Interrupt cards :
Interrupt cards are unique. They are the only cards that can be played without following the normal sequence of taking turns. Interrupt cards can literally be played at any time. This makes them very powerful because it means you can interrupt the game even when your opponent is playing. Here's how it works. At any time, you can play an Interrupt card from your hand (if you have one, of course) by saying "Interrupt!" and playing the card to the table. Everything stops. Each Interrupt card describes what happens when the card is played. This card now takes precedence over everything else in the game. Interrupt cards may affect either or both players. Most interrupts have an immediate effect on the game and are then discarded. If several interrupts are played in a row, they are handled in the sequence they are played. The only exception to sequence is when an interrupt nullifies another interrupt. In this case, the consequence of the previous interrupt is prevented from happening.

Personnel or Equipment cards already located at an outpost can be loaded onto any ship located at the same outpost. The ship and personnel must have compatible affiliations. Loading is done by simply stacking the desired personnel underneath the ship, face up in a pile, with the ship card on top. This symbolizes that the personnel or equipment have boarded the ship. When the ship moves, everything on board moves with it. Similarly, a ship with personnel or equipment aboard can unload cards to the outpost, if desired.

2. Taking Command Of Ships

Each ship requires a minimum crew aboard before it can move. Crew requirements for each ship are listed on the card using icons for

command ability and staff ability .

The largest and most powerful ships require that a minimum of one command ability and two staff ability personnel be on board. Smaller ships have fewer crew requirements. Some very small ships have no crew requirements at all, meaning any personnel can fly them. This makes them very easy to use, although they tend to be slow and not very powerful. Most Personnel cards have command ability or staff ability icons which designate the capabilities of that individual. Personnel who are capable of commanding a ship have a command ability icon, while those capable of acting as staff have a staff ability icon. Of course, those with command ability can also act asstaff. Some cards (frequently civilians) have none of these abilities and cannot be used to meet ship crew requirements (although they can help accomplish missions).

The following diagrams show the location of command ability and staff ability icons on Ship and Personnel cards. In this example, the ship requires two staff ability personnel before it can move. The individual on the Personnel card has command ability.

Non-aligned personnel can be used to meet any ship's crew requirements for command or staff, but at least one crew member of matching affiliation must be on board.

(Note: Any personnel affiliation can be used to meet crew requirements for non-aligned ships.) If aTreatyis in effect, a ship can meet its crew requirements with a mixture of personnel from the affiliations in the treaty. There is a risk to this strategy however, for if the treaty is later broken, such cross-over personnel can no longer be used to meet the ship's crew requirements. (See Treaty Cards, page 30.)

Stalled Ships

If a ship moves away from an outpost and later loses one of its required crew, it will not be able to move (until another ship arrives and beams over appropriate reinforcements). Such a ship is said to be stalled. A stalled ship can still beam Away Teams or defend itself from attack etc., but it cannot move until the proper personnel arrive.

3. Moving A Ship

Once a ship has the required crew, it can move along your side of the spaceline in any direction (right, left or back and forth). The distance a ship can move on one turn is limited by its range. You determine how far a ship has traveled by adding up the span numbers on each Mission card as the ship passes (not counting the location where it begins). Span numbers represent the distance across a mission's area of space.

Location Clarification
When you and your opponent have ships at the same mission, both ships are considered to be at the same location (i.e., symbolically orbiting the same planet, or in the same sector of space)

In the diagram above, this ship has a range of 7 which is enough to move three spaceline cards to the right (2 + 2 + 3 = 7) or one spaceline card to the left (because to move two cards to the left would require a range of 3 + 5 = 8). Interestingly, the ship could also move one card to the left (3 span) then one card to the right (2 span of the mission at the outpost) and then another card to the right (2 span) for a total of 3 + 2 + 2 = 7. Any possible combination of movements can be used and the ship has the option of stopping at each planet or space mission along the way. Once a ship has used up all of its range, it is stopped for that turn. However, you still may be able to move other ships on this turn.

