Brink — How to Play

Summary

Brink is an immersive worker placement game for 2–5 players set in the Moonrakers universe, blending strategy, exploration, and diplomacy. Across three rounds, players deploy ships to explore hex tiles, gather resources, and upgrade vessels while managing faction power. Key mechanics include recruiting ambassadors, completing faction objectives, and manipulating council votes using influence and Rider cards. Strategic trading, careful resource management, and clever use of upgrades are crucial for earning Prestige points. The game features dynamic interactions, unique abilities from factions, and special rules for two-player gameplay, culminating in a tense council vote and scoring phase to determine the ultimate winner.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Brink is a worker placement game for 2-5 players, set in the Moonrakers universe, where players compete for Prestige (victory points) over three rounds.
• 🛳 Players place three ships (small, medium, large) on the board each round, earning resources, actions, and faction power based on ship placement.
• 🎨 Each hex tile has a faction color that determines faction power, which is used to calculate Prestige during the council vote at the end of each round.
• 💎 Resources come in two types: Influence (used freely) and Favors (must be traded before your turn ends). Purple Cellia influence is wild and counts double in votes.
• 🃏 There are four main action types: Action cards, Ambassador recruitment, Rider cards, and Ship upgrades, each providing unique strategic benefits.
• 🤝 Trading is allowed for influence and favors between players, but trades are non-binding, and players can also convert resources to purple Cellia influence.
• 🏛 Faction objectives offer unique abilities and game-changing effects; completing them allows players to convert specific faction influence into Prestige at the end of the game.
• 🗳 The council vote determines which factions score Prestige each round; influence cubes are placed secretly and may be modified by Rider or action cards.
• ⚖ Scoring includes calculating Prestige from faction power, Ambassador sets, remaining influence, faction objectives, and additional end-game bonuses.
• 👥 In two-player games, Rival cards and a Rival bag introduce additional influence for council votes and can be manipulated through trading.
• 🔄 Revolts occur if the General Supply runs out of a required influence cube, forcing players to return half of their cubes of that color.
• 🏆 The winner is the player with the highest total Prestige, with tiebreakers determined by the number of faction objectives claimed and ambassadors hired.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the game Brink?

The main objective of Brink is to compete for Prestige (victory points) across three rounds by strategically placing ships, exploring sectors, and managing resources, while also participating in diplomatic negotiations and voting in the council phase.

How many players can play Brink, and what is the recommended number of players?

Brink is designed for 2 to 5 players, with different influence cube amounts based on the number of players. The game scales well with each player count.

What is the purpose of the council vote at the end of each round?

The council vote determines which two factions will score Prestige for the round. Players vote using their gathered influence, and the amount spent is secret until all players reveal their votes simultaneously. The vote can be manipulated by adding riders or using action cards.

What are the different types of actions available in the game?

There are four types of actions: Ambassador action, Rider action, Ship upgrade, and Action card. Each action can help you recruit ambassadors, manipulate votes, upgrade ships, or draw and discard action cards.

How does the faction power system work in Brink?

Faction power is used to determine how much Prestige you will earn in the council vote. Each hex tile represents a faction, and players gain power in factions by placing ships on these tiles. The more power you have in a faction, the more Prestige you earn when that faction wins the vote.

What is the role of ambassadors in Brink?

Ambassadors provide players with unique abilities and allow them to score additional Prestige at the end of the game. Players can recruit ambassadors by spending influence and faction power. The more diverse the ambassador set, the higher the Prestige score.

What are Rider cards, and how do they affect the game?

Rider cards allow players to manipulate the council vote in various ways by targeting specific factions. Players can use Rider cards to alter the outcome of the vote by adding a rider to the vote that changes the faction's score or influence.

What happens if a revolt is triggered in the game?

A revolt occurs when the supply of a specific influence color is depleted. All players, including the one who caused the revolt, must return half of their influence of that color to the general supply. Afterward, the active player can continue gathering the resources they were owed.

Can players trade influence and resources in Brink?

Yes, players can trade influence and favors during their turns. Influence is used to vote and acquire faction objectives, while favors must be traded before the player's turn ends. Trades may involve promises of future actions, but they are not binding.

How do faction objectives work, and how do they affect the game?

Faction objectives provide narrative-driven goals that players can complete to gain unique abilities and score additional Prestige at the end of the game. Completing faction objectives involves paying with faction power and influence, and each completed objective has a game-altering effect.