How To Play: The Dominion War Expansion

 Star Trek: Ascendancy "The Dominion has endured for over two thousand years, and will continue to endure long after the Federation has crumbled into dust." 
-- Weyoun 4
 

Established in the Gamma Quadrant thousands of years ago, The Changelings rule as gods, controlling their forces with their Vorta Commanders and fearsome Jem’Hadar soldiers. The discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole has brought the Dominion into conflict with the much younger civilizations of the Alpha Quadrant. Take control of Dominion, venture through the wormhole and establish your place as the dominant civilization of the Galaxy..

Setting Up and integrating the Dominion War Expansion into Your Games

First, to integrate The Dominion into your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy. Shuffle the 20 new Exploration Cards into your Exploration Deck.


Set The Great Link system, home world and starting location of The Dominion, aside and the Bajor-Idran Wormhole System and now there is a choice to make. You can either ignore the Gamma Quadrant by setting the Bajor-Idran Wormhole System and Gamma Quadrant systems to the side and play a normal game of Star Trek: Ascendancy, or as the Dominion player you can elect to start in the Gamma Quadrant! Now let’s show you can start as the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant.


Gamma Quadrant Setting Up

The Gamma Quadrants systems are marked by the Gamma Quadrant symbol on both sides. Keep these separate from Alpha Quadrant Systems. Place each player’s Starting System per the rules and then place the Bajor-Idran Wormhole System with the Idran side closest to The Great Link System. 

Star Trek: Ascendancy

If no one is playing the Dominion, you can still explore the Gamma Quadrant. Instead of placing it in the centre, set the Bajor-Idran Wormhole System aside. Each time a player draws a Phenomenon, roll the Space Lane Dice. If the result is 4, replace the Phenomenon with Bajor-Idran Wormhole System and connect the space lane to Bajor.

 Below: An example of the Bajor/Idran Wormhole System with Dominion Home System. 
Star Trek: Ascendancy

The Bajor System is unique. It starts as a Warp Capable Independent Civilization per its stats on the system card and unlike most Independent Civilizations it has a Starbase: Deep Space 9. When a player takes control of Bajor they gain control of the Starbase and a Command Token


If you have the Cardassian Expansion, remove the Bajor System from the System Discs as the Bajor-Idran - Wormhole System - replaces this system.


Lastly, prepare the Gamma Quadrant Systems Stack at the same time that you do the Alpha Quadrant Systems stack. Separate out the Interstellar Phenomenon System Discs from Planetary System Discs, choose two random Planetary System Discs and place them at the top of the shuffled pile of Gamma Quadrant System Discs. Now you are ready to start exploring the Gamma Quadrant!


Exploring the Gamma Quadrant
Exploring the Gamma Quadrant is identical to the way you’ve previously explored in the Alpha Quadrant. You will place the Space Lane per normal. However, when resolving the discovery of a system connected a Gamma System you must draw your System Disc from the Gamma Quadrant Pile


Space Lanes can never connect an Alpha Quadrant system to a Gamma Quadrant System to each other, the only way to reach travel between the two Quadrants is through the Bajor-Idran Wormhole. Lastly players cannot set up Space Lanes and Systems in a way that makes it impossible to connect a system to either Bajor or Idran.


Moving Through the Wormhole
You cannot move through the Wormhole while in Warp. Ships must exit Warp at Idran or Bajor first. You must Exhaust 1 Command Token to move a Ship or Fleet from one side of the Wormhole to the other. You may always move between the two Wormhole Systems, even if the System on the other side of the Wormhole is held by a Hostile rival. They cannot prevent you from entering the System via the Wormhole. Nor can a rival use Ships in a System to prevent you from leaving that System.


Now that we know how to explore the Gamma Quadrant and set up the Dominion in the Game Quadrant let’s take a look at what the Dominion can bring to Alpha Quadrant!


The Dominion Set Up
The Dominion’s Founders are changeling and shapeshifters and they can take on many different forms and infiltrate other planets and races. At the start of the game, in addition to the normal setup, place Five Infiltrators on The Great Link. You can send these out to study other races and prepare the way for their invasion. The Dominion Player may exhaust two Command Tokens to move them to Any System on the board from “The Great Link”. They may use a Command Token to move to an Adjacent System to their own or to return to “The Great Link”.

