Stellar Expedition
Stellar Expedition Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- What's in the game
- Setting up the game
- The 4 different factions
- The Dashboard
- The course of a round
- 1. Production Phase
- 2. Discovery Phase
- 3. Sensor Phase
- 4. Command Phase
- 4.1 Movement
- 4.2 Recruit Crew members
- 4.3 Embassies
- 4.4 Earning Expedition points
- 4.5 Collect Resources
- 4.6 Spending Resources
- Injury & damage
- End of a round
- End of the game
- Optional expansion modules
- Solo mode
- Quick overview
What's in the game
- 4 Dashboards
- 88 Crew member cards
- 28 Location cards
- 54 Expedition cards
- 26 Upgrade cards
- 6 Damage cards
- 45 Encounter cards
- 48 Embassy cubes
- 12 Resource trackers
- 16 Collection tokens
- 4 Reference cards
- 28 Location tiles
- 8 Anomaly tiles
- Space gate tile
- Round tracker (2 sides)
- First player token
- Sensor dice
(Go to page 22 of the rulebook for the components for the optional modules.)
Setting up the game
Before you do anything, place the Space gate tile in the middle of the table.
Crew member and Location deck
Make sure that the corresponding Crew member and Location decks are together and place the deck face up within reach of all players. All players can look through these cards at any time.
Player factions
Choose a colour you want to play with. The four factions are all slightly different. The Captains have different starting skills and each faction has the chance to activate their special abilities during the Sensor phase of the game (see Sensor Phase). Look through the faction cards and the Dashboards to see which play style will suit you best. The red Maheri tribes have abilities to attack other players, the yellow Hive mind of Tognath is all about getting resources, the green Sky-lords of Edda can expand their influence faster and the blue United Nations Explorer Corps are focused on, well, exploration (see The 4 different factions).
Faction components
Each player receives the Dashboard, 12 Embassy cubes and the Location card of their chosen colour. One by one, all players place the Starting tile which corresponds with their chosen colour adjacent to the Space gate tile.
Each Starting tile has a planet icon on the bottom left corner. Other Location tiles may have a number from I to VI on the bottom left corner.
You will start with 5 Raw Materials, 2 Crystal and 1 Influence. Place the tokens on the corresponding locations.
Place your Spaceship and 1 Embassy cube on your Starting Location tile and take your Captain and level 1 Crew member cards in your hand. Your level 2 and 3 Crew members stay on the table until you build up your base. When you upgrade your Starting Location, they will join you on your ship (see Recruit Crew members).
Captains are recognised by the planet icon in the top right corner. All other Crew members have a level number from 1 to 3 in the top right corner.
Expeditions
Shuffle the different Expedition decks. All players receive 6 cards; 2 of each type. Each player chooses a card to keep and pass the rest of the cards to the player on their left. Again, they choose a card to keep. This 'draft' will continue until all players have 3 Expedition cards of each type that they like. Do you have the cards you want, but other players did not decide yet? Just pass, and give the cards to the next player. The remaining cards will be reshuffled in the corresponding decks.
Place the chosen Expedition cards face up. All players can see these Expeditions at any time. Place the 3 Expedition decks face down, for later use.
Encounters, Upgrades and Objectives
Shuffle the Encounter, Upgrade and Damage decks. Place 6 Upgrades face up where all players can see them, this will be the Upgrade store.
Place the Gate token on 1 on the Round tracker.
Location tiles
Shuffle the remaining Location tiles and put them in reach of all players.
Start the game
The player who most recently went to space, may begin. Or choose any other way to decide who is the first player. Give this person the First player token.
The 4 different factions
United Nations Explorer Corps
The UNEC is a peaceful organisation that values freedom and knowledge above everything else. Other factions in the galaxy wonder why their starships need so many weapons for 'peaceful exploration'.
Hive mind of Tognath
The Grand hive queen of Tognath Prime chose their new home because of its harsh conditions. The people of Tognath feel that the toxic atmosphere and heat of E'ntomon will make them better equipped to face the challenges of this new region of space. They are so hard on themselves.
Maheri tribes
The tribes of the Maheri people of Agrona rarely come together for a common cause, they love fighting each other too much. It is probably for the best for all other factions in the galaxy. The combined might of the cunning and aggressive Maheri would overrun any defences.
Sky-Lords of Edda
The nature loving and peaceful people of Edda are often ridiculed by the other factions and called 'tree huggers' or 'hippy space elves'. But none are actually brave enough to say it to their faces, as the Eddari can strike back with lethal force.
The Dashboard
The Dashboard is a representation of the your Spaceship.
- Raw materials. You gain Raw Materials on Locations where you have build 1 or more Embassies (see Embassies). When Raw Materials are used, move the marker down the track. The Dashboard has room for 20 Raw Materials.
- Crystal and Influence tracks. You gain Crystals on certain Locations and Influence by building Embassies. There is room for up to 10 on the track for both. When Influence or Crystals are used, move the marker down the track.
- Upgrade slots. Upgrades are placed on these slots. There is room for 6 Upgrades. If you want to make room for another Upgrade and you already have 6, you will have to put 1 in the discard pile. You will NOT get any Raw Materials back. Follow the numbered order on the Dashboard when placing an Upgrade (see Upgrades).
