Game Objective

In Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star, you take on the role of a Captain exploring a mysterious and dying system orbiting the star Nyr. Your goal is to navigate the perils of the void, customize your ship, and complete various objectives to earn Fame Points. The first player to reach or pass the pre-determined winning total on the Fame Point Track wins the game.

Setup

1. The Map: Place the Nyr sector tile face up in the center. Shuffle other Sector Tiles and deal one per player, placing them adjacent to Nyr by matching edge symbols. If a tile without a Spawn Point is drawn, reshuffle it and draw again.
2. Tokens: Shuffle Relic Tokens and Exploration Tokens. Place them face down. Place one Exploration Token on any Exploration Spaces on the starting tiles. (Use only the expansion's Exploration Tokens).
3. Decks: Shuffle Mission Cards, Title Cards, and Event Cards and place them face down.
4. Supplies: Place Cargo Cubes, Damage/Ice Damage Markers, Outfits (organized by shape), Credits, and Dice within reach.
5. Player Starting Assets: Each player receives one How To Win Card and 4,000 Credits (4 silver coins).
6. NPCs: Place The Kiln’s NPC card in the play area and its miniature on the rules space of the Nyr sector tile. Shuffle the three NPC Cards and deal one face up to each player (in 4-5 player games, some may not receive one). Place the corresponding NPC miniature on the card.
7. Economy and Victory: Place the Fame Point Track and the Economy Board. Players decide the Fame Points needed for victory and place the Victory Marker there. For each cube type on the Economy Board, roll a d6 to determine the starting number of cubes.
8. Ship Selection: Separate Tier 1 Ship Mats and matching Ability Cards. Players roll a d20; the highest roll chooses a Ship Mat, Miniature, and Ability Card first, continuing counter-clockwise. Place miniatures on the Spawn Point of the closest Sector Tile.
9. Markers: Each player takes an Impulse Token (placed on the Impulse Space, yellow side up) and markers for:
   • The Fame Point Track (starting at 0/Unknown).
   • The highest number of the Energy Meter.
   • The Armed section (filling four spaces).
10. Outfitting: In the same order as ship selection, players may spend Credits to purchase Outfits that fit in their Hold.

Game Flow

The game progresses through turns, with the player who picked their ship last taking the First Player token and the first turn. Each turn consists of the following phases:

• Action Phase: The player performs available actions (detailed in the next section).
• Business Phase: Occurs if the ship ends its action phase docked at a planet or space station.
• Status Phase: The maintenance phase where the following occurs in order:
  1. Freeze: Place 1 Ice damage in every space orthogonally adjacent to existing ice damage. If the Hold becomes entirely full of damage, the ship is destroyed.
  2. Claim Fame: Gain Fame Points for achieved objectives.
  3. Draw Titles/Events: If a player reaches or passes an Event space on the Fame Point Track, they draw an Event Card, read it aloud, and resolve effects.
  4. Refresh and Demand: The Economy Board is updated. If a resource section is empty, place 1,000 Credits there; it is now "in demand". The next player to generate that resource receives the bonus.
  5. Arm Markers: Refresh Armed markers.

Note on Events: Some Event Cards last for a set number of rounds. These are placed to the right of the First Player, and their rules activate before the First Player’s turn.

Actions and How to Play

Available Actions

• Move: Use Engines or Impulse (even if Stranded).
• Attack: Use Blasters, Missiles, or Ram.
• Missions: Draw Missions (Minor) (draw 3 cards face down, decide which to keep after the turn ends), perform Mission Objectives, or Complete a Mission.
• Board Space Actions: Buy Cargo Cubes, Collect Cubes (Minor), Mine/Salvage/Harvest/Quarry/Excavate, Sell Cargo Cubes, Trade Cargo Cubes, or Sift Relic Tokens.
• Explore: Scan Sector, Blind Jump (Minor), or Collect Exploration Tokens (Minor).
• Other: Use Special Abilities, Rescue a Stranded Player, Jettison Cargo (Minor), Recharge Energy (Free), or Repair Damage.

Special Mechanics

• Exploration Tokens: When collected, resolve immediately (e.g., Cargo Cube, Energy refill, Ice Damage, or Movement). Keeping 2 Exploration Tokens face up allows you to discard both for 1 Fame Point or 2,000 Credits.
• Excavate: On Dead Worlds, roll a d20. 1-10 results in Ice Damage; 11-20 grants a Relic Token (takes 2 cargo spaces).
• The Kiln: A space station where you can Dock (1 movement). While docked, you can use the Sift Action to reveal Relic Tokens for 1 Fame Point or financial rewards. You can also sell Ember here for 2,000 Credits per cube.
• Quarry: On Ice Asteroid sectors, roll a d20. 1-10 results in Ice Damage; 11-20 grants 1 Ember Cargo Cube.
• Gravity and Comet Paths: Entering a Gravity Path or Comet Path triggers forced movement based on a die roll. If a Comet hits a ship or cube, it is instantly destroyed.
• Outfits and Mods: Outfits provide capabilities. Mods are 1x1 outfits with special abilities (e.g., Piercer reduces enemy shields by -4; GTS adds +2 to Engine rolls).

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a player reaches or passes the Victory Marker on the Fame Point Track.

Ways to earn Fame Points (1@):

• Explore: Trade in 2 Exploration Tokens.
• Complete Missions: Each completed mission is worth 1 Fame Point.
• Combat: Destroying a ship earns points based on tier: Tier I (1@), Tier II (2@), Tier III (3@).
• Trade: Sell all cubes a location will buy (minimum 2).
• Ships: Purchasing a new ship.
• Wealth: Purchase 1 Fame Point for 5,000 Credits.
• Kindness: Rescue a Stranded player by giving them Energy.
• Titles: Complete Title Objectives.
• Luck: Roll a natural 20 on a d20.
• Relics: Choose 1 Fame Point as a reward when Sifting a Relic Token.

Tips for Winning

• Manage Ice Damage: Since Ice damage spreads during the Status Phase (Freezing), prioritize ending your turn at a planet or space station to use the Business Phase to remove all ice damage for free.
• Optimize Cargo: Use the M-Comp mod to increase your Active Mission capacity by +2, allowing you to pursue more Fame Point opportunities simultaneously.
• Strategic Sifting: When Sifting at The Kiln, evaluate if the immediate 1 Fame Point is more valuable than the Credits or Mods offered by the Relic Token.