided and one eight-sided die.
• 1A, 2A, etc. – an abbreviation for Atomics, used for convenience on Techs, Secrets, and Civ sheets. "1A" indicates one Atomic, for example.
• 1M, 2M, etc. – an abbreviation for Metal, used for convenience on Techs, Secrets, and Civ sheets. "1M" indicates one Metal, for example.
• 1O, 2O, etc. – an abbreviation for Organics, used for convenience on Techs, Secrets, and Civ sheets. "1O" indicates one Organic, for example.
• Action – your turn is divided into actions, which fall into two categories: Key or Extra.
• Attacker – the player who declared the Battle now in progress.
• Atomics – radioactive substances which are used to power many actions.
• Battle track – a track on the Civilization Progress board which advances when you declare combat and remove an enemy Unit. Box 3 on the track is repeatable.
• Bonus – a special effect that a Civ gets via its psychology, genetics, or life cycle.
• Box – one of the slots on the Civilization Progress board or some Civs' unique tracks.

Appendix 4: FAQ

Q. Can I Attack a neutral Native Alien (who belongs to no one)? A. Yes, and if removed, it is out of the game. If more than one neutral Native Alien is on a world, you must Attack each separately (i.e. they are not considered to belong to the same Civ).

Q. Can I Self-Destruct a Unit in Storage (awaiting Salvage)? A. No, but you can Build it, paying full price and placing it on the map, as if it were in your Pool.

Q. If I destroy an enemy Colony that has additional Resource tokens in its slots, from the Geological Discovery Secret for example, what happens to the additional tokens? A. They are lost.

Q. If I destroy an enemy Colony, but not the Citizen guarding it, can I colonize the continent occupied by the enemy Citizen? A. No, you may only colonize empty continents or those with a Native Alien on them. Thus, if you destroy a Venge Colony but leave a Venge Citizen behind, only the Venge can build a Colony there.

Q. Can I research more than one copy of a Tech? A. You cannot place more than one copy of a Tech on your Civ sheet. But you can keep a duplicate of that Tech in your Pool to prevent it from falling into a rival's claws.

Q. What happens if I can't perform the result assigned to me by a Tech, ability, or Secret. For example, if all my Ships are in play and I draw the Pirates Secret? A. You don't get the reward. However, you can gain a partial reward. For example, if all your Ships except 1 Corvette were not in your Pool and you drew Pirates, you could still place that Corvette. As another example, if all your Starbases and Colonies were on the map, and you drew the Treachery Secret, you could still destroy the enemy Fortress – you just couldn't replace it with your own. Or if none of your colonies were in your Pool and you drew Lost Colony, you could still place and reveal the new System and advance on the Exploration track, but wouldn't get the free Colony.

Q. Can I place a Monster in an Unexplored System? A. Yes, unless the Monster's card forbids this. This does not reveal the System.

Q. Why do some Secrets and Techs require all players to have 2 VP before they can be placed or performed? A. To let the first turns of the game play out in peace! These Techs are more fun in the mid-game. If you like, imagine that the increased interstellar traffic is what attracts the Space Monsters' attention.

Q. If two Monsters are in the same System, do they belong to the same "Civ" if Attacked? A. No. You must attack them separately.

Q. Startropolis belongs to everyone. Can the Mendeku move it? If it Defends the Valkar, is it a Fortress? If you Attack a Monster or Native Alien in Startropolis's System, does it help Defend? A. It belongs to everyone, but this doesn't give it their Civ characteristics. It can't Move for the Mendeku, it's still a Fortress for the Valkar, etc. If a Monster or Native Alien is Attacked in the area, Startropolis defends, because it is always on the Defender's side. However, if Startropolis is itself named as the Battle's target, a Monster or Native Alien in the System does not help Defend it.

Q. If Startropolis is placed in an Unexplored System, and a player uses it to Build a ship, does this Explore that System? A. Yes, with normal rewards for doing so.

