Voidfall — How to Play

Hello, future galactic commanders! Welcome to the definitive guide for "Voidfall," the game that will test your strategic skills in a fight for cosmic survival. Prepare to dive into a universe of conflict, resources, and crucial decisions. Let's go!

Game Objective

In Voidfall, you take on the roles of civilization leaders fighting to survive in a galaxy on the brink of collapse. The universe is being consumed by the **Void**, a mysterious and destructive force, and you must manage your resources, expand your empire, and defend your territories against internal and external threats. The main objective is to accumulate the most **Influence** by the end of the game. Whoever has the most **Influence** will be the winner and the savior of their civilization.

Setup

Voidfall's setup involves assembling the **Galactic Board**, distributing the starting components to each player, and organizing the card decks and markers. * **Galactic Board:** Place the **Galactic Board** in the center of the table. * **Player Components:** Each player chooses a color and receives the corresponding components, including: * A **Home Board**. * An **Influence Board** with score markers on the starting position. * A **Resource Board** with stock discs on the starting position. * **Home Sector Tiles** and other **Sector Tiles** as per the scenario. * **Fleet Power Cubes** and fleet markers. * **Home Focus Cards**. * **Agenda Cards**. * **Trade Markers**. * **Glory Markers**. * **Reward** and **Claim Markers**. * **General Components:** Organize the remaining components in areas accessible to all players: * **Technology Cards** (Basic and Advanced). * **Galactic Event Cards** (divided by Cycle). * **Crisis Cards** (Level I, II, and III). * **Alert Cards**. * **War Cards**. * **Situation Cards**. * **Collective** and **Heroic Focus Cards**. * **Crisis Board**. * **Corruption Markers**. * **Void Storm Markers**. * **Guild** and **Outpost Markers**. * **Refuge Tiles**. * **Precursor Markers**. * **Catastrophe Markers**. * **Population Dice**. * **Combat Tokens**. * **Voidborn Fleets**. * **Turn Order Marker**. Refer to the rulebook for details on the specific setup for each scenario and the **Difficulty Setup Aid**.

Game Flow

Voidfall is played over a series of **Cycles**. Each **Cycle** consists of three **Phases**, played in the following order: 1. **Setup Phase:** In this phase, the game is prepared for the current **Cycle**. Steps include refreshing the offer of **Collective/Heroic Focuses**, adding new cards to the **Alert Deck**, determining the **Turn Order**, and revealing the **Galactic Event** for the current **Cycle**. 2. **Focus Phase:** This is the main phase where players take their turns. Each **Cycle** has a number of rounds indicated on the current **Galactic Event**. In each round, players take a full turn in **Turn Order**. Each player's turn consists of five steps: * **Reveal Crisis:** If the **Alert Card** is a **Situation**, a new **Crisis** is revealed. * **Selection:** The player chooses a **Focus Card** from their hand and may opt to flip a **Trade Marker** or play an **Agenda Card**. * **Actions:** The player performs up to two actions from the chosen **Focus** (or three if a **Trade Marker** was flipped). **Technology** and **Agenda** actions can also be performed. * **Cleanup:** The player performs organizational actions, such as managing **Fleets**, **Glory Markers**, **Agenda Cards**, and **Trade Markers**. * **The Void Advances:** The player deals with the consequences of the current **Crisis** or a **War Alert Card**. 3. **Scoring Phase:** At the end of each **Cycle**, players perform the following steps in **Turn Order**: * **The Voidborn Counterattacks:** Resolve a **Skirmish** and the **Crises** on the Military track. * **Upkeep:** Players pay **Upkeep** costs with resources. * **Galactic Objectives:** Players evaluate the objectives on the current **Galactic Event Card**. * **Agenda Objectives:** Players evaluate the objectives on their Pure **Agenda Cards**. After the **Scoring Phase** of **Cycle 3**, the game ends.

