Rules Reference
Cards and faction sheets each have abilities that players can resolve to trigger various game effects.
- If information in this Rules Reference contradicts the Learn to Play booklet, the Rules Reference takes precedence.
- If a card ability contradicts information in the Rules Reference, the card takes precedence. If both the card and the rules can be followed at the same time, they should be.
- Each ability describes when and how a player can resolve it.
- If an ability with a specified duration is resolved, the effect of the ability remains through that duration, even if the component that caused the ability is removed.
- If a card has multiple abilities, each ability is presented as its own paragraph.
- If an ability contains the word “Action” a player must use a component action during the action phase to resolve that ability.
- If an ability uses the word “cannot”, that effect is absolute.
- If two abilities use the word “cannot”, a persistent ability takes precedence over a one–time ability and an enabling ability takes precedence over a cancel ability.
- When a player resolves an ability, they must resolve the ability in its entirety. Any parts of the ability preceded by the word “may” are optional, and the player resolving the ability may choose not to resolve those parts.
- Abilities on components that remain in play are mandatory unless those abilities use the word “may”.
- If an ability has multiple effects separated by the word “and”, a player must resolve as many of the ability’s effects as possible. However, if the player cannot resolve all of its effects, that player is allowed to resolve as many as they can.
- Costs
- Some abilities have a cost that is followed by an effect. The cost of an ability is separated from the effect by the word “to” or by a semicolon. A player cannot resolve the effect of such an ability if they cannot resolve that ability’s cost.
- Some examples of an ability’s cost include spending resources, spending trade goods, spending command tokens, exhausting cards, purging cards, and activating specific systems.
- Timing
- If the timing of an ability uses the word “before” or “after”, the ability’s effect occurs immediately before or after the described timing event, respectively.
- For example, if an ability is resolved “after a ship is destroyed”, the ability must be resolved as soon as the ship is destroyed and not later during that turn or round.
- If the timing of an ability uses the word “when”, the ability’s effect occurs at the moment of the described timing event.
- Such an ability typically modifies or replaces the timing event in some way.
- Effects that occur “when” an event happens take priority over effects that occur “after” an event happens.
- If an ability uses the word “then”, a player must resolve the effect that occurs before the word “then” or they cannot resolve the effect that occurs after the word “then”.
- Each ability can be resolved once for each occurrence of that ability’s timing event. For example, if an ability is resolved “at the start of combat”, it can be resolved at the start of each combat.
- If there are multiple abilities that players wish to resolve at the same time during the action phase, each player takes a turn resolving an ability in initiative order, beginning with the active player. This process continues until each player has resolved each ability that they wish to resolve during that window.
- If there are multiple abilities that players wish to resolve at the same time during the strategy or agenda phases, players take turns resolving abilities starting with the speaker and proceeding clockwise. This process continues until each player has resolved each ability that they wish to resolve during that window.
- Component–specific Rules
- The opening paragraph of each ability found on an action card describes when a player can resolve that card’s ability.
- The opening paragraph of most abilities found on promissory notes describes when a player can resolve that card’s ability.
- Some promissory notes have abilities that trigger as soon as a player receives the card.
- Abilities on agenda cards correspond to an outcome. Players resolve these abilities during the agenda phase after players vote for a particular outcome.
- Each faction has faction abilities presented on its faction sheet. Each faction’s flagship has one or more unique abilities. Some abilities provide players with perpetual effects.
- Some units have unit abilities. These abilities are named and presented above a unit’s attributes on a player’s faction sheet or on a unit upgrade card. Each unit ability has unique rules for when a player can resolve that ability. The following abilities are unit abilities:
Anti–Fighter Barrage Bombardment Deploy Planetary Shield Production Space Cannon Sustain Damage - If a unit’s ability uses the phrase “this system” or “this planet”, the ability is referring to the system or planet that contains that unit.
Notes
- An ability may be triggered during the timing window it was gained, if applicable. For example, if a player receives the Creuss player’s Creuss Iff promissory note at the start of their turn, they may use it immediately.
- Note that some triggers check their conditions when they trigger, while some check their conditions when they would resolve.
- The Ul player’s
Awaken ability is an example of an ability that checks its condition when it triggers; activating a system without a sleeper token will not triggerAwaken , even if a sleeper token is later added. - The Assault Cannon technology is an example of an ability that checks its condition when it would resolve; a player without three or more non–fighter ships in the system cannot use Assault Cannon, even if they previously had more ships.
- An ability from a single physical object cannot be resolved more than once in one timing window. For example, if a player starts their turn with the Creuss player’s Creuss Iff promissory note in their hand (having received it on a previous turn) and uses it, they will not be able to used it a second time this turn, if they receive it as part of a transaction.
- Each unit on the board is its own separate physical object. For example, two of the N’orr player’s Exotrireme II in a system may use their ability to destroy themselves and other ships, even though that ability is printed on a single technology card.
- Multiple action cards with the same name cannot be played during a single timing window to affect the same units or game effect. See the action cards page for more details.
- During the action phase, abilities are resolved in the current relative turn order, starting with the active player. For example, if it is currently the Trade (5) player’s turn, they will have the option to resolve first, then the Warfare (6) player, then the Technology (7) player, and so on.
- If a player has multiple abilities they wish to resolve, they must be resolved one at a time. Between each ability being resolved, each other player will have the opportunity to resolve one ability.
- For example, Alice, the active player, wishes to resolve four abilities during the current timing window. Bob, the next player in order, wishes to resolve one. Cheng, later in the order, wishes to resolve two. The order of resolution would be: Alice #1; Bob #1; Cheng #1; Alice #2; Cheng #2; Alice #3; Alice #4.
- Once every player has consecutively declined to resolve an ability during a timing window, no more abilities may be resolved during that window.
- A player may decline to resolve an ability during a timing window, but later chose to resolve an ability during that same timing window, but only if another player chooses to resolve an ability after the player declined.
- Following on from the above example, had Alice declined to resolve “Alice #2”, she could still resolve “Alice #3”, as Cheng resolved “Cheng #2”, breaking the series of consecutive declinations. However, if Alice had instead declined to resolve “Alice #3”, she would be unable to resolve “Alice #4”, as then each player would have consecutively declined to resolve an ability.
- The secondary abilities of strategy cards are resolved in clockwise order, after the primary ability.
- A player may resolve “at the start of your turn” and “at the end of your turn” abilities on the turn that they pass.
- All abilities that occur “when” an event occurs all trigger before any abilities that occur “after” the same event occurs.
- All abilities that occur “after” an event occurs all trigger before any abilities that occur “before” the next event occurs.