Technology

Tech cards represent revolutionary technologies that players can research during the game. Each tech card has an effect and a research number on it, which represents how long it takes to develop the technology.

Setup
If players decide to play with this variant, shuffle the technology deck and deal two tech cards to each player after complet- ing the normal game setup. Each player then looks at his or her two tech cards, selects one, and discards the other, faceup, next to the technology deck. The selected tech card is placed facedown in front of the player, and is not considered part of his or her hand.

Note: If using this variant with the “Four Planets” variant, remove all cards with a research number of 8 or more from the tech deck before play. These cards are not used with the “Four Planets” variant.

Using Technology
At the start of any player’s Regroup Phase, before the offense retrieves a ship from the warp, each player may do one of the following:
 * research their tech card
 * complete their tech card
 * do nothing.

Researching a Tech Card
To research a tech card, the player takes one of his or her ships from any of the player’s colonies and moves it on top of his or her tech card. The ship is now researching that tech card. Once a ship is researching a tech card, it cannot be removed from that tech card until the tech card is completed.

Completing a Tech Card
To complete a tech card, the player turns the tech card faceup. If there are a number of ships researching the tech equal to or greater than the tech card’s research number, the tech is completed. The player returns the researching ships to any of his or her colonies. The completed tech card remains in play and may now be used. If the number of ships on the tech card is lower than its research number, the tech card is abandoned.

The player returns the researching ships to any of his or her colonies, as before, but the tech card is discarded, faceup, next to the technology deck instead of being used.

Note that technology cards may have many different effects. Some of them are discarded after being used, while others remain in play for the rest of the game once completed.

Getting New Tech Cards
If a player is eligible to have a second encounter during his or her turn, he or she may give up the opportunity to have a second encounter and instead obtain a new tech card. The player draws a number of tech cards equal to his or her current for- eign colonies plus one, selects one, and discards the others. The selected tech card is placed facedown in front of the player and must be researched before it can be completed, just as before. There is no limit to the number of tech cards a player can have facedown in front of him or her, but a player may only research or complete one tech card during each Regroup Phase. If the tech deck runs out, shuffle the tech discard pile to make a new tech deck.

Note: The Machine may give up its second or later encounter to obtain a new tech card, but doing so ends its turn, regardless of its alien power.

Losing Researching Ships
Ships researching a tech card are considered to be in that player’s home system, but may not participate in any encounters. Players may not aim the hyperspace gate at a tech card, but ships can be lost from a tech card in other ways (such as the Shadow’s power).