Gamehelpjumpdrive

Play

A game typically consists of 6 or 7 rounds. Each round, players simultaneously place cards face down (or Explore markers). Players then reveal and pay for their cards, adding them to their empires. Cards are either developments ([DEVELOP]) or worlds ([PLANET] or [MILITARY]). Each player may either:

• Place 1 development ([DEVELOP]). Discard 1 fewer card when paying for it.
• Place 1 world ([PLANET] or [MILITARY]). After paying for or conquering it, draw 1card.
• Place 1 development and 1 world. Pay full cost. Do not draw a card.
• Or, instead of placing any cards, place an Explore marker and draw some extra cards (see Explore below).

Players then score all their empire cards. If no one has 50+ VPs, players draw as many cards as their incomes and begin the next round.

After all players have collected income, players with more than 10 cards in hand must discard down to 10 cards in hand.

Payments/Conquest

The cost to place a card is the black number inside its diamond or circle. (Worlds with red outlined numbers are placed differently. See below.) To pay a cost, discard as many cards from hand as that number, placing them face down in the discard pile. A cost might be reduced by discounts, but not below 0.

Once per game, you may place a Survey Team from the center instead of a development from hand, paying its 1 cost normally (discarding no cards if you did not also place a world).

Conquest

A military world with a red outlined number, its defense, must be conquered when placed (exception: Contact Specialist). To conquer a military world, a player does not pay any cards, but must have as least as many military icons as the world’s defense (or powers that add enough extra military to equal or exceed its defense). Some card powers provide military only towards conquering certain colors of military worlds or [REBEL] military worlds.

A player may not combine military and payments to place worlds. A Contact Specialist allows a player to place non-Alien military worlds as non-military worlds by paying for them instead (at -1 cost).

Order

A development’s power or icons cannot affect its own placement, but may affect placing a world that round. A world’s power or icons cannot affect its own placement (but can affect placing a second world, via Colony Convoy or Military Convoy).

Explore

If you cannot or choose not to place any cards, place an Explore marker instead. Draw 2 cards, plus as many cards as the number of explore icons in your empire, including the 3 icons on the Explore marker itself. Add them to your hand. Then, discard as many cards (old or new) as your explore icons [EXPLORE], for a net gain of 2 cards. Flip the Explore maker to its * side (to mark the turn). Score and take income normally.