The starting player takes the first turn, then players take turns in a clockwise order until a game-ending event.

Transcription

1 It is the year Earth has become inhospitable to life and humanity has spread throughout the universe in a quest to find a new home. Each surviving human colony will form exploration teams to different planets to gain advantages for their own group. These teams are not only in a race with each other. Meteors, which strike randomly, could destroy the planets. Will your teams discover the planets, set up colonies, and erect a meteor defense system in time? CONTENTS 1

2 SETUP 1. Place the 5 planet tracks in a horizontal row in numerical order, with the colored ( active ) side face-up. 2. Shuffle the alien cards and return some to the box without looking at them; return 10 cards for 2 players, 5 cards for 3 players, and 0 cards for 4 players. 3. Place the remaining alien cards in a deck above the tracks, flip the top 3 cards, and place them face-up in a row. 4. Choose the appropriate meteor card based on the number of players and place it face-up near the tracks. 5. Turn the 24 crystal tokens face-down, mix them, and place them off to the side. 6. Each player takes 10 victory points. 7. Put the remaining victory point tokens off to the side. 8. Players choose a color and take the matching space ship tokens (hereafter, ships ), technology card, and technology card marker. 9. Players place 1 ship on the space base at the bottom of each track. 10. Players place their technology card marker on the 0 space on their technology card. 11. Choose a starting player, who takes the 6 dice. 12. Moving clockwise from the starting player, each player moves the marker on his own technology card the following number of spaces: Starting player: 0 2nd player: 1 3rd player: 2 4th player: 3 2

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4 OVERVIEW The object is to score the most victory points (VPs) by advancing your ships toward planets, by collecting energy crystals, and by recruiting aliens. On a turn, a player rolls the dice multiple times and assigns them to planet tracks, alien cards, or one s technology card. Based on the dice assignments, a player may move up in 1 or more tracks, may recruit an alien, and/or may improve his technology. If a player s ship reaches a planet, players earn or lose VPs based upon their progress, or lack thereof, on that track. Also, meteors periodically strike planets and possibly destroy them before being reached. The game ends when all planets have been discovered or destroyed, when all aliens have been recruited, or when all energy crystals have been taken. Players then calculate their scores to determine the winner. The rules describe the game for 2-4 players first, followed by the rules for solo and cooperative play. PLAYING THE GAME The starting player takes the first turn, then players take turns in a clockwise order until a game-ending event. TAKING A TURN The player taking a turn is the current player and a turn consists of four steps: Step 1: Meteor Strike Step 2: Assign Dice Step 3: Perform Actions Step 4: Ending a Turn 4

5 Step 1: Meteor Strike The current player begins by rolling the dice. After a turn s first roll, the current player checks for a meteor strike: b Count how many planet tracks are active (i.e., colored side up) and check the meteor card for the strike value (i.e., the number after the two red dice). b If more than 1 planet track is active, add the numbers on the 2 red dice. b If the sum is greater than, or equal to, the strike value, then a meteor strikes the planet whose number matches the blue die s number. b If only 1 planet track is active, the meteor strikes the planet when the red dice match each other. Example Meteor Strike It is a 4-player game. 5 planets are active, so the strike value is 9. Lawrence rolls the dice and the red dice show a 6 and a 5 (total 11), which means a meteor strikes a planet. The blue die shows a 4, so it strikes planet 4. 5

6 The first time a meteor hits a planet, place a meteor token from the supply, with the side showing 1 meteor, on the planet. If the planet is struck a 2nd time, flip the token to show 2 meteors. With a 3rd strike, the planet is destroyed and the game is interrupted for scoring (See Interim Scoring, p. 14). After scoring, remove the ships and the meteor token and then flip the track over. The black and white side indicates that the planet track is inactive. Additional Rules for Meteor Strikes b If the red dice call for a meteor strike and the blue die shows 6 pips or matches an inactive planet, there is no strike. b Alien powers cannot be used to manipulate the dice to avoid or to cause a meteor strike (see Alien Cards, p. 16). Special Case: If a player s first roll results in 6 different numbered dice (i.e., a straight), the player draws 1 crystal token from the supply, which he may look at upon drawing, but keeps secret from others. 6

