This page lists terms commonly used in the game.
This glossary is not part of the official rules of the game, and should therefore not be considered a substitute for them. If anything written in a rule or ruling directly contradicts this glossary, then you should refer to the rule or ruling instead as the source of truth.
One of the four possible card types.
Has a one-time use effect and is then placed at the bottom of its owner's arsenal.
Can be used at any time, even during other players' turns.
You can recycle cards from your scrap pile to help pay the cost of an action.
Actions take over priority: they pause the game and must be resolved before play can resume. If multiple actions are initiated simultaneously, the player with priority resolves their action first.
You cannot play actions in response to other actions or reactions. You must wait for them to resolve before playing your own action.
A player's deck of cards.
Players shuffle their arsenals at the start of each game and keep them next to them, facing down.
Each arsenal must contain at least 30 cards, with no more than two copies of any card, and only one copy of any rare card (Pinnacle or Supreme).
If you need to draw a card but your arsenal is empty, you lose the game.
Each deployed ship must attack once during its owner's turn.
When a ship attacks, it causes a durability loss equal to its weapons to whatever it faces on the grid (an enemy ship, structure, or base).
Attacked ships, structures, and bases do not retaliate. They simply take the damage.
A player's health pool.
Each player's base starts with 30 durability points and cannot be repaired above 30 durability.
When a base's durability reaches zero or below, it is destroyed, eliminating its owner from the game. The last remaining base's owner wins the game.
Combat occurs once per turn. During combat, all your deployed ships must attack in front of them one by one. You choose the order in which your ships attack.
In the first turn of a new game, no combat occurs, except for the last player who takes their first turn.
Most cards have a resource cost specified in the top left corner, indicating how many resources must be spent to use or deploy that card.
Each faction only accepts its own resources, except for Neutral costs, which can be paid using resources from any faction.
Some cards have no resource cost and can be used or deployed for free.
Pay the cost of a ship or structure, then place it on your side of the game grid.
The effects listed in the descriptions of ships and structures only only after deployment and last until they are destroyed.
A ship or structure is destroyed when its durability reaches zero or below.
Destroyed ships and structures go to the top of their owner's scrap pile, unless they provide no income, in which case they go to the bottom of their arsenal.
Draw a card by placing the top card of your arsenal into your hand.
If you must draw a card but have no cards left in your arsenal, you lose the game.
The health pool of a ship, structure, or base.
Ships and structures are deployed with the durability amount specified in the bottom right corner of their cards.
Track durability losses using dice or counters. Once a ship, structure, or base's durability drops to zero or below, it is destroyed.
Ship and structure durability cannot be repaired above the amount specified on the card. Base durability cannot be repaired above its initial value of 30.
An effect refers to anything triggered by a card.
It can include actions, reactions, or any other elements specified in the card's body text.
Card families sharing a common resource type, design identity, and visual style.
There are four main factions: Terran, Invader, Organic, and Pirate, along with a fifth Neutral faction.
When an effect or deployment fails, it is denied and does not happen.
Resources spent on the failed effect or deployment are permanently lost.
If a ship or structure fails to deploy, it is neither destroyed nor sent to your scrap pile. Instead, it goes straight to the bottom of your arsenal.
A specific way to play the game.
The default format is prepared games, in which arsenals are assembled in advance.
A common alternate format is architect, where all players draft cards from the same common pool of cards, build their own arsenals, then play a game with their selection of cards.
The game area where ships and structures are deployed.
Each player has a 4x2 grid in front of them. The back row accommodates four structures, while the front row holds four ships.
In a duel, both players' grids face each other.
In matches with more than two players, each player's grid is split in the middle into two 2x2 halves, with the left half facing the nearest player's half-grid on the left and the right half facing the nearest player's half-grid on the right. These half-grids adjust as players are eliminated from the game, until only two players remain, at which point their grids fuse back into 4x2 grids facing each other.
Cards you draw throughout the game are placed in your hand.
The cards in your hand are the only ones you may use or deploy during the game.
Keep the cards in your hand hidden from your opponents.
There is no maximum hand size.
Some ships and structures have an income, specified in the top right corner of their cards.
Once deployed, these ships and structures generate income at the beginning of each of your turns.
