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be used on the turn they are produced or they are lost.
m ECONOMY: Economy points are the most useful type of points. They can be declared and used as supply points, energy points, ammunition points, research points or repair points. At the beginning of each turn the player declares what his economy points will be used for. Each economy point may
be used for a different function each turn.
l SUPPLY: Supply points are required by most ships and some bases. If a
ship does not get the required amount of supply points it cannot fire weapons or operate equipment that turn; it is considered Disengaged. The only thing it can do is conduct repairs by use of repair points.
X ENERGY: Energy points are also required by most ships and bases before they can operate equipment or fire weapons. Some equipment cards require additional energy for their use over and above that required for the ship itself. The only thing a ship can do without the required energy points is conduct repairs by use of repair points. An unpowered ship is considered Disengaged.
n AMMUNITION: Ammunition points are usually required to fire heavy
weapons. The number of heavy weapons is listed at the bottom of each ship card with ammunition symbols. For example, two symbols indicates two heavy weapons. If a ship has met its point requirements and will be Engaged, it can fire its heavy weapons only if it also is supplied with ammunition points. Each point of ammunition enables one heavy weapon to fire. Heavy weapons can only be fired once per turn.
q RESEARCH: Research points are used to defeat monster cards, occurrence cards, and certain types of terrain cards. Each such card defines if and
how to defeat it with research points.
u REPAIR: This type of point is not usually produced by terrain directly, but can be created with an economy point. Repair points are used to repair damaged ships and equipment. One repair point repairs one point of damage. Destroyed ships and equipment cannot be repaired and restored from the discard pile. The Sector HQ cannot be repaired by repair points. Terrain, base, ship and equipment cards are the only cards that can be repaired by repair points. Shield points and structural damage points may be repaired with repair points. Heavy weapon damage to terrain can be repaired, but monster, terrain, occurrence and all other damage to terrain cannot be repaired with repair points.
Some repair points are designated as healing points by a card rule.
Monsters and dragons can be repaired with these special repair points but these points cannot be used to repair ships, bases, and equipment cards. OTHER KINDS OF POINTS:
Some cards require, have, or produce other kinds of points.
J COMMAND: Command points allow extra ships or bases to be in play. The standard rules allow each player 1 ship or base in play per player in the game (3 players - 3 ships, etc.). Each additional command point allows an extra ship or base to be in play. EXAMPLE: A captain card has one command point. In a three player game a player with a captain in play is allowed four ships in play at one time (instead of the three ships the other players are allowed). If the captain were removed from play by any means that
player could keep the fourth ship until one was lost, then he too would again be limited to three ships (those remaining). Please note that a command point generated by a ship, base, crew, or other card will generate that point only during the Allocation Phase.
5 DAMAGE: Damage points simply cause one point of damage. They are
usually found at the top of terrain, monster, and occurrence cards that cause damage. This symbol is used to indicate D dragon physical damage, although that damage is treated as phaser damage for all other purposes.
G SHIELD: Shield points are found at the top of most ship cards. Shields always function (even if the ship is not Engaged). Each shield point is eliminated by one point of damage. After the shields are gone, the ship can sustain structural damage up to its strength before being destroyed. One shield point is automatically repaired during the Engagement Phase of a player's turn; any number may be repaired with Repair Points. EXAMPLE: An Argonian heavy cruiser has a strength of six and three shield points. If it takes nine points of damage it is considered destroyed and removed from play (discarded).
F NODE: Node points are used only on Mechad ships. Energy allocated to
the Mechad ship's electromagnetic field is multiplied by the number of nodes on that ship to determine the strength of the EMF. The EMF is treated exactly the same as shields for purposes of defending the ship except it does not block transports.
; PHASER: Phaser points are found at the bottom of ship cards. The number
of phaser points shown indicates how many phasers or whips the ship has. If the ship has enough supplies and energy to function it can fire all its phasers. This costs no extra points of any type. Each phaser can fire once per turn (on the owning player's turn only, not on other player's turns) and causes one point of damage. Dragon physical damage is treated the same as phaser damage.
n HEAVY WEAPON: Heavy weapons are different for each empire. For instance, the Krebiz use sabots, the Argonians use energy fluxes, and the dragons use breath weapons. Each heavy weapon requires one Ammunition Point to fire. Each firing heavy weapon scores one point of damage (exception - variplaz and distortion cannon). Note: Most heavy weapons can damage terrain while phasers cannot.
