Shackleton Base: A Journey to the Moon

Objective and setup: Build a lunar base, fund corporate projects, and develop Reputation; the player with the most victory points after three rounds wins. The base game contains seven corporations, and three are selected for each game. They determine projects, available resources, actions, and scoring. Players take an agency board and leader, then prepare astronauts, Credits, Titanium, Rare Earth, Solar Panels, structures, and corporation projects. The official recommended corporation combinations can simplify a first game.

Three rounds and phases: Each game lasts three rounds, each played in Shuttle, Action, and Maintenance order. Shuttle tiles are sorted by round and revealed for selection. In the Shuttle phase, each player chooses available astronauts, resources, and an action order. During Action, players deploy astronauts in turn until they have used their available actions. Maintenance resolves corporate effects, distributes crater astronauts, collects income, and pays upkeep.

Drafting a Shuttle: Choose an available Shuttle tile according to the current round’s procedure. It indicates which astronaut types and quantities you may use, what resources you receive, and its order number. Players then arrange the next action order according to the chosen tiles. Another player may need the same type of worker, so drafting is both a resource plan and a way to seek a more useful position in turn order.

Action deployment: In the Action phase, take turns deploying the astronauts from your Shuttle tile. Main actions include exploiting crater sectors, building a structure, funding a visible corporate project, performing a corporation action, or visiting the Lunar Gateway. Each deployment must satisfy the available worker type, Credits, resources, and energy requirements. Check the global energy marker if a structure or project consumes energy. Visible projects are limited, so earlier players may claim a useful card while others pursue a different corporation strategy.

Crater and sector control: Place an astronaut on an action position around the central crater to activate sectors and structures in that row. You can use sectors controlled by your own structures for free; if another player controls a sector, pay the listed Credits to that player. The total size of structures in a row also affects who recovers its astronauts during Maintenance. Solar Panels placed around the central area increase shared energy and may grant Reputation, but the energy supply can constrain further construction.

Structures and resources: Each agency can build Domes, Workshops, Laboratories, and a Headquarters. To build, choose a legal powered sector and pay the resources, Credits, and sometimes Energy shown on your player board. Structures provide immediate effects and determine how many astronauts your base can house. Different worker types in Domes, Laboratories, or Headquarters can produce Titanium, Credits, victory points, or Reputation. Laboratories and Headquarters also consume energy to build, so coordinate them with Solar Panels and corporate abilities.

Projects and corporations: To fund a project, choose a visible card from any corporation in play, check the corporation slot’s Credit cost, minimum Energy requirement and Energy consumption (which can differ), satisfy the requirement and pay, and place it by your base. Projects may provide immediate rewards, continuing abilities, or endgame victory points. Astronaut deployments can also perform actions printed on corporation boards or advance goals. Each corporation has its own scoring, and the three corporations selected for a game determine final bonuses; do not treat one game’s corporate ability as a universal rule.

Goals and Reputation: At the end of a turn, a player may claim available corporate goals whose requirements they meet, at most one per corporation on that turn. Each corporation offers limited goal spaces, with some reserved for higher player counts. Goals usually reward a certain development state and score according to the indicated space and the player’s Reputation. Reputation can be a final scoring source and unlock corporate actions, but higher levels may increase maintenance costs. Budget Credits for later upkeep before moving up the track.

Maintenance and income: Resolve maintenance effects for the three corporations in order, then retrieve astronauts from the crater. For each row, the player with the greatest total structure size generally gains the astronaut; ties are resolved using nearby structures. Players may reorganize astronauts in their bases and collect income from corporations, Domes, and Headquarters. Finally, pay building and Reputation maintenance. A shortage of Credits can reduce Reputation and, if further costs remain, may also cost victory points.

Endgame and solo mode: After Maintenance in round three, score funded projects, matching astronauts in Laboratories, Reputation, and final points from the three corporations. The highest victory-point total wins; Reputation breaks a tie, and any remaining tied players share the victory. Solo rules pit the player against AstroBot, using three corporation solo cards and difficulty sides to make the automated agency choose actions, deploy workers, and score. The Below. Within. Above. expansion is outside the base-game rules.