How to Play / Rules

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Print this document and have it accessible when you play offline.
The rules of this game is the same for offline play, online play, casual play and tournament play.

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You are a commander of a space station in war with another commander and space station. The crew on your station can build spaceships, missiles, defense shields and other things which can attack the enemy station in various ways.

If your station gets damaged, you have to flip that many station cards. If you have no station cards left to flip, any remaining damage is instead dealt to your commander.

Each commander has a number in the top left corner of the card which represents the commander’s Life Points. If a commander’s Life Points are reduced to zero, that player loses the game.

Preparation

Each player has a deck of 60 cards, called the draw pile, and it is located on the left. Below it is the discard pile.

Each player places the three Station Rule Cards in sequence on the right side (see image below).

Decide randomly which player will choose who starts the game.

Each player shuffles their draw pile and draws 6 cards to their hand. The player who will not start the game draws one additional card.

Each player chooses 3 cards from their hand that will form the initial station cards of that player (first-time players can choose cards that have the highest number in the top left corner of the cards). Place those 3 chosen cards face down next to the Station Rule Cards so that there is 1 face-down card in each of the 3 rows.

The player who will not start the game places 1 additional station card in the row of their choice. Both players now have 3 cards remaining in their hand.

Select one of the commanders in secret and place it face down to the left of the draw pile. Place a die on the commander card set to the commander’s starting Life Points. When both players are ready, the commanders are flipped and revealed at the same time and the game begins.

Station Cards

	In your draw phase, draw: 1 card for each card in this station row.
	In your action phase, receive: 2 actions for each card in this station row.
	In your discard phase, keep: 3 cards for each card in this station row.

More explanation in The Turn.

Table Setup

There are two zones. Home zone on your part of the table and the enemy zone on the opponents part of the table.

The Cards

At the top left on the cards is a number representing how many actions it cost to play a card. Cards that cost 0 can be played in any moment, even in the opponents turn.

• Spaceship cards are blue

  You spend action to place them in your home zone. They can do 1 attack and 1 move per turn (exceptions exist if written on the card). Can always attack an enemy card in the same zone. Cannot move the first turn they enter play, but can after the first turn either move to the enemy zone or from enemy zone to home zone. Cannot attack the enemy station the same turn that they moved to the enemy zone.

• Missile cards are red

  Just like spaceship cards you spend action to place them in your home zone and they also move and attack. They are destroyed after an attack. Does not need to stay a turn in the enemy zone before attacking the enemy station (spaceships needs to do this). If the missile is not slow it does not need to move to the enemy zone as it can after the first turn damage any target including the enemy station from your home zone.

• Duration cards are violet

  They stay in the game each turn until the owner decides to discard them. Cost actions each turn, see The Turn.

• Event cards are orange

  They make something happen and are placed directly in the discard pile after they have been played.

• Defense cards are green

  They (shields and cannons) stay in your home zone and cannot move. Shields protect your station (it has to be destroyed first before the station can be attacked).

• Commander cards

  They provide a certain power or ability for the player. Commanders cannot be attacked directly; damage is only dealt to a commander after all station cards have been flipped.

The Turn

Each turn consists of the following steps. It follows the Station Rule Cards from top to bottom:

1. Draw phase: you must draw 1 card for each station card in the first row.
2. Action phase: you receive 2 actions for each station card in the second row.
   First if you have any duration cards in play decide which ones to keep by paying their action costs and which ones to instead move to your discard pile.
   Spend your actions to play cards from your hand.
   You can either put down one card from your hand face down as a new station card in one of the 3 station rows (if you have less than the maximum of 7 station cards) or move one station card from one row to another.
   Actions cannot be saved for the next turn.
3. Discard phase: if you have more cards in hand than 3 times the number of station cards in the third row discard to the amount of cards allowed. For example having 1 station card in the last row allows you to keep 3 cards in your hand, 2 station cards allows you to keep 6.
4. Attack phase: move and/or attack with each spaceship, missile or cannon one by one and in the order you choose.

Attacks

You attack with your spaceships, missiles and cannons in the attack phase.

You can only attack enemies in the same zone.

Your spaceship, missile or cannon can always attack an enemy card in your home zone, even on it's first turn.

When you attack another card, the card receives damage equal to the attack value (red) of the attacker. If damage is equal to or more than the defense value (green) the card is destroyed and moved to the discard pile. The attacker does not risk getting damage when it is attacking and damage is not automatically healed. Use a die to keep track of damage.

If you attack the enemy station, you flip that many face-down station cards of the opponent. If the opponent has no station cards left to flip, any remaining damage is instead dealt to the opponent’s commander, reducing their Life Points.

Flipped Station Cards

Station cards that has been damaged (flipped) so that they are no longer face down can be played, but they are not considered to be on the hand. So for example 0 cost cards can be played at any moment, other cards can be played in your action phase.

Flipped station cards are still counted as normal (drawing, actions, hand size limit).

Empty Draw Pile

If your draw pile is empty at the start of your draw phase, your station takes 3 damage (your opponent flips 3 station cards). Any damage that cannot be applied to station cards is dealt to your commander instead.

If you need to draw but cannot, then simply ignore the draw requirement.

Repair

There are a few special spaceships that can repair. Just as attacking you can only repair a target in the same zone. If a spaceship is paralyzed, the paralyze will be removed when repaired (in additional to repair of damage). A repair ship can repair itself (but not if it is paralyzed). The commander cannot be repaired.

Definitions

Ability – An action a spaceship card may perform instead of attacking.

Slow ability – An ability that may be used instead of attacking, but only if the spaceship did not enter play this turn.

Counter a card – When a card played from an opponent’s hand is countered, it does not enter play and is placed directly into the discard pile. All text on the countered card is ignored, and any action cost spent to play it is lost.

Put into play – To place a card directly into a player’s home zone without paying its cost. Cards put into play do not come from the hand and cannot be countered.

Discard – To move cards from your hand to your discard pile (if you have enough cards in hand).

Discard from play – To move one of your own cards from the play area to your discard pile.

From anywhere – When you take a card from anywhere, you may search your draw pile, discard pile, or station cards. If you search your draw pile, it must be shuffled afterward.

No effect – All text on the card is ignored. The card is still paid for, and duration cards with no effect are still discarded from play as normal at the start of the action phase.

Counters – Some cards can gain counters. Use a die or similar marker on the card to track the current number of counters.

Additional Rules

• Whenever a player searches their draw pile, it is shuffled afterward.
• For the offline game: At any moment you can say "pause" or raise your hand and then the opponent are not allowed to continue play until you say "ok". You can use this to think if you want to counter a card, play a 0-cost card and so forth. You are not allowed to play several cards very quickly in a way that makes the opponent not able to counter or react. In the online game you can always react to things that has happened in the last 10 seconds.
• Optional: In the constructed format each player plays with their own unique deck. The complete rules for the constructed format can be seen on the page Constructed Play.