The Dominion has many advancements that allow them to perform actions in systems that have Infiltrators. For example, False Orders lets you use your own Command Tokens to move rival ships in orbit around systems that have an Infiltrator as if they were your own ships. You can use this to move a rival’s entire fleet out of its defensive position above a planet, into a hazardous system, or even take an unprepared fleet into an ambush of your own! Research these Advancements and use them to get the upper hand over your rivals.

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Ketracel-White
The Dominion makes extensive use of their Jem’Hadar soldiers in war. They keep them loyal through the use of Ketracel-White, a substance that they need to keep them alive. Through their dependence on this, the Founders ensure the loyalty of the Jem’Hadar.

With the Ketracel-White rule, you can spend a Command Token to re-roll failed To Hit rolls in a single round of combat in a Space Battle or Planetary Invasion. You can do so in any player’s turn and in each round of combat in a battle or invasion. If you are clever, you can use Ketracel-White to make a devastating attack on a rival or inflict heavier casualties on an attacking rival.

Domination
The Dominion much prefers cowed subjects rather than allies. They come largely as conquerors and who impose their vision of order on the universe and bring all civilizations under its control. The Dominion cannot attempt to use Cultural Hegemony on a rival- controlled System. They can still use Cultural Hegemony on Independent Systems, however.

Dominion Tactics
With the Jem’Hadar, the Dominion have access to incredibly powerful soldiers. Many of their advancements give you more Command Tokens you can use to boost your damage output through Ketracel-White. You also have Infiltrators to sabotage your opponents. This potent combo will let you gain the upper hand and take over the Alpha Quadrant and eventually establish your dominance in two Quadrants at once!

Now that you know how to play the Dominion and set up the Gamma Quadrant, let’s look at the final part of the rules — a unique new way of playing Star Trek: Ascendancy by recreating one of the bloodiest and most destructive wars in modern galactic history!

 Star Trek: Ascendancy
Fighting The Dominion War
Whereas the standard game of Star Trek Ascendancy sees each civilization vying to become ascendant, the Dominion War variant changes up the playing field by dividing the players into two rival Alliances. No longer do you stand or fall alone. Instead each Alliance must work together to decide the ultimate fate of the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants. Each player starts with more resources and each player has a string of systems connecting to two other players. Teams will need to decide quickly on a strategy and work together!

You will need at least four players and it is recommended that you have an even number of players and equal sides. The rules are the same as the standard game, but there are some exceptions.

Winning the Game
As with Star Trek: Ascendancy, there are two ways to win the game. You win a Supremacy Victory if your Alliance has Conquered all of your Adversaries’ Home Systems. Alternatively, you can win if your Alliance has Conquered at least half of your Adversaries’ Home Systems and a member of your Alliance meets the conditions for an Ascendancy Victory, an Agenda Victory, or another alternative way of winning a game of Star Trek: Ascendancy.

Setting Up The Dominion War
The Dominion War starts with two Alliances already created and at war. Each player starts with a civilization created and connected with their neighbours. Let’s go step by step through how to set up your table and players for the Dominion War.

Step 1. Form the Alliances
Before placing their Home System each player draws an Alliance Selection card. All players in the same Alliance then sit together on one side of the table.
Star Trek: Ascendancy
Step 2. Build Your Civilizations
Each player starts the game with their Home System connected to four explored and colonised Planetary Systems. 

Step 3. Connect Each Alliance 
Connect Each Alliance & Step 4. Connect the AdversariesNow, connect the Alliances. Each player creates a string of systems to connect with the player to their right. They keep rolling the Space Lane Dice and placing a new space lane connecting to  a random, facedown System Disc with an Encounter Card, also facedown, . Until they can link their Home System to that player’s Home System.

Star Trek: Ascendancy
Step 4. Building Nodes
Each player now builds the three Resource Nodes on their Home System and nine additional Resource Nodes on adjacent Systems that they control.

Step 5. Trade Agreements
All players start the game having made contact and may exchange Trade Agreements with their Allies before the game begins. Each player can only hold one Trade Agreement at a time.


Fleets and Starbases
In this game players can have all three of their Fleets and all three of their Starbases in play regardless of Ascendancy level.


Alliances and Allies
You can enter or move through Sectors and Systems containing Allied Ships, and Form Fleets (but not Build Ships) at their Starbases. You can also Exhaust an additional Command Token when initiating a Space Battle to have Allied Fleets and Ships join in your Space Battles or Planetary Invasions.


