Somewhere in the middle of deep space, your galaxy is overpopulated and hopes to expand across the intergalactic planets. You will grow your fleet, expand your influence, and colonize planets in the name of intergalactic conquest.

However, you are not the only empire looking to expand. Opportunistic rivals from other galaxies are growing just as fast as you and even the universe is not big enough for all your ambitions to come true.

If you maneuver your fleet strategically, select the right planets, and outwit your opponents, you can control the cosmos, leaving your rivals floating on worthless space rocks.


  • 5 Galaxy Mats
  • 1 Control Mat
  • 40 Planet Cards
  • 12 Secret Mission Cards
  • 7 Action Dice
  • 20 Ships
  • 5 Empire Tokens
  • 5 Energy Tokens
  • 5 Culture Tokens
  • Rulebook

Object of the Game

Galactic empires are competing to colonize newly discovered planets. Earn victory points () by colonizing planets and increasing your empire's level. Whoever has the most victory points at the end of the game wins!


  1. Give each player a Galaxy Mat in a color of their choice. The back of the Galaxy Mats, the Rogue Galaxies, are only used for solo play.

  2. Give each player 4 Ships, 1 Culture Token, 1 Energy Token, and 1 Empire Token in their color.

  3. Players start the game with 2 ships on the center of their Galaxy Mat, standing upright. These are the player's starting ships. The other 2 ships are placed on the ship track on the number spaces outlined with a square.

  4. Players keep track of their culture and energy levels by placing the corresponding tokens on the resource track on their Galaxy Mat. Start the game with 1 culture and 2 energy.

  5. Players keep track of their empire's level by using the Empire Token on the empire track on their Galaxy Mat. The empire level determines how many dice and ships you are able to use during your turn. T

    he level of your empire also earns you victory points. Start the game with the empire token on the first space of the empire track marked with the star icon.

  6. Shuffle the deck of Planet Cards. Draw 2 more than the number of players and place each one face up in the center in a line. In a 5 player game, only draw 6 Planet Cards.

    These are newly discovered planets, ready for colonization. For example, in a 3 player game, you would place 5 planets in the center.

  7. Place the Control Mat and the 7 Action Dice in the center of the table.

  8. Shuffle the Secret Mission Cards and deal two to each player. Each player looks at both, selects one and slides it under their Galaxy Mat, then discards the other.

    These cards are kept secret from other players until the end of the game. Put any remaining Secret Mission cards back into the box face down.

Game Play

The youngest player goes first. Players take turns rolling and activating a number of dice determined by their empire level. Play continues until one player reaches 21 victory points or more. After that occurs, continue play until it gets back to the starting player (who does not take another turn).

Refer to the empire track on your Galaxy Mat. Take the number of dice specified for your empire's level and roll them.

For example, on the first player's first turn, they'll get 4 dice and 2 ships.

The dice you roll determine the actions you may take that turn. You may activate the dice in any order you wish. You do not have to activate all of the dice during your turn.

Activating Dice

To use the action shown on a die, move the die to the Activation Bay on the Control Mat and perform the action.

A die cannot be used more than once in a turn; once used it must remain in the Activation Bay.

Rerolling Dice

At any point during your turn, you may reroll any number of your dice that have not yet been activated.

The first reroll of each turn is free; thereafter, a reroll, of any unactivated dice, costs 1 energy ().

Follow Another Player

On a player's turn, after that player has activated a die, all other players have a brief moment to decide whether they want to follow that action. To follow, a player must spend 1 culture ().

That player may then copy that die's action immediately. Each player may only perform 1 follow action per die. Any timing disputes should be resolved in clockwise order, starting from the player to the left of the active player.

Move a Ship

Move one of your ships from its current planet or galaxy to another planet. When arriving at a planet, a ship may do one of two things:

  1. Land on the Planet's Surface

    If you land a ship on a planet's surface (standing upright), you may immediately perform the action listed.

  2. Orbit the Planet

    If you choose to orbit the planet, place your ship on the starting position of the card's colony track (lying on its side).

