How to Play

Twilight Inscription

1-8 players 90-120 min 7.4 Board Game Geek Rating

After the Lazax Empire's collapse, galactic factions compete to claim the throne on Mecatol Rex. This strategic roll-and-write game for 1-8 players challenges you to manage limited resources across Navigation, Expansion, Industry, and Warfare. Victory comes through accumulating the most points while building your interstellar empire in this infinitely replayable experience.

Published 2022

Get Ready

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

Determine copies needed

For 9–16 players, two copies of the game are required; for 17–24 players, three copies are required

Announce time limit

If playing with a time limit, the organizer must announce that limit before the game begins

Prepare player sheets

For each sheet type, take the eight sheets from one copy of the game and add random sheets of that type from additional copies until there is one per player, then shuffle and deal one to each player

Choose faction cards

If playing with 9–12 players, each player is dealt two faction cards to choose from; if playing with 13–24 players, each player is dealt one faction card

Seat The Nomad

If The Nomad is in play, that player should be seated next to the event deck

Prepare Mecatol Rex sheets

For 9–16 players, place a second Mecatol Rex sheet to the right of the first one; for 17–24 players, place a third sheet to the right of the second one

Prepare relic decks

Take the relic deck from each copy of the game and shuffle each separately, place one relic deck in the center of the table and set aside the others

Distribute components

Give one reference card and one marker to each player

Choose Speaker

If a moderator is available, they take the role of Speaker

Display game information

Use a large monitor or projector to display dice, event cards, and objective cards, or use extra copies for distant players

Mark player positions

If players cannot be seated in a circle, use numbered placards to ensure each player knows who their neighbors are

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Announce objectives and Mecatol Rex

Players cannot announce completing an objective or claiming Mecatol Rex until the Speaker asks "Mecatol Rex and objectives?" at the end of steps 2 and 3 of a strategy event and at the end of each non-strategy event

Claim Mecatol Rex slots

The side-by-side Mecatol Rex sheets function as one large sheet, with slots filled from left to right across all sheets

Draw from relic deck

When the last card of the relic deck is drawn, the Speaker takes one of the set-aside relic decks and places it in the center of the table as the new relic deck

Complete prolonged objectives

An objective is not flipped until completed in two separate instances; first completion grants the higher value and the card is rotated 90 degrees, second completion also grants the higher value and the card is flipped, subsequent completions grant the lower value

Apply time limits

For very large groups, apply two minutes per step for Stage I–III events and three minutes per step for Stages IV and V

Lose resources at time limit

When a step's time limit is reached, players lose all remaining resources and cannot spend any more assets; an extra minute should be allowed for players who received a "Play immediately" relic card

Resolve Tyrant's Lament

If multiple players reveal Tyrant's Lament at the same time and are neighbors or share a neighbor, they must resolve the cards simultaneously after both have looked at their neighbors' sheets

Resolve duplicate relics

If a player has two copies of the same relic, they may resolve those copies at the same time but must fully resolve one before resolving the other

Use Argent Flight Zeal ability

This ability grants one free vote per player to the Argent Flight player (24 free votes in a 24-player game)

Use Naaz-Rokha Distant Suns ability

When the Naaz-Rokha player uses this ability, they shuffle their chosen relic card into whatever cards remain in the current relic deck

Winning

How to claim victory.

Score objectives progressively

The first two groups of players to complete an objective each gain the higher victory point value; all subsequent players who complete that objective gain the lower value

Gain Mecatol Rex rewards

Each player who claims Mecatol Rex writes their name in the next available slot across all Mecatol Rex sheets and gains that slot's rewards

Calculate final score

Players add up their victory points from completed objectives, Mecatol Rex claims, and other sources to determine the winner