The amount of Research to finish a project is listed in the upper left of each Advancement Card. A faction may add one Research Token to each Advancement Project per turn. A Research Token claimed from Interstellar Phenomena may be immediately added to an Advancement Project during the Command Phase or stored for use on a subsequent Building Phase. Once a Research Token is committed to a Project, it can not be moved. When an Advancement Project is completed, it immediately moves from the Projects area to the Advancements area. If applicable, a player may use the Advancement’s Special Rule immediately. Unless a card states otherwise, a player may only use Advancements on their turn. 

Other Advancements may picture a Command Token in the lower right corner. When completed, these Advancements immediately increase the number of a player’s Command Tokens by one. The new Command Token comes into play Exhausted and will be refreshed and ready for the player’s use during the next Recharge Stage. Klingons are almost single-minded in the pursuit of improving their military prowess.

The Romulan Star Empire has a unique Advancement Deck with many cards a picturing a Culture Token in the lower right corner of the cards. When completed, these Advancements immediately reward the Romulans a Culture Token. Losing one of these valuable Advancement Projects to a rival is a devastating loss. The scientific acumen of the Romulans is dedicated to defending the Empire’s territories from encroachment.

The Research required to upgrade Shields and Weapons is listed directly across from their current effectiveness on the Command Console. Unlike Advancement Projects, upgrading Shields and Weapons is a single, one-time cost that must be paid in full to improve the technology. Typically, Weapons and Shields may only ever be improved during the Building Phase.

As you explore and expand the Galaxy in Star Trek: Ascendancy, you’ll build your own Galactic Map by drawing random System Discs and connecting them to each other with Space Lanes. There are two types of Systems, Planetary Systems and Interstellar Phenomena. Planetary Systems contain planets ripe for exploration and colonization. Interstellar Phenomena are hazardous locations that hold a wealth of scientific knowledge.

Many systems can contain navigation perils which can threaten starships or treacherous environments which may endanger crews. These Hazardous Systems are indicated by the Red Alert Warning at the top of the disc. When a Starship or Fleet enters a Hazardous System, a die is rolled for each ship. If the number rolled is equal to or higher than the Hazard level, a Ship is destroyed! Improving a Ship’s Shields modifies this number, protecting your vessels from danger. Ships only have to make a Hazard roll when they end their movement in a Hazardous System; thus Ships in orbit of Hazardous Systems as well as Ships built in the System are safe and may depart the system without incident.

All Interstellar Phenomena are hazardous, but if a Ship survives the Hazard, the player may claim a valuable Research Token from the system. Some phenomena, like the Murasaki 312 formation, are minor hazards, while others, like a Neutron Star, are quite deadly! At the end of each game round a new Research Token is placed in the phenomena, waiting for another brave crew to claim it. While a Ship may safely occupy an Interstellar Phenomenon, Commanding a vessel to conduct further study in order to claim the Research Token will require a Hazard roll.

Planetary Systems are valuable resources for an expanding civilization. Worlds found in these systems can be colonized and their resources can be developed to fuel your society’s growth. All planets may be colonized, but different planets have different levels of resources that can be developed, making some systems, like the resource-rich Terra Nova, more lucrative than others. Colored tabs on the System Disc indicate a planet’s Capacity and determine if players can place Production, Research, or Culture Nodes on the world. Some planets even contain an open Capacity where a player may construct any Node they see fit.

Each player’s turn begins with a Building Phase. All activity in the Building Phase must be competed before moving onto the Command Phase of the turn. During the Building Phase, civilizations will expend their resources to construct Starships, Colonies, and Infrastructure. They’ll also conduct research to improve Ship Weapons and Shield Systems and further development of Advancement projects. All of these tasks may be completed in any order during the Building Phase.

Starships may only be built at the player's Home System or at a Starbase they control. A commander who constructs three or more Ships at the same location may immediately form those vessels into a Fleet without having to expend a Command in the Command Phase. These ships are ready-built to the specific mission of the Fleet.

A civilization may build a Colony in an Undeveloped System they Occupy. An Undeveloped System is a Planetary System that does not contain any Nodes. In order to construct a fully functioning Colony on an undeveloped world, a player must spend a Culture Token and discard one Starship located at the System. A Control Node is placed on the System Disc, placing the System under the player's Control.

Resource Nodes allow a society to gather valuable resources from their worlds; extracting raw materials, conducting cutting-edge research and enriching their society. A System may only support the amount and type of Resource Nodes indicated by its Capacity. Resource Nodes may only be Built in Systems the civilization Controls, so during a Building Phase, they must construct a Control Node before any Resource Nodes if they don’t already have an established Colony on the planet. Each Resource Node will generate the appropriate Resource Token at the end of Game Round during the Recharge Stage.

How will your civilization take shape, when you take command in Star Trek: Ascendancy? Next week, we’ll scan the Exploration Deck and investigate the strange encounters, fascinating discoveries and challenging obstacles facing your Starships with each new Planetary System they explore.