The Great Space Race
Rules of Play
INTRODUCTION
TO WIN
Once each Stellar Cycle, the Great Galactic Emperor
presides over the most celebrated sporting event in the
entire universe - The Great Space Race! Fans from all
corners of the cosmos tune in for live coverage and the
race is the one guaranteed day off from work for all
species everywhere - even the infamous Slave Pits of
Gurius-7 shut down for the show. The spectacle of the
race is the one commonality that ties the universe
together. Fortunes are made and lost wagering on its
outcome. Political careers center around dealing with
its far-reaching effects. Interstellar wars have even been
started over the race!
In preparation for each race, the Emperor selects representatives from the most inept races in the universe to
participate in the mayhem. These unfortunate few have
proven themselves the most backward thinking foul-ups
in the universe. It is somewhat a miracle of evolution
that these stumbling, bumbling creatures have managed
to pull themselves up from the primordial ooze, but
from the ooze they have come. Along the twisting trail
of the track the fates of these failed species are determined. The emperor has decreed that only the winner's
kind will be spared. The entire race to which the losers
belong will be subject to Imperial Purge - the total
snuffing from existence of their species and the destruction of their homeworld!
You, as representative of your kind, must do everything you can to win the race. You are in control of the
finest ship your people can provide you (snicker) and,
though weapons are strictly prohibited in the race
(louder snicker), a few mines have somehow made it
into your hold to assist you in your struggle. Keep your
tentacles to the floor and your eyestalks on the finish
line as you navigate your way through minefields, asteroids and wormholes. As the entire empire looks on in
frenzied excitement, you know you must be victorious!
In The Great Space Race, players compete to be the
first ship to complete 3 laps or to be the last remaining
ship in play. Sometimes a race is about survival and
sometimes it’s just about hauling tentacle to the finish
line. The dispersion of equipment, Major Events and,
most importantly, play styles can all factor into this.
Needless to say, every game is different and each provides its own unique challenges. In any event, stay away
from Black Holes.
COMPONENTS
This Rulebook
The Track
8 Control Consoles
Lots of Cards (3 decks totaling 186 cards)
Lots of Counters (a large pile totaling a lot)
Space Ship tokens
Dice
SET UP
Place the game board on a flat and stable surface.
Separate all counters into their respective types. Shuffle
the Action Card deck, the Equipment Deck and the
Major Events deck. Place each deck to the side of the
board in a convenient place for all players. Each player
should choose a spaceship to control in the game –
please, save the fighting for the track. Give each player a
control console and space ship token, setting any extras
aside. Issue standard mine counters (the orange ones)
and Command Decision counters based on the number
of players (see the table below). These counters should
be placed in their respective sections on the control console. Each player should also receive 3 control dials to
keep track of the Shield, Hull and Speed ratings. Set the
Shield and Hull ratings to maximum and the Speed rating to 1. Next, assign each player a starting lane (numbered 1-6 on the starting line). To determine the start1
The most important feature is the group of Action!!
slots at the bottom. This is where players will place their
action cards during the course of each turn – more on
that later.
ing lane first determine the lanes used based on the
number of players. Next, randomly deal out initiative
counters matching the lane numbers in use to determine the starting lane for each player. Place each players
miniature on his starting lane facing across the starting
line.
Finally, collect one initiative counter for each player in
the game and set any extras aside (i.e., if there are 5
players, use counters 1-5 and set 6 aside). You are now
ready to race!
TURN ORDER
All players act during each phase. There are eight separate phases in each game turn:
Initiative
Shield Recharge
Speed Change
Draw
Events
Placement
Discard
Reveal
Initiative Phase
Collect all the initiative counters used in the current
game into a cup or box lid. Each player should draw an
initiative tile at random to determine turn order. Place
the tile face up in front of your control console for the
remainder of the turn. Initiative order proceeds from
lowest to highest.
An initiative counter and a control dial.
THE CONTROL CONSOLE
Shield Recharge Phase
The Control Console is a graphical representation of
the important features of each ship. Players will regulate
the Shield, Hull and Speed ratings using the control
console. It will also help in tracking equipment,
Command Decisions and the ship’s current mine stock.
All ships that are not at maximum shields may
recharge up to 2 shield points. Only standard ship
shields may be recharged.
