How to Play

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy

2-6 players 60-200 min 8.4 Board Game Geek Rating

In Eclipse, players command competing interstellar civilizations, exploring star systems, researching technology, and constructing warships for galactic conquest. Multiple victory paths require strategic planning based on your species' unique traits while monitoring rival civilizations. This enhanced edition features updated graphics, new miniatures, custom components, and refined mechanics from the acclaimed original.

Published 2020

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Draw tech tiles

Draw tech tiles equal to 2 times the number of players, plus 8. Doubles count toward this limit, but rare (black) tiles don't

Prepare sector III hexes

Include only some sector III hexes based on player count: 2 players=5, 3 players=8, 4 players=14, 5 players=16, 6 players=18

Choose species

Select species in reverse player order

Set up influence discs

Leave 3 influence discs in your tray (5 for Eridani), and place the remainder on your influence track

Place starting hex components

On your starting hex, place:

Set up ambassador tiles

Only include ambassador tiles for games with 4-6 players

Eridani Empire

Start with very high money, -2 influence discs, 3 techs, 2 randomly drawn reputation tiles, and ships have +1 energy

Hydran Progress

Start with high science, Advanced Labs tech, and can perform 2 research actions per turn

Planta

Start with 4 colony ships and Starbase tech; perform 2 explore actions per turn; ships have -1 upgrade slot but +1 computers and +2 energy; starbases have +1 computers and +5 energy

Descendants of Draco

Start with Fusion Drive tech; draw 2 tiles when exploring and choose 1; friendly with ancients

Mechanema

Start with Positron Computer tech; all building costs are -1 (monoliths -2); have 3 build and 3 upgrade activations per turn

Orion Hegemony

Start with a cruiser, Neutron Bombs and Gauss Shield techs; ships have increased initiative/energy and pre-upgraded components; poor 4:1 trade ratio

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Explore action

Draw a sector tile and either place it or discard it face up; must explore next to a sector you control or have an unpinned ship; requires a wormhole-half heading in that direction unless you have wormhole generator tech

Move action

Move only one ship per movement activation; can only move through complete wormholes or warp portals; cannot move if pinned (each enemy ship/starbase pins one of your ships); the GCDS pins all ships

Influence action

Resets 2 colony ships; pick up an influence disc from a controlled sector or your track, then place it in:

Use colony ships

Place population cubes onto the board as a passive action any time during action phase or at beginning of upkeep phase

Take reactions

After passing, take upgrade, build, or move reactions in response to enemy aggression; extra activation abilities do not apply to reactions

Form diplomatic relations

Exchange ambassador tiles (+1VP) with adjacent players as a free action; each player sends a population cube of any type (no colony ships needed)

Resolve battles by sector

Fight battles in descending (highest-to-lowest) sector order; last player to arrive is the attacker; first player/NPC present is final defender

Fire missiles first

Ships with missiles fire once in initiative order (defenders break ties)

Execute combat rounds

Each ship group either fires or initiates retreat in initiative order

Process retreats

Retreating ships don't fire but remain vulnerable until activated next round when they complete retreat to an adjacent sector

Assign dice to targets

Each die rolled is assigned to a single enemy ship (no dice-splitting); ships are destroyed when hits equal hull value + 1

Apply NPC damage

Damage from NPCs applies to your ships largest to smallest, unless a single attack can immediately destroy a smaller ship

Draw reputation tiles

After all battles in a sector, draw reputation tiles in order of entry; retreating players do not draw for participation but may draw for ships destroyed before retreating

Attack enemy population

After all battles, winner fires non-missile weapons at enemy population (dice-splitting allowed); neutron bombs or targeting Planta destroys all population automatically

Claim sectors

If all enemy cubes are removed, their influence disc returns to their track; you may place your own influence disc there

Collect discovery tiles

Collect as you explore without needing to place an influence disc first

Use or save tiles

Use immediately for their effect or save for 2VP

Ancient Tech tile

Take the regular tech tile with the lowest printed cost that you don't already own

Ancient Warp Portal tile

Place in the sector where found; connects to all other warp portals and is worth +2VP if controlled