Jump Gate
Jump Gate Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Players are spaceship captains that are competing to be the best at claiming new planets and collecting the resources found at those planets. NavComp cards give players the codes needed to jump to, scan, and land on planets. Some NavComp cards also provide for special actions and interactions with the other players. Once a planet has been claimed, the resources found at that planet may be harvested by the players.
Players score points at the end of the game based on the number of planets they scanned and claimed, and their combination of resources collected. Each type of resource has a different method for being scored. Collecting sets of the same resource is encouraged … and disrupting other players' collection plans is good strategy.
Components
- 1 Jump Gate Board
- 1 Black Hole Board
- 12 Planet Boards: Anno, Bue Heggar, Chandleria, Cinder, Ellisana, Higginston, Hunter's Post, New Brykovia, Sethium, Teraburchby, Waldwelt, and Window
- 4 Action Reference Boards
- Deck of 48 Resource Cards
- Deck of 48 NavComp Cards
- 6 Spaceship Pawns in 6 different colors
- Stacks of Markers in 6 different colors
The Boards
Jump Gate Board
The Jump Gate Board sits in the middle of the play area and represents the main method of moving between planets. To use the Jump Gate, players discard a NavComp card with a Jump code that matches the code on a planet they wish to move to. Each time a player uses the Jump Gate, he/she adds a marker to the board. The player with the most markers on the Jump Gate at the end of the game gains an additional 5 points.
Black Hole Board
The Black Hole Board also sits in the middle of the play area and represents a "bad karma collective" that builds throughout the game as players exploit planets for their resources. Each time a player collects a resource card with a "Black Hole Icon" on it, he/she adds a marker to the Black Hole Board. If the board gains too many total markers, the game ends early and the player with the most markers on the Black Hole Board loses some of his/her collected resources.
Planet Boards
The Planet Boards play the primary role in the game. Set in a circle around the Jump Gate and Black Hole Boards, the Planet Boards each represent a single Planet that can be reached from the Jump Gate. The board identifies the NavComp codes needed to Jump to, Scan, and Land on that Planet.
Each Planet Board also serves as a place to hold Scan Markers and the Claim Marker for that Planet, which are used for scoring at the end of the game. Scan Markers are placed in the lower-right corner of the board, while a single Claim Marker will sit on the Planet's name area once a player has landed on that Planet.
The Cards
Resource Cards
The cards in the Resource deck represent the various resources that might be found on the Planets. At the start of the game, most resources are hidden. Players reveal the available resources by scanning and landing on Planets. Once a Planet has been claimed, the resources at that planet may be harvested. Players who had scanned the Planet get an early pick in the resources found there … right after the player who first lands on the Planet.
The following types of Resource Cards are available:
Nothing (12 cards) – These cards represent a disappointing find on the Planet, and hold no value. "Nothing" cards are never collected.
Gems (12 cards) – Gems are the most plentiful resource, and come in 3 different colors – white, red and blue. Gems give a score equal to the total number of Gems collected by the player multiplied by the number in the player's largest set of same-colored Gems.
EnerGel (10 cards) – EnerGel is a high-energy gel that is used as fuel by spaceships. It comes in dark and light varieties and equal portions of both are needed to produce fuel. A light/dark pair, therefore, scores many more points than a single light or dark EnerGel.
Water (8 cards) – Water is always in high demand … and the more the better. A player's score for Water grows quickly as they add additional Water cards to their collection.
Famous Finds (6 cards) – Famous Finds are the rarest of resources in the game, and the simplest to score – each one collected is worth 5 points.
Collected Resource cards should be kept face-up as public information.
Black Hole Icons – Some Resource Cards have a Black Hole icon in their upper-right corner. When a player chooses to collect one of these cards, he/she adds a marker to the Black Hole Board.
NavComp Cards
Players manage a hand of NavComp cards, drawing from a central deck and discarding to a central pile. The NavComp cards are used to take actions on a player's turn. Each card will have 2 code symbols on it, and possibly a special action. The symbols are used when taking "Jump", "Scan" or "Land-and-Claim" actions.
A player's hand of NavComp cards is private information.
Player Markers
Spaceship Pawn
A player's Spaceship Pawn represents the current location of that player's Spaceship. It starts the game at the Jump Gate, and will jump or fly between Planets throughout the game. It should be set next to the Planet it is currently located at. More than 1 Spaceship may be at the same Planet at the same time.
Marker Chips
Each player gets a stack of markers, which are used on the boards to keep record of various actions that have taken place during the game. The markers are used to record Planet Scans, Planet Claims, Jump Gate usage, and Black Hole resource collection.