TYPES OF CARDS:
TERRAIN CARDS: Without terrain cards, bases and ships cannot (usually) operate. All terrain cards have a "T" in the top left corner with a number representing their strength. A terrain card is destroyed by a number of points of damage equal to its strength. Thus a 'T5' planet can be destroyed by 5 points of damage. The only cards which can cause damage to terrain cards are those cards that specifically state they can cause damage to terrain. Phasers cannot cause damage to terrain cards; heavy weapons CAN cause damage to terrain cards. Terrain cards do not block damage to the Sector HQ.
The function of terrain cards is to provide any of the following:
Economy points, supply points, energy points, ammunition points or research points. The symbols at the top of the card represent the amount of points (of each type) the card provides each turn. These points are used to
operate ships and equipment throughout that turn. A player can only operate a number of ships and systems that he has points to pay for.
Terrain Modifiers: A number of cards modify the point output of
terrain (freighters, tugs, bases etc.). Additive modifiers are not cumulative; only the greatest modifier is used (i.e. a terrain with two freighters, +2 economy each, only gets a single +2 modifier).
Multiplicative modifiers are not cumulative; only the greatest modifier is used (i.e. a terrain with a base station, 2x supply, and a starbase, 3x supply, only gets the 3x modifier not a 6x). The sole exception is the Growing Economy card.
SHIP CARDS: There are two basic types of ship cards: Empire cards, and generic cards. Empire cards have a specific empire written on them such as Argonian, Krebiz, etc. Generic cards (freighter, tug, etc.) can be used by any empire. Generic cards do not have an empire stated on them. Both types of ship cards work as follows:
Ship cards have an 'S' in the upper left corner next to the
strength of the ship. They also have a title at the top and a number of shield points at the top. The ship is destroyed by a number of points of damage equaling the shield points plus the strength. EXAMPLE: An Argonian frigate has a strength of 3 and two shield points. If it takes 5 points of damage it is considered destroyed and removed from play (discarded). When damage is applied the shields are always damaged first, then the strength points.
Ship cards also have several supply and energy (and sometimes
other) symbols at the top. This is the amount of supply and energy required to operate the ship, its weapons, and equipment for one turn. If these points are not available from terrain or other sources the ship can only operate its shields and conduct repairs by use of repair points. Crew cards played on that ship card can only perform duties which do not require equipment cards or weapons fire.
Heavy weapons are listed with a number of ammunition points. A
ship must have been allocated all required energy and supply points (and/or other required points) in order to use its heavy weapons. In addition, each heavy weapon requires one ammunition point in order to fire. A heavy weapon will score one point of damage when it fires (exception - variplaz and distortion cannon). The number of ammunition symbols represents the total number of heavy weapons on the ship.
If a ship is Engaged it can fire all of its phasers, otherwise it
cannot. Phasers do not require ammunition (or other) points. They cause 1 point of damage each.
LOCATION OF SHIP CARDS: Some ship cards, such as the S2 Fleet Tug and the
S1 Fleet Freighter, modify terrain values when stacked on terrain. Such a ship does not block damage to the terrain on which it is played nor is the ship destroyed if the terrain is destroyed. The ship may move to a
different terrain card during the Engagement Phase of a player's turn. However, equipment cards such as the shuttle or fighter move during a card play phase as their movement action for that player's turn.
DRAGON CARDS: Dragon cards are designated with a 'D'. Please note that
these are completely different than M dragon cards. D dragon cards are exactly the same as ship cards except no equipment cards, crew cards, or occurrence cards may be played on them or to them, nor do effects produced by such cards affect them. They may protect and damage Sector HQs.
BASE CARDS: Base cards are designated with a 'B'. They are similar to
ship cards except they must be played on top of a terrain card; they cannot exist independent of terrain. Just as do ship cards, they almost always require some points in order to fully function. A base card counts against
a player's command limits, just as do ships.
