SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD
SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
SpaceCorp play is broken up into three eras—Mariners, Planeteers and Starfarers. Some game components show one or more era icons, indicating in which eras they are used. Components without any of these icons are used in all eras.
Player Aids
Four double-sided quick reference rules summaries are provided for the players. (Keep the lone solo rules reference in the box.)
Playing Pieces
- Each of the four sets of colored player pieces has:
- a two-sided tile used to mark a player's profit on the Profit Track of the Business Display; If a player exceeds 50 profit, flip the marker over to its "+50" side and continue around the track.
- four wooden cubes to represent the player's spacefaring teams—teams move to, explore and build at the various sites on the board;
- 27 round base tiles that are placed on the board during play to indicate specific capabilities;
- Four tan genetics cubes and four black revelation cubes used on each HQ's Progress Wheel.
- Seven orange contract fulfilled discs used on the Business Display to mark contracts as they become fulfilled.
- 70 Discovery tiles drawn and placed on the boards to represent discoveries via exploration. Each tile is used in a specific era, as marked on the back of the tile: there are 9 in Mariners, 28 in Planeteers, and 33 in Starfarers. Discovery tiles can have all or some of the following elements:
- Natural discovery(s) (top)
- Water, life or other icons (middle)
- Immediate awards (bottom left)
- Persistent attributes (bottom right)
- 32 hexagonal Colony markers used on the Starfarers board to denote interstellar population centers. Each marker includes:
- Colony value (top)
- Award (middle)
- Player count (left)
- Circled ID number (solo game only) (right)
- Colony name (bottom; no game relevance)
- Two Beyond markers used in the Mariners and Planeteers eras. Beyond markers enhance the owning player's setup options in the era that follows.
Game Boards
Each era is played on its own board, showing a successively larger area of space:
- Mariners shows a part of our solar system, near Earth.
- Planeteers shows our solar system, out to the Kuiper Belt.
- Starfarers shows major star systems within approximately 15 light years of our solar system.
Each board is divided into regions, most of which contain one or more sites. Every site has a name (preceded by a circled ID number used only in the solo game) and most sites have exploration boxes for holding Discovery tiles. Playing pieces on a board must always occupy a site. In addition, each board has:
- four offer card boxes;
- spaces for holding unexplored Discovery tiles;
- a distance chart, showing distances between certain sites on the board for quick reference;
- a Competition box and a Competition Offers Action Key (both used only in the solo game).
Business Display
The Business Display is two-sided; use one side for 3- and 4-player games, and the other side for 2 players. The display includes:
- a track on which markers are placed to record each player's current profit, recorded in increments of trillion credits (Ŧ);
- a list of contracts for players to fulfill in each era as well as each contract's associated profit award.
Headquarters (HQ)
The HQ are where players keep track of their technological progress. Each HQ has:
- four Infrastructure—or "Infra"—boxes for placing cards as infrastructure. Some boxes include an intrinsic Infra value;
- an abbreviated sequence of play;
- a box for holding the player's unbuilt bases and undeployed teams;
- a Progress Wheel for keeping track of the player's genetics and revelation marker advancement;
- a box for holding a legacy production site.
Note: The HQ pictured above is used in the standard game. See page 22 for how and when to use the optional HQ types.
Cards
The cards comprise three decks of action cards for Mariners (46 cards), Planeteers (58 cards), and Starfarers (76 cards); as well as 8 Time, 18 Adaptation, and 14 Breakthrough cards.
Action Cards—Players draw and play action cards to perform actions or gain Edges [page 8] throughout the game. Each card may include the following elements:
- A • Technology name and illustration—the specific technology represented by the card; (For flavor only; no game effect)
- B • Action type and color—each card can be played for an action of a specific type: Research, Move, Explore, Build, Produce, Genetics, Revelation or Special [For example: "Explore" above]. Many cards list two actions and can be played as either, but never both at the same time;
- C • Value—the numerical value the card contributes toward performing the associated action [Explore "1" above].
- D • Era symbol—each card is in one of the three era decks;
- E • Infra—a card with the "May upgrade as Infra" banner can be played for an action or played to the HQ as permanent infrastructure.
- Edge—a card with an "Edge" ability can be played, often out of turn, for the Edge effect described on the card [not shown above; see page 8].
- F • Competition Action—(used only in the solo game).
Time cards—are "wild" cards used in all three eras. A variable number of Time cards are used based on the number of players.
Progress cards—Adaptation and Breakthrough cards are collectively known as "progress" cards [page 17]. Progress cards are eventually acquired by players as they play Genetics and Revelation actions. A progress card gives its owner either a permanent advantage or a powerful immediate effect, as described on the card, as well as a possible one-time profit bonus.
Setting Up Era 1: Mariners
A Boards—Place the Mariners board on the table. Place the Business Display next to the board with the appropriate side face-up ("1-2 players" or "3-4 players").
B HQ—Each player gets a HQ. Use the ones that show all three era symbols on the right hand side. Each player can also take a quick reference sheet (not shown).
C Contracts—Place the seven orange contract fulfilled markers in their circles on the Business Display.
D Discovery tiles—Shuffle the six e1 Discovery tiles face-down, then stack them to form a draw pile in the matching space on the board. Do the same for the three e2 Discovery tiles.
E Beyond Markers—Place the two Beyond markers on the board at the "Asteroid Belt" site.
F Player Colors—Each player selects one of the four player colors then gathers up all wooden cubes and round base markers of that color. Place these in the space provided on the player's HQ. Stack bases by type.
G Teams—Each player puts two of their wooden cubes on the board at the "Earth" site. These are the players' starting teams.
H Progress Markers—Each player places one tan cube and one black cube in the "start" space of the Progress Wheel on their HQ.
I The Mariners Deck—
- Grab the Mariners deck. Remove the twelve cards marked "Start" (see example above) and set them aside.
- Add a number of Time cards to the Mariners deck depending on the number of players: zero Time in a 2-player game; two in a 3-player game; or four in a 4-player game. Set aside the remaining Time cards.
- Shuffle the Mariners deck and set it face-down next to the board to form a draw pile.
J Starting Hands—
- Each player takes one Chemical Drive from among the set-aside Start cards. Shuffle the remaining Start cards and place them face-down atop the Mariners deck.
- Each player takes one of the set-aside Time cards. Return any remaining to the box.
- The person who most recently gazed at the night sky becomes the start player.
- If there are 2 players, the 2nd player draws the top card of the deck.
- If there are 3 players, the 2nd then the 3rd players each draw the top card of the deck.
- If there are 4 players, the 3rd then the 4th players each draw the top card of the deck.
K Profits—Stack each player's like-colored Profit marker on the "0" space of the Profit Track that wraps around the outside of the Business Display (with its "+50" side face-down). If there are 3 players, the third player begins at "1" profit instead of "0"; if there are 4 players, the fourth player (only) begins at "1".
L Card Offers—Draw the top four cards of the deck and place them face-up in the four offer boxes on the board.
What About All This Other Stuff?—Keep the rest of the cards, boards and markers in the box for now; most will enter play in later eras.