Speed Change Phase
Players may adjust their ships
speed up by 1 factor, down by up to
2 factors or make no change at all.
During the first turn, players will set
their ships to speed 1 during this
phase. From that point forward, no
ship may ever reach a speed rating
lower than 1 or greater than 5.
Speed changes are made in initiative
order.
Draw Phase
Each player draws a number of
Action Cards based on his/her current speed. If no cards are available
to be drawn, immediately reshuffle
the discard pile into a new draw pile
and draw from it. Cards are drawn
in initiative order.
2
with an unrevealed action card will reveal the card in
initiative order. When a player reveals an action card, he
immediately follows through with the action indicated
on it. Once he has finished, the next player in initiative
order with a card on Slot 1 will reveal it and act on it.
Once all players with action cards on Slot 1 have
revealed and acted on them, the process is repeated for
Slot 2 and so on. This is continued until there are no
unrevealed action cards on any slot. Players without a
card on a particular slot take no action during that slot.
Revealed cards should remain in place until the last card
on Slot 5 has been revealed at which time all the cards
should be collected and placed in the discard pile.
Events Phase
Each player who drew 1 or more events in the previous phase will now play the event(s) drawn. Starting
with the first player in initiative order, each player
should follow the events procedure below. If a player
did not draw any events, he simply passes.
1) The player must play all of the events drawn in any
order.
2) The player should draw cards to replace any that
were played or discarded. If an additional event is
drawn, play the event. Repeat the process until there are
no events in the player's hand - no event may ever be
kept in a player's hand for later use.
3) Play now passes to the next player in initiative
order that has an event. That player begins again at
step 1. The process will continue until all players have
played out their events.
ACTION CARDS
There are three basic types of Action Cards:
Movement, Maintenance and Events. Event cards are
played in the Events Phase while Movement and
Maintenance cards are played in the Placement Phase.
Placement Phase
Players must place a single Action Card face down on
each Action!! slot on their control console that contains
the speed factor their ship is currently set to. For example, a player moving at speed 3 would place an action
card face down on slots 1, 3 and 5. If this player were to
place a card on say, slot 2, other players are encouraged
to smack him. Once the placement phase ends, the
placed cards may not be interchanged except by the use
of a Command Decision counter (see Command
Decisions).
Movement Cards
Movement cards are represented by hexes aligned in
differing schemes and represent the moves the ship will
make during the Reveal Phase. For a complete description of movement cards and the movement process see
Movement.
Maintenance Cards
Maintenance cards are placed/played just like movement cards, but no movement is performed. Instead,
ship maintenance is performed. There are three different
maintenance cards: Shields Up, Reload Mines and
Activate/Deactivate Equipment.
Discard Phase
If, after placing all action cards, a player has additional cards left, he may retain up to 2 cards of his choice as
a hand. Any additional cards must be discarded.
Reveal Phase
Shields Up
Ok, this is one of those places where you should pay
close attention to the rules. Players will now reveal the
action cards they placed on their control consoles.
Cards are revealed one at a time in slot order (1-5) with
initiative breaking ties. Starting with Slot 1, each player
When a player reveals this card, he immediately
adjusts his shield rating to maximum and may now
wipe the sweat from his brow. If the shield rating is
already at maximum, nothing happens.
Congratulations, you just wasted a good card.
3
Reload Mines
When a player reveals this card, he immediately
restocks his starting compliment of standard mines.
Activate/Deactivate Equipment
When a player reveals this card, he may immediately
draw the top card from the equipment deck (if there is
an open cargo bay on his console) or discard an equipment card from a cargo bay on his console. Note that
smart players discard equipment cards into the
Equipment card discard pile while evolutionary stumps
place them in the Action card discard pile. When a
player draws an equipment card, he will place it (and
any related counters) on an open cargo bay on his console. If a piece of equipment comes with any counters,
the equipment card is discarded when the last counter is
used. If an equipment card is ever discarded and there
are still unused corresponding counters on it, immediately discard the counters as well.
wormhole, but not on the hexes in between when the
transport occurs. If a mine detonates in a wormhole
hex, it detonates in both corresponding wormhole hexes
simultaneously. If another mine is in the far wormhole
hex, it will detonate when the first mine goes off, also
detonating in both hexes. Magnetic mines are not
drawn through a wormhole. If an end of a wormhole is
caught in the blast of an Atomic Device, the wormhole
has the potential to collapse into a black hole (see
Atomic Devices).
