Transgalactica

1 / 50 ~25 min
Welcome to Transgalactica

You Are a Space Captain

Welcome to Transgalactica -- a strategic game of galactic exploration where you command a fleet, colonize planets, trade across star systems, mine resources, and vie for political dominance in an expanding universe.

You are a space captain with a ship, a small crew, and ambitions that span the galaxy. Over the course of exactly 5 rounds, you will explore distant planets, build Outposts, advance your capabilities across four Progress Tracks, and compete with rival captains for Victory Points (VP).

The galaxy is vast but your time is limited. Each round, you will choose actions carefully -- placing your Captain on action spaces to claim powerful Main Actions while your rivals scramble to follow with weaker Secondary Actions. Every decision ripples outward: exploring a planet today opens income and action options for the rest of the game.

Tutorial Overview

Glossary

Action Area

One of 8 areas on the main board where players place their Captain to take Main Actions. There are 4 Immediate Actions (Omni, Exploration, Mining, Trading) and 4 Expanded Actions (Technology, Military, Production, Politics).

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Action Planet

A planet type that offers unique bonus actions. You can send a worker to an Action Planet during the Action Phase if you have an outpost there, gaining its special ability without using a Main Action space.

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Alien

One of the three resource types and also the cost to use Wormholes (1 Alien per jump). Aliens are a versatile resource that can substitute in the Omni action. Gained through certain planets and income.

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Bonus Tile

Tiles placed on your Control Panel that provide special abilities. Basic (blue) tiles offer simpler bonuses; Advanced (red) tiles are more powerful. Each tile starts face-up and is flipped face-down once activated, meaning each bonus can only be used once.

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Captain

Your primary worker. When you place your Captain on an empty Main Action space, you take the Main Action and other players may follow with a Secondary Action. Your Captain can also be used to follow other players' actions.

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Control Panel

Your personal player board. It holds your workers (Captain and Crew), bonus tiles, and tracks your resources. Workers return here during the Maintenance Phase. Bonus tiles placed on the Control Panel provide ongoing or one-time benefits.

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Credits

The currency of Transgalactica. Credits are NOT considered resources. They are used to pay costs, fuel the Omni action (1 Credit to use Omni), and convert to VP at end-game (1 VP per remaining Credit).

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Crew

Your secondary workers. Crew can be used to follow other players' Main Actions by taking the Secondary Action. Crew can also be assigned permanently to the Galactic Senate or Wilderness Planets.

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Energy

One of the three resource types. Energy is used to pay for various actions and advancements. Gained through Production actions, income from planets, and other sources.

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Exploration

An Immediate Action that lets you move your Starship across the galaxy board and place Outposts on planets you visit. This is how you expand your presence and gain access to Action Planets and Mining Planets.

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Fleet Income

Income tiles gained through the Trading action. These tiles provide additional resources or credits during the Income Phase, but only if your Politics level is high enough to unlock them.

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Galactic Senate

A location where you permanently assign Crew members to fulfill Decree requirements. Successfully contributing to the Senate advances your Senate track and earns VP. Requires meeting specific resource or track requirements.

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Income Phase

The first phase of each round. All players simultaneously receive income from their progress tracks, outpost planets, Control Panel bonuses, and Fleet Income tiles (gated by Politics level).

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Main Action

The primary action taken when you place your Captain on an empty action space. Main Actions are more powerful than Secondary Actions. Once a Captain occupies a Main Action space, no other player may place there that round.

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Maintenance Phase

The final phase of each round. Military scoring occurs (highest gains VP, lowest loses VP), workers return to Control Panels, Mining tiles are replaced, the Priority Track updates based on empty outpost spaces, and the Round counter advances.

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Military

An Expanded Action and progress track. Military level is compared during the Maintenance Phase: the player furthest ahead gains VP, while the player furthest behind loses VP. Military level also determines your ability to defeat Space Pirates.

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Mineral

One of the three resource types. Minerals are used to pay for outpost construction and other costs. Gained primarily through Mining and Production actions.

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Mining

An Immediate Action that lets you take a Mining tile and collect the associated rewards. Mining Planets where you have outposts also produce resources when this action is taken.

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Mining Planet

A planet type that produces resources when the Mining action is taken. You receive resources from Mining Planets where you have placed an outpost.

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Mission Card

Cards claimed through the Politics action. There are 3 types: Commercial, War, and Cultural. Fulfilling a Mission Card's requirements earns VP and additional rewards. Missions provide targeted scoring goals throughout the game.

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Objective Card

Each player holds 2 Objective Cards and scores exactly 1 of them at the end of the game. These cards reward specific accomplishments and give each player a unique strategic direction.

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Omni

An Immediate Action that costs 1 Credit or 1 Alien to use. It lets you perform any Main Action or Secondary Action of your choice, making it the most flexible action space on the board.

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Outpost

A structure you place on planets during the Exploration action. Outposts grant access to Action Planets, provide income, and affect your position on the Priority Track. Some outpost sites require a minimum Trade Level.

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Politics

An Expanded Action and progress track. Advancing Politics lets you claim Mission Cards and gates how many Fleet Income tiles activate during the Income Phase. Politics level is also required to participate in the Galactic Senate.

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Priority Track

Determines turn order each round. Your position is based on how many empty outpost spaces remain on your player board -- the more outposts you have placed on the galaxy board, the higher your priority.

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Production

An Expanded Action and progress track. The Production action advances your Production marker and lets you gather resources. Higher Production levels increase your resource income during the Income Phase.

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Progress Track

One of four advancement tracks: Technology, Military, Production, and Politics. Advancing on these tracks unlocks income, abilities, and scoring opportunities. Each track has multiple levels with escalating benefits.

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Secondary Action

A weaker version of the Main Action that other players may take as a follow when someone places their Captain. You use your Captain or a Crew member to follow. This is the core of the follow mechanism.

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Space Pirate

Hostile encounters on the galaxy board. You can defeat a Space Pirate if your Military Level is equal to or greater than the pirate's strength. Defeating pirates earns VP and Fleet Income tiles.

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Starship

Your ship on the galaxy board. You move it during the Exploration action to reach new planets and place outposts. The Starship can use Wormholes to jump between distant planets for 1 Alien.

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Technology

An Expanded Action and progress track. Advancing Technology unlocks Technology Cards that provide permanent bonuses. Technology Cards come in 3 levels, and you must reach the corresponding Tech Level to claim higher-level cards.

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Technology Card

A card that grants a permanent bonus once claimed. There are 3 levels of Technology Cards, each requiring the corresponding Technology track level. These cards can significantly shape your strategy with ongoing advantages.

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Trade Level

Your position on the Trade track. Certain outpost sites on the galaxy board require you to have reached a minimum Trade Level before you can place an outpost there.

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Trading

An Immediate Action that advances your position on the Trade track and grants Fleet Income tiles. Higher Trade levels unlock outpost sites that require Trade Level prerequisites.

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Victory Points (VP)

The currency of success in Transgalactica. The player with the most VP at the end of 5 rounds wins. VP are earned through progress tracks, missions, the Galactic Senate, space pirates, and end-game scoring.

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Wilderness Planet

A planet type where you permanently assign a worker. In return, the Wilderness Planet provides bonuses during every Income Phase for the rest of the game.

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Wormhole

A special connection between distant planets on the galaxy board. By paying 1 Alien, your Starship can jump from one Wormhole planet to another, bypassing the normal movement path.

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