Starship Samurai Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective of the Game
• Components
  • Figures
• Alliance Board
• Location Board
• Location Card
• Tokens & Markers
• Player Board
• Unit Card
• Action Card
• Game Setup
• Round Sequence
• Player Turns Phase
  • 1. Claim Location Rewards
  • 2. Perform 1 Order
    • Move 1 Clan Marker X Spaces
    • Move X Units
    • Draw X Action Cards
    • Gain X Wealth Tokens
• Playing an Order Action Card
• Paying an Action Card's Cost
• Battle Phase
  • 1. Commit Battle Cards
  • 2. Resolve Battle Cards
  • 3. Declare Victor
  • 4. Gain Location and Reward
• Resolution Phase
  • 1. Gain Rewards from Alliances
  • 2. Reveal New Locations
  • 3. Restore Units and Orders
  • 4. Pass the First Player Token
• End of Game
• Card Text
• Variants
  • Trading Variant
  • 2-Player Action Deck Variant
• Clarifications
  • Move vs. Return
  • Action Card Choices
• Glossary
• The Lotus Clans
• Location Card Rewards
• Reminders
• Credits

Objective of the Game

A player wins a game of Starship Samurai by having the most honor (victory points) at the end of the game. Players will gain honor by battling for control of locations across the Lotus Galaxy and by strengthening their alliances with the 8 lesser clans.

Components

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Alliance Board
• 4 Location Boards
• 4 Player Boards
• 48 Action Cards
• 16 Unit Cards
• 16 Location Cards
• 8 Samurai Mech Figures
• 32 Fighter Ship Figures (8 each of 4 colors)
• 4 Carrier Ship Figures (1 each of 4 colors)
• 44 Wealth Tokens
• 1 First Player Token
• 4 Player Score Markers (1 each of 4 colors)
• 16 Order Markers (4 each of 4 colors)
• 8 Clan Markers

Figures

• Fighter Ships
• Carrier Ships
• Samurai Mechs

Alliance Board

1. Neutral Space
2. Player Branches
3. Reward Tiers
4. Honor Score Track

Location Board

1. Location Card Slot
2. Location Spaces
3. Location Number

Location Card

1. Name
2. Type
3. Reward

Tokens & Markers

• First Player Token
• Wealth Tokens
• Order Markers
• Clan Markers
• Player Score Markers

Player Board

1. Player Color and Clan Icon
2. Order Reference
3. Unit Supply
4. Unit Graveyard
5. Unit Slots

Unit Card

1. Name
2. Power
3. Unit Type
4. Special Ability

Action Card

1. Name
2. Type
3. Cost
4. Effect

Game Setup

To set up a game of Starship Samurai, follow these steps:

1. Gather a number of location boards equal to the number of players and arrange them and the alliance board in the center of the table.
2. Remove the following location cards from the game based on the number of players playing:
   • 2 Players: Remove all location cards with two pips in the lower right corner.
   • 3 Players: Remove all location cards with two pips and three pips in the lower right corner. Shuffle them, then add 1 back into the deck.
   • 4 Players: No cards are removed.
3. Shuffle the remaining location cards and form a location deck (3a). Draw and place a location card onto each location board (3b).
4. Give each player 1 Elite General and 1 Change Strategy action card (4a) and remove all other copies of those cards from the game. Shuffle the remaining action cards and form an action deck (4b).
5. Create a pile of wealth tokens within reach of all players.
6. Place all of the clan markers on the neutral space of the alliance track.
7. Each player collects 1 large ship unit card and 1 small ship unit card, and then collects a player board (7a), order markers (7b), ship figures, and score marker of her color.
8. Each player slots her ship unit cards into her player board.
9. Each player adds her ship figures to her unit supply.
10. Each player places her score marker on the 0 space of the honor score track.
11. Randomly determine who will be the first player. Give that player the first player token.
12. The first player collects all of the samurai mech unit cards and secretly drafts 1 of them. Each other player does the same in clockwise fashion around the table. Once all players have drafted 1 samurai mech, the last player to draft will draft a second samurai mech and then each other player will do the same in counter clockwise fashion around the table.
13. Each player reveals her drafted samurai unit cards and slots them into her player board.
14. Each player collects the samurai figures that match her samurai mech unit cards and adds them to her unit supply.
15. The game begins with the first player and play proceeds clockwise around the table.

