Under Falling Skies

2020

Under Falling Skies is a solo board game where you strategize to save Earth from alien invasion. Utilize innovative dice mechanics and intense gameplay for hours of fun.

40
minutes

1 - 1
player(s)

12+

Medium

About the game

Under Falling Skies is a fascinating and thrilling board game that immerses players in an intense struggle for survival and victory against alien invaders. Set in a universe where Earth has been besieged by a relentless extraterrestrial force, this innovative game weaves a compelling narrative that keeps players on the edge of their seats.

The game is set in the near future, with cities around the globe under siege by towering alien warships. As the commander of a beleaguered city, the player’s task is to manage resources, develop technology, and, most importantly, thwart the impending alien invasion. The game art and components enhance this sense of urgency and impending doom, immersing players in a world where every decision could mean the difference between survival and annihilation.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

‘Under Falling Skies’ is a thrilling single-player board game that combines elements of strategy and dice rolling. The game’s components are varied and each plays a unique role in the gameplay. Here is a breakdown of each component:

1. Game Board: This is the primary playing area. It’s a modular board, which means it can be rearranged to create different cityscapes for each game. The board is divided into several sections, each representing a different part of the city. There are areas for placing dice, managing resources, and tracking alien movements.

2. Dice: The game includes 4 white dice and 1 grey die. Players roll these dice to determine the actions that they can take during their turn. The dice can be used to activate rooms in the city, with the number on the die determining the strength of the action.

3. Excavator Marker: This marker is used to track the progress of the player’s excavation in the city. As players dig deeper, they unlock more rooms that can be used to defend against the alien ships.

4. Energy Cubes: These cubes are a measure of the player’s resources. They are needed to activate certain rooms and abilities within the city. Managing energy cubes is a crucial part of the game’s strategy.

5. Damage Trackers: These markers keep track of the city’s damage. If the city takes too much damage from the falling alien ships, the player loses the game.

6. Alien Ships: These pieces represent the alien invaders. They move down the board each turn, posing a constant threat to the player’s city. The player must use their dice and rooms to destroy these ships and prevent them from causing damage.

7. Robot Tokens: The robot tokens can be used to keep a room activated for multiple turns. They can be a powerful tool if used correctly, but they also require energy cubes to use, adding another layer of strategy to the game.

8. City Tiles: The game includes several different city tiles, each with their own layout of rooms. This allows for a wide variety of game setups and strategies.

9. Scenario Cards: These cards provide additional challenges and objectives for the player. They can be used to add variety and increase the difficulty of the game.

Each component of ‘Under Falling Skies’ interacts with the others to create a tense and engaging gameplay experience. The player must balance their resources, manage their dice rolls, and defend their city from the alien invaders to win the game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Under Falling Skies is a solo game where you play as the Earth’s last line of defense against an alien invasion. Here are the steps to set up the game:

Step 1: Setup Game Board

Unfold the game board and place it on the table. The game board is double-sided with each side offering a different level of difficulty. If you are playing for the first time, it’s recommended to start with the easier side.

Step 2: Randomize City and Base Tiles

Shuffle the city tiles and randomly select one. Place it on the designated space at the top of the game board. Repeat the same process with the base tiles and place them from top to bottom in the slots below the city tile. Ensure that the arrows on the base tiles align with the arrows on the game board.

Step 3: Arrange the Dice

Place the white dice and the grey dice beside the game board. The white dice represent your actions while the grey dice represent the aliens’ actions.

Step 4: Prepare the Damage Track

Place the damage marker on the zero space of the damage track. This track represents the city’s remaining health and moves towards the right each time the city is hit by the aliens.

Step 5: Prepare the Alien Ships

Take the alien ship tokens and place them in the bag. Draw five alien ships and place them on the spaces marked with a small white square.

Step 6: Assemble the Excavator

Assemble the excavator token and place it on the leftmost space of the top base tile. The excavator is used to dig tunnels in the base, allowing you to build more rooms.

Step 7: Organize Resources

Place the energy cubes and the fighter jet tokens nearby. You start the game with four energy cubes that are used to power your base’s rooms.

