Apollo XIII Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Components
  • Earth, Moon and Spaceship tiles (3 pieces)
  • Apollo Tokens (45 tokens in total: 26 value 1, 14 value 2, 5 value 3)
  • Timer (30 second sand timer)
  • Status Cubes (15)
  • Summary Cards (5)
  • Mission Control (1)
  • Player Cards (65)
  • History Cards (72)
  • History Event Cards (7)
  • Event Boards (3 sets of 6 boards plus 1; 19 boards in total)
• Setting Up the Game
  • Mission Status
• Playing the Game
  • Phase 1 - Draw 1 History Card
    • Yellow Text
  • Phase 2 - Update Status
    • The Crisis Line and Mission Status
    • Tracking Event Status
    • Mission Failure
  • Phase 3 - Draw 1 Player Card
    • Mission Status Critical
  • Phase 4 - Take 1 Action
    • 1. Move One Status Cube One Space
    • 2. Play One Card
• Using the Timer
• Special History Cards
• Winning the Game
• Playing Tips
• Game Variants
  • Competitive Mode
  • Alternate Event Boards
• Card Clarifications
  • 1) "Avoid Damage" Player Card
  • 2) History Stage B1/B2 & G1/G2
  • 3) "Premonitions" Player Card
  • 4) Cards Cannot Be Combined
  • 5) Play cards in chronological order
• Spacecraft Technology
• Legend of Symbols

Goal of the Game

Apollo XIII tells the whole story of the mission through a card-driven system, which traces the story and features the disasters that plagued the mission. The players will need to manage these events if they hope to ensure the survival of the crew and return them to Earth safely.

Apollo XIII is a cooperative game. Your group must coordinate its actions or you will not finish the mission. But, there is also an optional "Competitive Mode" if you want an extra challenge!

Components

Earth, Moon and Spaceship tiles (3 pieces)

The Earth and Moon tiles represent the two end points of the spaceship's journey. You will place the Stage decks around these tiles, and each deck is representative of the actual position of the spaceship during the mission. The Spaceship tile is a reminder of which player is taking a turn. It will move to the left at the beginning of any new player's turn.

Apollo Tokens (45 tokens in total: 26 value 1, 14 value 2, 5 value 3)

A token is collected each time you move a Status Cube below its Crisis Line. The numbers have no effect in Cooperative Mode. Apollo Tokens in Competitive Mode can have values of 1, 2, or 3.

Timer (30 second sand timer)

You must use this when the Mission Status is in the orange or red levels. When the situation is the most dangerous, you'll have to think fast!

The timer lasts 30 seconds. When the Status Cube is on an orange space of the Mission Status track, you have two full timers worth of time (60 seconds). If it is on a red space, you only have one timer worth of time (30 seconds).

Status Cubes (15)

These are used on the status tracks of Mission Control (11) and the Event Boards (4).

Summary Cards (5)

Each player takes a Summary Card at the beginning of the game. These cards list the key phases and actions you can take during your turn.

Mission Control (1)

This board is used to track the status of the three astronauts, the rocket, NASA, the flight path, the energy level, and the overall Mission Status.

Player Cards (65)

These are the "positive" cards that players draw and play. Each card has a title, an original NASA archive photo or an illustration, and text that briefly describes the event or action taking place. A box on the card shows how the card affects the status of the spaceship and crew, and the letter in the upper left tells you when you can play that card. In some cases, in addition to the letter, you will also find a number. This indicates that this Player Card corresponds to a specific History Card.

Example: The event effect of "A Little Chatter" indicates that the Stress Status of the orange astronaut (James Lovell) and the red astronaut (Fred Haise) goes down 1 level each on the Mission Control board.

History Cards (72)

These are the "negative" cards, and they depict crucial moments during the mission. Each card has a title, an original NASA archive photo or an illustration, and text that briefly describes the action taking place. The letter on the card back shows which "Stage" of the mission the card belongs to (ranging from A to G). The effect box on the card indicates which status track is affected by the card.