Event Cards
Event cards are played during the Events Phase as previously described. There are 2 types of events: standard
events (bad) and major events (worse). Standard events
are located in the action card deck. Major events are
located in their own deck and are triggered by the standard event titled ‘Major Event’ (see below).
Standard Events
Major Event
When one of the two
'Major Event' cards is played,
all players should first sit
down and take a deep breath.
Next, draw a card from the
Major Event deck to see what
tragedy has occurred. After following through with the Major Event that was drawn,
remove it from the game. Set the 'Major Event' card
that came from the Action deck aside for now. When
the current lap has been completed (the leader crosses
the start line), immediately shuffle the 'Major Event'
card back into the Action deck draw pile (not the discard pile).
Though most Event cards are sufficiently explained
on the card itself, some need additional explanation:
Stowaway
Place this card in an open bay on another player’s
control console. No equipment may be placed in that
bay while the stowaway is present. The stowaway may
be discarded in one of 2 ways: 1) the Made on Planet
Gluptar event may be played on the stowaway (a
Gluptarian stowaway!) or 2) a Deactivate Equipment
card may be used to blow the trespasser out the airlock.
Either way, some payback is in order.
Wormhole
Take 2 color-coded wormhole counters and place
them in 2 empty hexes on the track, 5 hexes apart. The
5 hex path may be traced through boundary hexes. Any
ship that enters one of the hexes containing either end
of the wormhole immediately transports to the other
end and continues movement as normal. The ships facing does not change when the transport occurs. Only
ships may pass through a wormhole. Mines may be
placed on the wormhole ends by a ship traversing the
Note:
Each specific major event may only occur once per
game (i.e. discard after play).
Acidic Cloud
An acidic, metal dissolving cloud has drifted onto the
track. The player who drew this event will place the
4
order will place his asteroid counters individually in
empty hexes that are at least 4 hexes away from any ship
or asteroid counter. Once a player has placed all his
asteroid counters, the next player in initiative order will
play his and so on. Any ship that enters a hex containing an asteroid counter immediately rolls for impact. If
an asteroid is struck, the ship takes 1d6 damage. The
ship may move on as normal after resolving the impact,
but the asteroid remains on the board.
Black Hole
A black hole has opened up in space somewhere on
the track. The player who drew this event will place the
black hole counter face down anywhere on the track
that does not overlap or border the Space Amoeba, the
Acidic Cloud, a boundary hex or a ship. The black hole
counter represents the black hole itself (at the center) as
well as its gravity well (the 36 hexes surrounding the
black hole). The black hole counter may be placed adjacent to a wormhole, but may not overlap one. At the
end of the turn that the black hole came into play, turn
it face up. It is now active and anything that is currently
in its gravity well gets pulled 1 hex towards the black
hole. From that point forward, anything that enters the
black hole’s gravity well it pulled 1 hex towards the
black hole in the direction of the yellow arrows. A ship’s
cloud counter on a 7 hex area anywhere on the track
that is at least 5 hexes away from any ship, black hole or
the Space Amoeba. Once placed, the cloud’s facing is
never altered. If the cloud moves onto a ship or a ship
moves onto the cloud, the ship immediately loses 1 hull
point. Once initial contact is made with the cloud, further damage is not taken until the ship and cloud are in
separate hexes and contact occurs again. At the
end of every slot in which a ship moved,
roll 2d6. The first roll indicates the
direction the cloud moves (reference
the numerical identifier on the
counter) and the second roll is the
distance in hexes it travels in that
direction. If the roll for movement
would require the cloud to be
moved into a boundary hex, it
stops movement adjacent to the
boundary hex and all further
movement from the roll is
ignored. The acidic vapors of the
cloud only affect ships and the
Space Amoeba. If the cloud and the
Space Amoeba ever share a hex,
remove the Amoeba
counter from the
board.
Asteroids
Example: The player moves 3 hexes according to his movement card.
Unfortunately this propels him into the gravity well of a black hole.
At the end of his move, he is dragged an additional hex towards the
black hole (indicated in red). Note that his facing is also altered by
the powerful gravitational forces (indicated by the yellow arrows).
