Player Turn Summary (Basic Game)

Getting started
After the board is set up, the action and political cards are
shuffled, the objective deck is set up, and everyone has
their race sheets, starting units and technologies (as
outlined on their Race Sheet), players set their starting
units in their home system as they see fit (and control
markers on any home system planet on which they place
no units), and places 2 Command Counters in the Strategy
Allocation area of his Race Sheet, and 3 in each of the
Command Pool and Fleet Supply areas (2-3-3 from left to
right).

MAIN TURN MECHANIC

I. Strategy Phase Players, beginning with
player holding the SPEAKER token and
continuing clockwise around the table, select
one strategy card each from the 8 available.
In the 5- and 6-player games, the Strategy
phase ends when each player has drawn one
card. In the 3- and 4-player games, the
card selection continues around the table a
second time until each player has selected
two cards. After card selection has ended,
add one Bonus Counter to each unpicked
Strategy card which remains (not in the four
player game, as all the cards should have
been selected).
II. Action Phase Strategy Cards determine
default turn order.
Each player, in turn
order, executes (at his option) one of the
following actions on his turn:
STRATEGIC ACTION see Strategy Action
TACTICAL ACTION see Tactical Action
TRANSFER ACTION see Transfer Action
PASS
Once a player has passed, he may not
execute any other actions during the Action
Phase until the next game turn. He may,
however, indulge in the secondary ability of
any other players executed Strategic
Actions, if he is able, for its normal cost.
III. Status Phase Game board and Race Sheets
are reset for the next game turn.

STRATEGY PHASE
During the STRATEGY PHASE, players take turns selecting
Strategy Cards from the eight available. In the 3- and 4player games, after the last player has drawn his card, this
process repeats one more time (beginning, again, with the
player holding the SPEAKER token and progressing around
clockwise to every player) so that each player ends up
with two strategy cards.
If there are any BONUS markers on any of the cards
selected, the player drawing that card immediately returns
them to the BONUS marker pile, immediately converting
each to either Trade Good or a Command Counter.
In the 3-, 5-, and 6-player games, when the Strategy Card
selection is complete, there will be 2 or 3 cards left. Add a
BONUS counter to each of these (even if there is already a
BONUS counter there from a previous turn).

ACTION PHASE
During the ACTION PHASE, players may execute one of
the following four actions: a STRATEGY ACTION, a TACTICAL
ACTION, a TRANSFER ACTION, or PASS.
Turn order is determined by Strategy Card numbers drawn
during the STRATEGY PHASE, lowest to highest. Player
with lowest numbered Strategy Card takes first turn,
player with next highest-numbered card goes second, etc.
Therefore, play will often not progress sequentially around
the table.
Each players turn position is determined by their lowest
Strategy Card, and after each player has had a turn during
this phase, it repeats, using the same turn order as the
first time.
A description of each action available during the ACTION
PHASE follows below.

STRATEGY ACTION

Each player must at some

point before passing execute a STRATEGY ACTION for each

Twilight Imperium, Third Edition

SalladDazeds Turn Summary v. 1.1

Strategy card they drew during the STRATEGY PHASE

(except the Imperial Strategy Cardsee below). When
opting to execute a STRATEGY ACTION, the active player
announces and executes the action and the other players
then have the opportunity to enjoy, in clockwise order, its
Secondary Ability. After the other players have had an
opportunity to do this, the Strategy Card is turned over
and is not usable until the next game turn. This ends
active players turn.
Note the special rules for the Initiative Strategy Card,
which does not require the holding player to execute it in
order to enjoy its primary ability, and allows him to
immediately take the SPEAKER token at the beginning of
the ACTION PHASE.

Secondary Ability: Other players may move up to

two Cruisers and/or Destroyers to adjacent empty
systems, even if the destination systems are already
activated, and even if the systems they are starting
from are already activated.
The destination
system(s) is/are activated using Command Counters
from the reinforcements (not the Race Sheet). Only
adjacent systems are eligible, regardless of unit
range.
Secondary Ability Cost: 1 Command Counter

7 Technology
Primary Ability: Active player receives one
technology advance of his choice (for which he
already has the prerequisite conditions satisfied).
Secondary Ability: Other players may purchase one
technology advance for 8 resources.
Secondary Ability Cost: 1 Command Counter + 8
resources.

Requires: An available Strategy Card that has not been

executed.
Secondary Ability Requires: This varies. See each
description below. If a Command Counter is required, it
comes from the Strategy Allocation of that players Race
Sheet.

