Sunrise on an unexplored planet. A cloud of metallic dust shimmers into the clear, orange sky as the ISV Jenny Haniver pivots and touches down beside a towering outcrop of dark grey rock. As the ship’s landing legs lock into place, solar panels begin to unfurl in the morning sun, recharging essential circuits for the long journey back to the Jovian core system.

Raising their gloved hands against the sun’s glare, the Pathfinder crew of the Haniver make their way down the landing ramp, out into the dust. The first of the group peers intently at a handheld device with a small, spinning wheel, while two others drag a heavy crate of supplies into the shade and detach its locking bolts. “Computational wheel scans indicate this area should be relatively rich in subsurface sudorite and deltarite,” says the lead Pathfinder over the open comms channel, “and despite the plant cover, these readings suggest that any life on the planet is statistically unlikely to—”

All visors suddenly tilt up at a sharp crack of sound and light from the rocks nearby. After a beat, they turn to a lower-ranking Pathfinder still standing at the airlock, who lowers their standard-issue stun pistol with an embarrassed shrug. “I thought I saw something.”

“That’s vertorite.” says the Pathfinder with the wheel, stepping up to the dark rock to run a gloved finger across the black smudge on its surface. “Looks like our weapons don’t affect it.” They tap a button on the wheeled device, and a purple square shimmers to grey.

Replace “Gambler” with “Pathfinder” and “Emperor” with “Computer”, throughout the ruleset.