AMONG THE STARS
Guess what? Peace has finally been declared among all the different races that exist in the galaxy! It’s been a long time coming, but we made it, and now we have what we call the Alliance. How cool is that? Now, here’s where things get really exciting… You and I get to step into the shoes of leaders from these races and help create these amazing space stations all over the galaxy. Can you imagine? So, what we do is gather these cards that show us different locations, and place our stations on them. The catch is, we want to make sure we choose the best spots to win the game! Sounds like quite the adventure, doesn’t it?
SETUP
Alright, let me walk you through the setup process. The first thing we need to do is separate all the Basic Location Cards and Special Location Cards. How do we do that? Easy! We just look at the symbol in the bottom right corner of each card and divide them accordingly. Now, here’s something important to take note of. If we’re playing with three players, we have to remove all the Basic Location Cards with the number four in the bottom right corner. Why? Well, those cards are only used in a game with four players. Simple, right?
Hey there! Let’s get started with this cool game! First things first, I’m going to draw six random Special Location Cards for everyone playing. These will be added to the deck of Basic Location Cards, creating the Location Deck. Exciting, right?
Now, each of us needs to grab a player meeple and put it on the scoreboard at the zero space. The scoreboard will be placed right in the middle where we can all reach it easily. It’s important that everyone can keep an eye on their progress!
Next, we each need to take a Reactor Card and put it in front of us on the table. Oh, and don’t forget to grab two Energy Cubes to go with it. The rest of the energy cubes and credits will be placed in the center of the playing area, creating our supply. It’s like our own little energy bank!
And with that, we’re all set to kick off the game. Get ready for an adventure!
GAMEPLAY
In the game, we play for four years. Each year is a round. At the start of each round, we all receive 10 credits and pick 6 cards from the Location Deck. We keep track of the year with a marker.
Once we have our cards, we choose one and place it face down in front of us. When everyone is ready, we reveal our cards at the same time and decide what action to take. We can build a location, create a power reactor, or discard a card to earn 3 credits.
If we choose to build a location, there are rules to follow. We can only build a location if it’s next to another location. At the beginning of the game, we must build our first location next to the Station. We have to pay the cost of each location we build.
If you decide to build a power reactor, you’ll need to pay the energy requirement for other locations. To build one, just discard your card, pay the cost, and exchange it for a power reactor card. But keep in mind, if there are no power reactor cards available, you won’t be able to complete this action. On the other hand, you can choose to discard your card and earn three credits instead.
After six turns, you should have no cards left in your hand, and the round will end. Make sure to check other players’ space stations to catch any cheaters. And don’t worry, the game continues for three more rounds.
END OF GAME
The game will end after four rounds. Then it’s time to tally up the scores. The player with the most victory points wins! You can earn points by meeting objectives and collecting cards. For every three credits you have and for every reactor without any energy cubes, you get one victory point. Remember, objectives can only be completed by one player.