Q. If a player benefits from "That's No Moon", and the bonus Starbase is later destroyed, can it be rebuilt? A. No. A new Starbase cannot normally be built in a System containing a Starbase. The Secret simply places a new Starbase once.

Q. What happens if no potential targets are available for a Secret? For example, if no one has two Ships when you draw Astro-Scourge? A. In that rare case, the Secret's effect doesn't occur. However, you still place it face-down in your Pool for its game end reward.

Techs (FAQ)

Q. Can I combine with ? A. Yes. Part of the fun of Hyperspace is finding such interactions, such as Torpedoes + Disintegrators; Artificial Organisms + Negative Tax Theory; or Gravity Beam + Precognitive Software (this last being used to move rival Ships somewhere inconvenient just before they were planning to Attack.)

Q. Do Armored Walkers make your Citizens worth +3 points for purposes of the Battle track? A. Yes.

Q. Can I use Disintegrators to destroy a Fortress on which I inflicted partial damage? A. No, because the Fortress was not "damaged". Fortresses can only be destroyed.

Q. What happens if a rival uses Holodeck, and I have 2 or fewer Resources? A. Lose as many as you can.

Q. Isn't the Space Warp just a jump to the left? A. No! You're thinking about the Time Warp, a far more powerful technology.

Q. Can I apply Stasis Fields to some of my Units, but not all? A. No. All or none.

Q. If I colonize using Symbiosis, but the rival I choose lacks Metal or Organics what happens? A. He can't pay for it, so you must instead.

Q. If I have both Radium Bombs and Tactical Computers, can I destroy all of an enemy's Colonies by assigning 1 damage apiece? A. Not exactly. Radium Bombs lets you destroy a Colony by assigning any damage to it. Tactical Computers lets you "damage multiple Units" by assigning less than full destruction to them. But you do have to assign at least 50% damage per damaged Unit, beyond the first. If an enemy had 3 Colonies on a planet, and you rolled 7 damage, you could assign 1 damage to one Colony, and 3 to each of the other two, thus destroying them all.

Q. If I have Torpedoes or Antimatter Mines and the enemy has Neutronium Armor, what happens? A. Units damaged by a Tech or ability are not protected by Neutronium Armor.

Q. Can I use Ultra-Cannons to shoot at enemy Ships in an adjacent System in which I have no Units? A. No, because you need a Unit in that System to declare Battle. Someone must light up the target.

Q. Some Civs' Super Units are Citizens, Colonies, or Starbases. Do these have all the characteristics of these Units? A. These are identical to their parent Unit in all ways apart from their cost, Attack rating, Defense value, and any special ability they have. They cannot move through space, for instance (exception: Fungi Flight Caste Tech). You cannot build an Urumak Gadzookus (super-Starbase) in a System where a Starbase exists, and it cannot move. You must build a Salp Arcology (super-Colony) on an empty continent. You must build a Fungi Batratspider or Daldath Planet Smasher on a continent containing your Colony, they produce 1 Organic, like other Citizens, during a Produce Key Action. And so forth.

Q. Can I use the Automata Technotron special ability to perform an action which is only available from the Tech I am discarding? For example, Space Warp? A. Yes. In the example given, you could pay 1 Atomic to activate Space Warp's Key Action, then discard the Tech. It would have to affect at least one of the Systems containing a Technotron.

Q. How do I use the Automata Technotron special ability with Techs that are not tied to an action? A. You must use it at the same time as an action. For example, during a Build Key Action, you could apply Matter Convertor to turn a Hyper into 4 Metal for use in that build.

Q. As the Automata, if I don't have any Corvettes, can I Build 2 Corvettes and 1 Destroyer? A. No, you must already have a Corvette on the map to Build a Destroyer, even as a partial Build.

Q. What happens if I use Chameleon Screens in a Battle involving my Automata Technotron and I swap it out for another Ship Pre-Battle? Can I still use the Technotron to activate Techs in that conflict? A. You can only use the Technotron to activate Techs in a System where it is present. So, if you swapped out the Technotron Pre-Battle, you could not use it to activate any Battle or Post-Battle Techs in the remainder of the conflict. If you used Chameleon Screens to swap the Technotron INTO a Battle, you could then freely use it to activate other Techs.

