Eminent Domain

To set up Eminent Domain, first place the main game board in the center of the playing area. Then, separate the action cards into their respective piles (Exploration, Warfare, Colonization, Production/Trade, and Research) and place them on their designated spots on the main board. Shuffle the planet cards, separating the initial planets from the rest, and place them near the board. Do the same for the three types of technology cards, stacking them by level (level 3 at the bottom, level 2 in the middle, level 1 on top). Create reserves for the resource tokens (food, minerals, energy, science) and fighter tokens. Each player receives a starting hand of cards, including one 'Politics' card, and draws one initial planet card face down to place in their play area. The remaining 'Politics' and initial planet cards are removed from the game. Finally, each player receives a player aid card, and the starting player receives the 'Initial Player' token.

The primary objective in Eminent Domain is to accumulate the most victory points (VP) by the end of the game. Players earn victory points mainly through colonizing planets, which have a VP value indicated on them, and by acquiring technology cards, which also provide VP. Additionally, certain cards and actions may offer other ways to gain victory points throughout the game, encouraging players to develop diverse strategies to maximize their score.

A player's turn consists of three phases. Phase 1 is the 'Action' phase (optional), where the player can play one card from their hand for its action effect. Phase 2 is the 'Committed' phase (mandatory), where the player must choose one of the action piles from the main board and play a card from their hand that matches that action type. This card is then added to their personal deck. Other players can choose to 'follow' this committed action by playing a matching card from their hand, or 'dissent' by playing a different card for its resource value. Phase 3 is the 'Cleanup' phase (mandatory), where players discard any unwanted cards and draw new cards from their personal deck until they reach their hand limit (normally 5 cards).

Victory points are primarily scored at the end of the game. Each colonized planet in a player's empire contributes its indicated victory points. Technology cards also provide victory points, which are typically listed on the card itself. Some special cards or game effects may also grant victory points for specific achievements or accumulated resources. Players should keep track of their progress in colonizing planets and acquiring valuable technologies to ensure they have the highest score when the game concludes.

The game concludes when one of two conditions is met: either a specified number of action card piles on the main board are depleted (the number depends on the player count), or the supply of influence tokens runs out. Once either of these conditions is met, the current round is finished, and then one final round is played. After the final round, players tally their victory points from colonized planets, technology cards, and any other scoring effects to determine the winner.