Alliance Cards
Each Alliance has a deck of Alliance Cards that give bonuses to them or their Alliance as a whole. A player can only have up to three Alliance cards in effect or in their hand at any time, and draws two new ones each turn, so there’s no risk of running out.  
Conquest 
One of the biggest differences from normal is that you can’t be kicked out of the game.  If an Adversary takes your Home System, it remains your Home System and you still control it. However, you are now at Peace with your Adversaries’ Alliance, and cannot attack them. The good news is that they can’t attack you or your planets either. Your conqueror levies a tax of half of everything you own or earn, can use all of your Advancements, and you must discard all Alliance cards and revoke all Trade Agreements with your Allies. 


Things look bleak, but despite all that, you still play for your own Alliance. To help you fight back, you draw Resistance cards instead of Alliance cards.


The Conquered player must discard all Alliance Cards in their hand and that they have in play, and must revoke all Trade Agreements with their Allies. They cannot draw Alliance Cards or make Trade Agreements while Conquered. The Conquered player immediately draws a hand of three Resistance cards.


Resistance
Resistance cards allow you to fight back. Some of these allow you to sabotage your conqueror, steal resources from them, or secretly build extra ships. Others allow you to start an open rebellion. The dastardly rebels attack your conqueror, while you are still officially loyal to your new overlords so they can’t invade your planets.

Liberation
You don’t need to stay conquered. You can rebel if the conquering player ends their turn with three or fewer ships In Orbit of your Home System. In that case, if your rebels destroy all Adversary ships In Orbit you’re free. Alternatively, a member of your Alliance can liberate you by occupying your Home System. You are back in the game!


Star Trek: Ascendancy



How To Play: The Breen Confederacy Expansion

 Star Trek: Ascendancy


"Never turn your back on a Breen." 
-- Old Romulan Saying
 

Today we are going to be learning how add the Secretive Breen to Star Trek Ascendancy. The Breen are an intensely territorial and secretive species sometimes outright eliminating invaders leaving other factions none the wiser as to who or what they even faced.

 
Setting Up and integrating the Breen Expansion into Your Games

First, to integrate the Breen into your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy. Shuffle the 10 new Exploration Cards into your Exploration Deck.


Set the “Breen” system, Home System and starting location of the Breen Confederacy, aside and add the 9 System Discs from the expansion into the stack of System Discs.


Now you can set up your game of Star Trek: Ascendency. Simply set up the Breen players as you would any other faction from the game with their respective Command Console, Advancement Cards as well as their Ships, Control Nodes, Resources and tokens etc.


Lastly, place the Breen System down equally spaced from other players as you would any other Home System. You are ready to set forth, stake your claim and raid your opponents to establish your dominance of the quadrant! But before we start, let’s take a look at the special rules you, the Breen Confederacy, have.
Star Trek: Ascendancy

Breen Territory

The Breen Confederacy have unique rules that apply surrounding Breen Territory. Breen Territory consists of Breen controlled Systems that connect via Space Lanes to the Breen Home System through a chain of systems. 

Star Trek: Ascendancy

Stellar Phenomenon Systems cannot be controlled by any player and therefore cannot be Breen Territory. They break the chain of systems between a Breen Controlled System and the Breen Home World. 


Territorial
The Breen are highly territorial! To represent this the Breen have the rule Territorial: Breen ships that are in Breen Territory can reroll all failed To Hit Rolls in combat. This makes Breen Ships in Breen territory much, much more dangerous.

Isolationists
The mysterious Breen seem largely uninterested in establishing relationships with other civilizations. Breen cannot give or hold Trade Agreements with a player unless that player controls a System adjacent to Breen Territory. Factions making Trade Agreements with Breen will need to control systems very close and risk potential betrayal or go all in on an alliance of convenience.
Star Trek: Ascendancy
Breen Tactics
With that you are ready to step into Star Trek Ascendancy as the Breen Confederacy. Playing as the Breen you’ll want to expand slowly and cautiously as you expand your territory. Plan your attacks carefully and should players try to exact revenge you will have an advantage in your home territory. Breen Fleets also have unique raiding rules allowing for hit and run tactics so that you can minimise your losses so make sure to use them to your advantage!