Round Sequence

A round has 3 phases that are completed in order:

1. Player Turns Phase
2. Battle Phase
3. Resolution Phase

Player Turns Phase

During the Player Turns Phase, starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise around the table, players take turns until all of the order markers have been placed. On a player's turn, she must:

1. Claim Location Rewards
2. Perform 1 Order

Additionally, before and/or after performing an order, she may play a total of 1 order action card and perform any number of free orders. Each order or action card must be fully resolved before the next order or action card.

1. Claim Location Rewards

At the start of a player's turn she gains the reward of each location where she has more power than any other player.

• Move the clan marker shown (the Aurora clan marker is used in this example) spaces on the alliance track up to the number shown.
• Move one clan marker of your choice spaces on the alliance track up to the number shown.
• Advance your player score marker spaces on the honor score track up to the number shown.
• Gain wealth tokens up to the number shown.
• Draw action cards up to the number shown.

2. Perform 1 Order

To perform an order a player must spend 1 of her 4 order markers by placing it on the order of her choosing. The order markers are numbered 1-4 and which order marker the player chooses to spend will impact the effectiveness of her order.

Additionally, when placing an order marker, a player may also spend any number of wealth tokens to increase the number value on that order marker by the number of wealth tokens spent. (Example: A player spends her '3' order marker and 2 wealth tokens to move units. That player will move 5 units.)

Important Note: A player may place an order marker onto an order even if that order had been used previously. The newly placed order marker is not affected by the value of the prior order marker.

The following orders are available to a player on her turn:

• Move 1 Clan Marker Up To X Spaces
• Move Up To X Units
• Draw Up To X Action Cards
• Gain Up To X Wealth Tokens

Move 1 Clan Marker X Spaces

Move 1 clan marker of your choice on the alliance track. The clan marker may be moved a number of spaces up to the number value of the order marker placed to perform this order. You may move a clan marker down one branch, through the neutral space, and up another branch in a single move. Multiple clan markers can occupy the same space.

Example: The Ion clan marker is currently on the Void clan's player branch. The Pulsar clan places her '3' order marker onto her "Move Allegiance" order. The Pulsar clan chooses to move the Ion clan marker, moving it 1 space down the Void clan's player branch, 1 space down into the neutral space, then 1 space up into the Pulsar clan's player branch.

Move X Units

One at a time, move a number of figures you control. You may move a number of figures up to the number value of the order marker placed to perform this order.

To move a figure, move it from your unit supply to any location or move it from a location to a different location. A figure cannot be moved more than once per order. A ship cannot be moved to a location if all of that location's spaces are already occupied. When moving a samurai mech to a location, if all of that location's spaces are occupied, destroy the weakest ship at that location and place the samurai mech in its place. If multiple ships are tied for weakest ship, choose one of those ships to destroy.

Example: The Pulsar clan places her '4' order marker onto her "Move Units" order. The Pulsar clan moves 2 of her fighter ships from her unit supply to unoccupied spaces on location 3. The Pulsar clan then moves 2 more of her fighter ships from location 1 to unoccupied spaces on location 3, for a total of 4 units moved.

Draw X Action Cards

Draw a number of action cards up to the number value of the order marker placed to perform this order.

Note: Players have a hand limit of 5 action cards. If a player ever has more than 5 action cards, she must immediately discard down to 5. If the action deck ever runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile and form a new deck.

Gain X Wealth Tokens

Gain a number of wealth tokens from the supply up to the number value of the order marker placed to perform this order.

Playing an Order Action Card

Once per turn, before or after a player performs an order, she may play 1 order action card. To play an order action card the player must first pay its cost, then resolve its effects, then discard it.

Paying an Action Card's Cost

• To pay this cost, a player must move her score marker back X number of spaces on the honor score track.
• To pay this cost, a player must return X of her wealth tokens to the supply.
• To pay this cost a player must destroy X ships she controls. Note: The ships can come either from a location in play or from the player's unit supply.

Battle Phase

Once each player has taken all of her turns (spending all 4 of her order markers), play moves to the Battle Phase. For each location that has units, do the following steps, resolving a battle if the location is contested and then granting a reward to the victor. Locations are resolved in numerical order, based on the location board's number.

