Advanced Colonization
| Advanced Colonization | ||
|---|---|---|
| Designed by Robert Dudley | ||
| A game of space combat and expansion. | ||
| Players: | 2 - 2 | |
| Length: | Medium | |
| Complexity: | Medium | |
| Trios per color: | 2 | |
| Number of colors: | 5 | |
| - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - | ||
| none | ||
| Setup time: | 1 minute | |
| Playing time: | 10 minutes - 30 minutes | |
| Strategy depth: | High | |
| Random chance: | none | |
| Game mechanics: | none, none | |
| Theme: | Space | |
| Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2012 | ||
What You Need
Advanced Colonization is a game for two players. You need two Rainbow stashes to play.
The Basics
Two trios of green pyramids are the planets that you are trying to colonize. Two trios each of red, yellow, black, and blue represent ships (when they're not in a planet stack) or colonies (when they are in a planet stack). Planet stacks consist of a planet and any colonies stacked with it.
The bank is the area where all pyramids that have not been placed or purchased are kept. A player's reserve is the area where ships are placed once they are purchased. A ship's orientation is whether it is standing up or lying down. All ships that are lying down must be pointing toward a planet unless the planet they were pointing toward is burned. Ships can't point toward the planet they are orbiting.
A colony is dominant when it is either the top colony above a planet or the bottom colony below a planet in a planet stack. Colonies can only be dominant if they're on planets of the same size. Colonies that are too large or too small to be dominant are ignored when checking for dominance.
- Example: If a planet stack from top down is small yellow, large blue, large planet, large black, and large red, then the large blue and large red colonies are dominant.
Some actions require you to burn pyramids. To burn a pyramid, remove it from the game entirely. Ships and colonies that are destroyed are returned to the bank.
Winning
The first player to have four dominant colonies wins.
Starting the Game
Place one planet of each size spaced apart in a triangle shape. Place all ships and the three remaining planets in the bank. Set aside a space by each player for that player's reserve.
Choose which player will control the red and yellow ships and which player will control the black and blue ships. Play begins with the red and yellow player taking the first turn.
Steps of the Turn
1: Gain five action points (AP).
2: Purchase ships of your colors from the bank. Ships cost 2 APs each. You may purchase any number of ships each turn.
3: Move ships from your reserve into orbit around a planet. The cost to move a ship into orbit is two APs. Ships are placed either standing next to the planet they orbit or pointing toward a different planet. New ships are never placed onto a stack. You may move any number of ships into orbit each turn.
4: Perform colony and ship actions.
5: Discard any unspent action points. Your turn ends.
Colony and Ship Actions
0AP: Return to Base - Choose one of your ships or colonies and return it to your reserve.
2AP: Advance - Choose one of your ships that is pointing toward a planet. Move it into orbit around the planet that it is pointing toward. Choose a new pointing direction for the moved ship.
2AP: Redirect - Change the orientation of any of your ships or change the direction one of your ships is pointing.
2AP: Far Side Colonize - Choose one of your ships that is pointing toward a planet. Move it to the bottom of the planet stack that it is pointing toward.
2AP: Near Side Colonize - Choose one of your ships that is standing. Move it to the top of the planet stack that it is orbiting.
3AP: Greener Pastures - Choose one of your dominant colonies and move it to the other side of the planet (top to bottom or bottom to top). It becomes the dominant colony on the other side. Until there are eight ships removed from the game, you can only use this ability if there is no dominant colony on the other side of the planet.
3AP: Neutron Bomb - Burn one of your colonies in a planet stack or one of your ships orbiting a planet. Destroy all colonies on that planet and all ships in orbit around that planet. Burn the planet. Place a new planet of any size you choose from the bank on either side of the line formed by the two remaining planets to maintain a triangle shape. You can only use this ability if there is an unplaced planet in the bank.
3AP: Phase Shift - Burn one of your pyramids in the bank. Exchange the location of any two ships, colonies, or combination of the two. A colony or ship gains the orientation of a ship it trades places with and will point in the same direction if the ship was lying down.
3AP: Revolt - If one of your colonies is not dominant, but is large enough to be dominant, destroy the dominant colony on its side of the planet. You can only use this ability if at least eight ships are removed from the game.
Color-Specific Ship Actions
Red & Black
3AP: Fire Lasers - Burn one of your pyramids in the bank. Choose any ships orbiting and colonies on the planet pointed toward by this ship. The targeted ships and colonies are destroyed.
Yellow & Blue
1AP: Tractor Beam - Choose any ships orbiting a planet pointed toward by this ship. Move those ships into orbit around any other planet. You may choose a new orientation and pointing direction for the moved ships.
Links
Actions Table - PDF reference sheet that lists every action available each turn.