7 Step 2: Assign Dice The second step involves assigning and rerolling dice, according to these rules: b For each roll of the dice, including the first roll of a turn, the player must assign at least 1 die to 1 or more locations by placing the die (or dice) at those location(s). b There are 9 different locations: b 5 Planet Tracks b 3 Alien Cards b 1 Technology Card (of the player) b The current player assigns dice to the different locations in an effort to move up a track, recruit an alien, and/or advance on one s technology card, respectively. How to succeed in these is explained in Step 3. b Once a die is assigned, it cannot be moved until the turn is over. b After a player has assigned 1 or more dice, he rerolls the unassigned dice. b After each roll, the player must again assign at least 1 die to a location(s). b The player continues to assign and reroll dice until all the dice have been assigned. b The dice color is not relevant for assigning dice. 7

8 Step 2 Example Becca rolls the dice at the start of her turn, which show a 6, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1. She assigns the die showing 1 pip to the 1st planet track. And, she assigns one of the dice showing 4 pips to the first alien card. She rerolls the remaining four dice and they show She assigns the two 6 s to the third track. 8

9 Next, she rerolls the remaining two dice, which results in a 1-2. She assigns the die with 1 pip to the first track, adding it to the die already there. She rerolls the final, die and it shows a 5, which she assigns to the second alien card. She has now assigned all dice. 9

10 Step 3: Perform Actions After the current player assigns all dice, he performs actions based on the locations of the assigned dice: i. Planet Tracks ii. Alien Cards iii. Technology Card. i. Dice Assigned to Planet Tracks b Each planet track requires a particular assignment to advance one s ship. b For the 1st planet track, a player may move his ship up 1 space for every die showing exactly 1 pip assigned to the track. b For the 2nd planet track, a ship is moved up 1 space for every pair of matching dice assigned (i.e., 2 of a kind ). b For the 3rd planet track, a ship is moved 1 space for every 3 matching dice assigned (i.e., for 3 of a kind ). b Similarly, for the 4th and 5th planet tracks, a ship is moved up 1 space for 4 of a kind and 5 of a kind, respectively. Example 1: At the end of step 2, Becca has 2 dice showing 1 pip at the 1st planet track and a pair of 6 s at the 3rd track. So, she moves her ship up 2 spaces in the 1st track, but does not move on the 3rd track. Becca placed a pair of 6 s there, but she never rolled a third 6. If Becca had assigned the pair to the 2nd track, which requires a pair to move, she would have advanced on that track. But she took a chance and assigned the pair to the 3rd track. Once assigned, they could not be moved. 10

11 Example 2: Anthony assigned 4 dice showing 2 pips to the 4th track and 2 dice showing 1 pip to the 1st track. He moves up 1 space on the 4th track and 2 spaces on the 1st track. Additional Rules for Planet Tracks b As players move up tracks, ships may be stacked; the order does not matter. b A player may move up more than 1 space on a given track per turn. For example, 4 dice (either showing 2 different pairs or 4 of the same number) could be used to move up 2 spaces on the 2nd planet track. b Once a player reaches the planet at the top, he discovers the planet and the game is interrupted for scoring (see Interim Scoring, p. 14). ii. Dice Assigned to Alien Cards b Alien cards provide special powers during the game and VPs at game end. bthe center of an alien card shows an image of 1 or more dice. To recruit an alien, the player must have assigned the dice shown. The dice color does not matter. Example: Becca assigned a die showing 4 pips to this alien card. Because the die matches the image, she takes the alien card after all dice have been assigned. 11

