Voidfall · Board game rules
When does the War card skirmish resolution timing occur?
Quick answer
War card skirmish resolution occurs during the Void Advances step of each player's turn in the Focus Phase when a War Alert is the current Alert card.
Details
When a War Alert card is revealed as the current Alert, each player must choose one of two options during their turn's Void Advances step (page 14 — The Void Advances step):
- Resolve the Crisis board, which includes resolving a Skirmish (see page 33 — Skirmish). This involves calculating Voidborn Fleet Power, determining the target sector, and resolving Combat.
- Place a Catastrophe token on the Crisis board, skipping Skirmish resolution.
This timing applies specifically to War Alerts. In contrast, general Skirmishes (not tied to War Alerts) in competitive games trigger during the Evaluation Phase of each Cycle (page 33 — Skirmish). However, War Alerts override this by requiring resolution during the Focus Phase.
Watch out: If a player chooses to resolve the Crisis board (option 1), the Skirmish must be resolved immediately during their turn. Failure to resolve it (e.g., due to insufficient resources or Fleet Power) may lead to penalties or Catastrophe tokens.