
- BGG rank
- BGG #30,932
- BGG rating
- 3.7
Genegrafter
- 2–4 players
- 10 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2012

Rules assistance for TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium is an expansion for TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition released in 2017 for 1–4 players, 45–150 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Kristopher R. Kycia and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Dice Rolling.
Description from the publisher: A "core" set expansion that is designed to primarily alter the turn order of the game. Tired of going around in circles?! This expansion features Premium Role cards that change the turn order. How it works? At the beginning of each round, players secretly choose a Premium Role card. That will be the role they are using on their next turn. Players then simultaneously reveal their role and the order is determined from Highest to Lowest ensuring that the game rounds are always different. In addition to the Premium Role cards, also included are two (2) expansion Scenarios: Rise of the Monarch and Battle Front. As per the original one (1) Player Game Sets, the Rise of the Monarch scenario is back! This scenario brings back the days of early Renaissance and exploration of the Galaxy. In this scenario, players race to be the first player to earn the right to be the Monarch Supreme of the galaxy. The newer addition to the expansion is the Battle Front scenario. This scenario's goal is to accelerate and shorten the time spent playing the Spacewars scenario. It can be played as a scenario itself OR as another expansion played together with any of the current multiplayer scenarios (Tradewars, Spacewars or Rise of the Monarch). In this scenario, players race to obtain "retrofits" for their starships which will give them bonus effects to alter the way space skirmishes are resolved. There are a total of six (6) different "retrofits" available to each player. Much like the Days of Glory scenario, the retrofits are unlocked as a player earns more credits. Also as one of the game's Stretch Goals, we've added a Co-op scenario called United Garrison in which up to four (4) players can combat a Derelict starship that is hell bent on destroying all the player's Homeworlds. This expansion is comprised of 96 cards for 1 to 4 Players. It can add from 15-30 minutes of additional game time to the "core" game.
TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium is 45–150 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium belongs to these categories: Economic, Dice, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Trading, and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium are: Kristopher R. Kycia. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists TradeWorlds: Roles Compendium as an expansion for TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition to use it. Check that your edition of TradeWorlds: Exterra Edition is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.