USC: Reach Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Overview
• Setup
• Player Board
• Setup Overview
• Gameplay Overview
  • Turn Order
  • End of the Game and Scoring
  • Landing Sequence
  • Goal and Landing
• Planning Phase
  • Draw and Reveal a Space Tile
  • Resolve Damage
  • Draw and Reveal Mission Cards
  • Draw and Allocate Crew Cards
• Placing Crew Cards
  • Turn 01 - The First Tile
  • Turn 02 - The Second Tile
  • Turn 03 - The Third Tile
• Determining the Play Order
• Claiming Missions
• Preventing Damage
• Repairing Damage
• Junior Academy
• Resolution Phase
  • Determine the Play Order
  • Claim Missions
  • Resolve Rewards
    • Expedition Rewards
    • Upgrading Crew
    • Or You Can Upgrade Your Mid Crew Members to Specialists
    • Research Rewards
    • Scavenge Rewards
    • Distress Call Rewards
  • Maintenance Rewards
• End of the Round
• Landing Sequence
• Side Objectives and Scoring

Components

• Game Board x1
• Player Screen x4
• Ship Meeple x4
• Space Tiles x12
• Round 1 Mission Cards x22
• Round 2 Mission Cards x23
• Round 3 Mission Cards x21
• Damage Cards x48
• Landing Cards x8
• Experience Tokens x20
• Crew Cards x104
• Specialist Cards x24

Game Overview

• USC Reach is played over 3 rounds, each using its own Mission deck.
• Each round consists of 3 turns (9 turns gameplay in total).
• Each turn, players compete to determine the play order, claim Missions and resolve their convenient Rewards.
• At the end of the third round, successfully landed players count their victory points to determine the winner.

Setup

1. Each player picks a player board designed as a ship, the corresponding ship token and a screen.
2. There are 3 Mission decks, one for each round. Shuffle each deck and put them next to the game board.
3. Shuffle Space tiles, Damage cards and Specialist cards separately to build a deck for each and put them next to the game board. Put the Experience next to the game board.

Each player creates their own Crew deck of 12 cards including:

• 2x Junior Engineer, 1x Mid Engineer
• 2x Junior Scientist, 1x Mid Scientist
• 2x Junior Operator, 1x Mid Operator
• 2x Junior Pilot, 1x Mid Pilot

They shuffle and put their Crew deck next to their player board facedown.

Each player randomly draws 1 Landing card, examines and places it next to their player board without revealing it to other players. Return the remaining cards to the box.

Player Board

The player board is a ship divided into departments, printed as: Defence Center, Engine Chamber, Research Center, Crew Quarters, Command Center, and Junior Academy. The setup illustration shows the Junior and Mid Crew cards for each of the Engineer, Scientist, Operator and Pilot types placed under the Engine Chamber, Research Center, Crew Quarters and Command Center. The Defence Center text reads "Place up to 3 [damage icon] to prevent upcoming damage for each unit until the end of the turn." The Junior Academy text reads "Place up to 3 Junior to upgrade at the end of the turn."

Setup Overview

The setup overview diagram shows the game board with the three Mission deck positions (03, 02, 01), the round hexes labelled Round 01.1 to 01.3, 02.1 to 02.3 and 03.1 to 03.3, a Warning card and a Space Tile position. The five Landing (Reach Location) cards are shown along the right side of the board. Each player's player board, ship and screen are placed around the edges of the board, with the player's Crew deck next to the player board and the Reach Location card placed beside it.

Gameplay Overview

Turn Order

The game is played over 9 turns. Each turn has 2 phases:

1. Planning Phase
   • Draw and reveal a Space tile.
   • Resolve Damage.
   • Draw and reveal Mission cards.
   • Cover your board, draw 5 Crew cards from your deck and place them onto your ship.
2. Resolution Phase
   • Remove your screen.
   • Determine the play order.
   • Claim Missions.
   • Resolve Rewards.
   • Do not remove your placed Crew.

End of the Turn

If it is the end of a round

• Resolve repairs.
• Resolve Junior Academy.
• Recollect your Crew from your ship and shuffle them to prepare your deck for the next round.

End of the Game and Scoring

At the end of the 9th turn, the Landing Sequence begins.

Landing Sequence

• Do not remove your placed Crew.
• Resolve your Rewards.
• Resolve repairs.
• Resolve Junior Academy.
• Allocate the Crew coming from Rewards, finished repairs and Junior Academy.
• Check if you can land your ship.
• If you do, count your victory points.

