# Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2008 - **BGG Rating**: 8.1 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 2) - **Duration**: 60 min - **Weight**: 3.00 / 5 - **Designers**: Thomas Lehmann - **Artists**: Claus Stephan, Martin Hoffmann - **Publishers**: Rio Grande Games, ABACUSSPIELE, Gabinete Lúdico, Gamesinitaly, Ghenos Games, Giochix.it, Hobby Japan, Hobby World, Ystari Games - **Categories**: Card Game, Civilization, Economic, Expansion for Base-game, Science Fiction, Space Exploration - **Mechanics**: Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, Variable Phase Order, Variable Player Powers ## Verdict If you love Race for the Galaxy, you’ll dig The Gathering Storm – extra cards, a fifth player, and new modes that refresh the core game.More cards and combosSolo mode includedDraft for 2‑3 playersCompetitive goalsSteeper learning curveMore components to manageRECOMMENDED ## Description The Gathering Storm is the first expansion for Race for the Galaxy and adds a heap of goodies that make the galactic race even richer. It introduces 30 new cards – start worlds, 6‑cost developments, military and non‑military worlds – which blend into the original deck, expanding the possible combos. The box also contains a fifth set of player cards and VP chips, allowing a fifth player to join, something the base game didn’t support. Solo players are catered for with a robot, dice and chits, turning the game into a one‑person challenge. There’s also a draft mode for two or three players, swapping simultaneous card selection for a shared pool from which each builds a personal deck. Goals get a makeover: “First Goals” grant 3 extra victory points to the first achiever, while “Most Goals” reward the player with the most developments, military worlds or certain world types. Blank cards let creative groups design their own cards. All the core mechanics – hand management, simultaneous action selection, variable phase order and variable player powers – stay intact, but the expansion adds strategic depth and replay value for both veterans and curious newcomers. ## How to Play Objective of the Game In Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm, players aim to build the most prosperous and powerful space empire in a galaxy on the brink of war. This expansion introduces new ways to achieve victory through goals and expands the possibilities for empire building with new start worlds and game cards. The ultimate goal is to accumulate the most Victory Points (VPs) by the end of the game. Preparation (Setup) Unpack the card deck carefully. Carefully remove the VP chips, goal tiles, solitaire mat, and counters from their frames. Add the new game cards from this expansion to the base set. Replace the base set's Gambling World with the Gambling World from this expansion. If playing with five new players, use the fifth preset hand (start world number 5 and the four game cards with 5 in their corners). Shuffle the goal tiles face down. Select two of the "most" goals (the large tiles) and four of the "first" goals (the small tiles). Remove the remaining goals from the game. Place the selected goals face up in the center of the table, next to the 3 VP goal chips, to be claimed during play. Continue setup normally as per the base game rules. Solitaire Game Setup Set out 24 VP chips. Pick a difficulty (easy, medium, or hard) and set the appropriate number of 6-cost development counters nearby: 1 for easy (worth 6 VPs), 2 for medium (worth 6 VPs each), or 3 for hard (worth 9 VPs each). Shuffle and deal one start world each to you and the robot. Shuffle the other start worlds into the deck. Use the black-edged credit, economy size, and (two) player action markers. Find the special mat and "robot =" counters to use (possibly on the reverse side of other counters) based on the robot's start world, as shown on the back of the play mat. Remove the other counters from play. Flip the mat face up. Place any special mat counters used on top of the corresponding mat areas, matching them by color. Place the grey "robot =" counter on its space (set the x2 "robot =" counter nearby if the robot's start world is Old Earth). Place the credit marker on 1 (0 if the robot's start world is Ancient Race; 2 if it is Alpha Centauri). Place the economy size marker on 0 (1 if its start world is Earth's Lost Colony or Epsilon Eridani). Deal four cards (three if its start world is Ancient Race) face down to form the robot's initial draw stack. After setting up the robot mat, deal six cards to yourself. Choose four of them and discard the other two. Begin play. Drafting Variant Setup (2-3 players) After setting out the goals to be used, shuffle the odd and even start worlds separately and deal one of each, face down, to each player. Shuffle the unused start worlds into the game cards. After looking at their start world choices, each player simultaneously draws five cards, selects one, and passes the rest to the left. From these cards, they each select one, and pass the rest left, until all cards drawn are taken. Repeat, drawing five cards, selecting one and passing the rest right. Continue, alternating directions, until players are unable to draw five cards apiece. Remove the remaining cards from play. Each player shuffles his selected cards to form his own private deck and draws six, discards two of them and one of his start world choices, and then reveals his start world. Play normally, except that each player draws from his own deck of cards and discards to his own discard pile, reshuffling whenever his own draw deck is exhausted. Fluxo do Jogo Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Solitaire Game Play Each round