Star Trek: Ascendancy



Updated Star Trek Ascendency Rulebook Downloads

It has a long time since Star Trek Ascendancy was released and over the intervening years we have had many questions, and some amazing fans over at BoardGameGeek (shout out to you all) have done an amazing job of collating these and creating a living FAQ. We’ve collated this and created an updated pair of PDF rulebooks that take these answers and a few more questions we came across.
 
We hope you enjoy these updated versions.


PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy (July 2020 Updated) Rulebook (4.8 MB)

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Borg Assimilation (July 2020 Updated) Rulebook (1.7 MB)


Star Trek: Ascendancy



Star Trek: Ascendancy Expansion Rulebooks

The full rulebooks for Gale Force Nine’s Star Trek: Ascendancy expansions are now available for download.


PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - The Dominion War Rules

 

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - Breen Confederacy Rules

 

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - Vulcan High Command Rules

 

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - Andorian Rules

 

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - Cardassian Rules

 

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - Ferengi Alliance Rules

 

PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy - Borg Assimilation Rules

 

Star Trek: Ascendancy Expansions

Star Trek: Ascendancy

Star Trek: Ascendancy Rulebook

The full rulebook for Gale Force Nine’s Star Trek: Ascendancy is now available for download.


PDF Icon Click Here - Download the Star Trek: Ascendancy Rulebook (July2020 Updated) (4.8 MB)

Be on the lookout for more news about Star Trek: Ascendancy later this summer, including information on civilization expansions which will add more players to the game commanding the Cardassian Union and the Ferengi Alliance as well as other game add-ons and accessories available later this year.  


The launch of Star Trek: Ascendancy is only the beginning.


 

Star Trek: Ascendancy



Command Phase – Part 4 Cultural Hegemony & Warp-Capable Civilizations

"We’ve been monitoring your progress toward warp capability. When a society reaches your level of technology and is clearly about to initiate warp travel, we feel the time is right for first contact." 
-- Jean-Luc Picard


Command Phase – Part 4 Cultural Hegemony & Warp-Capable Civilizations

A Planet may be convinced to join your civilization through diplomatic means by way of a Hegemony Roll. This roll represents the lengthy negotiations and treaties required to convince a world to join the larger galactic community or switch allegiances from one faction to another.


Hegemony is the result of costly negotiations and normally requires spending at least two Culture Tokens to accomplish; one to make the attempt and another to place a Control Node on the planet if the attempt was successful.


The Hegemony Resistance of a System is equal to the number of structures on the world plus the Ascendancy of the civilization who Controls it. Starbases and Nodes count as structures and each add to the Planet’s Hegemony Resistance.

Star Trek: Ascendancy

To attempt Cultural Hegemony, a player must Exhaust a Command Token and spend a Culture Token. The player then rolls a die and adds their current Ascendancy as well as any applicable Advancement bonuses. If the player rolls more than the target number, they may spend another Culture Token to place a Control Node on the planet, taking control of the world. If they fail the roll, negotiations breakdown and another attempt must be made later to bring the planet into the fold. While challenging, adding worlds to a civilization through Hegemony means that they contribute to it’s growth immediately without spending additional resources.


 

Star Trek: Ascendancy

When a Level 1, 2 or 3 Warp-Capable Civilization is discovered, the Exploration card will direct the player to develop some that System’s Capacity and place a number of Warp Tokens on the System. This is an independent, space-faring civilization that must be conquered or convinced to join a player’s faction. 


Star Trek: Ascendancy

A Level One Civilization has a Weapons Hit Roll of 5+, a Shields Modifier of 1 in Planetary Invasions, and a base Hegemony Resistance of 1. A Level Two Civilization has a Weapons Hit Roll of 4+, a Shields Modifier of 2, and a base Hegemony Resistance of 2. A Level Three Civilization has a Weapons Hit Roll of 3+, a Shields Modifier of 3, and a base Hegemony Resistance of 3. A Level Three Warp-Capable World is a significant presence in the Galaxy that fledgling civilizations may not be able to deal with right away.


Next week we’ll post the entire Star Trek: Ascendancy rulebook for download.  Star Trek: Ascendancy is making its debut at Gen Con 2016 and Star Trek Convention Las Vegas.  The game will be on stores shelves soon after! Remember, specially marked boxes of Star Trek: Ascendancy, contain the special limited set of 50th Anniversary Exploration Cards, inspired by the Original Series. There is more to come too!  Look for info on the Cardassian Union and Ferengi Alliance player expansions later this summer and information about other player accessories later this year!