12 Additional Rules for Recruiting Alien Cards b Players place recruited alien cards face-up in front of themselves for future use, though some alien powers must be used immediately (see Alien Cards, p. 16). b The current player may recruit up to 3 aliens per turn, but each must be of a different race. b A player may have a maximum of 5 face-up alien cards. If recruiting an alien leads to more than 5, the player discards cards down to 5. Point of Emphasis: Discarded cards are not scored at game end. b After an alien card is taken, a new card is drawn to take its place (unless the deck has been exhausted). b An alien can be recruited only after a player has assigned all dice. iii. Dice Assigned to Technology Cards The current player assigns dice to his own technology card by placing the dice next to the card. Players usually assign dice to the technology card as a last resort, when no better options are available. b For every die assigned to his technology card, regardless of its pips, the player moves his marker up 1 level. b A player may use his technology card to perform a special action at any point during his turn (see Technology Card Powers below). b After a player uses the special power, the marker is returned to 0. b A player is allowed to use any of the listed actions at or below the marker s level (e.g., he can use the level 2 action if his marker is at level 4). However, the marker still moves back to 0 if used in this way. 12

13 b If a player s marker reaches level 7, he must immediately use its power by recruiting 1 of the face-up alien cards or by taking the top card from the deck. The marker is then reset to 0. b If a dice assignment would hypothetically lead to a marker going past level 7, the player simply stops at level 7 and disregards the extra dice assigned to the technology card. b A player may use levels 3 and 5 at the end of his turn, before passing the dice to the next player. b Progress made on the track carries over from turn to turn; the marker is only set to 0 after the power is used. Step 4: Ending a Turn The current player ends his turn by checking for a game-ending event (see Game End ). If the game is not over, the current player passes the dice clockwise to the next player, who takes the next turn. Turns continue until a gameending event. 13

14 INTERIM SCORING The game is interrupted for scoring whenever a planet is discovered or destroyed. b On each track level, there is a Victory Point (VP) symbol. Players receive (or lose) the VPs shown based on the progress of their ships on the track. b Negative numbers refer to VPs that are lost. b VPs won are taken from the supply, while VPs lost are returned to the supply. b If a player loses VPs, he must immediately pay what is owed by returning VPs and/ or crystals to the supply. The number on a crystal token refers to its worth in VPs. b If a player does not have enough VPs to pay, he forfeits his next turn. If another planet is discovered/destroyed before his next turn, then he forfeits another turn. b After scoring a planet track, remove the ships and turn the track to its inactive side. Example: Blue reaches the top and discovers the planet. Blue scores 18 VPs. Yellow scores 6 VPs. Red Scores 3 VPs. Green loses 6 VPs. After scoring, the planet track is turned over to its inactive side. 14

15 GAME END The game ends immediately if: 1. All planets are discovered and/or destroyed, or 2.All alien cards have been taken, or 3.All crystal tokens have been taken. Once any of these are met, the current player s turn ends immediately. FINAL SCORING If the game ends because the final planet is discovered or destroyed, players first score the planet track. Otherwise, score any remaining planet track(s). All players may use their technology cards to claim crystal tokens, if possible. A player s final score is the sum of: b VPs earned b Alien card bonus b Value of crystals Alien Card Bonus A player earns VPs based upon sets of cards of different Alien Races recruited. A set containing: 1 Alien Race scores 1 VP 2 Different Alien Races scores 3 VPs 3 Different scores 6 VPs 4 Different scores 10 VPs 5 Different scores 15 VPs A player may collect points for multiple sets, but each alien card may be used in only 1 set. 15

16 Scoring Example Tie-Breakers In case of ties, the player with the higher total crystal value wins the tie. If still tied, the player with the most alien cards wins the tie. If still tied, players share their place. Special Case: If the final alien recruited is an Infodere, the current player can still use the card and draw crystals (See Infoderes, p. 18). ALIEN CARDS Alien cards allow players to perform special actions, usually before assigning dice after a given roll. UNDERSTANDING ALIEN CARDS 16

