Mission ISS Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Materials and Setup
• How to Play
  • Give commands
  • End your shift
• Possible commands
  • Move
  • Research
  • Assemble
    • Robonauts
  • Exercise
• Other important rules
  • Assistance
    • Robonauts
  • Command wild cards
  • Research bonuses
  • Work stoppage
• End of the game
• Advice and tactical tips
  • Playing a round
  • When things aren't going so well anymore
  • Run out of command cards
  • Difficulty level
  • Communication
  • Discard pile
  • Level of difficulty for assembling modules
• Single-player game
  • Playing materials and setup
  • How to play
  • Command wild cards
  • End your shift
  • Change to the research tiles
• Overview
  • Assemble module
  • End your shift

Materials and Setup

1. 1 Earth board — Check your progress on the Earth progress tracker and store playing materials here. Place the Earth board on the table so that it is clearly visible to all players.

2. 1 ISS marker — The ISS marker shows how far along you are in the game and when you must complete certain intermediate goals. Place this marker on the 1998 field on the Earth progress tracker at the start of the game.

3. 13 ISS modules — Use these modules to assemble the ISS on the table. Place module A – the starting module – in the middle of the table. You must attach the other modules (B–M) to this module over the course of the game, so be sure to leave enough space around it. Module A comprises three fields, separated by orange lines. Each of the other modules only consists of one field.

   For a better overview, you can sort the remaining modules a little: place modules B, C, and D on top of each other. These are the only modules that you can attach directly to module A. Then place modules E–H and I–M in two separate piles at the edge of the table. These are the modules you can attach later in the game.

4. 12 module cards — These cards show the modules you must attach during the game. Lay them face up on the table, clearly visible to all players. Sort the cards like the modules. So lay cards B, C, and D out next to each other, cards E–H below these, then cards I–M in a third row.

5. 12 difficulty markers (2×2, 3×3, 4×4, 3×5) — These markers indicate how difficult it is to attach a module. Lay all of the difficulty markers out face down on the table and mix them. Then place a marker on top of each module card and turn it over.

6. 21 Incident cards — The incident cards detail the tasks to complete and potential problems that may arise. First, pick two "Good Job!" cards and return them to the box. You can use these cards in later games to adjust the difficulty level. In the first game, only use six "Good Job" cards. Shuffle the incident cards and place them face down in a pile.

You are now ready to begin playing the game.

Before the first game: Assemble the six astronauts as shown on the punchboard. Each astronaut comprises one base, one body, one backpack, and three number disks (one each in orange, blue, and gray). Decide the astronauts' nationality from the eleven options – this has no effect on the game.

How to Play

The player who can hold their breath the longest starts and gets to give the astronauts on the ISS the first commands. Here's how to proceed:

Give commands

To give commands, select one of your command cards lying face up in front of you and one further command card lying face up in front of one of your fellow players. Pick both of these cards up. These are the two commands that you will give during this turn. With each command, you give a specific instruction to an astronaut on the ISS, which you then execute immediately with the astronaut figure. Keep the following in mind:

• The astronauts aren't assigned to specific players. Each player may give commands to any astronaut.
• You may use the two commands in any order.
• You may give both commands to one astronaut, or one command to two different astronauts.
• You may execute commands only in part or even not execute them at all.
• However, you must complete a command before you can issue the next command. So you can't pause half way through a command and continue it later.

Once you have given both commands, place the two cards face down next to your command cards lying face up.

Example: You have chosen the blue "Research" command card from among your cards and the turquoise "Exercise" card from a fellow player. You execute the commands and place both cards face down in front of you.

We will explain the individual commands on the following pages (Page 5: "Possible commands").

Exception: Later in the game, some cards will be available as command wild cards in a general supply pile (Page 8, "Command wild cards"). Instead of choosing a fellow player's card, you may take a command wild card from this supply pile and use it to give a command. You don't place the command wild cards face down in front of you after your turn, though – you must return them straight to the box. They can therefore only be used once.

The remaining players then follow in a clockwise direction and play their turn in the same way.

After a few turns, you'll find that there aren't any command cards available face up in front of you and your fellow players anymore. In this case, you are then no longer able to give any commands and must end your shift.

End your shift

If you don't have any cards lying face up in front of you anymore, you can't give any commands in this turn and must instead pause to recover. The same applies if there aren't any cards lying face up in front of your fellow players nor any command wild cards available in the supply pile anymore. (You may also choose to end your shift voluntarily.)

