Mapboard:

At the center of the map is the planet. It cannot be entered by any unit except the Scoopship; it is the only object which blocks LOS (line of sight). [graphic]

Orbits are contiguous, concentric rings of hexes on the map. Hexes in an orbit are labeled with various numbers. The green number is the speed that an object must be traveling at to be orbiting along that ring. The direction of an object's orbit is indicated by the facing of the object's counter, or, in the case of Stations, by the direction of a small arrow on the counter.

Debris rings are shaded orbital rings, and contain resources that can be collected by Stations. The debris rings do not present any obstacle to navigation or fire. 

Units:

Stations are large spacecraft, assemblies of one or more modules. Stations are the only spacecraft which can collect resources or build other spacecraft. New Stations are created by building a core module, which is then deployed by another spacecraft. Stations can hold units in an internal storage bay and launch them selectively into space at any time. A few important modules are:

• Core modules are the heart of a Station, comprising systems for power generation, resource handling, spacecraft construction, and basic sensors. They are self-repairing even when damaged. If a Station's core module is damaged, the Station can no longer perform any functions except control of its spacecraft and repair. 
• Resource collector modules double a Station's resource rolls.
• Factory modules are large modules with autonomous construction systems that increase a Station's productivity. They can also repair themselves and other modules.
• Point defense modules are equipped with laser weapons capable of destroying dangerous space debris, and at close range, enemy spacecraft. They can fire three times per turn.
• Active armor modules are simple tethered spacecraft that, attached to a Station, can be moved to intercept laser fire. This is done automatically. After four laser strikes, an active armor module is destroyed; any Warhead strike destroys an active armor module.
• Engine modules allow Stations to move like other spacecraft, although they consume a great deal of fuel.
• Refinery modules refine atmospheric gasses collected by Scoopships and are part of the victory conditions of some scenarios.

Stations may only have one Module of each type.

Modules that have more than 2 damage cannot be operated; modules which have damage equal to their hit points are destroyed. If a Station's core module takes more than 2 damage, none of that Station's modules can be operated, except Factory modules, until the core module has repaired itself. The disabling effect of damage takes place instantly in combat. If a Station's core module is destroyed, the Station itself is considered destroyed, unless the Station also has an operational Factory module.

Satellites are small immobile spacecraft that perform a variety of functions. Any damage destroys a satellite, and satellites carry only station-keeping engines and cannot move independently. Satellites may be deployed by dropping them independently from a Station's bays, or carried on Boosters to a deployment point.  Satellites cannot perform any function until they are deployed.

• ComSats increase the effectiveness of friendly units. They allow control of Boosters that they have LOS (line of sight) to, if the ComSat also has LOS to a friendly Station or ComSat that has LOS, etc. They also add 1 to the to-hit rolls of DefSats and point-defense modules within LOS. This effect is cumulative, but a firing DefSat or point-defense module must have LOS to three ComSats to receive a bonus of 2 to hit, five ComSats to receive a bonus of 3 to hit, etc.  Comsats may not be deployed in the same hex as a friendly Station.
• ECMSats reduce the effectiveness of enemy units.  In any given turn, an ECMSat can lower by 1 the to-hit rolls of all enemy attacks originating in the ECMSat's or an adjacent hex, or disable all ComSats within the ECMSat's or an adjacent hex. The controlling player chooses the function of an ECMSat at the beginning of a turn's movement phase. ECMSats in the former, defensive mode have a cumulative effect, but 3 ECMSats are required to reduce enemy to-hit rolls by 2, 5 to reduce enemy to-hit rolls by 3, etc.   Once deployed, ECMSats can be activated and deactivated whenever the controlling player desires. 
• DefSats are satellites equipped with a laser weapon like that mounted on point-defense modules, but DefSats can only fire once per turn.

• Basic Warheads, when detonated, inflict damage on one unit in the same orbital space as them. Basic Warheads are destroyed when they detonate.
• Pulse Warheads are more expensive than Basic Warheads, and do not cause direct damage. Instead, when detonated, Pulse Warheads disable the electronics of all spacecraft in the same hex as them. This damage effectively destroys all Warheads in the same space; other affected spacecraft can take no action until the end of the next turn.  In all other respects, Pulse and Basic Warheads are identical. Pulse Warheads are destroyed when they detonate.

Scoopships are specialized spacecraft that collect gas from the planetary atmosphere. They are the only units which may enter the planetary atmosphere, and cannot be attacked by any means while they are not in space. The turn after a Scoopship ends its movement in the planetary atmosphere, it must return to orbit. Scoopships can only carry gas, they cannot pick up other units. Any damage destroys a Scoopship.

Buses are spacecraft which carry interorbital cargo such as supplies, Satellites and Stations. They can be used to deploy weapons. They have a payload capacity of up to six weight units -- for example, six Warheads, two Satellites, or a Core Module. Any damage destroys a Bus.