Goal and Landing

The primary goal of the players is to land successfully by meeting the Landing requirements mentioned on their Landing cards. So please make sure to read the "Landing Sequence" section before starting to play and keep an eye on your Landing card throughout the game.

The Landing cards shown are the Arctic, Volcanic and Desert Landing Zones. Each Landing card shows the Landing requirements (a department icon and a power value for each of the four departments) and Side Objectives, each worth +5. The example side objectives printed are "Have 1 Lead Pilot", "Complete 2 Expedition" and "Complete 2 Research".

Planning Phase

Draw and Reveal a Space Tile

A Space tile includes a play order indicator for that turn and the amount of Damage players take (if any).

Each Space tile has a play order indicator. At the beginning of the "Resolution Phase", the player with the most power in that indicated department starts the turn first. Second highest will take the second place, the third highest the third place and the lowest one will be the last player.

Resolve Damage

If the Space tile has a Damage indicator then each player should draw a card from the Damage deck for each Damage they received. Each Damage card has a symbol signifying which department it affects. Every damage card counts as "-1" value of the related department.

The first round has an exception: If it is the first turn of the round, skip this step. Players do not take any Damage even if the tile has a Damage indicator.

Players should place these cards to their specific departments (Research Center for this example). Each Damage card decreases its corresponding department's power by 1, as long as it stays there.

Please check the "Placing Crew cards" part for "PREVENTING AND REPAIRING DAMAGE".

Draw and Reveal Mission Cards

Draw and reveal Mission cards (1 more than the player count) from the related Round deck to build the Mission pool. Example: If you are playing with 3 players, reveal 4 Mission cards; with 4 players, reveal 5 Mission cards.

Completion Requirements: Department power requirements to complete the Mission.

Important: Numbers on the top row for the first tile of the round and numbers on the bottom row for the second and third tile of the round.

The example Mission card is "Maintenance: Re-Boot" (Round III, 5 Victory Points). Its Reward is "Use to Repair: 3 damage immediately." Its Completion Requirements are shown as department icon and power: Scientist 1 (first tile) / 3 (second and third tile), Operator 5 / 6, Pilot 2 / 3.

Card anatomy labels: Mission Type, Round Number, Victory Point, Reward, Completion Requirements.

From this point you need to cover your board.

Draw and Allocate Crew Cards

Draw 5 Crew cards from your deck at the beginning of each turn. Crew cards are your tools to empower your ship to claim Missions. There are 4 main types of Crew: Scientist, Engineer, Operator and Pilot. They all have 4 levels. The 5th type is "Specialist" which has a unique mechanic.

Crew card anatomy labels:

• Main Power: The amount of power provided when this Crew placed to its own department.
• Worker Power: The amount of power when this Crew is placed (upside down) as a Worker to other departments.
• Title, Upgrade Option and Victory Point (shown on the card face).

Placing Crew Cards

Turn 01 - The First Tile

Draw 5 cards from your deck. Place them on your ship sections as you wish.

Remember: Your crew will stay at their positions until the end of round.

The example shows the department totals after this turn as Engine Chamber 5, Research Center 4, Crew Quarters 4 and Command Bridge 2.

Turn 02 - The Second Tile

Draw 5 cards from your deck, again. Place them again. They stack up and increase your total power from the previous turn.

The example shows the department totals after this turn as Engine Chamber 6, Research Center 7, Crew Quarters 5 and Command Bridge 4.

Turn 03 - The Third Tile

Draw the remaining cards from your deck, place them again. They stack up and increase your total power from the previous turn.

Important: If you have more than 5 cards, draw only 5.

The example shows the department totals after this turn as Engine Chamber 9, Research Center 8, Crew Quarters 7 and Command Bridge 7.

At the end of the round, recollect and shuffle them all to prepare your Crew deck for the next round. For more details check the "End of the round" section.

You can power up your ship to achieve 4 types of goals: to determine play order, to claim a Mission, to prevent/repair damage, to upgrade Junior Crew.

Important: Once Crew cards are placed, they stay there until the end of that round (i.e. 3rd turn of each round).

Determining the Play Order

As previously mentioned, at the beginning of each turn a Space tile is revealed. Each Space tile has a play order indicator. At the beginning of the "Resolution Phase", the player with the most power in that indicated department starts the turn first. Second highest will take the second place, the third highest the third place and the lowest one will be the last player.

