Table of Contents

Overview and Setup 4

Starting Game Layout 5
Keeping Score 6
Play, Main Phase, and Playing Cards 7
Ships and Bases 8
Using Abilities 9
Ally and Double Ally Abilities 10
Scrap Abilities and Scrapping Cards 11
Acquiring (Buying) Cards 11
Attacking 12
Discard and Draw Phase 13
Icon Reference List 14 - 15
Formats 16
Standard and Free-For-All 16
Hunter, Hunter First Blood, and Hydra 17
Emperor 18
Raid 19 - 21
Challenge Cards (Solo and Cooperative) 21-22
Mulliganing the Trade Row 23
Boss Attacks 24
Automations 25 - 26
Blob Assault 27 - 28
Dimensional Horror 29 - 30
Madness of The Machine 31 - 32
Nemesis Beast 33 - 34
Pirates of The Dark Star 35 - 36
Defy The Empire 37 - 38
The Cost of Freedom 39 - 40

1
 Star Realms Frontiers contains
• This Rulebook
• 144 Standard-Sized Cards
• 8 Oversized Challenge Cards

Trade Deck Cards

Trade Deck Cards Trade Deck Cards
1 Blob Alpha 3 Builder Bot
3 Blob Miner 1 Conversion Yard
2 Burrower 2 Defense System
2 Crusher 3 Destroyer Bot
1 Hive Queen 1 Enforcer Mech
1 Infested Moon 2 Integration Port
2 Moonwurm Hatchling 1 Nanobot Swarm
1 Nesting Ground 1 Neural Nexus
1 Pulverizer 3 Plasma Bot
2 Spike Cluster 1 Reclamation Station
3 Stinger 2 Repair Mech
1 Swarm Cluster

Trade Deck Cards Trade Deck Cards

2 Captured Outpost 1 Federation Battleship
3 Cargo Craft 1 Federation Cruiser
2 Farm Ship 3 Frontier Runner
3 Frontier Hawk 1 Gateship
1 Hammerhead 1 Ion Station
1 Imperial Flagship 2 Long Hauler
1 Jamming Terminal 2 Mobile Market
3 Light Cruiser 3 Orbital Shuttle
2 Orbital Gun Platform 3 Outland Station
1 Siege Fortress 2 Patrol Boat
1 Warpgate Cruiser 1 Transit Nexus

2
Basic Cards
16 Explorer 4 Scorecards (Ones Digit)
32 Scout 4 Scorecards (Tens Digit)
8 Viper

8 Oversized Challenge Cards

1 Automatons 1 Nemesis Beast
1 Blob Assault 1 Pirates of the Dark Star
1 Dimensional Horror 1 Defy the Empire
1 Madness of the Machine 1 The Cost of Freedom

80 Trade Deck cards (20 of each Faction)

8 Oversized Challenge Cards 4 Pairs of Scorecards

16 Explorers 32 Scouts 8 Vipers

3
Overview
In Star Realms, you start with a Personal Deck of cards
representing your space armada. Each turn, you play
all the cards in your hand to gain Trade, Combat,
Authority and other effects.
Trade ( ) is used to buy powerful Ships and Bases
from the Trade Row and put them into your
Discard Pile.
Combat ( ) is used to attack opponents and
their Bases.
Authority ( ) is your score. Each player begins the
game with 50 Authority.
At the end of your turn, draw a new hand of five cards.
When you run out of cards, shuffle your Discard Pile
(including all the new cards you’ve bought) to form a
new Personal Deck.
The first player to reduce their opponent’s Authority to
zero wins!

Setup
Set the oversized cards aside. You will only use them
when playing a solo or cooperative challenge (see
page 22).
Each player begins the game with a Personal Deck
(containing 8 Scout cards and 2 Viper cards) and a
starting score of 50 Authority.
To set up the game, place the 16 Explorer cards in their
own pile face-up on the table. Shuffle the Trade Deck
(all the standard size cards with , , , or

4
faction icons in the upper left hand corner) and place it
face-down on the table. Leave a space next to the
Trade Deck for the Scrap Heap (a place to put any cards
that are removed from the game during play). Lay out
the top five cards from the Trade Deck face-up on the
table. This is the Trade Row.
Each player shuffles their Personal Deck and places it
face down in front of them. Leave room next to each
deck for a Discard Pile.
Randomly determine which player will play first. In a
standard two-player game, that player draws three
cards (players always draw from their own Personal
Deck) and the player going second draws five cards.

