Eclipse Second Dawn for the Galaxy reference sheet

Overview

• 2–6 players; ~60 min per player; 8 Rounds [p.3 — Game Concepts]
• Control a spacefaring civilization competing for galactic domination [p.3 — Game Concepts]
• Core loop: Explore sectors, Research techs, Build ships, fight battles [p.3 — Game Concepts]
• Win by having the most VP after Round 8 [p.25 — Game End]
• VP from battles, diplomacy, sectors, monoliths, discoveries, and tech [p.3 — Game Concepts]
• Tie-breaker: most total Resources in Storage [p.25 — Game End]

Setup

1. Place Galactic Center Sector in middle; add facedown Discovery Tile + GCDS miniature [p.5 — Setup]
2. Draw Tech Tiles into Tech Tray: 2p=12, 3p=14, 4p=16, 5p=18, 6p=20 tiles [p.32 — Preparations]
3. Shuffle Sector stacks by Ring (I, II, III); remove Sectors 281/381–382 if not using Warp Portals [p.5 — Setup]
4. In reverse clockwise order from Start Player, each player picks a Species Board and matching tray [p.5 — Setup]
5. Place Starting Sectors in Starting Zones (arrow toward GCDS); fill empty zones with Guardian Sectors + Discovery Tile + Guardian miniature [p.5 — Setup]
6. Each player: place Influence Discs on Influence Track, Population Cubes on tracks (squares 3–28), Storage Markers at starting values [p.5 — Setup]
7. Move onto Starting Sector: 1 Interceptor, Population Cubes on non-star squares, 1 Influence Disc on Influence Space [p.5 — Setup]
8. Give Start Player Tile to player who spent least time on Terra [p.5 — Setup]

Turn structure

Each Round has 4 phases:

1. Action Phase — Starting with Start Player clockwise, each player takes 1 Action or Passes; continues until all have Passed [p.8 — Action Phase]
2. Combat Phase — Resolve all battles in descending Sector Number order; then Attack Population, Influence Sectors, claim Discovery Tiles, Repair Damage [p.18 — Combat Phase]
3. Upkeep Phase — Use Colony Ships (no opponent Ships present); collect Income, pay Civilization Upkeep Cost; collect Materials & Science Production [p.24 — Upkeep Phase]
4. Cleanup Phase — Return Influence Discs to Influence Track; move Graveyard cubes to Population Tracks; draw new Tech Tiles; flip Colony Ships & Summary Tiles faceup; advance Round Marker [p.25 — Cleanup Phase]

Actions

• Reaction (after Passing): 1 Influence Disc to Reaction Track → execute 1 Upgrade, Build, or Move Activation; no Tech bonuses apply [p.14 — Reactions]
• Colony Ships: flip facedown at any time during Action/Reaction to move 1 Population Cube per ship to an empty Population Square in a Sector you Control [p.8 — Colony Ships]
• Trade: at any time, pay Trade Value of one Resource to gain 1 of any other Resource [p.6 — Trade]

Combat

Trigger: Any Sector with Ships from 2+ opposing sides at end of Action Phase [p.18 — Determine Battles]

Resolution order: Descending Sector Number; multiple opponents battle 2-at-a-time in reverse entry order; Sector Controller is always Defender [p.18 — Determine Battles]

Per battle:

1. Determine Attacker/Defender
2. Determine Initiative (Drive symbols + Ship Initiative Bonus; ties favor Defender) [p.18 — Initiative]
3. Fire Missiles once in Initiative order [p.20 — Steps of Battle]
4. Repeat Engagement Rounds: each Ship type Attacks or Retreats in Initiative order [p.18 — Engagement Round]

Hitting: burst (●) = always Hit; blank = always Miss; other rolls: die + Computers − target's Shields ≥ 6 = Hit [p.19 — Hitting]

Damage: Hits deal damage equal to burst count on weapon; Ship destroyed if damage > Hull Value [p.19 — Damage]

Retreat: Move Ships to edge of neighboring Sector you Control with no opponent Ships; complete next Activation; retreating Ships can still be attacked [p.19 — Retreat]

