The natives have looked to the heavens … and now they’ll see you.

Stellar Empire: First Contact is an expansion for Stellar Empire: Skirmish. In First Contact, players will select up to three of the included pre-FTL civilization cards and shuffle them into the deck before play.

We recommend selecting the cards randomly; however, if you’re not playing with corporations, you may want to avoid selecting ‘Space Age’ civilizations.

Worlds yet to be exploited.

There are three types of pre-FTL worlds. Those whose natives have achieved space flight with rockets are considered Space Age. Natives who have developed some industry and cover most of their planet are considered Industrial. Natives that are sparse in a few major cities are considered Primitives.

Space Age planets allow the player to select, at the end of the game, what type of colony is located on that planet card (trade post, scientific, mine). This is advantageous for corporate expansion because it allows you to select the bonus that matches your corporation.

Industrial planets are perfect for empires that have several colony types. Each set of colony types you’ve claimed (trade post, scientific, mine) gains an additional victory point for each industrial world you control.

Primitive planets, while prime for molding and shaping by your empire, require extensive effort and cost your empire influence. These planets cannot be avoided in your conquests, as you can’t leave a potential base to your enemy, but they will drain your empire’s resources.