Mission To Planet Hexx

Mission to Planet Hexx starts with almost no board. Players build the galaxy as they play by laying map hexes, then fly their ships around it collecting data cubes.

Data is the currency, and you spend it to upload hexes to your personal mission file. Fill all six sides of that file and you win.

Setup

1. Give each player an orange mission file hex and choose which side you are using this game — it sets your personal win condition.
2. Everyone rolls the six-sided die twice; highest total goes first.
3. Place the two starting hexes — the space base and Delta Colony — adjacent to each other in the middle of the table.
4. Place 5 starting data cubes on Delta Colony.
5. Each player takes a ship and matching snooger counters, putting the ship on the space base and the counter on their mission file hex.
6. Shuffle the hex deck and deal 6 cards face down to each player.

Data cubes come in two values: clear = 1 data, orange = 5 data.

How a Turn Works

On your turn you may take up to three actions. You can repeat the same action, or take none at all.

Action	What it does
Place a map hex	Add to the shared galaxy
Move	Roll and fly your ship
Upload	Spend data to fill an edge of your mission file
Refresh	Discard a hex, draw a new one
Event	Play an event hex from your hand

Place a map hex

Play a hex from your hand labelled map onto the table. This builds the galaxy everyone shares.

• A planet hex may not be placed next to another planet, unless its card says otherwise.
• A space hex may be placed next to anything.
• Place the hex’s starting data cubes on it as it goes down.
• Some map hexes trigger an action when they come into play — resolve it only the first time that hex is placed.

Map hexes can also carry conditions tied to other hexes. Alpha Colony, for instance, will not let you land unless the last planet you landed on was Beta or Gamma Colony — and rewards you with extra actions if you can collect data there.

Move

Roll the six-sided die and move up to that many hexes.

• You may fly freely through space hexes.
• But if you enter a planet hex you must land there, ending your movement. Any remaining moves are lost.
• You may not land on the same planet you just left — you have to visit a different planet first.
• Black and white striped edges are barriers: you cannot move through them. Some planets have their own rules for getting around this.

If a hex moves while your ship is sitting on it, your ship travels with the hex.

Collecting data

When you land on a planet, you may take one data cube from it, if any remain, and add it to the data store on your mission file. Some planets give more or fewer.

If a planet has no cubes left, you cannot collect from it — and you cannot trigger its data-collecting abilities either.

Hex icons

Icon	Triggers
Collect	Special data-collection rules on that planet
Through	When you move through the hex (orange text)
Stop	When you end movement on the hex (red text)
Start	When you start an action on the hex

Upload

This is how you win, and it has one strict requirement: your ship must be stopped on a space hex, not a planet.

Spend 3 data to upload a hex from your hand to your mission file, as long as the hex type matches an empty edge of your file.

When you upload a hex you ignore its printed text — unless the text specifically describes an upload effect. Some hexes are cheaper to upload for exactly this reason.

Refresh

Discard a hex from your hand and draw a new one. That is the whole action.

Event

Play an event hex from your hand: pay any cost, resolve the text, then discard it beside the draw deck.

Some events carry the keyword surprise. These are usually triggered by another action or event, and they work differently:

• On your turn, playing one costs an action, if its text applies.
• On an opponent’s turn, you may play one for free.
• You may only play one surprise per opponent’s turn.

End of your turn

Draw or discard until you have six hexes in hand. If the draw deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new one.

How to Win

The first player to upload a matching hex to all six sides of their mission file immediately ends the game and wins.

They then read their mission file text aloud, filling the blanks with the names of the hexes they uploaded — which is where the game gets its sense of humour, since your winning mission is assembled from whatever you happened to collect.

Common Mistakes

• Uploading from a planet. You must be stopped on a space hex to upload.
• Spending leftover movement after landing. Entering a planet ends your move immediately and the rest is lost.
• Bouncing between two planets. You cannot land on the planet you just left; visit a third one first.
• Reading a hex’s text when uploading. Uploaded hexes are inert unless they describe an upload effect.
• Placing two planets side by side. Planets cannot neighbour each other unless the card says so.
• Re-triggering a map hex’s entry action. It fires only on first placement.
• Playing several surprises in one opponent’s turn. One per opponent’s turn, and free only on their turn.
• Collecting from an empty planet. No cubes means no collection and no data abilities either.