All abilities appear in the rules text. There are numerous different card abilities; many of them are unique and available to only one card. There are three categories: pending abilities, executed abilities, and continuous abilities.
Pending abilities start with ‘when’ or ‘at’. It means that when the required circumstances arise, the ability is played on the pile.
Executed abilities are played by you, as many times as you want. They all have a colon ‘:’ in their text. The price is stated first, then the colon, and then the ability’s effect.
Continuous abilities are constantly in effect, for as long as they are in play.
Some ship’s abilities start with a bold word followed by a number and a description of the ability. This means that if the number is changed by some other card, all the numbers in the description change accordingly.
Command abilities, such as patrol and mining, only apply when that command has been activated. These abilities are treated just like any other abilities.
Controller v.s. Owner
It is important to clarify the difference between the use of the words ‘controller’ and ‘owner’.
You are always the owner of all the cards in your deck, whether they have been played or not. Nothing in the game requires you to relinquish ownership of your cards, but cards in play can often switch controllers!
This normally happens when a player loses control over an outer region as well as the locations that have been played there. He may own all locations along with the outer region, but when he loses control of it, the benefits they gave him are transferred to the region’s new controller.
If a player warps a ship into an outer region already controlled by another player, the control of that region does not shift until all defending ships have been eliminated.
"You"
The words ‘you’ and ‘your’ on all cards always refers to its controller. For example, if you have just played an outer region that says “Draw an extra card during your draw phase”, this does not apply to you until you have taken control of the region by warping a ship into it.
Player Initiative
The active player has initiative and takes the first action during each phase, including playing a card, using an ability, upgrading a starbase, etc. When a player has used his initiative, it passes on to the next player who might, for example, want to play a news card or an ability during that phase. The initiative passes on at the end of each phase and each step, so everyone has a chance to play a news card or an ability.
