Gaia Project: The Lost Fleet – What the Expansion Adds

Quick answer

Add The Lost Fleet by swapping in the expansion's map layout, placing the new edge sector tiles and lost fleet ships before faction selection, then introducing the four new factions and their planet types. Do this in order so the board is complete before anyone chooses a faction.

How to add The Lost Fleet to Gaia Project, step by step

1. Build the expansion map first: Lay out the new map layout with its holes for lost fleet ships and new planet types before placing anything else. Common mistake: building the base map from memory and then trying to fit the expansion holes afterward. Check that every hole in the layout is accounted for before moving on.
2. Place the edge sector tiles: Add the new smaller sector tiles around the edge of the map as the layout indicates. Common mistake: mixing edge sectors into the main map area, which crowds the center and blocks ship placement. Confirm edge sectors sit on the perimeter, not in the interior.
3. Position the lost fleet ships: Place the lost fleet ships in their designated holes on the new map. Common mistake: leaving ships in the box because the board looks full; those ships are what unlock the new action spaces and technologies. Every lost fleet ship should be on the board before faction selection.
4. Set out the new planet types: Make sure proto planets and asteroids are represented on the board as the layout requires. Common mistake: treating them as ordinary planets and forgetting they are distinct types tied to the new factions. Verify both new planet types appear before anyone picks a faction.
5. Offer the four new factions: Add Darkanians, Mowyed, Space Giants, and Tinkeroids to the faction choices alongside the base factions. Common mistake: dealing factions before the board is complete, which can strand a faction with no reachable planet type. Faction choice is the last setup step, not the first.
6. Run a first-round rules check: Before play begins, confirm everyone knows that lost fleet ships open new action spaces and technologies on the new board. Common mistake: assuming the expansion only adds factions and missing the ship-based actions entirely. Point out the ship-linked actions aloud so no one overlooks them in round one.

Product facts

• Gaia Project: The Lost Fleet: The expansion adds four factions: Darkanians, Mowyed, Space Giants, and Tinkeroids, with two new planet types: proto planets and asteroids. You can plan faction choices around the new planet types only after the board includes them, so place the map first.

  

• Gaia Project: The Lost Fleet: The new map layout features holes where lost fleet ships and some new planet types are placed, plus new smaller edge sector tiles. These holes and edge sectors are part of setup, not optional decoration, so skipping them leaves the board incomplete.
• Gaia Project: The Lost Fleet: Lost fleet ships allow access to new action spaces and technologies found on the new board. Placing the ships correctly during setup is what makes those actions available during play.