Example: The event effect of "Fred Haise is Sick" indicates that the Health Status of the red astronaut (Fred Haise) must go up 2 levels on the Mission Control board.

The letter in the upper left shows which Stage the card belongs to. In some cases, in addition to the letter you will also find a number. This indicates that you can play a specific Player Card immediately after this History Card to get a special bonus.

Playing Hint: The History Cards and the Player Cards describe the events of the mission before any game rules (written in yellow) to help players imagine the feelings of this dramatic chapter in human history. We recommend that you read each card out loud when played to enhance the atmosphere of the game.

History Event Cards (7)

These special History Cards mark the major incidents that ultimately determined the fate of the mission. They trigger the end of each historical stage, and are always placed in the bottom half of the Stage deck. When a History Event Card is revealed, turn over the matching Event Board and apply the effects.

Event Boards (3 sets of 6 boards plus 1; 19 boards in total)

Each pivotal moment during the mission is represented in the game by an Event Board. Most Event Boards show a status track on the right side, which identifies the severity of the problem. When you reveal one of these events, place a Status Cube in the red box. If you can move the Status Cube all the way to the green box, you also move the Mission Status cube down 2 levels on the Mission Control board.

Example: The event effect on the "Event F" board indicates that the Stress Status of all the astronauts must go up 1 level on the Mission Control board. Also, the Team Status and Mission Status must go up 2 levels each.

Playing Hint: For your first game, we recommend that you use the "original" event set, represented by cards 150, 153, 156, 159, 162, 165, and 168.

Setting Up the Game

To set up the game, follow these steps.

1. Place the Earth, the Moon, and Mission Control as shown in the illustration.
2. Put Status Cubes on each Status Track of Mission Control, in the spaces marked. Set the extra Status Cube near Mission Control.
3. Turn the Event Boards (numbered 150, 153, 156, 159, 162, 165 and 168) face down and place them in alphabetical order from A to G as shown. (If you want to use the Alternate Event Boards, see "Game Variants".)
4. Find the History Event Cards (from the History Card deck) and set them aside for now.
5. Divide the History Cards by the letters on the back into seven Stage decks. Shuffle each deck separately.
6. Next, shuffle the matching History Event Cards (by letter) into the bottom half of each Stage deck. Place the decks around the Earth and Moon as shown in the illustration. The second half of B & G Stage decks is composed by all the B2 and G2 cards.
7. Shuffle the Player Card deck and place it within reach of the players.
8. Place the Apollo Tokens (face down) nearby.
9. Set the timer near the Apollo Tokens.
10. Give each player a Summary Card and deal the number of Player Cards listed for the number of players:
    • 2 players - 7 cards each
    • 3 players - 5 cards each
    • 4 players - 4 cards each
    • 5 players - 3 cards each
11. Choose who will take the first turn. That player takes the Player's Turn tile. The game is ready to begin!

(Layout illustration: Stage Decks A-G are placed around the Earth and Moon tiles, each with its own History Cards discard pile and its Event Board A-G; the Player Cards deck and Player Cards discard pile, Player Cards Storage (2X) and (3X), the Player's turn tile, Timer, Status Cubes, Apollo Tokens and Crisis Line are shown near Mission Control.)

When you set up the Mission Control board, place 11 Status Cubes on the Mission Control board, in the spaces marked with white squares in the picture. The other 4 Status Cubes are set to the side, and are used later for the Event boards.

Mission Status

During the game, you can raise the status on the Flight and Energy tracks by moving the Status Cubes to the right. Then, you can spend those points to reduce the effects of some History Cards (see "Special History Cards" on page 8).

Playing the Game

Players take turns, with play passing to the left. Your turn is divided into four phases, which must be played in order:

1. Draw 1 History Card
2. Update Status
3. Draw 1 Player Card
4. Take 1 Action (pass the Player's Turn tile to the next player)

Phase 1 - Draw 1 History Card

During this phase, the story of the mission continues to unfold. Turn over the top card from the current Stage deck, read the text out loud, and place it next to the deck. If you turn over an History Event Card, read the text and flip the matching Event Board so everyone can see it. Apply the effects of the Event Board immediately. If the Event Board shows a Status Track on the right edge, place a Status Cube on the top square (red).

