# Xia: Legends of a Drift System

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2014
- **BGG Rating**: 7.9
- **BGG Rank**: #195
- **Players**: 3-5 (Best with: 3)
- **Duration**: 60-180 min
- **Weight**: 3.20 / 5
- **Designers**: Cody Miller
- **Artists**: Cody Miller, Peter Wocken, Steve "Coolhand" Tyler
- **Publishers**: Far Off Games, Lavka Games, Maldito Games
- **Categories**: Adventure, Exploration, Fighting, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Transportation
- **Mechanics**: Action Points, Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, Map Addition, Modular Board, Pick-up and Deliver

## Verdict
Who will enjoy: space sandbox fans and emergent storytelling lovers. Key strength: total freedom to play your way.Unmatched action freedom.Deep ship customization.Modular board unique each game.Multiple paths to fame.Thrilling space combat.Long playtime, up to 3 hours.Complex rules for newcomers.Moderate language dependency.Can be chaotic with many players.RECOMMENDED

## Description
Xia: Legends of a Drift System is a sandbox-style competitive space adventure board game for 3-5 players. Each player starts as a lowly but hopeful captain of a small starship, aiming to become a legend. The game is open-ended: players can explore sectors, complete missions, battle other ships, mine, salvage, or trade cargo. Fame is the ultimate goal, earned through titles, riches, and combat prowess. Ship customization is key: choose and upgrade your Tier 1 starship, focusing on engines for speed, missiles for combat, or cargo holds for trading. Adaptation is essential as the dynamic environment and player actions create a unique story each game. The modular board is randomly laid out, offering high replayability. The community has also created numerous mods and expansions, enhancing the experience. Get ready for epic stories, laughs, and maybe a few backstabbing space betrayals!

## How to Play
Object of the Game
Xia: Legends of a Drift System is a 3-5 player, sandbox-style, competitive space adventure. You play as a captain of a ship, starting as a lowly pilot and striving to become a Legend. The goal is to achieve Victory by earning Fame Points (@) through various activities such as Exploring, Combat, Trade, and completing Missions.
The game is won when a captain's Marker on the Fame Point Track reaches the space occupied by the Victory Token.

Preparation (Setup)

    Sectors: Shuffle Sector Tiles. Deal one per captain, placing them face up in the center. For subsequent sectors, line up the edge symbols to the previously laid Sector. (If using Nyr, the first sector must have a Spawn Point).
    Decks: Place the Event, Mission, and Title decks face down within reach.
    General Supply: Place Cargo Cubes, Damage Markers, Ice Damage Markers, Outfits, Mods, Credits, and Dice within reach.
    NPCs: Shuffle the Enforcer, Merchant, and Scoundrel cards and deal one face up to each captain (in 4-5 player games, not everyone gets one). Place the corresponding NPC miniature on the NPC Card. (If using Nyr, place The's NPC card and miniature on the Nyr sector tile).
    Tracking: Place the Fame Point Track and the Victory Marker.
    Economy: If using the Economy, roll a [d6] for each cube type to determine the starting number of cubes on the Economy board.
    Ship Setup: Each captain receives a Ship Mat, Ship Ability Card, and a Color Token (placed around the Flight Stand).
        
            Place one Marker on the Fame Point Track at 0 (Unknown).
            Place one Marker on the highest number of the Energy Meter.
            Place the remaining four Markers on the Armed section of the Ship Mat.
        
    First Player: One captain takes the First Player Token.


Game Flow
Play continues clockwise. A captain's turn consists of three phases in this order:

    Action Phase: The bulk of the turn. Captains perform movement, use abilities, complete Missions, and engage in commerce. Actions may be attempted multiple times until the captain cannot or does not wish to take further actions.
    Starport Phase: This phase is only available if the ship ends its Action Phase at a Starport (found on Planets or The Kiln). If a ship ends its turn on a Dead World, this phase is skipped.
    Status Phase: The turn always ends here. The captain re-arms Markers, refreshes Abilities and Impulse Tokens, draws Titles, counts Fame Points, and may claim victory.

NPC Turns: NPCs do not have phases. Instead, the captain responsible for the NPC reads the NPC Card from top to bottom and follows the directions. In a 4-player game, the flow is: Captain 1 turn → Captain 1 takes turn for the Scoundrel → Captain 2 turn → Captain 2 takes turn for the Enforcer, and so on.

