Overview

Dark Moon is a team-based game of paranoia and betrayal set on a space outpost. Players are secretly divided into Uninfected and Infected teams. The Uninfected must survive by completing three Events and a Final Event. The Infected want to destroy the outpost by breaching shields, damaging the outpost beyond repair, or compromising life support. Dice rolls are private — players submit dice publicly, creating opportunities for deception.

Components

• 1 game board (Outpost master control panel)
• 10 player screens (7 Uninfected, 3 Infected)
• 7 Character cards (each with unique ability)
• 1 Commander card
• 7 Status cards (4 Uninfected, 3 Infected)
• 42 Task cards (21 silver-backed for 3/5/7 players, 21 black-backed for 4/6 players)
• 16 Event cards
• 6 Final Event cards
• 14 black Strong dice (faces: +2, +1, +1, +1, -1, -1)
• 14 red Weak dice (faces: +1, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2)
• 1 blue Commander die
• 7 Participation tokens, 7 Quarantine tokens
• 14 Die tokens, 1 Sabotage token
• 18 Damage tokens, 6 Shield tokens, 6 Fatigue tokens, 6 Outpost tokens
• 18 cubes (13 blue Event, 1 blue Difficulty, 1 red Suspicion, 1 black Success)

Setup

1. Place 2 Shield tokens on the first 2 spots of the Shield Track; remaining 4 in a pile.
2. Randomly draw and place 2 Outpost tokens on the Outpost Status panel (effects apply immediately). Rest in facedown pile.
3. Place Fatigue, Sabotage, Die, and Quarantine tokens near the board.
4. Place Suspicion cube at start of VOTE track; Difficulty and Success cubes above Difficulty track; Event cubes in pile.
5. Shuffle and deal 1 Character card faceup to each player.
6. Give each player matching Uninfected Player Screen.
7. Give each player 2 black Strong dice and 2 red Weak dice.
8. Give each player 1 Participation token.
9. Randomly determine starting Commander via Fatigue token draw. Commander gets Commander card and blue Commander die.
10. Draw and place 1 Final Event card faceup on Camera 4 space.
11. Prepare Status cards per player count (see table), shuffle, deal 1 facedown to each player.
12. Use correct Task deck (silver for 3/5/7 players; black for 4/6 players).
13. Shuffle Event deck. Commander draws 2 Event cards, places 1 faceup on Camera 1, discards the other to bottom of deck.
14. Player left of Commander starts; play proceeds clockwise.

Status Cards by Player Count:

Players	Infected	Uninfected	Task Deck
3	1	2	Silver
4	1	3	Black
5	2	3	Silver
6	2	4	Black
7	3	4	Silver

Turn Structure

Each turn follows these steps:

1. Retrieve Dice — Retrieve dice from Available Resources pool up to your die limit.
2. Perform an Action — Choose 1 action (if the Outpost station for that action isn’t damaged).
3. Choose a Task Card — Draw 2 Task cards, play 1 faceup, discard the other facedown.
4. Resolve the Task Card — Resolve Malfunction or Complication.
5. Add an Event Cube (conditional) — If Task succeeded and card shows Event cube icon.
6. Complete the Event (conditional) — If all Event cubes filled.
7. Select a New Event (conditional) — Commander draws 2, chooses 1.
8. Advance Suspicion Cube (conditional) — If Task card shows suspicion icon.
9. Hold a Vote (conditional) — If Suspicion cube reaches vote space.

Actions

Repair Shield

Roll up to 3 dice privately, submit 1. Positive = success (remove farthest Shield token). Negative = fail.

Repair Life Support

Roll up to 3 dice, submit 1. Positive = remove 1 Fatigue token (shuffled back). Negative = fail.

Repair Outpost

Roll up to 3 dice, submit 1. Positive = remove 1 Outpost token (shuffled back, action restored). Always available regardless of damage.

Call a Vote

Vote to quarantine or release a player. All players simultaneously reveal:

• Black Strong die = vote Uninfected (should NOT be quarantined)
• Red Weak die = vote Infected (SHOULD be quarantined)
• Empty hand = abstain

Majority wins. Ties broken by Commander. Dice used in vote return behind screens.

Issue Order

Choose another player to either: retrieve 2 spent dice OR perform any 2 actions (neither can be Issue Order). Ordered player cannot use their Character ability.

Lone Wolf

Roll up to 3 dice, submit 2. If both positive, add 1 Event cube to current Event/Final Event. May complete the Event.

Reveal as Infected

Infected players may reveal their Status card to switch to the Infected team publicly, gaining different action options.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Uninfected Win

Complete 3 Events and the Final Event before the Infected destroy the outpost.

Infected Win (any one of these)

1. Shield Breach: All 6 Shield tokens placed on the Shield Track.
2. Outpost Destroyed: All 6 Outpost tokens placed on the Outpost Status panel.
3. Life Support Failure: All 6 Fatigue tokens placed on players.

The Infected win instantly when any condition is met.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Dice are private: Players may never reveal what they rolled. Only submitted dice are public.
• Quarantine: Quarantined players have their die limit reduced by 2. They are still in the game and still take turns.
• Sabotage token: Placed by revealed Infected players to make repairs harder.
• Commander die (blue): Only the Commander retrieves and uses it. Cannot be used for voting.
• Die tokens: Increase or decrease a player’s die limit.
• Fatigue tokens: When drawn, match to a character in play. That character is affected.
• Malfunction resolution: All participating players must submit at least 1 die. Success = result >= difficulty number. Failure = consequence on card.
• Complication tasks: Require specific player choices rather than dice rolling.
• When the Task deck runs out, shuffle discards to form new deck (don’t reveal facedown cards).
• After completing 3 Events, the Final Event is revealed. Completing it wins for Uninfected.
• The 3-4 player game removes the “Voluntary Blood Testing” card from Status cards.

Player Reference

Turn Sequence:

1. Retrieve dice to limit → 2. Action → 3. Draw 2 Tasks, play 1 → 4. Resolve Task → 5-9. Conditional steps

Strong Die (Black): +2, +1, +1, +1, -1, -1 Weak Die (Red): +1, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2 Commander Die (Blue): Special

Actions Quick List:

• Repair Shield / Life Support / Outpost (roll ≤3, submit 1)
• Call a Vote (quarantine/release)
• Issue Order (costs no dice, target does 2 actions)
• Lone Wolf (roll ≤3, submit 2, both must be positive)
• Reveal as Infected

Infected Win Conditions (any one):

• 6 Shield tokens placed
• 6 Outpost tokens placed
• 6 Fatigue tokens placed