Step 8: Prepare the Robot Tokens

Put all the robot tokens with the inactive side up beside the game board. These tokens can be used to perform actions without using dice.

Step 9: Setup Player’s Role

Since this is a solo game, you are in charge of everything. Your role is to defend the city by shooting down the alien ships, repairing the damage caused by the alien attacks, and researching new technologies to fight back against the invasion.

With all these steps completed, the game is now ready to start. Remember, your goal is to survive the alien onslaught and save humanity!

Game flow Round and round we go

Under Falling Skies is a unique game that combines elements of strategy, chance, and decision-making. The overall structure of the game is divided into several phases which are repeated each round until the end of the game. Here’s a detailed explanation:

Phase 1: Dice Placement

At the beginning of each round, the player rolls five dice. These dice will determine the actions available to the player this round.
The player then places these dice on the various action spaces of their base. The number on the dice determines the power of the action. However, placing a dice also moves the corresponding alien ship closer to the base.

Phase 2: Alien Ships Movement

After all dice have been placed, the alien ships move. The distance each ship moves is determined by the dice placed in the corresponding column.
If an alien ship ever reaches the base, it deals damage causing the base to lose energy or even rooms.

Phase 3: Room Actions

Now, the player may perform the actions of the rooms where they placed their dice. These actions can include generating energy, researching new technology, or attacking alien ships.
The power of the action is determined by the dice used. Some actions also require energy to perform.

Phase 4: Mothership Advance

Finally, at the end of each round, the alien mothership moves closer to the base. When it moves, it triggers a negative effect which can make the game more difficult for the player.
The game ends when either the mothership reaches the base, or the player successfully researches the required technology to repel the aliens.

In Under Falling Skies, strategic placement of dice and wise use of resources are key to victory. It’s a game of risk and reward, where every decision can have far-reaching consequences.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In Under Falling Skies, a player’s turn is divided into three main phases: Dice Placement, Resolving Actions, and the Mothership Action. Each phase has a set of possible actions and strategic choices, each with its own effect on the gameplay.

Dice Placement:

The first phase is Dice Placement. In this phase, players assign dice to various rooms in the base. The dice represent actions that will be taken later in the turn. Here’s what you need to know:

Each die can be placed in a room on the player’s base. The number on the die represents the power of the action taken.
Once a die is placed, a corresponding alien ship moves down that column a number of spaces equal to the die’s value. This can potentially bring the ship closer to attacking the base.
White dice cause the alien ships to move immediately after they’re placed, while grey dice only cause movement after all dice are placed.

Resolving Actions:

After all dice have been placed, the second phase—Resolving Actions—begins. The order in which actions are resolved can have a significant impact on the game. Each room has a unique action associated with it:

Excavation: This action allows players to expand their base by removing grey squares from the base board.
Research: Players can progress on the research track, moving closer to developing the technology necessary to defeat the aliens.
Fighters: This action allows players to attack alien ships in the same column as the room.
Energy Production: Players can generate energy, which is necessary to power other actions.
Damage Repair: This action allows players to repair damage to their base.

It’s important to note that rooms must be powered by energy to take their action, and the amount of energy required is equal to the value of the die in the room. Furthermore, taking an action with a die uses up that die, so strategic placement and order of action resolution is crucial.

Mothership Action:

The final phase is the Mothership Action. After all actions have been resolved, the mothership moves one space closer to the base, and the action printed on its new space is taken. This can include things like advancing all alien ships, causing base damage, or adding more alien ships to the board.

Between the strategic choices of dice placement, order of action resolution, and managing the threat of the mothership, Under Falling Skies provides a tense and engaging gameplay experience.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

‘Under Falling Skies’ is a thrilling board game that pits players against an alien invasion. The game ends under two primary conditions, which are victory and defeat. The following outlines the details of these endgame scenarios:

1. Victory Conditions:

The game of ‘Under Falling Skies’ is won when players successfully complete the research track. This means that they have managed to develop enough technology to thwart the alien invasion. The following must happen:

Complete the Research Track: Players must move their research token to the final space of the research track. This represents the development of a decisive weapon or strategy against the alien invaders.
Survive the Round: After reaching the end of the research track, players must survive until the end of the current round. This means they must avoid their base being destroyed by the falling skies.

