Objective of the Game

The galaxy is in crisis and the Empire is crumbling. As the Blight spreads through the Reach, destroying everything in its path, players must navigate a landscape of chaos. You must decide your path to power: will you act as a Steward to hold together the fragmenting empire, or will you become an Outlaw to defy its grip? Your goal is to fulfill your specific Fate by advancing your Objective Marker down the Power Track toward 0 Power. In a campaign, the winner is the player with the most Power accumulated over all three Acts.

Preparation (Setup)

Because this is a campaign, setup differs from a single-session game. Follow these steps for Act I Setup:

Table Setup

• Place the map on the table and collect the 18 battle dice, 25 resource tokens, 24 Blight tokens, 28 Free cities, and 14 Free starports.
• Give the initiative marker to a random player.
• Shuffle the 20 action cards (marked 2 through 6) to start the action deck. If playing with 4 players, also shuffle the 8 action cards marked 1 and 7 into the deck.
• Shuffle 2 Event action cards (for 2-3 players) or 3 Event action cards (for 4 players) into the action deck.
• Place the 3 ambition markers on their blue, lower-numbered sides in the Available Ambitions section of the map.
• Place the Chapter track tile on the map with its Act I & II side face up, and place the chapter marker on the 1 space.
• Place the zero marker in the Ambition Declared slot on the map.
• Shuffle all 15 campaign Vox and Guild cards (marked CC) to make the Court deck. Deal 3 cards (2 players) or 4 cards (3-4 players) into the Court row.
• Shuffle 1 lore card per player at random from the lore deck into the Court deck.
• Place the Imperial Council card (01) on its In Session side as the leftmost Court card.
• In 2-player games, slide the Guild Envoys Departed edict (02) into the rules booklet.
• Shuffle the 3 Govern the Imperial Reach edict cards (03–05) face down, flip them all over, and slide them face up into the rules booklet.
• Roll the number die, then set up the 2 Imperial clusters: place 1 Imperial ship in each system of the rolled cluster and the next clockwise cluster (8 total).
• Roll the event die. Place 1 Free city on each planet of the rolled planet ID symbol outside the Imperial clusters.
• Place 1 damaged Blight in each system outside the Imperial clusters.
• 2 Players Only: Roll the number die twice. Place the 6 resource tokens matching the planets in the 2 rolled clusters onto the ambition boxes.

Player Setup

• Each player chooses a color and collects their player board, 15 ships, 5 cities, 5 starports, and 10 agents. Place the 5 cities in the triangle slots on the player board.
• Each player draws 2 “A” Fate cards, chooses one secretly, reveals it, and takes the matching Fate Set.
• Set up based on the Setup side of your objective card (the first card in your Fate Set), then flip it to its Objective side.
• Place your objective marker on the Power track space shown on your objective card.
• Place your Power marker on the 0 Power space on the map.
• Each player takes a Regent/Outlaw title card (06–09) and tucks it partially under their Fate card with the Regent side up. If no one has the First Regent tile, the player with initiative takes it.
• In turn order, each player places 3 ships and 1 building in an empty building slot at a planet with an Imperial ship and gains 1 resource token of that planet type.
• Repeat the previous step in reverse turn order.
• Place Free cities in all empty building slots on planets with Imperial ships.
• Each player draws 6 action cards. (2 Players Only: The player without initiative may discard all action cards except Events and draw the same number of new cards).
• Discard all action cards not in players' hands into the action discard pile on the map.

Flux of the Game

The game is played in Acts, which consist of multiple Chapters. Acts I and II end after 3 chapters; Act III ends after 4 chapters.

Turn Structure

The game progresses through Chapters. During a chapter, players take turns performing actions. At the end of a round, several things may occur:

• Initiative Check: The initiative marker is passed to the player with the most Power.
• Event Resolution: If Event cards were played, the player with initiative may call a Summit, then rolls the event die and number die to resolve either Crises or Edicts.
• Imperial Council: If the Imperial Council was secured this round, resolve it instead of the Event.

Intermission

After Acts I and II, an Intermission occurs to prepare for the next Act:

1. Resolve Fate: Players resolve their Resolution cards. Players who failed their objective lose Power equal to their objective marker position.
2. Clear Court: Return all cards (except Imperial Council) to the Court deck; clear all agents; scrap the Court discard pile.
3. Clear Pieces: Clear all Trophies, Captives, and frozen resources (including the Imperial Trust).
4. Repair & Destroy: Repair all damaged Blight. Destroy all damaged ships, buildings, Flagship Upgrades, and Armor. Destroy buildings in systems with Blight and no ships.
5. Shift Initiative & Power: Give initiative to the player with most Power. Players with more than 1 Power lose half their Power (rounded down).
6. Choose Fate: Players who completed their objective draw 1 Fate card. Players who failed draw 2 Fate cards. Players secretly choose 1 card for the next Act and reveal simultaneously.

Actions and How to Play

Players use action cards to interact with the galaxy. Some cards are Prelude actions, which can be used before other actions. Event cards can be played on your turn but cannot be used to Lead, Copy, or seize the initiative. If a Rival played an Event card or secured the Imperial Council earlier this round, an Event card provides no actions.

Key Actions and Terms

• Summit: Triggered by Event cards or the Imperial Council. Includes Call to Order (where players can Return Favors, Petition the Council, Leave the Empire, or Revive the Empire) and Negotiations (where players can Cede Control, Delegate Authority, Promise Favor, Transfer Asset, or Invite to Empire).
• Crises: Triggered by Event cards or the Imperial Council. Includes Blight Crises, Fate Crises, and Court Crises.
• Edicts: Triggered by Event cards or the Imperial Council. These are resolved in order from lowest to highest number.
• Imperial Council: A Court card that can be influenced or secured. Securing it allows a Regent to become the First Regent or an Outlaw to steal from the Imperial Trust.
• Blight: A Tough entity that deals hits during Crises and destroys buildings during the Intermission.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the final chapter of Act III. The winner is determined as follows:

• Standard Victory: The player with the most Power accumulated over all three Acts wins.
• Tie-breaking: Ties in Power are broken in favor of “A” Fates over “B” Fates, and “B” Fates over “C” Fates. Further ties are broken by turn order.
• Final Objective: In Act III, “C” Fates have a final objective. If a player completes this by having their objective marker at 0 and at least 1 Power, this victory supersedes having the most Power. If multiple players complete it, the one with the most Power wins.

Tips for Victory

• Manage your Fate: If you fail your objective, you lose Power during the Intermission. Plan your actions to ensure you reach 0 Power.
• Watch the Council: Securing the Imperial Council can drastically change your status (becoming First Regent or an Outlaw) and allows you to trigger Crises or Edicts.