All Systems Go For Launch—The start player begins the game by taking the first turn.
The Player Turn
Play proceeds in clockwise order around the table, with players taking individual turns. When a player is taking a turn they are termed the "active player." The active player's turn consists of the following steps and are performed in the order shown:
- conduct an action; then
- claim contract awards; then
- opponents claim rewards; then
- perform a free team transport; then
- discard played cards & replenish offers; then
- draw a card if four or fewer in hand.
In addition, some "Edge" abilities on cards [page 8] can be played by opposing players during the active player's turn.
1. Conduct Action
First, the active player announces which action they wish to conduct for their turn. Action choices include:
- Research
- Move
- Explore
- Build
- Produce
- Genetics
- Upgrade
- Special
These basic actions are described in detail in "The Actions" section that begins on page 8.
- Revelation (Planeteers and Starfarers eras only—page 16)
- Colonize (Starfarers era only—page 20)
The Upgrade and Special actions are conducted by playing the relevant card from hand. However, the other basic actions require a player to determine a "value" for the action: the higher the value, the more powerful that action will be. The active player can add to an action's default value of "0" by performing a combination of one or more of the following:
- using Infra on a HQ;
- playing one or more cards from hand;
- using the ability of a base;
- using a bonus granted by a progress card (Planeteers and Starfarers eras only—page 17).
- spending profit (Planeteers and Starfarers only—page 15).
SpaceCorp Math—Whenever a value is being determined for any activity in SpaceCorp, always perform all addition and subtraction before applying any multiplication or division.
1a. Using Infra from one HQ
The active player may declare use of all matching Infra located on any one HQ—theirs or an opponent's—gaining its value towards the chosen action. All matching Infra on a single HQ is cumulative. Ignore all non-matching Infra.
Example: Bob wants to take a Move action. He opts to use the Infra on his own HQ (having previously added a second Move/Explore Infra). Bob's Move value is currently 3.
No card is played or otherwise expended when using Infra, including any card already in that Infra slot [Upgrade, page 12]. If an opponent's Infra is used, that opponent will receive a reward [facing page]. Opponents' Infra can't be used once the end of an era has been triggered [page 13].
1b. Playing Cards
In addition to or instead of using Infra on a HQ, the active player may play any number of cards face-up to the table from their hand, though each card must contain the same action type. If Infra was used, the cards played must match that Infra's action type. Action types are differentiated by color and name (example: Move or Build) and by a thematic icon (example: an arrow for Move). Cards containing more than one action type may be played for one of those types, counting only the values for the type chosen.
Note that you may play cards from your hand even if you didn't use Infra, and vice versa.
Example: Continuing with Bob's turn, he plays these two cards, adding a Move value of 4 (3+1) to his 3 Infra for a current total of 7. He ignores everything else on the cards, specifically the Edge effect on the left card and the Build value of the card on the right.
Time Cards—If the active player is conducting a Move, Build or Explore action, they may play one Time card from their hand and choose one of its two benefits:
- double the total value of the chosen action; or
- apply the action's total value twice, conducting the same action with two different teams.
If choosing the second option, the first team's action must be completed in its entirety before beginning the second. Apply the action's total value to each team.
Example: If Bob also plays a Time card, he could choose to either (a) double his total Move value to 14 for one of his teams (effectively being able to move anywhere on the Mariners board); or (b) move two of his teams, each using the previous total value of 7.
1c. Using Bases
The Move, Produce and Colonize actions require a base be present or the action can't be taken [pages 9, 12 and 20, respectively]. Some bases provide a boost to the value of a specific action taking place at its site or in its region (for example, gaining +2 Move value if the team starts at a Mariners era Spaceport—see page 11). If the active player chooses to use the ability of a base owned by an opponent, that opponent will receive a reward [next column]. Opponents' bases can't be used once the end of an era has been triggered [page 13].
Example: Continuing with Bob's turn, he chose to have each of his teams Move 7. One is departing from a Spaceport he built in a previous turn, so that team adds +2 to its move for a total of 9. If the other team departs from a Spaceport owned by Rachel, he may choose to also have its move total increased to 9, but if he does Rachel will receive a reward.
2. Claim Contract
If the active player has met the prerequisite for one of the seven contracts associated with the current era [see Business Display] and that contract has not yet been fulfilled, they may claim it. They gain profit equal to that listed for the contract, then slide the associated contract fulfilled marker to the right onto the contract to indicate it is no longer able to be fulfilled by any player. Multiple contracts may be claimed in a single turn.
Important: A player's home base is never considered when determining whether certain base-specific contracts can be fulfilled.
Richard built a base at his third non-Lagrange site this turn (he doesn't count his home base on Earth). He slides the third row's orange marker to the right onto the contract and gains 2Ŧ. That contract can't be claimed again by any player.
3. Opponents Claim Rewards
Throughout the game, whenever the active player uses an opponent's base or HQ Infra for any activity, that opponent is given a "reward" during step 3 of the active player's turn. Each such instance gives a reward, so a player could be eligible to receive two or more rewards in a turn.
If any opponents are due one or more rewards based on the active player's activities, they claim them now. For each reward, that opponent may draw the top card of the deck (not from the offers). If two or more players are eligible for rewards in the same turn, resolve the rewards in turn order.
4. Transport Team
The active player may relocate one of their teams that did not perform an action this turn. There are three criteria a player must meet in order to conduct a team transport:
- The team must begin at a site with one of their bases;
- the team may travel any distance but must end at a site containing one of their bases; and
- at least one of those two bases must be a Spaceport [page 11].
5. Discard & Replenish
First, cards played by the active player this turn that are still face-up on the table—any that weren't placed on a player's HQ with an Upgrade action, for example—are placed in a common discard pile next to the draw pile.
The Time cards will be needed in future eras so players are advised to set them aside in their own pile instead of discarding them to the common pile. This will make it quick and easy to find them when the time comes.
Second, replenish any empty offer boxes. For each empty offer, draw a card from the top of the current era's action deck and place it face-up in the box. If the deck has been depleted [page 13], the offer box will remain empty.
6. Draw
As the last step of their turn, if the active player has four or fewer cards in hand, they draw the top card of the deck (not from the offers). If the draw deck has been emptied, this draw is forfeit.
Gaining an Edge
Edge
Some cards contain an "Edge" effect below the card's action. Edge effects are not actions, and thus are not played during step 1 of a player's turn. Instead, each Edge can be played at a time that is specified in the first line of the effect itself, sometimes even during an opponent's turn.
Example: If Julie holds the Edge card shown above, she can opt to play the Edge effect immediately after she, or one of her opponents, fulfilled a contract during step 2 of a player turn.
When an Edge is played, follow the instructions given in the red box—disregarding any action also on the card—then discard the card.
Continuing the example above, after Julie gained the indicated profit the Edge card would be discarded with no further effect.
Edge Clarifications
Competitors—You can choose to use two opponents' Infra or use yours plus one opponent's. This Edge still works after the end of an era has been triggered [page 13]—the card effect overrides the rules as written.
