It's based on an old, ooold Donald Duck game from the 90's that I've played. Namely, you move around the board, gathering loot, upgrading your ship and getting through wacky events, to gather 5000 Credits and win the game.
I need 4 players for this!
GOAL OF THE GAME:
To amass 5000 Space Credits and become the richest plundering scum enlightened explorer in this quadrant!
BEGINNING:
Each player chooses his Ship and his Token. Then, they choose their Cosmoport (a starting point); each Player has to choose different Cosmoport.
There are 6 token colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Magenta (the order of colors corresponds to player movement order).
MOVEMENT:
Players move their ships clockwise on the board, and the amount of the tiles they can traverse depends on their Drives.
When one player stops on a tile occupied by another player, combat ensues, which outcome depends on the ship's Weapons and Shields.
When the player ends his move on a 'star' tile, he/she can draw a Space event card. If Player stands on 'planet' tile, he/she can draw a Planetary event card.
When the player starts his move on Cosmoport Lane tile, then, instead of moving this turn, he/she can pull to the Cosmoport instead.
When the player ends his move on a swirly 'wormhole' tile, he/she is immediatelly transported to the other side. Wormholes also disrupt weapons and shields, thus making combat impossible on their tiles.
COMBAT:
When two players meet on the same tile, Combat occurs. The Player who was already occupying the tile rolls a dice and adds his Shields bonus; the Player who just entered the tile rolls a dice and adds his Weapons bonus.
If both Players end with the same number (with or without bonuses), the rolls are repeated.
The loser's ship is severely damaged and they require 2 turns to repair it (one if they have Engineer on board). The winner may take 1 item (be it Animal, Treasure, Mineral or unequipped Ship System) from the loser's cargobays.
Cosmoport Lanes and Cosmoports themselves are under surveillance of Starfleet Patrol Ships, and thus combat is not allowed there.
COSMOPORTS:
There are 4 Cosmoports; you can enter them one turn after you park on Cosmoport Lanes - green tiles with arrows pointing toward the Cosmoport.
Cosmoports serve as hubs of commerce; they allow you to hire Specialists and buy Systems of 'first and second level' (Ion Sail and Plasma Pulse for Drives, Peashooter Laser and Magnum Blaster for Weapons, and so on).
Cosmoports also sell Other systems, specifically 'Fusion Capacitors', 'Cosmoport Automated Tug' and 'Extension Rack'. You can cash in your Animal/Treasure/Mineral cargo in Cosmoports, and the Cosmoports will gladly buy your Systems for half their price.
SYSTEMS:
Each Ship has its own set of Systems; Drive (which can be exchanged but not discarded), and, depending on the Ship, 3 to 5 more Systems.
These systems are grouped into categories of Weapons, Shields, Cargobays and Other. Crew Quarters and System Slots cannot be modified.
Drive determines the amount of tiles your ship can travel per turn. Drives can never be stolen or destroyed.
Ion Sail: 1 to 3 tiles.
Plasma Pulse: 1 to 4 tiles.
Molecular Drive: 1 to 6 tiles.
X-Speed Engine: 2, 4, 6 or 8 tiles.
Precursor Reactor: 1 to 8 tiles.
Weapons determine your Combat rolls when you enter a tile occupied by another player (if you have no Weapons installed, you gain -1 penalty).
Peashooter Laser: no bonus
Magnum Blaster: +1 bonus
Vulcan Spittergun: +2 bonus
Fusion Cannon: +3 bonus
Precursor Phasor: +4 bonus
Precursor Torpedoes: +3 bonus, negates enemy Shields bonus
Shields determine your Combat rolls when another player enters a tile occupied by you (if you have no Shields installed, you gain -1 penalty).
Standard Deflectors: no bonus
Electron Matrix: +1 bonus
Subspace Field: +2 bonus
Quantum Shielding: +3 bonus
Precursor Megashield: +4 bonus
Precursor Nullifier: +3 bonus, negates enemy Weapons bonus
Cargobays determine the amount of total Cargo that you can carry (if you have no Cargobay installed, you can carry up to 4 cargo total).
Limited Cargobay: Up to 6 cargo total
Hauler Storage: Up to 8 cargo total
Merchant Cove: Up to 10 cargo total
Giant Belly Bay: Up to 14 cargo total
Precursor Quantum Storage: Up to 20 cargo total
Other are various systems that can benefit you in one way or another.
Fusion Capacitors: Increases amount of tiles you can move by 1 (Ion Sail, Plasma Pulse, Molecular Drive), adds '10 tiles' option (X-Speed Engine)
Stargate Beacon: Lets you move up to 10 tiles in either direction if you stumble upon 'Ancient Stargate' Space event. It's the only system that works without being Equipped in System Slot.
Xaprax Binary Translator: Lets you converse with the cybernetic, reclusive Xaprax if you stumble upon them during a Space event.
Expansion Rack: Provides space for two extra Other systems. Only one Expansion Rack can be installed on a ship.
Cosmoport Automated Tug: If you end your move on Cosmoport Entry Lane (3 green tiles near Cosmoport), you will automatically be moved to the Cosmoport, even if you normally couldn't reach it this turn.
Protective Bubble Emitter: You cannot be attacked by, and you cannot attack, other Players.
Hahn Transponder Unit: The murderous and xenophobic Hahn won't attack you if you stumble upon them during a Space event.