Important: The History Card that is in play also determines which "Stage" the mission is in. So, when you draw an "A" History Card, you can play "A" Player Cards. When a "B" History Card is drawn, you cannot play "A" cards any longer.

Yellow Text

Some cards have text in yellow. These are special instructions that you must follow when that card enters in play. Sometimes, this text will tell you to insert the History Card back into the deck if a certain event has not occurred. If this happens, place the card below the next History Card in the same Stage deck, then draw a new History Card and apply its effects. If you draw 2 or more cards like this on the same turn, insert them all below the next History Card in the order they were drawn, then draw a new History Card.

Phase 2 - Update Status

Next, you must update the Status Tracks on Mission Control. The History Card or Event Boards you turned over in Phase 1 show which Status Cubes must be moved. Often, more than one Status Track will be affected, and you must move all of them as shown.

The Crisis Line and Mission Status

If a Status Cube moves past the Crisis Line of a Status Track, you must also adjust the Mission Status. This represents the overall condition of the entire mission.

If the Status Cube moves up past the Crisis Line, you must adjust the Mission Status up 1 space.

If the Status Cube moves down past the Crisis Line, adjust Mission Status down 1 space.

If a Status Cube is already at the highest space of the track (the last red space) and a card effect tells you to move it up again, you must instead move the Mission Status up 1 space.

Tracking Event Status

When an Event Board has a Status Track on the right edge, it represents a crisis that must be resolved. When one of these boards is turned over, a Status Cube is placed on the red space of its Status Track.

The players can use their actions to stabilize the situation, moving the Status Cube down on the Event board. If the cube reaches the green space, the crisis has been dealt with successfully! Lower the Status Cube on the Mission Status Track 2 spaces and remove the Event Board from the game.

It is possible that another Event Card will be drawn before the Status Cube reaches the green space. If this happens, do not discard the old Event Board - you must work on both of them now!

Mission Failure

If the Mission Status is in one of the last three monitors (showing the word "Failed") at the end of your turn, the mission has failed. The game ends immediately, and all players lose!

Note that Mission Failure can only occur at the end of a player's turn. It's okay if the Mission Status is on one of these monitors during your turn - as long as the condition is improved before the end of the turn.

Phase 3 - Draw 1 Player Card

Draw one card from the Player Card deck and add it to your hand.

Playing Hint: For your first few games, we recommend that you draw two cards each turn. Choose one card to keep and discard the other.

Mission Status Critical

If the Mission Status cube is on an orange or red monitor, the situation aboard the spaceship is critical. As soon as you draw a card, you must act quickly if you're going to save the crew from destruction. During your turn, you must use the timer (see page 7).

Phase 4 - Take 1 Action

Now you choose one action to take from the list below:

1. Move One Status Cube One Space

You may move any one Status Cube on Mission Control or any Event Board in play, except for Mission Status. Move the Status Cube one (and only one) space.

Normally, Status Cubes are moved down the track. But, if you move the Status Cube on the Energy or Flight track, move it to the right (to the next higher number - see "Special History cards" on page 8).

2. Play One Card

You may play a Player Card from your hand. Read the text aloud and follow the instructions on the card.

If a Player Card shows a letter, you may only play that card if the current History Card shows the same letter (i.e., you may only play an "A" card during Stage A).

If a Player Card shows a letter and a number (such as "A1"), it can only be played if the current History Card shows the same letter and number combination.

3. Place One Card

You may place a card from your hand next to Mission Control. You can only place a card to the left of the board if it has a letter that matches the current Stage. You can only place a card to the right if it does not match the current Stage or if it does not show a letter. Cards placed next to Mission Control are always placed face up.