Divert—For example, if an opponent Produces on tiles totaling 5Ŧ, you would get 3Ŧ. The 3Ŧ isn't subtracted from their profit.
Hack—Note that any card taken from the offers won't replenish until step 5 of the active player's turn.
Hostile Microbes—The penalty hits all players meeting the condition, including the one playing the card.
Incompatible—Players make their decisions as to which Infra card to remove in player order, beginning with the active player.
Intercept—The extra turn doesn't count against the player's "one more turn" limit if the end of the era has been triggered [page 13].
Leak—If for some reason the non-award version of the Breakthrough had already been taken, you get nothing (so don't play this).
Market Influence—"Your" contract means "you claimed on your turn."
Poach—You only get cards that were physically discarded, not cards that were placed on HQ or already taken into a player's hand.
Sabotage—The actions that may be named are those listed under 1. Conduct Action on page 6.
Salvage—Note that any emptied offer boxes won't replenish until step 5 of the active player's turn.
The Actions
Research
Requirement—A Research action can only be taken if the active player has seven or fewer cards in hand.
Research allows the active player to draw cards from the draw deck and/or from the four offer boxes. The number of cards that can be drawn equals the action's total research value. Cards may be drawn one at a time.
Hand Size—Though announcing a Research action requires that the player have seven or fewer cards in hand, there is no actual limit to the number of cards a player can have in hand.
Example: Kai has 7 cards in hand and announces a Research action for her turn. She uses her Research Infra (2 value) then plays two Research cards from hand (2+2) drawing a total of 6 cards from amongst the current offers and/or off the top of the draw pile. She ends her turn with 11 cards in hand (and thus would not be able to Research again on her next turn).
Move
This action allows the active player to move one of their teams from its current site to another site. A team can't end a move "floating in space" in a region: it must always end at a site. The action's total Move value must equal or exceed the distance traveled.
Base Prerequisite—A move must always begin or end at a site with a base. The active player may use their own or an opponent's base to allow a move. If an opponent's base is used to allow a move, that opponent gains a reward [page 7, step 3].
Each player begins with a generic base on Earth. Other sites gain bases as players build them.
Region Border Costs—The distances represented by regions vary greatly. Region borders are marked with a specific cost that must be paid when moving across that border in either direction.
Example: The distance from the region containing Halley's Comet to the region containing Phobos is 3.
Distance Traveled—To calculate a move's distance, count:
- 1 to lift off from the starting site into its surrounding region;
- +X to cross region borders into adjacent regions, where X equals the cumulative cost shown in those border diamonds;
- +1 to land at the destination site.
Example: Sarah wants to move from Luna to Sisyphus. The distance is 4—1 to depart Luna into its surrounding region, +1 to move to the intervening region, +1 to move to the region containing Sisyphus, and +1 to land on Sisyphus itself. To make this move Sarah would have to accumulate a total Move value of 4 or greater through Infra use, card play, etc.
Gravity Penalties—Some sites have a gravity penalty listed after its name (for example, "Gravity +2" for Earth or "Gravity +1" for the Mars sites). The active player must add a site's gravity penalty to the distance of a move that starts or ends at such a site. These penalties are cumulative.
Example: The cost to move from Earth to Luna is 4—1 to move into Earth's region +2 for Earth's gravity = 3, then +1 to land on Luna.
Mars North and South—Mars is divided into two sites, with a boundary between them. A team moving to Mars can land at either site. A move from one Mars site directly to the other Mars site has a total distance cost of 3, as noted on the board. You're not leaving the planet so ignore Mars's gravity penalty.
The Asteroid Belt—The first player to move a team to this site takes the 1st Beyond marker, placing it next to their HQ. The player who controls the second team that moves to this site takes the 2nd Beyond marker. Beyond markers give their owners better setup options at the start of the next era [pages 14 and 18]. A team at the Asteroid Belt can't perform any actions for the remainder of the era.
For convenience, the chart on the board gives calculated total distances from Earth to all destination sites, including gravity penalties. Distances between non-Earth sites still need to be calculated on the fly.
Explore
An Explore action allows the active player to place a Discovery tile at a site containing:
- an empty exploration box (no Discovery tile there), and
- one of their teams.
The action's total Explore value must equal or exceed the site's explore cost (listed within the adjacent exploration box), shown as "e#."
Example: To explore South Mars, with an explore cost of "e2," you must accumulate a total explore value of 2 or greater.
Unexplorable—Sites without explore costs—Lagrange Points, for example—can't be explored.
Discovery—When a site is explored, draw a Discovery tile from a stack on the board matching the cost of the site being explored. Place the drawn tile face-up in the exploration box at the site, where it will remain for the rest of the era.
Example: If Jennifer explored Luna (e1) on the Mariners board, she would draw a tile labeled "e1" and place it face-up in the Luna exploration box.
Revealed Discovery Tiles—A revealed Discovery tile lists one or more natural discoveries [such as Water and Exo-Microbes on the tile shown below] and will also provide one or more of:
- immediate awards (listed at the bottom left of the tile);
- ongoing benefits (listed at the bottom right of the tile);
- symbols such as Water or Life, among others, that can be relevant for certain bases, contracts, Edge effects, etc.
Awards and benefits on Discovery tiles can include:
- "#Ŧ"—immediately gain that much profit [such as 2 trillion at right].
- "Gen#"—advance your tan genetics cube that many spaces along your Progress Wheel [this tile would advance the player's genetics cube 1 space; see Progress cards, page 17].
- "Rev#"—advance your black revelation cube that many spaces along your Progress Wheel [not on this tile; see Progress cards, page 17].
- "P#"—gain the indicated value in profit each time you perform a Produce action with that tile [this tile would produce 1 trillion each time it produced; see Produce, page 12].
- "Base#"—the cost to construct a base on the site is reduced (or increased) by the value shown [this tile would increase the cost of a base at its site by 2; see Build, next page].
- "Col#"—receive that many Colony Points (CP) during a Colonize action here [not on this tile; see Establishing Colonies, see page 20].
If a Discovery tile's award or benefit is shown in red text, it has a special effect: refer to these rules for clarification.
If a Discovery tile directs the player to draw a tile from a different stack, discard the first tile and draw the indicated tile in its place.
Claims—Place the exploring team atop the newly-discovered tile to indicate the active player's "claim" to that site [see Build action, next page]. An Explore action is the only way a team can claim a site, and the claim lasts only as long as the team remains. This allows the player conducting the exploration to "stake a claim" to that site, which is in effect as long as that team is present. If another player builds a base where you have a claim, you stand to profit.
Build
A Build action allows the active player to place a base at any one site that meets the following requirements:
- they have a team at the site;
- the site does not already have a base;
- if the site has one or more exploration boxes, all are occupied by Discovery tiles.
Each site has a build cost, listed as "b#." The action's total Build value must equal or exceed the site's build cost.
Example: It costs 6 to build a base on South Mars ("b6").
Exploration Claim—If a Build action is conducted at a site where a Discovery tile is currently claimed by an opponent's team [see previous page], that opponent gains 2Ŧ profit.
