Alien
Alien Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Alien is a game for 2 to 8 players. The game contains a deck of 70 cards, divided into the following types:
- CLUE (PISTA) cards: each card shows two aliens with their corresponding numbers.
- CAPTURED (CAPTURADO) cards: one card for each alien, numbered 0 to 9.
- BOUNTY HUNTER (CAZARRECOMPENSAS) cards: there are three types.
Objective of the Game
Be the first player to capture 4 aliens. Each time you capture an alien, place it in front of you, in your prison (cárcel). If you capture 4 aliens, you win the game!
Setup
Shuffle the deck of cards and deal 5 cards to each player. Place the deck face down on the table. Turn over the first card and place it in the center of the table to start the game.
NOTE: If the card turned over is a BOUNTY HUNTER card or a CAPTURED card, put it back into the deck and draw another.
Turn Structure
Play proceeds in turns. On your turn, decide between:
-
PLAY as many cards as you want from your hand. When you finish playing, draw cards from the deck as needed to have 5 cards in your hand. Then pass the turn to the player on your left.
— or —
-
PASS, if you do not want to, or cannot, play any card. Instead, draw one card from the deck.* Then pass the turn to the player on your left.
* If you arrive at your turn with fewer than 5 cards, draw as many cards as needed to have 5 cards in your hand.
Game Mechanics
The game consists of playing, one at a time (one on top of the other), the CLUE cards from your hand that have at least one alien matching an alien on the card on the table, until you are able to capture an alien.
Example: Cards played in the first, second and third throws, showing how each played CLUE card matches the card on the table.
How to Capture Aliens
There are three different ways to capture aliens.
1. During your turn, you may use the CAPTURED cards in your hand when the alien on the card matches one of the two aliens on the card on the table. At that moment, congratulations! You have captured it, and you place it in front of you, in your prison.
After an alien is captured, play continues with the card on the table.
2. If, during your turn, you manage to play all the cards in your hand and are left with none, you may take an alien from the prison of any player you choose and place it directly in your own prison. (You cannot take an alien if you arrive at your turn with three or fewer cards in your hand.)
3. At any moment, even when it is not your turn, when the sum or the difference of the two numbers on the card on the table matches the number of a CAPTURED card in your hand, you must put your hand on the pile of cards and shout CAPTURED! At that moment, every other player must stop and place their hand quickly on top of yours. Take one card from the hand of the player who was last to put their hand down and place it in yours. Do not forget to place the captured alien in your prison. The player who was playing continues their turn.
Example, sum: On the table, the card shows the numbers 5 and 1. 5 + 1 = 6, and the player who puts their hand down first captures the alien numbered 6.
Example, difference: On the table, the card shows the numbers 8 and 7. 8 − 7 = 1, and the player who puts their hand down first captures the alien numbered 1.
If two players could capture an alien through the sum or the difference, only the first player to put their hand down may capture it.
If a player makes a mistake and puts their hand down when they should not, the player who is playing at that moment may take one card from that player's hand and place it in their own hand.
CAUTION: All players must keep both hands holding their cards.
Bounty Hunter Cards
These cards help you win. They can only be used during your turn, and they are discarded to a separate pile. Types:
- Type 1: Use this card to take one card from the hand of the player of your choice and place it in your hand.
- Type 2: Use this card to steal an alien from the prison of the player of your choice and place it in your hand. This alien must still be captured by you.
- Type 3: Use this card to steal an alien from the prison of the player of your choice and take it directly to your prison.
When the draw pile runs out, shuffle the played cards and the BOUNTY HUNTER cards together, and keep capturing!
Joker
The alien numbered 0, once captured, cannot be stolen by any player.
Note on the joker: The number on the joker is printed as a symbol in the leaflet's digit font; it reads as 0, matching the numbering of the CAPTURED cards (0 to 9). Please verify against a physical card if available.
Variant
Players who do not yet know how to add and subtract may capture aliens using only the first and second ways of capturing (matching and taking when out of cards), plus the BOUNTY HUNTER cards.
Source Notes
- The leaflet's CLUE-card and CAPTURED-card examples and the three-throw example in Game Mechanics are diagrams with no printed text; they are described rather than reproduced.
- The leaflet's introductory year is printed as a custom-font numeral; it is rendered here as 2033 and should be verified if this matters for citation.