- Special actions. Each faction has 2 unique actions. When you roll these icons on the Sensor dice (see Sensor Phase), you can choose to use the action once during that round.
- Place your Location cards here (see Embassies).
- Place Injured Crew members here (the Sickbay; see Injury & damage).
- Place Recruited and played Crew members here (the Transit slot; see Recruit Crew members).
- Place Crew members who are on a Solo Mission here (see Solo missions).
The course of a round
Stellar Expedition is a game that is played over the course of 8 rounds. In each of these rounds, the players go through 4 different phases.
At the beginning of the game, place the Gate token on the number 1 spot on the Round tracker. The first player starts with their Production phase, the second player follows, then the third etcetera. All phases of a round are worked through in a similar fashion. Note that the 4th phase (Command phase) is the longest in the game, since you can do the most cool things in this phase. But more about that later.
The first 3 rounds are known as Exploration rounds, in these rounds you get a discount on building your first Embassy on a new Location (see Embassies). You get a discount of 3 Raw Materials in the first round. In the second round it is reduced to 2 Raw Materials and in the third round you only get 1 Raw Material discount. See Raw Materials for more information.
You only receive the discount when building a new Embassy on a new Location once per round. The discount does not apply to a Location where you already have an Embassy present.
In the summary below, you will find a short description of the different phases within each round. On the following pages you will find detailed information about all the aspects of the game.
1. Production phase
All players collect Resources from their starting Location. When you have an Embassy on your current Location, you will also receive Resources from that Location. Place a Collection token on each other of your Embassy Location.
Skip this phase in the first round.
2. Discovery phase
Starting with the first player, you and your opponents each take a maximum of 2 Location tiles from the stack at the beginning of the Discovery phase. Flip them over and place them adjacent to your current Location tile. Both tiles must be placed against your current Location tile. Place 3 Location tiles in a 2-player game.
3. Sensor phase
One by one, each players rolls the Sensor dice and resolves the action.
4. Command phase
You can do the following actions in any order (and as much times as you want):
- 4.1 Move to another tile - each player has 1 movement
- 4.2 Recruit Crew members
- 4.3 Build Embassies
- 4.4 Complete Expeditions - as long as you can fulfil the requirements, it is possible to complete multiple Expeditions in one round.
- 4.5 Collect Resources from other Embassy Locations
- 4.6 Spend Resources
Ending the round
Once a round is completed, all players take Crew member cards in the Transit slot back in their hands. Injured Crew members and Crew members on a Solo Mission are moved to the Transit slot. The player to the left of the first player becomes the first player in the next round. Move the Gate token up one space. The next round of Stellar Expedition can now begin!
1. Production Phase
Produce and Collect
In the first phase of a round, all players produce and collect Resources at the same time. You collect Resources when you are at a Location where you have an Embassy.
Skip this phase in the first round.
Your Spaceship has to physically be located on that tile to collect Resources. The Resources at the starting Location are an exception, you will always receive them at the start of the round. These are the same for all players: 3 Raw Materials and 1 Crystal.
You only collect Resources from Locations where you've built an Embassy (see Embassies). The Resources you will collect are printed on the right side of the Location tile, and on the corresponding Location card.
Example: the blue player collects 5 Raw materials and 1 Crystal during the Production phase.
Raw Materials
Every Location where you've build an Embassy produces Raw Materials. Track your Raw Materials on the Dashboard. The Dashboard has room for 20 Raw Materials.
Crystals
In addition to Raw Materials, you can can also produce Crystals at some Locations. These Resources are rare and you only have room for 10 Crystals on your Spaceship. Crystals are mainly used for Solo missions (see Solo missions) and Reprogramming Robots (see Reprogramming Robots).
During the game, you are able to build more Embassies on different Locations (see Embassies). You can produce Resources there, when your ship starts at that Location in the Production phase. Or you can move there during the Command phase of the game, but more about that later (see Collect Resources).
Once you have build the maximum of 3 Embassies on a Location, you will collect double the amount of Resources.
Collection tokens
Place a Collection token of your own colour on any Location where you have an Embassy on which you were not able to collect Resources at the beginning of the Production Phase. This token is a reminder that you are able to Collect Resources here during the Command Phase (see Command Phase). You only have 4 tokens to place on your Embassy Locations, use them wisely.
A Location can only have 1 Collection token per player.
Example: the blue player collects Resources from their starting and current Location. They place a Collection token on their other Embassy Location as a reminder to collect these Resources later during their Command Phase.
2. Discovery Phase
Starting with the first player, you and your opponents each take a maximum of 2 Location tiles from the stack at the beginning of the Discovery phase. The first player places their tiles next to their current Location, go in clockwise order until all players have placed their Location tiles.
You can only place tiles directly adjacent to your current Location and only when there is no tile currently placed there. See the examples on the page.
After all players placed their Location tiles, start the next phase of the game (see Sensor Phase).
- When a Ship is on the edge of the board, place new Location tiles. Place 2 tiles when there are at least 2 empty spaces next to the current Location.
- If there are more than 2 empty spaces next to your current Location, choose where to place the 2 Location tiles.
- If you can only place 1 tile during the Discovery phase, you can only take 1 Location tile from the stack.