Q. If I use my Automata Technotron to activate a Tech marked with a Hyper bonus, do I gain the Hyper? A. No. You only gain a Tech's Hyper when you Research it properly.

Q. When my Automata Technotron applies a Battle Tech, when must I decide to use it? A. You declare a Pre-Battle Tech during Pre-Battle, a Battle Tech during the dice-rolling part of the Battle, and a Post-Battle Tech in Post-Battle.

Q. How do I regain my destroyed Colony from the Azota? Also, their Extinction power states that they cannot gather a second Colony from a rival until they have one from each other rival. What about a third or subsequent Colony? A. You cannot regain a Colony from the Azota. Once the Azota have one from each rival, they can freely destroy and gather as many Colonies from as many rivals as they like. For instance, if in a four player game they first gather 1 Colony from each other player, they can then focus on a single player and destroy more Colonies until the extinction track is filled.

Q. If the Azota kill a super-Colony, but their victim has no normal Colony in their Pool, do the Azota get to remove a Colony from the map to place on the Extinction track? A. Yes, and the Azota get to pick which one.

Q. If the Broodmaster are given a Secret via Entropic Decline, do they get 2 Secrets via Cronyism? A. No, just one. They didn't get the Secret by their "own action".

Q. When the Broodmaster Monitor negates a Starbase, does it also negate its Ultra-Cannon Attack boost? A. Yes.

Q. Can the Broodmaster Monitor negate the Venge Post-Battle Attacks (Reprisal or the Hateship), or the Zevolt Dragonship Pre-Battle Attack? Can it negate a Monster's Attack? A. It can't cancel Pre- or Post-Battle effects, but it can negate a Monster's Attack.

Q. As the Collectors, do I have to assign damage to an uncollected Unit (as per my Obsessed weakness), even if I don't roll enough damage to destroy that Unit? A. Yes. Collectors are by definition irrational. Ask one.

Q. Using Planet Fragments the Daldath can build a Starbase in a destroyed System, even if another Starbase is present. Is this true even if a Daldath Starbase is present? I.e., can I double-up on Starbases? A. Yes. However, you still only earn 1 game end VP per System containing a Starbase, so if all six Daldath Starbases are in the same System it's still worth just 1 VP. Of course it will earn you more Resources when you Produce, as per your Magnetic Recovery ability.

Q. Can the Daldath use Planet Fragments to build a Starbase at the destroyed Yaddith Homeworld? A. Yes - the Doomed weakness simply forbids Units from being built on the planet itself.

Q. Can a player use Space Warp to swap with a System destroyed by the Daldath? A. Yes, if the player has a Starbase in one of the Systems.

Q. If the Daldath destroy a planet occupied by a Fungi Citizen, can the Citizen "fly into space" and survive? A. No.

Q. If as the Fungi, I fly a Batratspider or a Fungi Citizen through space, can I use this to advance my Exploration track? A. Yes, if it enters a previously Unexplored System. It still has to land at the end of your turn.

Q. If my Fungi has Flight Caste, what happens to a Batratspider or Fungi Citizen when the Broodmaster Graft & Corruption or the Tech Psychic Scream targets them? A. Nothing. Both Graft & Corruption and Psychic Scream affect Ships, not other Units. Ditto Mendeku Starbases.

Q. If my Fungi have Brain Caste, and Joint Experiment affects me, do I get to select which bonus Tech I receive? A. No. The Secret's text is plain - it must be randomly drawn.

Q. The Glazaqtoq Space Madness tech has a Hyper token printed in the upper right corner. Do you really get a Hyper for researching this? A. Yes. It is the only Super Tech in the base game that provides a Hyper!

Q. Does the Nomian Paralysis Tech do anything to a Colony? A. No, because it reduces combat to 0 and prevents movement, both already inherent to Colonies.

