Board Game Arena

Jellby wrote: ↑11 October 2025, 18:43

J Napes wrote: ↑10 October 2025, 19:35 The Master Rulebook now explicitly states that a retreating unit must retreat to a System hex that is CLOSER to one of its own colonies than the hex from which it is retreating.

Wrong. It says " It must retreat into a System that is equally distant or closer to one of its Colonies than the hex that it is retreating from". At least version 1.3 from https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/1682 ... -rule-book does.

Not wrong, according to the actual printed Master Rulebook. The "equally distant" part has been excised. Your information source is out of date.

I just checked and it does say a hex that is closer to any of your colonies. Shame, this removes too much possibilities for my taste.

I'm not sure why you're discouraged. You can always play with the old rule on the table, and right here on BGA, where the old rule will remain in place indefinitely.

FWIW:

I feel the exact opposite way. The rule change is long overdue.
Sure, it makes going on offense more challenging -- as it ought to be.

The rule change makes the entire concept of retreating on a 2-D map more logical in practice.
If one must retreat, one should be forced to go back toward their part of the map.

So, no more cute 'retreat forward' moves which dismantle a defensive line, particularly early in a match. I see this as a hands-down improvement.

I had the same problem before, and now that I restarted the game I found the same again.

You have your fleet, you do an ttack, play one round and then retreat behind the enemy lines.
Defense line is broken, and then defender has to chase you, breaking the defense line more, while it makes it easier to disrupt economy while running around.

I see that you can leave a scout or miner so that enemy is not allowed to retreat behind the enemy lines but I believe it makes no thematic sense. you should be retreating towards your site of the map.

And if there are mixed views on this, can the "creator" make it an option? for every game creator to chose

8.9.2 Retreat Location: A retreating spaceship must be shifted
to an adjacent hex. The hex may not contain any enemy units (including colonies or non-combat units). A retreating ship may not
be shifted into an unexplored system. It must retreat into a hex that is equally distant or closer to one of its colonies than the hex that it is retreating from (discounting any colony in the battle hex). If no legal retreat exists, the ship may not retreat.

So actually they have sorted it in the rules

No -- once again, the old version of the rule is being quoted, thereby creating more unnecessary confusion.
The printed Master Rulebook has adjudicated this matter already.

Refer to page 7 of the printed rulebook, 5.9.1 Retreat Location, bullet 5: A retreating spaceship must retreat into a System that is CLOSER to one of its colonies than the hex it is retreating from.

Please don't continue to confuse the matter by citing out-of-date rules versions.

Just stumbled onto this error myself as well. Which copy of the rules is this game implementation following??? It is nuts to not know and be surprised by things like this that do not match the current rules.

"and be surprised by things like this that do not match the current rules."
Could you explain your mind please, if possible ? I don't follow you.

Lunalol wrote: ↑26 March 2026, 20:43 "and be surprised by things like this that do not match the current rules."
Could you explain your mind please, if possible ? I don't follow you.

gaslighting incoming ...