Forbidden Stars - Rules Summary
Game Round
Planning: Place 4 orders on the map, face down, 1 at a time in turn order.
Must be placed in systems with areas or you control or adjacent to systems
with areas you control. Warp storms do not block adjacency.
Operations: Resolve orders (in turn order) or place on the event deck.
Refresh:
- Collect your objective tokens from friendly worlds (=contains only own
units and/or structures, doesnt matter whether units are routed or not).
- Collect materiel ( ) from friendly worlds (Maximum of 14 materiel).
- Rally routed units (stand them up). Turn order cards face up.
- Draw events (1 for each order token on your event deck).
- Choose & play 1 event card you just drew. Move an unmoved warp
storm (can move to edges, cannot overlap), then resolve the event.
If you didnt draw an event, draw 1 just for moving an unmoved warp
storm (dont resolve the event). Cards that say instead of revealing an
order token can only be used if theres a potentially usable order token.
- Shuffle all event cards back into the event deck.
End of Round: Pass first player and advance round marker.
The game lasts 8 rounds, or until a player has collected a number of their own
objective tokens equal to the number of players (whichever happens first).
Ties: #objectives > #friendly planets > #units on board > shared victory
Operations
Orders are resolved 1 per player at a time in turn order.
Orders must be used in the system they were placed on (=active system).
If theres none of your orders on top of a stack, your turn is passed.
If you cannot or choose not to use an order, place it on your event deck.
Order upgrades are turned face down after they have been used in a round.
The round continues until all orders have been activated.
A worlds area capacity (number of skulls on planet, 3 for void) limits units in
each area. Excess units are destroyed after each order & event is resolved.
Deploy (purchase units and/or 1 structure with materiel)
1. You may purchase units in friendly and uncontrolled areas in the system. A
factory is required in system. The maximum number of units a player can
purchase is equal to the combined unit capacity from all friendly worlds in
the system with factories on them (can be in excess of area capacity).
2. You may then purchase 1 structure on a friendly world in the active system
(no more than 1 structure is allowed on a world unless allowed by a card).
Notes:
Command level (=number of cities) limits available units. Required level:
1 forge token must be spent to build the strongest units (see faction sheet).
1 forge token may be spent per unit to reduce required command level by 1.
1 cache tkn may be spent per unit/structure to reduce cost by 2 (down to 0).
Strategize (a unit/structure is required in the system)
1. You may purchase an order upgrade card and/or a combat upgrade card.
You must meet command level requirements and pay materiel costs.
Forge and cache tokens may not be used when purchasing cards.
- Combat upgrades are shuffled into your combat deck. Take both cards,
and remove a different pair of cards from your deck (always 5x2 cards).
- Order upgrades are placed face up in your play area.
2. Then place the order token on top of your event deck to signify you get an
event card draw at the end of the round.
Dominate (gather asset tokens)
1. Gain asset tokens (cache , forge , and reinforcement ) from each
friendly world in the system (As indicated on world, no materiel).
Prosperity (the wings icon ): gives you an asset token of your choice.
You may not have more than 3 tokens of each type in your play area.
2. Then resolve your faction ability listed on your faction sheet.
Advance
1. You may move un-routed ships in the active system and ONE adjacent
system to any void area(s) in the active system (need not be adjacent).
2. You may then move un-routed ground units in the active system and ONE
adjacent system (must be the same system as above if used) to any
world(s) in active system via a legal path of ships/units.
Notes:
An area that contains both friendly & enemy units is contested and combat
occurs immediately there after all movement is done, as part of this order.
Each advance order can only create a maximum of 1 contested area.
A legal path is a non-diagonal series of contiguous friendly areas leading to
the destination world. This can include worlds and/or voids.
When moving ground units, all destination planets must be reachable via a
legal path BEFORE any ground units have been moved. Ships moved in
first part of the activation may be used to build a path, but not ground units.
Units cannot move through warp storms (but can be PLACED in adjacent
systems separated by a warp storm by card effects).
A player can move up to 5 units into a single area.
If there is no combat (no contested area) in the active system, you may
perform an orbital strike on 1 planet without a bastion in the active system.
Combat (performed as part of Advance order, after completing all movement)
Note: If at start of combat the defender has no un-routed units & no bastion,
the attacker automatically wins the combat & the defender is forced to retreat.
Both players roll dice equal to combat value (blue icon on faction sheet) of
each of their un-routed units. Maximum of 8 dice. Then group dice by icons.
Dice are never re-rolled in combat unless instructed by a card.
Each player draws 5 random combat cards from their combat deck.
First the attacker then after that the defender may place reinforcement
tokens from their play area next to their units, un-routed side up
(Do not add dice. Maximum of 1 token per unit, not counting bastions!).
Up to 3 Execution Rounds of combat are then resolved:
1. Attacker & defender each choose 1 combat card & play them face down.
2. First attacker then after that the defender reveals and resolves their card.
Combat cards can add combat tokens (Circle) and dice (Square, to a max.
of 8 dice/player). Unit abilities on cards can only be used if theres an un-
routed unit of that type present at the time that card is played. Cards can
add more reinforcement tokens (No limit but supply limit, always come into
play un-routed). When a card presents a choice, the player of that card
makes all decisions unless otherwise specified. The player of the card can
choose for each combat card ability (each paragraph is a separate ability)
to not resolve it, unless that ability uses the word must.
Clarifications: "Purchase" on cards does not need a factory.
"Free" on cards does not need materiel and ignores command level.
Errata: "Warp Gate: Target can only be any empty or friendly area.
3. Starting with the attacker, both players assess damage: Damage =
offense icons defense icons (icons from dice, cards, combat tokens):
The player taking damage assigns it to their own units.
Damage must be applied to one unit until it is destroyed (i.e. damage =
health of unit = red icon on faction sheet ) or no damage remains.
Remaining damage (prev.unit destroyed) is applied to additional units.
Damage must be assigned to non-routed units and bastions before it
can be assigned to routed units.
If a unit takes damage but is not destroyed, it is routed (no health loss).
Bastions are never routed. Damage is not taken over to next round.
Reinforcement tokens count as corresponding level 0 unit for
absorbing damage, morale and card effects. Flip over if routed.
Retreating units during combat dont receive damage.
4. Discard combat tokens (note: retain reinforcement tokens, dice are not re-
rolled, combat icons on cards are cumulative from round to round).
5. If all units and bastions belonging to (only) one player are destroyed
combat is over and the player with units remaining (can be routed) wins,
otherwise combat ends after 3 execution rounds. Note that if all units from
a player are routed, combat still continues until the end of round 3.
After 3 execution rounds the player with highest morale from dice, face up
cards & un-routed units ( -icon on faction sheet) wins. Ties go to defender.
All units of the loosing player in the contested area must retreat:
- All retreating units must move to the same area (can exceed area limit).
- Retreating ground units must follow a legal path.
- All retreating units are routed. Units unable to retreat are destroyed.
- If the attacker is retreating:
If moved to the contested area with an advance order, units must
retreat to an area where at least 1 attacking unit originated from.
If moved to the contested area by an effect other than an advance
order, the units are destroyed.
- If the defender is retreating:
Units must, if possible, retreat to a friendly world, otherwise retreat to an
uncontrolled world. Units can only retreat to an area (does not need to
be adjacent) in the same or an adjacent system. Units may not retreat
to an area or an adjacent system where the attacker came from.
Combat clean-up:
- If units exceed any area's capacity now, excess units are destroyed.
- Return all reinforcement tokens that took part in combat back to supply.
- If the attacker wins, they take control of any structure on the world not
destroyed in combat.
- All combat cards are shuffled back into the combat deck.
Orbital Strike
The attacker rolls a number of dice (max.8) equal to the combined offense of
attacking ships. The damage rolled is applied to defending units on the planet.
Routed ships may not participate in an orbital strike.
All attacking ships must be in the same void area.
All attacking ships (area) must be adjacent to the target planet (area).
The target planet and attacking ships must both be in the active system.
Orbital strikes may not be used on planets with a bastion.
Units may not be routed from orbital strikes.
[Card effects with "cannot"] > [other card effects] > [rules from rulebook]
All components in the game are treated as limited (cannot use/build if none left
in supply) with the sole exception of attack and defense tokens (no limit).
 Forbidden Stars - Faction Summary
Best in Class - Worst in Class
Chaos Space Marines
Chaos Space Marine combat cards (e.g. Mark of" cards) allow different play styles and adaption to various situations.
Always a suitable event card: Strategize upgrade-card allows to draw 3 event cards. One of their event cards allows to draw 3 more event cards.
Can manipulate warp storms and travel through warp storms (further improves flexibility).
Faction ability: Dominate allows faster expansion (Ability ignores Warp Storms).
Tier Unit Name Max.Quantity Cost Attack Health Morale

