Mission Control: Critical Orbit Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
• Game Objectives
• Roles
• Mercury III Setup
• Houston, Bengaluru, and Cologne Setup
• Gameplay
  • Star Icons
  • Ending the Turn
• Game End
• Mercury III Rules
  • Conduit Tiles
  • Unlock Cards
  • Release Valves
  • Mercury III Stars
  • Completing Routes
• Houston Rules
• Bengaluru Rules
• Cologne Rules
• AI Rules
• Mercury III Initial Setups

Components

Boards

• 1 Mercury III board
• 1 Mercury III player screen
• 3 Mission Control boards

Tiles

• 30 Conduit tiles
• 2 Blueprint tiles

Bag

• 1 bag

Cards

• 3 Mission Control player aides
• 8 Unlock cards
• 35 AI cards

Dice

• 3 dice

Dial Tokens

• 2 blue Canister Dials
• 2 green Canister Dials
• 2 yellow Canister Dials

Markers

• 3 dry erase markers

Release Valve Tokens

• 3 black
• 3 white

Half-Valve Tokens

• 4 black
• 4 white
• 2 red

Overview

Mission Control: Critical Orbit is an asymmetric cooperative game where one player is the Aethernaut Flight Commander aboard the Mercury III Rocket and the other players are different members of Mission Control. Mission Control players will use dice rolls to complete unique objectives that provide the Mercury III rocket with the tools for survival. Meanwhile, the Mercury III player will use different shaped tiles to form tubing routes that will repair the Mercury III rocket and allow the crew to return safely to Earth.

Game Objectives

The Mercury III player must restore the ship's oxygen to a certain level. To do this, they must use Conduit tiles to build a complete, connected path between matching Canister Dials along the edge of the Mercury III board. They must also open valves along the conduit path by earning and placing Release Valve tokens. The final conduit path must reach the required oxygen level before the 20-minute timer runs out, or the mission fails. The number of oxygen units required for victory is based on the chosen difficulty level of easy, medium, or hard.

Difficulty Level

Easy	Normal	Hard
6	8	10

Roles

Each player selects 1 of the 4 roles. If there are fewer than 4 players, players may choose to use the AI deck (see AI Rules on page 14). Alternatively, 1 or more players may take on multiple roles.

Mercury III — Creates routes with tiles, valves, and dials.

Houston — Provides tiles by making shapes with matched letters.

Bengaluru — Provides valves by filling in unique values in grids.

Cologne — Unlocks canister dial movement by computing numbers.

Mercury III Setup

1. Place the Mercury III board in front of the Mercury III Flight Commander player and set a 20-minute timer (not included).
2. Choose an initial setup (see Mercury III Initial Setups on Page 15) and place the 6 Canister Dials (yellow, blue, and green) along the Mercury III board as indicated by the selected setup, with each dial showing the "locked" face.
3. Place a white Release Valve on the first space of the black Valve Reconstruction Track (1-3) on the Mercury III board and a black Release Valve on the first space of the white Valve Reconstruction Track (4-6).
4. Group the Conduit tiles by shape (L, J, S, Z, and T), and place them in face down stacks in a random order.
5. Place all of the half-valve tokens into the bag (4 black, 4 white, and 2 red). Place the remaining 2 white and 2 black Release Valves within reach.
6. Shuffle the 8 Unlock cards into a face-down deck and place them within reach.
7. Take the 3 dice and place them within reach.
8. Place the Mercury III player screen upright to conceal the Mercury III player board and play area from the other players.
9. Choose a difficulty level: easy, normal, or hard (see Difficulty Level on Page 3).

Houston, Bengaluru, and Cologne Setup

Mission Control Roles

Once all 3 roles have been chosen by players, they must take the corresponding Mission Control board for their own location, the corresponding Mission Control player aide, and a dry erase marker.

Gameplay

Mission Control is a 20-minute timed game played in turns. Each turn, the Mercury III Flight Commander rolls 3 dice. Mission Control determines which 2 dice values to keep and write on their individual player boards. Through careful planning and communication, Mission Control will provide tools to the Mercury III, including awarded stars.

Star Icons

Mission Control members may write numbers on Star Icons, which provide assistance to the player whose role matches the icon.