The terrain card on which a base is placed may not be damaged by
weapons fire until the base is destroyed. Cards which score damage directly on terrain may be used to score damage on a base instead, at the attacking player's option; and note that a base will not protect a terrain card from such damage unless the attacking player chooses to attack the base instead (one exception is the B1 Planetary Shield, which prevents all damage to the terrain card on which it is played until the base is destroyed). Damage
from a single attack in excess of that needed to destroy the base will score damage on the terrain if and only if that damage is eligible to score damage on terrain in addition to damaging the base.
EQUIPMENT CARDS: Equipment cards represent various types of equipment including transporters, shuttles, tractor beams, etc. They are designated with an 'E'. Some equipment cards require extra energy or other points to operate. These are indicated with symbols at the top of the card. Most equipment cards do not require extra points to operate other than the ship itself being Engaged. Most equipment cards can only be played on ship or base cards; an equipment card may not be played on any other type of card unless a card rule permits it. Once played, equipment cards cannot be moved to other locations except by means of special cards.
An equipment card cannot operate on a Disengaged ship unless its
function is completely passive, such as a shield refit card. An equipment card played on an Engaged ship may function immediately.
EMPIRE EQUIPMENT: Some equipment cards can only be used by one empire.
This is defined on the card itself. Generally it is a good idea to remove these cards if they cannot be used by the empire with which you have stocked your deck.
Foreign Technology is defined as equipment cards which can only be
used by one or several empires; other empires must have a special card, such as an engineer, which specifically permits the use of foreign technology (exception - Bolaar and Vektrean). Exclusive Technology is defined as equipment cards which can only be used by one or several empires; other empires may never use these equipment cards (exception - Bolaar and Vektrean with a card that states it permits the use of foreign technology).
CREW CARDS: Crew cards are designated with a 'C'. They can be played on base, ship or terrain cards. They usually require no points to operate, but may need specific equipment cards to perform some functions. Crew cards may be moved from location to location by means of cards like shuttles or transporters. Crew cards are generic; any crew card can be used on the ship of any empire unless the card specifically says otherwise.
Crew cards on a Disengaged ship or base card can only perform
duties which do not require equipment cards and do not require any points. ABILITY CARDS: Ability cards are designated with an 'A'. Ability cards modify the characteristics or abilities of dragon cards, equipment cards, crew cards, and monster cards. Usually, a particular ability card may only be played on one of the four permitted card types; the ability card will specify this when necessary.
MONSTER CARDS: Monster cards are designated with an 'M'. Space monsters
are creatures or beings which live in space and often cause damage to terrain or starships. Monster cards can be played on yourself or an opponent. Each card defines how the monster works, what damage (if any) it causes and how it is killed or negated.
HAZARD CARDS: Hazard cards are designated with an 'H'. They are
navigational hazards, usually terrain, that have varying effects on ships and bases.
OCCURRENCE CARDS: Occurrence cards are designated with an 'O'. An
occurrence is simply an event which may be good or bad and may cause damage or not. Occurrence cards can be played on yourself or an opponent. Each
card defines how the occurrence works, what damage (if any) it causes and how it is negated (if that is possible).
LUCK CARDS: Luck cards are somewhat similar to occurrence cards, but deal more with lucky and unlucky situations. They are designated with an 'L'. REACTION CARDS: Reaction cards have an 'R' in the top left corner of the card with the strength and type designations. Thus an R/E2 is a strength
two reaction equipment card. A reaction card is considered to be a card of the type designated by the other letter on the card for all purposes, including deck stocking. Reaction cards can be played during another player's turn at any moment, but only in valid reaction to that other player's action. Any player can play a reaction card to your reaction card and you can play another reaction card to his, etc. Precedence is
determined by order of play, the card that was played last having the greatest precedence. Only cards with an 'R' can be played in reaction mode. EXAMPLE: A transporter card or a fighter card may be played in reaction
mode to transport crew cards off a ship which is about to be destroyed (the amount of damage has been determined but the ship has not yet been removed from play).
NARRATIVE EXAMPLE:
We strongly recommend that novice game players place cards on the
table by following the narrative below. Mimicking Bob and Sue's actions
will give you the feel for game mechanics more quickly. If you do not have
a card that is mentioned below, substitute another card of the same type as necessary. See also the card play diagram in the centerfold of this booklet. Bob and Sue are playing a standard game. Each has a deck of cards
and has shuffled, cut and drawn an ante. Sue's ante is higher in strength and she goes first.