Perform the following steps in the order indicated to end your shift:

1. Move the ISS marker forward one space on the Earth progress tracker. If the ISS marker lands on a space bearing a symbol, perform the corresponding instruction:
   • Incident symbol: Take all of the incident cards (turned face up and face down), shuffle them, and place them face down next to the Earth board as a new incident pile.
   • ISS symbol: When the ISS marker reaches one of the spaces bearing an ISS symbol, check whether you have attached the required number of modules in this planning phase. If you have attached at least as many modules as indicated, you have achieved your intermediate goal and may continue playing. If you have not attached the required number of modules, the game ends immediately (Page 9: "End of the game").
   • If the ISS marker reaches the final space on the Earth progress tracker (2011), then the game ends. Your score will depend on how many modules you were able to attach (Page 9: "End of the game").
2. Then use the exercise markers you've collected to enhance your astronauts' skills. (You receive exercise markers with the "Exercise" command, page 7.) To do this, select any astronaut on the ISS and set the value on the number disk in the color of the marker one higher. The highest value on all number disks is four. An astronaut can't achieve a value above four in any of the areas. Then return the exercise marker to the Soyuz capsule.
3. Lastly, turn over your command cards that were turned face down and lay them out face up in front of you again. So you normally have new command cards in each new shift.

It is now the next player's turn. You aren't allowed to give any commands during your turn when you end your shift. You may give commands again as before when it's your turn in the next round.

Note: The end of a shift only affects the player whose turn it is. The remaining players can continue to give commands as long as they can and want to create combinations.

Possible commands

Move

Use the "Move" command to move astronauts from one module on the ISS to another.

Astronauts can only conduct research in or attach new modules to the module they are currently in. Each module on the ISS has its own name and is separated from the other modules by lines.

Each move to a module directly adjacent uses one movement point. If you command an astronaut to move, then you have as many movement points at your disposal as the number indicated on their orange number disk.

Each section of the module that you attach to the space station counts as one field. Only the start section comprises two fields separated with a line.

Example: The astronaut's orange number disk shows the value of two. This means that you can move the astronaut over a maximum of two lines (so by up to two modules) with the "Move" command.

You don't have to use the entire possible range of motion – you can also end your move sooner. When you have completed the move, this command is deemed executed. You always give this command to one particular astronaut. You can't divide the movement points up between several astronauts.

Research

Use the "Research" command to complete tasks on the ISS. (Note: while not all of the tasks involve research, we still use the word "research" to describe these tasks.)

To complete a task, give an astronaut the "Research" command. The astronaut you give the command to must be in the same module as the research tile you want them to work on.

Each research tile has one or two dice on it. Choose one of the dice and reduce the number on the die by as many points as indicated on the astronaut's blue number disk.

Example: The astronaut's blue number disk shows the value of three, so you can reduce the dice value from five to two.

If reducing the number on the die returns the die value to zero, put the die aside again next to the Earth board.

If there are no more dice on a research tile, it is deemed executed. Place completed research tiles face up next to the pile of module cards.

Most research tiles give you a bonus that you can use once over the course of the game. (The individual tiles and bonuses are described on pages one and four of the rule supplement.)

If you still have research points left after you reset a die to 0, you may use these points to reduce other research dice in the same module. If there are no more research dice in the module, then the remaining points are forfeited.

The same applies here that you always assign the command to a specific astronaut. So you can't divide the research points up between several astronauts.

This command is now complete.

Assemble

Use this command to attach new modules to the space station. To attach a new module, all of the following conditions must be met:

• There are no red research dice on the ISS (Page 8: "Work stoppage").
• The astronaut you give the command to must be in the module that the new module is to be attached to. (It is indicated at the edges which modules you are allowed to attach where.)
• The value on the astronaut's gray number disk must be at least as high as the difficulty level for assembling the module (sum of all difficulty and incident markers on the module card). You will often require assistance from other astronauts to achieve this value. We will describe how to provide assistance later (Page 8: "Assistance").

If all of these conditions are met, perform the following steps in the order indicated:

1. Find the new module in the pile and attach it as appropriate. If you have just attached the final module, you have successfully completed the game and no longer need to complete the remaining steps (Page 9: "End of the game").

2. If the difficulty marker on the module card features an astronaut symbol, select an astronaut from the Earth board and place it on the "Rassvet" field. You now have another astronaut available on the space station. (This is often overlooked; you can add the astronaut at any time though.)

3. Place the difficulty marker face down on the Earth board. This will help you to keep track of how many modules you have attached so far. If the module card also features incident markers, lay them aside turned face up. (If there are no more incident markers available turned face down, shuffle the discarded markers and place them ready as a new supply pile, turned face down.)

4. Take the top research tile from the pile and place it face up on the module you just attached. Each research tile features one or two dice fields. Place a research die on each dice field on the tile. The die shows the number indicated on the dice field.

   If possible, always put the blue research die on first. If all four of the blue dice are already on other research tiles, you must place a red die on the research tile instead. As soon as there is at least one red die on the ISS, all module assembly work must stop. You aren't allowed to attach any more modules until you have cleared all of the red dice (using the "Research" command, page 5).

   In rare cases, you might not have enough dice available. Should this be the case, place one of the dice tiles on the dice field instead. As soon as a die becomes available again, exchange this marker for a die.

   Note: There might be more than one research tile on each module. Should it ever get crowded on a module, it is not a problem for figures or tiles to stick out over the edges.