An asteroid field has drifted onto the track. Divide
the asteroid counters up equally between the players
and set any extras aside. The first player in initiative
5
facing will also be altered 60° towards the black hole.
Note that wormholes may be placed within the gravity
well of a black hole and are the only things in the game
immune to its gravitational pull. Any object or ship
pulled into the black hole itself is destroyed. Once a
black hole enters play, it never leaves play and its position can never be changed.
Imperial Incentive
The Great Galactic Emperor has been watching the
race intently and is not pleased with the less than stellar
performance thus far. He has issued an order in the
hopes of spurring the competitors on. The player who
drew this event will take the 3 gun tower counters and
place them in any boundary hex of his choice that does
not contain another gun tower. Any ship that ends a
movement within 5 hexes of a gun tower takes 2 points
of damage. If a ship is within 5 hexes of more than 1
Acidic Cloud or a black hole, it is removed from play.
Any counter, except a wormhole or ship, that is in a hex
occupied by the amoeba when it moves is immediately
devoured. All eaten counters are removed from the track
and placed on the Space Amoeba Counter Pool area of
the board. If, at the end of any turn, the number of
counters in the pool is equal to or greater than 3 times
the number of players at the start of the game, the
amoeba is satiated. Return all eaten counters to the
counter pool and remove the amoeba counter from the
track. If the amoeba moves onto a ship or a ship moves
onto the amoeba, the ship immediately loses 5 shield
points. Once initial contact is made with the amoeba,
further damage is not taken until the ship and cloud are
in separate hexes and contact occurs again. When shield
points are not available, hull points are not lost.
gun tower, the ship only takes 2 points of damage.
Terrible Secret of Space
Space Amoeba
You have looked into oblivion and deciphered the
Terrible Secret of Space (ok, so maybe it was just a
lucky guess). Regardless, none may be allowed to retain
such knowledge and the cosmos itself strikes out at you!
When this event is revealed, immediately discard it and
reveal the next 3 major events, playing each in the order
drawn. Sorry.
A huge, voracious space amoeba has made its way
onto the track. The player who drew this event will
place the amoeba counter on a 7 hex area on the track
that is not on or adjacent to a ship or black hole and
that is at least 5 hexes away from the Acidic Cloud.
Once placed, the amoeba’s facing is never altered. At the
end of every slot in which a ship moved, roll 2d6. The
first roll indicates the direction the amoeba moves (reference the numerical identifier on the counter) and the
second roll is the distance in hexes it travels in that
direction. If the roll for movement would require the
amoeba to be moved into a boundary hex, it stops
movement adjacent to the boundary hex and all further
movement from the roll is ignored. If the amoeba’s
movement forces it to move into a hex occupied by the
MOVEMENT
Movement is not simultaneous. Each ship must fully
complete its move in a given Action!! slot before another ships movement can begin. All movement occurs
during the Reveal Phase. If a player reveals a movement
card, he must follow through with the indicated movement. The hex containing the ship silhouette corresponds to the ships starting position – and the top of
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sion symbol indicates the ship may deploy a mine during the move.
A Few Movement Rules to Remember:
A movement card may never be substituted except
with the use of a Command Decision counter. A ship
may never move into a boundary hex – though it can
certainly crash into one (see Boundaries). A ship may
never make 2 consecutive facing changes, even over the
course of 2 turns or with the use of a Command
Decision. After a facing change is made, a ship must
travel 1 hex distance at a minimum, before another facing change can be made.
Impacts
If a ship moves into a hex containing another ship, an
asteroid or a mine, there is a potential for an impact.
The player controlling the ship that is moving should
roll 1d6 and consult the table below.
When a ship impacts a mine or asteroid, it takes 1d6
damage. In either case, the ship will continue moving if
it has additional movement remaining.
When a ship moves into a hex containing more than
one object that could potentially be impacted, the controlling player randomly chooses one of the objects and
rolls for impact. Only one roll for impact is made for an
individual hex. Regardless of the outcome of the roll,
no other rolls for impact are required for any other
objects in that hex.
