Borg Rulebook Update July 2020
Borg Rulebook Update July 2020
ASSIMILATION EXPEDITED
If a Borg Cube draws the Assimilation Expedited card, it does
not move as a result of this card, but can still move as a result of
other Borg Command Cards.
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ASSIMILATED PLAYERS 1: ENGAGE PLAYER SHIPS
Each Assimilated player draws a number of Command Cards
Each Borg Cube begins its actions by Initiating a Space Battle
equal to the number of Cubes in play. On their Borg Turn, the
with all player ships that are in its Sector or in adjacent Sectors.
Assimilated player chooses the order in which to activate each
It engages them all simultaneously, even Ships from multiple
Cube (rather than the other players). When taking each Cube’s
players. In a Combat with multiple players, all players must
actions, the Assimilated player may choose which of their
direct their attacks against the Borg.
drawn Commands to Execute with which Cube.
At the start of this Borg
BORG TELEMETRY NODE Cube’s Actions, it will
If a player uses the Borg Telemetry Node card during an engage both the Klingon
Assimilated player’s turn, they must discard the Borg Command Fleet and the Federation
Card they are attempting to Execute and draw a replacement. Ships in a Space Battle.
They must then choose a new Command for that Cube.
COMMAND RESURGENCE
If the Borg take an extra turn due to the Command Resurgence
card, the Assimilated players (if any) take turns at selecting a
Cube to Activate.
NO RETREAT
Borg Cubes fight until they win or are destroyed. They will not
Retreat from Combat.
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BORG ADAPTIVE SHIELDS BORG HIT ROLLS
The Borg are able to adapt quickly to enemy weapons. Other The Borg’s Hit Roll depends on how many Spires they have
civilizations are constantly searching for new ways to damage in play, as shown on the Borg Command Console. If there are
the Borg, coming up with innovative techniques to which the Assimilated players, they allocate Hits from the Borg. Otherwise,
Borg haven’t adapted. the player taking the Hits allocates them to their own Ships. If
At the start of each Space Battle, the Borg Cube has a Shield there are multiple Defenders facing the Borg, they take turns
Modifier of 0. allocating Hits in player Turn Order until all Hits have been
allocated.
At the end of each round of Combat, the Cube’s Shield Modifier
increases by 1: place a Borg Node on the Borg Cube Card to ADVANCED WEAPONRY
track their current Shield Modifier, up to a maximum of 4. If, Borg Weapons ignore all Shields, unless you have Tech or an
after Taking Casualties, the Borg Shields are such that a player’s Advancement that specifically works against the Borg.
Ships only hit on a 7 or higher, that player must Retreat.
For their first Attack, the Borg Roll their 5 Attack
Dice, currently needing 4s or higher to Hit. The
Borg roll 3 Hits, one of which is a Borg Symbol,
which allows them to Regenerate one die.
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BORG REGENERATION 2: DRAW COMMAND CARD
Any Borg Attack rolls of 6 (shown as the Borg Symbol) both
After engaging any Player Ships, draw a
Score a Hit and regenerate one damage, if the player’s Hits do
Borg Command Card for the Cube. Many
not destroy the Cube. After Scoring Hits, for each 6 the Borg
of the Command Cards are movement
rolled when attacking, take a die off the Cube Card and add it
cards. Some Command Cards will have
back to their pool of Attack Dice for the following round. A Borg
other directions.
Cube never has more than 9 Attack Dice.
cost of zero and are placed directly in the If there two or more Systems that could be the Target System,
BORG TELEMETRY
NODE player’s Advancement Area. move the Cube toward the one that can be reached by the
Exhaust this card route with fewer Sectors (even if that route has more Space
during the Borg Some Borg Tech cards have a Research cost
Turn to discard Lanes). If that is also a tie, move the Cube towards the System
and are placed in the player’s Project Area
a drawn Borg
controlled by the player with the lower turn order.
Command card and
draw a different
until they have been finished or the player
Command Card. discards them to make room to Research Like players’ Ships, Borg Cubes may not move through players’
other Advancements. Ships. If a Cube’s movement would take it past a Ship, it will
halt in the Adjacent Sector instead. If the Ship is at a Transwarp
Many Borg Tech Cards require a player to
Conduit, the Cube will move to the Transwarp Conduit and halt.
discard the card to use the ability. When discarding a Borg Tech
Card, place it on the bottom of the Borg Tech Deck.
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COLLECTIVE EFFICIENCY UNCONNECTED TARGET SYSTEM
Sectors may not contain more than one Cube. If a Cube’s If a Cube is not connected via Space Lanes to its Target or there
movement would have it end in the same Sector as another isn’t a Target of the type it is seeking, it will move to the nearest
Cube, stop in the Sector before the one occupied by the System (unless it is already in a System) and then place a new
other Cube. After the moving Cube’s actions are complete, Space Lane, pointed as directly towards the Home System of
place a Borg Token on it to indicate that it has Activated, then the player with the lowest turn order as possible. If Floating
activate the other Cube, even if it has already gone this turn. Systems can be swung to Connect the new Space Lane to an
Do not place a Borg Token on the second Cube. If it has not yet existing System so that the Cube Connects to its Target, do so.
