Just as in a multiplayer game, you are trying to be the AI with the most VP at the end of the game. In this variant, Hal will be your formidable virtual adversary, and will do everything he can to get ahead of you! You can play this variant with or without the advanced rules.

Setup

The setup is identical to the setup for a multiplayer game (see pages 4 - 5) with the following clarifications:

• Step 2: Place 4 dice of each color in each of the supply areas of the Black Angel.
• Step 3: Place only 5 strips to construct the Space board.
• Step 8: Remove 12 Ravager cards from the Ravager deck.

After having performed steps 9 - 14, choose a different color from yours for Hal, and proceed as follows:

• Return Hal's player board to the box; he won't need it.
• Place 1 of Hal's discs on the 5 VP space of the score track, and the other on the compartment you assign to him.
• Place 1 of Hal's robots in each of the 3 assignment rooms, and all his other robots in the break room of the Black Angel.
• Return Hal's 3 Starting Technology tiles to the box; he won't need them.
• Neither give Hal a Mission card of each color, nor a Ravager card.
• Neither give Hal resources, Damage/Debris cubes, nor ships.

Finally, shuffle Hal's cards in order to form a face-down deck (the side showing Hal's gain weightings will be visible).

You will be the first player; Hal will always play after you. Hal has no storage; each time he gains an item during the game (ship / resource / robot / Technology tile / Advanced Technology tile / debris / Ravager card), it immediately transforms into VP according to the weighting summary on the back of Hal's cards.

Game Play

After you have taken your turn, execute Hal's turn. There are two possibilities:

1. Hal has at least 1 die in his compartment.

   Reveal Hal's first card. This card indicates the color of die that Hal wishes to use, and the action he wishes to perform.

   If, during your turn, you performed Sequence A, look at the top of the card first; if you performed Sequence B, look at the bottom of the card first. If the color of die specified is no longer available, look at the second part of the card.

   If this color is also unavailable, simply return an unreserved die of the third color to its supply, and Hal gains 3 VP.

2. Hal has no dice left in his compartment.

   Roll dice for him, and advance the Black Angel as you do when performing Sequence B. Hal never reserves the die.

   Each time one of Hal's cards (whether a neutralization or activation mission) is ejected (whether it's him or you that performed Sequence B), Hal immediately scores 3 VP. Keep all of his ejected cards in their respective discard piles and return his robots to the break room of the Black Angel.

Die Selection

Among the dice of the indicate color, Hal always takes the die of the greatest value. If several dice have the same value, he will use his own die. If the die with the greatest value is yours, he will buy it: Take 1 resource from the supply in compensation. As usual, Hal cannot buy a die you have reserved.

Resolving Hal's Actions

You must always resolve Hal's action in the way that best suits his goal of gaining VP. If an action is affected by a Ravager card, Hal performs his action normally (only effects which add a Damage cube are resolved) and loses nothing.

If an action is damaged, the value of Hal's die is reduced by 1, just as it would be for you.

Action: Discover Technology

Hal's card indicates whether he wants to:

• 

  First take 1 Advanced Technology tile. If his die has a value of 1, Hal takes a cost-1 Technology tile if there is one in the display. If his die has a value of 2, Hal takes an Advanced Technology tile. If his die has a value of 3, Hal takes both an Advanced Technology Tile and a cost-1 Technology tile if there is one in the display.

• 

  Take only Technology tiles.

Hal takes tiles from the display starting with those closest to where they get ejected. For the Advanced Technology tiles, consider the 4 spaces as a display; Hal takes the last tile in this display (the one closest to the Technology tile display).

Then refill the display after having shifted the remaining 3 tiles.

If his die has a value of 0 (star) or Hal is unable to perform the action (no Technology tiles, or a damaged action reduces his die to a value of 0), Hal just gains 3 VP.

Action: Repair The Black Angel

For each activation, Hal removes 1 Damage cube. Hal's card indicates the order in which he does this:

• clockwise (from location 1 to location 6)
• counterclockwise (from location 6 to location 1)

Hal will remove Damage cubes from damaged dice only if there are no Damage cubes anywhere else.

If his die has a value of 0 (star) or Hal is unable to perform the action (no Damage cubes, or a damaged action reduces his die to a value of 0), Hal just gains 3 VP.

Action: Destroy Ravagers

For each activation, Hal destroys 1 Ravager card. Hal's card indicates the order in which he does this:

• clockwise (from location 1 to location 6)

• counterclockwise (from location 6 to location 1)

Hal always tries to destroy as many Ravager cards as his die allows (i.e. he will skip a location if it would reduce the total number of Ravager cards he could destroy).

If his die has a value of 0 (star) or Hal is unable to perform the action (no Ravager cards, or a damaged action reduces his die to a value of 0), Hal just gains 3 VP.

Action: Command Your Ships

For this action, the value of Hal's die is irrelevant.

First, draw a card that is the same color as the die Hal selected.

If it is a neutralization Mission card, place it on a hex of the same color on the first strip. If there are no more hexes available, place it on a hex of the same color on the second strip, etc. If the strip has two appropriate hexes available, place the card on the hex with the comet, and Hal immediately scores 3 additional VP.

If it is an activation Mission card, place it on a hex of the same color on the fifth strip. If there are no more hexes available, place it on a hex of the same color on the fourth strip, etc. If the strip has two appropriate hexes available, place the card on the hex with the comet, and Hal immediately scores 3 additional VP.

Then resolve the action as for a normal player (place a robot on the reward and gain it, Ravagers appear, new Technology tiles appear), except that placing a ship and a pilot is not necessary for Hal.

Clarifications

• If you activate a card with an activation mission, and it is Hal's (it is not your robot on the card), Hal always takes an activation of this card.

• When Hal's deck is exhausted, shuffle the discards to form a new one.

• Assume that Hal always has the robot he may need for his action.

• If you buy one of Hal's dice, you must pay him 1 resource. Hal discards this resource and gains 1 VP.

End of the Game

The end of the game is triggered the same way as in a multiplayer game. Unlike you, Hal cannot score additional VP at the end of the game. If you have more VP than he does, congratulations!

You can make your next game more challenging by increasing Hal's starting VP at the beginning of the game.

• easy: 0 VP
• standard: 5 VP
• difficult: 10 VP
• extreme: 15 VP

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