Q. What happens when the Old Ones use Shoggoth Rebellion on a System containing a Thoth Sphinx? A. The Sphinx is sent to Storage, since it can't be destroyed, only damaged.

Q. The Salp's Arcology counts as having an "inherent" Hyper token, which does not boost defense. What use is it? Also, can I add a Hyper token to an Arcology anyway? A. The inherent Hyper is useful vs. various Techs, Secrets, and abilities. For example, an Arcology is immune to the Extraterrestrial Predators Secret, and the Daldath must pay a Hyper token to Smash a planet with an Arcology. Yes you can add a Hyper to an Arcology, which does then boost its defense by 6. You'll have to replace one of its Resource tokens with the Hyper, though.

Q. If the Skith are producing Atomics, and their Marauder raids a Colony with a production of 2 Metal, do they gain 2 Metal in addition to their Atomics production? A. Yes. Raided production is always in addition.

Q. If I have both Skith Marauders in a System, can I use them to raid two rival Colonies, or a Colony and a Starbase? A. Yes. In fact they must raid different targets. Only one per Marauder.

Q. Can a Skith Ship in Alternate Reality be affected by Secrets or Techs? A. Yes, when appropriate. For example, the Old Ones' Shoggoth Rebellion Tech selects a System. The Alternate Reality Ships aren't in a System, so they are safe. However, Gray Goo and Astro Scourge choose any Ship as a target, so the Ships would be vulnerable to these Secrets.

Q. If my Starspawn Cthulhu is placed by some means other than being built – for example being upgraded from a Cruiser via Space Docks, or placed by the Entropic Decline Secret, do I still get a Secret as per The Stars are Right? A. No. You must use the Build Key Action to get the Secret reward for a Cthulhu.

Q. If the Thoth play Threnody, and the Azota Cyber-Citadels are in effect, must the other Civs Self-Destruct additional Units when the Azota do? Also, are Super Units "identical" for the purpose of Cyber-Citadels? A. The other players must indeed Self-Destruct more Units when the Azota do, but these extra destroyed Units don't count towards the Thoth Threnody Bonus. Also, since Super Units (and Super Techs) aren't subject to Self-Destruct, they're immune to Cyber-Citadels.

Q. When the Thoth play Threnody, can I Self-Destruct a Tech from my Pool, as opposed to one on my Civ sheet? A. Certainly. And both you and the Thoth get an Atomic for so doing.

Q. When my Venge Grudge track advances to box 2, allowing me to destroy a Hyper token, can I choose a Hyper token protecting an enemy Colony? A. Yes. You can even choose an unowned Hyper token in orbit around a planet.

Q. If a rival gives another player a Secret, as with Broodmaster Cronyism, or the Entropic Decline Secret, does this trigger the Venge Grudge track? A. No. It only triggers for a Resource, Hyper, Unit, or VP.

Q. When does the Venge Grudge track advance, with reference to an action that triggers it? A. The track advances right away, but you cannot apply its effects until after the triggering action ends. For example, if another player gets the Trade Secret and snubs the Venge as a partner, you must wait for the Secret to be resolved before using the Grudge track's result. This does mean that the triggering Civ can't (for instance) quickly turn in all its Hyper tokens before the Grudge happens.

Q. If I get the Trafficking or Sub Rosa Secrets, and give the Venge zero VP in exchange for a Hyper or the lowest reward respectively, does this trigger their Grudge track? A. No, because in both cases you selected the Venge for a reward. However, should you choose another player for Trafficking, then the Grudge would trigger even if that player received 0 VP.

Q. If I have one of the Venge's Friend tokens, why am I still a "rival". Or even an "enemy" in Battle? A. Venge psychology is complex - you can be both an enemy and a friend at the same time.

Q. The Venge tokens have a "happy" side and a "frowny" side? Is there a difference? A. It's just for fun. The two sides are used the same way.