consists of the following steps: Select your two player actions normally, but mark them with the player action markers on the play mat (instead of using action cards). Roll and place the dice (the robot's action selections) on the play mat. Resolve actions for each selected phase, from left to right, player first. Round End (Solitaire Game) Discard down to 10 cards (the robot has no hand limit) and check for game end. If the game has not ended, repeat steps 1-3. Ações e Como Jogar Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Goals Goals can be claimed during play. Each goal's upper left corner lists the phase(s) at the end of which it can be claimed (or the end of a round in the case of Budget Surplus). "First" Goals Each of these tiles is worth 3 VPs and can be claimed once per game by all players who first meet its condition. They can never be lost. If only one player first satisfies a goal's condition at the end of a phase, then he claims its tile, placing it in front of him to mark 3 VPs earned. If more than one player first satisfies a goal in the same phase (even if by differing amounts), then any one of these players takes the tile, while the rest each take a 3 VP goal chip. Examples: First to have 5 (or more) VPs in chips (Galactic Standard of Living). Do not count any goal VP chips. First to place a 6-cost development (Galactic Status). First to have at least one power in each phase, plus Trade, among his tableau cards (Innovation Leader). First to discard at least one card at round end (Budget Surplus). First to have at least one production or windfall world of each kind: Novelty, Rare, Genes, and Alien in tableau (System Diversity). First to have at least three ALIEN cards in tableau (Overlord Discoveries). "Most" Goals Each of these tiles is worth 5 VPs and is held by the player who satisfies its condition by the greatest amount. They can be lost. The first player to satisfy (or exceed by the greatest amount) a goal's listed condition at the end of a phase claims its tile (returning it to the center if he ever fails to satisfy its condition). If another player later exceeds the amount by which a player holding a goal currently satisfies it, then he takes the tile. If more than one player satisfies or exceeds a goal (possibly held by another player) by the same greatest amount, then that goal remains unclaimed (or is returned to the center). Examples: At least four and the most production worlds, of any kind, in tableau (Production Leader). At least four and the most developments in tableau (Greatest Infrastructure). At least six and the most total military in tableau (Greatest Military). Count negative but not temporary or specialized military (as for New Galactic Order). At least three and the most Novelty and/or Rare production or windfall worlds in tableau (Largest Industry). Solitaire Game Robot Actions / Responses Resolve what the robot does for each selected phase according to the steps listed on the mat (and any special mat counters placed during setup) in two rows below the dice row. Use the top row if a die is present (a robot action). Use the bottom row if no die is present and the action was selected by you (a robot response). Explore Explore action: draw 1 card and increase the robot's credit by 1 (draw 3 cards total and increase the robot's credit by 1 if the robot selected both Explore actions). Explore response: draw 1 card (even if the player chose both Explore actions). Card Draws and Tracks: draw for the robot (in all phases) means shift the specified number of cards from the draw pile to the robot's draw stack, without looking at them. The robot's credit and economy size are marked by tracks; its maximum credit is 4 and its maximum economy size is 5 – increases beyond these numbers have no effect. Separatist Colony draws more cards on Explore as shown on its special mat counter. Develop Develop action or response (for each selected Develop phase): First, check to see if the robot has an unplaced chip and 2 or more credit (3 or more credit on response). If so, place this chip next to the robot's tableau stack (where this chip will count as a card for determining end of game); decrease the robot's credit by 2 (3 on response); and then skip the robot's regular Develop action or response. Otherwise, perform the robot's regular Develop action or response: Develop action: draw 1 card and then flip to find a development. If a 6-cost development is found and the robot has positive credit, decrease its credit by 1 and place it; otherwise discard it and continue flipping cards. Develop response: if the robot has no credit, do nothing. Otherwise, flip to find a development. If one is found, whether or not it is a 6-cost development, decrease the robot's credit by 1 and place it. Flip to Find: means to flip over cards one at a time from the robot's draw stack, discarding all non-matching cards, until either the desired type of card is found or the robot's draw stack is exhausted. Place means to put the matching card in the robot's tableau stack. Settle Settle action (for each robot-selected Settle phase): draw 3 cards and flip to find a non-military world, placing it if one is found. Settle response (for each player-selected Settle phase): if the robot has no credit, do nothing. Otherwise, draw 2 cards and flip to find a non-military world. If one is found, decrease the robot's credit by 1 and place it. Epsilon Eridani, New Sparta, and Separatist Colony, as indicated on their special mat counters, flip to find military worlds instead and do not need positive credit to Settle on response. New Sparta also receives extra Settle draws. Doomed World's first Settle action: flip from the draw