The player assumes the role of the Chief Regional Commander of the USA Defense Force and thus controls the Galactic Marine units in the game, playing against the alien “system.
A full game consists of 18 or 19 Game Turns (depending on the order of the Kay’otz Activation Card draws), with each Game Turn made up of several Phases. Each Phase is completed to conclusion before moving to the next one. Phases are conducted in the following order:
Marine Action Phase: The player may conduct one Action per Marine unit in any order he chooses, completely resolving the Action for a particular unit before proceeding to the next one. After a unit conducts its chosen Action, its counter is turned 45 degrees to indicate it has acted in this phase. An Action is one of the following:
Kay’otz Activation Phase: If a successful Recon action was done this turn, draw two Kay’otz Activation Cards and choose one to be active this.
End Phase: A check is made for any Instant Victory condition based on the scenario instructions. If no Instant Victory is achieved and there is at least one Kay’otz Activation card remaining, play continues to the next Game Turn (with Phase 1). If there are no cards left, the game ends, and a checkis made to see who wins the game.
