Theme

Players control competing civilisations exploring space, discovering planets to conquer or settle, building an economy by consuming a planet's goods and building developments. The object of the game is to earn the most victory points from planets and developments played in their tableau, from consuming goods, and from bonuses from special developments.

Phases

• 👤2players: select two phases per round.
• 👤3+players: select one phase per round.
• Only selected phases are played, in phase order.

• I Explore: draw 2 keep 1
• II Develop: play ​ by ​ equal to its cost.
• III Settle:
  • play ​​ by ​ equal to its cost.
  • play ​​ with sufficient military force.
  • played ​​ gain ​.
• IV Consume: exchange ​ for ​ using consume ​ powers.
  1. Select ​​/​​ with ​.
  2. Select ​​ with ​ power.
  • ​ powers must be used completely e.g. if 1 is consumed with a ×3 power, the power must be used twice more if possible.
• V Produce: gain ​ on each ​​ without ​.

Phase bonuses

Bonuses for selecting a phase:

• I Explore: +5 +0 draw +5
• I Explore: +1 +1 draw +1 keep +1
• II Develop: -1 cost
• III Settle: gain 1 for settling ​​
• IV Consume: $ exchange 1:
  • ​ Novelty
  • ​ Rare Elements
  • ​ Genes
  • ​ Alien Technology
• IV Consume: ×2 gain ​×2
• V Produce: gain ​ on one ​​ without ​.

• Most cards have powers for certain phases which can be used from your tableau.
• A duplicate card may not be played on the same tableau.
• Discard down to 10 at round end.

Game end

• At round end (including discarding) when a tableau has ≥12 cards face up or there are 0 remaining.
• Cards in each tableau gain ​ equal to the hexagon number 553.
• The player with the most ​ is the winner.

Tiebreak

• Most ​ + ​.

Expansion #2: Rebel vs Imperium

Takeovers

Takeovers are performed as actions during Settle against another player's military world. Takeovers can only be be performed only if the aggressor has a takeover power which his victim is vulnerable to:

• If you have a Rebel world, you are vulnerable to Imperium Seat
• If you have an Imperium card, you are vulnerable to Rebel Alliance
• If you have military of +1 or more, you are vulnerable to Imperium Cloaking Technology.

You cannot settle and takeover in the same action. Newly placed worlds cannot be taken over.

Takeovers succeed if Military of the aggressor is greater or equal to the total Military of the victim plus the defence of the target world.

Expansion #3: The Brink of War

Prestige

• Gain 1 for placing a card with ​ (next to its cost).
• Gain ​ from card powers e.g. during IV Consume.
  • Note: IV Consume ×2 does not double ​.

Prestige leader

• Gain the Prestige leader tile for the most ​ at phase end or immediately after the leader spends ​.
• ​ gained each round is counted as being on the tile and transferred to the leader's personal supply at round end with 1 + 1.
• 0 on the tile at round end does not gain 1.
• A tie for Prestige Leader does not gain any ​ at round end.

Prestige bonus

• Once per game each player may use their prestige bonus for a search or action bonus.

Bonus Search

• Costs 0 and happens before any other phase.
• Select a search category.
• Either take the first matching card or blindly take the second matching card.

Categories

• ​ or ​ (ignore temporary and specialised military).
• 11 or 22.
• 11 or 22.
• ​.
• ​​ or ​​.
• ​ for ≥ 2.
• 5+5+.
• ​.
• Cards with ​ or defence powers - only with takeover rules on.

Bonus Action

• Costs 1 for one enhanced phase bonus.
• 👤2players: second selected phase is selected as normal.

• I Explore (+5 +0): draw 13, combine with ​ 11 (keep +2).
• I Explore (+1 +1): draw 9, combine with ​ 6 (keep +3).
• II Develop: -3 cost.
• III Settle: -3-3 and +2+2, 1 for settling ​​.
• IV Consume ($): $+3 + ×2​ + ​×21.
• IV Consume (×2): ×3​
• V Produce: 3 + up to 2​​.

Game end

• Each ​ is worth 1.
• Game end is additionally triggered if any player has ≥ 15 at round end.

Expansion Arc #3: Xeno Invasion (with Invasion)

• The Xenos are invading! In addition to expanding your empire, you must defend it from the Xenos.
• Standalone expansion played only with the base game.
• All Explore phases have the 'mix with hand' power.
• Settle is already selected in round 1.
• Xenos attack in round 3.
• After discarding down to 10, each player gets an Invasion card with the strength of the attacking Xenos.
• Players with a higher military vs Xenos get higher values.
• To defend, military vs Xenos + defence vs Xenos must exceed (not just tie) the Invasion value.
• Settle powers may be used for extra military force.
• Each player has a Bunker with ​ for +2 defence vs Xenos.
• Defenders gain 1 or 2 (weaker players get more)
• Non-defenders select ​​ to be damaged ​.
• Damaged ​​ lose ​, are worth 0, and have no powers or keywords, but still count towards tableau size.

The invasion has 3 waves. Wave 1 and Wave 2 are 2 rounds each (👤2players: 1 round each). Wave 3 is until the end of the game. Invasion strength is a random value:

• Wave 1: -1 - 4
• Wave 2: 0 - 7
• Wave 3: 3 - 9, your base military + 3/4/5

Produce changes

• At the start of Produce, each player may contribute ​ to the war effort to gain 1 / ​ and reduce the Xeno repulse value by 1.
• Repair ​​ with ​ by 2, 2 or using a repair power.
• V Produce: Repair: Instead of gaining ​ on ​​, repair 2 ​​ with ​.

Game end

5 awarded to:

• Greatest Admiral: largest military vs Xenos.
• Greatest Contributor: most ​ contributed to the war effort.

Additional game end conditions:

• Xenos are defeated: the combined military vs Xenos of all players matches or exceeds the Xeno repulse value. No final invasion happens.
• All players fail to defend twice.
  • No player gains Greatest Admiral or Greatest Contributor.

Note:

• Military vs Xenos: for settling worlds with Xeno, contributes to defeating Xenos, counts when determining strength for invasion cards.
• Defence vs Xenos: only counted when defending each round.

New worlds

Race for the Galaxy: New Worlds Promo adds 6 new start worlds that can be added to any game (base game or expansions).

• 221 Star Nomad Raiders
• 221 Industrial Robots
• 221 Galactic Trade Emissaries
• 221 Terraforming Colonists
• 220 Abandoned Mine Squatters
• 221 Gateway Station