Antares

In the 14th solar month of the year 2235, the merchant ship Antares encountered an unknown alien entity.

During their return trip home, the crew diverted from their heading to investigate an archaeological find on a distant moon, orbiting a small binary system, outside the Alpha Centauri cluster. The site was found to contain artifacts from an ancient race that had long vanished from that system. Among the ruins the crew uncovered an alien chrysalis. Believing it to be one of the artifacts it was unknowingly taken on board.

Six days after their departure from the moon the alien was released from the chrysalis, and it was free and roaming the ship. The crew made preparations to abandon ship, believing that the alien was hostile. They were correct in their assumption.

Using the collected audio and video surveillance data from on board the ship the events that followed have been pieced together.

This is the record of the events that occurred on the Antares while the crew tried desperately to abandon ship.

Play out the crew's final hour as they attempt to abandon ship. Antares is geared for easy solitaire play, but can be expanded to up to 7 players.

Antares is a themeatic, space horror game. The actions of the crew are up to you, and the choices you make may well dertime who survives, and escapes the doomed vessel Antares, and who falls victim to the alien lifeform.

Antares is the first game in the Antares series. Telling the first chapter of the story of the doomed ship Antares, and its alien cargo.

Antares is playable solo or co-op.

Game Experience

Build the Antares using the Cabin and Corridor tiles. The ship must have all corridor ends connected to Cabins. Different builds of the Antares offer different levels of difficulty.

Choose your crew selecting one side from each of the seven crewmember cards. Each crewmember has their own unique ability and choice of two starting locations.

Complete the Navigation, Reactor, & Mainframe Access objectives. Spending an action in the Bridge, Reactor Room, or Mainframe Access cabins will advance the matching counter 1 spot forward. Use of the Air Ducts can expidite movement through the ship, but the alien lifeform has found them to be useful as well.

Collect enough O2 Canisters and Spacesuits for any survivng crewmembers before they head to the Escape Craft. Flame throwers may be found in the Cargo Hold, and can be used to ward off an alien attack. Each encounter with the alien lifeform can cause the crew to experience Fear, Terror, or Paranoia.

Avoid the alien lifeform. As the crew complete objectives and collect precious items they are constantly at risk of attack from the alien. After each action performed a Scan card must be drawn which will indicate if the aline attacks, or if the crew is safe for one more round.

Escape if the crew manages to complete all objects they may regroup in the Escape Pod, and execute the Delta Launch Code to escape the doomed Antares merchant vessel.

Game Play

Each crewmember may perform one of the following actions:

Move to an adjacent Cabin, Corridor or the Airducts (unless the alien lifefrom is in that location)

Move an Objective forward, if in an appropriate Cabin

Collect one O2 Canister or Flame Thower from the Cargo Hold or other location if dropped (Max of 2 items)

Collect one Space Suit from an Airlock or other location if dropped (Max of 2 items)

Trade Items with another Crewmember in the same Cabin or Corridor

Drop any or all Items

Lay the Crewmember's matching meeple down to indicate they have taken their action for the round.

After a Crewmember performs an action, Draw the top card of the Scan Deck. If the Scan Card shows 4 cabins or corridors (or the Air Ducts), the crew is safe.

If it shows an image of the alien liifeform draw Scan cards until you draw one with 4 Cabins showing. In ascending order, check the locations for Crewmembers. The first location to have a Crewmember is the location of the encounter with the lifeform. Place the alien lifeform meeple in this location.

Shuffle the deck if you exhaust the draw pile.

If there are multiple Crew in the location, the lowest numbered Crewmember is the target of the attack, and is eliminated unless they have a Medkit or any Crewmember in the location has a Flame Thrower. If there is a single Crewmember, they are automatically the target.

Medkits keep the Crewmember alive, but the alien lifeform remains in the location, and any Crew left must use their next action to leave the location.

Flame Throwers push the alien lifeform out of the location, and onto the Alien Location Unknown card. They have 3 charges, and once empty they are discarded.

After an attack Draw a Crew Status card and apply the results to the surviving Crewmember, or to the next highest numbered Crewmember, if they were killed. (If crew #7 is eliminated apply the result to crew #1)

If an eliminated Crewmember has items in their inventory, lay their meeple on its side to indicate the location of those items.

Once all Crewmembers have taken an action, stand the meeples up and bein the next round.

Continue taking an action with a Crewmember and drawing Scan Cards until any Crew complete the Objectives and Escape, or the alien lifeform eliminates all the crew.

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Antares ships with a small, black, velvet bag for easy storage and portability.

Note: Cards and components will not come shipped inside the bag, and the tag will not be attached due to fulfillment restrictions.

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Continue the story of the doomed ship Antares in Antares: Breach, and Antares: Planetfall here on The Gamecrafter.