Starting Game Layout

5
Keeping Score
Players may track their Authority using any method
they like; such as with the included scorecards or a
pencil and paper.
To use the scorecards, line them up with the
appropriate side of the “tens digit” card just under the
correct digit on the “ones digit” card.
For example, if you were at 30 Authority and then took
3 damage bringing your Authority down to 27, you
would track that as seen here:

30 Authority -3 27 Authority

6
Play
Players alternate taking turns. Each turn has three
phases:
1. Main Phase
2. Discard Phase
3. Draw Phase

Main Phase
At any time during your Main Phase you may perform
any of the following actions, as many times as you like,
in any order you wish:
• Play cards from your hand.
• Use the Primary Abilities of in-play Bases.
• Use the Ally/Scrap abilities of in-play Ships and Bases.
• Use Trade to acquire new cards from the Trade Row.
• Use Combat to attack an opponent and/or their Bases.

Playing Cards
There is no cost to play a card from your hand, simply
place it “in-play” (face-up on the table in front of you).
There are two main types of cards in Star Realms:
Ships and Bases.

7
Ships
Name & Card Type

Faction Cost to Buy

(all cards are
free to play)

Primary Ability
Ally Ability
Scrap Ability

When a Ship is played, its Primary Ability happens

immediately. If a Ship has an Ally and/or Scrap Ability,
you may choose to use one or both of these abilities
any time during your Main Phase (provided you fulfill
the obligations for doing so).
Ships that you play remain face-up in front of you until
the Discard Phase, at which time you place them in
your Discard Pile.

Bases
Name & Card Type

Faction Cost to Buy

Primary Outpost
Ability Defense

Ally Double Ally

Ability Ability

8
Unlike Ships, Bases are not discarded at the end of
the turn. Instead, they remain in play until they are
destroyed or scrapped. Also unlike Ships, you may
choose when during the Main Phase to use a Base’s
Primary Ability.
Each Base has a Defense number that represents the
amount of Combat that it must be attacked with in
a single turn to destroy it. Once destroyed, a Base is
placed in its owner’s Discard Pile.
Bases with the Outpost designation protect you and
your other Bases. If you have an Outpost in play, you
may not be attacked and your non-Outpost Bases may
not be attacked or targeted by an opponent until all of
your Outposts are destroyed. Once destroyed, a Base is
placed in to its owner’s Discard Pile.

Using Abilities
With the exception of a Ship’s Primary Ability (which
happens immediately as the Ship is played), players
may use the various abilities of their in-play Ships and
Bases at any time during their Main Phase. Each ability
may be used just once each turn.
If an ability grants Combat or Trade, that resource goes
into a resource pool, which can be used at any point
during the Main Phase. If an ability grants additional
Authority, immediately add it to your Authority score.
Some abilities provide multiple effects (for example;
Frontier Runner provides both 2 and 2 ). Other
abilities allow you to choose from multiple effects
(for example; Outland Station provides 1 or 3 ).

9
Ally Abilities

Ally Abilities are indicated by a faction icon ( , ,

or ) in the left-most part of the text box.
On your turn, an Ally Ability is triggered (and is
available to be used) as soon as you have another card
of that faction in-play. The order in which you play your
cards doesn’t matter, as soon as you have two or more
cards of the same faction in play, trigger all relevant
Ally abilities.
Once an Ally Ability has been triggered, it may be used
at any time during your Main Phase.

Double Ally Abilities

Double Ally Abilities are a special type of Ally Ability.

They are indicated by a double faction icon ( , ,
or ) in the text box.
A Double Ally Ability works exactly like a regular
Ally Ability, except it requires two other cards of that
faction in play to trigger.

10
Scrap Abilities

Some Ships and Bases have a Scrap Ability, indicated by

a trash can icon ( ) in the text box. Any time during
the Main Phase you may use a card’s Scrap Ability by
immediately removing it from play and placing it in the
Scrap Heap. Cards in the Scrap Heap do not return to
your deck, so consider carefully if using a card’s Scrap
Ability is worth losing that card for good.

Scrapping Cards
Some card abilities allow you to scrap other cards
from your hand, your Discard Pile or the Trade Row.
Whenever a card is scrapped, place it in the Scrap
Heap. If a card is scrapped for any reason other than its
Scrap Ability, you do not gain the effects of that Scrap
Ability. If an Explorer would be placed in the Scrap
Heap for any reason, instead place it face-up in
the Explorer pile.
The Trade Row should always have five cards in it,
so when a card is scrapped from the Trade Row,
immediately replace it with the next card from
the Trade Deck.