Example: Mark (yellow) and Sarah (blue) each have a team on Luna. On Mark's turn he explores Luna, gaining 1Ŧ then claiming the newfound Discovery tile. On Sarah's turn, she takes advantage of the tile's -1 base cost and builds a Research base on Luna at a cost of 1. Mark gains 2Ŧ in recompense.
Building Modifiers—If the site has a Discovery tile with a base modifier, adjust the build cost up or down accordingly. A build cost can't be reduced below 0.
Example: In the previous example, Sarah's cost to build a base on Luna was reduced by 1 ("Base-1") so her net build cost was 1. A Discovery tile showing "Base+1" would increase the cost by one.
Base Specialties—When building a base, the active player chooses from among those still available on their HQ. Six of the nine types of bases are available in Mariners, each one conferring a different effect, and each having a different prerequisite that the site or its Discovery tile must meet in order for that base to be built there [detailed in the table below as well as on the back of the quick reference sheets].
Example: In the Mariners era a Spaceport can only be built at a Lagrange Point. A Bio Lab can only be built at a site where the Discovery tile shows the life icon. Sarah's Research base in the previous example could have been built at any discovered site since it has no prerequisite. An Industrial base could have also been built on Luna due to the presence of water on the Discovery tile.
Some base types have an immediate effect at the time they are built. Some provide an ongoing benefit for as long as it remains in play (for example, the doubling of Build values in a region with an Industrial base). The active player may choose to use the benefit of an opponent's base, if able, or to ignore it; if they choose to use it, that opponent receives a reward [page 7, step 3].
Example: Sarah's Research base has no ongoing benefit—she gained its immediate benefit (taking a card from the offers) at the time she built it.
Bases in Mariners
Note that only six are listed here: three of the base types—Exploiter, Secure and Shield Factory—aren't available until the Planeteers era.
| Base Type | Build Requirement | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Attraction | the Discovery tile has a Natural Wonder | The tile gains "P1." |
| Bio Lab | the Discovery tile has life | When built, advance your genetics marker 1 space. |
| Industrial | the Discovery tile has water or a P# (even 0) | The active player may double their total build value when performing a Build action elsewhere in this region. |
| Refinery | the Discovery tile has a P# | The tile's P# gains +1 value. |
| Research | none | When built, take one card from the offers. |
| Spaceport | the site is a Lagrange Point | The active player may have each moving team that begins at a Spaceport gain Move 2. Allows Team Transport [page 7, step 4] to or from this site. |
Produce
This action allows a player to collect profit from eligible Discovery tiles. A tile is eligible if:
- it has a production value (P#), and
- the active player has any type of base there (a team need not be present).
In later eras players can also collect profit from a Discovery tile in the Legacy Production site of their HQ.
The action's total Produce value must equal or exceed the number of eligible tiles from which the active player will collect.
Example: If you play Produce cards with a combined value of 2, you can collect profit from up to two different production tiles.
The active player gains profit (Ŧ) equal to the total P# on the tiles from which they choose to collect.
Example: Kai plays a "Produce 1" card from her hand, meaning she can produce at a single tile: she chooses the Exotic Elements tile with her base on it at Deimos. She gains 2Ŧ due to the tile's production value of 1 (P1) +1 for the Refinery base. A team need not be present to produce at a site.
Genetics
When this action is chosen, the active player moves their tan genetics marker clockwise around their Progress Wheel a number of spaces equal to the total value of the action.
Some Discovery tiles, as well as the Bio Lab base, also allow a player's genetics cube to be advanced. Benefits for making a full orbit around the wheel begin in the Planeteers era and are explained on page 17 as well as in the Planeteers setup.
Upgrade
This action allows a player to gain a new Infra on their HQ or to replace an existing one. Upgrade is limited to a single card played from the active player's hand.
In other words, even if you have two or more eligible upgrade cards in hand, only one can be played for this action per turn.
The card played must be marked with the "May Upgrade as Infra" banner. The card is placed on the active player's HQ into any of Infra Slots 1, 2 or 3: Infra cards can never be placed in the Research Infra box. If another card of the same era already occupies the box, return it to the active player's hand. If another card from a previous era already occupies the box, remove it from play.
Example: Chad takes an Upgrade action. He already has Explore and Build Infra in slots 2 and 3, respectively, and would like to keep those so he chooses to place an eligible "Move 3" card in his Infra Slot 1 box, overriding his previous default Infra of Move 1. If later in the game he Upgraded another Move card to any of the three slots, the card there would be removed.
Once placed, a card in an Infra box remains there unless and until it is replaced with a future Upgrade action. Newly-placed Infra cards are available for use on any future turns [page 6, step 1].
Note that two Infra boxes on each HQ start with an intrinsic Infra value ready for immediate use.
Special
This action is limited to the play of a single card from hand, even if the active player has two or more Special actions in hand. When played, follow the instructions given in the gray box.
Special Action Clarifications
Anti-Matter Prototype—This is not a standard move action and requires no card play or Infra use.
Near/Deep Space Probe—The site must contain an exploration box. An "empty" site is one containing no game piece of any kind.
End of an Era
Ending an Era
The end of an era is triggered when:
- Six of the seven Contracts for that era have been fulfilled. If this occurs, each other player takes one more turn then the era ends.
or
- The action card draw pile has been emptied. If this occurs, play continues with the following changes:
- The active player can choose to "pass" and skip their entire turn. A player who doesn't have the capability to perform an action must pass, even if they hold one or more cards in hand. A player who passes must pass for the rest of that era.
- In a 2-player game, once one player passes the remaining player takes one last turn then the era ends.
- In a 3- or 4-player game, once two players have passed the remaining player or players each take one last turn then the era ends.
- The era ends if six contracts are fulfilled, as described above.
Edge Exception—If the Intercept Edge is played after the end of an era has been triggered, the extra turn gained from the effect doesn't count against the "take one last turn" limit described above: the card effect overrides the rule.
Base & Infra Use—When the end of an era is triggered, players are not allowed to use their opponents' Infra or bases for the rest of that era.
Continuing Play
At the conclusion of the Mariners or Planeteers era, prepare for the next era by conducting the following steps in the order given:
-
Legacy Production—Each player may choose one Discovery tile on the board that
- has a P# value and
- is accompanied by one of their bases.
Remove both the Discovery tile and the base from the board and place them together in the Legacy Production site on the player's HQ. This tile/base pair can continue to produce in the next era as if it were at a site on the current board, but does not count toward contracts. If there is already a tile/base pair in the Legacy Production box from a previous era, remove the old tile from play and return the old base to the player's stock.
-
Cards—
- Gather all Time cards that were used in the current era and set them aside for use in the next era.
- Action cards played as Infra remain on players' HQ. Remove from play all other action cards of the current era from wherever they are (hand, offers, discard, draw pile).
- If you are finishing the Planeteers era, all progress cards remain where they are.
-
Playing Pieces—Remove all playing pieces from the board:
- Return each player's teams and bases to the holding box on their HQ (bases in Legacy Production stay where they are).
- Put removed Discovery tiles back in the box.
- Set aside any removed Beyond markers for now.
