Here's your definitive guide to "Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy"!

Objective of the Game

Welcome, future galactic emperor! In Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, you'll lead a vast interstellar civilization, vying for dominance against your rivals. The galaxy has been a peaceful place, but tensions are rising, and old alliances are shattering. It's time for your faction to rise! Over eight intense Rounds, you'll expand your civilization by Exploring and colonizing new Sector hexes (Sectors), Researching Technologies (Techs), and Building Spaceships (Ships) to wage war. The game culminates after eight rounds, and victory is awarded to the player with the most Victory Points (VP). You'll earn VPs from a variety of sources: winning battles, forging Diplomatic Relations, Controlling Sectors and Monoliths, making Discoveries, and Researching Techs. There are many paths to victory, so plan your strategy wisely and keep an eye on your rivals!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get this galactic empire ready! Here's how to set up your game of Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy:

1. Prepare the Tech Tray:
   • Take the Tech Tiles and put them in the white Tech Tile Bag, then shuffle them.
   • Draw a specific number of regular Tech Tiles based on your player count (e.g., 12 for 2 players, 14 for 3, 16 for 4, 18 for 5, 20 for 6). Place these drawn Tech Tiles into the slots on the Tech Tray that match their Tech and cost icons. Stack duplicate Tech Tiles in the same slot.
   • Any Rare Tech Tiles drawn go into any of the seven slots on the bottom row of the Tech Tray, but they don't count towards the regular Tech Tile limit.
2. Prepare Reputation and Discovery:
   • Put the Reputation Tiles into the black Reputation Tile Bag and shuffle them.
   • Shuffle the Discovery Tiles and place them face-down near the Tech Tray and Upgrade Tray.
3. Blueprint Tiles and Miscellaneous:
   • Choose one Blueprint Tile of each type (Ancient, Guardian, GCDS) for this game. (Advanced Blueprint Tiles with two notches are for experienced players!)
   • Set the chosen Blueprint Tiles, Damage Cubes, and the Traitor Tile beside the Tech and Upgrade Trays.
   • Arrange the Ship Part Tiles by type in the Upgrade Tray.
4. Set up the Galaxy:
   • Place the Galactic Center Sector in the middle of the table. Put a face-down Discovery Tile on its Discovery Tile symbol, then place the Galactic Center Defense System (GCDS) miniature on top.
   • Shuffle each of the Sector hexes by Ring: Inner (I), Middle (II), and Outer (III). (If you're not using the optional Warp Portals module, remove Sectors 281, 381-382 before shuffling.)
   • Place the shuffled Sectors into face-down stacks, with the Outer Sector stack containing the number of Outer (III) Sectors indicated for your player count (e.g., 5 for 2 players, 8 for 3, 14 for 4, 16 for 5, 18 for 6).
5. Player Setup:
   • Give the Start Player Tile to the player who has spent the least time on planet Terra (in the Sol system).
   • Starting with the player to the right of the Start Player and moving counter-clockwise, each player chooses a Species Board and takes the matching color Species Tray (which contains all individual civilization components).
   • Place your Starting Sector in the Starting Zone closest to you, oriented so the arrow faces the GCDS.
   • Fill any empty Starting Zones with random Guardian Sectors (not used in 6-player games), oriented so the arrow faces the GCDS. Place a face-down Discovery Tile on the Guardian Symbol of each Guardian Sector, then a Guardian miniature on top.
   • Return remaining Starting Sectors, Guardian Sectors, and Species Boards to the box.
6. Individual Player Components:
   • From your Species Tray, take the number of Colony Ships shown on your Species Board and your Summary Tile (with the Action Phase Overview face up), and set them next to your Species Board.
   • Take your Influence Discs from your Species Tray and place them on the Influence Track of your Species Board (leave the three extra Influence Discs in your Species Tray).
   • On your Control Board, place one Population Cube on each square valued 3-28 of the three Population Tracks (Materials, Science, and Money).
   • Place one Storage Marker of each color on your Storage Track, with the single-pointed end facing the center of the Control Board, at the Starting Storage Resource values indicated on your Species Board.
   • In your Starting Sector, place one Interceptor Ship miniature, one Population Cube in each Population Square without a star (taken from the 3 space of your corresponding Population Track), and one Influence Disc (taken from the leftmost space of your Influence Track).
   • Keep your Ships and Ambassador Tiles in your Species Tray for easy access.