There are a few other points worth noting:

A ship does not have to move all of its range on a turn. Also, a ship can fly by Mission cards without stopping (still using up range, of course). When flying by a Mission card, a ship is not affected by any other cards at that location, such as enemy ships. There is no limit to the number of ships you can move on your turn, but none of them can exceed their range. Also, several ships can be at the same mission location; you simply line them up vertically. (In fact, as you will soon see, this is where they must be for you to beam equipment and personnel from ship to ship.)

Beaming is a method of transferring personnel and/or equipment over short distances. To beam personnel or equipment down to a planet surface, simply remove the cards from under the ship and make a pile crosswise on the Mission card. This indicates who is in the Away Team, their mission location and also, for your eyes only, who remains on board the ship.

When personnel are beamed to a planet they are called an Away Team. There is no limit to the number of times beaming can occur during a turn. For example, all or part of an Away Team can beam down, beam back up, and continue moving on one turn, as long as it is not stopped by a dilemma or battle (concepts which are explained later). Likewise, a player may beam personnel to a ship, move the ship, and then beam those same personnel (plus perhaps others) to another planet, and so on.

Personnel and equipment can also be beamed from ship to ship. The ships must share the same mission location and be owned by the same player. Simply announce the beaming and rearrange the personnel and/or equipment cards between the ships as you wish. Normally, it is not possible to beam personnel aboard an opponent's ship (because ships are protected by shields). There are some special cards that are exceptions to this rule. For example, Rogue Borg can penetrate a ship's shields.

Completing missions is the primary method of scoring points. You accomplish missions by bringing personnel (with the required skills) to the mission location and overcoming all dilemmas which may be present. If there are no Dilemma cards present, simply bringing personnel who have the required skills to the location will accomplish that mission.

Planet missions can be attempted by Away Teams beamed to a planet surface. Space missions can be attempted by an entire ship's crew (no beaming is necessary). Normally, only personnel which match the affiliation of the mission may attempt the mission (although, non-aligned personnel can be mixed in as long as one other personnel matches). There are exceptions. For example, treaty cards allow other affiliation personnel to join the mission attempt and espionage cards allow other affiliation personnel to attempt the mission all by themselves. Before attempting a mission, a player must first overcome any and all dilemmas at that location. Personnel must survive with the skills required to accomplish the mission or the mission will not be completed and scored.

All Mission cards state what skills are necessary to complete the mission. For example, a planet mission requiring Diplomacy x2 means at least two personnel with diplomacy skills (or one personnel with double diplomacy skills) must be present in the Away Team for you to complete the mission. If an Away Team successfully overcomes all dilemmas and successfully completes the mission, the player earns ownership of any artifacts seeded at that mission location. Artifacts have strong powers and are used as described on the cards.

The following example explains how to attempt a mission with dilemmas and artifacts present. This example uses a planet mission, but a space mission works the same way using a crew, just without beaming.

If you overcome all dilemmas and complete the mission with the required personnel, you score the mission points. The surviving members of the Away Team involved in accomplishing the mission are free to beam back up to the ship and continue if desired. A completed mission remains in play as a spaceline card for purposes of span etc., but it cannot be scored again. To score the mission and mark it complete, pull the Mission card half the card height of the spaceline towards the scoring player like this:

There are a few other interesting things about attempting missions:

Sometimes a card states, "One Away Team member is killed (random selection)." In this case, shuffle together all personnel cards from this Away Team, and hold them out so the faces of the cards cannot be seen. Your opponent now draws a single card, at random, from this group. The selected Away Team member is killed and the dead card is placed in your discard pile. Random selection always works using this method... You never know which card will be chosen. Use random selection if there is any question about who dies.

Holographic characters cannot be killed. If the selected card is a holographic character, this card gets deactivated, not discarded. Simply return the character to the ship, where they may be re-activated on your next turn. (See Holographic Re-creations, page 31.)

A few cards state that the owner or the opponent gets to pick the victim. In these cases, it is an informed choice, not a random one.