pile (not its draw stack) until a 3 or more VP non-military world is found, place it, and increase its credit by 2 and its economy size by 1. Discard this mat counter and the Doomed World start world from its tableau. Alpha Centauri receives extra draws on its Settle actions and does not need positive credit to Settle on response. Consume Consume: Trade action: increase the robot's credit by 2 and give it VP chips equal to its current economy size. Consume: 2x VPs action: give the robot VP chips equal to twice its current economy size and then increase the robot's economy size by 1. Both Consume actions selected by robot: give the robot VP chips equal to twice its current economy size and then increase its credit by 2 and its economy size by 1. Consume response (if all Consumes chosen were selected only by the player): give the robot VP chips equal to its current economy size. Old Earth, after its first Trade action: replace its "robot =" counter with and discard its mat counter. Damaged Alien Factory: after every Trade action, if its "robot =" counter is currently, flip it over to. Produce Produce action: increase the robot's current economy size by 1. Produce response: the robot does nothing. Damaged Alien Factory: after every Produce action, if its "robot =" counter is currently, flip it over to. Card Powers III: SETTLE Discard for Temporary Military: The player may discard up to 2 cards from his hand to gain +1 Military apiece until the end of this Settle phase. As an optional power, this power need not be used fully. Space Mercenaries also has a standard +1 Military power. Settle a Second World: The player may place a second world in a Settle phase. The second world is placed as part of executing Settle powers (after fully resolving settling the first world). No powers from the first world placed may be used to settle the second one. If the player chose Settle, do not draw a Settle bonus for the second world. $: TRADE IV: CONSUME Specific Good and Worlds: Draw +1 card when selling a Genes good for each world in the tableau. The Clandestine Uplift Lab is itself a world. This World's Good: Discard 1 Alien good from the world with this power to gain 2 VPs. V: PRODUCE Discard to Produce Good: May discard 1 card to produce an Alien good on this world. A player can discard a card gained from Diversified Economy to produce this good, but can not then gain a card for doing so (as one power can not interrupt another power). Draw for Worlds: Draw 1 card for each military world in the player's tableau. 6-Cost Development Powers For these developments, score end of game VPs for every card in its owner's tableau that satisfies one of the conditions listed on it, where a CARD TITLE refers to that card's presence in the tableau. GALACTIC GENOME PROJECT: IMPERIUM IMPERIUM card (including this one), other military world, windfall world. TERRAFORMING TERRAFORMING: TERRAFORMING TERRAFORMING card (including this one), TERRAFORMING TERRAFORMING GUILD. GENETICS LAB: Genes world. Fim de Jogo e Pontuação At game end, for each "Most" goal, award a 3VP goal chip to each player (satisfying the goal's condition) who is tied for most and who does not currently hold its tile, due to it either having been earlier claimed by another player or being currently unclaimed (after several players satisfied or exceeded its condition by the same greatest amount on the same phase). Scoring: each player adds any goal tile VPs (3 or 5) and 3 VP goal chips earned to their VP total. Goal VPs do not count towards Galactic Renaissance. Solitaire Game End and Scoring The game ends normally, at the round end in which either the player's or robot's tableau is 12 or more cards (counting any placed 6-cost development counters as one card apiece towards the robot's ## FAQ ### How many players can play? 1 to 5 players, thanks to the extra player cards and VP chips. ### What’s the typical play time? About 60 minutes, depending on player count and the chosen mode. ### Does the expansion increase complexity? Slightly, due to new goals and the solo system, but the core mechanics stay familiar. ### What new components are included? 30 new cards, a 5th player card set and VP chips, blank cards, a robot template, dice, markers, and goal tokens. ### Can I play without the expansion? Absolutely; the base game works fine, the expansion is optional for added variety. ### Does draft replace simultaneous selection? Draft is an alternative for 2‑3 players, offering a different feel, while simultaneous selection remains available. ### Can I design my own cards? Yes, the blank cards let you create custom cards for a personalized experience. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 17.45 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=148471&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 17.61 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=489295&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 18.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5044722&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4887009&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.42 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6723113&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 21.28 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3438378&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 23.26 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5611940&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.65 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6914534&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/972/race-for-the-galaxy-the-gathering-storm?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com