8 Imperial

Primary Ability: Active player reveals one public

objective card to the common play area, then
advances himself 2 victory points.
Secondary Ability: Other players may build units in
a system that is already activated, or build units in a
system that is not activated without activating it.
Secondary Ability Cost: 1 Command Counter

The different effects of the various STRATEGY ACTION

cards are below:

1 Initiative

(may not be selected two rounds in

a row)

Primary ability: Unique in that it does not provide its

owner the option of executing a strategy action, and
provides no secondary ability. However, owner may
immediately draw the SPEAKER token at the beginning
of the Action Phase, and also may execute the
secondary ability of all other strategy cards without
spending Command Counters.
Secondary ability: None
Secondary ability cost: N/A

2 Diplomacy

Primary ability: Active player names an opponent.

Opponent and active player may not activate systems
containing each others units (including Ground
Forces and PDS units) for the duration of the entire
game turn.
Secondary Ability: Other players may refresh up to
two of their exhausted non-home system planets
(including planets just invaded this turn).
Secondary Ability Cost: 1 Command Counter

3 Political
Primary Ability: Active player draws 3 action cards
and receives one Command Counter from his
reinforcements (to be allocated as he chooses).
Next, he draws the top Political Card and its agenda
is resolved. Then he draws the next 3 Political Cards,
chooses one and places it on the top of the Political
Deck and places the others face down on the bottom.
Secondary Ability: Other players may draw one
Action Card.
Secondary Ability Cost: 1 Command Counter

4 Logistics

Primary Ability: Active player receives four Command

Counters and allocates them on his Race Sheet as he
sees fit.
Secondary Ability: Other players may buy
additional
Command
Counters
from
their
reinforcements by spending influence at a rate of
3:1.
Secondary Ability Cost: 3 influence per Command
Counter purchased.

5 Trade

Primary Ability: Only one of the following may be

done:
a. Active Player immediately receives 3 Trade
Goods, then receives trade goods for active
Trade Agreements to which he is a party. He
then may, at his option, open the game for all
players (including himself) to negotiate new
Trade Agreements with each other. However,
he must approve all such new agreements
before they are valid (note that this does not
include existing Trade Agreements, which he
has no control over).
b. Active player cancels all existing trade
agreements (including those held by the Hacan
and himself).
Secondary Ability: Other players may collect Trade
Goods for their active Trade Agreements.
Secondary Ability Cost: 1 Command Counter

6 Warfare

Primary Ability: Active player immediately draws

one of his Command Counters from the board and
places it in his command pool.

ACTICAL CTION This action begins (always)

with activating a system on the board. It then involves
differing combinations of moving, attacking or invading
with units, or building them, or all of the above. This is
the primary action of the game, apart from executing the
Strategy Cards.
Requires: Available Command Counter from Command
Pool; may require units to move or attack or invade
with, a Space Dock to Produce with, or a system that is
not already activated.
The steps of the TACTICAL ACTION are below:
1. ACTIVATE A SYSTEM (required) Active player takes
an available Command Counter from the Command
Pool of his Race Sheet and places it in a System
that does not already contain one (other players
Command Counters do not matter)
2. MOVE SHIPS INTO THE SYSTEM (optional) Move any
units within range (even if they start in multiple
different systems), and that are not already in an
activated system, into the newly activated system.
General movement rules:
Ground Force, PDS, and Fighter units need to be
carried and cannot move between systems on
their own. They may be picked up (by passing
units with unused carrying capacity) without
penalty at any point during this step, even as
they pass through a system without stopping.
Fighters may (at the option of the active player)
be deployed from carrying units immediately
following movement (provided Fleet limitation is
observed in that system), but Ground Force and
PDS units may not be deployed until the
Invasion step.
Units may not be moved through systems
containing enemy ship units, but they may be
moved through systems containing friendly ship
units or Command Counters
Fleet limitation (denoted by the Command
Counter allocation on a given players Race
Sheet) must always be observed
3. PDS FIRE (optional)
a. Enemy PDS units within range of the system
just activated now have an opportunity to fire
upon any Active Player ship units in that
system (including those that were not just
moved there). Each PDS may only fire once.
b. Active player may now fire his PDS units (within
range of the newly activated system) at any
enemy ship units contained there. Multiple
targets belonging to multiple players may be
targeted, but each PDS fires one time only.
4. SPACE BATTLE (required if applicable) If any enemy
ship units remain in the system, a Space Battle
must be initiated. Space Battles do not conclude
until at least one players ship units are completely
eliminated. Under no circumstances may ship units
belonging to different players occupy the same
system.
See SPACE BATTLE box for detailed
resolution steps (the active player is the attacker
and the other player is the defender).
5. PLANETARY LANDINGS (optional) If PDS or Ground
Force units are available on carrying units in system
after Space Battle is concluded, active player may
now land any, some or all of them onto any planets

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1. Before Combat
a. Bombardments Capable Dreadnought and
War Sun units in the activated system
may each bombard an enemy planet.
Note that War Sun units may bombard
even if no invasion is to take place, and
that Dreadnoughts may not bombard
planets with PDS units.
Bombarding
units roll dice as if attacking in a Space
Battle. Casualties cannot return fire.
b. PDS Fire Defending PDS units may fire
once each upon invading Ground Force
units.

