TI4 Rules DeskTwilight Imperium 4
Quick reference

Turn order at a glance

Phase order, the tactical action, combat steps and timing words on one page. Step descriptions are short summaries in our own words — each links to the exact Living Rules Reference paragraph.

Game round

Each round has four phases. The agenda phase is skipped until the custodians token is removed from Mecatol Rex.

  1. Strategy phase

    Starting with the speaker, each player picks a strategy card. LRR 84.1

  2. Action phase

    In initiative order, players take one action per turn until all have passed. LRR 3.1

  3. Status phase

    Score objectives, reveal a new public objective, draw, redistribute tokens, ready and repair. LRR 81

  4. Agenda phase

    Two agendas are revealed and voted on (only once the custodians token is gone). LRR 8.1

Strategy phase

Card selection and bonuses.

  1. Choose strategy cards

    From the speaker clockwise, each player picks one card (two each in 3–4 player games), taking any trade goods on it. LRR 84.1

  2. Place trade goods

    The speaker puts one trade good on each card that wasn't chosen. LRR 84.2

Action phase

On your turn perform exactly one action — or pass.

  1. Strategic action

    Resolve your strategy card's primary ability; others may resolve its secondary. LRR 82.1

  2. Tactical action

    Activate a system with a tactic token: move, fight, invade, produce. LRR 89

  3. Component action

    Resolve an “ACTION:” ability from a card, faction sheet, leader, etc. LRR 22.1

  4. Pass

    Only after you've used your strategy card(s). Passed players can still resolve secondaries. LRR 3.4

Tactical action

The core turn of TI4.

  1. Activation

    Place a token from your tactic pool in a system without one of your tokens. LRR 89.1

  2. Movement

    Move ships in (transporting fighters and ground forces), then all players may fire Space Cannon Offense. LRR 89.2

  3. Space combat

    If two players have ships in the active system, resolve space combat. LRR 89.3

  4. Invasion

    Bombardment, commit ground forces, Space Cannon Defense, ground combat, establish control. LRR 89.4

  5. Production

    Resolve PRODUCTION abilities of your units in the active system. LRR 89.5

Space combat

Repeat rounds until only one player (or no one) has ships left.

  1. Anti-fighter barrage

    First round only; both players roll AFB simultaneously. LRR 78.3

  2. Announce retreats

    Defender first. If the defender announces, the attacker can't. LRR 78.4

  3. Roll dice

    One die per ship (more for burst icons); results ≥ combat value hit. LRR 78.5

  4. Assign hits

    Use SUSTAIN DAMAGE first, then destroy ships for remaining hits. LRR 78.6

  5. Retreat

    Retreating ships move to an eligible adjacent system; place a command token there. LRR 78.7

Invasion

Landing ground forces during a tactical action.

  1. Bombardment

    Units with BOMBARDMENT may roll against planets (not ones with PLANETARY SHIELD). LRR 49.1

  2. Commit ground forces

    Land ground forces from the space area onto planets. LRR 49.2

  3. Space cannon defense

    The defender's SPACE CANNON on that planet may fire at the landed forces. LRR 49.3

  4. Ground combat

    Fight on each contested planet, in the order the active player chooses. LRR 49.4

  5. Establish control

    Gain control of planets where you still have ground forces; enemy structures there are destroyed. LRR 49.5

Ground combat

Repeat until only one player (or neither) has ground forces on the planet.

  1. Roll dice

    One die per ground force on the planet. LRR 42.1

  2. Assign hits

    Each player destroys one of their own ground forces per hit (sustain damage first). LRR 42.2

Status phase

Resolve in initiative order where it matters.

  1. Score objectives

    Up to one public and one secret objective each. LRR 81.1

  2. Reveal public objective

    The speaker reveals the next one (stage II only after all stage I). LRR 81.2

  3. Draw action cards

    Each player draws one. LRR 81.3

  4. Remove command tokens

    Take all your tokens off the board. LRR 81.4

  5. Gain and redistribute tokens

    Gain two command tokens and rearrange your pools. LRR 81.5

  6. Ready cards

    Ready all exhausted cards, including strategy cards. LRR 81.6

  7. Repair units

    All damaged units are repaired. LRR 81.7

  8. Return strategy cards

    Each player returns their strategy card to the common play area. LRR 81.8

Agenda phase

Only after the custodians token has been removed.