Actions and How to Play
To take an action, a captain must Declare the action, Spend the required resources, and Resolve the effect.

Movement and Exploration

    Movement: Captains roll for movement points. Crossing a Border triggers an immediate effect (resolved via [d20] roll) before the rest of the movement is resolved.
    Impulse: A special movement tracked by the Impulse Token, refreshed during the Status Phase.
    Blind Jump (M): A Minor Action. When adjacent to an unexplored edge, declare a destination hex, draw a Sector Tile, match the symbol, and move into the hex.
    Scan: Used to explore new Sectors. Planetary Shields block Scan adjacency.


Combat and Damage

    Attacking: Spend Armed Markers to attack. Blasters (range 1), Missiles (range 2-6), and Engines (via Ramming, range 1). Line of Sight is required (blocked by Stars, Asteroids, Ice, Debris, and Planets).
    Damage: Damage Markers (}) are placed in the Hold. Each marker takes 1 Hold space. Use Spaces with damage cannot be used.
    Destroyed: A ship is destroyed if total damage equals or exceeds its Hold spaces or via Instant Death. Destroyed ships lose all Cargo and Missions. They respawn at a Spawn Point with damage equal to their Tier.


Commerce and Resource Gathering

    Trade: Buy Cargo Cubes at Buy Spaces or sell them at Sell Spaces for 1,000% per cube.
    Gathering: Captains can Mine (Asteroid), Harvest (Nebula), Salvage (Debris), or Quarry (Ice) to get Cargo Cubes from the general supply.
    Relics: Excavate Relic Tokens from Dead Worlds. These take 2 Hold spaces and must be taken to The Kiln to be Sifted for Fame Points or other rewards.


Missions

    Draw (M): Draw Mission Cards.
    Select Active Mission: During the Status Phase, select at least one Active Mission and discard down to the Active Mission Limit (default is 1).
    Deliver: Move to the Delivery sector to receive payment.
    Jettison (M): Discard an Active Mission Card at any time.


Outfits and Mods

    Outfits: Engines, Blasters, Missiles, Shields, Armor, and Cargo.
    Mods: 1x1 sized outfits. For example, a Piercer must be placed over a Use Space on a Blaster/Missile to function.


End of Game and Scoring
End Game Trigger: The game ends immediately when a captain's Marker on the Fame Point Track reaches the space occupied by the Victory Token.

Ways to Earn Fame Points (@)

    Exploring: Collect Exploration Tokens (some worth 1@).
    Missions: Each completed Mission is worth 1@.
    Combat: Destroying another ship earns @ equal to the destroyed ship’s Tier.
    Trade: Selling a Big Shipment (minimum 2 cubes and all cubes the location can buy) earns 1@.
    Ships: Buying a new ship during the Starport Phase earns 1@.
    Wealth: Spend 5,000% during the Starport Phase to earn 1@.
    Status: Claiming Titles during the Status Phase earns 1@, 2@, or 3@.
    Luck: Rolling a natural 20 on any [d20] roll earns 1@.
    Sifting: Sifting a Relic Token at The Kiln can grant 1@.


Tips for Winning

    Maximize Hold Space: Since Damage Markers and Relics occupy Hold spaces, carefully arrange your Outfits and Cargo Pods to ensure you have room for both loot and survival.
    Strategic Sifting: Use The Kiln to convert Relics into Fame Points or other rewards, as this is one of the few ways to turn Dead World exploration into victory.
    Manage Energy: Keep an eye on your Energy Meter; ships with no Energy and no Armed Markers are considered Stranded.

## FAQ
### How many players can play?
Xia is designed for 3 to 5 players, with the best experience at 4 or 5.

### What is the average playtime?
It varies, but generally between 60 and 180 minutes, depending on player count and pace.

### Is it a complex game?
It has medium-high complexity with a BGG weight of 3.2. Requires patience to learn, but it's rewarding.

### What's in the box?
Includes spaceship miniatures, polyhedral dice, modular board, cards, tokens, and more.

### Who is it recommended for?
Sci-fi fans, exploration game lovers, and those who enjoy freedom to forge their own path.

### Is there language dependency?
Moderate. Some cards and charts need translation, but community resources exist.

### Can I play with 2 players?
Not officially, but there are homebrew variants. The game shines with 3 or more.

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