Star Trek: Ascendancy



Command Phase – Part 3 Space Battles & Planetary Invasions

“Red Alert! Shields Up!”
-- William Riker

Command Phase – Part 3 Space Battles & Planetary Invasions

A Command may be Exhausted to initiate a Space Battle with rival Starships in a single Adjacent Sector, or in a single Sector occupied by rival vessels. If a player has Ships in more than one Adjacent Sector, all of those vessels may participate in the Battle when the Command is Exhausted. A Space Battle consists of a number of Rounds of Combat in which both players roll to Score Hits, take Casualties, and then decide whether to Retreat of keep fighting. The player who initiates the battle is the Attacker.


Star Trek: Ascendancy

Combat in Star Trek: Ascendancy is very simple. Both players involved roll a number of dice equal to the number of Starships involved in the Battle. On each player’s Control Console, the Weapons System slider will point at the number a player needs to roll to hit in order to destroy a rival vessel. An opponent’s Shields can modify that number, making the “Hit Roll” more difficult.


Star Trek: Ascendancy

Every Hit destroys a rival Ship. Both players Roll to Hit and then Take Casualties simultaneously. If there is a choice of where casualties are going to be taken, the player who inflicted the Hits chooses how to allocate the Hits. For instance, if a player is facing both a Fleet and individual vessels, the Fleet may be targeted in an attempt to break it up (remember, normally a Fleet must contain at least three Ships).

Starbases may lend support to a Space Battle. When a civilization has Ships in Orbit of a System they Control that contains a Starbase, that player may roll an additional to Hit die in the Battle. Starbases may never be targeted or taken as a Causality and cannot fight on their own.
 

After Taking Casualties, each side must decide to continue or retreat from Battle, starting with the Attacker. Retreats are made at Impulse Speed and via Existing Space Lanes. All of a players Ships must Move and end their Retreat in the same Sector. If rival Starships are blocking the Space Lanes, Retreat is impossible.

Some Advancements grant Ships and/or Nodes (in a Planetary Invasion) a First Strike in the initial Round of Combat. In a Battle with a participant who has First Strike, that player rolls their To Hit dice first, forcing their opponent to Remove Casualties before rolling To Hit. If both sides have First Strike, than neither may use it in the Battle.


Star Trek: Ascendancy

When a player’s Ships Occupy a Developed System that they do not Control, a Command may be issued to Invade the Planet. A Planetary Invasion works much the same as Space Combat, except the invading Ships roll off against the structures built on the planet. Starbases do not participate in Planetary Invasions. The weapon and shield levels on the Control Console apply to a civilization’s Nodes as well as their Starships.

Star Trek: Ascendancy

Every hit by a Defending Mode destroys one of the Attacker’s Ships. The goal of the Attacker is to take Control of the Planet, ideally with minimal damage to its infrastructure. Hits by the Attacker don’t necessarily destroy Nodes, but the number of Hits does determine the results of the Invasion.


If the Attacker rolls more hits than the Defending Planet has structures, then the Attackers take the world intact; taking over the existing Resource Nodes for themselves and placing their own Control Node on the System. If the Attacker rolls Hits less than the number of Nodes on the Planet, the Attacker must choose that number of Resource Nodes to be destroyed. If the Attacker rolls a number of Hits equal to the number of Nodes on the Planet, the surface of the world is completely razed during the Invasion and the System will need to be colonized anew in a future turn.

Only the Attacker may retreat from a Planetary Invasion. The Defender may elect to Surrender the world to the Attacker. The Defender may even Surrender the world before the Invasion begins, preventing a conflict and turning over Control of the Planet and its infrastructure to the Attacker.

Starbases are too valuable to destroy. Once a Starbase has been placed in a System, it remains there for the remainder of the game. When Control of a System changes hands, Control of the Starbase does too. The controlling player takes one Command Token from the former owner and places it face down with their own Commands, to be refreshed at the end of the turn. In this way, a civilization may Control more that the three Starbases they are allotted to commission.


Will your Fleets be victorious in Battle? Tale command when Star Trek: Ascendancy hits stores later this summer. Next week, diplomacy prevails where combat fails as we look at adding worlds to your civilization through Hegemony and diplomacy.