Acquiring (Buying) Cards

Some card abilities give you Trade ( ). When you
gain Trade, it goes into a Trade Pool, which you may
add to and use over the course of your Main Phase.
Trade is used to acquire cards from the Trade Row or

11
the Explorer Pile. A card’s cost is found in the Trade
symbol in its upper right hand corner. To acquire a
card, subtract Trade from your Trade Pool equal to
the card’s cost and place the card into your Discard
Pile. Acquiring a card doesn’t count as playing it, so it
doesn’t go into play and you don’t use its abilities. Any
remaining Trade is saved and can be used to acquire
additional cards during the Main Phase.
Some card abilities instruct you to “acquire a card.” In
this case, you acquire the card without paying its cost.
Remember, the Trade Row should always have five
cards in it, so when you acquire a card from the Trade
Row, immediately replace it with the next card from
the Trade Deck.

Attacking
Some card abilities give you Combat ( ). When you
gain Combat, it goes into a Combat Pool, which you
may add to and use over the course of your Main
Phase. You may use Combat to attack an opponent or
their Bases. You may make any number of attacks
during your Main Phase.
To attack a Base, subtract Combat from your Combat
Pool equal to the Base’s Defense. That Base is
destroyed and goes to your opponent’s Discard Pile.
Sometimes a card’s ability instructs you to “destroy
target base.” In this case you destroy the Base without
using Combat.
To attack an opponent, subtract any amount of
Combat from your Combat Pool and lower their
Authority by that amount.

12
If an opponent has an Outpost in play, they can’t be
attacked directly and their non-Outpost Bases can’t be
attacked or targeted by you until all of their Outposts
are destroyed.

Discard Phase
Whenever you discard a card or acquire a new card
from the Trade Row, place that card face-up in your
Discard Pile. Any player may look through your Discard
Pile at any time.
During your Discard Phase, you:
• Lose any Trade remaining in your Trade Pool.
• Lose any Combat remaining in your Combat Pool.
• Put all in-play Ships into your Discard Pile.
• Put any cards left in your hand into your Discard Pile.

Draw Phase
During your Draw Phase you:
Draw five cards, then your turn ends.
Note: if you ever need to draw a card and your Personal
Deck is empty, shuffle your Discard Pile and place it face-
down as your new Personal Deck.
Example: At the beginning of your Draw Phase you
have three cards left in your deck. Draw those three
cards, shuffle your Discard Pile into a new Personal
Deck, then draw two more cards.

13
Icon Reference List

Blob faction icon

Machine Cult faction icon

Star Empire faction icon

Trade Federation faction icon

When these icons appear in the upper-left corner of

a card, they indicate the card’s faction. When they
appear in a card’s text box, they indicate an Ally Ability.

Authority

Players start the game with a score of 50 Authority. If

your Authority is reduced to zero or below, you lose
the game. When this icon appears in a card’s text box,
it indicates an amount of Authority that you gain.
You may gain Authority even if it would cause you to
exceed the amount you started the game with.

Combat

When this icon appears in a card’s text box, it indicates

an amount of Combat that you gain.

14
 Trade

When this icon appears in the upper-right corner of a

card, it indicates the card’s cost. When this icon appears
in a card’s text box, it indicates an amount of Trade that
you gain.

Scrap

When this icon appears in a card’s text box, it indicates

a Scrap Ability.

Outpost
A Base with this icon is an Outpost. If a player has an
Outpost in play, they may not be attacked and their
non-Outpost Bases may not be attacked or targeted by
an opponent until all of their Outposts are destroyed.

Defense

A Base’s Defense is the amount of Combat that it

must be attacked with in a single turn to destroy it.
(Any damage dealt to a Base without destroying it is
removed at the end of the turn.)

Ready to Play!
You are now ready to play a standard two-player game!
The remainder of this rulebook covers other cool
formats you can try later.

15
 Formats
Star Realms is designed to support a wide variety
of formats that support various numbers of players.
Unless otherwise specified, all the standard rules apply
to each format. Frontiers contains enough cards to
support four players. Add the Star Realms Core Set or
Star Realms Colony Wars to support 5-6 player formats.

Standard (2 Players)
Randomly determine which player is going first. That
player gets a three-card starting hand. The other player
gets a five-card starting hand.

Free-For-All (3-6 Players)

Randomly determine which player is going first. That
player gets a three-card starting hand. Play proceeds
clockwise around the table. The player going second
gets a four-card starting hand. All other players get a
five-card starting hand.

16
On their turn, players may attack/target any
combination of Bases and players. The last player alive
wins the game!

Hunter (3-6 Players)

Randomly determine which player is going first. That
player gets a three-card starting hand. Play proceeds
clockwise around the table. The player going second
gets a four-card starting hand. All other players get a
five-card starting hand.
On their turn, players may only attack/target the player
to their left and/or the Bases belonging to players on
their left and right. If the player to your left is defeated,
the next player to your left can then be attacked/
targeted. The last player alive wins the game!