Resolving Ship to Ship Impacts
If a ship impacts another ship, both ships suffer 1d6
damage and the rammed ship must immediately lose a
speed factor (see Forced Speed Reduction). The ramming ship occupies the rammed ships original position
and the rammed ship is pushed out the opposite hex
facing the ramming ship entered from. Any remaining
movement the ramming ship has left (on the current
Movement card) is carried out as normal. If the ramming ship’s movement continues in the same direction
it was traveling when it hit the rammed ship, the
rammed ship is pushed ahead of it until one of two
things occurs: 1) the ramming ship no longer has movement in that direction or 2) a boundary hex is struck by
the card indicates the direction straight line movement
would take the ship from its beginning hex facing.
Numbers between hexes indicate the distance in hexes
that must be traveled in that direction (no more, no
less). A triple arrow indicates that a single hex-side
movement change may be made in that hex, meaning
the ship may be rotated one hex-side to the left or right
or not at all at the controller’s discretion. Note that a
ship’s hex facing never changes in relation to its starting
position unless allowed by a triple arrow on the movement card or the use of a command decision. An explo7
8
the rammed ship (see Boundaries). For every 2 hexes
pushed, the rammed ship takes an additional point of
damage. If a boundary is struck, both ships take 1d6
damage and lose a speed rating. Additionally, the ramming ship immediately ends its current movement (disregard any further movement on the current movement
card). Any hex a pushed ship enters should be processed
as normal (a ship pushed into a wormhole is transported, mines may be impacted, etc). Also, a ship that has
been pushed is considered to have moved for purposes
of resolving Magnetic Mines and Gun Towers, but not
when considering equipment that activates after completing a normal move (Repulsion Cannon, Tractor
Beam, etc). Note that ships that were not impacted are
not pushed and the moving ship simply continues along
its way.
Boundaries
Boundary hexes make up the inner and outer limits of
the track (those pretty blue hexes). No ship may ever
enter or pass beyond a boundary hex. Any ship that
impacts a boundary hex immediately ends its current
movement (disregard any further movement on the current movement card), takes damage according to the
table below and loses one speed factor (see Forced Speed
Reduction). At the controller’s discretion, the ship may
be rotated one hex-side to the left or right or not at all.
The ship may continue moving as normal during the
next slot in which the controlling player has an action
card. Note that ships that are pushed or repulsed into a
boundary hex would not necessarily need to discard the
current movement card since that would not apply to a
ship that is not moving, but speed loss and damage
would still occur.
Chained Impacts
Speed
1-2
3
4
5
If a ship is ever pushed into a hex that would require
it to roll for impact, the roll is made as normal except
that the ramming ships speed factor (the ship that is
pushing) is referenced when rolling on the Impact table.
This process could result in more than one ship being
pushed ahead of the ramming ship. If the ship misses
the obstacle, no additional rolls are required for any
other ships that are being pushed or the pushing ship
itself. When a pushed ship impacts another ship, all
ships involved take 1d6 damage and the newly impacted ship loses a speed factor.
Occasionally, confusing situations can result from
convoluted impact scenarios. A liberal dose of common
sense and fair play should resolve these situations.
Damage
lower of 2d6 (roll 2d6 & take lower value)
1d6
higher of 2d6 (roll 2d6 & take higher value)
2d6
Mines
A mine that detonates causes 1d6 damage to all ships
in the same hex. A mine may be detonated in several
ways and if there is ever a doubt as to whether a mine
would or would not detonate, it detonates. If more than
one ship is in a hex when a mine detonates, each ship
calculates its damage separately. If a mine detonates in a
hex containing more than one mine, all the mines detonate. Each ship in the hex calculates damage for each
mine separately. When a mine has detonated, remove
the counter from the board and return it to the counter
pool.
Taking Damage
Unlees otherwise noted, any time a player is forced to
take damage damage should first be taken from shields.
If at any time a player is required to take damage and
no shields remain, the player should then reduce the
hull rating. When the hull rating is reduced to 0, the
ship is destroyed and immediately explodes just like an
Atomic Device. Remove the ship counter from play.
The controlling player is now out of the game.
Other Impacts
When a magnetic mine or dumbfire missile enters a
hex containing a ship, a roll on the Impact table is
required. In these instances, moving objects are considered to be at speed 5.
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Forced Speed Reduction
Command Decisions
When a ship is required to lose speed outside of the
Speed Change phase, it is considered Forced Speed
Reduction. A ship may never be forced below a speed
rating of 1. When losing speed, immediately change the
dial pointer on the control console and alter the ships
action card placement to reflect the new speed rating.
