Introducing the Engine

Engine Rules are a revisioning and reordering of the published Babylon 5 rules. They attempt to fix problems with the published rules by rebuilding their "grammar". The intent is to rebuild the rules in a manner that, to the player, the changes seem fairly minor. By rebuilding the grammar, it becomes possible to properly integrate the "dream card" sets I have worked on.

• Full Rules HTML (external link) - PDF of full rules Version 1.2 (Jan 2005)
• PDF of rules changes
• Errata

Brief Summary of changes for Tournament Play

For tournaments that are run under “Engine rules”.

Errata to Published Cards and bans

Trent, Full Mobilization and Eyes and Ears have errata. All other errata to published cards are as in the published rules. No published cards are banned.

Power Cap

No card can count more than +5 Power except for Major Agendas and Drakh Agendas which can count up to +10 Power. (This only affects cards which count power (E.g. Support of the Mighty), not cards which gain power such as Eyes and Ears or Collaboration.

Shadow War

If the Shadow War starts you do not have to win a major victory anymore. Instead each Shadow Tainted faction declares war against each Vorlon Tainted faction.

Babylon 5 Votes

If you are not playing a Babylon 5 Faction (e.g. you’re playing Psi Corps) you can still cast your race’s vote if your race’s Babylon 5 faction is not in play.

Tainted

This is a term referring to the elder races. A card is tainted if it is either Shadow Tainted or Vorlon Tainted. A faction is tainted if there is a tainted card in the faction

• A card is Shadow Tainted if: it is loyal to the Shadows or the Drakh, if it is a card with a Shadow Mark or is a non-character card which provides, pictures or requires a Shadow Mark.
• A card is Vorlon Tainted if: it is loyal to the Vorlons, is a ranger, if it is a card with a Vorlon Mark or is a non-character card which provides, pictures or requires a Vorlon Mark.

Mercenaries.

Forget all the old rules about bidding on mercenaries and having them act at the end of the action round. The person who sponsors a mercenary has control of it. However: any player may pay the mercenary’s printed influence cost to take control of it for the rest of the turn.

Dual Faction Games.

There won’t be any in tournaments, but for your info, discard all the old rules about them. Basically each faction has its own tension levels and unrest. If a card targets a race and there is more than one faction of that race, then choose one faction of that race to be targeted.

Corporate Faction

This is a new type of faction. A corporate faction starts play with a corporate character as their ambassador. Corporate Factions can sponsor, play and promote corporate cards of any race at normal cost but must apply 3 influence as an additional requirement to sponsor, play or promote non-corporate cards of their race. Corporate Factions are allergic to non-corporate agendas of their race. There are no other rules. If you are not a corporate faction you can still play corporate cards as normal but cannot play any cards which state corporate only.

Allergic

A new term for an old rule. Note that Shadow Tainted and Vorlon Tainted cards and marks are allergic to each other.

• You cannot play, face-up or face down, any card that is allergic to your faction as a whole or allergic to anything in your faction. Nor can you reveal such a card.
• No card can join your faction if that card is allergic to a card in your faction as a whole or allergic to anything in your faction.
• You cannot gain a mark that is allergic your faction as a whole or to anything in your faction.