Star Trek: Ascendancy, the new hobby board game from Gale Force Nine, will beam into game and hobby stores later this summer. While guiding one of the Galaxy’s great civilizations, you’ll travel to strange new worlds, study fascinating interstellar phenomena, and encounter new forms of life and civilizations. What worlds will you visit and what does the great unknown hold in store for your bold Starship crews?
As you explore and expand the Galaxy, 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Every time a Starship or Fleet discovers a new Planetary System, the player draws a card from the Exploration Deck. These cards add to the thrill of discovery and tell the story of what the ship’s crew encounters in the new system. They may find an untouched, pristine world, ready for colonization or they may encounter a fully-formed independent civilization that has already developed the planet. They may make a fascinating scientific discovery, earning an immediate benefit for their society or they could face a deadly crisis which will test their crews and threaten their starships.
There is so much to discover in
Star Trek: Ascendancy. For an in-depth look at the planets, phenomena and Exploration Cards you’ll encounter in the game visit
www.startrek.gf9games.com. In the coming weeks, we’ll highlight more Systems and Encounters, so make sure you lock on to our signals.
