The RSW Classic and Advanced Game Types

The RSW Advanced game builds further on the basic rules of the Classic game, adding additional character types and abilities. Furthermore, scoring is slightly adjusted in the Advanced game in an attempt to keep the game balanced.

The RSW Classic and Advanced game rules tend to favor alliances and partnerships over lone-wolf tacticians and pure military combat.

In the Classic game, each player will be one of six character types. The different character types will have different (sometimes competing) goals to satisfy in order to win the game.

• An Emperor is interested in conquering as much of the galaxy as possible. They gain points for owning many worlds and lots of industry.
• A Collector is only interested in collecting the various artifacts--special collectible objects--scattered throughout the galaxy. They gain points for each artifact held. Collectors can usually coexist peacefully with other players.
• A Raider gains points for plunder. Plundering a world makes it temporarily useless. A Raider must always be on the prowl for fresh worlds to plunder. A Raider can often make a strategic alliance with other players, but it can be tricky to work out the details.
• A Trader is interested in trade. A trader is usually welcome anywhere, since a trader gains points for delivering metal (valuable resources) to other players.
• A Positronix represents a race of robots dedicated to the extermination of all human life. They get points for killing humans in any context.
• A Missionary is a religious fanatic determined to spread their belief throughout the galaxy. A Missionary is often despised by the other character types (except Positronix), since the Missionary's converts spread through human populations like a virus, and can be difficult to eradicate. The Missionary gets points for making as many converts as possible.

The Advanced game type adds the following five character types as additional options:

• An Architect is a special race with a unique ability to bend space (and maps) to their wishes. An Architect can construct and destroy connections between worlds, though usually at great cost.
• An Arms Dealer is a mobile industrial platform. They can load raw metal from worlds and turn them into ships on demand, even in the absence of industry.
• A Skip Tracer is a master of spying and movement. Very little in the universe remains invisible to the Skip Tracer's eyes.
• A Scavenger is adept at stealing and repairing damaged ships. The Scavenger takes ships destroyed from their opponent and makes them their own!
• A Warlord is the fiercest military opponent of all. What a Warlord wants, they take. And what a Warlord sees, they want.

Select a topic below for more information:

• Quick Strategy Guide
• A Sample Walk-Through
• The Game Rules in Depth