-
Business Display—Leave the Business Display where it is. Players' Profit markers and the orange contract fulfilled markers remain in their current locations.
-
Board—Replace the current board with the next board: swap Mariners for Planeteers, or flip Planeteers over to Starfarers, as appropriate.
-
Sideboard—If you are finishing the Mariners era, flip the Mariners board over to its Sideboard side and place it on the table next to the board. If you are finishing the Planeteers era, keep the Sideboard where it is.
-
New Era—If you just finished a Mariners era, proceed with the Planeteers era setup [next page]; otherwise conduct the Starfarers era setup [page 18].
For short-game variants in which the game begins or ends in between eras, see page 22.
Setting Up Era 2: Planeteers
A Discovery tiles—Shuffle the six e1 Discovery tiles face-down, then stack them to form a draw pile in the matching space on the board. Do the same for the fourteen e2 tiles (making two stacks), then the eight e3 tiles.
B Teams—Each player places two of their teams at their base in the "Inner Solar System" region of the Planeteers board.
C 1st Beyond—If a player holds the 1st Beyond marker (from the Mariners era), they may instead set up one of their two teams at the "Ceres" asteroid site. If so, they draw and place a e1 Discovery tile there, taking any immediate awards for the tile, then claiming the Discovery.
D 2nd Beyond—A player holding the 2nd Beyond marker may instead set up one of their two teams at the "Vesta" asteroid site (unexplored).
E Beyond Markers—Place the two Beyond markers on the board at the "Oort Cloud" site.
F Starting Hands—First, give each player one of the Time cards used in the Mariners era. Set aside any remaining. Then remove the twelve "Start" cards from the Planeteers deck, shuffle them, and deal two to each player. Set aside the remaining Start cards, face-down.
G Planeteers Deck—Add any set aside Time cards to the Planeteers deck. Shuffle this deck and set it face-down next to the board as a draw pile. Place the set aside Start cards face-down atop the Planeteers draw pile.
H Offers—Deal the top four cards of the draw pile face-up to the four offer boxes on the board.
I Progress Cards—Place the 16 Adaptation and Breakthrough cards marked with the Planeteers symbol face-up in their allotted spaces of the Sideboard. Stack cards with the same name together, with the card having the profit award (for example: "1Ŧ") atop the one without.
Progress Wheel—If any player's genetics cube advanced all the way around their Progress Wheel into or beyond the "start" space during the Mariners era, they gain an Adaptation card [page 17].
All Systems Go For Launch—The player with a team on Ceres takes the first turn of this era. If none, the player with the least profit goes first. If there is a tie for least profit, randomly determine which of the tied players will start.
Additional Rules for Planeteers
All rules of Mariners also apply to Planeteers unless specifically amended in this section.
Radiation Shielding
All regions beyond the four asteroid regions on the Planeteers board (and all regions on the Starfarers board) have high radiation. Move and Build actions taking place in such a "radiation zone" cost a player profit if the action doesn't include radiation shielding.
Certain Move and Build cards include two values, one without shields and one with shields ("Shielded"). The active player chooses which value to use when playing the card; a single action can't use both. If a Move or Build action uses at least one card or Infra with a shielded value, the entire action is shielded.
Example: In a Build action, Luther plays the leftmost card for a Shielded Build value of 2. This automatically makes his Build action Shielded, so he plays the rightmost card to add its better Build value of 2; he couldn't combine both values on this card to add 3 to the action.
In Planeteers and Starfarers players can build "Shield Factory" bases [page 16]. Any Move action originating from a region with a Shield Factory—not just that site—may be automatically shielded.
Note that the starting site in the Inner Solar System region includes an inherent Shield Factory base for every player—thus all moves from the Inner Solar System are shielded.
Any Build action conducted in the same region as a Shield Factory base—not just that site—may be automatically shielded.
If the active player uses an opponent's Shield Factory to gain shielding for an action, that opponent is rewarded [page 7, step 3].
Cost of Unshielded Actions—In Planeteers if any part of the active player's Move or Build action occurs in the radiation zone and the action isn't shielded, that player loses 2Ŧ profit. An unshielded Move or Build action anywhere on the Starfarers board costs that player 3Ŧ. If the player doesn't currently have enough profit to pay the penalty, the action can't be taken unless shielded.
These costs represent health risk to your teams and the resulting litigation and public outcry.
Transit Additions
Design Note: The outer planets in our solar system are widely separated from each by their relative positions in their orbital paths. This is represented here by adding orbital transit costs to the movement distances between the outer planetary regions.
The four planetary regions for Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto each list transit additions for movement to one of the other three regions. When Moving from (not through) one of these regions to another of these regions, refer to the list in the departure region to see how much the distance is increased beyond what would normally be calculated. Add the listed transit addition to the distance of the move.
Example: If Martin is moving from Iapetus (a moon of Saturn) to Umbriel (a moon of Uranus) he would add 6 to the distance, increasing the actual distance traveled to a total of 12: 6 for the transit addition (A), +1 to lift off (B), +4 to cross the region boundary (C), +1 to land (D) = 12.
Spending Profit for Actions
If the active player wants to conduct an action for which they can't amass the requisite point value, they can make up the difference by spending 1Ŧ of their profit per point value shortfall, up to a maximum of 3Ŧ.
Example: Mark wants to conduct a Move action with a total distance cost of 9, but can only assemble 7 points via card play, Infra and other means. He can spend 2Ŧ of his current profit to make up the difference and make the move viable.
Spending Limit—No more than 3Ŧ can be spent to make up an action shortfall. Furthermore the profit spent must be less than the total value acquired through other means.
Example: If David played Explore action cards with a total value of 3, he could add at most 2 more value by spending profit.
Revelation Action
The Planeteers and Starfarers decks include "Revelation" action cards. When this action is chosen, the active player moves their black revelation marker clockwise around their Progress Wheel a number of spaces equal to the total value of the action.
Some Discovery tiles also allow a revelation cube to be advanced. Each full orbit around a wheel allows that player to gain a Breakthrough card [facing page].
Increased Contract Awards
If a Mariners contract wasn't fulfilled in that era, the award for claiming the corresponding contract in the Planeteers era is increased to equal the amounts for both contracts combined.
Example: If contract 1 in the Mariners era ("First Produce Action") wasn't fulfilled, its award (2Ŧ) is added to the award for contract 1 in the Planeteers era ("2 progress cards"), increasing that award value from 3Ŧ to 5Ŧ.
Note: You can tell which awards are increased by the location of the seven orange contract fulfilled markers. If a marker occupies a particular Mariners contract then the corresponding Planeteers contract immediately to its right is awarded at face value. If a Mariners contract contains no marker, however, then the corresponding Planeteers contract has its award increased to equal the sum of both.
Whenever a contract is claimed in the Planeteers era, slide that row's contract fulfilled marker to the right from its current position onto the Planeteers contract.