Playing the Game
Setup
- Center Boards: Place the Jump Gate and Black Hole Boards in the middle of the play area.
- Player Markers: Each Player takes 1 Spaceship Pawn and all of the Markers of the same color. All Spaceships start on the Jump Gate Board.
- Planet Boards: Shuffle the Planet Boards and place 8 randomly-drawn Planets in a circle around the 2 center boards. Leave enough room for Resource cards in-between the Planets and the center boards. The 4 left-over Planets can be set aside – they will not be used in the game.
- Resource Cards:
- Shuffle the deck of Resource cards and deal 1 face-up card from this deck to each player as his/her first collected Resource. If a player receives a "Famous Find" or a "Nothing" Card, he/she should return it to the deck for a different card.
- Deal 1 card face-up next to the outside of each Planet.
- Shuffle the deck again and deal the rest of the Resource cards face-down to the inside of each Planet. Deal 1 Resource card at a time to each Planet until all of the Resource cards have been distributed. Some Planets may have more Resources than others.
- NavComp Cards: Shuffle the NavComp Deck and deal 5 cards to each player. Place the remaining deck face-down near the middle of the play area as the draw deck. As players discard NavComp cards during the game, the discard pile should be formed face-up next to the draw deck. When the draw deck is depleted, the discard pile should be shuffled and returned face-down as the draw deck.
- Start the Game: Determine a player to take the first turn.
Player Turns
Turns are taken one player at-a-time.
During a player's turn, the player takes 2 actions (available actions are detailed below). The actions may be completed in any order, and the player may take the same action twice.
The player's turn is complete once both actions have been completed. When a player completes a turn, the player to his/her left takes the next turn. Turns continue be taken around the table until the game is over.
Ending the Game
The game ends under either of these 2 different conditions:
- The Black Hole Board contains 9 (or more) Markers at the end of a player's turn
- OR, All Planets have been claimed and the only Resource cards remaining to be collected have "Black Hole" icons on them
In the rare case that both game-end conditions occur at the same time, it is treated as if the Black Hole Board caused the game to end.
Actions
The current player may choose from the following 7 actions during his/her turn: Research, Fly, Jump, Scan, Land-and-Claim, Harvest or Special Action. They are each explained in detail here:
Research: Refill your hand back to 5 cards from the NavComp draw deck. You may first discard any number of cards before refilling your hand.
Fly: Move your spaceship to the neighboring Planet on either side of the Planet your spaceship is currently at. (No cards are discarded to take this action.)
Jump: Discard a NavComp card with the Jump Code for another Planet to move your spaceship to that Planet. Add a Marker to the Jump Gate Board.
In the pictured example, the player cannot Fly to a Planet, because it is not a neighbor. So, he (1) discards a card with the matching Jump Code, (2) moves his Spaceship to the new Planet, and (3) adds a Marker to the Jump Gate Board.
Scan: Discard a NavComp card with the Scan Code for the planet your spaceship is currently at to flip 1 face-down Resource card for that Planet face-up. Add a Marker to the lower-right corner of that Planet board. (This action may only be taken on a Planet that still has at least 1 face-down Resource card.)
In the pictured example, the player (1) discards a card with the matching Scan code, (2) adds a Marker to the Planet Board, and (3) reveals 1 new Resource card for that Planet.
Land-and-Claim: Be the first player to land on a Planet to claim it. (This action may only be taken on a Planet that has not yet been claimed.) Do this as follows:
- Discard two NavComp cards with Landing Codes that match the two codes for the Planet your spaceship is currently at.
- Add a Marker on top of the Planet's name as the Claim Marker for this Planet.
- Flip all remaining face-down Resource cards from the Planet face-up. Remove any "Nothing" cards from the game and place the rest face-up to the outside of the Planet.
- Collect 1 Resource card of your choice from the Planet.
- Any player(s) with Scan Markers on the Planet may also collect 1 Resource card from the Planet in the order of: (1) most Scan Markers on the Planet, (2) starting to the left of the current player and going clockwise around the table. (If the current player has any Scan Markers on the Planet, he/she may also collect a Resource card as part of this process.)
For each collected Resource card that has a "Black Hole" icon in the corner, the player collecting that card adds a Marker to the Black Hole Board.
Harvest: Collect 1 Resource card of your choice from the Planet your spaceship is currently at. If the Resource card has a "Black Hole" icon in the corner, add a Marker to the Black Hole Board. (No cards are discarded to take this action. This action may only be taken on a Planet that has been claimed.)
