Set up the scenario first
Place the board and the scenario's bases or carriers, Garrisons, upgrades, Energy, objectives and terrain. Each player reveals their squad, puts unit cards nearby and places Timeline tokens at the starting values printed on those cards. Models begin in Reserve, not already scattered across the board.
Use a nine-card Tactics deck. Shuffle and draw three cards at the start. The player with the lowest starting Timeline acts first; when the opening is tied between players, roll an attack die each and use the higher result. Resolve setup abilities in activation order.
What a unit can do
An activation requires one Primary Action: Attack, Dash, Energize or Rescue. Advance is an additional movement opportunity, not a substitute for that requirement. A unit may also use each Command ability once and its player may play up to one Tactics card per activation, observing the card's timing.
Additional actions granted by abilities follow their own text. In version 1.1, an action reduced to 0 TL is treated as an additional action of that type; it does not consume the required Primary Action. Do not infer that a free Dash lets you skip the rest of your activation.
| Option | Normal effect | Timeline cost |
|---|---|---|
| Advance | Move up to 3 hexes | No default TL cost |
| Attack | Use a weapon or an eligible attack card | Printed weapon cost |
| Dash | Move up to 2 hexes | 2 TL |
| Energize | Gain 1 Energy token | 2 TL |
| Rescue | Remove an adjacent allied Garrison; gain 2 VP | 2 TL |
Deploy and move
On a unit's first activation, deploy it from the scenario's Base or Carrier, then activate it. A unit cannot finish on a Base and must move at least one hex before ending that activation. Defeated units later redeploy from Reserve under the normal deployment rules.
Movement is counted hex by hex. You cannot interrupt one move with an attack and then continue the same move. Enemies, Engagement, elevation and special terrain can change the route or movement available. Read the combat and terrain guide before treating a printed movement distance as an unrestricted path.
Score the mission
A unit contests an objective when ending its own activation on or adjacent to it. You need more allied units nearby than the enemy. Winning a contest captures a neutral objective; against an enemy-controlled one, it first makes that objective neutral. A separate effect that says 'capture' can work differently.
Control persists when you move away. At the end of Phase 1, score the relevant objectives and draw three more Tactics cards. At the end of Phase 2, score and compare total VP. The core rulebook gives a tied game to the last player who acted.
| Event | Score |
|---|---|
| Defeat an enemy unit | Its printed VP value |
| Defeat an enemy Garrison | 2 VP |
| Rescue an allied Garrison | 2 VP |
| Scenario objectives | As the scenario specifies |
What happens when a unit is defeated?
The opponent earns the unit's VP. Return the model to Reserve and move its Timeline token two spaces forward immediately. Restore full hit points and clear status effects, while retaining Energy and upgrades. If defeated during its own activation, that activation ends.
A defeated model is therefore not permanently eliminated from a standard game. Its later redeployment still takes time and board position. Follow any scenario or card exceptions, and keep the current rulebook open for timing disputes.
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