Hunter First Blood

The same rules as Hunter, but when the first player is
defeated, the game immediately ends and the player
to their right wins!

Hydra (4 or 6 Players)
All players on a team share an Authority score. Each
individual player has their own Personal Deck, hand,
Discard Pile, and in-play zone (for example, your
teammate’s in-play cards won’t trigger your
Ally Abilities).
Randomly determine which team goes first. Players
on that team get three-card starting hands. Players on
the opposing team get five-card starting hands. Teams
alternate taking turns (rather than individual players),

17
with all teammates sharing their Main, Discard, and
Draw Phases.
Each player still has their own Trade and Combat
Pools and still makes their own decisions regarding
playing cards, acquiring cards, activating abilities, and
attacking. Players may, as many times as they like each
turn, transfer any amount of their Trade and/or Combat
to a teammate’s pool. This allows teammates to work
together to destroy bases and purchase expensive
cards. As long as any player on a given team has an
Outpost in play, that team may not be attacked and
any non-Outpost Bases belonging to that team may
not be attacked or targeted by opponents.
When a team’s Authority is reduced to zero, all players
on that team are defeated.
Two-Headed Hydra (4 Players)
Each two-player team has a shared score of 75 Authority.
Three-Headed Hydra (6 Players)
Each three-player team has a shared score of
100 Authority.
Note: When playing as a Hydra team against a Challenge
Card (see page 22), the team has a total Authority equal to
the individual player Authority times the number of players.

Emperor (6 Players)
Players split into two teams of three, with each
team choosing one teammate to be their Emperor.
The Emperors sit facing each other, flanked by their
teammates (Admirals) on either side:

18
Admirals start the game with 50 Authority, and
Emperors start with 60 Authority. The team going first
(Team A) gets a three-card starting hand. The team
going second (Team B) gets a five-card starting hand.
Play begins with Player 1 and proceeds clockwise.
Admirals may only attack/target the enemy Admiral
across from them and/or Bases controlled by that
Admiral. If that Admiral is defeated, they may then
begin to attack/target the enemy Emperor and his
Bases. Emperors may attack/target any player or Base.
During their Main Phase, any player may pay 1 to
move a card from their Discard Pile to the Discard Pile
of a neighboring teammate.
When an Admiral is defeated, they may put any one
card from their hand, deck, or Discard Pile into their
Emperor’s Discard Pile. When an Emperor is defeated,
their team loses the game!

Raid (3-6 Players: 1 Boss and 2-5 Raiders)

Choose one player to act as the Boss, with all other

19
players acting as the Raiders. Play starts with the
Boss and proceeds clockwise around the table. The
Boss begins the game with two fewer cards than their
normal hand size (found below), while Raiders begin
the game with a standard five-card hand. Raiders take
their turns individually, but any damage dealt to the
Boss’ Bases doesn’t heal until the start of the Boss’ turn
(so that one Raider can start an attack on a Base while
another Raider finishes the job on their own turn).
Raiders
Raiders may look at each other’s hands and discuss
strategy. Though Raiders are playing as a team, each
player still has their own Trade Pool and Combat
Pool, and still makes their own decisions regarding
playing cards, acquiring cards, activating abilities,
and attacking. When a Raider is eliminated, they may
place one card they own in the Discard Pile of each
teammate. If all of the Raiders are eliminated,
the Boss wins!
The Boss
The Boss’ starting Authority score and hand size is
dependent on the number of Raiders.

Boss Starting
# of Raiders Boss Hand Size
Authority
2 50 7
3 70 7
4 70 8
5 90 8

If the Boss has their Authority reduced to zero,

the Raiders win!

20
Solo and Cooperative
Players battle against the game using Challenge Cards.

Challenge Name

Boss Authority

Special Abilities
or Rules

Challenge Name

Challenge Rules

Additional rules and instruction for each Challenge

Card can be found in the following pages.

21
 Challenge Cards
The eight oversized Challenge Cards included in this
set allow you to play by yourself, or on a team with
your friends, against the game. In each challenge you
will be fighting against a different bad guy (known as
“the Boss”).
Typically, you’ll use normal Star Realms rules for hand
size, acquiring cards, using Combat, etc., but the
challenge will have special rules for how the enemy
you are facing plays against you. Rules for each
challenge can be found on the front and back of its
oversized card and in this rulebook (see pages 25-40).
After you pick the Challenge Card you want to play,
find its corresponding rules pages in this rulebook.
Then read the story (in italics) aloud to all players, and
follow the setup rules to get started.

