The winner of the game is the first to 10 victory points (14 in the long game), points are almost

always scored player at a time so a tie is very unlikely, if

multiple people do get the winning point simultaneously the player closest to the speaker in clockwise order wins.
Twilight Imperium is not a game focused on combat, it is a game focused on objectives and claiming some of those objectives may require you to get
into combat. The game is played over several rounds, the game will usually end in round 5 or 6, each round is split into 3 phases, once Mecatol Rex has
been invaded a fourth phase called the Agenda Phase will be added.
1. The Strategy Phase Strategy Cards
Starting from the speaker and then going clockwise everyone takes 1) Leadership
a strategy card, in a 3 or 4 player game everyone then takes a second P: Gain 3 CT’s then spend influence to gain 1 CT for every 3 spent.
strategy card; any not taken gain 1 trade good. S: Spend influence to gain 1 CT for every 3 spent.
Initiative order for the round is dictated by the lower number. 2) Diplomacy
2. Action Phase P: Pick a system, everyone else puts a CT from their reserve into that system
then you ready each planet in that system.
Do one of 3 types of action or pass, you cannot pass until you have S: Spend 1 strategy CT to ready 2 planets.
done all your strategic actions.
3) Politics
Strategic Action P: Pick a new speaker (cannot be the current speaker) then draw 2 action cards
1) Use the primary ability of a strategy card. then look at next 2 agenda cards place each card in any order on the top or
2) Everyone clockwise from you can do the secondary. bottom of the deck.
Players who have passed may still do the secondary. S: Spend 1 strategy CT to draw 2 action cards.
Component Action 4) Construction
Do an Action on one of your components. P: Place a PDS or a space dock on a planet you control then place a PDS on a
Tactical Action planet you control.
1) Activation S: Place 1 strategy CT in a system then place a PDS or a space dock on a planet
2) Movement you control in that system.
i) Move Ships. 5) Trade
ii) Space Cannon Offence. P: Gain 3 trade goods then replenish commodities then pick people who can
3) Space Combat do the secondary without spending a strategy CT.
i) Anti-Fighter Barrage. S: Spend 1 strategy CT to replenish commodities.
ii) Announce Retreats.
iii) Make Combat Rolls. 6) Warfare
iv) Assign Hits. P: Remove 1 CT from a system then gain 1 CT then redistribute CT’s.
v) Retreat. S: Spend 1 strategy CT to produce with 1 unit in your home system.
Repeat From ii) 7) Technology
4) Invasion P: Research 1 tech then you may spend 6 resources to research again.
i) Bombardment. S: Spend 1 strategy CT and 4 resources to research a tech.
ii) Commit Ground Forces. 8) Imperial
iii) Space Cannon Defence. P: Score 1 public objective if you qualify then gain 1 VP if you control Mecatol
iv) Ground Combat. Rex or draw 1 secret objective.
v) Establish Control. S: Spend 1 strategy CT to draw 1 secret objective.
5) Production
Anomalies
Repeat action phase until everyone has passed.
Ships cannot move into or through an Asteroid Belt, the Anitmass Deflectors
3. The Status Phase tech and other game effects may make it possible to.
1) Score objectives. Any ship that moves into, out of or through a Gravity Rift gets +1 move,
In Initiative order score 1 public and or 1 secret objective. when a ship moves out of or through a Gravity Rift you roll a die and it gets
Cannot score public if you do not control all your home planets. destroyed on a 1-3, transported units do not roll but do get destroyed if the
2) Reveal next public objective. unit transporting them is destroyed.
3) Draw an action card.
Normally 1, players with the Neural Motivator tech get 2. Ships cannot move through a Nebula, defenders get +1, ships moving out
4) Remove all command tokens from the board. have a move of 1, this may be modified though.
5) Gain command tokens and redistribute. Ships cannot move into or through a Supernova.
Normally 2, players with the Hyper Metabolism tech get 3.
6) Ready cards. Wormholes are considered adjacent for all purposes.
7) Repair units. Transactions and Deals
8) Return strategy cards.
During your turn you may make a single transaction with each neighbour you
4. The Agenda Phase (after Mecatol Rex has been invaded) may exchange any combination of commodities, trade goods and up to 1
1) Speaker draws and reads the top agenda card. promissory note.
2) Clarify the effects of the agenda card. A deal may include a transaction but also an agreement, any terms of the deal
3) When an agenda card is revealed effects (Veto etc). that can happen immediately are binding any future promises are not.
4) After an agenda card is revealed effects (Riders etc).
5) Vote using influence. Trade goods can be used at any time as 1 resource or 1 influence, you cannot
Clockwise starting from the player to the left of the speaker. use them for influence during voting.
Can only vote on 1 outcome. Unit Abilities
Can abstain this is not the same as casting 0 votes.
Speaker is the tie breaker. Anti-Fighter Barrage units can attack fighters at the start of space combat.
While resolving each agenda card, anyone may make a single Bombardment units can attack ground forces at the start of invasion.
transaction with each player, even if they are not neighbours. Planetary Shield units protect the planet from Bombardment.
Repeat for a second agenda card Production units can produce during a tactical action.
6) Ready planets. Space Cannon units may fire during movement and invasion.
Sustain Damage units take 2 hits to be destroyed.
Important Rules
Public and secret objectives scored during the status phase are scored in initiative order.
You cannot score public objectives if you do not control all the planets in your home system.
After an invasion any planets you gain come to you exhausted.
A space dock can only produce a number of units equal to the resource (yellow) value of the planet it is on +2.
The first player to invade Mecatol Rex must also spend 6 influence, that player gets 1 VP.
Command tokens in your fleet dictate the amount of non fighter ships that you can have in a system.
You can only have 1 space dock and 2 PDSs per planet.
A planets resources are the yellow number and the influence is the blue number.
You are component limited apart from ground forces and fighters.
You can exhaust a planet with a tech symbol to cover a prerequisite when researching.
Unit upgrades do not cover any technology prerequisites or count towards technology objectives.
Some planets have traits this is important for some objectives and action cards.
Secret Objectives
You can only have 3 total scored and unscored secret objectives.
There is no secret objective discard pile whenever a secret objective is discarded it is shuffled back into the deck.
Action Cards
There is a hand limit of 7 action cards.
Multiple action cards with the same name cannot be played during a single timing window to affect the same units or game effect.
EG: Playing 2 direct hits on 2 different units in one space combat is allowed, playing 2 flank speeds during movement is not.
If your first copy of an action card gets sabotaged you can play a second copy if you have one.
Combat action cards are very specific about which part of the tactical action you can use them in.
Skilled Retreat is not a retreat.
Errata
Tech - Hyper Metabolism - Should read “During the status phase, gain 3 command tokens instead of 2.”
Action Card - Veto - Timing should be “When an agenda is revealed.”
Action Card - Unstable Planet - Should read “.... destroy up to 3 infantry in it.”
Xxcha - Political Favor (Promissory Note) - Timing should be “When an agenda is revealed ....”
Naalu - Matriarch (Flagship) - In the second sentence, change “After combat.” to “When combat ends.”