The Turn of Play

A game of Eclipse unfolds over eight Rounds, each consisting of four distinct Phases. Let's break down how a round works:

1. Action Phase

   This is where the magic happens! Starting with the player holding the Start Player Tile and moving clockwise, players take turns performing one Action or Passing. This continues until all players have Passed. The number of Actions you can take is only limited by the Influence Discs available on your Influence Track.

   When you take an Action, you move the leftmost Influence Disc from your Influence Track to the corresponding Action Space on your Action Track. You can stack multiple Influence Discs on the same Action Space if you want to take that Action multiple times.

   The possible Actions are:
   • Explore: This lets you discover new Sectors to colonize. Each Explore Action grants you Explore Activations. For each Activation, choose an unexplored Zone next to a Sector you Control or have at least one Unpinned Ship. Flip a Sector Tile from the corresponding stack (Inner, Middle, or Outer). You then decide whether to place the Sector or discard it. If you place it, it must form a Wormhole Connection with one of your Controlled Sectors or a Sector with an Unpinned Ship. If the Sector has a Discovery Tile Symbol, place a face-down Discovery Tile on it. If it has Ancient Symbols, place Ancients miniatures on top. You can take Control of an explored Sector (if it doesn't contain Ancients) by placing an Influence Disc on its Influence Space.
   • Research: Advance your civilization by Researching new Techs! Each Research Action gives you Research Activations. For each Activation, you can Research an available Tech Tile from the Tech Tray by paying its Science cost. Place the Researched Tech Tile on the leftmost available space of its category's Tech Track on your Species Board. Having Techs in a category gives you a discount on future Techs in that same category (though all Techs have a minimum Science cost).
   • Upgrade: Modify your Ship Blueprints to make your Ships more powerful! When you Upgrade a Ship's Blueprint, all Ships of that type are instantly Upgraded. Each Upgrade Action grants Upgrade Activations. With each Activation, you can return Ship Part Tiles from your Blueprints to the Upgrade Tray, then move a Ship Part Tile from the Upgrade Tray to an empty or pre-printed Ship Part Space on a Blueprint. You must have Researched the prerequisite Tech for the Ship Part, and the Blueprint's Energy Consumption cannot exceed its Energy Production.
   • Build: Construct new Ships and Structures to expand your empire. Each Build Action gives you Build Activations. For each Activation, you can Build one Ship or Structure in any Sector you Control by paying its Materials cost. Remember, you must have Researched the necessary Tech for Starbases or Structures, and each Sector can only have one Monolith and one Orbital.
   • Move: Maneuver your Ships across the galaxy. Each Move Action grants Move Activations. For each Activation, you can Move one Ship up to its Movement Value (determined by its Drives). Ships can only Move to Sectors with a Wormhole or Warp Portal Connection to the Sector they're moving from. Be aware of Pinned Ships – if an opponent has Ships in a Sector, your Ships there might be Pinned and unable to move.
   • Influence: Modify your Control over Sectors. Each Influence Action grants Influence Activations and allows you to flip up to two of your used Colony Ships face up. For each Activation, you can move an Influence Disc from your Influence Track or a Controlled Sector to an Uncontrolled Sector (where no opponent Ships are present and a Wormhole/Warp Portal Connection exists, or where only you have a Ship), or back to the rightmost empty space of your Influence Track. If you remove an Influence Disc from a Sector, all Population Cubes from that Sector return to your Population Tracks.

   Colony Ships: At any time during your Action or Reaction, you can use one or more face-up Colony Ships by flipping them face-down. For each Colony Ship used, you can move one Population Cube from your Control Board to any empty Population Square in a Sector you Control. Colony Ships are the *only* way to move Population Cubes to Sectors!

   Passing and Reactions: The first time you Pass in a Round, flip your Summary Tile to the Reactions Overview side. You also gain 2 Money and the Start Player Tile for the next Round. On subsequent turns after Passing, you may only take one Reaction (weaker versions of Upgrade, Build, and Move without Tech bonuses) or Pass again. The Action Phase ends immediately once all players' Summary Tiles are flipped to the Reactions Overview.

   Diplomatic Relations (4+ players): In games with four or more players, you can use your Ambassador Tiles to form Diplomatic Relations with other players. This increases your Production and is worth VP at the end of the game. You can propose Diplomatic Relations at any time during your Action, but only between players with a Wormhole Connection joining Sectors they Control, and if neither player has opponent Ships in their Controlled Sectors or already has an Ambassador Tile from the other player. If both agree, you exchange Ambassador Tiles (with a Population Cube on it) and place them on an empty Ambassador Tile space on your Reputation Track.

2. Combat Phase

   This is where galactic conflicts are resolved! The Combat Phase consists of six steps: