first turn: place your action token in a column and optionally take top action then optionally take bottom action
subsequent turns: move action token and repeat (i.e. can’t do same action twice in a row – unless you’re red star faction with Relentless ability)
Top Actions
Trade
Pay 1 coin to Gain 2 Resources or Gain 2 Popularities
If Armory built, Gain 1 Fighting power
Bolster
Pay 1 coin to Increase Fighting Power / Gain Combat Card
If Monument built, Gain 1 Popularity
Move/Gain
Move Units or Gain Coins
If Mine Built, use it
Produce
Pay cost shown (increases as you place workers) for workers in 2/3 (3/4 with Mill) territories to Produce on the terrain they’re in – 1 resource per worker:
Mountain – Metal
Farm – Food
Tundra – Oil
Forest – Wood
Village – Worker
If Mill built, produce there too
Bottom Actions
Upgrade – Pay Oil to Upgrade = Move cube from the top to bottom(, Gain Coin(s))
Deploy – Pay Iron to Deploy any Mech(, Gain Coin(s)) – mech appears in a hex with a worker
Build – Pay wood to Build a Structure(, Gain Coin(s)) – building appears in a hex with a worker, 1 structure limit per hex
Enlist – Pay food to Enlist (move one token brom bottom action area to the faction mat)(, Gain Coin(s))
Gets 1 time bonus from faction mat, ongoing bonus when neighbours do corresponding actions
Placement of 6th star immediately ends the game
During Play
Place stars for (10 options, 6th placement ends the game):
All 6 upgrades
All 4 mechs
All 4 structures
All 4 recruits
All 8 workers
1 completed objective
Win combat (first time)
Win combat (second time)
reach 18 popularity
reach 16 power
Enlisted bonuses
Upgrade – gain 1 fighting power and pay attention if players on left/right upgrade
Deploy – gain 1 coin and pay attention if players on left/right deploy
Build – gain 1 popularity and pay attention if players on left/right build
Enlist – gain 1 combat card and attention if players on left/right enlist
Deployed mech bonuses (apply to mechs and character)
All: Riverwalk – travel across rivers to certain terrains
All: Speed – +1hex per movement
Underpass – move between controlled mountain and any tunnel
Disarm – before combat on a territory with a tunnel, opponent gets -2
Township – move between controlled villages or the factory
Peoples army – play an extra combat card if a worker is present
Seaworthy – move to/from lakes. Retreat into adjacent lakes
Artillery – before compat, pay 1 power for opponent to lose 2 power
Wayfare – move to any non-opponent home base
Scout – Before combat steal 1 combat card from opponent
Relentless – can repeat same action as previous turn
Swim – workers may cross rivers
coercion – spend a combat card as a resource (once per turn)
Meander – pick up to 2 options per encounter card
Movement
Standard move action: move 2 different units 1 territory each
All units may carry any/all resources with them as they move
Mechs can pickup/drop off workers too
Movement ends for combat (including workers simply retreating), encounter, factory card
Combat
Select power value
Optionally add 1 card per unit involved
Winner gets territory (and resources if any) and places star
Winner loses 1 popularity for each worker forced into retreat (i.e. they were attacker)
Loser retreats units to home base and gains 1 combat card if they revealed more than 0
Encounters
Move character into hex with encounter token, take a card, choose a bonus
Factory
Center hex is worth 3 hex at end game scoring
If character ends turn in factory take a factory bonus card
Factory bonus card actions
Top action (one of):
Pay 1 popularity, Gain 1 Enlist or 1 Upgrade
Pay 2 coin, Gain 1 Upgrade and 1 Popularity
etc
Bottom action (all have):
Move 1 unit twice within the same move action (move 3 spaces if speed mech ability unlocked)
Gain Points From
Coins in hand
Structure bonus tile
Ranking on popularity track affects coins gained per count of:
Stars placed – 3/4/5 coins
Territories controlled – 2/3/4 coins
Per 2 resources – 1/2/3 coins
Tips
Start of game
familiarise yourself with your factions mech abilities
familiarise yourself with your factions bottom action costs/rewards (coins)
familiarise yourself with your factions special ability
familiarise yourself with the Structure bonus tile
Try to get both top and bottom actions as frequently as possible
Popularity is important for the multiplier – gain it from
Trade (top action)
Place monument to reveal gain popularity icon
Enlist from the Build action to reveal gain popluarity from neighbour bonus
Focus on points: popularity multiplier and winning stars/controlling territories
Basic strategy: spread out gaining territories while working towards stars
Lots of ways to get stars, choose which ones to ignore and which to focus on
Some are quicker than others (e.g. 4 mechs vs 6 upgrades)
Upgrade(s) can make it so that the top actions Trade/Produce can pay for their bottom actions all in the same turn
Build structures to keep control of a territory
Leave mechs defending workers/territory/resources
Get first 3 workers out early (target village first turn)
Combat cards and power track are only good for combat, no end game bonus
The same unit can’t use more than 1 move action per round (Speed mech bonus increases range, factory card gives double move action, double move +speed = 3 hex)
Add multiple units into combat to play multiple combat cards
Factory card facilitates consecutive movements
In combat, when forfeiting, playing 0 points, but 1 combat card will earn you a new combat card and lose no points