Specialized Bases in Planeteers
Three additional bases are available to players in the Planeteers (and Starfarers) era: Exploiter, Secure and Shield Factory. Also note that some build requirements and benefits are expanded or modified from Mariners, as noted in the following table:
| Base Type | Build Requirement | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Attraction | the Discovery tile has a Natural Wonder or Alien Artifact | The tile gains "P1." |
| Bio Lab | the Discovery tile has life | When built, advance your genetics marker 1 space. |
| Exploiter | the Discovery tile has a P# | When built, gain Ŧ equal to the Discovery tile's P#. That P# is forfeit for the rest of the game. |
| Industrial | the Discovery tile has water or a P# | The active player may double their total build value when performing a Build action elsewhere in this region. |
| Refinery | the Discovery tile has a P# | The tile's P# gains +1 value. |
| Research | none | When built, take one card from the offers. |
| Secure | none | When built, gain 1Ŧ for each base in the region belonging to an opponent. The benefit is forfeit if there is already a Secure base in the region (belonging to any player). |
| Shield Factory | the Discovery tile has water | The action during which a Shield Factory is built is automatically shielded from radiation. The active player may choose to have a Move action originating from this region be shielded from radiation. The active player may choose to have a Build action in this region be shielded from radiation. |
| Spaceport | the site has no gravity penalty | The active player may double the value of any one Move card played or any one Move Infra card used if all moving teams begin at a Spaceport. Allows Team Transport to or from this site. |
The Oort Cloud
The first player to move a team to this site takes the 1st Beyond marker, placing it next to their HQ. The player who controls the second team that moves to this site takes the 2nd Beyond marker. A team at the Oort Cloud can't perform any actions for the remainder of the era.
Progress Cards
Whenever a player's tan genetics cube advances into the top "Breakthrough or Adapt" space of their Progress Wheel, they are awarded an Adaptation card. Whenever their black revelation cube advances into that space, they are awarded a Breakthrough card.
When an Adaptation or Progress card is awarded, the player selects from among the appropriate progress cards that are still available on the Sideboard. A player can't select a card with the same title as one they already own.
Example: There are two copies of each progress card—one with a profit bonus and one without. If Bob already owned the Probe Network card shown at right, he couldn't take the other one: he can only ever have one of each card, by title.
Once selected, place the card face-up next to the owning player's HQ, where it will remain for the rest of the game. That player immediately gains profit equal to the amount shown in the circle near the top of the card, if any.
Example: The Star Children card shown at right would gain its owner 1Ŧ; Probe Network 2Ŧ.
The owning player gains the benefit described in the card's text box—this can be a powerful one-time effect or an ongoing ability that lasts for the rest of the game.
Example: Star Children is a one-time effect performed immediately upon acquiring the card. Probe Network is an example of an ongoing effect.
Prerequisites—Some progress cards list a "Prerequisite" in a yellow box. If a card's prerequisite is not met at the moment a progress card is awarded to a player, it can't be chosen. It could be chosen with a future award if the prerequisite is met at that time.
Example: Star Children can't be selected by a player unless and until they own two Breakthrough cards.
Action Value—Some progress cards enhance a player's value when taking a specific action. Unlike Infra and bases, opponent's can't use your progress card enhancements.
Example: A player owning Probe Network would double the total value of each of their Explore actions for the remainder of the game.
Setting Up Era 3: Starfarers
A Discovery tiles—Shuffle the 16 Primary Discovery tiles face-down, then stack them to form two draw piles of eight each in the matching spaces on the board. Do the same for the twelve Secondary tiles (in two stacks of six), then the five Alien tiles.
B Teams—Each player places 3 of their teams on their base in the central "Sol" region of the Starfarers board.
C 1st Beyond—If a player holds the 1st Beyond marker (from the Planeteers era), they may instead set up one of their three teams in the "Alpha Centauri" region, placing the team on the star symbol there.
D 2nd Beyond—A player holding the 2nd Beyond marker may instead set up one of their three teams in the "Luhman 16" region, placing the team in the box of the star track furthest from the star. Put the Beyond markers back in the box.
E Starting Hands—First, give each player one of the Time cards used in previous eras. Set aside any remaining. Then remove the twelve "Start" cards from the Starfarers deck, shuffle them, and deal two to each player. Set aside the remaining Start cards, face-down.
F Starfarers Deck—Add any set aside Time cards to the Starfarers deck. Shuffle this deck and set it face-down next to the board as a draw pile. Place the set aside Start cards face-down atop the Starfarers draw pile.
G Offers—Deal the top four cards of the draw pile face-up to the four offer boxes on the board.
H Progress Cards—[Remember: all unclaimed progress cards from the Planeteers era should still be on the Sideboard.] Place the 16 Adaptation and Breakthrough cards marked with the Starfarers symbol face-up in their allotted spaces of the Sideboard. Stack cards with the same name together, with the card having the profit award (for example: "2Ŧ") atop the one without.
I Colony Tiles—Gather all colony tiles that have the number of players in the game marked along their left hand side (there will be 20 colonies with four players; 17 with three players; and 12 with two players). Place these tiles face-up in their allotted spaces of the Sideboard. Put the remaining colony tiles back in the box.
All Systems Go For Launch—The player with a team on Alpha Centauri takes the first turn of this era. If none, the player with the least profit goes first. If there is a tie for least profit, randomly determine one of the tied players to start.
Additional Rules for Starfarers
All rules of Mariners and Planeteers also apply to Starfarers unless specifically amended in this section.
Multipliers
Some cards in Starfarers list a multiplier—shown as "x" before the value, like the "Move x3" shown above—which multiplies that action's value rather than adding to it. Remember to add together all non-multiplier values before applying each multiplier.
Example: Four Move cards with value 3, 5, x3 and x4 have a total value of 96: 3+5 = 8; then x3 = 24; then x4 = 96.
If only multipliers are used, start with any one as the base numeral.
Example: Leia plays Move cards with values x3, x3 and x5. She would have a total move value of 45 (3x3x5). If Kim plays a single "Produce x2" card, her total value would be 2.
Interstellar Movement
Each region on the Starfarers board:
- contains a star system site; or
- contains an Orion Spur site; or
- is the Sol site; or
- is empty.
The cost of a Move action to any Starfarers region equals the total cost of the region borders crossed during the move. There is no cost to "land" or "take off from" sites as in previous eras.
Example: A move from Kapteyn's Star to Epsilon Eridani would require a Move value of 60 (40+20), not 62 (1+40+20+1).
Star Systems
Each star system is a single site containing one, two or three exploration boxes. A system depicting two or more stars is a "multi-star" system. A star system's name is followed by its explore cost (e#) and build cost (b#).
Example: Epsilon Indi is a multi-star system with an explore cost of 10, a build cost of 20, and three exploration boxes.
Star Tracks—Each star system has a star track consisting of three boxes pointing to its star. Whenever a team moves to a star system, place it on the star track in the box furthest from the star. Any number of teams can occupy a star track box. A team on a star track can't be used to perform actions.
Design Note: A team on the track is considered to have reached its destination but because communication is limited to the speed of light, reports from the team are delayed for years.
At the start of the active player's turn, advance each of their teams on a star track one box closer to the star. If already in the box closest to the star, instead place the team on the star.