Ships and structures without an income value do not generate resources.
One of two card rarities.
Pinnacle cards are the most powerful in the game, but come with a high cost and always have a drawback.
You may only have one copy of any unique pinnacle card in your arsenal.
Anyone participating in a game of Future Invaders whose base has not been destroyed.
There is no upper limit to the number of players in a game.
When multiple players wish to play actions or reactions simultaneously, priority determines the order in which these actions or reactions are played.
Priority is first given to the next player in turn order, then continues around the table until it reaches the player who last played their turn, with the ongoing player going last.
Some cards are labeled as rare, indicated by the presence of the word Renowned or Pinnacle at the bottom of the card.
Rare cards have a higher power level for their cost. To balance this, you may only have one copy of any unique rare card in your arsenal.
One of four possible card types.
Has a one-time use effect and is then placed at the bottom of its owner's arsenal.
Can only be used in response to specific events, which are specified in the reaction's description.
You may recycle cards from your scrap pile to help pay the cost of a reaction.
Reactions take over priority: they pause the game and must be resolved before play can resume.
Chains of reactions can occur, resolving one by one in reverse order, starting with the last reaction played until reaching the initiating event.
If multiple reactions are played at the same time, the player with priority plays their reaction. Other players may react to that reaction, but not to the event the player with priority was responding to.
Take a card from your scrap pile and place it at the bottom of your arsenal.
When you recycle a card, you earn resources equal to the card's income value, located at the top right of the card.
You may recycle a card at any time, even during other players' turns. Cards can be recycled as part of an action or a reaction to help pay its cost.
One of two card rarities.
Renowned cards are more powerful than regular cards, but you may only have one copy of any unique renowned card in your arsenal.
Deploy a ship or a structure in a grid slot already occupied by another deployed ship or structure.
The replaced ship or structure is not destroyed and does not go to your scrap pile. Instead, it is sent to the bottom of your arsenal.
Currency required to use or deploy cards.
Each of the four main factions produces and uses its own unique resource. Neutrals also produce their own resource, but their card costs can be paid using any resource.
At the start of each of your turns, your resources reset to zero, then each of your deployed ships and structures adds their income value to your resource pool, indicated at the top right of each card.
You retain resources until the start of your next turn, allowing you to spend them on actions and reactions during your opponents' turns.
Permanently exclude a card from the game.
Once removed, a card is set aside and cannot be used or interacted with until the game ends.
Such irreversible removal is rare and expensive.
Show a card to all your opponents.
A pile of face-up cards, which is empty at the start of a new game.
When one of your ships or structures is destroyed, if it has an income value, it goes into your scrap pile. Otherwise, it is sent to the bottom of your arsenal.
Cards in your scrap pile can be recycled at any time of your choosing, earning you resources equal to the card's income value, as indicated at the top right of the card. Once recycled, the card is sent to the bottom of your arsenal.
One of four possible card types.
Once you pay their cost, ships are deployed on your side of the grid in the row closest to your opponents and in a slot of your choosing.
Ships can only be deployed during your turn, after drawing cards and before combat.
During combat on your turns, each of your ships must attack once in front of them. You choose in which order your ships attack.
When a ship's durability drops to zero or below, it is destroyed. Destroyed ships are sent to your scrap pile, unless they provide no income, in which case they cannot be recycled and go to the bottom of your arsenal.
One of four possible card types.
Once you pay their cost, structures are deployed on your side of the grid in the row closest to you and in a slot of your choosing.
Structures can only be deployed during your turn, after drawing cards and before combat.
Structures do not attack during combat.
When a structure's durability drops to zero or below, it is destroyed. Destroyed structure are sent to your scrap pile, unless they provide no income, in which case they cannot be recycled and go to the bottom of your arsenal.
Some effects ask you to select which card or player they affect.
The selected card or player is that effect's target.
Players take turns playing the game, one at a time.
During your opponents' turns, you may only play actions and reactions.
There are four card types: Ship, Structure, Action, and Reaction.
A ship's damage value, located at the bottom left of its card.
When a ship attacks, it inflicts durability losses equal to its weapons value on the ship, structure, or base directly in front of it.
Some ships have no weapons. They do attack, but cause no durability losses.