Official rule text
6 SETUP To set up a game of Twilight Imperium with the Thunder’s Edge expansion, follow the Complete Setup rules found in the rules reference with the following additions: ✦STEP 1—DETERMINE SPEAKER: After the speaker has been determined, the players may, as a group, optionally choose or draw at random a galactic event card to put into play. Some galactic events may further modify setup. Advanced player groups are free to play with more than one galactic event, should they desire. ✦STEP 3—GATHER FACTION COMPONENTS: In addition to their faction components from the base game and other expansions, each player takes their faction’s breakthrough card. The factions listed below take additional components: ✧The Embers of Muaat: 1 Avernus Token ✧The Nekro Virus: 7 Assimilator Z Tokens, 3 Helios Tokens, and 3 Helios Cards ✧The Empyrean: 2 Void Tether Tokens ✧The Crimson Rebellion: 1 Sever and 7 Breach Tokens ✧The Deepwrought Scholarate: 5 Ocean Cards ✧The Firmament: 5 Plot Cards, all Obsidian Components ✧Last Bastion: 8 Galvanize Tokens, 3 Helios Tokens, and 3 Helios Cards ✦STEP 4—CHOOSE COLOR: Players that wish to use the color-based command tokens and control tokens from the Twilight’s Fall game mode may choose to do so rather than the standard faction-specific command tokens and control