Activated, it will still Activate as normal later in the Borg turn. Otherwise, place a new System at the end of the new Space
“The Borg value efficiency, not redundancy.” - Seven of Nine lane.
When the Borg place a new System, they stop moving and
TRANSWARP HUB TRAVEL explore it. Reveal an Exploration Card. If the Borg discover a
The Transwarp Hub System Disc is Connected to both Civilization, develop the System, as normal. Borg ignore Ally,
Transwarp Conduit System Discs. Players and the Borg may Crisis and Discovery cards. Place Remains in Play cards on the
Warp from the Hub to either Conduit, or vice versa, as if they System.
were Connected via a Space Lane. The Borg travel via the Hub,
If the Cube is not connected to its Target System and can not
if that is the shortest route to their Target System. The Conduits
place a new Space Lane and System for any reason, the Cube
are not Connected to each other.
moves along a randomly-chosen Space Lane to the next System
instead.
Note: The Borg are much more likely to place new Systems
when the Transwarp Hub begins the game on the table.
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3) BEGIN ASSIMILATION RECLAIMING BORG SYSTEMS
After resolving its Command, a Borg Cube will attempt to Borg Systems can be Invaded to eradicate the Borg presence.
Assimilate any Developed System the Cube Occupies. This Any player, including the Federation, may try to Reclaim a Borg
counts as a Planetary Invasion. The Borg are not trying to wrest System. To successfully Reclaim a Borg System, they must roll
control of the System, they are trying to peel apart the world, enough Hits to result in a Total Annihilation or Successful
stripping it of all technology. There will be no survivors. Invasion (Hits equal to or greater than the number of
When a Borg Cube Invades, it starts with 9 Attack Dice, just as Structures on the Borg System). Spires, Nodes and Cubes atop
it does in a Space Battle. The System being Assimilated rolls a Spires all count as Nodes. For details on Planetary Invasions, see
die for each of its Nodes, as in a standard Planetary Invasion. page 30 of the main rulebook.
However, the Borg aren’t interested in capturing nodes intact:
Hits the Borg Score always destroy Nodes. If the Borg are being
controlled by an Assimilated player, they decide which Nodes
are destroyed. Otherwise, the player who Controls the System
decides which Nodes are destroyed.
If the Borg destroy all the Nodes on a System, place a Borg
Spire on the System; this is now a Borg System. The System will
gradually be absorbed and its resources mined to expand the
Borg Collective. A Fleet of six Federation Ships attempts
to Reclaim a Borg System. The Borg System
During future Borg Building Phases, a Borg Assimilation Node has 3 Nodes, so the Borg roll 3 dice.
will be added to the System. Once three Borg Nodes have been
built, the System is fully assimilated and a new Borg Cube will
Unlike Combat with a Cube, players do not have First Strike
be constructed.
when attacking a Borg System.
ASSIMILATING STARBASES The Borg are able to shrug off collateral damage: if you roll
Starbases are the pinnacle of technological sophistication, fewer hits than there are Structures on the Planet, the attack
full of exactly the sort of technology the Borg are seeking. has no effect and no Nodes are destroyed. If you have fewer
If a System has a Starbase, it rolls an additional die to resist Ships than there are Borg Structures, you won’t be able to
Assimilation, the same as for a Space Battle. The Starbase Reclaim the Borg System.
counts as an additional Node and must be destroyed for the With either successful result, the System has been Reclaimed:
Assimilation to succeed. If the Borg Assimilate a System with a remove all the Borg Structures. Do not place a player Control
Starbase, remove the Starbase from the game and add a Borg Node on the System. The System has been too heavily damaged
Node to every Borg Spire in play. by the Borg; it must be colonized anew. The player to Reclaim
the System draws a Borg Tech Card.
VULCAN AMBASSADORS
The Borg are not interested in negotiation. Vulcan Ambassadors BORG PLANETARY SHIELDS
have no effect on a Borg Assimilation attempt. If the Borg Systems have a Shield Modifier equal to the number of
Assimilation succeeds, the Ambassador is destroyed. green Borg Assimilation Nodes on the System. As in Borg Space
Battles, add a Borg Node to the System after each round of
Combat, increasing the Borg’s Shields and bringing the System
closer to building a new Cube.
Borg Systems may never have more than 3 Nodes. If they have 3
Assimilation Nodes in their Build Phase, the System will create a
new Cube.
