Game Objective

In Space Alert, you and your crew operate a Little Duckling Class Exploration Ship. Your primary goal is to scan a sector of space for 5 minutes and report back to the Academy. To succeed, the crew must work together to keep the ship in one piece and ensure it survives the mission to jump back to hyperspace.

Setup

Follow these steps to prepare the Little Duckling for its mission:

• Roles: Choose a Captain, a Communications Officer, and a Security Officer.
  • In a 2-player game, only a Captain and Communications Officer are needed.
  • In a 1-player game, the player is the Captain.
• Board Setup: Use the Action Board (numbered 1–7) and the 2-lined side of the Mission Steps Board.
• Initial Positions:
  • Captain: Starts on the bridge.
  • Communications Officer: Starts in the Lower Blue Station.
  • Security Officer: Starts in the Lower Red Station.
  • Battlebots: Placed in the Upper Blue Station storage (deactivated).
  • (In 2-player: Captain on bridge, Communications Officer in Lower Blue Station. In 1-player: Captain alone on the bridge).
• Ship Systems:
  • Place 1 energy on each of the two shields and 2 energy on each of the reactors.
  • Place 1 fuel capsule on each reactor.
  • Place a yellow block on each light laser.
  • Place 2 rockets in the Lower Blue Station.
  • Place 2 maintenance markers (grey cubes) over the computer.
• Threats and Damage: Set up 2 external threat trajectories and 1 internal threat trajectory. Use only red and blue damage tiles (5 for each color), removing the Gravolift damage tiles.

Game Flow

The game is divided into Phases and Turns, with a total of 7 actions per mission. The flow is as follows:

1. Planning: Players place action cards face down on their Action Board.
   • Phase One: Actions 1–3.
   • Phase Two: Actions 4–7.
2. Announcements: The computer provides data reports, such as External Threats (assigned to the Red Zone Trajectory or Blue Zone Trajectory), Internal Threats, Incoming Data (players draw a card), and Data Transfer (players may pass a card).
3. Communication System Down: When this occurs, players cannot talk or plan, though they may still place cards and move figures. In solo play, the player cannot lay down, move, look at, or pick up action cards on the Action Board.
4. Resolution Round: Actions are played out sequentially. The Resolution Round follows the Mission Steps Board, including movement, weapon fire, and damage computation.

Actions and How to Play

Players perform actions by placing action cards face down. In solo play, a double action may be performed once per phase by playing 2 cards sequentially.

Weapon Systems

• Heavy Laser Cannon (Upper Deck): Uses 1 energy from its own reactor; deals 4 damage (max range 3).
• Light Laser Cannon (Lower Deck): Uses its own energy source (yellow block); deals 2 damage (max range 3).
• Pulse Cannon: Activated via the big button; draws 1 energy from the red reactor and deals 1 damage to external threats from both zones (max range 2).

Energy and Power

• Upper Deck: Action transfers energy from the reactor to the shields (each shield absorbs up to 2 damage).
• Lower Deck:
  • First press: Consumes the fuel capsule to fill the reactor to its maximum capacity of 4 energy.
  • Subsequent presses: Transfers 2 energy from the other reactor via the connecting wire.

Special Systems

• Rockets: Launched via the button and placed on the rocket track. They move one square after the "compute damage" turn, dealing 3 damage to the nearest targetable threat (range 2).
• Computer Maintenance: The computer must be maintained once per phase.
  • Phase One: Move a grey cube to the Phase One Check Step. If not done, all players are delayed for Action 4.
  • Phase Two: Move the remaining grey cube to the hyperspace jump step. If not done, the mission is lost.
• Battlebots (Upper Blue Station): Activated or repaired via the button and perform actions via cards.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the mission concludes or the ship is destroyed. The Little Duckling breaks up after taking 6 hits.

Scoring Criteria:

• Trophies: Counted from destroyed threats.
• Ship Damage: Total damage is subtracted from the score (the most damaged area is not counted twice).
• Casualties: Each knocked out player costs the mission 2 points; a disabled battlebot costs 1 point.
• Hydraulics Penalty: If two players end the mission in the same room, subtract 1 point. If all three end in the same room, subtract 3 points.

Tips for Winning

• Prioritize Maintenance: Ensure the computer is maintained in both phases to avoid delays in Action 4 and to prevent total mission failure during the hyperspace jump.
• Strategic Retreat: Against 2-hit-point intruders that shoot back, it may be better to take the damage rather than wasting limited action turns fighting them.
• Crew Distribution: To avoid the hydraulics penalty, keep the crew as spread out as possible when jumping to hyperspace.