Reputation Tiles (after all battles in Sector, max 5 drawn): +1 participation; +1 per Interceptor/Starbase/Ancient destroyed; +2 per Cruiser/Guardian; +3 per Dreadnought or GCDS [p.20 — Reputation Tiles]

Scoring

• Reputation Tiles: 1–4 VP each [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Ambassador Tiles (4+ players): 1 VP each [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Controlled Sectors: 1–4 VP per Sector (value shown on tile) [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Monoliths on Controlled Sectors: 3 VP each [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Discovery Tiles (VP side up): 2 VP each [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Traitor Tile: −2 VP [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Tech Track progress: 4 tiles=1 VP, 5=2 VP, 6=3 VP, 7=5 VP per track [p.25 — Victory Points]
• Species bonuses: Descendants of Draco +1 VP per Ancient on board; Planta +1 VP per Controlled Sector [p.25 — Species Bonuses]

End of game

• Game ends after Round 8 [p.25 — Game End]
• Player with most VP wins [p.25 — Game End]
• Tie-breaker: highest total Resources (Materials + Science + Money) in Storage [p.25 — Game End]
• Player eliminated if unable to pay Upkeep after Trading and Abandoning, or has no Ships and no Controlled Sectors after Combat Phase [p.24 — Player Elimination]

Glossary

• Wormhole Connection: two adjacent Sector edges both showing a Wormhole symbol; required for Move, Influence, and Explore [p.7 — Wormholes]
• Pinning: each opponent Ship in a Sector Pins one of your Ships; Pinned Ships cannot Move [p.13 — Move]
• Control: having your Influence Disc on a Sector's Influence Space; grants Production, Building, and Exploring rights [p.6 — Control]
• Civilization Upkeep Cost: Money owed each Upkeep Phase = value of rightmost empty space on your Influence Track [p.6 — Influence Discs]
• Influence Track: track on Species Board holding unused Influence Discs; rightmost empty space = Upkeep Cost [p.6 — Influence Discs]
• Act of Aggression: ending your Action with Ships in a Sector where another player has a Ship or Control; breaks Diplomatic Relations and grants Traitor Tile [p.15 — Diplomatic Relations]
• Engagement Round: one round of combat where each Ship type Activates in Initiative order to Attack or Retreat [p.18 — Engagement Round]
• Hull Value: total Hull symbols on a Blueprint; Ship is destroyed when damage received exceeds this value [p.12 — Hull]
• Advanced Population Square: star-marked square; requires corresponding Advanced Tech to colonize [p.8 — Advanced Population Squares]
• Rare Tech: unique Tech (1 per game); placed on any Tech Track; not eligible as Ancient Tech Discovery reward [p.10 — Rare Techs]
• Graveyard: area on Control Board where destroyed Population Cubes wait; returned to Population Tracks during Cleanup Phase [p.21 — Attacking Population]

FAQ

• Q: Can I move an Influence Disc from the Sector providing the Wormhole Connection during the Influence Action? — A: No; removing that disc breaks the connection, invalidating the action [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: When may I remove Influence Discs from Sectors during Upkeep? — A: Only when you cannot pay Civilization Upkeep Cost after Trading [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: Can I voluntarily remove Population Cubes without Abandoning a Sector? — A: No; use Influence Action to remove disc + cubes, then re-place the disc in a separate Influence Action [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: If all my Ships attempt to Retreat but are destroyed, do I get the participation Reputation Tile? — A: No; Retreat penalty applies as soon as Retreat is attempted [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: Does Cloaking Device let me Move through opponent Sectors without an Act of Aggression? — A: Yes, as long as Ships remain Unpinned [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: If Ancients are destroyed from a Descendants-Controlled Sector, can Descendants take the Discovery Tile? — A: Yes, at the end of the Combat Phase [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: Do extra Influence Discs from ADVANCED ROBOTICS/QUANTUM GRID fit on the Influence Track? — A: Stack extras on top of the leftmost disc; use them normally [p.30 — FAQ]
• Q: In what order do players Influence Sectors at the end of the Combat Phase? — A: Descending Sector Number order [p.30 — FAQ]