Rift

Rift cards have two effects. First, player may play a rift to receive a benefit of ships, cards, or a colony as stated on the card. These ships may belong to any player or players, and are returned to any of their owner(s)’ colonies.

Additionally, if a rift card is taken from a player’s hand (but not discarded), either as compensation or as the result of another game effect, the rift detonates, causing the thieving player to lose a number of ships to the warp, cards or a colony as stated on the card. After detonating, a rift is discarded.

Rift Questions
Q: I don’t understand rifts, when do they go off?

A: Rifts go off when a player takes a rift from another player. However, if a player is given a rift, it does not go off. For example, when the Trader trades their hand with another player, and he receives a rift, the effect would occur because he took the cards. However, if the player he traded with received a rift into their hand, the effect would not occur, because that player was given the card.

An easier way to think of it is like this: If a player is thieving a rift, it will go off.

Q: When Trader takes another player’s hand, do the rifts in it detonate?

A: Yes, since Trader is taking the rifts. Any rifts in the hand Trader is giving to the other player do not detonate (since the other player is not taking them).

Q: Is a rift triggered when Philanthropist gives one to another player?

A: No. In this case, the card was given, not taken.

Q: Are rifts triggered when Barbarian pillages another player’s hand?

A: Only if Barbarian takes one of the rifts. Typically, Barbarian will discard those cards after pillaging a hand, so the rift never entered Barbarian’s hand.

Q: If you use a rift to free another player’s ships from the warp, who gets to decide which colonies they return to?

A: The owner of the ships.

Q: If someone plays the Oracle Wild flare and mixes hands with a player holding a rift, does it detonate if the other player ends up with it after hands have been randomly reassigned?

A: Yes.

Q: Can you trade rifts in a deal without detonating them?

A: Yes.