Nexus Ops notes

Object: Explore spaces on an alien moon to gain allied troops and locate rubium mines
to use to purchase new units. Victory Points (VPs) are gained for winning battles and
completing secret missions. The first player to reach 12 VPs wins the game.

Setup: Randomly determine the first player.

Give each player the units and reference chart for one color.
Place the Monolith space on the table. This is a normal space except for some rules.
Shuffle the 6 single-hex tiles face down and place them face up around the Monolith.
Then do the same with the 6 double-hex tiles.
Randomly place one square Exploration tile face down on each of the hex spaces around
the Monolith.
Attach the home bases for each player as per the setup diagrams in the rulebook.
Shuffle the Secret Mission and Energize decks.
Put the Mission cards in a stack nearby.
Give 8 rubium to the first player. Each player to the left gets 3 more rubium than the
previous player (so 8, 11, 14, and 17 rubium in a 4-player game).
Players take turns going left from the first player. Each player turn has 6 phases:

1. Deploy: Purchase units with your rubium.

The number you can purchase is limited by the available figures in your supply.
Purchased units are placed in any of your three home base spaces, even if occupied by
another player’s units.
You may also play start-of-turn Energize cards.
You can play these cards and purchase units in any order you choose.

2. Move: You can move each of your units one space.

Units with the ability to move more than one space can’t move through a space
occupied by enemy units unless its ability says otherwise.
Some units can’t enter certain terrain as per the reference chart.
A space is Controlled if only one player has units there.
A space is Contested if more than one player has units there.
If you have a unit that began the turn in a contested space, it may move out of that space
but must end its move in a space you control or an empty space (i.e., you can’t move
from one battle to another battle).
Dragon Breath – at the end of your Move phase, if you have a Rubium Dragon in a
space you control, it can breathe plasma into an adjacent space.
Announce the target space and roll a die. On a 4 or higher, one unit in the target
space becomes a casualty (chosen by the target’s owner). If more than one player
has units in that space, you choose which player is targeted.
 This special attack isn't considered a battle and can’t be used to play a Mission or
Secret Mission card. If the target loses its only unit, that player doesn’t get to draw
an Energize card.
You can’t play Energize battle cards to affect the plasma breath attack.
If a dragon breathes plasma into a contested space and destroys the lone enemy unit
there, a dragon in the previously contested space is allowed to breathe into another
space.

3. Explore: Flip Exploration tiles face up in any spaces that you have units.
If the tile shows a unit, place one of your matching units in that space.
If the tile shows a mine, place an appropriate mine marker in that space.
If the tile shows both, place them both in that space.
Remove the Exploration tile from the game.

4. Fight: Conduct one round of battle in each contested space where you have units.
You choose the order when conducting multiple battles.
A battle can end with the space still contested.
In a battle, units attack in the order of right to left on the reference chart. A battle is
over once each unit has attacked.
When both sides have the same unit type, their rolls are made simultaneously.
For each successful attack roll, your opponent chooses one of his units in the battle and
returns it to his supply. If that unit hasn’t attacked yet in the order of battle, its attack is
forfeited.
If the space has more than one opponent’s units, you choose which one will be the
defender during your battle.
If you eliminate all of the chosen opposing player’s units in that space, you win the
battle and that opponent loses. Neither player wins or loses if both have units remaining
at the end of the battle.
If you win the battle, you can play Mission and Secret Mission cards.
If you are attacked and you lose a battle, you draw one Energize card.
If both the attacker and defender destroy all of each other’s units, the attacker wins the
battle and the defender loses the battle.

5. Income: For each mine space you control (including mines in home base spaces),
you gain rubium equal to the mine’s value if you have at least one Human, Fungoid, or
Crystalline on it.

6. Draw: Draw one Secret Mission card. If you currently meet the requirements, you
may play it immediately.
Draw 2 Energize cards if you control the Monolith.
Cards: Until played, all cards are kept secret.
You may discard Energize or Secret Mission cards anytime during your turn to gain 1
rubium per card.

Energize Cards: One Energize card is drawn if you lose a battle on someone else’s
turn, and two are drawn if you control the Monolith at the end of your turn.
You can only play start-of-turn Energize cards during the Deploy phase.
Energize battle cards can be played by any player during a battle, even by players not in
the battle. The attacker plays cards first, then the defender, and then clockwise from the
defender, going around and around until all players pass.

Secret Mission and Mission Cards: These can only be played on your turn when you
accomplish the listed goal. When played, they remain face up in front of you.
For cards that involve winning a battle (i.e., those with VPs in red), only one such card
can be played for each battle you win.

Winning the Game: The game ends immediately when either of the following occurs:
• A player earns a total of 12 or more VPs from Mission and Secret Mission cards.
That player wins the game.
• A player is eliminated from the game by having no units on the board and not
enough rubium (or cards to discard for rubium) to purchase any more units. The
remaining player with the most VP wins the game. The first tiebreaker is the tied
player controlling the most spaces. The second tiebreaker is the tied player with the
most units on the board. If still tied, the game is a draw.
Optionally, try playing to 10 or 14 VPs.

Team Rules: Partners sit across from each other.

The first team to reach a total of 20 VPs wins.
At the end of your turn, your partner may pass you one card, face down.
If you move into a space with your partner’s units, you don’t fight, but the space is still
considered contested (e.g., neither player draws rubium from a mine in that space).
Any discussion with your partner must be public.
If a player is eliminated, his VPs still count and the game continues.

Card FAQ:
Critical Objective – this new, second battle takes place in the same space between the
same combatants.
Frenzy – playing two of these cards in a battle provides no added benefit.
Outflank – this card does not have to be played at the start of a battle.