If, after placing a card, there are now two cards to the left or three cards to the right of Mission Control, you must discard them to make two Status Cube moves (you cannot move the Mission Status cube in this way). You can move the same Status Cube two spaces, or move two cubes one space each.

Important: Cards placed next to Mission Control do not have a deadline! These cards can remain in place for many rounds, and can even be played during different Stages. For example, it is possible to place an "A" card to the left of Mission Control during Stage A and later place a "C" card there during Stage C to move the Status Cubes.

4. Draw One Player Card

Draw one card from the Player Cards deck.

Extra Action

After you complete your action, you may discard one Player Card from your hand to take a second action. The second action must be different than your first action for the turn.

Taking Actions Out of Turn

You can take an action during another player's turn. To do so, you must discard an Apollo Token (to the supply). Then, perform any of the actions in the list above.

Important: If you take an action during another player's turn that moves a Status Cube below the Crisis Line, you do not get to take an Apollo Token!

Very Important: Only two Apollo Tokens may be discarded in each turn. It doesn't matter if it is the same player or two different players that discard the Apollo Tokens out of turn.

Note: If the current player has to use the timer, other players who want to take actions out of turn must do so at the same time as the current player. You cannot stop the timer!

Draw Apollo Tokens

At the end of your Action Phase, draw one Apollo Token for each Status Cube that you moved down below the Crisis Line. These tokens must always be kept so the Apollo insignia is face up for the entire game. This is very important when playing Competitive Mode (see page 8).

Discard Excess Cards

Finally, at the end of your turn, you must discard down to your hand limit if you have too many cards. The hand limit is determined by the number of players:

• 2 Players - 10 Cards
• 3 Players - 8 Cards
• 4 Players - 6 Cards
• 5 Players - 5 Cards

Using the Timer

The Mission Status becomes critical if its Status Cube reaches one of the orange or red spaces. This means that the mission has reached a moment of danger and you must act quickly to prevent a disaster!

If the Mission Status is critical, you must use the timer during your turn. You must complete all of your actions before the timer runs out. Also, if any other players want to take an action during your turn, they must complete them before the timer runs out, too!

If the Status Cube is on an orange space, you have two timers worth of time (1 minute total - flip over the timer when it runs out the first time). If it is in a red space, you only have one timer worth of time (30 seconds).

Special History Cards

Some History Cards have the words "FLIGHT" or "ENERGY" in the effect box. When you draw one of these cards, you may reduce the negative effects by moving the Status Cube on the matching track down (to the left). Each space you move the Status Cube down reduces the effects of the card by one (you can reduce the effect to zero).

You may not use this ability if it would move the Status Cube below the starting value (marked on the tracks). You may use it again if the cubes are moved up the track again.

As explained above, there are also cards that have yellow text. These cards have special instructions that you must follow when the card enters play. Sometimes, this text will tell you to insert the History Card back into the deck if a certain condition has not occurred. If this happens, place it below the next History Card and draw a new one. If you draw two or more cards like this on the same turn, insert them below the next History card in the order they were drawn and draw a new History card.

Winning the Game

If you turn over Event Card G "The Crew Is Safe", the game ends immediately and the players win!

Playing Tips

To maintain the tension, we recommend that:

• Players can talk to each other, but may not openly declare which cards they have in hand. Instead, try to say how you can help the mission (such as giving more time, solving a problem, reducing bad luck, etc.).
• When the timer must be used, after drawing a History card and updating the status, only allow a short time for the player to draw a Player card. You will only have time to read the cards in hand quickly and exchange a few comments with your teammates, but nothing more.

Game Variants

Competitive Mode

When playing the Competitive Mode, players try to be the leader of the rescue effort. The game is played exactly like the Cooperative Mode. At the end of the game, the players add up the values of the Apollo Tokens they have. The player with the highest total wins! If there is a tie, the tied player with the most tokens is the winner.