    The symbol at the end of the track determines which action will allow you to advance the ship further along the track: Diplomacy or Economy. The first player to reach the end of the track will colonize the planet.

General Movement Rules:
  • When you move, you must switch planets. You cannot move from the surface to the colony track on the same planet, and vice versa.

  • You can place ships on the colony track and planet surface of each planet.

  • You can only have one ship on each colony track.

  • You can only have one ship on each planet surface.

  • Ships from different players can occupy the same colony track spaces or planet surfaces. If at any point during the game your ship becomes displaced, it is returned to your Galaxy Mat.

  • You may move from a planet back to your Galaxy Mat. Multiple ships can land in your galaxy.

  • You may not land on another player's Galaxy Mat or their colonized planets.

Acquire Resources

Planets can produce two different kinds of resources: Energy and Culture.

When an Acquire Resource die is activated, acquire 1 of that resource for each of your ships on, or orbiting, planets with the matching symbol.

Acquire 1 energy for each ship on your Galaxy Mat.

In the example on the right, the player would acquire 2 culture from this planet if an Acquire Culture die is activated (1 for orbiting + 1 for landed).

Move the culture or energy token up the resource track to show how much you have acquired.

You may only have a maximum of 7 of either resource.

If you spend all of a resource, remove the token from your Galaxy Mat until you acquire more.

Advance Colonization

While orbiting a planet, ships work toward colonizing it by advancing along its colony track.

Depending on the planet, you can use either Diplomacy or Economy to do so.

The symbol on the last space of the colony track determines which action you must use.

Activate the die to advance one ship forward one space on one colony track.

Colonizing Planets

When you advance to the end of the track and reach the diplomacy or economy symbol, you have colonized the planet!

All ships on the card are returned to their owners' Galaxy Mats.

Take the planet card and slide it under the action section on your Galaxy Mat so that the planet's text and point value are still visible.

Announce your new victory point total.

A new planet card is then drawn to replace it and is placed in the gap left by the colonized planet.

Utilize a Colony

Activate this die to perform either the action on your Galaxy Mat or the action on one of the planets you have colonized. For instance, in the setup on the right, you can use one of the three actions listed. For additional clarification on planet actions, refer to the inside of the bottom of the game box.

Galaxy Mat Action

Upgrade your empire; spend .

Spend the number of resources equal to the next level of your empire track. This cost must be paid either entirely in energy or entirely in culture; they cannot be combined.

For example, to upgrade from the second to the third space, empire level 3, you need to spend either 3 energy or 3 culture, not a combination.

Upgrading your empire increases the number of victory points it is worth, as indicated by the track on the left. It also increase the number of dice and ships you can use.

If you gain a ship, immediately place it on the center of your Galaxy Mat. This ship can be used on the same turn. If you gain another die, it will be available to you at the start of your next turn. Announce your new victory point total.

Converting Dice

The Converter, found on the Control Mat, is used to turn a die to a face of the player's choice.

To use the Converter, place any two inactive dice into the two slots in the Converter, then change the face of a third inactive die to the face of your choice.

This can only be done once per turn.The two dice in the Converter are considered spent, may not be activated, and cannot be followed.

Finishing Your Turn

Once you have activated as many of your dice as you wish to activate, your turn is over. Other players get a brief moment to follow the last die activated. Remove all dice from the Control Mat, and then play passes to the next player in the clockwise direction.

End of the Game

Once a player reaches 21 victory points or more, the end of the game is triggered.

Victory points from the Secret Missions do not count towards ending the game. Play continues until all players have taken an equal number of turns.

Reveal Secret Missions And Score

After the last player finishes their turn, all players reveal their Secret Mission card.

If a player has completed the objective on their card, they are awarded the bonus points detailed on the card. Add the victory points you've gained from colonized planets, empire level, and secret mission cards.

The player with the most victory points wins!

If tied, the player with the most colonized planets wins. If still tied, the player with the highest galaxy level wins. If still tied, the player with the highest combined total of resources wins. If still tied, enjoy your shared victory.

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