How to Play Gaia Project: The Lost Fleet

Objective of the Game

In Gaia Project: The Lost Fleet, players take on the roles of factions exploring the galaxy to uncover the secrets of long-lost civilizations. The goal is to explore abandoned spaceships of the Lost Fleet, colonize new planet types (asteroids and protoplanets), and harness advanced technologies to earn the most victory points (VP). The game ends after 6 rounds, and the player with the highest VP wins.

Preparation (Setup)

Gameboard Setup

• 2 players: Use Space Sector tiles 01–07 (flip 05–07 to white-numbered sides). Place one inner sector (01–04) in the center and arrange the other 6 around it, shifted left/right to create gaps. Fill gaps with 6 Interspace tiles (ensure spaceships are 5 spaces apart).
• 3 players: Use sectors 01–10 (except 08). Place one inner sector and arrange 6 others around it, plus 2 shifted sectors. Fill 8 gaps with Interspace tiles (no spaceships within 3 spaces of each other).
• 4 players: Use all 10 sectors. Place two inner sectors and arrange 8 around them, shifted to create 10 gaps. Fill gaps with Interspace tiles (no adjacent spaceships).

Component Setup

• Place Deep Space Sector tiles (11–16) randomly around the board.
• Add the Scoring Board Extension (25 VP side for 2 players; 3 Exploration Shuttles side for 3–4 players).
• Cover the Q.I.C. actions on the Research Board with the Colonization overlay for new planet types.
• Place 3–4 Lost Fleet Spaceship Boards near the gameboard (remove the Twilight ship in 2-player games). Distribute Standard Tech tiles, Artifact tokens, and Federation tokens onto the ships.

Faction Setup

• New factions (e.g., Tinkeroids, Moweyds) start with 1 mine or Planetary Institute on an asteroid/protoplanet.
• Place Exploration Shuttles on your Exploration board (2 for 2 players; 3 for 3–4 players).

Flow of the Game

The game lasts 6 rounds, each with 4 phases:

1. Income Phase: Gain resources based on your structures and research levels.
2. Action Phase: Players take turns performing one action per turn until all pass.
3. Clean-Up Phase: Reset action tokens, advance the round marker, and prepare for the next round.
4. Scoring Phase: Score VP based on the current Round Scoring tile.

New actions like Explore a Lost Fleet Spaceship and Examine an Artifact are available once ships are explored.

Actions and How to Play

New Actions

• Explore a Lost Fleet Spaceship (Action 11): Pay 5 VP (varies by faction) and place an Exploration Shuttle on a ship board. Must be accessible from your planet (use Q.I.C.s to extend range). Gain access to new actions on the ship.
• Examine an Artifact (Action 12): Discard 6 power to take an Artifact token from the Twilight ship for bonuses.

Modified Base Actions

• Build a Mine: New planet types: Asteroids require a Gaiaformer (consumed afterward); Protoplanets cost 3 terraforming steps (6 VP reward).
• Upgrade Existing Structures: If you’ve explored a ship, you can take its Standard Tech tile when upgrading to a Research Lab or Academy.
• Form a Federation: Cannot place satellites on spaceship tiles. Gain Federation tokens from explored ships.

Ship Actions

Explored ships offer Power, Q.I.C., Knowledge, and Credit actions. Use them by spending resources and covering the space with an action token.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after 6 rounds. Final scoring includes:

• VP from Final Scoring tiles (e.g., "Most asteroids colonized").
• VP from Federation tokens, Tech tiles, and structures.
• Bonuses from Artifacts and explored ships.

The player with the most VP wins. Tiebreakers: Most structures, then most advanced techs.

Tips to Win

• Prioritize Exploration: Early access to ship actions (e.g., discounted techs) can give a resource advantage.
• Leverage New Planets: Colonizing asteroids (free with Gaiaformer) and protoplanets (6 VP) boosts early-game scoring.
• Adapt to Factions: For example, Moweyds start with a shuttle on T F Mars—use it to claim ship actions first.

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.