Sue plays a T3 Asteroid Belt. She has no other terrain cards to
play. She has 8 cards in her hand so she draws two cards from her deck.
Bob plays a T4 Small Planet. He also has no other terrain in his
hand. He has 8 cards left in his hand and so he draws two cards, ending the first complete turn.
Sue plays a T1 Small Moon and a Disengaged S1 Fleet Freighter on
her T4 Small Planet. She draws two cards, ending her turn.
Bob plays a Disengaged B4 Base Station on his T4 Small Planet and
an M1 Small Phaser Eel on Sue's S1 freighter. Sue plays an R/C3 Science Officer onto her freighter (played vertical on the currently horizontal freighter card) in reaction to Bob's phaser eel. Bob's turn ends and he draws two cards.
Sue now allocates her terrain points. The freighter requires one
supply and one energy point. Her two terrain cards provide this easily and she Engages the freighter by turning the freighter upright. Sue then plays an E2 Phaser Refit on her freighter. Bob's Sector HQ is vulnerable because he has no ships in play; his base cannot defend his Sector HQ. She
declares weapons fire on Bob's Sector HQ. The freighter has 2 phasers plus
1 from the refit, for a total of 3. These are not blocked by the phaser eel because the science officer suspends the hostile effects of monsters. Bob places a die in front of himself with the 3 showing to represent the damage to his Sector HQ. Sue now plays her last card, an H2 Ion Storm on Bob's base. He places a die at the upper right side of the card, near the shield symbols, with a 2 showing to represent the damage to the base's shields.
Sue draws two cards.
First Bob repairs his one free shield point changing the 2 to a 1.
Bob then allocates his terrain points. His base needs one energy point to
be Engaged and his T4 planet provides one energy point. The planet also provides one economy point which Bob declares as a repair point, removing the die from his base. His planet also produces 2 supply points, but Bob
has no use for these points and they are lost. Bob now plays a Disengaged
S4 Indirigan Frigate. He declares weapons fire on Sue's freighter causing 2 points of phaser damage from his B4 Base Station. Bob then plays an E2 Nuclear Mine on Sue's freighter causing 2 more damage points. Sue places a die near the freighter's shield points with a 4 showing. Bob then ends his turn by drawing 2 cards.
Sue changes the 4 to a 3 for her one point of shield repair that
turn. She has two economy points left over after maintaining her
freighter's engaged status. She allocates these as repair on her
freighter's shields turning the die to a 1. Sue plays a disengaged S5 Light Cruiser. She also plays an M3 Shield Fiend on Bob's S4 Indirigan Frigate. The shield fiend damages all of the frigate's shields and is discarded. Sue then plays an M4 Space Dragon to the frigate, causing two more points of damage. Sue then declares weapons fire from her freighter for 2 more damage points and the frigate is destroyed. The frigate and the space dragon are discarded. Sue then declares her last point of weapons fire on Bob's Sector HQ, bringing him to 4 points total.
Play continues in this manner.
GAME STRUCTURES
STANDARD RULES-
The standard rules are those defined previously for the Basic Game
with the following changes:
DECK CONSTRUCTION: Each player will play with his own deck, and must stock that deck with cards based on the rules given below. During the game, each player draws only from his own deck and maintains his own discard pile. Announce Empire: Players may stock their decks with ship cards for only
one major empire. (Note that a minor empire may be used as the major empire of a deck if desired.) The empire you represent is announced to all the other players before decks are stocked for the game.
Stocking The Deck: Each player selects which cards he wishes to use after learning the empire(s) of his opponent(s). Any number of generic ship and base cards may be used to stock the deck.
Number of Cards: Any number of cards and types of those cards may be used within the following guidelines:
1- The total deck must consist of between 50 and 150 cards.
2- There are 11 different card types: T, S, D, B, E, C, A, M, H, O, L.
There must be at least five cards of each of 8 different card types. More than 8 different card types may be used, and the 9th, 10th, and 11th card types are not restricted by the minimum 5 cards per type rule (therefore, as few as one card (or even zero cards) of each of the last three card types may be used).
