Asteria is a card game for 2 players, which adapts 4X games (Exploit (Blue with white triangle symbol), Expand (Green cog symbol) , Explore (Purple hexagon symbol) & Exterminate (Red circle symbol)) into a simpler and more objective game using only 56 cards.

There are two resource types, Energy (yellow lightening bolt), Ore (blue crystals).

First turn the first player can only play on ONE planet. After that you can play one card on each planet. Everyone starts with one of each resource.

Card types

There are two card types:

1) Action Cards -

2) Planet Cards - Which can be used either from your hand for resources (you can choose either half of the planet card to gain the resources, or during Combat to play one card to add to your combat strength (shown by rockets)). Or when pulled from the deck through an Action Card to form a new planet. There can be up to three planets in play at any time.

Your turn

1. Gather resources

These come from any Exploited cards (blue border).

2. Use action cards

Spend resources to play one card on each planet in turn. The cost of the card is shown and is payable unless played as "Exploit", in which case you get the resources. All sides have rocket symbols which show how much the side played contributes towards your strength during combat. Every time you play a card on a planet it moves your tracker one over and you gain the resources in the space. This means that actions can be chained together to gain sufficient resources to do further actions.

Exploit (Blue) - (Free) Shows the resources which will be collected when played, as well as on subsequent turns.

Exterminate (Red) - Primarily add strength to combat.

Explore (Purple) - These often give you planet cards (rectangle with planet inside), or allow planets to be brought to table (Planet with a recycle type symbol).

Expand (Green) - These give you either one off or ongoing benefits. When a planet is conquered Expand cards are added to your play area. You are allowed up to three in your play area- if you would get more you have to choose which to retain.

Free actions

During your turn you can also take free actions. This can include:

a) Spending a Planet card from your hand for resources.

b) Use an Expand (green) power.

3. Combat

At the end of your turn if any of your ship markers have met, combat takes place. If multiple combats could happen the active player chooses.

Add up any rockets (shown as the number, plus any buffs in brackets) and then choose whether to play a planet card for additional combat strength. The person with the highest strength wins, active player breaks ties.

4. Draw back up

At the end of your turn you draw back up to three Action cards. Planet cards can only be drawn through actions.

Resources

These are tracked in the player area for Energy (Yellow lightening) and Ore (Light blue crystal). You start with 2 of each at the beginning of the game. After this you get resources through:

• The Exploit action (you get this immediately when a card is played during your turn).
• Resources collected as you reach a space on the planetary track.
• Discarding a planet from your hand to get all resources on one half of the planet track.
• Resource collection at the start of future turns (based on your Exploit cards on planets).
• Other card actions (this could be when you trigger an action, or at start of the turn).
• Outside of your turn from the other player (as a result of their card action).

There is a hard limit of 12 of any resource at any one time.

Objectives

There are four different objectives. You win when you reach three points.