Special Action: Discard a NavComp card to take the Special Action indicated on that card. (The Special Actions are details on the next page.)
Special Actions
The following Special Actions are available on some NavComp cards:
Backroom Deal: Harvest 2 face-up Resource cards from the planet you are currently at, or 1 face-up Resource card from any other claimed planet.
- The Resource card(s) harvested must come from a Planet that has already been claimed.
Hotshot Pilot: Discard this card along with a NavComp card that contains 1 of the Landing Codes shown on the planet you are currently at to complete a "Land-and-Claim" action.
- This action allows a player to conduct a "Land-and-Claim" action while matching only 1 of the Landing Codes for the Planet.
Inside Info: Refill your hand to 5 cards, and take an extra action this turn.
- This action allows a player to refill his/her hand for "free". While this uses up one of the player's actions for the turn, the player gets an extra action to take during the turn as well.
Jump Paradox: Swap the locations of your spaceship with any other player's spaceship.
- After discarding the card, the player swaps the location of his/her spaceship with any 1 other player's spaceship. A Marker is not placed on the Jump Gate.
Long Range Scan: Scan any Planet.
- This action allows a player to scan a Planet without matching the Scan code, and whether his/her spaceship is at that Planet or not.
Lost Records: Remove one Scan Marker from any Planet, or one Marker from either the Jump Gate or Black Hole.
- This action may not be used to remove a Claim Marker from any Planet.
- The Marker removed may belong to any player. It is returned to its owner.
Wormhole: Move to any other planet without using the Jump Gate.
- A Marker is not placed on the Jump Gate.
End-of-Game Scoring
Black Hole Board (Lose Resources)
This board is only taken into account if the game ended due to the Black Hole Board having 9 or more Markers on it.
- The player with the most Markers on the Black Hole Board must have random Resource cards removed from his/her collection. That player shuffles his/her collected Resource cards face-down, and has another player remove a number of cards, depending on the number of players in the game:
- 2-player game = 3 cards
- 3-player game = 2 cards
- 4-, 5- or 6-player game = 1 card
- The removed cards are set aside and no longer used in scoring.
- If 2 or more players tie with the most Markers on the Black Hole, all of those players lose Resource cards.
In the pictured example, in a 3-player game, the Red player would need to lose 2 Resource cards from his/her collection before scoring.
Jump Gate Board (5 points)
The player with the most Markers on the Jump Gate Board gains 5 Points. If two or more players tie with the most Markers on the Jump Gate, all of those players gain 5 Points.
In the pictured example, the Yellow player and the Blue player would each get 5 points for tying with the most Markers on the Jump Gate Board.
Planets (Claims & Scans)
- Planets Claimed (3 points): Each player gains 3 Points for each Planet he/she has claimed.
- Scan Markers (1 points): Each player gains 1 Point for each Scan Marker he/she has on any Planet.
In the pictured example, the Green player would get 4 points (1 Claim + 1 Scan), while the Red player would get 2 points (2 Scans) for this Planet.
Resource Cards
Each type of Resource card has a different method for scoring.
Gems
A player gains Points equal to the total number of Gems he/she collected multiplied by the number in that player's largest set of same-colored Gems.
In the example, a player with 3 Red, 2 White, and 1 Blue Gem will get 18 Points for having 6 total gems x 3 in the largest set
EnerGel
EnerGel scores best when combined into pairs of 1 Light and 1 Dark EnerGel.
- Each pair of matched-up Light/Dark Cards = 7 Points.
- Once all Light & Dark cards are matched up into pairs, any remaining solo EnerGel Cards = 2 Points.
In the example, a player with 4 Dark and 2 Light EnerGel Cards can form 2 Light/Dark pairs and have 2 extra Dark EnerGels left over. The player will get 18 Points for (2 light/dark pairs x 7) + (2 solos x 2)
Water
Water scores Points based on the total number of Water cards collected by that player: 1 Card = 2 Points, 2 Cards = 4 Points, 3 Cards = 9 Points, 4 Cards = 16 Points, 5 Cards = 20 Points, 6 Cards = 24 Points, 7 Cards = 28 Points, and 8 Cards = 32 Points.
Famous Finds
A player gains 5 Points for each Famous Find card collected.
Winning the Game
Each player totals all of his/her Points between the Jump Gate Board, all Planet Claims & Scans, and all Resources. The player with the most total Points wins the game.
If needed, tie-breakers are in this order: Most Planets Claimed, Most Scan Markers, Most Markers on the Jump Gate Board, Fewest Markers on the Black Hole Board, and Most Resource cards collected.