3- For each card type in the deck there must be a card of each strength up to the highest strength card of that type in the deck. Example: If a player wishes to place one or two S6 heavy cruisers in his deck he must also have at least five other ship cards, one each of strength 1-5. One each of strength 1-5 is sufficient even if two S6 ships were to be used.
4- Players are allowed three exceptions to rule #3. Example: A player has
an M9 he wishes to use but does not have an M8 or an M7. He can use the M9 as one of the three exceptions to rule #3.
5- Only one exactly identical card of strength 10 or higher may be used,
and no more than 4 cards total of strength 10 or higher may be used. No
more than two exactly identical cards of strength 9, 8, 7, or 6 may be used. No more than four exactly identical cards of strength 4 or 5 may be used. Exactly Identical: For purposes of stocking a deck, two cards are defined
as being exactly identical if they have the same card name, card strength, points needed, and points generated. The pictured image and precise text is not necessarily the same for exactly identical cards due to possible changes between print runs and editions of the game.
Using Minor Empire Ships: Players may use a number of minor empire ships (Bolaar Pirate, Vektrean Mercenary, Indirigan Nomad, Dragon Empire and other future possibilities) determined by one of the following two formulas. The player must use the formula which generates the SMALLER number of permitted minor empire ship cards.
a- A maximum of two minor empire ship cards per player who begins the game may be stocked in each player's deck. For this purpose, Indirigan ships count as only 1/2 a ship.
b- A maximum of one minor empire ship card per 4 major empire ship cards (rounded down) in the deck may be stacked in the player's deck. For this purpose, Indirigan ships count as only 1/2 a ship.
THE RESERVE FLEET: The reserve fleet is a number of cards which can be brought into play more or less at will, without having to rely on the luck of the draw from the deck.
Create the Reserve Fleet: Remove a number of cards from your deck equal to the number of players in the game. These may be any cards of your choice,
of any type. These cards should be set aside, face down. These cards are
not exposed to the other players until after the ante has been drawn (see below). This reserve fleet may be brought into play later (see below). The reserve fleet is not limited to just ship cards. Although these cards are designated the reserve fleet, they may be of any card type - - - terrain cards, monster cards, etc.
As a recommended optional rule, reserve fleets may be used even if
all players will be drawing from the same deck in a Basic Game or similar variation.
Using the Reserve Fleet: Instead of a standard play cards action during
his turn, a player may play a card into his reserve fleet. When a card is played into the reserve fleet, the player must remove any card of equal or lower strength from the reserve fleet and place it into his hand. This action counts as one of the three cards that may be played during a player's turn. To play this card from the player's hand to his active fleet requires a second card play.
Note that the reserve fleet will always contain a number of cards
equal to the number of players at the start of the game, since a card must be played into the reserve fleet in order to remove a card from it for use in the player's hand.
GETTING STARTED / ANTE: After you have stocked your deck and created your reserve fleet, shuffle the remaining cards in your deck. Then set it down
in front of you. The player to your left then cuts your deck. After all decks have been cut each player draws the top card from his deck and exposes it to all. This card is the ante. The ante from all players is set aside
and not used during the game. The winner of the game gets to keep all of
the ante cards after he has won the game.
Players may wish to 'not play for keeps', returning the ante cards
to their owners after the game is over. This should be made clear before
the ante is exposed to prevent hard feelings. If this is not discussed and agreed upon before the game begins, the game is not played for keeps. If
the game is not to be played for keeps, the ante card becomes the first card in each player's discard pile.
After the ante has been drawn, all players expose their reserve
fleets to the other players by placing them face up on the table in an area designated for the reserve fleet. Care should be used not to confuse the reserve fleet with the active fleet which will be formed by playing cards. BEGINNING PLAY: All players draw nine cards from their decks. The player with the highest strength ante goes first (strength is the number at the top left corner of the card). The second highest strength ante goes second, third highest third, etc. Ties are resolved by die roll. It is best for players to seat themselves in a clockwise rotation around the table in the order of play.
