The Firmament / The Obsidian
This faction can transform into a different version during the game. Choose which version to show.
Starting Units
Home System
- Cronos
21
- Tallin
12
- Cronos Hollow
30
- Tallin Hollow
30
Commodities
3
Starting Technologies
Choose one green or yellow technology that has no prerequisites.
Options to choose from
During the status phase, draw 2 action cards instead of 1.
The maximum number of action cards you can have in your hand is increased by 3.
When you draw 1 or more action cards, you may exhaust this card to draw 2 additional action cards.
The maximum number of action cards you can have in your hand is increased by 2. During the status phase, draw 2 action cards instead of 1.
You can use technology specialties on planets you control without exhausting them, even if those planets are exhausted.
During the action phase, you can exhaust planets you control that have technology specialties to gain 1 trade good.
You can use technology specialties on planets you control without exhausting them, even if those planets are exhausted.
At the end of your turn, you may discard 2 action cards to explore a readied planet you control.
When researching technology, you may use technology specialties without exhausting planets, even if they are exhausted.
During your turn, you may exhaust this card and a planet with a technology specialty to ready 1 technology you own of a matching color. That technology cannot have more prerequisites than the number of matching specialties on planets you control. This counts as using specialties for SYNERGY and other game effects.
When 1 or more of your units use PRODUCTION, reduce the combined cost of the produced units by 1.
When you produce units, reduce the combined cost of the produced units by 1, plus an additional 1 for every 10 of the combined cost.
After you perform a tactical action, you may repair 1 of your units in the active system.
When 1 or more of your units use PRODUCTION, reduce the combined cost of the produced units by 1.
During your turn, when a space dock in your home system uses PRODUCTION, you may exhaust this card to reduce the combined cost of the produced units by 1 for each of your space docks on a planet in home systems.
When you activate a system, you may explore 1 planet in that system that contains 1 or more of your units.
When you activate a system as part of a tactical action, you may explore 1 planet in that system that contains 1 or more of your units.
When you resolve an exploration card, you do not need to pay commodities or remove units to resolve the optional effects of that exploration card.
When you activate a system, you may explore 1 planet in that system that contains 1 or more of your units.
When you would explore a planet that contains 2 or more of your structures, you may exhaust this card to draw 1 additional card; choose 1 to resolve and discard the rest.
Faction Abilities
You can score secret objectives already scored by other players if you fulfill their requirements; this does not count against your secret objective limit or the number you can score in a round. When you score another player's secret objective, do not gain a victory point; instead, place a facedown plot card into your play area with that player's control token on it.
You can secretly plot against players by scoring their secret objectives.
If you have at least 1 plot card in your play area, gain the following ability:
ACTION: Purge The Firmament's faction sheet, leaders, planet cards, and promissory note. Then, gain all of the faction components for The Obsidian.
You can become an entirely different faction, and all your plots will come to fruition.
This faction cannot be chosen during setup.
When this faction comes into play, flip your home system, double-sided faction components, and all of your in-play plot cards. Then, ready Cronos Hollow and Tallin Hollow if you control them.
The player or players whose control tokens are on each plot card are the puppeted players for that plot.
Flagship
If the active system contains units that belong to a player who has a control token on 1 of your plots, apply +1 to this ship's move value and repair it at the end of every combat round.
Stronger against players that you plot against.
SUSTAIN DAMAGE
SUSTAIN DAMAGE
Mech
When ground forces are committed to this planet, you may choose for your units to coexist, if they were not already. Flip this card if your faction becomes the Obsidian.
Can infiltrate a planet.
SUSTAIN DAMAGE
When ground forces are committed to this planet, you may choose for your units to coexist, if they were not already. Flip this card if your faction becomes the Obsidian.
DEPLOY: At the end of the status phase, you may place this unit into coexistence on a non-home planet controlled by another player who has no secret objectives scored.
SUSTAIN DAMAGE
If this unit was coexisting when this card flipped to this side, gain control of its planet; the other player's units are now coexisting.
Can sabotage a planet.
SUSTAIN DAMAGE
If this unit was coexisting when this card flipped to this side, gain control of its planet and ready it; the other player's units are now coexisting.
SUSTAIN DAMAGE
Monument
When a player activates this system, place their control token on this card if it does not have one. When you research a technology, you may remove a control token from this card to skip 1 prerequisite, or move a non-Firmament player's control token to a plot card.
Hazardous
Industrial
CulturalAfter a puppeted player activates this system, replace up to 2 of that player's infantry on a planet they control with your infantry; those units coexist.
Leaders
When a player moves ships:
You may exhaust this card; if you do, SPACE CANNON cannot be used against those ships. If they are not transporting units, they can also move through other players' ships.
Can let a fleet infiltrate.
You may treat planets in systems that contain your ships as if you controlled them for the purpose of scoring secret objectives.
Lets you score secrets easier.