  1. First agenda

    Reveal the agenda, then vote starting with the player to the speaker’s left and continuing clockwise, then resolve the outcome with the most votes. LRR 8.2

  2. Second agenda

    Repeat for a second agenda. LRR 8.3

  3. Ready planets

    Ready all exhausted planets; a new round begins. LRR 8.4

Timing cheatsheet

How the words on cards decide when things happen.

  1. “Before” / “After”

    Resolved immediately before or after the timing event. LRR 1.14

  2. “When”

    Resolved at the moment of the event — usually modifies or replaces it. LRR 1.15

  3. “When” beats “After”

    “When” effects take priority over “after” effects. LRR 1.16

  4. “Then”

    The part before “then” must be resolved for the rest to happen. LRR 1.17

  5. Once per timing event

    Each ability resolves once per occurrence of its trigger. LRR 1.18

  6. Simultaneous effects (action phase)

    Players take turns resolving them in initiative order, beginning with the active player. LRR 1.19

  7. Simultaneous effects (strategy/agenda phase)

    Players take turns starting with the speaker and proceeding clockwise. LRR 1.20

  8. “Cannot” is absolute

    If two “cannot” abilities conflict, a persistent ability beats a one-time one, and enabling beats cancelling. LRR 1.6

  9. “Before combat” / “start of combat”

    “Before combat” is immediately before anti-fighter barrage; start-of-combat and start-of-round effects share a window in round one. LRR 78.2

Strategy cards

Primary and secondary abilities as printed (base, PoK and Codex versions — see the compendium for Thunder's Edge reprints).

#CardPrimarySecondary
1LeadershipGain 3 command tokens
Spend any amount of influence to gain 1 command token for every 3 influence spent		Spend any amount of influence to gain 1 command token for every 3 influence spent
2DiplomacyChoose 1 system other than the Mecatol Rex system that contains a planet you control; each other player places a command token from their reinforcements in the chosen system. Then, ready up to 2 exhausted planets you control.Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to ready up to 2 exhausted planets you control.
3PoliticsChoose a player other than the speaker. That player gains the speaker token.
Draw 2 action cards
Look at the top 2 cards of the agenda deck. Place each card on the top or bottom of the deck in any order.		Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to draw 2 action cards.
4ConstructionPlace 1 PDS or 1 Space Dock on a planet you control.
Place 1 PDS on a planet you control.		Spend 1 token from your strategy pool and place it in any system; you may place either 1 space dock or 1 PDS on a planet you control in that system
5TradeGain 3 trade goods.
Replenish commodities.
Choose any number of other players. Those players use the secondary ability of this strategy card without spending a command token.		Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to replenish your commodities.
6WarfareRemove 1 of your command tokens from the game board; then, gain 1 command token.
Redistribute any number of the command tokens on your command sheet.		Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to use the PRODUCTION ability of 1 of your space docks in your home system (this token is not placed in your home system).
7TechnologyResearch 1 technology.
Spend 6 resources to research 1 technology.		Spend 1 token from your strategy pool and 4 resources to research 1 technology.
8ImperialImmediately score 1 public objective if you fulfill its requirements.
Gain 1 victory point if you control Mecatol Rex; otherwise, draw 1 secret objective.		Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to draw 1 secret objective.

Unit stats (unupgraded)

UnitCostCombatMoveCapacityAbilities
Fighter I1 (×2)9———
Infantry I1 (×2)8———
Destroyer I192—ANTI-FIGHTER BARRAGE 9 (×2)
Cruiser I272——
Carrier I3914—
Dreadnought I4511SUSTAIN DAMAGE, BOMBARDMENT 5
War Sun123 (×3)26SUSTAIN DAMAGE, BOMBARDMENT 3 (×3)
PDS I————SPACE CANNON 6, PLANETARY SHIELD
Space Dock I———3PRODUCTION +2