- Can't place any tiles this phase? You are not able to take any Location tiles from the stack.
2-player game
In a 2 player game, you can take a maximum of 3 Location tiles. Follow all previously mentioned placement rules.
Whenever the draw pile is empty, you and your opponents have discovered all the Locations in this part of the galaxy. No tiles will be drawn during the rest of the game.
Location tiles
You can find 2 different varieties of Locations in the Discovery phase:
- Recruiting Locations
- Anomalies
At Recruiting Locations you can recruit Crew members (see Recruit Crew members) and build Embassies (see Embassies). Anomalies have special abilities, which will be explained shortly.
Recruiting Locations
At these Locations you can recruit Crew members by building Embassies. You can also produce and collect Resources.
The cost of building the first Embassy is printed on the Recruiting Location tile. Starting Locations are an exception, since players start with 1 Embassy at the beginning of the game. The Resources you would collect are located on the right of the tile. You only receive Resources on a Location at which you have an Embassy.
Higher Location levels (see the lower left corner of the tile), have a higher Embassy cost associated with them. A more expensive Location also yields more Resources and better Crew members.
Location tile parts: Location type; Crew members available for recruitment; Available Resources; Level; Cost of the first Embassy.
Recruiting Location types
These specific Location types are mainly used for Expeditions (see Expeditions). There are 7 different types in the game: City, Fire, Nature, Tech, Space, Water, Arcane.
Anomalies
All other Location tiles are called Anomalies. These are Locations where you CAN'T recruit Crew members or build Embassies. There are 3 different Anomaly types in the game: Wormholes, Mining planetoids and Ghost ships.
Wormholes
On their own, these Locations are useless. But when 2 or more are discovered, you can travel between them instantaneous. See Movement for more information.
When you find one of these Location during the Discovery phase you receive 1 Crystal. Every time you end the round on one of these Location, you will also receive 1 Crystal.
Mining planetoid
These planets float freely in the void. Life is not possible here, but there is something to be gained. When you find one of these Locations during the Discovery phase you receive 1 Raw Material. Every time you end the round on one of these Locations, you will also receive 1 Raw Material.
Ghost ships
The crew has been dead for years, but these ships seem haunted. Get what you need before things turn spooky. When you find one of these Locations during the Discovery phase you receive 1 Upgrade. Every time you end the round on one of these Locations, you will also receive 1 Upgrade.
Asteroid belts
Some Anomalies are blocked by Asteroids belts. A Ship cannot travel through an Asteroid belt and will need to go around it. Ships can move through empty space; Ships CAN'T move through Asteroids.
3. Sensor Phase
Now that you have produced some Resources and hopefully discovered interesting Locations, it is time to find out what more is there to find! One by one all players roll the two Sensor dice. And resolve the action(s) on the dice.
There are different options; you can roll a reward in the form of Resources (Raw Materials, Crystals), an Upgrade or one of your special abilities (1 or 2). You can also roll an Encounter or a blank side.
- If you roll 2 rewards sides, you have to choose one and ignore the other.
- If you roll 1 reward side and 1 blank side, take the reward dice, ignore the other.
- Take 2 Raw Materials (the die side showing 2 Raw Materials).
- If you are unlucky and roll 2 blank sides, you can choose to re-roll one of the dice.
- If you roll 2 Encounter icons, take the top 2 cards of the Encounter deck. Choose one and put the other card on the bottom of the deck.
- When 1 of the dice shows an Encounter icon, you will need to take an Encounter card. You can choose the second dice as an alternative to the bonus if your successfully resolve the Encounter card.
Once per round you can always spend 1 Influence to re-roll any of your dice to see if you can improve your chances.
Encounters
Your Sensor has picked up something, but it is still unclear what it is. To find out, take a card from the Encounter deck. Encounters often work the same as Expeditions (see Expeditions); there is a description on the card and requirements that must be met. Failure to meet the requirements may affect your Spaceship or Crew. Sometimes you are lucky, and an Encounter turns out positive, but don't count on it.
Encounter card parts: Description; Effect; Requirements to overcome the Encounter; Bonus, which you only receive when you successfully overcome the Encounter.
Chance Encounters
As mentioned, most Encounter cards work the same as Expeditions (see Expeditions), but some are a little bit different. Sometimes you have to take a chance.
These chance Encounter cards always have a die icon as a requirement.
In the example, a Crew member will be injured. The Injury (see Injury & damage) can be prevented by rolling the die. When you roll a 5 or higher, the Crew member is safe. The chances can be increased when playing 1 or more Doctor Crew members. For each Doctor played, the chance of success increases. You need to play this Doctor Crew member, before the roll. If you roll a 3 or higher you will prevent the Injury.
Use multiple of the same icons (Crew members and/or Upgrades) to increase your chances.
Special actions
There is a chance that you roll a special ability 1 OR 2. This will allow you to perform one of the Special actions associated with your chosen faction.
Taking this action is not mandatory, but can be useful. Each player has different Special actions and the effect is printed on your Dashboard.
UNEC (Blue player)
- Afterburner: 2 extra moves during your Command Phase. Afterburner is not affected by negative effects from Upgrade or Damage.
- Long range scan: Place 2 new Location tiles at any empty space. You receive 1 Raw Material or 1 Crystal for each Recruiting Location tile placed this way.