Challenge Difficulty Levels

There are four difficulty levels for each challenge.
The challenges are designed to be tough for an
experienced player at Veteran level, so you may want
to start out on Beginner or Intermediate and work your
way up from there.
Beginner: Players take three turns each before the
Boss’s first turn.
Intermediate: Players take two turns each before the
Boss’s first turn.
Veteran: Players go first.
Expert: Boss goes first.

22
Mulliganing the Trade Row
A player may, during their Main Phase on any turn,
scrap every card in the Trade Row. The Trade Row
may only be mulliganed once during a challenge, so
this ability may only be used if no player has already
mulliganed the Trade Row this game.

Challenge Notes
• For Bosses that have a hand, they get their normal
hand size even when going first.
• When the players play first (Beginner, Intermediate
and Veteran), they get a three-card starting hand
on their first turn of the game.
• In Beginner and Intermediate difficulty levels, once
the players have taken their extra turns at the start of
the game, play proceeds as normal, with the players
and the Boss alternating turns.
• When the Boss Order of Play rules instruct the Boss
to use an ability (such as an Ally ability), and the
Boss has multiple cards with that type of ability in
play, the Boss uses the ability of the card with the
highest cost. If there is a tie, choose a tied card at
random and use that card’s ability.
• If the Trade Deck ever runs out of cards, shuffle the
Scrap Heap into a new Trade Deck (first remove any
cards that don’t belong in the Trade Deck,
like Scouts).

23
Boss Attacks
When the rules say, “the Boss attacks”, the Boss uses its
Combat to make a series of attacks. For each attack, it
follows the steps below, making the first possible attack.
Repeat this process (starting at #1) until the Boss has
no Combat remaining. For each attack, the Boss uses
the minimum Combat required to defeat a player or to
destroy a Base.
1. If the Boss can attack and defeat a player, it
attacks the player with the highest Authority
that it can defeat. (If tied, it attacks one of them
at random.)
2. The Boss attacks the highest Defense Outpost
that it can destroy (If tied, it attacks the highest-
cost tied Outpost. If still tied, it attacks one of
them at random.)
3. The Boss attacks the highest Defense non-
Outpost Base that it can destroy. (If tied, it
attacks the highest cost tied Base. If still tied, it
attacks one of them at random.)
4. The Boss attacks the player with the lowest
Authority. (If tied, it attacks one of them
at random.)
Remember, the Boss can’t attack a player or a non-
Outpost Base that is protected by an Outpost.
If an ability allows the Boss to “destroy a base”, it
selects the Base using the steps above. (The Boss never
destroys its own Bases.)

24
Automatons
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

A few weeks ago, a group of your Explorers stumbled

across what appeared to be a long dead civilization.
The cold dark planet was covered with roads and
advanced looking buildings, but had no signs of life.
Your ships hailed the planet on all frequencies.
A moment later, the entire world lit up and your ships
were attacked by swarms of automated spacecraft that
poured out of thousands of spaceports.
Since then, this mysterious alien fleet has taken every
ship and base they have encountered, killed their crews,
and then incorporated the salvaged tech into their fleet.
Your intelligence officers theorize this was a defense
technology designed to kill the enemy while assimilating
their hardware. They believe this technology ran amok,
wiping out its creator race. You must defeat this threat
quickly, lest your star realm meet the same fate.

25
Challenge Setup
Have a way to track the “Assimilation Count” (pencil
and paper, extra score cards, etc). The Assimilation
Count represents the growing alien armada as they
assimilate more and more captured technology.
The Boss starts the game with 30 Authority per player
and an Assimilation count of 0 (+4 for each additional
player beyond the first). For example: when playing
with 3 players, the Assimilation Count starts at 8.
Note: The Boss has no hand, deck or Discard Pile.
Each player starts with a standard Personal Deck (8
Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 60 Authority each. When playing
with more than one player, players are a Hydra team
(See page 17).
Boss Order of Play
After the Boss plays its cards (see Automatons
Challenge Card), use the steps below to complete its
turn. After each step, if the Boss did anything in that
step, go back to step 1. Repeat this process until you
reach “End the turn”.
1. The Boss uses an available Primary Ability of a Base.
2. The Boss uses an available Ally Ability.
3. The Boss uses an available Double Ally ability.
4. The Boss attacks.
5. Add 1 to the Assimilation Count.
6. End the turn.

26
Blob Assault
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

A Blob spike cluster was discovered by colonists at the

fringe of your star realm. Panicked colonial defenses
attacked and destroyed the cluster, but not before it sent
a distress signal deep into Blob space.
The mistake has been made, there is no undoing it
now. Your only choice is to prepare your realm for the
inevitable Blob response… and pray you can survive it.