2. Defeat Conditions:

The game of ‘Under Falling Skies’ is lost under two circumstances. The players are defeated if:

Base Destruction: If the damage marker reaches the last space of the damage track, the players’ base is destroyed and the game ends immediately.
Alien Reach: If an alien ship reaches a city, the base suffers damage. If this damage is enough to move the damage marker to the last space of the damage track, the game ends immediately.

Therefore, it is crucial for players to balance their strategy between developing their research and protecting their base from alien attacks.

3. Actions before Final Scoring:

There is no final scoring in ‘Under Falling Skies’. The game is purely cooperative, with players either winning by completing the research track and surviving the round, or losing by having their base destroyed or an alien ship reaching their city. Therefore, no actions are required from the players before the game ends.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Under Falling Skies is a solo game where your mission is to defend your city from an alien invasion. The scoring system in Under Falling Skies is based on how well you manage your resources and defend your city. Here’s a detailed outline of how the scoring system works:

In Under Falling Skies, the main objective is to survive and not to accumulate points. Instead of a traditional scoring system, the game uses a system of levels to determine the player’s success. The game consists of five distinct levels, and the player’s mission is to complete all the levels without letting the aliens destroy their base.

Here are the ways in which the game’s progression and success are measured:

Excavation: You can excavate your underground base to make room for more rooms. This does not give you points, but it’s crucial for your strategy.
Research: Research is the main way to win the game. The research track goes from 1 to 40. Your goal is to reach 40 before the aliens destroy your base.
Fighter Ships: You can shoot down the aliens’ fighter ships. Although this action does not provide points, it prevents the alien ship from moving down and potentially damaging your base.
Energy Production: Energy is a crucial resource that you need to power your actions. It does not provide points, but it’s necessary to perform most actions in the game.
Damage to the Base: Each time an alien ship reaches your base, it causes damage. If your base’s damage track reaches zero, you lose the game.

If you manage to reach 40 on the research track before your base is destroyed, you win the game. The number of rounds it takes you to achieve this goal and the remaining health of your base can be used to measure your performance. However, there are no points awarded or a traditional scoring system.

As for the tie-breaking rules, there are none in Under Falling Skies because it’s a solo game. Your only competition is the game itself!

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Under Falling Skies is a strategic board game where players must defend the earth from an alien invasion, all while trying to expand their base. With its unique gameplay mechanics, there may be some rules that are confusing or out of the ordinary. Here are some special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that may be important:

Spaceship Movements

The way spaceships move is critical to understand. When a die is placed in a column, all spaceships in that column move down a number of spaces equal to the die value. However, spaceships cannot move past the lowest die in their column, meaning strategic placement of dice can control their movement.

Excavation

Excavation is a unique aspect of Under Falling Skies. The rules state that all rooms must be connected to the base by an unbroken line of excavated spaces. However, this does not mean that the rooms themselves must be fully excavated. As long as the path to the room is clear, you can use it.

Robot Dice

Robot dice are placed onto rooms just like regular dice. However, unlike regular dice, they remain on the board from round to round. This means that once a robot die is placed, it blocks that room until it is removed.

Energy Usage

Many rooms in the game require energy to use. Remember that you must pay energy costs at the time of die placement, not at the end of the round. If you don’t have enough energy to pay for a room, you cannot place a die there.

If there is a tie between the players on who has the most energy at the end of the game, the player who has the most robots in their base wins.

Damage to the Base

If a spaceship reaches the base, it deals damage equal to its strength. However, only the first spaceship to reach the base each round deals damage. Any additional spaceships that reach the base in the same round have no effect.

If the base’s damage track reaches zero, the game ends immediately and all players lose.
If all spaceships are destroyed, the round ends immediately. Any unplaced dice are lost.