The Star Icons correspond to the four roles: Mercury III, Houston, Bengaluru, and Cologne.

When you write in a space with a Star Icon, notify the corresponding player. That player may immediately choose an additional number between 1 and 6 and add it to their board. The additional number can even be used to achieve another star. Stars earned for the Mercury III player follow different rules (see Mercury III Stars on page 9).

Ending the Turn

When each member of Mission Control is ready to end their turn, they must say their location's name and "Locked".

For example, when the Houston player has finished writing both of their numbers, they must say aloud, "Houston Locked."

If they are the last player of Mission Control to be ready, they will additionally say aloud, "Mission Control is Locked". This lets the Mercury III player know they can roll the dice for the next turn.

Game End

The game ends if the Mercury III player reaches the predetermined oxygen level or if the timer runs out. If the Mercury III player has reached the required oxygen level using valid routes before the timer runs out, the players win. If time expires before the Mercury III player completes the goal, ALL players lose.

Mercury III Rules

When all players are set up and ready, the Mercury III player starts a 20-minute timer.

The Mercury III player controls the flow of turns. A turn starts with the Mercury III player rolling 3 dice behind their screen and then announcing the numbers to the other players.

All of the players discuss which 2 dice to keep. After deliberation is complete, the Mercury III player calls out the 2 locked-in values. This final decision cannot be changed.

For example, the Mercury III player rolls a 2, 5, and 6. After a brief discussion, the Mission Control players let the Mercury III player know their preference for the 5 and 6. The Mercury III player agrees and says, "Mission Control, you get a 5 and a 6." The Mercury III player then keeps the 2.

Note: The Mercury III player has the final say on which numbers to keep, and which ones they will give to the Mission Control players.

Now, using the 3rd die value, the Mercury III player determines which Valve Reconstruction Track to advance one space: white (for a value of 1-3), or black (for a value of 4-6). If the advancing valve enters a space that has a star, the Mercury III player generates a star for themself. If a valve reaches the end of its track, the Mercury III player keeps it for use on a valve stem (see Release Valves on page 9).

After all Mission Control players have entered the locked-in values and applied any stars they received from other players, they declare Mission Control is Locked, and the next turn begins.

Conduit Tiles

The Mercury III player is simultaneously responsible for building and connecting routes that raise the oxygen levels. The parts needed for this task (Conduit tiles, Unlock cards, and Release Valves) are generated whenever the Mission Control players complete an objective.

When Houston completes a shape on their board (L, J, S, Z, or T—see Houston Rules on page 11), the Mercury III player takes a Conduit tile matching the corresponding shape. This piece can be used within the Mercury III board in any orientation.

Whenever a Conduit tile is revealed that contains a star icon (either when Houston finishes a shape or via a star action), the Conduit tile star is awarded by the Mercury III player immediately.

The Mercury III player does not need to place every Conduit tile they reveal on the Mercury III board. The Mercury III player may rearrange the Conduit tiles whenever they want throughout the game (see Conduit tile placement example below).

Conduit Tile Placement Guide

• These Conduit tiles are properly placed.
• Conduit tiles must be fully inside the grid.
• Conduit tiles must align with the grid.
• Conduit tiles cannot overlap.

Unlock Cards

When Cologne achieves a Canister unlock (see Cologne rules on page 13), the Mercury III player flips over the top card of the Unlock deck. If a Canister's Unlock card is revealed, flip the corresponding Canister over to its unlocked face.

Unlock cards allow Canister Dials on the Mercury III board to be moved along their side of the grid (T, R, L, or B). Unlocked Canister Dials can be moved freely at any time for the remainder of the game, but they must stay on the same side of the board that they began on. Only a single Canister may occupy any space.

Note: If a red "X" is revealed, no Canister may be moved.

In this example, the yellow square Unlock card is revealed. The yellow Canister Dial can now be moved away from its initial location of L5 to any other location along its side of the board. In this case the dial was moved to L2.

Release Valves

When Bengaluru fills enough of a grid (see Bengaluru rules on page 12), the Mercury III player takes a half-valve token from the bag. Based on their progress, Bengaluru will let Mercury III know if they can peek inside the bag when they draw, or if the token must be drawn randomly.

