A Message From the Stars
A Message From the Stars Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Info
- Players: 2-8+
- Playtime: 45 minutes
- Age: 11+
Components
- A. 1 Cipher Screen
- B. 4 Player Consoles
- C. 4 Note Sheets
- D. 26 Letter Cards
- E. 12 Scientist Message Cards
- F. 12 Alien Message Cards
- G. 6 Scientist Transmission Cards
- H. 6 Alien Transmission Cards
- I. 6 Dry Erase Markers
- J. 1 Die
- K. 2 Message Card Stands
Co-op or Teams
The game can be played cooperatively (with 1 Alien and any number of Scientists) or team vs team (with 2 teams who each have 1 Alien and 1 or more Scientists). This rulebook focuses on cooperative play, with changes for teams below. Co-op is recommended for 4 or fewer players.
Setup
- Choose 1 player to be the Alien. Everyone else is a Scientist. The Scientists together take a console, note sheet, dry erase marker, and card stand. The Alien takes the same components, plus the cipher screen and letter deck. Place the stack of transmission cards within easy reach of everyone.
- Shuffle and deal 1 Alien message card to the Alien and 1 Scientist message card to the Scientists. Each side places their message in a card stand, so only they can see it.
- The Alien secretly rolls the die 3 times to select 1 word from each column on their message card. The Scientists do likewise. You must keep your 3 numbers secret from the other side. You can write them down somewhere if you need to remember them, but keep them hidden.
Objective
You've made contact with an Alien from deep space! To understand each other, your team of Scientists will each have to decipher the Alien's 3 secret words, and the Alien will have to guess yours as well. Score points based on how many words each side can guess, and how many letters of the Alien cipher the Scientists can figure out.
The Cipher
Before starting, the Alien must create the cipher that encodes their message.
As the Alien, shuffle the letter cards and begin drawing them behind your screen. Whenever you draw a green, black, or red letter, place it in the next matching slot in your cipher, going left to right. If all matching slots are full, instead discard the letter to the bottom of the deck and draw again. Continue until all 6 slots are filled.
IMPORTANT: Your cipher can have a max of 1 red letter. Discard any red letters you draw after the first.
Your trust letters must include 1 green (common) and 2 black (uncommon) or red (tough).
Your amplify letters must include 1 green and 1 black or red.
Your suspicion letter can be any color.
Example cipher: Trust: E, P, H — Amplify: R, X — Suspicion: O
Transmissions
The game is made up of 4 rounds. Each round, the Alien and Scientists alternate making transmissions:
Step 1: The Alien writes a word on a transmission card along with its cipher score, then passes it to the Scientists. The Scientists discuss the word and write down any deductions on their note sheet or consoles.
Step 2: The Scientists write a word on another transmission card and pass it back to the Alien. The Alien writes the cipher score on the card and gives it back.
A transmission can be any English word except the words on your side's message card (or any words that contain or derive from them). This includes all words on your message card, not just the ones you rolled.
You should try to give words that are related to your message to help the other side guess what you're trying to say! For example, if one of your words is "elephants," you could make transmissions like "pachyderm" or "Dumbo."
Cipher Scores
To determine a word's cipher score, start by adding 1 for each trust letter in the word.
Next, multiply by 2 for each amplify letter in the word.
Last, if the suspicion letter is in the word (any number of times), make the score negative. Note: the negative of 0 is 0.
Example (Trust: E, P, H — Amplify: R, X — Suspicion: O):
- CHOPPER — Trust: 4 → Amplify: 4 x 2 = 8 → Final score: -8
- HORCRUXES — Trust: 2 → Amplify: 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16 → Final score: -16
- BORAX — Trust: 0 → Amplify: 0 x 2 x 2 = 0 → Final score: 0
Final Guess
After the Alien and the Scientists have each made 4 transmissions, it is time to guess the messages and cipher. Each correctly guessed message word and cipher letter is worth 1 point. A perfect score is 12 points!
First, the Scientists reveal their message card, and the Alien tries to guess the 3 words in their message. They must guess all 3 words before the Scientists reveal if they're correct.
Next, the Alien reveals their message card, and the Scientists try to guess their 3 words. Again, they must guess all 3 before answers are revealed.
Last, the Scientists try to guess the trust, amplify, and suspicion letters. Once they've written down guesses for all 6 letters, the Alien reveals their screen.
Tips & Reminders
- If a word has a score of 0, you can rule out every letter from trust. (Example: COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY — Value: 0)
- If a word has an odd score, you can rule out every letter from amplify. (Example: CORNUCOPIA — Value: 3)
- If a word has a negative score, one of those letters must be the suspicion letter. (Example: CALCULATOR — Value: -8)
- If a word has a score of 6, then it must have either 3 trust letters and 1 amplify letter, or 6 trust letters. Here, 6 trust letters can be ruled out, because they would need to be N and O (both common letters). (Example: NONCONFORMIST — Value: 6)
- There can only be 1 red letter in the cipher! If you have identified it, you can eliminate all other red letters. Use your console to see which letters are red.
Team vs. Team
Playing in teams requires at least 4 players. Split up into 2 teams with 1 Alien and 1 or more Scientists on each team. Each Alien and each team of Scientists get their own secret message card, but both Aliens use the same cipher to score transmissions. Each round, do the following:
Step 1: Each Alien writes a word and its cipher score on a transmission card. Both Aliens reveal their transmission to everyone.
Step 2: Each team of Scientists writes a word on a transmission card and secretly shows it to their Alien. The Alien secretly writes the cipher score on the card, then passes it back to their Scientists (not showing it to the other team).
The game lasts for only 3 rounds. In each step of the final guess, each team secretly writes down their guesses at the same time, then reveals and scores them. The team with the higher score wins!
Throughout the game, the Aliens must keep their transmissions public, but each team of Scientists may keep their transmissions secret from the other team. Each Alien and each team of Scientists should also keep their message cards, notes, and consoles secret from the other team.
Hard Mode
For a harder cooperative game, play only 3 rounds. For a harder team game, have each Alien give secret transmissions to their Scientists.
Console Reference
Each player console lists the cipher effects for quick reference:
- TRUST +1: +1 for each present. 1 common (green), 2 uncommon/tough (black/red).
- AMPLIFY x2: x2 for each present. 1 common (green), 1 uncommon/tough (black/red).
- SUSPICION (-): Negative if present. 1 random letter.
Remember, there's a maximum of 1 tough (red) letter in all 3.
An optional companion app is available: the Alien can enter their cipher and type in a word, and the app will calculate the cipher score for them. (See the QR code on the console insert or visit the publisher's site.)
Credits
- Design: Clarence Simpson
- Illustration: Léonard Dupond
- Graphic Design: Matt Paquette Co, Anca Gavril
- Development: Joe Wiggins, John Brieger, Michael Dunsmore, and Velgus
- 3D Artist: Filip Gavril