Precursor Determinancy Computer: After an event roll, you can roll the dice one more time and you can pick either number; after combat rolls, you can roll a dice and use the rolled number to change your or your opponent's roll to that number.
Precursor Quantum Leap Machine: Instead of moving normally, you can roll a dice; if you roll between 2 to 6, you can move in either direction that many tiles. If you roll a 1, you can move to a Cosmoport of your choosing.
Precursor Cloning Bay: Whenever you lose a Specialist due to an event, he/she is instantly revived!
SPECIALISTS:
Each Specialist can be hired at the Cosmoport, and each takes 1 Crew Quarters slot and each costs 250 Credits to hire.
Be warned that each time you visit a Cosmoport, a Specialist on board will draw another 50 Credits for his/her work; each unpaid Specialist will leave your ship instantly.
You can dismiss your Specialist(s) whenever you visit a Cosmoport.
Archeologist: Nets you extra Treasure cargo during some events.
Biologist: Nets you extra Animal cargo during some events.
Engineer: Allows you to install and use Precursor systems on your ship, and fastens repairs if you ship gets damaged during certain events.
Geologist: Nets you extra Mineral cargo during some events.
Linguist: Allows you to trade with the spidery Utumno, or convince the Hahn raiders to leave you ship alone, if you stumble upon them during a Space event.
Weapons Officer: Nullifies Weapons/Shield penalties if you do not have these installed, or brings your Weapon/Shields bonus to +2 if your bonus in these is 0 or +1.
OLD JOHN:
Old John is a line of cargo haulers, which served generations of human explorers for over three centuries by now. It is a ship worthy of an OCD hoarder, but is lacking in combat department, and moves through space like a cosmic turtle.
System Slots: 3
Crew Quarters: 3
Drive System: Ion Sail
Systems (2 of 3 slots filled): Hauler Storage (Cargobay), Standard Deflectors (Shield)
Cargo (0 of 8 ): -
ODYPER:
OdyPer, recent merger of two different ship classes, Odysseus and Persephone, is high-speed explorer craft, suffering from little crew space and mediocre everything else. It does have quite a bit of available System slots, however.
System Slots: 4
Crew Quarters: 2
Drive System: Molecular Drive
Systems (2 of 4 slots filled): Peashooter Laser (Weapons), Limited Cargobay (Cargobay)
Cargo (0 of 6): -
CHARLEMAGNE:
A well-known class of Spacefleet destroyers, the designs for this ship was released into the public after the Starfleet switched over to the new, shiny, utterly lethal Armageddon-class destroyers. Since then, corporations and mercenaries both big and small have been using Charlemagnes to deal with their opponents successfully.
System Slots: 3
Crew Quarters: 4
Drive System: Plasma Pulse
Systems (2 of 3 slots filled): Magnum Blaster (Weapons), Standard Deflectors (Shield)
Cargo (0 of 4): -
LEGO BOY:
It's actually a skeleton of a starship, to be honest, fitted with numerous system slots and decently-sized crew quarters and with plasma pulse glued to the rear. While it promises a lot for the future, in the beginning this ship will be nothing but nuisance to its owners.
System Slots: 5
Crew Quarters: 3
Drive System: Plasma Pulse
Systems (1 of 5 slots filled): Limited Cargobay (Cargobay)
Cargo (0 of 6):
CENTURION:
Centurion is civilian version of it's sister class used by the Starfleet to quickly and efficiently transport troops around. It starts decently equipped for combat and can accomodate up to five specialists, but has tiny amount of system slots and poor starting engine to boot.
System Slots: 3
Crew Quarters: 5
Drive System: Ion Sail
Systems (2 of 3 slots filled): Peashooter Laser (Weapons), Standard Deflectors (Shield)
Cargo (0 of 4): -
Player list:
TOKEN: Red / PORT: East / SHIP: OdyPer
System Slots: 4
Crew Quarters: 2
Drive System: Molecular Drive
Systems (3 of 4 slots filled): Magnum Blaster (Weapons), Electron Matrix (Shields), Hauler Storage (Cargobay)
Cargo (2 of 6): Peashooter Laser, Limited Cargobay
TOKEN: Green / PORT: West / SHIP: Charlemagne
System Slots: 3
Crew Quarters: 4 (Mary the Geologist
*)
Drive System: Plasma Pulse (+)
Systems (3 of 3 slots filled): Magnum Blaster (Weapons), Standard Deflectors (Shield), Extension Rack (2/2): Fusion Capacitors, Hauler Storage (Cargobay)
Cargo (2 of 8 ): Various Metal Jewellery, Ancient Glass Cups&Bowls
TOKEN: Cyan / PORT: South / SHIP: Lego Boy
System Slots: 5
Crew Quarters: 3
Drive System: Plasma Pulse
Systems (3 of 5 slots filled): Limited Cargobay (Cargobay), Magnum Blaster (Weapons), Quantum Shielding (Weapons)
Cargo (1 of 6): Electron Matrix
TOKEN: Magenta / PORT: North / SHIP: OdyPer
System Slots: 4
Crew Quarters: 2 (Kyle the Engineer
*)
Drive System: Molecular Drive
Systems (4 of 4 slots filled): Peashooter Laser (Weapons), Hauler Storage (Cargobay), Automated Cosmoport Tug, Precursor Nullifier (Shields)
Cargo (1 of 8 ): Electron Matrix
. You should probably lock a bunch and keep one.
