Arcs

Setup

  2 players 3 players 4 players
Cards 20 (2-6) 20 (2-6) 28 (1-7)
Court 3 4 4
1A 3 ships, 1 city 3 ships, 1 city 3 ships, 1 city
1B 3 ships, 1 starport 3 ships, 1 starport 3 ships, 1 starport
1C 2 ships in 2 systems 2 ships in 1 system 2 ships in 1 system
Score 33 30 27

2 players only:

  • 6 resource tokens by out-of-play planets goes to ambition boxes, count as virtual player when score ambitions
  • player without initiative may discard all 6 action cards in their hand and draw 6 new ones (must accept second draw)

Game

  1. First player leads any card
  2. Others, either:
    • Surpass (first player card): play more actions (pips count)
    • Copy: play 1 action based on leading card (facedown card)
    • Pivot: play 1 action based on played card

Prelude:

  • between playing card and playing card actions
  • spend any number of resources/guild cards to its actions

Seizing initiative

One player can seize initiative per turn, if:

  • Play extra card facedown besides
  • Surpass with “7” action card (4 players only)

else: highest surpassed card take initiative.

Passing initiative: if player has initiative and no card (or just choose to skip), pass to next player with cards, to play new round. If all players passes consecutively, chapter ends

Fresh ships can:

  • control system:
    • tax rival cities and capture agent
    • restrict rival moves
    • rival builds damaged ships
  • intercepts - hit any of attacking ships once per fresh defending ship

Dice resolving:

  1. Hit attacking ships
  2. Intercepts attacking ships by each fresh defending ship (once per battle)
  3. Hit defending ships, or building if no ships left
  4. Hit defending buildings
  5. Raid if any attacker ship left.
    Defending buildings must be present or defender has no Loyal buildings on map.

Destroying city

  1. Provoke outrage:
    • discard all reources and Guild ccards of city’s planet type
    • place agent to cover Outrage icon on player board
  2. Ransack the Court
    • Secure any card with any number of defender’s agent. Take all Rival agents on card as Trophies (not captives)

Outrage: You cannot spend Outraged resources for their normal Prelude action

End chapter

  1. Score Ambitions
    • tie for first place, all players get second place
    • tie for second place, no scores
    • cannot score it none to score with
    • +2/3 bonus for 4/5. city
    • (2 players:) third virtual scoring player
  2. Clean up
    • if Warlord/Tyrant was scored, return all Trophies/Captives
    • flip lowest ambition token
  3. End game or advance chapter
  4. Draw 6 cards (2 players: player without initiative can redraw)