Tognath Hive (Yellow player)
- Economic boost: Receive the Resources printed on your current Location (even if you already collected these in the Production phase). You don't need to have an Embassy present at this Location.
- Galactic Trader: Trade 2 Raw Materials, Crystals or Influence for 1 Raw Material, Crystal or Influence during your Command Phase.
Sky-Lords of Edda (Green player)
- Subspace Gateway: Teleport Resources (that you haven't collected yet) from one of your Embassies to your Ship (Remove the Collection token at that Location) OR receive 1 Influence.
- Terraform: Build an Embassy for 2 less Resources (Raw Materials and/or Crystals) during your Command Phase.
Maheri Tribes (Red player)
- Raiding party: Steal 2 Raw Materials from a Ship.
- Death Ray: Damage (see Injury & damage) a Ship.
4. Command Phase
Well captain, now that you and your opponents used their Sensors to see what is out here, it is time to give commands to your Crew. You can do a lot in this phase. Especially when you get close to the end of the game when you have assembled the best Crew in the galaxy!
You can perform the actions in any order and as many times as you like. At least, until you run out of Resources and Crew members.
Overview of all actions
- 4.1 Move to another tile
- 4.2 Recruit Crew members
- 4.3 Build Embassies
- 4.4 Complete Expeditions
- 4.5 Collect Resources
- 4.6 Spend Resources
4.1 Movement
Each Ship has 1 movement each round. This means that a Ship can only move from 1 Location tile to 1 other. However, there are ways to increase movement during the Command phase with certain Upgrades (see Upgrades), Solo Missions (see Solo missions) or you can buy a Warp Jump (see Warp Jumps) for 2 Raw Materials or 1 Crystal.
Wormholes
Wormholes are Anomaly Location tiles (see Anomalies). When you land on a Wormhole Location tile, and at least 1 other Wormhole has been discovered, you can immediately travel to another Wormhole without extra movement costs.
Buy a Warp jump (see Warp Jumps) to travel further or use another means of movement.
4.2 Recruit Crew members
Assembling a good Crew is vital in the game. You want to have a diverse Crew that is able to use their Skills to complete Expeditions (see Expeditions) and endure Encounters (see Encounters). A new Crew member will join when you build an Embassy (see Embassies) on a Recruiting Location tile (see Recruiting Locations).
At every Recruiting Location there are 3 inhabitants who are eager to join your Crew. On the left side of each tile and on the back of Location Cards you will find more information about the Skills (see Skills) of these potential Crew members. Check if the icons printed there correspond with any of the icons on your Expedition cards (see Expeditions).
After building your first Embassy, the level 1 Crew member at this Location will be added to the Transit slot on your Dashboard. Building a second Embassy allows the level 2 to be added, and with the maximum number of 3 Embassies the level 3 will also join your Crew.
You keep Crew member cards in your hand and they are only visible to other players when you use them for Expeditions (see Expeditions) and Encounters (see Encounters). When you use Crew members for their Skills, play them next to your Dashboard in the Transit slot. At the end of the round, take the Crew members back in your hand.
Recruit a Crew member
- Build an Embassy (see Embassies) on a Recruiting Location where you are currently located. The Crew member skills available at this Location are printed on the tile.
- Place the corresponding Location card in the Embassy Location slot (1) next to your dashboard. Take the corresponding Crew member (in this case a level 1) and place it in the Transit slot (2) next to your Dashboard. At the end of the round take all Crew members in the Transit slot in your hand.
- Move up your Influence tracker by 1 when you build an Embassy.
You will find more information about other Crew member skills available at this Location on the back of the Planet card.
Crew member card overview
Crew member level; Crew member name; Skills; Home Location; Description; Solo mission (see Solo missions).
Skills
Each Crew member has certain skills. Crew member skills are important for completing Expeditions (see Expeditions) and defeating Encounters (see Encounters). These skills are represented by different icons. Some Crew members only have 1 icon, but some higher levels ones can have up to 3.
Skills overview
Officer, Engineer, Archaeologist, Soldier, Scientist, Psychic, Doctor, Navigator, Beast, Pilot, Communications, Pirate, Robot.
4.3 Embassies
Besides recruiting Crew members, Embassies (represented by the cubes in your faction colour) are your main source of Resources (Raw Materials, Crystals) and Influence.
Building an Embassy
To build an Embassy, your Spaceship needs to be present on that Recruiting Location. If you have the required Resources available on your Ship, you are able to build it.
Embassies are represented by the cubes in your faction colour.
The cost of building your first Embassy is printed on the bottom of the Location tile.
Multiple Embassies
When a first Embassy is built, you will receive the corresponding Location card. This card mostly contains the same information as printed on the Location tile. In addition it will also show what the costs of a second and third Embassy are. To build a second or third Embassy, your Spaceship needs to be present on that Recruiting Location.
The Location card shows the Resource costs for the second Embassy and the Resource costs for the third Embassy.
You are able to build 1 Embassy on an other players Location (exept their Starting Location). You will NOT receive any Location or Crew member cards. You are however able to produce Resources during the Production Phase. Both you and your opponent(s) get the maximum amount of Resources from that Location, you don't need to share.