Therefore players should take this into account while placing their Crew.

The play order indicator on the example Space tile (Asteroid Field) is the Command Bridge icon: the player with the most powerful Command Bridge will start this tile first.

Claiming Missions

In order to claim Missions, players should power up their ships by placing their Crew cards to related departments:

• Engine Chamber
• Research Center
• Crew Quarters
• Command Bridge

If you put your Crew cards to one of these departments, they will contribute to your ship's total power on that department.

Important: Remember that Crew cards can be used in full power if only placed on their own department (e.g. Scientist on Research Center). If they are placed anywhere else, they should be placed upside down and used as Worker.

Power requirements for each department to claim this Mission. Numbers above the icons are taken into account only for the 1st turns. During 2nd and 3rd turns, it is the numbers below.

• Upper row: These numbers are always for the "1st" turns.
• Lower row: These numbers are always for the "2nd and 3rd" turns.

The example Mission card is "Distress Call: Miner" (Round I). Its Reward is "Add 1 Mid of your choice to your deck at the end of this round." Its requirements are: Engine Chamber (upper row none, lower row 4), Crew Quarters (upper row 1, lower row 4), and Command Bridge (upper row 5, lower row 6).

The example board shows department totals of Engine Chamber 5, Research Center 5, Crew Quarters 5 and Command Bridge 7.

Preventing Damage

To prevent Damage, place any Crew card as Worker (upside down) to Defence Center (up to 3 Worker in total). When a Space tile with a Damage indicator is revealed, you take less damage from that tile.

Example: If you placed 2 Worker (2 Junior or 1 Senior level Crew) to the Defence Center and a Space tile with 3 Damage is revealed, you only take 1 Damage.

Repairing Damage

If you already have Damage cards on a department, you can place one of your Crew cards on that department facedown to repair 1 Damage (independent of that Crew's power or Worker Power) at the end of that round. The Damage will still have its negative effect on that department until the end of that round and the Crew that is repairing the Damage will not contribute to the department's power.

Note: For instant Repair action, check Maintenance rewards section.

Junior Academy

You can upgrade up to 3 Junior Crew cards to Mid Crew cards by placing them to Junior Academy in a single round. They do not contribute to any department and will be upgraded to a Mid Crew of their own type at the end of the round they are placed.

Resolution Phase

Once each player finishes their Crew card placements, the Planning Phase ends and Resolution Phase starts. Players remove their screens simultaneously and reveal their Crew placements to each other.

Determine the Play Order

Players compare the total power of their ships for the department that is specified by the Space tile. The play order goes from the highest to the lowest. In case of a tie, the default ship powers (ship's department power without the Crew cards and Research rewards) are compared and the highest one goes first. Each player then places their ship meeples onto the play order slots accordingly.

Example: If the player's ship provides 2 Command power and the player places a Senior Pilot there which has 3 Command power, the player's total Command power for that turn becomes 5. If no other player has 5 or more Command power, then that player goes first. Second highest will take the second place, the third highest the third place and the lowest one will be the last player.

From now on, each step will be executed in that play order.

Claim Missions

Each player tries to complete and claim a Mission, in play order, depending on their total power. If they meet the requirements of a Mission, they may claim that Mission card (see "To claim Missions" under "Placing Crew cards" for more details) and put it next to their board. Each Mission has a Reward that can be resolved at different moments of the game. If a player cannot claim a Mission, they pass.

Resolve Rewards

There are 5 different rewards each specific to a Mission type.

Expedition Rewards

Expedition Missions grant Experience tokens. Players can use these tokens to upgrade their Crew members. Expedition rewards can be resolved at the end of any round.

The example Expedition card (Round I) reads: "Get 2 Experience tokens to upgrade your crew at the end of any round." Its requirements are: Engine Chamber (upper row 5, lower row 6), Operator (upper row none, lower row 4), Pilot (upper row 1, lower row 4).

Upgrading Crew

There are 2 ways to upgrade your Crew: A player can upgrade a Crew member by discarding and replacing it with a higher-ranked one of the same type. A Crew member can be upgraded once or several times at once to higher ranks.

Example: Junior Scientist can be upgraded to a Mid Scientist by spending 1 Experience token, or to a Senior Scientist by spending 2 Experience tokens, or to a Lead Scientist by spending 3 Experience tokens.

