Phases and Actions

The Preparation, Planning and Action Phases in each round.

Six rounds

Each round has three phases. Preparation and Planning are simultaneous. In the Action Phase, players take turns clockwise from the Starting Indicator. A player performs one action or passes; after passing, they take no further actions that round. The Milestone Phase follows rounds 3, 5 and 6.

I. Preparation Phase

Draw cards from your Expedition Deck one at a time. Play Expedition Cards into the leftmost open space of the bottom row and Storm Cards onto an open Base. If you cannot place a card, discard it and stop drawing. You may also stop by discarding a drawn card. If your deck empties, shuffle your discard pile to make a new deck. You may spend a Forecast Tile to discard a card from your Tableau or the card just drawn without ending the draw.

After everyone finishes drawing, resolve Expedition and Storm bonuses. Expedition bonuses depend on how many Storms are on your Tableau: take the upper bonus with 0–1 Storms, the lower bonus with 2, and no Expedition bonus with 3–4. Storm cards grant 2, 5 or 11 Energy for 1, 2 or 3–4 Storms. Then activate each uncovered Base: Investor gains Coins from Investor icons; Radio advances your Expedition marker by the number of Radio icons; Hangar buys a Station or trades Energy for Construction Material based on Engineer icons.

II. Planning Phase

Take 2 Explorers of your color from the general supply into your Reserve. Draw 5 cards from the common deck. Keep 1 for free, or pay 2 Energy to keep 2; put kept cards in your personal display and discard the rest. The printed term “Planning Phase” is correct for this phase; the page 11 reference to “planning phase” in the card-discard instruction should read “preparation phase” per the designer’s October 20, 2026 errata.

III. Action Phase

Starting with the holder of the Starting Indicator, each player takes one action or passes. Available actions:

Activate an action space

Place an Explorer from your Reserve on an unoccupied foot-icon space on an Expert Action Tile, Harbor, Landscape, Meteorite, Station Site or Project. A Harbor space is never occupied. At the Harbor, spend 2 Coins for one Expert or 6 for two; apply the Expert Plan’s column costs and availability. To explore, place an Explorer on the next unexplored Landscape, take a Radar Tile, and flip the Landscape. Its gear-icon action is then available to all players.

Build a Station

Take a Station from your Reserve and a Station Site whose Engineer requirement you meet. Place it next to at least one explored Landscape, then immediately perform the action of one adjacent explored Landscape. A Meteorite counts as an explored Landscape once it borders an explored Landscape (community clarification; see FAQ).

Upgrade a Station

Upgrade in order from level 1 to 2 to 3. Meet the printed Presence threshold, pay the Construction Material cost, attach the Upgrade and take its reward. Count adjacent Explorers and Stations; Explorers directly on the Station Site count. Per the current rules clarification, Explorers on the Harbor do not count as Presence.

Use a Radar Tile

Return one Radar Tile to the supply. Resolve all Radar effects on your Tableau and buy any number of cards from your personal display, in either order. Discard Expedition Cards after their radar effect; turn Project Cards sideways after their effect. Bought Expedition Cards go face down on top of your Expedition Deck. Bought Projects enter play to the right of your Tableau.

Activate a Pilot or Mechanic

Flip one unused Pilot or Mechanic tile to its inactive side and carry out the connected action on its Expert Action Tile. Each tile can be used once per game. Even if unused, each scores 2 points at the end (designer FAQ, 20 October 2026).

Pass

Discard all cards still on your Tableau. You are out for the remainder of this round.

IV. Milestone Phase

After rounds 3, 5 and 6, resolve the milestone scoring described on the scoring page. Then pass the Starting Indicator clockwise and advance the Round Indicator. When moving into round 6, each player gains one Forecast Tile.