Maximum Embassies
You can build a maximum of 3 Embassies on 1 Recruiting Location. After building your third Embassy at a Location, you will be able to collect double the amount of Resources in the next round and you will receive 1 Expedition point.
Building 3 Embassies on 1 Location will award you 1 Expedition point.
You only have 12 Embassies, use them wisely!
Building the maximum of 3 Embassies on your Starting Location as soon as possible will allow you to collect double the amount of Resources fast! But don't focus too much on your Starting Location, because your opponents might snatch up another cool planet right from under your nose!
Gain Influence in the galaxy
When you build an Embassy at a Location, you receive 1 Influence. Add 1 Influence to the Influence track on the Dashboard for each Embassy build that round. See Influence for more information about spending Influence.
You can prevent others from building on an empty Location by ending your turn on that tile. When your Ship is located on a tile where an other player already build at least one Embassy, you can't prevent them from building a new one.
Examples (illustrated): The blue player can build an Embassy on an empty Location. The blue player can't build an Embassy on another player's Starting Location. The blue player can build 1 Embassy on another player's Location where that player has built, but will not receive a Location or Crew member card.
4.4 Earning Expedition points
The goal of the game is earning the most Expedition points at the end of the last round of the game. The main way to get Expedition points is by completing Expeditions.
Difficulty levels
- Bronze: simple Expeditions which will award 1 or 2 Expedition points
- Silver: medium Expeditions which will award 3 or 4 Expedition points
- Gold: complex Expeditions which will award 5 or 6 Expedition points
At the start of the game, each player receives an Expedition card of each type, a total of 3 Expeditions per person (see Setting up the game). When an Expedition is completed, you receive the Expedition points shown in the top left corner of the card and take another random Expedition at the END of the round. The player has the choice to take either a Bronze, Silver or Gold Expedition.
Expedition cards
The amount of Expedition points that can be earned are placed in the top left corner. The middle section describes the Expedition and indicates its requirements. The bottom is reserved for bonus rewards.
Card parts: Expedition points; Expeditions requirements; Bonus reward requirements.
Expedition types
There are 3 different types of Expeditions: Skill Expedition, Embassy Expedition and Location Expedition. Missions have different requirements to complete them.
Skill Expeditions
When the number of Skill icons on your Crew member card(s) match the requirements on the Expedition card, you can play those Crew members and complete the Expedition. You cannot use these Crew members for another Expedition this round. However, if your still have Crew members in your hand that meet the requirements of another Expedition, you can use those.
Example: you can complete the Expedition (needing Communications, Communications and Psychic) by playing both the Crew member cards shown, since they have all the required Skills.
Playing Crew members
When you use a Crew member's skill for an Expedition or an Encounter (see Encounters), you play the card(s) in the Transit slot on your Dashboard. You cannot use that card again this round. At the end of the round, take all Crew member cards that were used for an Expedition or Encounter back in your hand.
Embassy Expeditions
There are Expeditions that require you to build an Embassy (or several) on a Recruiting Location. See Embassies for more information about Embassies.
Example: You build a third Embassy during the round at a Space Location and complete this Expedition (if you also meet the other requirements).
Location Expeditions
Some Expeditions require you to visit a specific Location. See Recruiting Location types for all the different Location types.
Example: You need to visit a Tech Location to complete the Expedition.
For some Location Expeditions, just visiting is not enough. You will need to have certain Crew members present as well. These Expeditions combine Location and Skill. Therefore you will also need to play Crew member cards as described under Skill Expeditions.
Levels
All Crew members have a level in the top right corner. For some Expeditions it is required to have a specific number of Crew members with a certain level. This is indicated by a white-framed black hexagon with a number: 1 / 2 / 3. Three hexagons showing 1 means that that you must play 3 level 1 Crew members.
In some cases, a white hexagon is displayed on an Expedition card (for example 10 / 7). This represents the combined total of levels you need to play. You will have to add up the levels in the top right corner. A hexagon with 10 means that that the combined levels of your Crew members needs to be at least 10. For example: 2 level 3, 1 level 2 and 2 level 1 (= 10).
Just like Crew member skills, you will need to play the required cards in the Transit slot next to your Dashboard.
Bonus rewards
Expeditions have a bonus reward at the bottom of the card. When you complete the Expedition and you also meet the requirements listed in the bonus reward area, you will receive additional rewards. You will need to visit Locations or use required skills during your Expedition attempt.
Secret Expeditions
You can buy a Secret Expedition for 3 Influence. See Influence for more information.
New Expeditions
During the game, each player has 3 uncompleted Expedition cards on the table. At the END of the round, you can take new cards until you have 3 (non-secret) Expeditions. If you already have 3 (non-secret) Expedition cards, don't take a new card.
Replace a completed Expedition with a new one at the END of the round. You can choose any difficulty level to replace the completed Expedition.
4.5 Collect Resources
When you move to one of your Embassy Locations you can collect Resources (Raw Materials, Crystals). Your Spaceship has to physically be on that tile to collect Resources. Resources can only be collected once per round per Location.
Example: The blue player will collect 3 Raw Materials and 1 Crystal at their current Embassy Location, during the Production phase. To collect the 2 Raw Materials and 1 Crystal from their other Embassy Location, they will need to travel there. Remove the Collection token once you have received your Resources.
