Stealers and Blips
Deployment
During their reinforcement phase, Stealer forces enter the board at entrypoints like this:
Usually, the Stealer player can deploy Blips at any entrypoint that
doesn't already have 3 Blips lurking. The info at the top left of the
screen can be toggled between secret ('*?*') and not secret by the
Stealer player.
If there is a Marine within 6 squares of the entry point's entry square, then newly deployed Blips and Stealers must lurk for a whole turn before entering the board.
Blips
Movement
Blips represent groups of Stealers which the Marines cannot see. They have a value of
between 1 and 3 Stealers. They look like this most of the time:
However, the Stealer player can reveal to himself what values his Blips have:
Blips have 6 APs. They have no facing, and can not turn. They move in any direction for 1 AP:
However, blips may not move into the line
of sight of a Marine, nor adjacent to a Marine.
Blips can open or close doors in adjacent squares for 1 AP.
Because of the restrictions on their movement, Blips never get into close combat with Marines and are never shot by them.
Conversion
To get Stealers on the board a Blip must convert. This means removing the Blip from play and replacing it with 1-3 Stealers on the nearby squares. If a Blip has not moved in the current turn, it can convert voluntarily. If a Marine catches sight of a Blip, it is immediately converted involuntarily.
Voluntary conversion looks like this:
The Stealer on the right has been placed where the converting Blip was. There are one or more Stealers remaining
to be placed in the adjacent squares, after the Stealer player has chosen a facing for the new Stealer.
The Stealer player decides where the new Stealers will be placed.
When involuntary conversion occurs the process is the same, except that it is the Marine player who decides where to place the new Stealers. (The Stealer player still chooses the facing of new Stealers.)
Blips may be converted while still lurking. In this case if the Blip was forced to lurk that turn, so are the new Stealers.
Stealers
Movement
Stealers have 6 APs. This diagram shows how many APs it costs for them to move in a
given direction:
Stealers can turn 90° for free or 180° for 1 AP. (Two 90° turns in a row
still cost 1 AP.)
Stealers can use doors in their front three squares for 1 AP.
Attacking
Stealers can attack in close combat for 1 AP. They roll 3 dice. If the target is a door, one or more dice must be a 6 to win the combat.