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ADDITIONAL BORG RULES OPTIONAL BORG RULES
Once a player is connected to any Borg Cube or System, After you have played a few games against the
that player has made First Contact and may start Borg and emerged victorious, add some of these
bidding for turn order. optional rules, for an extra challenge. You may use
any (or all) of these rules in combination with each
Cubes block movement, just as player Ships do. other to make the Borg even more menacing.
Borg Cubes are not affected by Hazardous Systems; do ATTACK:: COMMAND:: ATTACK
not roll to see if they take damage. Each Borg Cube engages player Ships before and after
Systems with a Borg Spire do not count as “Developed executing a Command Card. A Borg Cube which is Executing
Systems” or “Home Systems” when determining where the “Command::Aggression” card ignores the Borg’s Slow &
to move a Borg Cube. Methodical rule.
If a Spire is full, with 3 Nodes, and there are already 5 3 SPIRES & YOU’RE OUT
Cubes in play, leave the Assimilation Nodes in place. If the Borg have 3 Spires on the table and need to place a
Once a Borg Cube is destroyed, it will then be available fourth, all players have lost.
to place on the Spire in a future Borg Build Phase.
The Borg Tech Deck is not an “Advancement Deck,” IT TAKES A FLEET
although each drawn Card is played as an Advancement. Only Fleets block Borg Cubes’ movement. Individual Ships no
Advancements that allow you to draw from a rival’s longer block Borg Cubes moving.
Advancement Deck do not allow drawing of Borg Tech
Cards. DELTA QUADRANT PROBE
Use the Red Borg Command and Exploration cards, but shuffle
Advancements that apply to “Rival Ships” or “Rival”
the Transwarp Hub in with the other System Discs, instead of
also apply to the Borg. Advancements, such as Cult
placing it on the table during Set Up.
of Kahless or Sirillium Warheads, that automatically
destroy a rival Ship do 1 damage to Cubes for each
THEY ARE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE
Ship destroyed. Advancements, such as Cloaked Orbital
When setting up the Exploration Deck, deal out a number of
Mines, that cause a rival to roll a die for each of their
non-Borg Exploration Cards equal to three time the number
Ships cause the Borg to roll once for a Borg Cube.
of players (rather than twice the number) to go on top of the
Ferengi gain Production by having Ships In Orbit around
Exploration Deck. This gives players more time to explore
Borg Systems — where there is profit, there are Ferengi.
before encountering the Borg.
Klingons still may not retreat in Battles versus the Borg.
However, the Klingon’s Starting Advancement allows MYSTERY TURN ORDER
them to always hit on 6s, so they always have a chance When using the Mystery Turn Order Advanced Rule, if there
to defeat the Borg. are no Assimilated players, the first player (with the lowest turn
Klingons get a bonus Culture Token for defeating a Borg order) draws the random Turn Order Card for the Borg. They
Cube. Klingon Marauder Fleets take a single Production may keep the Borg Turn Order Card secret until the Borg turn.
for destroying a Borg Cube.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
If you Attack the Borg on your turn, other players When using the Humble Beginnings Advanced Rule,
can not join in the attack. If you want to mount a discovering the Borg to early can lead to a short game. Double
coordinated defense against the Borg, players need to the number of non-Borg Exploration Cards at the top of the
get their Ships and Fleets in place and wait for the Borg Exploration Deck and shuffle the Transwarp Hub into the
to initiate the attack. bottom half of the System Disc stack.
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1 & 2 PLAYER RULES ADVANCEMENTS IN A 1 OR 2 PLAYER GAME
Some Advancements are not particularly useful in a 1 or 2
Adding the Borg to your games of Star Trek: Ascendancy allows
Player Game. Use the Focused Research rule in the Advanced
you to play with 1 or 2 players. There are a few different rules
Rules section of the rulebook to avoid these.
when playing with fewer than 3 players.
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BORG SUMMARY
The Borg receive a random Turn Order card.
On the Borg turn, if the Transwarp Hub is in play, roll to
see if it generates a new Borg Cube. Then:
BORG BUILD PHASE
For each Borg Spire:
Place a Borg Node, if there is an open space OR
Place a Borg Cube on Spire if the Nodes are Full OR
Launch the Cube atop the Spire and remove that
Spire’s Nodes.
CREDITS
PLAYTESTERS
James Abele, Jason Buyaki, Doug Epperson, Justin Evans, Patrick Gribble, Mark Honeycutt, Sally Honeycutt, Alexander Kaps,
Leonard Landrey, Stuart Lapwood, Jeff Lindsay, Greg Lockton, Stephanie Machado Reggeti, Gary Neumann, Richard Roe, Phil Petry,
Juan Rodriguez Vega, Gabriel Rosauro, Rob Sadler, Rob Seabrook, Benjamin Torell, Dean Webb, Lizzie Willick, William Yowell
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