The Orion Spur
The Orion Spur is the local area of the Sagittarius Arm of our Milky Way galaxy. Teams in outer regions of the Starfarers map can move beyond Sol's interstellar neighborhood and out into the Orion Spur.
A team can't move to a "To Orion Spur" region unless:
- The move departs directly from an adjacent region; and
- The active player has a colony in that region [page 20].
A team in an Orion Spur region can't perform any actions for the rest of the game.
Orion Spur Awards—When the first team moves into any Orion Spur region, its owner immediately gains 5Ŧ. Afterwards, whenever a team moves into an unoccupied Orion Spur region, its owner gains 2Ŧ. This award can be earned in each of the other two regions, by the same or different players.
Empty Regions
Teams can never end a turn in one of the four empty regions. A moving team must always have sufficient Move value to move through an empty region into one containing a site.
Example: In the example at left the moving team couldn't spend just 40 Move and stop in the intervening empty region.
Nearby Sites & Regions
Some effects will refer to something that is "nearby" (the Secure base, for example). Nearby is defined as anything that is within a 20 distance move of whatever is being referenced.
Example: Epsilon Indi is nearby Lacaille 9352, while Ross 780 is not. Anything in the Lacaille 9352 region is nearby anything in the Epsilon Indi region.
Establishing Colonies
As their action for the turn, the active player may choose to "Colonize" in any one region in which all exploration boxes are occupied by their bases and no colony is already present. The presence of a team is not required to take a Colonize action. Any available colony tile—that is, one still on the Sideboard—may be chosen for the action.
Colony Points—Each colony tile has a number of pips across the top which represent its "colony value" (for example, "6" for the colony at right). To conduct a Colonize action, the active player must be able to accumulate "colony points" ("CP") equal to or greater than the colony value of the colony marker they wish to place.
CP are accumulated in any combination by the active player as follows, with each item only allowed to be claimed once:
- X CP, where X equals the sum total listed on all Discovery tiles in the region;
- 1 CP if you already own a nearby colony;
- 1 CP if there is an Industrial base in the region;
- 1 CP if there are two or more bases in the region;
- 1 CP if the active player removes one of their teams in the region from play;
- 1 CP if the active player uses Infra and/or plays cards with a Build value of at least 8 (12 if Colonizing a multi-star region);
- 1 CP if they spend 5Ŧ;
- 1 CP if they have an Enviro Tolerance Adaptation card.
Upon demonstrating that the active player has the requisite CP, place the selected colony marker in that region.
Note that ownership of a colony is indicated by the presence of your bases in the region.
A colony provides the following benefits:
- Provides 1 CP towards colonizing nearby regions.
- The owner is eligible to conduct a Move action to an adjacent Orion Spur region.
- At the end of the era, the owner is awarded profit based on the number of colonies they control [see table on facing page and on the Sideboard].
In addition, most colonies provide a unique benefit as described on the Sideboard. Some benefits occur immediately, others each time an event occurs during play, and still others at the end of the era or end of the game. Note: Colony benefits for progress cards are for each different adaptation or breakthrough.
Example: The tile above pays you 1Ŧ for each progress card you own at the time the tile is acquired.
Exploring Star Systems
Whenever a team on a star performs an Explore action it will place a Discovery tile in all of the region's empty exploration boxes with a single action. The active player draws and places a Discovery tile on each of the system's empty exploration spaces, starting with the Primary space followed by any Secondary spaces. Place Discovery tiles one at a time, resolving any immediate effects before placing the next. The exploring team claims all placed Discovery tiles simultaneously (place it on any of the tiles).
Example: Carol has a team on Epsilon Eridani. Her Explore action will need to attain a value of at least 10 ("e10"). She will then draw and place a Primary Discovery tile first, followed one at a time by two Secondary Discovery tiles. She takes immediate awards for each tile as it is placed.
Alien Culture Contact—Two Primary Discovery tiles instruct the player to instead draw an Alien tile. Alien Discovery tiles are normal Discovery tiles in every way, with two exceptions:
- Phobes—If this tile is revealed, the active player must immediately relocate one of his teams in the region to the Sol region (retaining immediate awards for Discovery tiles previously placed in the region) unless that player owns the Energy Fields Breakthrough. Continue placing any remaining Secondary discoveries. No further benefits are received from any Discovery tiles in that region unless a Secure base is built on the Phobes tile: immediate benefits for all Discovery tiles in the system would be awarded at that time to the player constructing the base.
- Introvs—Bases can't be built in this system unless the active player owns either the Cooperative Empathy or Sensory Focus Adaptation.
Increased Contract Awards
Contract awards in Starfarers are increased if the corresponding contracts—those along the same row—in earlier eras weren't fulfilled.
- If the corresponding contract was not claimed in either of the Mariners or Planeteers era—that is, the orange Contract Fulfilled marker still occupies its starting space—the award for claiming the contract during the Starfarers era equals the sum of all three contract awards.
- If the corresponding contract was claimed in the Mariners era but not in the Planeteers era, the award for claiming that contract in the Starfarers era equals the sum of the Planeteers + Starfarers contract awards.
Whenever a contract is claimed in the Starfarers era, slide that row's corresponding contract fulfilled marker to the right from wherever it is onto the Starfarers contract. This will serve as a reminder that it can't be claimed again.
Building Bases in Star Systems
Whenever a team on a star performs a Build action, it will build an eligible base on all of the region's Discovery tiles with a single action. The cost for the action is the star system's base cost (b#) plus the sum total of the base modifiers listed on every Discovery tile in the region. If an opponent has a claim to the Discovery tiles there, that opponent receives 2Ŧ compensation as normal (total; not per tile).
Example: Carol's previous exploration of Epsilon Eridani revealed Alien Ruins, Rings and Precious Dust. Her Build action will need to attain a value of at least 16 (8+4+4); she will then choose three of her bases to place on the three Discovery tiles.
Specialized Bases in Starfarers
Some base building requirements and benefits are expanded or modified in Starfarers, as noted in the following table:
| Base Type | Build Requirement | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Attraction | the Discovery tile is Anomaly or Outpost/Ruins | The tile gains "P2." |
| Bio Lab | the Discovery tile has life | When built, advance your genetics marker 1 space. |
| Exploiter | the Discovery tile has a P# or a colony bonus | When built, gain Ŧ equal to the Discovery tile's P# + its Col#. That production number/colony bonus is forfeit for the rest of the game. |
| Industrial | the Discovery tile has water or a P# | Worth 1 Colony Point. (Max 1 CP per region.) |
| Refinery | the Discovery tile has a P# | The tile's P# gains +1 value. |
| Research | none | When built, choose one: » take one card from the offers; » advance your revelation marker 1 space. |
| Secure | none | When built, gain 1Ŧ for each nearby base belonging to an opponent. The benefit is forfeit if there is already a Secure base in or nearby the region (belonging to any player). When built, if the Phobes Alien Discovery tile is present, gain all immediate awards on Discovery tiles in this region. |
| Shield Factory | the Discovery tile has water | The action during which a Shield Factory is built is automatically shielded from radiation. The active player may choose to have a Move action originating from this region be shielded from radiation. The active player may choose to have a Build action in this region be shielded from radiation. |
| Spaceport | the site is neither Anomaly nor Dust | The active player may double the value of any one Move card played or any one Move Infra card used if all moving teams begin at a Spaceport. Allows Team Transport to or from this site. |
Winning Starfarers
When the era ends, players owning colonies that give benefits at the end of the era gain those awards.
