Copernico
Copernico Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 5 Advice cards and 10 Hypothesis cards
- 90 Quadrant cards
- 1 rulebook
Objective
In Copernico each player is a possible apprentice of Nicolaus Copernicus. To win his approval you must present a new system of universal organisation on a 3x3 grid and convince the scientist that your hypothesis is the best of all.
Setup
Separate the Hypothesis cards, shuffle them and deal 1 to each player. Return the remaining cards to the box without looking at them. This card is a secret objective that only that player may look at.
Shuffle the Advice cards and place 2 of them face down at random in the centre of the table without looking at them. These objectives may only be consulted when Copernicus is asked for advice.
Shuffle the Quadrant cards and deal 3 to each player. Place the rest of the deck face down in the centre of the table, within reach of all players.
Turn Structure
The game is played in a series of simultaneous turns. Each turn is divided into 2 clearly differentiated phases:
1. Draw Phase – Looking at the Starry Sky
As good astronomers, you spend most of your research observing the placement of the celestial bodies in the firmament.
At the start of this phase, players place the cards in their hand face up on the table. They will not use them during this phase. Then each player draws 4 Quadrant cards. These represent the celestial bodies they were able to see during the night. From the 4 cards, they select 1 to keep in their hand, 1 to discard, 1 to hand to the player on their left and 1 to hand to the player on their right. If the game has 2 players, both cards are handed to the opponent. Players may choose their cards simultaneously, taking care not to mix them up when passing them to the other players.
If this deck runs out, form a new one from the discard pile.
2. Drawing Phase – Proposing the System
After looking at the sky you may begin drawing your system. To do so, all players may simultaneously take one of the following 3 actions:
a) Draw a section of the system. Place 1 card from your hand face down on one of the 9 empty positions of your work table. Pay its cost in study hours. To do so, discard from your hand as many cards as the cost shown in the top-left corner of the card you wish to place on your work table.
b) Reformulate your theory. Replace 1 card on your work table with a new one from your hand. This card must have a study-hour cost strictly GREATER than the card being replaced. To do so, pay the base study-hour cost of the new card, minus the cost of the card being replaced, and minus the number of identical colours shared by both cards.
Example: We replace a card of value 2 with a card of value 5 that shares two colours. Its cost will be 1: (5-2) -2=1.
Example: When replacing card A (RED AND GREEN, cost 2 cards) with card B (red, green and yellow, cost 5 cards), the player should discard 3 cards for the difference in cost, but since the red and green celestial bodies match, the player must discard only 1 card.
c) Take a rest. If any player cannot or does not want to expand their drawing during a turn, they may decide to rest. Draw 2 Quadrant cards from the deck without placing any on your work table.
In no case may cards already placed on a player's work table be moved to another position.
In addition, players may take one extra action for free:
d) Ask Copernicus for advice. If an apprentice manages to complete a straight line of 3 celestial bodies of the same colour during this phase, they may ask Copernicus for advice. Diagonal lines are valid. For each line obtained in this way, Copernicus lets you look at one of the 2 Advice cards in the centre of the table. You must memorise it.
End of the Game
When a player finishes their drawing, i.e. places the ninth card on their 3x3 work table, the game ends automatically. Scoring begins. All players reveal their Hypothesis cards, and the Advice cards are also revealed.
Scoring
Each player adds up points for the following criteria:
Quality: Add up the quality value of each card on your work table.
Aligned celestial bodies: For each straight line of 3 celestial bodies of the same colour, whether vertical, horizontal or diagonal, add 2 victory points.
Number of alignments of different colours: Points are scored according to the number of different colours of the lines of 3 celestial bodies on each player's work table. In other words, points are received only for different colours: having 2 different lines of 3 yellow celestial bodies counts as only one colour in the scoring.
| Colours | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 16 |
| 5 | 25 |
Advice from Copernicus: Copernicus values it positively if you have followed his advice. Each Advice card shows a different colour. Copernicus awards 6 victory points to the player with the fewest celestial bodies of that colour on their work table. To score, there must be at least 1 celestial body of that colour. Tied players each receive 6 victory points.
Hypotheses: Each player checks whether their work table fulfils the drawing on their own Hypothesis card and those of the other players. All Hypothesis cards count for all players. Each fulfilled hypothesis gives 6 victory points.
The player with the most victory points will be officially named assistant to one of the most famous and illustrious astronomers in history. In case of a tie, the player with the most cards in hand is the winner. If the tie persists, Copernicus gives you a second chance by presenting a new system.
Scoring Example
| Player 1 | Player 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | 13 | 8 |
| Aligned celestial bodies | 18 | 12 |
| Alignments of different colours | 9 | 9 |
| Advice | 6 | 6* |
| Hypotheses | 6 | 12** |
| Total | 52 | 47 |
* Player 2 does not receive 6 points for the red Advice card because they have no red celestial bodies; at least 1 is needed.
** Player 2 fulfils their own Hypothesis card and that of Player 1, so they receive 12 points.
Solo Play
Setup
Draw 1 Advice card and place it face up to one side.
Draw 1 Hypothesis card. If it is the same colour as the Advice card, discard it. If not, place it face up beside the Advice card.
Draw 6 Quadrant cards to form your starting hand.
Playing a Turn
Choose a card from your hand and play it onto your work table. Pay its cost as in the normal game, taking into account the following additional rules:
- You may not take the action to reformulate your theory.
- If at any point you cannot place a card because you cannot pay for it, simply place a card from your hand face down on one of the 9 positions of your work table. That position will not score at the end of the game.
- Advice cards only score if you have exactly 1 celestial body of the Advice card's colour, no more and no less.
At the end of your turn, draw 4 Quadrant cards and move on to the next turn.
End of the Game and Scoring
The game ends after 9 rounds, once you have completed your 3x3 work table. Add up your score as in the normal game, with the following exception: add 6 points for each objective fulfilled and subtract 6 points for each objective not fulfilled.
Compare your score with the following table and try to beat yourself:
| Score | Rank |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | Planetary ignoramus |
| 21–35 | Geocentrist |
| 36–50 | Apprentice |
| 51–60 | Sage |
| 60+ | Copernicus |
Note: as printed, the "Sage" band (51–60) and the "Copernicus" band (60+) both include a score of 60. The score of exactly 60 is listed under both in the original; it is transcribed here as printed.
Variant
To increase the difficulty of solo play, you may draw 2 Hypothesis cards and/or 2 Advice cards.