Or You Can Upgrade Your Mid Crew Members to Specialists

Players may choose to upgrade a Mid Crew member that is placed as a Worker to another department, by discarding and replacing it with a Specialist.

Acquiring Specialist! If a Crew member is upgraded to a Specialist with experience tokens, the player draws 3 cards from the Specialist deck, takes 1 and discards the others.

Research Rewards

Research Missions upgrade your ship departments. When resolved, they are placed onto a related department just like a Crew member. The difference from the Crew cards is that they stay there until the end of the game. They are not collected at the end of any Round.

The example Research card is "Body Ench." (Round II), which reads: "Increase your Command Bridge or Crew Quarters power by 2 permanently at the end of this turn."

This reward might upgrade one of the two departments indicated. The player should choose one of them and attach it accordingly. Research rewards must be attached immediately at the end of that turn. Once attached they cannot be detached anymore.

Note: They are not taken into account in case of a tie during the "determining the play order" step.

Scavenge Rewards

Scavenge Missions grant interruption cards that can be used only once. These cards have different uses explained on the Mission cards. Scavenge Rewards can be resolved at any time during the game except the Landing Sequence.

The example Scavenge card is "Secret Sector Plan" (Round I), which reads: "Play this card and immediately reveal 2 extra Missions cards for you to complete this turn."

Distress Call Rewards

Distress Call Missions allow players to add new Crew members to their deck. Distress Call Rewards must be resolved at the end of that Round.

The example Distress Call card is "Miner" (Round I), which reads: "Add 1 Mid of your choice to your deck at the end of this round."

Maintenance Rewards

Maintenance Missions grant players instant repairs that can be used at the end of any turn. Players can choose to repair any Damage card, up to the indicated amount on the card and remove them. The remaining repair amount can not be used later.

The example Maintenance card is "Jumbo Flex Tape" (Round II), which reads: "Use to Repair 3 damage immediately."

When each player completes their turn, the Resolution Phase ends.

End of the Round

At the end of first and second round, players collect their placed Crew back, may resolve their Mission rewards (such as upgrades and new recruitments) in the last turn's play order, shuffle their Crew cards together with the newly added/upgraded ones to prepare their Crew deck again. Then proceed to the next round.

At the end of the third round players do not collect their Crew back.

Instead, the Landing sequence starts. Thus players should allocate their Crew members by taking their Landing requirements into account from the beginning of the third round.

The round diagram shows: End of Round 1 after Turns 1 to 3; End of Round 2 after Turns 4 to 6; End of Round 3 after Turns 7 to 9. Landing preparations begin at Turn 7. The Reach (Landing) location follows the final round.

Landing Sequence

At the end of 9th turn, players reach their destination thus the Landing Sequence starts. During the Landing Sequence follow these steps in the last turn's play order:

1. Crew cards stay on the ship unless mentioned below.
2. Resolve any remaining Mission rewards, either claimed during this round or before.
3. Place the added or upgraded Crew cards to any department.
4. Resolve repair actions and place those Crew cards again to any department.
5. Resolve Junior Academy action and place newly upgraded Crew members to any department.
6. Take all the remaining cards on your crew deck and place them in any department.

After each player resolves these steps they check their Landing requirements. In order to meet these requirements, players should check the sum of their ship power together with attached Research rewards and placed Crew members.

The total power of the departments must be equal or higher than the Landing requirements. If they meet the Landing requirements, then they successfully land their ship. If they do not, they are eliminated and excluded from the end game scoring.

Side Objectives and Scoring

The players who landed successfully will check their side objectives on the Landing card and additionally win 5 victory points for each side objective they completed.

The example Landing card is "Volcanic Landing Zone". Its Landing Requirements are shown as department icon and power: Engine Chamber 7, Research Center 7, Crew Quarters 7, Command Bridge 9. Its Side Objectives are "Have 1 Lead Pilot" (+5) and "Complete 2 Scavenge" (+5).

Example: If the player completed 2 Scavenge Missions, gets 5 points, and if the player has a Lead Pilot in his/her deck, gets an additional 5 points. Players count their victory points they get from the Missions, Crew cards, and Landing objectives. Each unrepaired Damage counts as (-1) victory point.

The example total is: Mission victory points 5, plus Crew victory points 2 and 2, minus 2 for unrepaired Damage cards, for a total of 7 victory points. Each unrepaired Damage card counts as -1 each.

The player with the most victory points wins the game.