Some or all of the player’s unrevealed action cards may
need to be shifted to the right and some of them may
need to be discarded. See the following example for
more details.
In the example, the ship that was forced to lose speed
was originally at speed 5 and has just had the speed rating reduced to 4. The action cards on slots 1 and 2 have
already been revealed, so they are not affected. Starting
from the left, the first unrevealed action card that is not
on a slot valid for speed 4 must be shifted to the right
until it is on a valid slot or until it is off the console
(cards may never be shifted to the left). Shift other
unrevealed cards with it if necessary. Once it has been
shifted onto a valid slot (if possible), check the next
unrevealed card in slot order to see if it is valid on the
new slot. If it isn’t, repeat the process of shifting to the
right until it is valid or off the console. When the first
card was shifted, it became legal on the next slot (slot
4). Checking the next unrevealed card, it is also legal
(slot 5). Since the last unrevealed card has been shifted
off the console, it is not legal and should be discarded.
Play now continues as normal.
The Command Decision counters represent the commander of the ship’s ability to intervene at critical
moments and alter a sequence of events. At an applicable moment, a player may take a Command Decision
counter from his stock and perform one of the following special actions:
Consult the Crew: During the draw phase only, you
may draw an extra three cards. You may perform this
action at any point in the draw phase (before or after
you have made your normal draw), but before the
Events phase has begun. still abide by hand size limits
during the Discard phase.
Avert Disaster: When moving your ship, you may opt
to automatically avoid a possible impact instead of
rolling on the Impact Table. You should then continue
your turn as though the roll was made and had resulted
in a ‘miss’ result.
Belay an Order: You may pick up all unrevealed
action cards on your console and return them to your
hand. Cards from your hand may then be placed face
down again as you choose.
Change Heading: When moving your ship, you may
make an immediate hex facing change. Note that 2 consecutive facing changes are never allowed (see A Few
Movement Rules to Remember).
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er’s discretion (see Black Hole for placement guidelines).
An Atomic Device is considered to be a mine. Rules
that apply to mines that are not contradicted in this
paragraph apply to Atomic Devices.
Equipment Cards
Though most Equipment cards are sufficiently
explained on the card itself, some need clarification:
Atomic Device
Dumb-Fire Missiles
A player may deploy an Atomic Device instead of
deploying a standard mine (see Deploying Mines). If
impacted (or otherwise caused to detonate), an Atomic
Device explodes. Damage cause by the explosion is
dependant on the distance from the impact point.
Distance
0
1
2
3
At the end of any movement you just completed, you
may fire a single missile if a target is available. The missile may target ships, mines or asteroids in its path. All
other counters are not affected by missiles. Objects in
your ship’s hex may not be targeted. The missile will
exit out of one of your ship’s front 3 hex sides and will
travel up to 5 hexes in a straight line. As the missile
travels, roll for impact for each hex it enters that contains a target. For purposes of impact determination,
treat the missile as though it were traveling at speed 5
(see Other Impacts). If there is more than one target in
a hex, the controlling player chooses which is targeted.
If the missile misses a target in a hex (even when more
than one target is present, it immediately continues in a
straight line until it enters a hex containing another
viable target or it reaches a distance of 5 hexes from the
firing ship. After traveling 5 hexes, the missile runs out
of fuel, remove the counter from the track. If the missile
impacts a ship, roll 1d6 for damage and remove the
missile counter from the board. A mine or asteroid
struck by a missile is destroyed and removed from the
track along with the missile counter. A mine struck by
the missile detonates as normal.
Damage
2d6
higher of 2d6 (roll 2d6 & take higher value)
1d6
lower of 2d6 (roll 2d6 & take lower value)
Any mines in the blast radius immediately detonate.
Asteroid counters in the blast radius are destroyed and
taken off the track.. The detonation of an Atomic
Device has the potential to collapse wormholes. If the
end of a wormhole is caught in the blast of an Atomic
Device, the player who deployed it rolls 1d6. On a roll
of 1-3, nothing happens. On a roll of 4-6, the wormhole collapses into a Black Hole. Remove the affected
wormhole counters from the board and place a Black
Hole counter on the board centered on the hex containing the end of the wormhole affected by the Atomic
Device or the closet hex that is legal at the placing play-
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Guided Torpedo
Magnetic Mines
You may launch the torpedo instead of deploying a
mine (see Deploying Mines). The torpedo immediately
moves up to six hexes in any direction the controlling
player chooses. It may move freely through occupied
hexes and will only strike a target the controlling player
chooses. It can target ships, mines or asteroids. The torpedo never rolls for impact as it always strikes its target.