Note: If only 1 player controls units at a location, she is the victor and proceeds directly to step 4. If no players control units at a location, skip these steps and proceed to the next location.

To resolve a battle at a contested location (where 2 or more players control units), do the following in order:

1. Commit Battle Cards
2. Resolve Battle Cards
3. Declare Victor

Then do this for all locations with a victor (including locations where only 1 player controls unit(s)):

4. Gain Location and Reward

1. Commit Battle Cards

In turn order, each player in the battle chooses whether she will commit a battle action card to the battle. To commit a card, the player places the card face down in front of her. Each player can commit at most 1 card to the battle.

2. Resolve Battle Cards

Once all players have had an opportunity to commit a card, in turn order, each player reveals her committed card (if any), pays its cost, resolves its effect, then discards it. Note: If a player cannot pay the cost of a battle card she has committed, the card is discarded without effect.

3. Declare Victor

Once all committed battle cards have been resolved, each player totals up the power of all of her units at that location, plus any bonus power from card effects, and declares her total power. The player with the highest total power is the victor. If 2 or more players are tied for highest power, the player who is earliest in turn order (among the tied players) wins the tie.

4. Gain Location and Reward

The victor gains 5 honor plus the reward on that location's card and then claims that card by placing it face down next to her player board. The victor then removes all of her figures from that location board and returns them to her supply (this is not considered a move). All other players with figures on that location board leave them there. (Those figures will start the next round already on that location board.) Remember, if only 1 player controls units at a location, she is the victor.

Resolution Phase

Once battle has been resolved at each of the locations, play moves to the Resolution Phase. During the Resolution Phase do the following in order:

1. Gain Rewards from Alliances
2. Reveal New Locations
3. Restore Units and Orders
4. Pass the First Player Token

1. Gain Rewards from Alliances

Each player gains a reward for each clan marker on her branch of the alliance track. The reward gained for each marker is determined by the reward listed for the tier of spaces that clan marker occupies.

Example: Both the Gamma clan (green) and the Nova clan (blue) have 2 clan markers on their player branch.

With 1 clan marker on the +5 tier and 1 clan marker on the +3 tier, the Nova clan gains a total reward of +8. She advances her player score marker 8 spaces on the honor track.

With 2 clan markers on the +4 tier, the Gamma clan also gains a total reward of +8, and advances her player score marker 8 spaces on the honor track.

2. Reveal New Locations

Discard any location cards that were not claimed in the previous Battle Phase. Draw and slot a new location card into each location board. If there are not enough cards to complete this step, the game is over.

3. Restore Units and Orders

Each player returns all units in her unit graveyard to her unit supply and moves all of her order markers off of her player board.

4. Pass the First Player Token

The first player passes the first player token to the player on her left. That player is now the first player.

End of Game

The game ends when, during the Resolution Phase, players would need to draw more location cards, but there are no cards remaining in the location deck. At the end of the game, players gain:

• +3 if they have claimed 2 different types of locations.
• +6 if they have claimed 3 different types of locations.
• +9 if they have claimed 4 different types of locations.

Example: The Pulsar clan has claimed 3 location cards, each of which has a different location type (as indicated in the upper right of the location cards). She gains +6, and advances her player score marker on the honor track 6 spaces.

The player with the most honor wins the game. In the case of a tie, break ties in this order, moving to the next tie breaker if players are still tied:

1. Most wealth
2. Most location cards
3. Most clan markers on her branch of the alliance track
4. Earliest in turn order during the last round.

Card Text

Whenever the text on a card contradicts the game rules, the card text takes precedence. Effects on a card must be resolved in the order they appear. If a card uses a term you don't understand, check the Glossary at the back of this rulebook.

Variants

Trading Variant

Players may choose to incorporate trading into the game. At any time during play, a player may suggest a trade. Here are some examples of trade suggestions:

• "I'll give you 2 wealth if you give me a battle action card."
• "I'll give you 3 wealth if you target Cheryl with that betrayal card instead of me."
• "I'll give you this battle action card if you use it against Kyle and keep him from claiming that location you are sharing."
• "I'll give you 2 wealth if you promise not to move any units to this location for the rest of the round."