1. Announce withdrawals/retreats May only

be announced if an adjacent system has been
previously activated by the announcing player.
If no such system exists, there is no path of
egress and no such declaration can be made.
Battle must still carry through one round if
announcement is made.
a. Attacker may announce withdrawal
b. If attacker did not announce withdrawal,
defender may announce retreat
2. Destroyer Anti-Fighter Barrage Each player
rolls two dice for each Destroyer involved in
the battle. For every result equal to or higher
than the Destroyers combat value, his
opponent immediately removes one fighter
(up to two per Destroyer). These Fighters are
not allowed to return fire. This step is skipped
if the opposing forces have no Fighters.

2. Invasion Combat Combat continues until

only one players units remain
c. Roll combat dice Attacker and defender
each rolls 1 die per participating Ground
Force. Results equal to or higher than the
combat value of the participating unit
count as a hit.
d. Remove casualties For each hit scored,
opponent
must
remove
one
unit.
Removed units are always returned to
reinforcements.

3. Roll combat dice Attacker and defender

simultaneously roll dice as appropriate for
units involved in battle (one for each
participating unit, 3 for each participating War
Sun unit). Results equal to or higher than
combat value of attacking unit result in one hit
on the opponents fleet.

3. Battle repeats from step 1. until attacker or

defender has no Ground Force units
remaining.

4. Remove Casualties Each player, starting with

the attacker, removes a number of units equal
to the total amount of damage inflicted by his
opponent in the above step. Note that some
units, such as War Suns, may take more than
one hit and may therefore absorb some
damage before being destroyed. If taking
only one hit, these may be turned upside
down to reflect them as such. Damaged units,
if taking further damage, are destroyed.
Destroyed units are always removed from the
board and returned to the owning players
reinforcements.

4. Success determination
a. Attacker victory If the defenders Ground
Force units were eliminated, and the
attacker has invading Ground Units
remaining, the invasion is a success
i. Defender Space Docks and/or PDS units
remaining
on
the
planet
are
immediately removed
ii. Attacker moves all remaining Ground
Force and PDS units involved in
Invasion Combat to planet surface and
takes planet card from defender (will
remain
exhausted
until
Status
Phase).

5. Execute
withdrawals/retreats
If
a
withdrawal or retreat was announced at the
beginning of the battle, remaining units are all
moved to an adjacent system previously
activated by that player.
However, if the
player who announced withdrawal/retreat has
eliminated all enemy units, then the
withdrawal/retreat is cancelled.

b. Defender Victory If the attackers

invading
Ground
Force
units
are
eliminated, any remaining attacker PDS
units involved in invasion are removed. If
no defender PDS or Space Dock units
remain on the planets surface, defender
places a control marker on the planet and
retains control.

6. Battle repeats from step 1, until either

attacker or defender (or both) has no units
remaining in system.

b. Limitations
i. One Space Dock per planet, maximum
ii. Two PDS units per planet, maximum
iii. Three fighter units per Space Dock, maximum
iv. Ship units are immediately placed in space,
other units remain on the planet until
transported during a later turn
v. Prodution cost may not be split (e.g., 1 Fighter
unti and 1 Ground Force unit for 1 resource)
vi. Units that would increase the size of a fleet
(Fighter, Cruiser, Carrier, Dreadnought,
Destroyer, and War Sun units) beyond that
players Fleet Supply allocation on his Race
Sheet may not be produced
vii. Unit production is limited to the units available
with the game (except Fighters and Ground
Forces, which are limitless)
viii. In a given activation, a planet may only produce
units equivalent to its resource value + 2 (preexisting units do not count toward this limit).
ix. Space Dock may not be built on any planet
taken over during the current game turn
x. Space Dock may not be built if any enemy ship
units remain in the activated system
c. Counters Fighter and Ground Force units can be
infinitely produced, using the supplement
counters (or other tokens if these run out) to
augment miniatures. Any counters found left on
board (with no accompanying miniature) after a
player has ended their turn are considered to be
forfeit and immediately removed from the
game. Exchanging counters for miniatures does
not cost anything and may be done at any time
as needed.