Keep in mind that getting a lot of Apollo Tokens means acting at critical moments in the game and contributing to the rescue mission. Also, don't hesitate to use them to safeguard the success of the mission: an act of selfishness almost always leads to the failure of the mission!

Alternate Event Boards

Apollo XIII includes two sets of additional Event Boards with different variations. These events replace the real events and create an alternate history. This changes the game experience and creates a "what if" story for the mission milestones. The two alternate sets include:

• SET 1: Cards 151, 154, 157, 160, 163, 166, 168
• SET 2: Cards 152, 155, 158, 161, 164, 167, 168

Card Clarifications

1) "Avoid Damage" Player Card

The next History card revealed has its effects reduced. If two or more changes are described on the History card, one has no effect decided by the player who played the card. If there is only one change, the card has no effect.

This card cannot prevent the Mission Status from changing. It has no effect on any History Event Card.

2) History Stage B1/B2 & G1/G2

These cards are considered separate stages, even though they have the same letter.

Example: You want to place a card on Mission Control when the deck shows Stage B2. If the Player Card says B2, you must place it to the left of the mission control board. If it says B1, you must place it to the right.

3) "Premonitions" Player Card

You cannot play this card if a new Stage Deck has just been activated and there are currently no History cards showing.

4) Cards Cannot Be Combined

Players cannot combine multiple cards to increase the effect.

Example: If the current player plays "Avoid Damage", another player cannot discard an Apollo Token to play the same type of card (he may take another action instead).

5) Play cards in chronological order

Example: On your turn, you turn over History Card #50 "The Sack is Broken". It can't be played because History Card #60 "CO2 Problem" is not in play yet, so you must insert it under the next History Card and turn over another one. This time, it's #61 "Square Cartridge, Round Hole", which also cannot be played since #60 isn't out yet. Card #60 is now inserted under card #50. You will need to keep drawing until you get a History Card that can be played, always inserting cards #50 and 61 in the same order - even during later turns, until History Card #60 comes out. If any other unplayable cards were also drawn, they would be placed under History card #60 in the order drawn, until they were able to be played.

Spacecraft Technology

For those who are not familiar with the Apollo spacecraft, here are definitions of some of the technical terms:

• Aquarius: This was the name of the LEM on the Apollo XIII mission.
• CAPCOM: The member of NASA that handles communications between the astronauts and Mission Control.
• Cardan Shaft: This refers to the gimbal in the mechanical system that measures the angle of roll, pitch, and yaw for the spacecraft (navigation in the three axes of space).
• CSM: The "Command/Service Module" - This is the part of the spacecraft that houses the astronauts for almost the entire mission. It remains in lunar orbit, waiting for the astronauts to return from the surface of the moon and reconnect the two modules.
• Fuel Cells: The electrochemical system used on the Apollo missions produced electricity from chemicals without using a thermal reaction. The reagents used were hydrogen and oxygen. Closing off the oxygen supply meant that the ship could not generate more power.
• Heat Shield: A special coating that protects the spacecraft from heat during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. On the return journey, when the spacecraft contacts the first layers of atmosphere, the surface generates a very high heat that, without the right protection, would shatter the spacecraft.
• LEM: The "Lunar Excursion Module" - This is the part of the spacecraft that delivers the astronauts to the surface of the moon and back out to space.
• Odyssey: This was the name of the CSM on the Apollo XIII mission.
• RCS System: The "Reaction Control System". This system allows an astronaut to control the spacecraft, using small motors arranged in all directions of movement. It controls the roll, yaw, and pitch.

Legend of Symbols

• All the Astronauts
• Astronaut Stress Status
• Astronaut Health Status
• LEM Pilot Fred Haise
• CSM Pilot John Swigert
• Captain James Lovell
• Mission Status
• Rocket Status
• Apollo XIII Mission Control
• FLIGHT level: you can use it to reduce the effects of some History Cards.
• ENERGY level: you can use it to reduce the effects of some History Cards.
• Crisis Line that indicates changes in Mission Status
• Cancel the effect of the History Card.