4.6 Spending Resources
During the Command phase you can spend Raw materials, Crystals and Influence on several things that will help you out in this dangerous galaxy.
Upgrades
You can improve your Spaceship as the game progresses with Upgrades. Upgrades can be bought for 2 Raw Materials.
Upgrade placement
Upgrades are placed in order from 1 to 6 on the Dashboard. For example, if there already is an Upgrade on the 1st slot, you can only place a new one on the 2nd slot.
You can also discard Upgrades to activate their special ability during your own and your opponents Command phase.
When an Upgrade is destroyed or discarded, move over any other Upgrades, following the numbers printed on your Dashboard. Don't leave any gaps between different Upgrades.
Skill Upgrades
These work in a similar fashion as Crew members. The skill icon in the top right corner on the Upgrade card will count towards Expeditions and Encounters in the future. You can use the skill only once each round.
Rotate the Upgrade 90º to indicate that you used the skill this round.
To activate the special ability, you will need to discard the Upgrade card.
(Upgrade card parts: Special ability; Skill.)
Temporary Upgrades
These Upgrades have a one time use, and are placed in the discard pile after use. Temporary Upgrades are recognized by a special icon (a crossed circle).
Upgrades are available for purchase in the store. There are always 6 Upgrades for sale in the store. If an Upgrade is purchased, immediately take a new one from the stack to replace it. When the pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile and use it to replenish the store.
Replace the empty spot in the Upgrade store immediately after an Upgrade card is taken by a player.
Warp Jumps
The easiest way to get further in space is to convert 2 Raw Materials or 1 Crystal into fuel to make a Warp jump. A Warp jump is basically a fancy way of saying that you get 1 extra move.
As long as you have enough Raw Materials and/or Crystals you can make as many Warp Jumps as you like. This can be very useful for an Expedition or to collect more Resources.
Reprogramming Robots
Robot Crew members have a special role in the game. The Robot skill can be used for Expeditions and Encounters, but a Robot can also be Reprogrammed for 1 round. Pay 2 Crystal to Reprogram a Robot Crew member, it will get an extra skill of your choice for 1 round.
When you've used a reprogrammed Robot on an Expedition or Encounter, take it back in hand at the end of the round. A Robot Crew member does not lose its skill during Reprogramming.
Example: You need 1 Scientist to complete an Expedition, but you do have 2 Crystal and a Robot. Reprogram this Robot to be a Scientist for 1 round and complete the Expedition!
Solo missions
Some (especially higher level) Crew members can go on so called Solo missions. Solo missions are represented by a special icon (a purple hooded figure). A Solo mission can be activated after paying 2 Crystals. Solo missions work different than normal Crew Member skills. After you pay the cost of 2 Crystals, play the card in the Solo mission slot next to your Dashboard and resolve the text at the bottom of the card. This Crew member can't be used for any other skills until you put it back in hand at the end of the NEXT round. Effectively this Crew member can't be used for 2 rounds, make sure that the Solo Mission is worth it.
Solo missions can also be attempted as a reaction to any Injury, Damage, destruction or theft during your Sensor Phase and/or an opponents Command phase.
Crew members on Solo Missions are placed next to your Dashboard in the Solo Mission slot.
After you have taken back your played and recruited Crew members at the end of the round, move Crew members in the Solo missions slot to the Transit slot. You will be able to take these cards back in your hand at the end of the NEXT round.
All Captains and all level 3 Crew members can go on a Solo Mission. On higher level Locations, level 2 Crew members can also go on Solo Missions, look for those rare Locations.
Influence
When you build an Embassy, you will receive 1 Influence. You can use Influence for a variety of things, see the overview below.
Influence can be used for:
- Discard 1 of your current Expeditions and replace it with another Expedition from the deck. You can choose any difficulty level. (Cost: 1 Influence)
- Place a new Location tile next to your current Location on an empty spot (your Spaceship must be at the edge of the board). (Cost: 1 Influence)
- Exchange Resources (Raw Materials, Crystals) 2 : 1 this round. (Cost: 1 Influence)
- Re-roll one of the Sensor Dice during your Sensor Phase. (Cost: 1 Influence)
- Take a Secret Expedition in your hand and keep it hidden from the other players. Other than being hidden, they work the same as the regular Expeditions (see Expeditions). You can own a maximum of 3 Secret Expeditions. Secret Expeditions are not replaced by a new Expedition when completed. (Cost: 3 Influence)
Injury & damage
Injury
Crew members can get injured. When this happens, an opponent randomly (if not stated otherwise) selects a card from your hand. The selected Crew member is placed in the Sickbay slot next to your Dashboard to recover. Take the Crew member back in your hand at the end of the NEXT round.
Injured Crew members are placed in the Sickbay slot on your Dashboard.
After you have taken back your played and recruited Crew members at the end of the round, move Crew members in the Sickbay slot to the Transit slot. You will be able to take these cards back in your hand at the end of the NEXT round.
Damage
A Ship can take Damage, generally due to an Encounter or an opponent's action(s). When this happens, take a Damage card from the stack and place it on one of the Upgrade slots. Like with Upgrades, Damage cards are placed in order. For example, if there already is 1 Damage card on the 1st slot, the next Damage card needs to be placed on the 2nd slot. When a Damage card is placed on an Upgrade, it can't be used until the Damage has been repaired.
