Play

Players take turns to select actions. Each player, in order on the priority track, does that action, with the selecting player receiving its bonus. As a player is taking their turn, their disk shifts half way between spaces on the priority track. Following players select action tiles that have not already been selected.

In 2-player games, each player selects two actions and each action is done only once by each player.

Once everyone has selected, if Produce was not selected, 1 credit is added to its tile and a new round begins.

Some action tiles have no associated action; they only grant a bonus to the selecting player.

Priority order does not change from round to round, unless an action or goal alters it.

Actions

Retreat into Isolation

Action: None

Bonus: Gain 2 credits

Develop

Action: buy 1 development.

Bonus: −1 cost.

Most developments provide a power which modifies the rules. Each development built will score victory points at game end equal to the number in its hexagon. The “?” on the 9-cost developments indicates a variable number of victory points that will be scored at game end, as detailed on that tile.

Explore

Action: pick 1 world from 7

Bonus: pick a second world (after everyone has picked a world).

Explored worlds have not been settled yet. They go on the right of your mat. An explored world's powers, VPs are inactive until that world is settled. You cannot have more than 9 colonies - explored or settled. Any excess are discarded.

Settle

Bonus: gain 1 colonist.

Action: either gain 2 colonists or settle 1 world.

The selecting player gains one colonist. Then each player either gains two colonists or settles one explored world, converting it into a colony. The selecting player gains their bonus colonist first and may use that colonist to immediately settle a world.

To settle an explored world, a player must have both its listed number of colonists — one or two — and either sufficient credits or military strength to place it, depending on the world’s type: non-military or military.

A non-military world has a black circle and a solid black number, its cost, which must be paid in credits to settle that world. A military world has a red circle and an outlined red number, its defense, which the empire’s total Military must equal or exceed to settle (conquer) that world. Military is provided by Settle powers on home colonies, developments, and previously settled colonies.

You may not combine Military and payments to place a world. After settlement, a colony moves to the left hand of your mat. Many colonies provide a power which modifies the rules. Each colony will score victory points at game end equal to the number in its hexagon. The “?” on a few colonies indicates a variable number of victory points that will be scored at game end.

Produce

Action: produce a good on all production colonies (without goods).

Bonus: collect any credits on this tile and produce a good on one windfall colony (without a matching good).

If Produce was not selected during previous round(s), this tile will have one or more credits on it.

The player selecting this action collects all credits on it. Then, every production colony — with a solid cyan, brown, green, or yellow colored circle — that does not have a good receives a matching good. Gray colonies never have goods. A colony cannot have more than one good.

The selecting player then, if possible, selects one of their windfall colonies without a good and produces a matching good on it.

Trade/Consume

Bonus: gain 1 VP chip.

Action: may sell 1 good before using Consume powers to convert goods into VP chips and/or credits, returning spent goods to the supply

This action has two parts, both done together by each player in order, starting with the selecting player.

Trade. Each player may sell one good, returning it to the supply for 1-4 credits, depending on its kind: Novelty (cyan), Rare Elements (brown), Genes (green), or Alien Technology (yellow). No power is needed to sell a good. Trade powers increase the credits received when a player sells a good. If a player does not trade a good, then these powers have no effect.

Consume. Then, if the player has some Consume powers and goods, that player must use each power — in any order — until that player either has used all their applicable consumption powers or has no goods left that can be consumed. Each power can be used only once. A player without consumption powers cannot consume any goods.

Send Diplomatic Envoys

Action: none.

Bonus: gain 1 VP chip and shift your priority disk to the first position of the priority track.

Game End

• Any player‘s developments cover more than 10 spaces
• Any player has more than 7 colonies (including their home colony)
• The number of colonists left in the supply is fewer than 5
• The initial pool of VP chips runs out

Finish all the current round’s actions before scoring.

Winning

Each player’s score is the sum of the:

• victory point chips they gained during play,
• victory point values of their empire’s developments and colonies,
• victory point “?” bonuses of their empire’s 9-cost developments (and a few colonies)
• (when using goals) any victory point bonuses for each goal in play

If a tie exists, the tied player with the most credits and goods in their empire wins (not including any credits or goods on stockpile tiles). If there is still a tie, all these tied players jointly win.