Trucker

Corporation Incorporated is an interplanetary construction firm that builds sewer systems and low-income housing on the less-developed planets of the Galaxy. For years, Corp Inc. has tottered on the brink of bankruptcy: transporting building materials to the edge of the Galaxy, where the need for their services is greatest, is a risky business.

The company was saved by a few visionaries on the board of directors. Instead of shipping materials to the Periphery, they reasoned, why not build the materials into spacecraft and let them ship themselves? Furthermore, why hire pilots if there are nut-cases who will do it for free?

That’s where you come in. Just sign the contract, and you gain unrestricted access to a Corp Inc. Warehouse. Build your own space ship from the available prefabricated components, and fly it to the Periphery. Of course, you may have to eat a loss, but any profi ts you make along the way are yours to keep, and Corporation Incorporated will pay you a bonus for quick delivery.

It’s possible that you will end up with an insurmountable debt and fi nish your days panhandling on the streets of Deneb III, but if Lady Luck should smile upon you, you just might find yourself among the 10 billion richest people in the Galaxy!

C O U R S E O F T H E G A M E

The game consists of three rounds. In each round, the players begin by rummaging through the Warehouse, trying to grab the best components and build the best space ship. Once the ships are under way, the players try to avoid snares and obstacles, while grasping financial opportunities, each hoping to be the first to finish with an undamaged ship.

In Round 1, players build Class I ships and fly them on a safe short hop. In Round 2, they build larger Class II ships to take on a more daring journey. In Round 3, they build gigantic Class III ships and set out for the farthest, most dangerous corners of the Galaxy.

Longer journeys offer greater rewards, but also present greater dangers. For these contracts, Corp Inc. only accepts experienced applicants with a strong credit rating (and a net worth ensuring if need be, Corp Inc. can collect debts from the contractor’s estate).

The goal of the game is to have the most cosmic credits at the end of Round 3.

Y O U R F I R S T S H I P

You can play Round 1 without reading all the rules beforehand. Read the section on building ships – and build one. Read the section on preparing for launch – and prepare for it. Read the section on test flights – and take the test flight. Only then do you need to read the rest of the rules so you can play Rounds 2 and 3.

Remember the words of Wild Andy, the famous multimillionaire-adventurer: “The best way to learn to fly a space craft is to fly one.” Of course, Andy uttered these words just before crashing his rocketplane into Sirius, but we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

SETUP

Each player takes a space ship board labeled “I”. Place your starting component on the square with this “I”. It represents your pilot cabin. There are four of these, each in a different color. For fewer than four players, leave the extra ones in the box. Turn the other components face down and mix them up in a pile in the center of the table where everyone can reach them. This pile is the Warehouse. Near this pile, place the tiles numbered “1” through “4” (“1” through “3” for three players or “1” and “2” for two players) in a row. For now, you can leave the other game pieces in the box.

GRABBING COMPONENTS

When everyone is ready, the boldest player says, “Go!” Everyone grabs a (face-down) component from the pile in the middle of the table. You can only take one at a time. Place it on your space ship board and turn it face up. Now you have two possibilities: either add it to your space ship or return it face up to the center of the table. Thus, face-up components will appear on the table. Players can take these or grab a face-down component, hoping for something better. Players do not take turns. You play as fast as you can grab, with the following rules:

• You can only grab with one hand. The other hand has to stay above your space ship board.

• You can’t turn up a face-down component and look at it on the table. You have to keep it face down until it is above your space ship board.

• Until you add the component to your space ship or return it to the center of the table, you cannot grab another one.

• You can’t move a component once it has been added to your space ship, but you can move your newest component around while deciding whether to add it and where. Until you grab another component, you can change your mind about where to put your newest component or whether to keep it at all.

BUILDING SHIPS

You start with one starting component and add new ones as you go. Each new component must be placed on an empty square next to one already placed. Components can only be placed on the indicated squares. Each component has a functional part and 1 to 4 connectors. Connectors can be simple, double, or universal. Any connector can join with another of the same type, and a universal connector can join with any type. A simple connector cannot join with a double connector. Sides with no connectors are called smooth sides. Smooth sides cannot join with any connectors. Each component you place must join with the rest of your space ship. If it touches the ship on multiple sides, all connectors must legally join. Two smooth sides may sit next to each other as long as the piece being added makes a legal connection on another side. Your ship must hold together at all times.