Pay 3 Raw Materials to repair Damage, during your Command phase.
Damage cards are placed in the same order as Upgrades. In the illustrated example, the first 2 Upgrades are disabled until you repair the Damage.
Example: you have no Upgrades, but you do have 1 Damage. When installing a new Upgrade, place any new Upgrades next to the Damage card. When the Damage is repaired, move the Upgrade over just like explained under Upgrade placement.
End of a round
Once all players have performed their actions in the Command phase it is time to end this round and start a new one.
- Take the Crew member cards you have placed in the Transit slot back in your hand.
- Next, move all the Crew member cards that are placed in the Sickbay and Solo Mission slots in the Transit slot next to your Dashboard. You will be able to take these cards back in your hand at the end of the NEXT round.
- The clock is ticking before the gate shuts down again! Move the gate marker to the next space on the round tracker.
- Retrieve any unused Collection tokens. You can use these again during your next Production Phase.
The next round can now begin!
End of the game
Play through all the rounds, all players add up the Expedition points they earned by solving Expeditions and building Embassies. The player with the most Expedition points at the end wins the game.
In case of a tie
When two or more players end the game with the same amount of Expedition points, the player with the most combined Crew member levels (see Levels) wins the game. If there is still a tie, the player with the most Location cards (see Recruit Crew members) wins the game. Still a tie? The tied players share the victory!
Optional expansion modules
When you have played Stellar Expedition multiple times and you want to mix the game up a bit, you can add optional expansion modules. These modules will add more diversity to the game and add new ways to earn Expedition points.
It is recommended to add only 2 or 3 modules. But if you feel like adding more and create a more chaotic galaxy, don't let this rule book stop you...
1. Randomized player powers
Shuffle the 16 player power tiles. There are 2 of each different power.
At the begining of the game all players randomly get 3 different tiles with players powers. Choose 2 of them and place them on the Dashboard to replace the standard special actions.
Note: the printed manual only shows the player power tiles as an illustration (the tile text is too small to transcribe); see the tiles themselves for their effects.
2. Endgame objectives
Shuffle the Objective cards and place the deck next to the round tracker.
Flip over the round tracker to reveal the side as shown in the manual. At the start of round 2, 4 and 6 take the top card from the Objectives deck. The revealed Objectives remain in play throughout the game.
At the end of the game the Objectives will be resolved. The amount of Expedition points earned for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place are located on the bottom of the card.
In case of a tie with 2 or more players, the tied players all receive the Expedition Points associated with their position.
If a player does not meet any of the requirement printed on the card, they will not be eligible to earn any Expedition Points for the Objective.
3. Hazard locations
Shuffle the Hazard Location tiles (marked with an H) in the Location deck.
Hazard Location are, as the name implies, rather dangerous. So you might want to go around them. But, if you take a chance and roll the die you might fly away with some treasure.
Nothing bad happens
Outer space can be dangerous, but you probably know that by now. If you want to make your Stellar Expedition slightly less dangerous you can add some extra positive Encounters to the game.
Add all Encounters with a green plus icon to the Encounter deck. (These Encounters have an "Optional bonus when playing this card" area.)
4. Legendary locations
Shuffle the Legendary Location tiles (marked with an L) in the Location deck.
You can only build 1 Embassy on Legendary Locations. When you build an Embassy on a Legendary Location you will not receive Resources during the Production phase, nor will you get an associated Location card.
You do however recruit a new Crew member. But not one like any other, these Legendary Crew members are level 4, have 4 skills and award you an Expedition Point. And lastly, they can be send on a Solo Mission without paying Crystals. They are called Legendary for a reason.
When you play Stellar Expedition with Legendary Locations, all players start with 14 Embassies instead of 12.
5. Artifact locations
Shuffle the Artifact Location tiles (marked with an A) in the Location deck.
All player can build a maximum of 1 Embassy on each Artifact Locations. When you build an Embassy on an Artifact Location you will not receive Resources during the Production phase, nor will you get an associated Location card.
You do however receive an Artifact. When you've build an Embassy on an Artifact Location, look through the deck of Artifact cards and take 1.
Artifacts work in much the same way as Upgrades. You need to place them on an empty Upgrade slot on your Dashboard. Artifacts give you a permanent ability and can not be discarded, stolen of destroyed. There are only a few Artifacts in the game, once they are all taken you can't get new ones. Artifacts also award you an Expedition Point.
When you play Stellar Expedition with Artifact Locations, all players start with 14 Embassies instead of 12.
6. Galactic events
Shuffle the Galactic event cards marked with a 1 on the back of the cards.
Take all the tokens associated with the Galactic events and keep them close by for later use.
Flip over the round tracker to reveal the side as shown in the manual. At the start of round 3 and 5 take the top card from the Galactic event deck. The revealed Galactic events remain in play throughout the game.
Once a Galactic event is revealed find the associated Galactic event card marked with a 2 on the back. You will find additional rules on these cards which allows all players to earn Expedition points.
Unlike Expeditions, Galactic Events can be completed by all players.
Solo mode
You can also play Stellar Expedition by yourself. In this solo mode you will competing against a "Nameless" drone that activated when you came through the gate.