To complete a conduit path, some routes require Release Valves for proper air flow. If there is a valve stem on a Conduit route, the Mercury III player must place a Release Valve of matching color on it, either black or white, for the route to be operational. A Release Valve is obtained by expending 2 matching half-valve tokens; remove the 2 half-valve tokens from the game in exchange for a Release Valve of the same color. Red half-valves are broken and therefore unusable. Release Valves do not have to be placed immediately and can be moved at any time.

Mercury III Stars

When the Mercury III player is awarded a star, either from a Mission Control player or from themselves, they may take 1 of the 3 following Star Actions:

1. Flip one Conduit tile face up. Announce any revealed stars, but do not claim the tile yet. In the future, when the Mercury III player is awarded a Conduit tile, they may choose between one of these faceup tiles or the next facedown tile, provided the tile matches the awarded letter.
2. Look at the top 2 cards in the Unlock deck. Place one card back on top of the deck and the other card on the bottom.
3. Randomly draw a half-valve from the bag. Choose to either remove it from the game or put it back in the bag.

Completing Routes

Valid routes connect two Canister Dials of matching color via an uninterrupted path of Conduit tiles. Routes containing valve stems must also have Release Valve tokens on them in order to be valid. You may complete more than one route on the Mercury III board. At any time, you may count the number of oxygen units along each completed route. If the total equals or exceeds the required number of oxygen units for this game, the players win.

In this example, the difficulty level is Normal, so the Mercury III player requires 8 oxygen units to win.

• Route A: This route is missing a white Release Valve on the white valve stem. Invalid.
• Route B: This route does not connect any Canisters. Invalid.
• Route C: This route is only connected to one blue Canister. Invalid.
• Route D: This route connects two matching yellow Canisters, and all the valve stems contain matching colored Release Valves. Valid.

The Mercury III player has gained 4 oxygen units in route D. They will need 4 additional oxygen units to rescue the Mercury III team. To complete the other routes, the Mercury III player could rearrange or lengthen the paths to earn the 4 remaining oxygen units.

Houston Rules

Each turn, Houston writes the 2 kept values from the Mercury III roll in their grid. Eventually, four adjacent numbers of the same value will form a shape. When a valid shape (L, J, S, Z, or T) is completed, immediately inform the Mercury III player of the shape, cross out the shape in the grid, and cross out a bubble next to the corresponding shape beneath the grid.

Note: Crossed out numbers cannot be used again to complete another shape.

Shapes can be rotated but cannot be mirrored. The 2 values MUST be written in the grid every turn. Numbers MUST be written orthogonally adjacent (above, below, or beside—but not diagonal) to any existing number, even if the values differ. Numbers cannot be written on shaded squares. When Houston is given a star, a value of your choosing may be written anywhere that does not violate adjacency restrictions.

The Houston player can optionally use the blueprint tiles to help identify shapes.

Examples: a 5 cannot be written on a shaded square. An S shape formed from adjacent matching numbers is valid. A rotated L shape formed the same way is valid. A J shape cannot be created if it would reuse a value that's already been crossed off. A number that is not adjacent to any other value cannot be written there. An entry can award a Star to Bengaluru. A T shape cannot be created if all of the values are not the same.

Bengaluru Rules

Each turn, Bengaluru writes the 2 kept values from the Mercury III roll in one or two of their grids (A, B, X, or Y). The values MUST be written orthogonally adjacent to any existing numbers. Additionally, in order for a row or column to be valid, it may not contain the same value more than once. When a row or column is complete and valid, cross out the corresponding bubble.

Each grid can earn the Mercury III up to 2 half-valves. When the 4th and 8th bubbles have been crossed out on either top grid (A or B), tell the Mercury III player to pull a half-valve out of the bag at random. When the 5th and 10th bubbles have been crossed out on either bottom grid (X or Y), tell the Mercury III player to look inside the bag and choose a half-valve to take.

The 2 values MUST be written in one or two grids every turn. When Bengaluru is given a star, you may write a value of your choosing in any one of the four grids, following adjacency restrictions.