ACTION: Place 1 of your plot cards in play with any other player's control token on it. Then, you may place any player's control token on 1 of your in-play plot cards; one plot cannot have two of the same player's tokens. Then, purge this card.
Lets you enact a plot.
When a player's ship is destroyed during any combat:
You may exhaust this card; if you do, that player's opponent must destroy 1 of their ships of the same type in the active system.
Can destroy units when yours die.
Apply +1 to the result of each of your units' combat rolls in The Fracture.
Improves combat in Fracture.
ACTION: Ready all of your planets. Then, purge this card.
Readies all of your planets.
Faction Promissory Note
When you receive this card, if you are not the Firmament:
The Firmament may place 1 facedown plot card in their play area with your control token on it. Then, gain 2 command tokens, gain 2 trade goods, and purge this card.
Can plot against a player.
At the end of one of your tactical actions:
Spend 1 influence to give this card to one of your neighbors; you can use this ability even if you are the Obsidian player.
At the end of the status phase, if you are not the Obsidian player, remove 1 command token from your fleet pool and return it to your reinforcements.
Becomes dangerous to have.
At the end of a tactical action:
Spend 1 influence to give this card to your neighbor; you can use this ability even if you are the Obsidian player.
At the end of the status phase, if this card is in your hand and you are not the Obsidian player, you must reveal it and remove 1 command token from your fleet pool. Then, take it back to your hand.
Breakthrough
When you gain this card and at the start of the status phase, you may place up to 3 of your trade goods on this card.
Flip this card if you become The Obsidian faction.
Invests trade goods and doubles them later.
BioticAt the end of the status phase, place 1 trade good from the supply on this card for each secret objective you have scored that another player has also scored. Then, you may place up to three of your trade goods on this card.
Flip this card if you become The Obsidian faction.
CyberneticPlace 1 trade good from the supply onto this card each time you win a combat against a puppeted player.
At the start of the status phase, gain all trade goods on this card, then gain an equal number of trade goods from the supply.
BioticAfter you win a combat against a puppeted player, place 1 trade good from the supply on this card for each control token of that player on a plot card.
At the start of the status phase, gain all trade goods on this card, then gain an equal number of trade goods from the supply.
CyberneticFaction Technologies
When you gain this card, put The Fracture into play.
Flip this card if the Obsidian faction is in play.
Opens The Fracture.
Prerequisites: 
At the start of the status phase, you may place 1 infantry from your reinforcements on a planet you control in your home system.
Flip this card if the Obsidian faction is in play.
Creates infantry.
Prerequisites: 
At the start of your strategic actions, you may move an ingress token into a system that contains or is adjacent to your units.
This technology cannot be researched.
Creates openings to The Fracture.
At the start of your turn, destroy 1 of another player's infantry in or adjacent to a system that contains your infantry.
This technology cannot be researched.
Destroys infantry every turn.
Other Components
Plot Cards
Apply +1 to the results of each of your combat and unit ability rolls against the puppeted player.
When this card is revealed, choose 1 non-fighter ship type that the puppeted player has on the game board. The puppeted player destroys half of their ships of that type, rounded up.
Apply +1 to the results of each of your combat and unit ability rolls against the puppeted player.
At the start of your turn, you may treat your flagship as if it had the text ability of 1 of the puppeted players' flagship until the end of that turn.
You can perform the secondary abilities of the puppeted player's strategy cards without spending command tokens; for "Leadership," you can perform the primary ability instead.
After this card is revealed, perform a strategic action using the puppeted player's readied strategy card; exhaust that strategy card. Then, each other player may resolve its secondary ability.
When the puppeted player performs a strategic action, you can perform the secondary ability of their strategy card without spending a command token. For Leadership, you can perform the primary ability instead.
When this card is revealed, gain 1 non-faction technology owned by the puppeted player.
When the puppeted player gains a non-faction technology, you may spend 4 resources to gain that technology.
When this card is revealed, choose 1 non-unit upgrade, non-faction technology owned by the puppeted player; that player returns that technology to their technology deck. Then, gain that technology, if able.
When the puppeted player gains a non-faction technology, you may spend 4 resources to gain that technology.
When this card is revealed, destroy all units on a non-home planet controlled by the puppeted player.
At the start of the status phase, destroy 1 of the puppeted player's infantry in any system.
When this card is revealed, capture each unit on a non-home planet controlled by the puppeted player.
Once per combat in which you are the defender, after 1 of the puppeted player's non-structure units is destroyed, you may capture that unit.
At the start of the status phase, you may return 1 or more captured units of the puppeted player. Then, for each returned unit, place 1 unit of that type from your reinforcements in a system that contains your units and no other players' units.
When the puppeted player gains commodities, you gain an equal number of trade goods.
When this card is revealed, take 1 of the puppeted player's relics.
When the puppeted player gains commodities, you gain an equal number of trade goods.