Alien Frontiers Fan Site

Rating:	7.2 Good
Popularity:	33
Difficulty:	Easy
Year:	2010
Players:	2-4 players
Playing time:	90 minutes
Age:	13+

Official Site: Alien Frontiers at Game Salute

Created by: Tory Niemann, Piotr Burzykowski, Karim Chakroun, Mark Maxwell

Published by: Clever Mojo Games, Game Salute, LocWorks

Alternate Names: Alien Frontiers: Aurora

Description:

Alien Frontiers is a game of resource management and planetary development for two to four players. During the game you will exploit orbital facilities and alien technology, building colony domes in strategic locations to control the newly discovered world.

The game board shows the planet, its moon, the stations in orbit around the planet, and the solar system's star. The dice you are given at the start of the game represent the spaceships in your fleet. You will assign these ships to the orbital facilities in order to earn resources, expand your fleet, and colonize the planet.

As the game proceeds, you will land your colonies on the planet to control its territories. Tach territory carries a particular benefit and, if you control a territory, you are able to use that influence to your advantage.

The planet was once the home of an alien race and they left behind a wondrous artifact in orbit. Using your fleet to explore the artifact, you will discover amazing alien technologies that you can use to advance your cause.

Winning the game will require careful consideration as you assign your fleet, integrate the alien technology and territory bonuses into your expansion plans, and block your opponents from building colonies of their own. Do you have what it takes to colonize a new world?

Prices:

Retail Price:	$55
Amazon:	$56
Ebay:	$89

Expansions:

Alien Frontiers: Expansion Pack #1
Alien Frontiers: Expansion Pack #2
Alien Frontiers: Expansion Pack #3
Alien Frontiers: Expansion Pack #4
More (12)

Awards:

Golden Geek Best Thematic Board Game Nominee 2011
Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Nominee 2011
Golden Geek Best Innovative Board Game Nominee 2011
Golden Geek Best Family Board Game Nominee 2011
Golden Geek Best Board Game Artwork/Presentation Nominee 2011

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Alien Frontiers Game Rules

Components

24 Ships in Four Colors
1 Relic Ship
20 Gray Ore Tokens
30 Orange Fuel Tokens
24 Alien Tech Cards
32 Colony Tokens in Four Colors
8 Territory Counters
20 Dock Covers.
3 Field Generator
3 Field Generator
4 Scoring Rockets
1 Victory Point Scoreboard

Object of the Game

Gaining more influence over the Alien Frontier (measured in Victory Points) than your opponents by building colonies and controlling territories.

Setup

Unfold the game board and place it on the table where it is accessible to all players. Place the scoring track board in a convenient location and place a scoring rocket of each color on the 0 line. Assign one player to keep track of the victory points throughout the game. â€¦

Orbital Facilities of Alien Frontiers

Surrounding the planet are the orbital facilities you will use to earn resources, expand your fleet, and land colonies. You may not dock ships at an orbital facility unless docking ports are available and you can meet both the ship and cost requirements.

Alien Artifact

Each ship you dock at the Alien Artifact may be of any value and allows you to discard the alien tech cards on display and lay out three new cards from the deck. This is called "cycling" and it is optional. â€¦

Territory Bonuses of Alien Frontiers

Each territory grants its controlling player a bonus over some aspect of the game. A player controls a territory if they have more colonies on that territory than any other single player. The controlling player takes the territory counter.

Example: Red has two colonies on Lem Badlands and Green, Yellow, and Blue each have one colony on Lem Badlands. Red has the most colonies on the territory so Red controls Lem Badlands.

A territory is not controlled by any player if two or more players are tied for the most colonies on a territory. No player earns the bonus for such a territory. The counter for a territory that is not controlled remains on the territory. â€¦

Field Generators of Alien Frontiers

The three field generators alter the rules within the territory where they are located and, where there is a conflict, take precedence over alien tech card effects.

Isolation Field

The Isolation Field nullifies a territory's bonus. The first player to discard a Stasis Beam card will place the Isolation Field counter on a territory of their choice. Any subsequent player who discards a Stasis Beam card will move the counter to another territory.

Example: If the Isolation Field is placed on Pohl Foothills, the player who controls that territory does not receive the "pay one less fuel than normal on each alien tech card you use" bonus and the bonus is not available to a player using a Data Crystal card. â€¦

Alien Tech Cards of Alien Frontiers

The alien tech cards allow you to bend the basic game rules. Most alien tech cards may be used immediately after you acquire them. Alien tech cards that require a fuel payment can only be used once per turn. You may only discard an alien tech card you have not already used on your current turn and then only one discard per turn.

Your alien tech cards are placed on the table face- up where all players can see them. You may only possess one copy of each alien tech card. â€¦