How to Play Eclipse: Second Dawn in 25 Minutes

Learn how to play Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy in just 25 minutes (there's a bit of silliness at the front and back)

0:00 - Intro
1:30 - Basics
2:14 - Set Up
4:48 - Actions basics
5:16 - Explore
7:41 - Research
9:32 - Upgrade
10:47 - Build
11:36 - Move
13:00 - Influence
14:08 - Passing/Reactions
14:55 - Diplomacy
16:52 - Combat
21:18 - Reputation
22:15 - After-Battle Stuff
23:10 - Upkeep
25:33 - Cleanup
25:49 - Endgame Scoring
26:22 - Outro

Corrections:
You can only explore from a sector you control or have at least one ship.

I mention that you can remove upgrades, but to be clear, you only remove them during the upgrade action, and you can remove as many as you like before adding new ones.

When returning population cubes, you actually can fill the last space in a track. It's when the track is completely full that you need to place it somewhere else.

There's a Cleanup step I missed, which is to return population cubes from the graveyards to their respective production tracks.

At the end of the Cleanup section I say that if it's the 8th round "you don't need to do any of that other stuff." I'm specifically referring to the Cleanup phase admin. You do still need to do the Upkeep before it.

#tutorial #boardgames #RTFM #rtfmshow

[RTFM]

Thanks for watching! Did you notice something I got wrong or missed? Comment here and add a timestamp so I can fix it in the subtitles.

[qayed]

What we are missing on YouTube is a channel dedicated for the heavy or super heavy games. So far, you are the only one I can think of. And you are doing an amazing job at explaining the games. More heavy games please xD

[Nikosmk]

Best intro ever. I paused the video at 0.20 just to press subscribe.

[theboardgameguy]

Dude you are the best board game teacher on YouTube. Rodney is great but your reviews have heart and it is clear you have a connection with the games you teach. Thanks a lot for your work! =)

[vorondesan]

This is the best channel to learn complex rules quick, thank you!

[seancherry]

Great vid! After first playthrough, here are the rules my group missed after watching this video:
- During setup, resource icons on your player sheet show how many resources you start with. To determine your income, place cubes on the associated planets in your home system.
- You can perform each action more than once.
- You can only perform each 'Reaction' action once.
- Upkeep phase; gain credits from your gold planets. Then pay for your credits as shown on influence track. If you don't have enough, supplement the difference by Trading or Abandon sectors. Then gain your pink and brown resources equal to their tracks.

- The capacity of the upgrade tray doesn't limit how many you can have out. If there's too many upgrades of a type to fit in their row, simply put them in a different row.

[TheGerogero]

24:21 In our group "tactical bankruptcy" would happen fairly often: after a round of rapid expansion, returning influence discs from unproductive sectors was anticipated to reduce costs to a manageable level.

[mylor]

I used this again at the weekend, very good, very clear, very concise.

Great work.

[ShinakoX]

Regarding the Influence action, you can place an influence disc in a sector if it has no enemies and 1) you have a ship in that sector or 2) it is connected to a sector you already control or 3) it is connected to a sector *you have a ship in*. The video covered the first two, but the reason the third option matters is because you can move into an enemy sector and get your ship pinned, then influence to an adjacent empty sector for control, and then start building ships in that sector.

[StriderZessei]

I always liked the description of Eclipse being Diet TI.
It's not the giant Thanksgiving feast that you plan your day around, but sometimes you don't have time for that anyway.

[mikaoj]

Finally! Eclipse have been waiting on my shelf for you to release a how to play video :)

[brakstrongarm]

I am off to play this today. THanks for the great video

[oliviagabbay]

Saving my game nights for years. You've earned another Patreon subscriber, sorry it's taken so long!

[Tanks.With.Teeth.Malloy]

This was the first video of your I've watched (other than rhados channel) and I have to say you did an excellent job. Very funny... informative and quick. Also the memes and intro were too notch. I just got the game yesterday and am so excited to try and play it.

[christophermoore]

You're really good at this. Thanks again.

[dan]

Yeah, when I play TI with new players, I tell them to go watch your video first. It's really helpful. I get, where the association comes from.

[AbuIsmil]

Hilarious intro :D. I own both, they scratch different itches. TI is more diplomatical big strategy. Eclipse is more of a tactical chess imho.

[addisonrees]

Eclipse and twilight imperium are the best games ever! Thanks for the simple videos

[fuzybear]

I play this game maybe once a year and every time I come back to you.

[MinistryProductions]

You always seem to perfectly cover a video for a game I have and that's lacking on YouTube. Not sure what that suggests, but I'm glad it's the case! Thanks as always for a great video 🤠👍🏻