Then each player adjusts their profit based on the number of colonies that player established:
| Colonies | Profit |
|---|---|
| No Colonies | Lose 1Ŧ |
| 1 Colony | Gain 1Ŧ |
| 2 Colonies | Gain 4Ŧ |
| 3 Colonies | Gain 8Ŧ |
| 4+ Colonies | Gain 13Ŧ |
After profit for colonies, the player with the most profit wins.
- If there's a tie for highest profit, the tied player with the highest total colony value wins.
- If still tied, the tied player with the greatest number of Adaptation and Breakthrough cards wins.
- If still tied, the victory is shared in what is likely a monumental merger.
Game Variants
You can start or end a game of SpaceCorps with any era. When doing so, use the following modifications to the preceding rules.
Starting a Game with Planeteers
Place the Planeteers board in the middle of the table. Place the Sideboard and Business Display next to the board.
Players gather all playing pieces of their chosen color as normal.
Players use the HQ shown below instead of the basic HQ.
Conduct the Planeteers setup [page 14] except as modified below:
Place the seven contract fulfilled markers on the seven Mariners contracts.
Players begin with their genetics marker already advanced one space on their Progress Wheel.
You will use two Time cards in a 2-player game; five in a 3-player game; or all eight in a 4-player game. Put any excess Time cards back in the box.
Players begin the game with +8Ŧ in profit.
Starting a Game with Starfarers
Place the Starfarers board in the middle of the table. Place the Sideboard and Business Display next to the board.
Players gather all playing pieces of their chosen color as normal.
Players use the HQ shown below instead of the basic HQ.
Conduct the Starfarers setup [page 18] except as modified below:
Place the seven contract fulfilled markers on the seven Planeteers contracts.
Players begin with both their genetics and revelation markers already advanced two space each on their Progress Wheel.
You will use two Time cards in a 2-player game; five in a 3-player game; or all eight in a 4-player game. Put any excess Time cards back in the box.
Players begin the game with +20Ŧ in profit.
Place all Planeteers era progress cards in their spaces on the Sideboard. Beginning with the last player in turn order and proceeding counterclockwise around the table, each player takes one Planeteers Adaptation card without a prerequisite from the Sideboard, ignoring any profit award on the card.
Ending a Game Early
If players wish to end a game upon completion of the Mariners or Planeteers era, determine a winner as follows at the conclusion of that era instead of proceeding to the next era [page 13].
First, players earn final profit as follows:
- The player holding the 1st Beyond marker gains 3Ŧ.
- The player holding the 2nd Beyond marker gains 1Ŧ.
- At the end of the Mariners era (only) players gains 1Ŧ for each space their genetics marker had advanced along their Progress Wheel.
Then, the player with the most profit wins the game. If tied for most profit, the tied player with the greatest number of bases on the board wins. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared in what is likely a monumental merger.
Game Inventory & Credits
Inventory
- this rulebook
- one Solo Rulebook
- two 17" x 17" double-sided boards
- one 11" x 8.5" double-sided Business Display
- six 11" x 6" double-sided player HQ
- four 8.5" x 11" double-sided quick reference sheets
- one 8.5" x 11" double-sided solo player aid
- 16 wooden cubes in four player colors
- four tan and four black wooden cubes
- seven orange wooden discs
- 220 cards
- three sheets of die-cut tiles:
- 32 colonies
- 70 discoveries
- 108 bases in four player colors
- four Profit markers in four player colors
- two Beyond markers
- 13 solo variant game markers
Credits
- Game Design — John Butterfield
- Development — Chad & Kai Jensen
- Box Art — Shrox
- Package Design — Rodger MacGowan
- Card Art — Kurt Miller and Shrox
- Layout & Graphics — Chad Jensen, Kurt Miller and Mark Simonitch
- Playtesters Above and Beyond — Mark Beyak, Bob Borbe, Julie Butterfield, Sarah Quass, Marty Sample, Christopher Schall and David Spangler
- Additional Playtesting — Dan Healy, Tom Kassel, Natalie Pinto, Stephen Pinto, Jonathon Quass, Peter Quill, Allan Rothberg, James Terry, John Tiehen, John Vogel, Chris Wade, Charles Ward and Srivani Narra Ward
- Online VASSAL Module — Joel Toppen
- Production Coordinator — Tony Curtis
- Producers — Gene Billingsley, Tony Curtis, Andy Lewis, Rodger MacGowan and Mark Simonitch
- Technical Advice — Ejner Fulsang, author of SpaceCorp, the first book in the Galactican Series; available on Amazon in digital and paper formats.
Colony Points & Effects
Colony Effects
Each colony tile is marked for the solo game, 2-player, 3-player and 4-player counts. The award shown at left is gained as described:
| Award | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1Ŧ | Whenever an opponent Colonizes, gain 1Ŧ. |
| 1Ŧ | Whenever an opponent or the competition Colonizes, gain 1Ŧ. |
| 2Ŧ | Whenever your opponent Colonizes, gain 2Ŧ. |
| 1Ŧ | Whenever you Colonize, including this one, gain 1Ŧ. |
| xŦ | Whenever you Colonize, including this one, gain Ŧ equal to the number of colonies you control. |
| x1Ŧ | Gain 1Ŧ for every two competing colonies in play. |
| x1Ŧ | Gain 1Ŧ for each Breakthrough in play. |
| x1Ŧ | Gain 1Ŧ for every two Adaptations in play. |
| x1Ŧ | Gain 1Ŧ for every Adaptation and Breakthrough you own. |
| — | no special benefit |
| 1Ŧ | Whenever an opponent fulfills a contract, gain 1Ŧ. |
| 2Ŧ | Whenever an opponent or the competition fulfills a contract, gain 2Ŧ. |
| ? | Gain Ŧ equal to the printed award for any one unfulfilled Starfarers contract. |
| — | At the end of the era, claim any one unfulfilled contract. |
| 1Ŧ | At the end of the era, gain 1Ŧ for every star system without a colony (not Sol). |
| 1Ŧ | Whenever your opponent Produces, gain 1Ŧ. |
| 1Ŧ | Gain 1Ŧ for each site at which you have a Secure base. |
Colony Points (each item eligible once only)
- ? CP equal to that listed on all discovery tiles in the region;
- 1 CP if you have a nearby colony;
- 1 CP if there is an Industrial base in the region;
- 1 CP if there are 2 or more bases in the region;
- 1 CP if you remove one of your teams in the region from play;
- 1 CP if you accumulate 8+ Build value (12+ in a multi-star system) via play of action cards from hand and/or Infra use;
- 1 CP if you spend 5Ŧ;
- 1 CP if you own the Enviro Tolerance Adaptation.
© 2021 GMT Games, LLC