What's New in the Zenith Edition?
9 months ago
– Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 02:34:25 PM
Welcome Back, Galactic Adventurers!
We’re now on Day 3 of this campaign, and we appreciate all 350+ backers who have joined us in the stars thus far!
Many in this community have been waiting a LONG time to get their hands on a new edition of Ascending Empires, and we’re counting ourselves among them. For those extremely patient fans, today’s update will highlight the new elements introduced in the Zenith Edition of Ascending Empires.
But first, let’s take a moment to acknowledge the game’s designer, Ian Cooper!
Since the initial release of Ascending Empires, Ian has added two other published co-design credits to his resume - 2020’s Seastead, a 2-player game in which players vie for control of flotillas on an ocean world, and 2022’s Shapers of Gaia, in which 2 to 3 players take on the role of Shapers emerging from a vault to restore an ecosystem in the midst of collapse. Mr. Cooper is thrilled to be seeing his initial starfaring masterpiece finding a new audience in 2024!
While many small adjustments have been made to the original rules (which, for those asking, will also be included in the Zenith Edition rulebook), the following items are the major additions to the gameplay of Ascending Empires:
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Neoprene Starmap - For many owners of the original Ascending Empires, this is going to be the big one. Gone are the days of the puzzle-piece galaxy board! Now, we’re blasting off with a smooth neoprene surface to allow for the most ideal space exploration experience.
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Solo Mode - While the idea of a 4X solo experience may sound bizarre at first glance, we’re excited to share the details of how players can experience the joy of Ascending Empires, whether or not other space adventure-seekers made it to the table. We’ll have a specific update on the solo mode later in this campaign, so stay tuned!
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Improved Tech Trees - Instead of each player using large boards to track their technological progress, players now each have a set of 8 Technology Tiles. However, these tiles are not just for the consideration of table real estate - they are also double-sided, with variant technologies for mix-and-match gameplay. Three cheers for variety!
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Discovery Tokens - Starting face-down on each planet, Discovery Tokens provide a small bonus to the player making the discovery - either Events that trigger immediately, or Relics that are kept near that player’s Dashboard for use on a future turn.
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Mission Cards - These cards add public objectives that are available for all players to optionally achieve during the game. Victory Points will be awarded to players who complete a Mission, with an additional point to the first player completing each.
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Proximity Mines - A new Technology that provides defensive cover for players. Any Starship that strikes a Mine while in motion is removed from the Starmap and placed back on that player’s Dashboard, earning the Mine owner 1 VP.
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Artifacts - Move into the orbit of an Artifact to immediately take another Move action. Artifacts make for great opportunities to reach tricky spots on the Starmap, bypass obstacles, or set up an Attack.
- Guardian Robots - Developed to increase the tension in 2 and 3-player games, the Guardian Robots act as NPC defenders, typically starting in the central four planets and migrating throughout the game.
Would you like to see many of these new elements in action? Be sure to check out the Ascending Empires playthrough video with Foster the Meeple!
Want to carry Ascending Empires in your store?
While we are not offering a retailer pledge on the Kickstarter campaign, our friendly game store friends are welcome to pre-order Ascending Empires for your store.
Just click on the image below or email [email protected] for more information or to place an order!
We’ll return with our next update on Monday, and in the comments each day between now and then. Thank you again for journeying with us to bring Ascending Empires to new heights!
