How to Play Race for the Galaxy: The Brink of War

Objective of the Game

As conflicts spread across the galaxy, galactic prestige becomes paramount for both extracting concessions and fending off attackers. Players aim to build the most prosperous and powerful space empire in a galaxy on the brink of total war. The game ends if a player has 15 or more prestige at the end of a round, or through other standard game end conditions. At the end of the game, each prestige chip held by a player is worth 1 VP.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Carefully remove the goal and Prestige Leader tiles, Prestige chips, and counters from their frames.
2. Add the new game cards to the existing ones, replacing the Galactic Federation card from previous expansions with the new Galactic Federation card provided in this expansion (which has revised Victory Point icons).
3. Mix the new goals with the existing ones. Select two of the "most" goals and four of the "first" goals as usual.
4. Place the search sheet, prestige chips, and Prestige Leader tile (with the ">" side face up) in the center area.
5. Give one prestige/search action card to each player.
6. Add an extra 5 VPs to the total number of VPs in play (e.g., for 3 players, use 41 VPs).
7. Perform the rest of the standard setup for Race for the Galaxy and its first two expansions, The Gathering Storm and Rebel vs Imperium.

Fluxo do Jogo

The game progresses in rounds, with phases occurring within each round. The new rules for galactic prestige introduce checks and bonuses at specific points:

• End of each phase: Check prestige. If one player has more prestige than anyone else, they take the Prestige Leader tile (">" side face up) and place it in front of them, placing any unspent prestige earned that phase on top of it. If two or more players tie for most prestige, the Prestige Leader tile is placed in the center with the "=" side face up.
• Start of each round (before selecting action cards): If there is a sole Prestige Leader with prestige on top of their tile, that player gains 1 VP chip, draws 1 card, and removes the prestige from the tile (adding it to their other prestige). If the Prestige Leader has no prestige on the tile or if players are tied for the prestige lead, each such player gains 1 VP chip.
• Search Step: If any player declares "search" during the action card reveal, a search step occurs before any phase is resolved. This step only applies to players who declared search. If multiple players declare search, resolve them separately, starting with the player with the lowest numbered start world and proceeding clockwise.

Ações e Como Jogar

Players have access to standard Race for the Galaxy actions, with new options and modifications introduced by The Brink of War.

Prestige/Search Action Card

Each player has a prestige/search action card that can be used once per game for one of two purposes:

• Search: Declare "search" as action cards are revealed. This allows the player to search the card supply for a card matching a chosen search category and take it into hand. This does not expend prestige. If successful, the prestige/search action card is removed from the game. If the search fails (supply exhausted twice), the card is retained.
• Prestige Bonus: Expend 1 prestige to gain an extra prestige bonus for a selected phase. To indicate this, a player can either place both action cards or just the prestige/search action card, naming the phase it applies to. The selected phase occurs normally, but any player selecting it with a prestige action receives the listed prestige bonus in addition to the normal bonus for selecting that phase. Once used, the prestige/search action card is removed from the game.

Prestige Bonuses

The prestige bonuses for each phase are:

• Explore: Draw +6 cards, keep +1 card. Combine draws with your hand, then discard.
• Develop: Discard 3 fewer cards (total) to pay for a development.
• Settle: Either discard three fewer cards when paying for worlds and/or gain +2 Military until the end of this Settle phase.
• Consume: Trade: Sell a good, drawing 3 additional cards; then consume any remaining goods doubling the number of VP chips received (as the Consume +x1 bonus applies) and, optionally, discard up to two cards from your hand for 1 VP apiece.
• Consume: 2x: Triple (not double) the number of VP chips (only) that you receive.
• Produce: Draw 3 cards and produce up to two windfall goods (if possible).

Gaining Prestige

Prestige can be gained in several ways:

• Some cards, with a prestige symbol next to their victory point values, provide 1 prestige to their owner when they are first placed in a player’s tableau.
• Various powers provide prestige.
• Some Consume powers consume goods for prestige. These must be used if a player has the appropriate goods during a Consume phase.
• At the start of Explore (before drawing any cards), a player may discard 1 card to gain 1 prestige (from specific card powers).
• After placing an indicated development (any, 6-cost, or Rebel), a player may gain 1 prestige (from specific card powers).
• After placing an indicated world (a Rebel or any production world), a player may gain 1 prestige (from specific card powers).
• Replacing a non-military world with a 0-3 higher cost world of the same kind, at no cost, can gain 1 prestige (from specific card powers).
• Using a pay for military power can gain 1 prestige (from specific card powers).
• Successfully taking over a military world can gain 2 prestige (from specific card powers).
• Placing a non-military world as a military world can gain 2 prestige (from specific card powers).
• Producing a good on a production world that has none, and only then, gaining a prestige (from specific card powers).
• Gaining 1 prestige if the player has more worlds than any other player at the end of Produce (from specific card powers).

Spending Prestige

Some powers allow players to spend prestige to gain play advantages, such as drawing cards, additional Military for a Settle phase, or gaining VP chips.

• May spend 1 prestige to gain +3 Military until the end of the Settle phase (from specific card powers).
• May spend 1 prestige to draw 3 cards (from specific card powers).
• May spend 1 prestige to gain 3 VPs (from specific card powers).
• May spend 1 prestige to defeat one takeover attempt against any player’s tableau (from specific card powers).

Search Categories

The nine search categories depicted on the search sheet are:

• Developments that provide +1 or +2 Military.
• 1 or 2 defense military windfall worlds.
• 1 or 2 (printed) cost windfall worlds.
• Worlds (of any type) with a symbol.
• Windfall or production worlds that come with or produce Alien goods.
• Cards with Consume powers that consume two or more goods.
• Military worlds with 5 or more defense.
• 6-cost developments.
• Cards with Settle takeover powers (including defense powers). This category can be chosen only if playing with takeovers on.

Takeover Game Notes

This expansion extends the takeover game from Rebel vs Imperium.

• Interstellar Casus Belli's takeover power enables a player to attempt a takeover against a military world in any player’s tableau.
• If combined with Imperium Invasion Fleet's power to conquer a non-military world, potentially any world in play can be taken over.
• Imperium Planet Buster's takeover power, if successful, destroys the target world (discard it from play).
• Pan-Galactic Security Council's defense power can be used at the start of the takeover resolution step to defeat any one declared takeover attempt (against a world in any player’s tableau).
• Players may not give nor trade prestige to other players.
• A world that provides 1 prestige when placed does not provide another prestige when taken over.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

Game End

In addition to the standard ways a game can end, it also ends if a player has 15 or more prestige at the end of a round.

Scoring

• Each prestige chip held by a player at game end scores 1 VP.
• Some cards score 1 VP for each prestige chip, including Federation Capital, as indicated by a prestige symbol in its VP "hex".
• Prestige chips do not count towards Galactic Renaissance’s VP chip scoring.
• 6-cost developments score end of game VPs for every card in its owner’s tableau that satisfies one of the conditions listed on it.

Dicas para Vencer

• Focus on gaining prestige early to become the Prestige Leader and benefit from the recurring VP chip and card draw bonuses at the start of each round.
• Strategically use your once-per-game prestige/search action card. If you need a specific card to complete a powerful combo or meet a goal, using it for search can be invaluable. Otherwise, consider spending 1 prestige for a powerful prestige bonus in a critical phase.
• Pay attention to goals involving prestige and VP chips, such as "Galactic Standing" (first to have at least two prestige chips and at least three VP chips at the end of a phase) or "Galactic Prestige" (at least three and the most prestige chips).