17 USING ALIEN CARDS b After each dice roll, the current player may use 1 or more alien powers before assigning dice. b Alien powers may not be used in step 1 to prevent or cause a meteor strike. b Some cards provide multiple uses, which may be used consecutively or not. Uses may also be spread over multiple turns. b For cards with multiple uses, the card is turned clockwise after each use so the number of remaining uses faces the player. b After its final use, turn the card face-down and keep it in the player s personal supply for end game scoring. b If the card does not show any number of uses, then it must be used immediately upon recruiting (e.g., any Infoderes card). b If a player has 5 face-up alien cards, he must discard an alien card before recruiting a new one, even if the new one has an immediate use power. ALIEN RACES AND THEIR POWERS There are 5 alien races, each of which has its own power: Tolenites, Chronoids, Gronturns, Infoderes, Monashians. TOLENITES Tolenites give you the power to change a die showing a specific number to any other number. Example: This card may be used to change a 3 to any other number. 17

18 CHRONOIDS Chronoids allow you to reroll the specified number of dice or fewer. Example: This card allows you to reroll up to 3 dice. It also can be used 2 times. GRONTURNS Gronturns allow you to adjust a specified number of dice up and/or down a certain number of pips. Example: This card allows you to adjust 2 dice up and/or down 1 pip. INFODERES Infoderes allow you to draw crystal tokens. Draw 1 token per axe immediately upon recruiting. Players may only look at their own tokens. Example: This card allows you to draw 2 crystal tokens. MONASHIANS Each Monashian provides a unique power. Example: This card allows you to turn an even numbered die to an odd number. 18

19 MONASHIAN POWERS VARIANTS For a different gaming experience with Cosmic Run, try one or more of the variants. b Start the game with 5 dice, leaving 1 white die in the supply. After 2 Planet Tracks become inactive, add the white die to the game and play as normal. b If you would like to try a game with more meteor strikes, lower the meteor strike value by 1. b Conversely, if you would like fewer strikes, raise it by 1. b When scoring, if a planet has been struck by 1 meteor, double the negative points on the track. If struck by 2 meteors, double the negative points and halve the positive (round down). 19

20 SOLO PLAY The game can be played by 1 player for a solitaire challenge. Play by the above rules, with the following changes: b To win, you must discover all the planets before any are destroyed. The game ends when 1 planet is destroyed or all are discovered. b Remove 15 alien cards during setup. b Take turns with 5 dice; put one of the white dice in the supply. b Before rolling for the first time on a turn, you may pay 5 VPs to protect a planet from a meteor strike by placing the VPs above the chosen track. You may protect more than 1 planet, but must pay for each. b The protection lasts for only 1 turn. b The meteor always strikes the planet (if any) that matches the blue die on the first roll of a turn. The red dice total does not matter. b When reaching a planet, you score the full amount if it has not been hit with a meteor. If 1 hit on the planet, divide VPs by 2. If 2 hits, divide by 3. Round down. b You may turn in sets of alien cards at any time to score VPs, even if the cards were not yet used, but you lose their powers. b Pay 2 VPs to use the extra die in the supply for a turn. 20

21 COOPERATIVE PLAY If you would like to play a cooperative game, in which all players work together to save humanity, then follow the rules for the regular game, but with these changes. b To win, all planets must be discovered and none of them destroyed. It does not matter which player(s) discovers which planets. b Set up the game as normal, except that players now use the cooperative meteor card. b During the game, all players still control their own ships, keep track of their own VPs, and recruit their own aliens, but players are encouraged to offer advice to each other. b At any time, any player may give another VPs, but must pay 1 VP to the supply for every 5 VPs given. One must give in multiples of 5. b At any time, any player may give an alien card to another player, but the giving player must pay 1 VP to the supply per card given. b At any time, any player may turn in a set of alien cards to score VPs (as determined by the normal set value). b When giving an alien card, the status of the card stays the same. For example, if the card has 2 uses remaining, the receiving player turns the card to show 2 uses. Or, if the alien card has already been used, the receiving player is not allowed to use its power, but may trade it in for VPs. b When 5 planets are active, the meteor strikes when the red dice total is equal to or greater than the strike value (see meteor card). b After 1 planet is discovered, the meteor always strikes the planet (if any) that matches the blue die on the first roll of a turn. 21

