Federation — How to Play

Game Objective

The theme of Federation involves first contact with extraterrestrial life in a universe where resources are scarce and the thirst for knowledge and technology is growing. The game takes place in a context of federations that trade and cause intrigue. The goal is to be the most prestigious delegation within a federation of 5 member planets over 5 years. The player who accumulates the most Prestige Points (PP) at the end of the game wins and joins the Federation.

Setup

The game setup should follow the steps below:

Central Board

1. Organize the Variation Pieces by strength and place them, face down, in the corresponding moon spaces. Reveal the pieces placed on the first moon.
2. For the first game, the Production Structure Tokens and the Megastructure Pieces are already printed on the central board.
3. Place the resources near the central board.
4. Place the remaining pieces face down near the central board.
5. Place the Law Tokens (5 on the Left and 5 on the Right) shuffled face down, revealing only the first of each stack (which must be different).
6. Randomly, place 4 Asteroid Pieces face down and 4 Dead Asteroid Pieces face down.

Individual Board

1. Place the Accreditation Marker on the first step of your scale.
2. Place 1 Spaceship in your Hangar.
3. Place your 4 Ambassador Pieces in the corresponding spaces.
4. Form a reserve near your board with the remaining Spaceships, the Special Mission Pieces, and the Assistant Die.
5. Place your Scoring Marker on space 0 (or on the first space of the scoring track, depending on the number of players).

Player Components and Others

• Place the Mage pawn on the starting moon of the blue planet (Moon 6).
• Place the Miner pawn on the orange planet (Neo).
• Place the 6 Trade Discs of each player on the yellow planet (Arratooine).
• Place the 6 Robot Pawns of each player on the green planet (E81216).
• Distribute the Starting Tokens (quantity equal to the number of players + 1). Each player chooses one and receives the corresponding bonus.
• Distribute the Honor Medals in the designated spaces.

Game Flow

The game is played in 5 rounds. Each round is divided into two main steps: Ambassador Phase and Executive Phase.

I. Ambassador Phase

This phase proceeds clockwise, starting with the player who holds the Senate President pawn. During this phase, each player performs 4 turns (one for each Ambassador Piece). A player's turn consists of 2 successive actions:

1. Main Action (Mandatory): Play 1 Ambassador Piece on an available action space in the Senate. The player must choose the side of the piece: Voting or Funding.
   • If the piece has the Funding symbol, the player immediately receives 1 Special Mission Piece for the corresponding mission on their individual board.
   • If the piece has the Voting symbol, there is no immediate effect, but the player may use their Assistant Die to increase their voting power.
2. Optional Action: Send 1 Spaceship to complete a Special Mission accessible on the individual board (provided it meets the Accreditation requirements and has a spaceship in the Hangar).

II. Executive Phase

Occurs after all players have played their 4 Ambassador pieces. The steps are performed in turn order:

1. Production Structure Income: Each player receives income from their Production Structures (where they have a Robot Pawn).
2. Accreditation Level Payment: Each player pays the resource cost of their Accreditation level. If they cannot pay, their marker drops to the lowest level they can afford (or level 2 if they cannot afford anything).
3. Main Project Funding: Move the marker of each Main Project one step forward for each Ambassador Piece played with the Funding side in the corresponding column. Excess funding goes to the Joint Main Project.
4. Senate Majority: Determine the player with the highest voting power in each of the three floors of the Senate. The winner marks Prestige Points (PP) equal to their Accreditation level.
5. Voting for a Law: The law with the highest number of votes is passed. Discard the current Law Tokens and reveal the next two.

Actions and How to Play

Main actions occur in the Senate and are divided into three types:

1. Federated Planets

• Neo (Orange): Move the Miner pawn forward to gain resources and increase influence.
• 6Moon (Blue): Move the Mage pawn forward to gain a Variation Piece and increase influence.
• Atalum (Purple): Choose a Scholar Token to gain bonuses and increase influence.
• Arratooine (Yellow): Conduct trade at stalls to gain resources and influence.
• E81216 (Green): Build Production Structures or Megastructures to gain benefits and influence.

2. Senate Rooms

• Officers' Quarters: Gain 2 degrees of Accreditation.
• Small Lounge: Gain 1 degree of Accreditation and move a Main Project.
• Purchasing Office: Gain 2 Spaceships.
• President's Office: Gain the Senate President pawn.
• Assistant Room: Gain or increase the value of the Assistant Die.
• Patrons' Lounge: Gain an Honor Medal.

3. Special Actions

• Spy Action (Copy): Costs 1 Lavandium and allows you to copy a Planet or Senate Room action.
• External Module: If you cannot perform actions in the Senate, you may gain 1 Oceanium and the bonus from your Ambassador Piece.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the 5th round. Scoring consists of:

1. Honor Medals: Mark the lowest value found in your Honor Medals set. If you possess all 7, you gain 30 PP.
2. Remaining Resources:
   • 1 PP for every 2 Crystals.
   • 1 PP for every Golden Diamond.
   • 1 PP for every Spaceship in the Hangar.
   • 1 PP for every Variation Piece.
3. Funded Main Projects: Mark PP according to your ranking in the Main Projects (based on influence, completed missions, or joint contribution).

Tips for Winning

• Consult the manual for details on this section.
• Consult the manual for details on this section.