The Expanse Board Game Unofficial Rules

Clarification Document
Misprints
• Rulebook:
o Number of faction cubes:
▪ What is INCORRECT:
• Each faction is listed with 19 cubes (page 5). 18 cubes for placement and 1
for the CP track. This gives a total of 76 cubes (73 small and 3 large) (page
3).
▪ What is CORRECT:
• Each faction has 18 cubes in total. 17 for placement and 1 for the CP track.
This gives a total of 69 small and 3 large. This is what is included in the box.
• All faction cards:
o Number of faction cubes:
▪ What is INCORRECT:
• Under Faction Components: Influence Cubes 18, for UN 15.
▪ What is CORRECT:
• The number of Influence Cubes is 17, for UN 14.
• ProtoGen faction card:
▪ What is INCORRECT:
• Under Faction Components: ProtoGen Technology Cards 4.
▪ What is CORRECT:
• The number of ProtoGen Technology Cards is 3.

General Rules Clarifications

• When determining Base Control (at any time), the +1 Influence for having the most Fleet Strength in
the Orbital should be applied. Techs also apply (once they take effect).
• You must pay CP (like for Action Cards) to take a Score Card from the Action Track. Scoring Cards
cannot be kept like normal Action/Event Cards.
• An effect that removes 2 Fleets can remove a single Battleship (first flip and then remove).
• During Scoring all Bases are scored, not only those in the Bonus Sector.
• Battleships are considered Fleets. 1 AP is enough to move a Battleship. Rebuilding a Battleship costs 1
AP, and it enters at full strength. A Flipped Battleship can not be repaired during step 5 of Scoring.
• If two or more players have tied Fleet Strength in an Orbital, then nobody gets the extra Influence.
• Whenever a UN cube is involved (move, remove, replace, switch, exchange), the UN player always
gets to choose. (“Diplomatic Immunity”.) The decision is made after the active player chooses who it
affects. (UN tech 1 does not mean that there cannot be Diplomats and normal Influence at the same
Base. They can be at the same Base.)
• Order of play: Always clockwise. The Initiative Track, and the changes on it, only affects the order the
players get the chance to activate the Events.
• Naomi Nagata special ability: Up to one Band, i.e. Rocinante can move to another Orbital in the same
Band.
• Protogen tech 1: When acquiring Scrap Ships, the Scrap Ship tokens are off the board until placed first
time. The 1 AP spent places or moves one Scrap Ship. Scrap Ships can be removed by card effects and
Techs. Scrap Ships count as Fleets, except when it comes to moving and building. Moving and building
can only be done through their special ability.
Approved variant: 1 AP spent can place or move both Scrap Ships.
 Approved variant: When the OPA player has a normal Fleet and a Scrap Ship in the same place and is
forced to remove a Fleet, the OPA player chooses which one to remove, not the player who played the
Event.
• Protogen tech 3: The Protogen player doesn’t need to have an Influence at target Base.
• Removed Fleets go back to the Player Mat and can be rebuilt later.
• A Scoring Turn starts when a player selects a Scoring Card. That player’s turn ends when the Scoring
Card is taken (so that player will not get the chance to select another Action Card). A Scoring Turn is
not part of any player’s Turn.
• 2-player Scoring: If there is a tie after Scoring, Rocinante does not change hands.

Event Cards Clarifications

General rules of wording:
• Add/Place/Move always refers to your own tokens. Remove always refers to an opponent’s tokens.
Any card that goes against this has that clearly stated in the card’s text.
(Add and Place mean the same.)
• Cards which let you Move Fleet(s) always mean your own Fleet(s).
• When using an Event to place Influence you can place the Influence wherever you want without
needing to have a Fleet in that Orbital, unless the event says you need a Fleet there.

Specific cards:
• Water Riots/Food Shortages/Belt Ascendant/Research Breakthrough: The person triggering the event
decides if he/she will either:
o Trigger the scoring for everyone. All players score 2 points per controlled
(water/food/mineral/tech) Base. Control is determined normally.
OR
o Place the two Influences on (water/food/mineral/tech) Bases.
• Admiral Nguyen: You can move a Fleet from the same Band as the Orbital you selected.
• Bobbie Draper: You don’t need to have a Fleet in that Orbital before using the Event.
• Bush Naval Yards: This does not include Scrap Ships.
• Heavy Burn: The Fleet Groups are separate and cannot merge.
• The Hybrid: If it has been saved, and the Action Deck is empty, it cannot be used for final scoring. This will
only happen if the last card in the deck is the final Score Card. Also, you must remove exactly the indicated
amount, even if it means removing your own.
• Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile: You cannot use M-K-M as a Kept Event during Scoring.
• Miller: You cannot use Miller as a Kept Event during Scoring.
o When you want to use the Miller Event on your turn (not the same turn as you acquired it) follow
these steps:
▪ Discard the Miller Event, then;
▪ Select and remove a card from the Action Track, paying the CP as usual, but you must be
eligible to use the event on the selected card, i.e. it must have your Faction’s Icon on it,
then;
▪ Spend the AP of the selected card, then;
▪ Perform the Action on the card, then;
▪ Discard the selected card.
• Montana: This Event lets you use a Rocinante Crew Ability outside of Scoring.
• Sadavir Errinwright: It affects all players, including the person who triggered the Event.
• Star Helix: The removed Influences can be from two separate Bases or both from the same one.