22 b Before rolling for the first time on a turn, the current player may pay 5 VPs to protect a planet from a meteor strike or 10 VPs to protect all planets. Protection lasts 1 turn. b When a planet is discovered, if the planet has no meteor strikes then score as usual. If 1 meteor has hit the planet, all the negative values are doubled. If the planet has 2 meteor strikes, all the positive values are halved (round down) and the negative values are doubled. b If any player owes VPs and does not have enough to pay, all players lose the game, unless others can give him the necessary amount of VPs and pay the supply as required. b The game ends when either all planets are discovered or 1 is destroyed. b After the final planet is discovered, any players that owe VPs must pay those VPs in order to win the game. b To make the game more difficult, lower the strike value by 1. To make the game easier, raise the strike value by 1. CREDITS Thanks to all the Kickstarter backers for making this game possible. Much thanks also to the playtesters: Becca, Seth, Michael, Yami, Mike, Chris, Mark, Daigo, Mike, Charles, Andre, Petey, Brown, Billy, Anthony. Thanks again to Filipe for his work on the rulebook and the promotional video. If I have inadvertently forgotten someone, I apologize Dr. Finn s Games 2015 Lawrence van der Merwe (Illustration) 22

23 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: If a player loses VPs during interim scoring, can he use crystal tokens to pay the required VPs? A: Yes. The numbers on the crystal tokens are the same as VPs. Q: May a player assign all the dice at the same time and not re-roll the dice even once? A: Yes. The only requirement is that a player must assign at least 1 die per roll, though alien cards may be used in between rolls to delay the requirement to assign a die. Q: One of the Monashian cards has the power to count 1 die as 2 dice of the same number; does this only work for a die with 1 pip? A: Yes. This Monashian card allows you to treat a die with 1 pip as if it were 2 dice with 1 pip. It does not work for any other number of pips. Q: May a player use an alien card multiple times on the same die? A: Yes. For example, a player with a Gronturn that allows a player to raise a die by 1 pip with 4 uses to change a 1 to a 5. Furthermore, a player may then use another alien card to manipulate the same die even more. Q: If the game ends by a final planet strike, is the current player allowed to assign any dice? A: No. The current player s turn ends in Step 1 and the game ends. The only action players may take in this case is to use their technology cards to claim crystal tokens, if they can. In the rare case that all players can claim tokens and there is not enough in the supply, players take turns in normal turn order starting with the current player. Q: Does the dice color matter for anything except determining meteor strikes? A: No. Dice color does not matter for recruiting aliens or assigning dice. It only matters for meteor strikes. Q: What s the meaning of life? A: Make a home rule for this one. 23

24 GAME SUMMARY Step 1: Meteor Strike b Roll dice and check red dice for meteor strike. b If meteor strikes, blue die shows planet. b Planet destroyed after 3 strikes. b If a straight on first roll, draw crystal token. Step 2: Assign Dice b Must assign at least 1 die per roll. b Roll until all dice are assigned. Step 3: Perform Actions b Move up tracks, take alien cards, and/or moe up technology card as required by dice. b May not recruit 2 or more cards of same alien race on a turn. Step 4: Ending a Turn b Check for game end: all planets destroyed/ discovered; all Aliens recruited; or, all Crystal Tokens taken. b Pass dice to next player, if no game end. INTERIM SCORING b Score if a planet is discovered/destroyed. b Lose your turn if you cannot pay lost VPs. GAME END b Score remaining track(s), as usual. b Take crystal tokens, if any, for tehnology card. b Sum total of alien card bonus, crystal tokens, and VPs acquired from track scoring. 24