contained therein as he sees fit (even splitting

them, if he so chooses). Keep in mind that no
planet may have more than 2 PDS units. There are
three types of Planetary Landings:
a. Friendly Landings Active player lands units on
a planet already under his control.
No
penalties or added steps are assessed.
b. Neutral Landings Active player lands units on
a planet controlled by no other player (i.e., a
neutral planet). In this case, PDS units must
be accompanied by at least one Ground Force
unit or they are automatically destroyed. If at
least one Ground Force unit lands on a neutral
planet, active player takes that planets card
from the Planets deck and places it in front of
him exhausted.
c. Hostile Landings take place when the active
player lands units on a planet controlled by
another player. See Invasion Combat below.
6. INVASION COMBAT (required if applicable) Results
from a Hostile Landing. If more than one Hostile
Landing is to take place, each Invasion Combat is
resolved one-at-a-time in an order determined by
the active player. Though PDS units may be landed
during invasion combat, they cannot be taken as a
combat casualty or used during combat. If the final
invading Ground Force unit is destroyed, any
landing PDS units are also destroyed.
See
INVASION COMBAT box for detailed resolution
steps.
7. PRODUCE UNITS (optional) Active player may
produce units at any eligible Space Docks in
activated system. Additionally, active player may
produce a new Space Dock on any planet in the
activated system. Production is regulated by the
following:
a. Cost Units are bought spending resources
(green number on planet cards) or Trade Goods
(1 Trade Good = 1 resource). Only planets
which are not exhausted may be used, and
must be exhausted to expend resources.

Twilight Imperium, Third Edition

SalladDazeds Turn Summary v. 1.1

no units belonging to any other players (Ground Force

INVASION COMBAT

SPACE BATTLE

RANSFER CTION This action always

begins by activating a system. It is used to reposition
units between adjacent systems, or to produce units
there, or both.
Requires: Two adjacent systems, each containing at least
one unit belonging to the active player, and absolutely

and PDS units count, influence/Command Counters do

not), one available Command Counter in the active
players Command pool.

The steps of the TRANSFER ACTION are below:

1. ACTIVATE TWO SYSTEMS Active player does both of
the following:
a. Places a Command Counter from his Command
Pool on a system containing at least one of his
units and no enemy units (including Ground Force
or PDS units).
b. Takes a second Command Counter from his
reinforcements and places it on one adjacent
system meeting the same requirements
2. MOVEMENT BETWEEN SYSTEMS Units may be freely
moved between the two systems (in both
directions), though Fighter, Ground Force and PDS
units still require a Carrier or War Sun to move
3. PDS FIRE When movement is complete, enemy PDS
units in range of active player units (whether
moved or not) in the activated systems may fire at
them in either or both activated systems (each
eligible PDS may fire only one time, however).
4. PLANETARY LANDINGS Carriers/War Suns in the
activated systems may land Ground Force or PDS
units onto friendly planets only (neutral/enemy
planets are not eligible for landing during a
TRANSFER ACTION)
5. PRODUCTION Active player may produce units at one
Space Dock in one of the activated systems (not
both)

ASS A player who has executed his Strategy Card(s)

may opt to Pass rather than taking another action. Once
a player has passed, he may not perform further
Strategic Actions, Tactical Actions, or Transfer
Actions.
However, he may take advantage of the
secondary Strategy Card abilities on other players turns
(at normal cost). Once all players have passed, the
ACTION PHASE ends and the STATUS PHASE begins.
Requires: The only requirements to PASS are that the
passing player has played his Strategy Card(s), selected
during the STRATEGY PHASE. As the Initiative Strategy
Card requires no Strategic Action, the player holding it
may pass without executing it.

STATUS PHASE
1. QUALIFY FOR PUBLIC/SECRET OBJECTIVES
a. Victory Points are claimed in game turn order
b. In order to be eligible for public or secret objective
Victory Points, each player must control all the
planets in his home system
c. One at a time, each player may claim victory points
for one face-up Public Objective Card and/or his
Secret Objective Card
d. Claimed requirements must be proven to opponents
(if claiming completion of Secret Objective, that
card must be revealed to claim its Victory Points)
e. Players claiming victory points must place a control
marker upon the card stating the objective (in
order to prevent claming a Victory Point more
than once for the same objective)
f. After marking Objective Card(s), player advances
his Control Marker on the Victory Point track the
appropriate amount
g. First player to advance his Victory Point marker to
10 wins the game
2. REPAIR DAMAGED SHIPS All damaged ships are
returned to their upright position and no longer
considered to be damaged
3. REMOVE COMMAND COUNTERS All players recover
their Command Counters from the board and place
them in their reinforcements.
4. REFRESH PLANETS All players turn exhausted planet
cards in their possession face up
5. RECEIVE 1 ACTION CARD AND 2 COMMAND
COUNTERS All players receive these items during
every status phase.
6. REDISTRIBUTE COMMAND AREAS In order of play (if
necessary), each player may now freely distribute
the Command Counters on his Race Card. Note
that if a player reduces the allocation for his fleet
size, and any of his fleets exist on the board that
exceed this new limit, they must immediately be
reduced in size (his discretion as to how) in order
to observe this new limit.
7. RETURN STRATEGY CARDS Strategy cards are all
returned to a central location from which they can
easily be drawn during the STRATEGY PHASE of the
next turn.

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