Rex: Final Days of an Empire

Overview

Rex: Final Days of an Empire is a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare for 3-6 players, published by Fantasy Flight Games. Set in the Twilight Imperium universe, players control great interstellar civilizations competing for dominance over the crumbling imperial city of Mecatol Rex. The game is a reimplementation of the classic Dune board game, adapted to the Twilight Imperium setting. Each faction has unique economic, military, strategic, or treacherous advantages. Players must forge and break alliances, deploy forces, collect influence, and secure key locations to win.

Components

• 1 Large game board (depicting Mecatol Rex with 28 key spaces)
• Faction sheets (6 unique factions)
• Influence cards (resources/combat)
• Strategy cards (treachery/special abilities)
• Bombardment deck
• Unit tokens (for each faction)
• Influence tokens
• Dreadnought Fleet figure
• Alliance markers
• Combat wheels
• Leader tokens
• Various tracking markers

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center.
2. Each player selects a faction and takes their faction sheet, units, and leaders.
3. Place starting units in each faction’s designated spaces.
4. Populate the Influence Pool and prepare the Influence and Strategy card decks.
5. Shuffle the Bombardment deck and deal one card to each player; the lowest-numbered card determines first player.
6. Set up the Dreadnought Fleet in its starting position.
7. Place influence tokens on the board per setup instructions.

Turn Structure

Each game round consists of these phases:

1. Influence Phase: Place new influence tokens on the board. Players collect influence from spaces they control.
2. Bidding Phase: Auction Strategy cards. Players bid influence to acquire powerful one-use cards.
3. Bombardment Phase: Draw a Bombardment card. The Sol fleet may bombard a section of the city, destroying units in that area.
4. Deployment Phase: Players spend influence to deploy new units onto the board.
5. Movement Phase: Move units between connected spaces on the board.
6. Battle Phase: Resolve combat in spaces occupied by multiple factions.
7. Collection Phase: Collect influence from controlled spaces.

Actions

• Collect Influence: Gather influence tokens from spaces you control; this is the primary resource.
• Bid on Strategy Cards: Spend influence to win powerful cards that can be used in combat or for special effects.
• Deploy Units: Spend influence to bring units from reserves onto the board.
• Move Units: Move units between connected spaces; movement is limited per turn.
• Battle: When multiple factions occupy the same space, battle ensues using the combat wheel system.
• Forge Alliances: Negotiate with other players to form alliances for shared victory conditions.
• Use Faction Powers: Each faction has unique abilities that can be used at specific times.

Combat System

• Each side in a battle uses a combat wheel to secretly select:
  • A leader
  • The number of units to sacrifice
  • A Strategy card (if available)
• Combat is resolved simultaneously; the side with the higher total (leader value + sacrificed units) wins.
• Strategy cards can have devastating treachery effects.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Standard Victory: Control 3 key stronghold locations at the end of any round.
• Alliance Victory: Allied players may need to control more strongholds (typically 4-5 depending on alliance size).
• Unique Faction Victories: Some factions have unique victory conditions based on their special abilities.
• Game Timer: If no one wins by the end of the set number of rounds, specific tiebreaker conditions apply.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Unique Faction Powers: Each of the 6 factions has dramatically different abilities:
  • Some factions can see opponents’ Strategy cards before bidding.
  • Some factions gain advantages in specific combat or movement situations.
  • Some factions can manipulate influence or the Bombardment deck.
• Alliances: Players can form alliances for shared victory, but alliances can be broken. Allied factions share certain benefits but must control more strongholds to win.
• Bombardment: The Sol Dreadnought Fleet bombards sections of the city each round, potentially destroying units caught in the blast zone.
• Treachery: Strategy cards can include treachery effects that cause a player’s own leaders to betray them in combat.
• Leader Death: Leaders killed in combat go to the “Tanks” and may be revived, depending on faction abilities.
• Influence Economy: Managing influence is critical; it is used for bidding, deployment, and sometimes special abilities.

Player Reference

Round Flow: Influence -> Bidding -> Bombardment -> Deployment -> Movement -> Battle -> Collection

Victory: Control 3 strongholds (solo) or 4-5 (alliance) at round end

Combat: Secretly select Leader + Units to sacrifice + Strategy card -> Compare totals

Key Rule: Each faction has unique game-changing abilities