27
Challenge Setup
Remove all cards from the Trade Deck.
Put one Spike Cluster face up in the Blob’s Discard Pile.
Then create a Blob deck with the following cards in
order (top to bottom): Stinger, Spike Cluster, Burrower,
Crusher, Nesting Ground, Pulveriser, Blob Alpha,
Swarm Cluster, Infested Moon, Hive Queen. Set all the
other cards aside, they will not be used.
The Boss starts the game with 40 Authority per player.
Note: The Boss has no hand.
Each player starts with a standard Personal Deck
(8 Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 40 Authority each. When playing
with more than one player, players are a Hydra team
(See page 17).

Boss Order of Play

After the Boss plays its card (see The Blob Assault
Challenge Card), use the steps below to complete its turn.
After each step, if the Boss did anything in that step, go
back to step 1. Repeat this process until you reach “End
the turn”.
1. The Boss uses an available Primary Ability of a Base.
2. The Boss uses an available Ally Ability.
3. The Boss uses an available Double Ally Ability.
4. The Boss attacks.
5. End the turn.

28
Dimensional Horror
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

Long ago, the frontier was the target of a failed

colonization effort which used a powerful, but tragically
flawed experimental warp gate technology. These warp
gates left tiny fractures in the fabric of space-time.
Something horrible from outside of our reality has
found this weak point and used it to break through into
our dimension...
Challenge Setup
The Boss has no hand, deck, Discard Pile, or Authority.
Instead, it has four tentacles (Red, Yellow, Green and
Blue). Players must destroy all the Boss’ tentacles to win
the game. Before laying out the initial Trade Row, reveal
the top 10 cards of the Trade Deck. Separate these cards
into tentacle piles by color (faction). Make sure the cost
of each card in every pile is visible. Each of these piles
represents one of the Dimensional Horror’s tentacles.
Each player starts with a standard Personal Deck
(8 Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 40 Authority each.

29
Players take individual turns. Randomly determine
which player goes first. Play proceeds clockwise around
the table from that player. After each player’s turn, the
Boss takes a turn. The Boss’ special abilities and attacks
only affect the player whose turn just ended.
Difficulty Levels
Beginner: The Boss doesn’t take a turn after each
player’s first and second turns.
Intermediate: The Boss doesn’t take a turn after each
player’s first turn.
Veteran: Play normally.
Expert: The Boss takes a turn against each player
before the first player’s turn.

Boss Order of Play

1. Take the card in the Trade Row furthest from the Trade
Deck and put it into the appropriate tentacle pile.
2. Slide the remaining cards in the Trade Row one
space away from the Trade Deck.
3. Reveal the top card of the Trade Deck. If it is of the
same faction as the card just added to a tentacle,
add the new card to the tentacle as well. Otherwise,
put the new card in the empty spot in the Trade
Row. Repeat this step until you fill the empty Trade
Row spot.
4. The Boss gains a special ability based on the color of
the card(s) added to the tentacle (see Dimensional
Horror card front). It gains the ability only once
regardless of the number of cards added to
the tentacle.
5. The Boss gains Combat equal to the number of
cards in the longest tentacle.
6. The Boss attacks.
7. End the turn.

30
Madness of the Machine
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

A recent Blob attack damaged the Machine Cult Brain

World in your sector. Cult ships swarmed to its defense,
and then industrious repair bots brought it back online.
In a sudden epiphany, the Brain World realized purifying
the Cult wasn’t enough. The divine efficiency of the Cult
must be embraced by all. All must convert or be purged.
Convert or be purged. Convert or be purged…

Challenge Setup
Remove all cards from the Trade Deck. Shuffle those
cards, 4 Scouts, and 4 Vipers together to make the
Machine Cult deck. (If you are playing with multiple sets,
use only the 20 cards that came with Frontiers.)

31
The Boss starts the game with 40 Authority per player.
Each player starts with a Personal Deck consisting of 7
Scouts and 1 Viper.
Players start with 60 Authority each. When playing
with more than one player, players are a Hydra team
(See page 17).

Boss Order of Play

After the Boss draws its cards on its turn, follow the
steps below to determine its actions. After each step,
if the Boss did anything in that step, go back to step 1.
Repeat this process until you reach “End the turn”.
1. The Boss plays the most expensive Machine Cult
card that it has in hand (if there is a tie between a
Ship and a Base, play the Base).
2. The Boss uses an available Primary Ability of a Base.
3. The Boss uses an available Ally Ability.
4. The Boss uses an available ability (except for
Reclamation Station’s).
5. If the Boss has Reclamation Station in play,
it uses its ability.
6. The Boss plays all Scouts and Vipers in its hand.
7. The Boss attacks.
8. End the turn.