When a player agrees to trade action cards or wealth tokens or do some other immediate action, she must do so. If a player agrees to take some action in the future of the game, she is under no obligation to actually follow through.

2-Player Action Deck Variant

In this 2-player variant, players will each have their own identical action card deck. During step 4 of setup, after giving each player 1 Elite General and 1 Change Strategy action card, instead of shuffling all of the action cards together, create 2 identical action card decks (each deck will contain 1 copy of every action card), shuffle them and give 1 to each player. During the game each player must draw from and discard to her own action card deck.

Clarifications

Move vs. Return

• Returning a unit to your supply is not considered having moved that unit.

Action Card Choices

• Some action cards target a player and give that player a choice. That player must choose an option that she can completely resolve. If she cannot completely resolve any of the choices, that portion of the card is skipped.

Glossary

Attach (token) To attach a token to a unit, place it under that unit's figure. An attached token moves with the figure until that unit is destroyed or returned to a player's unit supply, at which point the attached tokens are discarded.

Attach (card) To attach an action card to a location, place it next to that location board. Discard that action card when instructed to or when that location card is claimed or discarded.

Battle A unit is in a battle if it is at a location where a battle is currently being resolved. A player is in a battle if she has 1 or more units in that battle.

Contested A location is contested if 2 or more players control unit(s) at that location.

Control A player controls the ships that match her player color and the samurai mechs that she has drafted. Units in the unit graveyard are no longer under a player's control.

Destroy When a unit is destroyed by a game effect, it is moved to its controlling player's unit graveyard.

Free Order Some card effects will grant free orders to a player. During a player's turn, before or after performing an order, she may perform any number of free orders. A player must fully resolve a free order before performing another free order.

Return Move any unit to its unit supply. A "return" is not a move.

Unit A ship or samurai mech. Units are represented in the game with figures.

Weakest The weakest unit among a group of units is the unit with the lowest power. When multiple units have the lowest power, choose only one.

The Lotus Clans

Nova Clan Nova Clan is often considered the most noble family in the Lotus Galaxy. This is largely due to their dedication to honor and their fair treatment of their people. It is with elegance and sophistication that they carry themselves through conflict.

Pulsar Clan The ruling class of the Pulsar Clan can trace their heritage all the way back to the first galactic shogun. The people of Pulsar are militant and disciplined, often living harsh lives, as much of their society's resources are funneled into their military and their impressive arsenal of weaponry.

Gamma Clan Unlike most of the Lotus Clans, Gamma Clan has done away with hereditary rule and instead elects its leaders based on intelligence and strength. Gamma's ultimate goal as a society is to propel the human race beyond its current limitations. As such, much of Gamma's resources are spent educating and cybernetically enhancing their populace.

Void Clan The Void Clan holds a territory on the very outskirts of the Lotus Galaxy where the planets are spaced far apart and, even at the height of its power, the galactic government never held much sway. The Void Clan is an alliance of outworlds made rich through piracy and the plundering of the rest of the galaxy.

Sol Clan Nestled in the center of the galaxy, Sol Clan controls the Lotus Galaxy's largest collection of galactic and intergalactic travel outposts. Sol has long strived to maintain peaceful relations with most of the Lotus's leading clans and often hosts peaceful summits for their leaders to discuss diplomacy.

Terra Clan Terra Clan is descended from the original settlers of the Lotus Galaxy. It used to be that Terra was far and away the most powerful clan in the galaxy, but they have long since been eclipsed by many of the other clans. However, Terra still manages to hold on to great influence in the galaxy, for its leaders carry with them a reverential status, being that they continue to be clones of some of the most popular of the galaxy's founders.

Ion Clan Ion Clan are the descendants of merchants that took to exploring the darkest and deepest parts of the galaxy in search of wealth. Despite its humble beginnings, Ion has flourished and has bought its way into great power. Ion Clan is operated as a business and is shrewdly managed by a group of its leading shareholders.

Horizon Clan When the first voyagers journeyed across the void to the Lotus Galaxy, they brought with them many traditions and ideologies that no longer hold much influence over people today. However these old ways have stayed alive in the Horizon Clan. They have become masters of ancient traditions. It is within Horizon Clan that the samurai were reborn and, in an alliance with Gamma Clan, used their strength and discipline to help bring unity back to the Lotus Galaxy.