Ships struck take 1d6 damage. A mine or asteroid
struck by a torpedo is destroyed and removed from the
track along with the torpedo counter. A mine struck by
the torpedo detonates as normal.
You may deploy a magnetic mine instead of deploying
a standard mine. Ships that enter a hex containing a
magnetic mine roll for impact as normal. When a ship
ends its movement adjacent to or upon a magnetic
mine, the mine is magnetically drawn to the ship. Move
the mine counter into the hex containing the ship and
roll for impact. For purposes of impact determination,
treat the mine as though it were traveling at speed 5 (see
Impacts). If more than one magnetic mine borders the
ships hex, they all drift into the hex. If one of the mines
detonates, they all detonate (see Mines). Magnetic
mines are only drawn towards ships.
Repulsion Cannon
A single ship that is within 2 hexes of your ship at the
end of any movement you just completed may be
pushed away from your ship. Roll 1d6, on a roll of 1-5
the ship is pushed 1 hex away, on a roll of 6, the
Repulsion Cannon backfires and your ship is pushed 1
hex away from the target ship. If a ship could be moved
into more than 1 hex, the player with the cannon determines which hex the ship moves into. Resolve any issues
as required by the new ship location (roll for impacts,
move magnetic mines, move through a wormhole, etc.).
If a ship was repulsed into a wall, it takes damage and
loses speed as normal (see Boundaries and Forced Speed
Reduction).
Tractor Beam
At the end of any movement you just completed you
may attempt to use your tractor beam on a single mine
that is within 3 hexes of your ship (or in your ships
hex). Roll 1d6, on a roll of 1-5 the mine has been successfully pulled into the ships hold; on a roll of 6, the
mine detonates on your ship for half damage. Any mine
(including a Magnetic Mine or Atomic Device) successfully brought aboard is stored in the standard mine
stock and does not fill an equipment bay (you may not
exceed your mine stock maximum). Mines successfully
brought aboard may be deployed as normal.
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UNIQUE DESIGN FEATURES
Nautilus
Each ship has a special design feature unique to it.
These design features are continuously in affect and
cannot be disabled.
The Nautilus’ hull is constructed with the super
strong element Ultanium. This benefits it in two ways.
First, the ship always takes 1 less damage from ship-toship impacts (minimum of 1 damage). Second, the
Nautilus does not lose speed when impacted by another
ship. This bonus only applies to impacts involving other
ships.
Drake
The Drake utilizes advanced mine technology. The
starting mine stock is always 4 greater than normal.
When reloading mines, the Drake restocks to this
adjusted amount. The player controlling the Drake may
deploy a mine on any movement, not just movements
that have a mine symbol.
Octopoid
The Octopoid comes equipped with tentacles.
Whenever it completes a movement, it may grab one
adjacent mine of its choice and place it in ships stores.
Even special mines such as the Atomic Device may be
grabbed for later deployment if an open equipment bay
is available. The Octopoid’s mine stock may not exceed
its starting quota.
Manta
The Manta was designed with extra thick armored
plating to help in defense. The ship applies a –1 modifier to any source of damage (minimum of 1 damage).
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Old Faithful
Star Shark
Designed centuries ago, Old Faithful has withstood
the test of time. One of its most redeeming qualities is
the impressive hi-capacity memory bank network that it
utilizes. The memory banks are capable of storing vast
amounts of data. The player controlling Old Faithful
may maintain a hand of 3 cards instead of the normal 2
cards.
The Star Shark is a particularly dangerous ship in
close quarters. Anytime it attempts to ram another ship,
it may automatically succeed if the controlling player
chooses to do so.
Swordfish
The Swordfish was specially designed with offensive
and defensive ramming capabilities in mind. When performing ram attacks, the Swordfish scores +2 damage
against the rammed ship. A ship ramming the
Swordfish also takes an additional 2 points of damage.
Space Guppy
The Space Guppy is powered by a Neutronium power
plant. The power plant is extremely efficient. During
the shield recharge phase, the Space Guppy recharges 3
shield points instead of the normal 2 shield points.