Gunships are large, expensive, but deadly combat spacecraft. They have the same payload capacity as a Bus, but also mount laser weapons that can fire twice per turn. Gunships are heavily armored. 

Setup:

Game setup varies according to the scenario being played.  In general, the following sequence is observed:

1. Up to four Moons may be placed in orbits agreed on by the players, but cannot be placed such that their orbits will bring them into collision. All moons must orbit in the same direction.
2. In a sequence agreed on by all players, at least one Station per player is placed in the orbital space of the controlling player's choice. Clockwise or counterclockwise orbits are specified for each Station. Each player receives 8 resources to start.  

Turn Sequence:

1. Movement and Combat
2. Construction and resource management

1. Movement and Combat

1.1. Launch spacecraft

Spacecraft being launched from Stations are placed in the launching Station's hex, at the same speed as the launching Station. Launched spacecraft have a vector that may be up to one hex facing away from the Station's vector.  For spacecraft launched contra-orbitally, the controller must pay the cost of the spacecraft, but not its payload, again. This cost does not count toward production totals.

1.2. Determine thrust and vectoring

Before movement begins, controllers may spend thrust points, up to the spacecrafts' total thrust, to change the velocity and vector of their spacecraft. Most spacecraft have two thrust points; Boosters have three. One thrust point will increase or decrease a spacecraft's velocity by one.  

Changing a spacecraft's vector requires 1 thrust * number of hex facings vector is changed * current spacecraft velocity. Thus, a spacecraft traveling at a velocity of 2 can spend 2 thrust points to alter its vector by 1 (one) hex facing. A spacecraft at velocity 0 has no vector, and thus, when it accelerates onto any vector, pays only the cost to increase its velocity.

It is possible to change vector and velocity in a single turn; i.e. if a spacecraft is traveling at velocity 1, it can change its vector by one facing and simultaneously accelerate to a velocity of 2.

1.3 Phase movement

Movement is carried out in eight impulses. On each impulse, objects traveling at the indicated speeds will move simultaneously.

When a spacecraft enters a hex during the first seven impulses, observe the following order of operations:

1. If the spacecraft has just entered a higher orbit, reduce its velocity by the white number of the hex it just left.
2. If the entered hex's blue number is greater than the spacecraft's current velocity, change its vector one hex facing towards the planet. (EXCEPTION: disregard this rule if the spacecraft's vector is directly opposite to the pull of gravity, i.e. if the spacecraft is flying straight up the gravity well.)
3. Spacecraft, including Stations, may pick up other units in the same hex and at the same vector and velocity, provided they do not exceed their payload capacity, and may drop some or all of their payload.  Dropped payloads continue on the same vector and at the same velocity as the carrier spacecraft at the time the payload was dropped.
4. Spacecraft in the same hex, traveling at the same speed and on the same vector as a moon may land on a moon. (Practically, only Stations will want to do this.)
5. Satellites may deploy.
6. Laser attacks are resolved.
7. Warhead strikes are resolved.

For surviving Warheads, as with laser fire, players roll for initiative; high roller resolves their first Warhead strike, then low roller. Basic Warheads attack one target of their controller's choice within the orbital space they occupy; attacks are resolved identically to laser fire, with the exception that Warhead hits do 1d6+1 damage. If a Station is hit, roll a die to determine which module takes damage. [graphic] 

1.6 Gravity displacement

During the gravity displacement impulse, if the green number of the hex each spacecraft is in is greater than the spacecraft's current velocity, displace the spacecraft one hex towards the center of the planet. If it's unclear which hex this should move the spacecraft into, select the hex that is closest to the spacecraft's current vector.

At the end of each impulse, check each booster and deployed warhead for LOS to its controlling station and remove lost boosters from the game board.

2. Construction and Resource Management

The management of resources and the construction of new units proceeds in four phases:

1. Stations which end their movement hex on a debris hex or landed on a moon may collect resources. which are immediately available for use. Collect 1d4+1 RU for a Station on a debris ring; for Moons, roll Xd6, where X is the number on the Moon's counter. 
   Stations may also "recycle" units held in their storage bay, collecting the unit's price minus 1 RU.
   Scoopships which are in a Station's orbital space may deliver their collected gasses to the refinery module.  
2. One RU can be spent to repair one damage point per module, for a total of up to four damage per module per turn. This cost does count towards production totals.
3. Station controllers may spend RU to purchase new units, up to their available resources and production quotas. New modules and spacecraft are placed on controllers' Station control boards and on the orbital mapboard. New spacecraft can be placed in the Station's orbital space or the Station's storage bay; new Warheads and satellites can be placed in the Station's storage bay, in the Station's orbital space, or on spacecraft in the Station's orbital space with sufficient free payload space.

3. Scenarios

9. Unit price and data sheet