0 Cultists 9 2 1 2 2

0 Iconoclast Destroyers 3 2 2 2 2

1 Chaos Space Marines 6 3 3 3 2

2 Helbrutes 3 4 3 4 3

2 Repulsive Grand Cruisers 3 5+f 4 5 4

3 Chaos Reaver Titans 3 5+f 4 5 3

Eldar
Strongest space fleet (most and strongest tier 0 space ships).
Their advance upgrade-cards and their strong space units allow for the most useful and powerful orbital strikes.
Many cards for improved mobility. E.g. event card "Warp Gate" is an almost guaranteed capture of an objective token.
Faction ability: Dominate allows faster unit movement (Ability ignores Warp Storms).
Tier Unit Name Max.Quantity Cost Attack Health Morale

0 Aspect Warriors 6 2 2 1 2

0 Hellebore Frigates 6 2 3 2 1

1 Wraithguard 3 3 2 4 2

2 Falcons 3 4 3 4 3

2 Void Stalkers 3 5+f 4 5 4

3 Warlock Titans 3 5+f 4 5 3

Orks
Powerful attack force: Their combat cards have more icons than equivalent cost cards of other factions.
Deploy upgrade-card lets them build a structure before units. So they can deploy major reinforcements on a newly captured world.
Via strategize upgrade card they are able to do 3xAdvance or 3xDominate or 3xDeploy each round.
Faction ability: Dominate allows faster build-up of units (does not need a factory).
Tier Unit Name Max.Quantity Cost Attack Health Morale

0 Ork Boyz 9 2 2 2 1

0 Onslaught Attack Ships 3 2 1 3 2

1 Nobz 6 3 2 4 2

2 Battlewagons 3 4 3 5 2

2 Kill Kroozers 3 5+f 3 6 4

3 Gargants 3 5+f 3 6 3

Space Marines
Unwavering: Very strong defense, can resist routing and rally their units in battle.
Often win battles with morale: No other faction has higher unit morale values.
Deploy upgrade-card allows bastions to double as factories.
Faction ability: Dominate allows faster unit upgrades (for only 1 materiel and ignoring current command level).
Tier Unit Name Max.Quantity Cost Attack Health Morale

0 Scouts 6 2 1 2 2

0 Strike Cruisers 3 2 2 2 2

1 Space Marines 6 3 2 3 3

2 Land Raiders 6 4 3 4 3

2 Battle Barges 3 5+f 4 5 4

3 Warlord Titans 3 5+f 3 5 4