Actions and How to Play

During your turn in the **Focus Phase**, you will have several action options: * **Play a Focus Card:** You must choose a **Focus Card** from your hand and play it. This card determines the actions you can perform. * **Focus Actions:** Each **Focus Card** offers up to three actions. You can perform up to two of them in any order. If you flipped a **Trade Marker** during the **Selection** step, you can perform all three actions. Each action can only be performed once per turn. To perform an action, you must pay its cost (if any). * **Technology Actions:** Some **Technology Cards** grant **Technology Actions** that can be performed before or after other actions, if the chosen **Focus** matches the one mentioned on the technology. * **Agenda Actions:** If you played an **Agenda Card** during the **Selection** step, you can perform its **Agenda Action** before or after your other actions. * **Resolve Crises:** During your actions, you can attempt to resolve current or ongoing **Crises** by fulfilling the conditions listed on the card. Resolving a **Crisis** is not an action itself. * **The Void Advances:** At the end of your turn, you must deal with the current **Crisis** (if it's a **Situation**) or a **War Alert Card**. Options include suffering penalties, placing a **Catastrophe Marker**, or turning the **Crisis** into an ongoing one. **Card and Component Types:** * **Focus Cards:** Determine the available actions on a turn. * **Agenda Cards:** Offer objectives and benefits, primarily **Influence**, when scored in the **Scoring Phase**. * **Technology Cards:** Provide permanent abilities and **Technology Actions**. * **Galactic Event Cards:** Influence the current **Cycle** with events and objectives. * **Crisis Cards:** Represent threats that need to be resolved. * **Alert Cards:** Determine whether a **Crisis** will be revealed or if a **War Alert Card** will be activated. * **Resources:** Food, Energy, Materials, Credits, and Science are used to pay costs. * **Influence:** This is the game's main score, used to determine the winner. * **Sectors:** Territorial units on the map, which can be Pure or Corrupted. * **Guilds and Outposts:** Infrastructure that can be built in **Sectors**. * **Fleets:** Military units used for combat and defense. Consult the rulebook for details on the specific icons and effects of each card and component.

End Game and Scoring

The game ends after the **Scoring Phase** of **Cycle 3**. **Victory Conditions:** * **Competitive:** The player with the most **Influence** is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the lowest total **Corruption Markers** wins. If the tie persists, players share the victory. * **Cooperative:** If each player has at least the indicated amount of **Influence** (as per the **Difficulty Setup Aid**), the players win collectively. Otherwise, they lose. **Scoring:** **Influence** is calculated in several ways: * **Voidborn Influence:** Calculated based on base **Influence**, **Rifts**, incomplete **Refuges**, **Catastrophe Markers**, and **Precursor Markers**. * **Agenda Objectives:** Pure **Agenda Cards** on a player's **Home Board** are scored individually. Objectives can be achievements (fixed gain) or multipliers (count-based gain). The benefit is always **Influence**. * **Other Criteria:** * **Consumed Technology Cards:** 5 **Influence** per card. * **Ongoing Crisis Cards:** 5 **Influence** per card on the **Crisis Board**. * **Fallen Home Cards:** 3 **Influence** per card remaining in **Sectors**. * **Corruption Markers:** 2 **Influence** per marker in **Sectors**, **Agenda** spaces, and **Civilization**. * **Population in Voidborn Sectors:** 1 **Influence** per **Population**. It is important to note that **Corrupted Sectors** and markers within them generally do not grant **Influence**, unless specified by objectives.

Tips for Winning

1. **Manage Your Resources Wisely:** Resources are the backbone of your actions. Plan carefully how to spend them to maximize your production and your defense and attack capabilities. 2. **Adapt to Crises:** **Crisis Cards** and **Galactic Events** can drastically change the game's landscape. Be prepared to adapt your strategies and priorities to deal with emerging threats. 3. **Optimize Your Agendas:** **Agenda Cards** are a crucial source of end-game **Influence**. Choose and position your **Agendas** strategically to fulfill your objectives and maximize your score.