Variants
The following variations on the rules may be used (alone or combined) to change and enhance the way the game plays.
Sun Dial (12 Planets)
Instead of starting with 8 randomly-chosen Planet Boards in the game, all 12 Planet Boards are used. As a visual aid in setting up the circle of planets, a planet would be located at each of the places that a number is found on a clock's face.
Explorers' Club (Higher Planet Scoring)
For those who wish to put more emphasis on the planet scanning & claiming portion of the game, instead of the standard 3-for-Claims/1-for-Scans way of scoring, use the following instead:
- Planets Claimed (5 points): Each player gains 5 Points for each Planet he/she has claimed.
- Scan Markers (2 points): Each player gains 2 Points for each Scan Marker he/she has on any Planet.
Orbital Burn (Advanced Game)
(Special thanks to Ben Ross for planting the seeds for this variant.)
For experienced players, make the following rules adjustments to play an advanced game:
- "In Orbit": When players Fly or Jump to a planet, their spaceships are merely "in orbit" around that planet. To indicate this, a player's Spaceship Pawn is set next to the Planet Board. More than 1 player may be in orbit around a planet at the same time.
- Harvesting from Orbit: When "in orbit" around a claimed planet, a player may Harvest any of that planet's face-up resources.
- Landing on a Planet: The "Land-and-Claim" action becomes just a "Land" action, but still requires both Landing Codes to be completed. To indicate that the player has landed on a planet, the player's Spaceship Pawn is set on the Planet Board. The first player to Land on a planet Claims the planet, but does not flip over any of the face-down Resources. From this position, the player may Harvest from either the face-down OR face-up Resources. (When a planet is first claimed, any other players with Scan markers on the planet must select only from the face-up Resources.) Players will need to Land on a Claimed planet in order to Harvest any face-down Resources. More than 1 player may be landed on a planet at the same time.
- New Action: "Return to Orbit": If a player's spaceship has landed on a Planet, he/she must use an action to return to orbit before using any of the following actions or special actions: Fly, Jump, Scan, Land, Hotshot Pilot, Long Range Scan, or Wormhole. No discard is needed to Return to Orbit.
- Scanning a Claimed Planet: Players may Scan a planet from orbit that has already been Claimed, as long as there still is at least 1 face-down Resource card. In fact, if the Landing codes are not available, the player's best option may be to use a combination of Scan and Harvest actions on a claimed planet.
- Slight Adjustment to "Backroom Deal" Special Action: If a player is currently landed on a planet, he/she may harvest 2 Resource cards from all of the remaining Resource cards at that planet – not just the face-up cards.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks, as always to my family – Britt, Anna, and Seth (and Cinder and Window) – all of whom now have Planets named after them. They each (well, maybe not the cats so much) helped in the creative design process on this game.
Thanks also to our "Eau Claire cousins" who also have Planets named after them – the Buchegers, Burchbys, Chandlers, Higgins, and Hunts … getting together with them makes life very cool! Extra thanks to Jon Chandler and Dan Higgins, who play-tested the game (Jon got to see the version that was hand-written on the back of ancient business cards) and gave valuable feedback.
Thanks for play-testing also goes to my friends at work, Ben Ross and Jeremy Clow. You'll notice Ben's name attached to the "Orbital Burn" variant.
Finally, another thank you to the members of the Board Game Designers Forum (BGDF.com) – especially those who have commented on my posts about this game, and exchanged thoughts and ideas with me in the group chats. Of special note: Ariel Seone ("Seo"), David Tome ("Zzzzz"), Michael Daugherty ("darkehorse"), Scott Slomiany ("doho123"), Seth Jaffee ("sedjtroll"), "Karlo", JC Lawrence ("clearclaw"), and Andreas Propst ("jilocasin").
Same goes for the folks who have given great feedback on the BGG Forums (boardgamegeek.com): Ben Friedberg, Nathanael Straight, Gary Simpson, Juuso H, and Spencer C.
Picture Attributions
Original "Christchurch Castle Ruins" picture modified for use on the "Famous Finds – Alien Ruins" Resource card is Copyright "Kris" at www.geograph.org.uk. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License. The image can be found at: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/163496
Original "Vasquez Rocks" picture modified for use on the "Famous Finds – Ore & Minerals" Resource card is Copyright Dino Dumandan. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License. The image can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vasquez_rocks.jpg
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Warning – Choking Hazard: This game contains small pieces that should not be swallowed, as they may cause choking. Do not eat them … they are not food. Just use them to play the game.