Star Trek: Ascendancy



Command Phase - Part 2 Movement

“Helm, Warp One.  Engage!”
-- Jean-Luc Picard

Command Phase - Part 2 Movement

One Command can be issued to Move a single Starship or an entire Fleet. There are two types of Movement in the game, Impulse Speed and Warp Speed

Star Trek: Ascendancy

All Starships have a base Impulse Speed of 2, by issuing one Command a Ship or Fleet and move up to two Sectors. Each space on a Space Lane is one Sector; additionally each System Disc also counts as one Sector for the purposes of movement. Impulse Speed is slow and cautious, and if travelling only a short distance, Command efficient.


Warp Speed permits a vessel to cover vast distances in a short amount of time. In the game, when a Ship is commanded to go to Warp Speed, the Ship is moved just off the Sector it currently occupies and placed on the table next to the cardboard map section. A Warp Token is placed next to the Ship, pointing at the Sector in which it went to Warp. At the end of each game round a Ship is at Warp, another Warp Token is placed next to the plastic Ship. Additional Warp Tokens may be placed next to the Ship by issuing a Command. 

Star Trek: Ascendancy

When a Ship is ready to come out of Warp, another Command must be issued. Upon Exiting Warp, the Ship may be moved a number of Systems (both Planetary Systems and Interstellar Phenomena) equal to the number of Warp Tokens next to the Ship in addition to the number of Warp Tokens pictured on completed, active Advancement Cards. A Ship may elect to move through fewer Systems and drop out of Warp earlier than the number of Warp Tokens permits.  Ships at Warp that do not stop in Hazardous Systems do not have to make a Hazard roll, they bypass the System without incident.


Exploring a new System and adding it to the Galactic Map will always end a Ship’s Movement.  A Starship may enter a new System as part of its movement.

When moving, Ships may not normally pass through a Sector controlled by another civilization when it is occupied by a hostile rival vessel. If trade relations have been established with that rival, they may allow the Ship to pass through their space at their discretion.  If a Ship is denied passage, it cannot reverse course and “take back” the movement it spent to reach the rival vessel, it must end its movement in the previous sector, facing off against the rival Ship.

Where will you chart your course when you take Command in Star Trek: Ascendancy? Next week, prepare to raise shields and go to red alert as we look at Space Combat in the game.


Star Trek: Ascendancy



Command Phase - Part 1

“Make it so.”
-- Jean-Luc Picard

Command Phase - Part 1

Chart the course of the Galaxy’s great civilizations and empires with Gale Force Nine’s Star Trek: Ascendancy hobby boardgame. Send single Starships on missions of exploration or command vast fleets to seize alien worlds. Commission new Starbases on the edges of the galactic frontier or open diplomatic talks with potential allies. The choices you make will ultimately lead your civilization to prosperity or ruin.

 Star Trek: Ascendancy

In the Command Phase of the game, players will make the critical decisions to grow their civilization. Each player has a number of Command Tokens they can Exhaust each turn to perform actions. Players begin the game with five Command Tokens and will have the opportunity to earn more through Advancement research and the establishment of Starbases. The more tokens a player has, the more Commands they can issue on their turn. Every Command costs one Command Token to execute and the same Command may be given multiple times in a turn.

A Command may be spent to Launch New Advancement Projects. A player may draw two cards from the Advancement Deck and add them to their Research Area. The number of blue Research Nodes they control on their worlds is the maximum number of Active Projects they may have in their Research Area. Any Projects a player discards are returned to the bottom of the Advancement Deck. Research is committed to Advancement Projects in the Building Phase.

A Command is also issued to Commission a Starbase. A Starbase is a major strategic construction; a civilization may only place three Starbases over the course of the game. Each Starbase a player Controls increases the number of Command Tokens in their pool, there is no limit to the number of Starbases a player may Control. New Starships may be constructed at a Starbase, allowing a player to build up their forces far from the civilization’s homeworld. Starbases can also contribute during a space battle in the system they are located in.

Star Trek: Ascendancy

A Command may be spent to Commission a Fleet.  Fleets may only ever be formed at a civilization’s homeworld or at a Starbase under their control. Ships in a Fleet act as one, only one Command is issued to move a fleet for example. And many Fleets have a special purpose, represented by a Special Rule for the Fleet while it is active.

Star Trek: Ascendancy

Advancements, Starbases and Fleets are valuable tools to grow a player’s civilization. What will be your orders when you take command Star Trek: Ascendancy? Once our engineers finish cleaning the plasma conduits, we’ll take a look at issuing a Move Command and how Impulse and Warp Speed work in the game.