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Nemesis Beast
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

While exploring a new system for colonization, your

scanners pick up what appears to be a massive
geomagnetic storm on the fourth planet. The storm
continues to grow in intensity, ripping the planet apart.
The storm moves away from the debris field and toward
your fleet, matching your changes in course. You realize
to your horror that the “storm” is a supermassive planet-
swallowing space beast! You must defeat it to save your
fleet, your realm, and perhaps the galaxy itself!

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Challenge Setup
When playing with two or more players, for each player
in the game, place one card from the top of the Trade
Deck face down in front of the Boss.
The Boss starts the game with 50 Authority per player.
Note: The Boss has no hand, deck or Discard Pile.
Each player starts with a standard Personal Deck
(8 Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 50 Authority each. When playing
with more than one player, players are a Hydra team
(See page 17).
Boss Order of Play
On the Boss’ turn, follow these steps:
1. Scrap the card in the Trade Row furthest from the
Trade Deck.
2. Move the entire Trade Row one position away from
the Trade Deck.
3. Place the scrapped card face down in front of the
Boss. The Boss gains Combat equal to the number
of cards in front of it.
4. Reveal a new card from the Trade Deck to fill the
empty spot in the Trade Row.
5. The faction of the card revealed determines which
special ability the Boss gains that turn (see Nemesis
Beast card front).
6. The Boss attacks.
7. End the turn.

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Pirates of
the dark star
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

The Pirates of the Dark Star are known galaxy-wide for

their cruelty, laying waste to entire systems and leaving
few survivors to tell the tale. Now they have their sights
set on your star realm. They have smashed your frontier
fleet and are now advancing on the inner planets.
Defeat the pirates or see your realm lost!

35
Challenge Setup
The Boss starts the game with 25 Authority per player.
Note: The Boss has no hand, deck or Discard Pile.
Each player starts with a standard Personal Deck
(8 Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 50 Authority each. When playing
with more than one player, players have individual
Authority and can be individually eliminated. However,
players have a shared turn, and pool their Trade and
Combat like a Hydra team (See page 17).

Boss Order of Play

On the Boss’ turn, follow these steps:
1. For each player remaining in the game, scrap one
card in the Trade Row furthest from the Trade Deck.
2. Move the remaining Trade Row cards one position
away from the Trade Deck for each card scrapped.
3. Reveal a new card from the Trade Deck to fill each
empty spot in the Trade Row.
4. The faction and cost of the first card revealed
determines what the Boss does to the first player
(see Pirates of the Dark Star card front). The second
card revealed determines what the Boss does to the
second player, and so on.
5. End the turn.

36
Defy the Empire
1-3 players solo/co-op challenge

The Star Empire recently fought off a Blob incursion

into one of its systems bordering your star realm. Now,
you’ve received a communication from the Star Empire
demanding that you pay a tribute to the Emperor.
By their logic, your realm would’ve been the Blob’s next
target, so you benefited from the Emperor’s protection.
While this may be true, you know that if you pay,
their next demand will be for an oath of fealty. Better
to fight and risk all, than to lose your authority one
concession at a time.

Challenge Setup
Remove all cards from the Trade Deck. (If you are
playing with multiple sets, use only the 20 cards that
came with Frontiers.)
You’ll use those 20 cards to make two decks:

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The “Emperor’s Elite” Trade Deck (top to bottom in
order): Hammerhead, Jamming Terminal, Warpgate
Cruiser, Siege Fortress, Imperial Flagship.
The “Emperor’s Subjects” Trade Deck: The rest of the Star
Empire cards from Frontiers, shuffled.
The top card of each of these decks is always face-up.
The Boss starts the game with 40 Authority per player.
The Boss and each player start with a standard
Personal Deck (8 Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 50 Authority each. When playing with
more than one player, players are a Hydra team (See
page 17).

Boss Order of Play

After the Boss draws its cards on its turn, follow the
steps below to determine its actions. After each step,
if the Boss did anything in that step, go back to step 1.
Repeat this process until you reach “End the turn”.
1. The Boss uses an available Primary Ability of a Base.
2. The Boss uses an available Ally Ability.
3. The Boss uses an available Double Ally Ability.
4. The Boss plays the most expensive card that it has
in hand (Scouts and Vipers cost 0).
5. The Boss acquires the most expensive card that it
can afford from its own Trade Decks.
6. The Boss attacks.
7. End the turn.

38
The Cost of Freedom
1-4 players solo/co-op challenge

The Trade Federation has decided that your star realm is

a desirable acquisition. They’ve banned their subsidiary
forces from working with you, and are using their
considerable financial might to buy the loyalty of nearby
forces. You must show the Federation that your realm
would be far too costly to add to their portfolio.