RUNNING OUT OF CARDS: In the rare case where a player's deck is exhausted (i.e. all cards are either in play or discarded and none remain in the player's deck), the player must rely on those cards remaining in his hand and those already in play. The player does not reshuffle his discard pile. TOURNAMENT RULES-
The Standard Game rules are used with the following added
conditions:
1- The total deck must consist of between 80 and 120 cards, and no card of strength 10 or greater is permitted.
2- Ante will not be kept by the winner.
3- In the first round, each game will consist of four players. The last
two surviving players will go on to the next round.
4- In the second round, games consist of four players but only the winner goes on to the third or final round. A third round would be the same as the second round if necessary.
5- The finals consist of from three to six finalists.
6- The judge will make calls on any unresolved card interactions.
7a- Players are allowed a maximum of 10 minutes before the game starts to stock their decks.
7b- A player who is more than five minutes late for the start of a game
will lose one card (drawn at random) from his deck per minute after five minutes. After fifteen minutes and ten lost cards, the player is eliminated. 8- Judges may modify these rules as they see fit, so long as all modifications are posted in writing in advance of the event.
9- A judge may look through any player's hand or deck before, during (care should be used not to disturb the order of the cards), or at the end of any game.
10- Time Limits-
Game Time Limit: All games have a two hour time limit. When the
time limit is called, finish that complete turn and play one more complete turn. If no one has won by that time then the player with the least amount of damage to his Sector HQ wins. If that results in a tie, tally the total strength points of the ship cards (only) in the fleet of each player involved in the first place tie - - - the highest total wins.
Player Turn Time Limit: To complete his turn, each player has a
maximum of one minute times the number of players currently in the game. When this time limit expires, the player ceases his turn but is allowed to draw cards from his deck. This only needs to be enforced in cases of
obvious stalling.
The 200 POINT CHALLENGE-
The Standard Game rules are used, but each player stocks his deck
with 200 strength points of cards. This may mean the player will have a select few strong cards or many weak cards. There are no restrictions as to strengths or quantities of cards chosen, but at least 8 different card types must be represented with at least 1 card each. This is often a better way for beginning players to stock their decks.
FREE-FOR-ALL-
Each player may use as many cards of any type or strength to stock
his deck. Any number of ships and other card types may be in play, and the players are not required to stock their deck with only one empire's ships. Ships from more than one empire may be in play at the same time. All other Standard Game rules apply.
THE EGO GAME-
Players may pick and choose any rules or variations they wish, or
even make up their own. The player with the biggest ego, and biggest mouth (tape measure optional), will control which rules will be used.
THE GAMBLERS-
Players play for keeps. Every five points of damage a player
causes to another player's Sector HQ allows him to draw one card from that player's deck, keep it, and place it in his hand. At this point the damaged player also draws one card from his own deck and places it in his own hand. Any rules can be used. Players are not eliminated by 25 points of Sector HQ damage, but may play until they just don't want to lose any more cards. Quitting is only allowed on your own turn before any actions are taken. EVERYONE PLAYS TO THE END-
In this variation, the winner is the first player to score a total
of 50 points of damage on opponent Sector HQs. This damage may be scored on one or several Sector HQs. A player is not eliminated from play by the 25th damage point on his Sector HQ; all players continue to play until one player accumulates the 50 points needed to win. However, a player who scores the 25th damage point (and each multiple of the 25th damage point) on a player's Sector HQ gets a two-card victory celebration as per the standard rules.
This variation is best when playing with friends, since no one has
to sit around and watch TV while everyone else continues to have fun with Galactic Empires just because of a knockout early in the game.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE VARIATIONS TO TRY-
Defenders Shoot Back: Defending units shoot back at one attacking unit when fired upon. The defending unit may fire back only if it is Disengaged, but it may fire with all its weapons. This defensive fire may not be made in reaction to card plays.
Bases Defend Ships: Ships may be stacked with a base. The ship and base
may be fired at and have cards played on them normally. If an opponent
fires at the ship, the base will fire all its weapons (whether Engaged or not) at one attacking unit. This defensive fire is not made in reaction to card plays. If the base is attacked, neither it nor the ship gets to fire. The ship is not destroyed if the base is destroyed.
Restricted Bases: Bases cannot fire at terrain cards or other base cards.

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