To start of your solo expedition you will need to get the drone Movement card and drone Action cards (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8). Take any Upgrade and Encounter cards marked with a crossed-out icon out of the game.
Choose a faction to play with and choose a faction for the drone. It is recommend to not us the Mahari tribes (the red faction) as a solo player, since their special actions will not work against the drone.
Set up the game as you would normally do for 2 players. However the drone does not get any pieces other than a Spaceship and Embassy cubes. Nor will the drone collect any Resources during the game or recruit Crew members. Take 2 Expedition cards cards of each difficulty level, choose 1 Bronze, 1 Silver and 1 Gold card as your starting Expeditions. Reshuffle the other cards back in the decks.
At the beginning of your game choose at which difficulty you would like to play; Commander, Captain or Admiral. The higher ranks will allow the drone to make more Moves and do more Actions.
You are always the first player in the first round, and as normal the first player token will alternate between you and the drone.
Playing a round
Just like in the normal game, you will go through all the phases of a round 1 by 1. The drone skips the Production and Sensor phases and they have a different Command phase, but more about that later.
In de Discovery phase you place a maximum of 3 tiles Location tiles for you and 3 for the drone. You can decide where the Location tiles are placed for the drone, as long as they are adjacent to their current Location.
Movement and Actions
When it's the drones turn check the rank card to see what type of actions the drone is allowed to take during the specific round.
In the illustrated example, the drone takes 1 Movement and 2 Action cards from the 1/2 action deck.
Movement
Roll the die and check the Movement card in which direction the drone will move.
Actions
Action cards come in 4 varieties: 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8. These numbers correspond with the rounds in which they will be played.
Action cards are double sided. Therefore you can see the first action the drone is going to take before they do it. Use that knowledge to you advantage if you can!
When an Action card is required, take the top card and follow the instructions. If an action can't be taken and there is no other explanation on the card, skip that action. Most action cards have 2 actions on them and they are pretty self explanatory. But some might need some further clarification.
Some actions allow the drone to take an extra action from the current or previous action deck. Simply shuffle the Action deck that is mentioned on the card and perform the action(s) mentioned on that card.
When you ever run out of actions cards for a specific round, simply take the stack of used cards and flip the stack over. Don't shuffle the deck!
When the drone needs to perform the Upgrade action, roll the die. The Upgrade store always has 6 Upgrades available in it. The die roll corresponds with one of the Upgrades in the store. Take that Upgrade out of the game. For example, when you roll a 5 for the drone, the 5th Upgrade in the row will be taken out of the game.
Embassies
Even though a drone can't recruit Crew members it can build Embassies through a specific action. Simply place a cube of the drone's colour on a Location when this action is required. Follow all the normal rules with regards to Embassy placement. Once the drone has put down an Embassy on a Location you can no longer recruit Crew members there.
End of the game
In the 8th and final round the drone is always the first player. Hopefully you will have time to react to its actions once you get to your Command phase.
When both you and the drone have completed all final actions it is time to see if you won by adding up all the point you both collected. This is done like any other game of Stellar Expedition, receive points for Expeditions and any Location with 3 Embassies.
Quick overview
Spending resources
- 2 Raw Materials: Upgrade
- 2 Raw Materials: Warp Jump (1 extra move)
- 1 Crystal: Warp Jump (1 extra move)
- 2 Crystals: Solo Mission
- 2 Crystals: Reprogram a Robot
- 1 Influence: Replace an Expedition for a new one
- 1 Influence: Place a new Location tile next to your current Location, if possible
- 1 Influence: Exchange Resources 2 : 1 this round
- 1 Influence: Reroll one of the Sensor Dice during the Sensor phase
- 3 Influence: Take a Secret Expedition
Crew member skills
Officer, Soldier, Doctor, Pilot, Engineer, Scientist, Navigator, Communications, Archaeologist, Psychic, Beast, Pirate, Robot, Solo mission.
Embassies
Receive 1 Influence when you build an Embassy.
Building 3 Embassies on one Location will double to amount of Resources you will receive in the Production OR Command phase and will add 1 Expedition Point to your point total.
Phases in a round
- Production phase: Collect Resources from your current and starting Location.
- Discovery phase: place Location tiles next to your current location.
- Sensor phase: Roll the Sensor dice and resolve the action.
- Command phase: Move, Recruit Crew members, Build Embassies, Complete Expeditions, Collect Resources & Spend Resources and Influence.
Sensor dice
- If you roll 2 rewards sides (Raw Materials, Crystal, Upgrade, special ability 1, special ability 2), you have to choose one and ignore the other.
- Take 2 Raw Materials (die side showing 2 Raw Materials).
- If you are unlucky and roll 2 blank sides, you can choose to reroll one of the dice.
- Take the top 2 cards of the Encounter deck. Choose one and put the other card on the bottom of the deck.
- Take an Encounter card. You can choose the reward as an alternative to the bonus on the Encounter card.
Location types
City, Fire, Nature, Tech, Space, Water, Arcane.
Upgrade and Solo missions - abilities
You can use Upgrade abilities during your opponents Command phase. Solo missions can also be attempted as a reaction to any Injury, Damage, destruction or theft during your Sensor Phase and/or an opponents Command phase.