Nexus Ops
Overview
Nexus Ops is a sci-fi combat board game for 2-4 players. Corporations fight for control of an alien moon rich in rubium. Players deploy troops, explore terrain, mine resources, purchase units, fight battles, and complete secret missions. The first player to earn 12 victory points wins.
Components
- 164 Plastic figures (6 unit types per faction x 4 factions)
- 17 Terrain tiles (single, double, and triple hex)
- 24 Exploration tokens, 71 Rubium tokens, 1 First Player marker
- 32 Energize cards, 36 Secret Mission cards, 40 Battle Victory cards
- 6 Six-sided dice (3 white, 3 black), 4 Reference sheets
Setup
- Place Monolith hex in center; surround with shuffled single-hex tiles face down, then double-hex tiles face down in outer ring.
- Place home base tiles per player count diagram. Flip all terrain tiles face up.
- Shuffle and place decks: Secret Missions, Energize cards, Battle Victory cards.
- Place one exploration token face down on each hex (except home bases and Monolith).
- Starting rubium: 1st player gets 8; each subsequent player gets 3 more (11, 14, 17).
Turn Structure
Each player’s turn has 6 phases in order:
- Deployment Phase: Purchase and place new units on your home base. Play Deployment Phase Energize cards.
- Movement Phase: Move each unit once (1 hex). Units may not enter enemy home bases.
- Exploration Phase: Reveal exploration tokens in hexes where your units are present. Gain rewards (rubium, free units, Energize cards).
- Battle Phase: Resolve combat in each hex containing your units and enemy units.
- Mining Phase: Collect rubium from controlled hexes where miner units are present. Hex rubium value: 1-rubium (crystal spires), 2-rubium (rock plains), 3-rubium (vortex).
- Draw Phase: Draw 1 Secret Mission card. If you control the Monolith, also draw 2 Energize cards.
Actions
Unit Types
| Unit |
Cost |
Combat Value |
Special |
| Human |
2 |
6 |
Miner |
| Fungoid |
3 |
5 |
Miner |
| Crystalline |
5 |
4 |
Miner |
| Rock Strider |
7 |
3 |
- |
| Lava Leaper |
10 |
2 |
Can move 2 hexes |
| Rubium Dragon |
15 |
1 |
Wins ties in Monolith |
Combat value = minimum die roll needed to score a hit. Lower is better.
Combat
Combat occurs when units from different players occupy the same hex. Attacker and defender alternate rounds. Each round: roll dice for each unit group (by type, in ascending cost order). Each hit eliminates one enemy unit (owner chooses which). Defender may retreat after any round.
Victory Points
- Battle Victory cards: Win 1 VP for each battle won (attacker wins).
- Secret Missions: Complete objectives for 1-3 VP each. Missions involve winning battles under specific conditions.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
First player to reach 12 or more victory points wins immediately. VP come from Battle Victory cards and completed Secret Mission cards.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Monolith: Controlling the Monolith (having units there with no enemies) grants 2 Energize cards per turn during Draw Phase.
- Energize cards: Provide temporary combat bonuses or tactical advantages. Can only be played during specified phases.
- Miner units: Only Humans, Fungoids, and Crystallines can mine rubium.
- Terrain types: Liquifungus forest, magma pool, crystal spires (1 rubium), rock plains (2 rubium), vortex (3 rubium), Monolith (center).
- Home bases: Cannot be entered by enemy units.
Player Reference
| Rubium Income |
Value |
| Crystal Spires |
1 per hex |
| Rock Plains |
2 per hex |
| Vortex |
3 per hex |
| Starting Rubium |
Amount |
| 1st player |
8 |
| 2nd player |
11 |
| 3rd player |
14 |
| 4th player |
17 |