14. Movement and Spatial Rules

14.1 Where Cards Live#

The play zone in which all permanents exist is the Map (§18). Permanents currently in play are "on the Map." Cards in hand, deck, Depleted pile, or Burned pile are not on the Map.

The Map is divided into playable Bands – a Band represents where cards are deployed to. The Bands are defined as:

For easiest play, keep all cards in a single Band in the same horizontal line on the play surface. Note each player has a Planetary Band and Surface Band while all players share the Space Band.

Planetary Band: a player's Homeworld and Planetary Locations.<br> Surface Band: a player's Surface Locations.<br> Space Band: all Capital Ships, and all Non-Capital Spacecraft not deployed to another card.

A Character or Ground Unit is in the Band of the permanent it occupies. A Non-Capital Spacecraft occupying a Planetary or Surface Location is in that Location's Band; one occupying a Spacecraft, or occupying no card, is in the Space Band.

Devices attached to a permanent are in that permanent's Band. Unattached Devices and Storylines are not in any Band and cannot be targeted by effects that require a Band.

14.2 Band Adjacency#

Two Bands are adjacent if they are connected below:

A player's Planetary Band is adjacent to that same player's Surface Band.<br> Every player's Surface Band is adjacent to the Space Band.

A Band is always within range of itself.

A player's Planetary Band is never directly adjacent to another player's Bands. To reach an opposing Planetary Band, a card must first reach that player's Surface Band by way of the Space Band.

Empty Bands: a Band containing no permanents is skipped for adjacency. Two Bands separated only by empty Bands are adjacent to each other. This is a state-based condition and is rechecked continuously. Attacks and Liberations already declared remain legal.

The Space Band always exists and is never skipped, even when it contains no permanents. An empty Space Band cannot be moved into by Characters or Ground Units, as movement requires a destination permanent to occupy. A Non-Capital Spacecraft may move into an empty Space Band.

14.3 Occupation and Bands#

Occupation and Band are separate concepts. A Character, Ground Unit, or Non-Capital Spacecraft occupies a specific permanent, and that permanent determines which Band the card is in.

Abilities that reference occupying a Location check the specific permanent occupied. Range checks use the Band only.

14.4 Movement Allowance#

By default a player may perform 0 move actions per turn. Move actions are granted by Transit Gates and other cards and abilities.

Move actions may be spent on Characters, Ground Units, and Non-Capital Spacecraft. Capital Ships never move and remain in the Space Band for as long as they are on the Map.

Multiple move actions may be spent on the same card in a single turn.

Movement occurs only during the Movement sub-phase of the controller's Action Phase.

14.5 Move Actions#

One move action moves one card to any permanent in its own Band or in an adjacent Band, subject to §14.6. A Non-Capital Spacecraft may also move into the Space Band occupying no card.

Moving does not activate the moved card. A card that moves may still act, commit Votes, and use abilities in the same turn.

14.6 Movement Restrictions#

A card may not move to a Location or Spacecraft its controller does not control, except as follows:

A card may move to a Contested permanent its controller does not control.<br> Diplomatic Immunity and Unlisted (and similar abilities) permit movement to permanents the controller does not control.

If a card leaves a Location controlled by another player, it may not return to that Location unless an effect explicitly permits it.

14.7 Carried Cards#

When a Non-Capital Spacecraft moves, all Characters and Ground Units occupying it move with it as part of the same move action. No additional move action is required for the carried cards.

If the destination is one the carried cards could not legally occupy, the move is illegal.

14.8 Cards Aboard a Capital Ship#

Any card deployed to a Capital Ship enters the Map activated (§10.5). Characters and Ground Units deployed to a Capital Ship ready normally in their controller's next Ready Phase.

A Non-Capital Spacecraft that occupies a Capital Ship enters the Map activated and does not ready during the Ready Phase while it remains aboard. Moving it off the Capital Ship readies it.

While aboard a Spacecraft, a Non-Capital Spacecraft and all cards occupying it cannot be attacked, cannot be the target of Liberation, cannot intercept, and add no Rank to a defending Liberation.

If the Spacecraft is destroyed, all Non-Capital Spacecraft occupying it are destroyed. Non-Capital Spacecraft do not have Escape Pod. Characters occupying a destroyed Non-Capital Spacecraft use Escape Pod as normal. Any Ground Units occupying that do not have the Escape Pos ability are also destroyed.

14.9 Occupation Effects#

Some Locations have an Occupation keyword on their Contested face: any Character or Ground Unit deployed to that Location grants their controller the listed benefits or penalties.

14.10 Enemy Units Occupying a Location#

A Character or Ground Unit may, through Diplomatic Immunity, the Unlisted keyword, or a specific card or ability, be deployed to or moved to a Location controlled by another player. While such a unit ("the intruder") is present on a Location controlled by another player ("the owner"), and the Location is not Contested, the following rules apply:

1. Vote and Income suppressed. The Location loses all Vote abilities and Income abilities while at least one intruder is present. The suppression is binary, not cumulative — additional intruders do not stack further suppression.

2. Other Location abilities retained by the owner. The owner may continue to use any non-Vote, non-Income abilities printed on the Location as normal.

3. Combat permitted. The owner's Characters, Ground Units, and Non-Capital Spacecraft may attack the intruders under standard combat rules, subject to the Band range in §11.1. Co-location is not required. The intruders may attack back on the same terms.

4. No return without enabling effect. If an intruder leaves the occupied Location voluntarily, is destroyed, or is forced to leave by an effect, that unit may not return to the same Location unless an ability or effect explicitly permits the return.

5. Occupied is not Contested. The presence of an intruder does not by itself make the Location Contested. Control of the Location remains with the owner; the Location does not flip to its Contested face. A Location becomes Contested only via Liberation (§12), being destroyed in combat, or a card effect that destroys the Location or flips the card to its Reverse face.

6. Intruder gains no Location benefit. The intruder's controller does not collect the Location's Vote, Income, or other printed benefits while the intruder is present. The intruder is present, not in possession.

7. Departure destination. A unit that leaves an occupied Location (voluntarily, by effect, or because the unit's controller has run out of legal positions for it) returns to a Location or Spacecraft its own controller controls, following normal movement rules.