Tactical Action In Detail

1) Activation
Place a command token in a system without one of your command tokens in it from your tactic pool, this is the active system.
2) Movement
i) Move ships
Any of your ships that can reach the active system may move into it.
Cannot move ships from a system that has your command tokens in but you may move through them.
Cannot move through a system that has other players ships in (including fighters).
Can pick up ground forces and fighters on the way but can only drop them off in the active system.
Can move from and then back into the active system.
Can transfer ground forces from one planet to another planet in the active system (if you have the capacity).
All movement happens simultaneously, this can be important if using a gravity rift.
ii) Space Cannon Offence
Starting with the active player and going clockwise any units with the space cannon ability that are in range may fire into the active system.
All players dice are rolled before assigning any hits.
For each hit by the active player the defender must assign hits to ships destroying any as normal.
For each hit by any other player the active player must assign hits to ships destroying any as normal.
Can use sustain damage as normal and therefore players can use the “Direct Hit” action cards.
When assigning hits from multiple players you must assign those hits in clockwise order and only that player may play action cards.
3) Space Combat
i) Anti-Fighter Barrage
ii) Announce Retreats
Defender first, the attacker cannot retreat if the defender retreats.
Can pick up ground forces.
iii) Make Combat Rolls
Attacker first, make combat rolls for all units with the same combat value separately starting with the lowest combat value first.
iv) Assign Hits
Owner decides which units get assigned hits.
Capacity is not enforced during space combat, but as soon as combat ends it must be applied.
v) Retreat
Can only retreat to an adjacent system that has a planet you control or at least one of your units.
Cannot retreat to a system that contains another players units.
Cannot retreat if there an none of the opposing players ships left.
Place a command token from your reserve in the system if there is not one there already.
Repeat from ii) till combat is resolved.
4) Invasion
i) Bombardment
The attacker decides which units (if any) are going to bombard which planets before rolling any dice.
Planets that have a unit on that provides Planetary Shield cannot be bombarded.
War Suns remove Planetary Shield from other players units in the system.
ii) Commit Ground Forces
Decide which ground forces are invading which planets.
iii) Space Cannon Defence
Units with the space cannon ability on the planet may fire at the ground forces that are invading.
iv) Ground Combat
Make combat rolls for each ground force on the planet; all dice are rolled before assigning hits.
v) Establish Control
If all ground forces are destroyed the defender retains control.
Any planet cards you gain come to you exhausted.
If the attacker wins and there are any PDSs or Space Docks on the planet they are destroyed.
5) Production
Units with production ability can produce other units.
A space dock can only produce a number of units equal to the resource (yellow) value of the planet it is on +2.
If there are multiple units that can produce in the active system their production value is combined.
Producing 2 fighters or 2 ground forces for 1 resource counts as 2 units.
You cannot produce 1 fighter and 1 ground force for 1 resource.
A space dock can support 3 fighters.
Any resources that are gained from exhausting a planet that are not spent are lost.
A unit cannot produce ships if there are other players ships in the system.
If you do not have a unit in your reserve, you may first remove one from a system that does not have one of your command tokens.