Examples: an entry with no adjacent numbers is illegal. An entry can award a star to Cologne. A grid with 5 bubbles crossed out allows the Mercury III player to search the bag for a half-valve to keep. Though circled numbers may be legal entries individually, a row or column with duplicated values is no longer valid, and the corresponding bubbles are not crossed out; the Bengaluru player can continue to work on these grids to cross out bubbles from different rows and columns.

Cologne Rules

Each turn, Cologne writes the 2 kept values from the Mercury III roll, one at a time, in any empty colored box that is orthogonally adjacent to an existing number. After writing a value in a box, the player fills in the same number of cells on the column corresponding to the box. The 2 values MUST be used. If the entire column is filled in exactly (both squares and cells), the player can fill in the leftmost empty bubble at the bottom. Entries can exceed a column's top limit, but they do not count toward filling in a bubble at the bottom.

When a bubble with an Unlocked icon is filled, immediately notify the Mercury III player to draw an Unlock card. When Cologne is given a star, you may write a value of your choosing in any colored box, following adjacency restrictions.

Examples: no bubble is awarded because the sum of the numbers is greater than the total number of cells. An entry is illegal because it is not adjacent to another number. No bubble is awarded because not every square was used. No bubble is awarded because some of the cells are not filled. An entry is legal because the number 1 is adjacent to it. An entry awards a star to Houston. Two columns can be completed and validated, filling two bubbles. Bubbles must be filled from left to right.

AI Rules

When playing with 2 or 3 players, someone must always play Mercury III, but the Mission Control roles can be filled by an AI. Players are free to decide which city or cities the AI will control. The human Mission Control players are responsible for carrying out the AI's actions on its corresponding boards, including Stars given or received.

Every turn, after the dice are rolled, a Mission Control player flips the next AI card. If a rolled value matches a number next to an AI-controlled city, that dice value MUST be used this turn. It is possible that the AI will pick both dice. Ignore the parts of the card corresponding to any human-controlled cities.

Note: The two actions for each AI city are always used, even if their die requirement is not matched.

Example: Houston AI requires you to keep a 3 if one is rolled. Houston gives a star to Cologne.

Houston

The AI does not use the grid for Houston – only the shapes surrounding the grid are needed. Before starting the game, cross off 1 block in each of the shape types. The top of every AI card shows two shapes. For each shape shown, cross off 1 block on a matching shape on the Houston player board. When a shape is completely filled, notify the Mercury III player. Then, erase the marks and cross out a corresponding bubble. Some Houston cards show a star. A Mission Control player must announce the star for use on the corresponding city board.

Example: an L that is completely crossed out awards an L shape to the Mercury III player.

Bengaluru

The middle of the AI card shows two blocks with highlighted grid locations (A, B, X, and Y). A Mission Control player crosses out any one space in the corresponding grid location on the Bengaluru board following adjacency rules. More than one grid location may be highlighted in each block. When this happens, the player chooses which of these grid locations to cross out on each block. When enough rows and columns have been finished to cross out a bubble, notify the Mercury III player of the action to take.

Example: the X puzzle has 5 bubbles completed. This allows the Mercury III player to look for and draw a half-valve.

Cologne

The bottom of the AI card shows two shapes, sized 2 to 5. You must cross out 1 square on any column of corresponding size, following adjacency rules. There is no need to cross out cells in the column. When an entire column of squares is filled, cross out 1 bubble at the bottom of the page, from left to right. When a bubble with an Unlock icon is filled in, notify the Mercury III player.

Example: another column is completed, allowing a bubble to be crossed off below. It is an Unlock icon, which allows the Mercury III player to unlock a Canister Dial.

Mercury III Initial Setups

To choose your initial setup, roll a die and place the Canister Dials according to this table. Alternatively, you may choose your own initial setup.

Roll	Blue Canister Dials	Green Canister Dials	Yellow Canister Dials
1	T8, R2	T1, B5	L1, L8
2	R1, T4	B3, T8	T6, L4
3	B4, T9	R5, B6	B9, T5
4	T5, R7	L6, R4	T7, L8
5	T4, B8	B9, R3	R9, L6
6	T6, L3	R9, R3	T2, T7

YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES... ARE YOU READY?