Description

Science officers brought back a strange alien fungus from a survey mission to an asteroid. Following the usual protocols, the fungus was placed in quarantine, but its explosive growth when exposed to the warmth of the ship caused it to break out of its containment area, shattering the glass and releasing spores into the ventilation shafts.

Now, the alien fungus, dubbed the "Phage" by the ship's scientists, is infecting the crew, turning them into lurching, zombie-like horrors that are taking over the ship! The central power grid has failed, and half the crew are either infected or still in cryosleep.

As captain, it's your job to make the life-and-death decisions. You need to get as many crew members off the ship as possible, but you cannot allow the Phage to escape. You'll have to wake the remaining crew members from cryosleep, power up the lifeboat hangar, keep the oxygen flowing, and initiate the self-destruct sequence. Consult your science officers to gain insights into how the Phage works. Send your engineers to jury-rig mechanisms to keep the Phage at bay. Task your operations personnel with keeping the oxygen flowing and the power online. Order your security officers to cover the retreat of your crew. How many can you save from humanity's first encounter with the Phage?

In this strategic solitaire game, you play cards that represent your crew members to different areas of the ship. The game also plays "Phage" cards representing the ever-advancing influence of the alien fungus to the same areas. Using a simple trick-taking mechanic, you quickly determine whether the humans successfully achieve their goals (such as powering up the Bio Lab or restoring the oxygen supply by repairing the oxygen scrubbers), or whether the Phage have killed off the humans attempting to do so.

Each "station" on the ship provides different winning and losing effects, and managing these effects in the face of the onslaught of the Phage is the key to rescuing crew members from the ship. You win by activating the self-destruct sequence and destroying all of the Phage. You lose if the Phage escapes the ship. Your score at the end of the game is how many of your crew members escape.