Q. If a Venge Hateship is destroyed or damaged in the Pre-Battle segment (for example, by a Zevolt Dragonship pre-strike, or Anti-Matter Mines) when does it take its final strike? A. The Hateship strikes Post-Battle. So in a Battle of Venge vs. Zevolt, in Pre-Battle the Zevolt Dragonship inflicts its damage, let's say removing the Hateship. Then in Battle, all remaining Ships roll their Attack (except the Hateship that has already removed). Then Post-Battle, the removed Hateship performs its final strike.

Q. Does Vorck Incompetence affect Post-Battle dice, or bonus dice, such as the Venge Hateship or Starspawn Devour? What about Pre-Battle dice, such as the Zevolt Dragonship? A. Incompetence is a Pre-Battle Tech, so it affects all dice that are rolled after it is triggered. Thus it affects Post-Battle and bonus dice. It only affects Pre-Battle dice, such as the Zevolt Dragonship, if the Vorck is the Attacker, because Pre-Battle effects are performed in Attacker-Defender order.

Q. If an award is stolen by another player (for example, Yaddith's Apportation Tech steals the Organic reward of a Research), does this still increment the Venge Grudge cycle? A. Yes, of course. The Venge are nothing if not unreasonable.

Q. If the Old Ones use Prehistoric Wisdom to choose a rival to gain a Tech in a slot, does the Yaddith's Apportation Tech force the Old Ones to pick them for that reward? A. No, because Apportation only gives you Resources, not Techs or other prizes.

Q. Can an Xk-1 destroy itself with Death Wish? If so, does this count as destruction outside Battle (i.e., do I get a Hyper)? A. No - the text says that the Xk-1 destroys "other Ships". Of course, with two Xk-1s in Battle, each could choose the other. This would not count as a destruction outside Battle as it is during Pre-Battle, which is part of the Battle Key Action.

Q. If a Yaddith Unit gets damaged, which triggers first, an enemy's Disintegrators, or its own Light Envelopes Tech? A. Both are applied Post-Battle. So they trigger in Attacker-Defender order. If the Attacker has Disintegrators, then it happens before Light Envelopes, and the Ship is destroyed. If the Attacker was Yaddith, Light Envelopes saves the Unit before Disintegrators.

Q. Some Civ's abilities are front-loaded for the early game. Others don't take full effect till later, or even at the game's end. So it seems not all Civs are equally useful to the Yithians. What gives? A. In that case, it is important to choose your new Civ wisely.

Q. If the Yithian Mindswaps with Yaddith, is their Homeworld destroyed if they reach or are at 5+ VP? A. Yes. In this case, place the Yaddith Homeworld (destroyed side up) on top of the Yithian Homeworld and destroy all Units there. If and when the Yaddith faction Mindswaps out for a new Civ, remove the Yaddith Homeworld, and you can re-build (or Rebirth) back on the old Yithian Homeworld.

Q. If the Broodmaster rent a Zepzeg Cathedral in an adjacent System for a fight using Graft & Corruption, and it is removed, where are the Corvettes or the Destroyer placed? A. In the System where the Cathedral was damaged or destroyed.

Q. The Zepzeg Condescension Super-Tech lets them Build at half-price. Does this mean they can Build 8 Metal worth of Ships for only 4 Metal? A. Condescension does not change the limit for a Zepzeg Build. They can still only Build 4 Metal worth of Ships. However, by using Condescension they need only pay 2 Metal for the privilege. A Zepzeg with Mass Production could instead Build 6 Metal worth of Ships, paying only 3 Metal. If a Zepzeg Builds only 1 or 3 Metal worth of Ships with Condescension, round fractions up.

Q. Can the Zevolt Research, and thus steal, a Tech gained by the Joint Experiment Secret? A. Yes, but it is placed in a normal slot on the Zepzeg Civ sheet, not an "extra" slot.

Rule Omega – the Final Question

We have sought diligently for more than a year to cover all possible rules questions, and to make the rulebook as comprehensive as we can. But we are mere mortals, and, as such, subject to error.

If you have a question about the effects of any Tech, Secret, or Civilization ability, and cannot find the answer in the rules FAQ (or our online FAQ at https://petersengames.com/hyperspace/#Downloads), we recommend that players vote on a temporary house rule to resolve the question.