14
Long, Justin Padgett, Ryan Saltik, Adam Ross, Kim
Martin, Greg Lewis, Kyle Cantrell, Todd Moeller, Sean
Curran, Marshal & Nicole Caylor, Amy Bradley, Brad
"Pretty Boy" Lee, Dan Vujovic, David Stoy, Davlin
Stoy, Eric Pedersen, Joshua "Vespa" Hessel, Nancy
Milligan, Paul Chamberland (Warning - Aggressive
Player), Kevin Johnson, Chris Schuster, John Hake,
Martin Gallo, Willie Clay, Greg King, Matt Bell,
Michael Zipse, Ken "Water Boy" Lightner, Andrew
Greenberg, Tom Ricks, Bill Bridges, Dave Kenzer, Steve
Johansson, Brian Jelke, Jolly Blackburn, Mark
Plemmons, Ben Reed, Mark Ocsow, Zach Gaskins,
Timothy Rose, Christine Dziadosz, Jamie Wesley, John
Jacoby, Gruht Lester, Gerald Lientz, Ben Bear, John
Jasunas, Paul Wilson, John Baughn, Jason Walton,
Patrick Prominski, Kyle Berg, John Berg, John Lloyd,
Tolar Williams with a few others here and there.
Thanks!
Turkey Sandwiches and Hugs: Madison & Alexandra
Zipse
The Space Goats: Rob Martin, Mark Sellmeyer & Dan
Vujovic
A Quicker Game
For shorter games, play only one or two lap games.
All rules are the same except one: for every lap less than
3, start with one less Command Decision counter.
Alternatively, players may choose to play a bloody
marathon wherein the race continues until only one
ship remains on the track. But that would just be sick.
Well, that’s it. Go play. And be sure to crush your
enemies, see them driven before you and hear the
lamentation of their women.
Credits
Game Concept & Design: Craig Zipse
Graphics: Craig Zipse
Layout: Craig Zipse & Steve Johansson
Quality Control: Madison & Alex Zipse
Invaluable Advice: Eric Smith, Jason Poole, Rob Martin
& Mark Sellmeyer
Special Thanks: Eric Smith, Jason Poole, Rob Martin
& Mark Sellmeyer
Lead Playtesters: Rob Martin & Mark Sellmeyer
Playtesters: Jason & Heather Poole, Eric Smith, Shane
Neighbors, Matt "Space Goats" Cook, Todd Payne, Eric
15
Timing Table for the Reveal Phase
The following info is painful to read and only marginally necessary for gameplay. You only need to refer to
it when you’re not sure who blew up what first. Here
goes...
STEP 2
If the ship that just moved in Step 1 (or a ship that
was pushed or Repulsed by the ship that just moved) is
now within 1 hex of a Magnetic Mine(s) or within
range of a Gun Tower, then:
The first player in initiative order that has an unrevealed Action card on Slot 1 begins the process. If no
player has a card on Slot 1, proceed to the first slot that
does have an Action card on it.
2a) Magnetic Mines drift
2b) Gun Towers fire
When more than one ship has just moved due to the
use of a Repulsion Cannon or being pushed, steps 2a
and 2b are resolved in initiative order.
STEP 1
Reveal the Action card and perform the described
action (deploying mines and other weapons as allowed).
If the ship performed movement, continue to step 1a. If
the ship performed maintenance instead, start again at
Step 1 unless it is the last ship in initiative order. If that
is the case, proceed to Step 3.
Each player that has a card on the current slot
should repeat Steps 1 & 2 in initiative order. If all
cards on the current slot have been revealed, proceed
to Step 3.
1a) Fire a Dumb-fire Missile
1b) Activate a Repulsion Cannon
1c) Activate a Tractor Beam
STEP 3
3a) Move the Space Amoeba
3b) Move the Acidic Cloud
3c) Move the Space Station
3d) Active Black Holes pull in adjacent ships
and counters.
Repeat Steps 1-3 for players on all slots in slot order.
When Step 3 has been completed for the last slot with
a card on it, proceed to Step 4.
STEP 4
4a) Atomic Devices explode in initiative order
of their respective controllers.
4b) Black Holes placed in the current turn
become active.
The current turn has ended. You may now begin
planning your revenge.
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