Aurora Clan Once devout members of Horizon Clan, the founders of Aurora Clan seceded from Horizon due to ideological disagreements and laid claim to their own sector of the Lotus Galaxy. Despite the size of its territory, much about Aurora's inner workings are unknown to the rest of the galaxy. Rumors abound, however, the most popular of which is that Aurora is in league with the Oni - dark and mysterious creatures indigenous to the Lotus Galaxy.

Rift Clan After the first settlements took hold in the Lotus Galaxy, a contingent of colonists set out for an unexplored region of the galaxy. After communications with the voyagers were lost, they were assumed dead. Millennia later the descendants of those voyagers were rediscovered. Those descendants now make up the Rift Clan. Though Rift Clan has become a significant power in the Lotus Galaxy, they are still viewed as outsiders by many of the clans.

Luna Clan Luna Clan is infamous for their skill in subterfuge and spy craft. Through it, they have gained great political power. Representatives of the other clans always tread cautiously in any dealings with Luna Clan, as the histories are full of stories of nobles found dead within the walls of their heavily guarded fortresses, their throats laid open by a Luna ninja's blade.

Comet Clan Much of Comet Clan's territory is composed of uninhabitable planets. Despite this, Comet thrives. They do so by utilizing a technology they've developed that allows them to extract and store energy from their stars. They use this energy to fuel colonies built on the backs of asteroids, unreliant on a home star. While Comet trades their valuable energy stores with other clans, they are very protective of the technology that produces them and guard their territory fiercely against outsiders.

Location Card Rewards

• Move the clan marker shown (the Aurora clan marker is used in this example) spaces on the alliance track up to the number shown.
• Move one clan marker of your choice spaces on the alliance track up to the number shown.
• Advance your player score marker spaces on the honor score track up to the number shown.
• Gain wealth tokens up to the number shown.
• Draw action cards up to the number shown.

Reminders

• You can use an order you have used in a previous turn with a different order marker. For example, Jenny chose to use order marker 3 on her last turn to move 3 of her units. This turn she has decided to move again by using her order marker 2 to move 2 units.
• You can use wealth tokens to increase the value of an order marker. For example, Jenny would like to move 5 fighter ships, but she only has her order marker 2 left to do so, she decides to use it to move and increase its value by 3 by spending 3 wealth tokens. This allows Jenny to now move the 5 fighter ships that she was hoping to move.

Credits

Game Design: Isaac Vega

Production: Colby Dauch

Illustrations: Gunship Revolution

Graphic Design: David Richards, Kendall Wilkerson

Art Direction: Isaac Vega, Samuel Vega

Editing: Jonathan Liu

Lead Playtester: Jared Ridinger

Playtesting: Samir Syed Ahmed, EJ Ash, Andrew Barton, Jeffrey Berman, Aaron Bird, Alexandra Bogert, James Bogert, Tim Bogle, Hunter Bolton, Kellee Bolton, Phoebe Bolton, Timothy Bolton, Tyler Brown, Michael Cathro, Adam Cirone, Kent Davies, Michael Davies, Michelle Davies, Luigi DePasquale, Mark Duerr, Nick Duerr, Seth E. Oakman, Myles Fountain, Alexandra Funk, Zander Galluppi, David Harris, Gordon Helle, Hannah Helle, Paul Helle, Andrew Hobdy, Simon Hsu, Jim Jones, Jeffrey Joyce, Matt Kaminsky, David Ko, John LaFief, Abigail Maley, Ryan Malone, Charles Martin, Scott Moran, Diane Mountford, Laura Ness, Ryan Neumann, Amanda Nicole Chandler, Rich Oberholtzer, Tirth Patel, Andrew Pressley, Meghan Pressley, Andrew Pronsati, Katie Pronsati, Jared Ridinger, Aaron Shambaugh, Jeremy Skrdla, Keith Stancombe, Adam Steele, Jeremy Strickland, Kaden Strickland, Ryan Swanigan, Eric Swanson

© 2017 Plaid Hat Games. Starship Samurai and Plaid Hat Games are trademarks of Plaid Hat Games. Plaid Hat Games is a division of Asmodee North America, Inc.