In the end, Hyperspace is your game. If you want to add house rules, do so with our blessing.

Components List

List of Unaligned Systems

11 Comae Berenices; 47 Ursae Majoris; 70 Ophiuchi; 682 Tucanae; Aldebaran; Alpha Arietis; Arion; Beta Cancri; Cervantes; Chalawan; Copernicus; Dagon; Delta Velorum; Dimidium; Draugr; Epsilon Eridani; Fafnir; Fomalhaut; Gliese 667; HD 22781; Hypatia; Kappa Andromedae; Kepler 600; Omicron Trianguli; Psi Serpentis; Pollux; Rho Coronae Borealis; Sigma Draconis; Tau Bootis; Theta Lyncis; Trappist 1; Upsilon Canum Venaticorum; Veritate; WASP 28; Wolf 359; Xi Pegasi; YZ Cet C; Zeta Leonis

List of Techs

Antimatter Mines; Armored Walkers; Artificial Amnesia; Artificial Organisms; Breeder Reactors; Breeding Vats; Chameleon Screens; Civil War; Cloaking Device; Core Mining; Cybernetics; Deep Space Guns; Designer Genes; Disintegrators; Gestalt; Gravity Beam; Holodeck; Industrial Sabotage; Logistics; Mass Production; Matter Converter; Nano-Janitors; Negative Tax Theory; Neutronium Armor; Precognitive Software; Proton Batteries; Psychic Scream; Radium Bombs; Recycling; Robotics; Space Docks; Space Warp; Stasis Fields; Symbiosis; Tactical Computer; Targeting Lasers; Terraforming; Thought Police; Torpedoes; Triple Entry Bookkeeping; Ultra-Cannons; Wormhole Control

List of Secrets with End-Game Rewards

• Astro-Scourge: 2VP or 1VP
• Cultural Exchange: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Entropic Decline: 2VP or 1VP
• Extraterrestrial Predators: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Game Theory: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Geological Discovery: 2VP or 1VP
• Gray Goo: 2VP or 1VP
• Joint Experiment: 2VP or 1VP
• Lost Colony: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Meteor Shower: 2VP or 1VP
• Pirates: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Science Breakthrough: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Smuggling: 2VP or 1VP
• Stellar Plague: 2VP or 1VP
• Sub Rosa: 2VP or 1VP
• That's No Moon: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Trade: 1VP or 1 Hyper
• Trafficking: 2VP or 1VP
• Treachery: 2VP or 1VP

Star Cluster Maps for Game Setup

The printed setup maps show the 2 Player, 3 Player, 4 Player, 5 Player and 6 Player layouts, with the note that in 2- and 3-player games all Unaligned System tiles must have at least 2 continents (see Game Setup above).

Quick Reference: Key Actions and End of the Game

Perform up to 3 Key Actions per turn.

• Battle: cost 1 Atomic
• Build: cost varies
• Move:
  • Unexplored System: cost 2 Atomics
  • Explored System: cost 1 Atomic
  • To Own Starbase: cost 1 Atomic; Extra Action
• Produce: cost zero. Produce Atomics OR Metal (+1 Organic per Citizen)
• Research: cost on Tech slot
• Salvage: cost zero
• Self-Destruct: cost zero, not a Super Tech or Super Unit

End of the Game and Scoring (quick reference)

If you have accumulated a total of 15 or more VP on the Civilization Progress board you may, on your turn, declare that the game is over. The game then ends immediately.

Each player gains additional VP as follows:

• 1 VP per planet on which the player has at least 1 Colony.
• 1 VP per System in which the player has at least 1 Starbase.
• VP and Hypers from face-down Secret cards.
• VP gained from certain end of game Civ abilities.
• 1 VP for every 3 Hypers they put back in the general supply. Note: Players should retain any remaining Hypers for resolving tie-breaks.

The player with the most VP is declared the winner.

If two or more players tie for the most VP, the tied player with the most remaining Hypers is the winner. If there is still a tie, all the tied players share the victory.