Contents
Welcome to Nexus Ops Optional Rules
Hey there! I’m excited to share some cool optional rules that can make your game of Nexus Ops even more fun. You have the freedom to pick and choose the rules that suit your fancy and customize the game to your liking.
Now, don’t worry, you can’t use all the optional rules at once. But here’s the exciting part – you can mix and match different rules to create unique and thrilling gameplay. Imagine using alternate units, intercepted transmissions, and the vortex all in the same game!
Before we dive in, it’s important that everyone playing agrees on which optional rules they want to use. After all, we want everyone to have a great time!
The Clock is Ticking
The game stops right away when a player collects 10 or more victory points. That player becomes the winner. Even if one player is eliminated, the game still comes to an end, just like it’s explained in “Winning the Game”.
In it for the Long Run
The game comes to a close as soon as a player gathers 14 or more victory points. If this happens, that player comes out on top and wins the game. Don’t forget, if a player gets eliminated, the game still ends. You can find more about this in “Winning the Game”.
Orders from the Top
When setting up the game and going through the Receive Starting Rubium step, each player receives one Secret Mission card. This happens to all players.
Ruler of the Hill
If you control the Monolith hex when it’s time to draw, you have two options. You can draw two Energize cards or take a King of the Hill card (which is basically the back of a Battle Victory card) and put it face-up in your play area. If you choose the King of the Hill card, everyone else gets to draw one Energize card.
Each King of the Hill card is worth 1 victory point. Don’t worry, though, you still get Battle Victory cards like normal.
What’s Most Important
Instead of drawing just one Secret Mission card during the Draw phase, you get to draw two. Then, you pick one to keep in your hand and put the other card at the bottom of the Secret Mission deck.
Bonus Exploration Tokens
I want to share some exciting news about this game! It comes with six special exploration tokens that are really cool. You can easily spot them because they have green borders. These tokens add even more excitement to the game by giving players extra rewards to discover on the board. And the best part is, you can use these bonus tokens whether you’re playing the classic version or the variant game. They even work perfectly with any other optional rules you might want to use. It’s like an extra cherry on top of an already fantastic ice cream sundae!
When we get to the part in the setup called “Place Exploration Tokens,” instead of putting the exploration tokens with green borders back in the game box, you have the option to trade these bonus exploration tokens for any of the other tokens.
The game board can only have a maximum of 18 exploration tokens on it (12 on the Energy Dependence two-player board), so any unused tokens should be put back in the game box.
Keep in mind: To keep the game balanced, it’s recommended that the entire group of exploration tokens have refineries that generate at least a total of 16 rubium.
Secret Messages
When setting up the game, get the Secret Mission deck ready. But here’s a twist – draw two more Secret Mission cards than the number of players! So if there are two players, draw four cards. If there are three players, draw five cards. And if there are four players, draw six cards.
Once you have these cards, reveal them to everyone by putting them faceup near the board. This line of cards is called the transmission line and everyone can see it.
Now, here’s the fun part – during the game, you don’t draw Secret Mission cards into your hand like normal. Instead, you can choose to fulfill any card(s) in the transmission line. When you do this, you place the card faceup in your play area. Don’t worry about running out of cards, because during the Draw phase, the transmission line will be replenished back to its original total.
When you win a battle, you will still receive one Battle Victory card as the active player. However, there is a limitation – you can only complete one Secret Mission: Battle card per battle.
Rules for a Team of Four Players
When playing a game with four people, you’ll need to follow these rules. First, set up the game as shown on page 12, with four players. Next, divide the players into two teams, each with two players. Make sure that teammates sit across from each other.
Instead of trying to reach 12 victory points on your own, the goal is for the team to reach a combined total of 20 victory points. The first team to do so wins the game.
During the Draw phase, the player who is currently active can receive one card from their teammate. The teammate chooses a card from their hand and passes it face-down to the active player, who then adds it to their own hand. This card can be an Energize card or a Secret Mission card.
When I’m playing the game, if I move my units into a hex that my teammate’s units are in, we call it a “contested” hex, but we don’t actually have a battle. That means we don’t get any rubium from a refinery in that hex. But I can still move my units through hexes with my teammate’s units, as long as there aren’t any units from the opposing team there.
Me and my teammate can talk about anything we want during the game, but everyone can hear what we say. And besides the rule that lets us pass cards, I can also show my teammate some cards from my hand. But if I do that, I have to show it to all the players.
If one of the players gets eliminated from the game, it doesn’t end. The remaining teammate can still keep playing and win the game for our team. And the victory points that the eliminated player had still count towards our total victory points.
If both you and your teammate get eliminated in the game, that’s it—it’s game over. But if you manage to survive while your teammate gets taken out, you and your team win!
The Mysterious Vortex
When we begin setting up the game, we move into the Place Terrain step, where something interesting happens. We flip the Monolith hex over and reveal the Vortex.
This hex has numbers on each of its edges that correspond to the faces of a six-sided die. How the hex is positioned doesn’t matter during setup, but once it’s placed, it stays in that position for the entire game.
Before the first player takes their turn, there’s a specific sequence of steps they need to follow to deal with the Vortex’s effect:
- I roll a black die and a white die, and then I check the numbers on the Vortex hex. Based on the number on the black die, the Vortex pulls in any units that are in the hex bordering that number. Then, the storm blows those units into the hex bordering the number on the white die. I simply move those units to the new hex.
So here’s what you do: First, roll one die. Look for the number on the Vortex hex that’s next to the number you rolled. The Vortex sends out a ton of energy toward that hex, and any units there get wiped out. Ka-boom! ��️
Then, if there are any controlled hexes next to the Vortex, the player who controls them gets to draw one Energize card for each hex. It’s like a little bonus for being in control. ��
But hold on, there’s a catch! These steps don’t happen during the player’s first turn. They have to wait a bit to unleash the Vortex’s destructive power. ⏳
Oh, and see that blue border around the Vortex hex? No units can go in there. It’s like a force field. And any cards that affect the Monolith don’t affect the Vortex. They’re separate beings, you know.
By the way, if you want to switch things up, you can play with alternate units. Just flip over the reference sheet and use the “Alternate Units” side. And if you need some extra info about those alternate units, we’ve got you covered. ��
When you unleash the fearsome Monolith Wyrm in battle, beware of its special attack! Every time the Wyrm lands a hit, you’re not in the clear just yet. You have to roll another die, and this goes on until the Wyrm finally misses its mark. It’s an intense and suspenseful experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat!