The rules displayed in game (v. 1.0.0-pre-alpha) currently follow these main general ideas:
1. Trick Taking: The main actual gameplay centers around trick taking. The result of each trick affects the board state in some way. Currently that is the winner choosing a System Action.
2. "Max Freedoms": Start by giving players the most amount of freedom. For example: the winner can choose either system action, with Orbit the player can rotate a ring any number of times, with Transit any number of ships can move any distance as long as the planets are aligned, there is not a set order of operations so the player could Transit then Claim or vice versa. The idea is to start this way and then try testing certain limitations to figure out what feels best.
3. Difficulty Progression: There are countless fun and interesting ways to make this more difficult and complicated, but I want to prioritize making sure the core gameplay is fun before exploring all those possibilities too quickly. My current idea for difficulty progression is to have 10 missions per System that grow in complexity and then having each new System introduce some new wrinkle or mechanic as well as a different configuration of rings and planets.
As I have begun play-testing this myself, there are numerous questions that have come up and decisions to be made at every stage, which to me is half the fun of this process. I wanted this to be a space where it is possible to discuss some of those questions and document thoughts from different play-testing groups to try and stay on the same page as much as possible. Enjoy!