Challenge Setup
Remove all cards from the Trade Deck. (If you are
playing with multiple sets, use only the 20 cards that
came with Frontiers.)
You’ll use those 20 cards to make two decks:
First, make an Acquisition Deck containing: 1 Transit
Nexus, 1 Federation Battleship, 1 Ion Station, 2 Mobile
Market and 1 Outland Station.
If playing with one player, add 1 Patrol Boat.

39
If playing with two players, add 1 Patrol Boat and 1
Federation Cruiser.
Place the Transit Nexus card face down, then shuffle
the remaining Acquisition Deck cards and place them
face down on top to create the Acquisition Deck.
Shuffle the remaining cards from Frontiers to make
the Boss’ Personal Deck.
The Boss starts the game with 40 Authority per player.
The Boss and each player start with a standard
Personal Deck (8 Scouts and 2 Vipers).
Players start with 30 Authority each. When playing
with more than one player, players are a Hydra team
(See page 17).
Boss Order of Play
After the Boss draws its cards on its turn, follow the
steps below to determine its actions. After each step,
if the Boss did anything in that step, go back to step 1.
Repeat this process until you reach “End the turn”.
1. The Boss uses an available Primary Ability of a Base.
2. The Boss uses an available Ally Ability.
3. The Boss uses an available Double Ally Ability.
4. The Boss plays the most expensive card in its hand
(Scouts and Vipers cost 0).
5. The Boss acquires the most expensive card that
it can afford and puts it into the Assets Ledger
(see Trade Federation Challenge Card back).
6. The Boss attacks.
7. End the turn.

40
 Trade Federation Story
In the far future, the traditional governing bodies of
the human race have been replaced with corporate
leadership. Earth and its surrounding colonies are
ruled by a group of corporations called the Trade
Federation. The Federation’s policies are focused
around commerce and growth, but especially on
profits for those at the top of the corporate ladder.
While they prefer to deal with other star realms using
trade and diplomacy, they have a large defense branch
dedicated to protecting the Federation’s interests.
The Trade Federation specializes in generating large
amounts of Trade and in gaining Authority (increasing
your score).

The Blobs Story

These mysterious creatures are the first alien life
forms encountered by the human race. Most of the
initial encounters consisted of human colonies being
completely obliterated. On the few occasions that a
Blob ship has been recovered somewhat intact, the
only biological remains found inside have consisted of
a gelatinous mass, thus leading to the moniker, “The
Blobs.” While for several years all encounters between
humanity and the Blobs have been extremely violent,
there is currently some limited trade between
various Blob factions and some of the more-daring
human traders.
The Blobs are best at generating massive amounts of
Combat, and at removing undesirable cards from the
Trade Row.

41
 Star Empire Story
The Star Empire consists primarily of former
colonies that were on the outer edges of the Trade
Federation. Not only did the colonists feel used by the
corporations, but they felt the Federation failed to give
them adequate protection from the Blobs. As a result,
one ambitious colonial governor was able to unite
several colonies into an independent empire under his
control, one with a strong military, both for warding
off the Blobs and for discouraging the Federation from
trying to reclaim their lost colonies.
The Star Empire is a combat-oriented faction that
draws many cards and makes the opponent
discard cards.

Machine Cult Story

A cluster of industrial mining worlds were completely
cut off from the Trade Federation by the Blobs. With
the threat of annihilation always looming, and no
contact with the rest of human space, these worlds
were forced to take drastic measures. Soon a cult of
technology arose, focused on using advanced robotics
and computerization to create a powerful defense
force that belied their relatively small population.
Since their leaders believed salvation lay in technology,
technology soon became their god.
The Machine Cult gains most of its power from being
able to remove undesirable cards from your deck and
from having a large number of Bases designed to
defend your Authority from attack.

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 CRedits
Game Design, Lead Set Development, and Art Direction:
Darwin Kastle
Set Design, Lead Game Development, and Product Lead:
Robert Dougherty
Graphic Design:
Randy Delven, Vito Gesualdi, and Adam Lachmanski
Lead Artist:
Antonis Papantoniou
Art and Additional Art Direction:
Graphics Manufacture
Additional Assistance:
Nathan Davis
Playtesters:
Connor Daly, Martin Dickie, Nate Dougherty,
Maia Dougherty, George Groussis, Barbara Gugluizza,
JR Honeycutt, Desiree Jerome, CJ Moynihan,
Debbie Moynihan, Adam Podtburg,
Spencer Schwarzwald, Zach Schwarzwald,
John Tatian, Ian Taylor, Alex Tottenham, Ed Wilcox

For more information about Star Realms Frontiers,

visit StarRealms.com/frontiers. There you can find
rulings, gameplay hints, and other useful information.

Star Realms Frontiers™ & © 2018 White Wizard Games LLC