   Note: Almost all of the modules can only be attached to one specific other module. One exception here is module I, which you can attach to either module B or module E.

5. Now turn over two cards from the incident pile, one after the other.

This command is now complete.

Example: The astronaut's gray number disk shows the value of 4. Module card B features a difficulty marker with a 3 and an astronaut symbol. Perform the following steps one after the other: Attach Module B. The difficulty marker features an astronaut, so choose an astronaut from the Earth board and put them on the "Rassvet" field. Then place the top research tile on the new module with a blue die. You draw incident card M. This module has not been attached yet, so draw an incident marker from the pile of face-down incident markers and place it face up on module card M. The second card shows module A, the starting module, so put another research tile on the "Tranquility" field. This research tile features two dice fields. There is only one blue research die still available, which means that you must place a red die on the second dice field. So you can't add any more modules for the time being. Finally, turn the module card over.

Robonauts

You can also use the "Assemble" command to deploy a robonaut instead of attaching a new module. All of the astronauts are able to deploy a robonaut, regardless of the value shown on their gray number disk.

Take a robonaut from the Soyuz capsule and place it on the module with the astronaut. If there aren't any robonauts left in the Soyuz capsule, you may transfer any robonaut from the ISS to the astronaut.

You can't give robonauts commands, but they can assist astronauts in the module they are in (Page 8: "Assistance").

The command is now complete.

Exercise

You can't use this command to activate an astronaut. Instead you take any exercise marker from the Soyuz capsule and place it in front of you.

When you end your shift in a later turn, use the exercise markers you've collected to enhance your astronauts' skills by increasing the values on their number disks. To do this, remove the number disk from the base, turn it to the new value, and reinsert it back into the base (Page 4: "End your shift").

Other important rules

Assistance

If several astronauts are in the same module, they can assist each other. If you give an astronaut a command, you may also add the values of all of the other astronauts in the same module to their value for the command color. The astronaut then executes the command as if they had this value.

Example "Move": An astronaut is given a "Move" command. They only have a value of 1 on their orange number disk. There is another astronaut in the same module with a value of 2 on their orange number disk. So the astronaut can move a total of 3 modules further as they can use the other's astronaut's value, too.

Note: Assistance is particularly important for challenging tasks such as assembling new modules that already have several incident markers on them.

Robonauts

Robonauts have a value of 1 in all three areas (orange, blue, gray). They can provide assistance, similar to the astronauts. Each robonaut in the same module adds one point to the total value.

Example "Assemble module": An astronaut is given an "Assemble" command. They have a value of 4 on their gray number disk. There is another astronaut in the same module with a value of 2 on their gray number disk, along with a robonaut. The astronaut, who received the command, thus has a total value of 7 and can create a module with a difficulty level of up to seven.

Command wild cards

Whenever you attach a module, turn the corresponding module card over. The four possible commands feature on the back of the module cards.

When it's your turn, you must select one of the command cards lying face up in front of you, as usual. However, instead of taking a second command card from a fellow player, you may take a command wild card instead. Give both commands, as usual. You may use the command wild card to give any of the four possible commands.

At the end of your turn, remove the command wild card from the game and return it to the box. Place your other command card face down in front of you, as usual.

Research bonuses

Whenever you complete a research tile, place it face up next to the module cards. Some of the bonuses improve commands, others allow you to perform additional actions, and some have no further effects.

You may use any number of research bonuses during your turn, in addition to your two commands. The exact effects are described on pages one and four of the rule supplement. Once you have used a research bonus, set it aside for the time being. If the research tiles run out, shuffle the tiles you've set aside, and put them back as a supply pile, turned face down.

Work stoppage

It may be that there are red research dice on the ISS after assembling a module.

As long as there is at least one red die on the ISS, you may not attach any new modules. To attach new modules, you must first remove all of the red dice from the space station. Just like the blue dice, you can reduce the red dice with the "Research" command (Page 5: "Research").

You may continue to give all commands when work is suspended. However, you may only use the "Assemble" command to deploy a robonaut.

End of the game

The game can end in several different ways:

• If the ISS marker reaches one of the ISS-symbol spaces and you have not attached the required number of modules, you have failed in your mission and the game ends immediately.
• When the ISS marker reaches the final space on the Earth progress tracker, you have succeeded in your mission and the game ends.
• You have also succeeded in your mission when you have attached the twelfth and final module. The game then ends.

In all cases, count how many new modules you managed to attach to the ISS, then check below to see how you did:

• 0–2 modules attached: It's also lovely back down on Earth — You don't seem so keen on exploring new worlds. Pittsburgh is also supposed to be very beautiful at this time of year, though.
• 3–5 modules attached: Somewhere out there — You're certainly a little curious. Maybe some of you even wanted to be astronauts when you were kids. But at some point, you changed your minds ...
• 6–7 modules attached: A giant leap for humankind — Pioneers don't have it easy. Your goals are clear and you have established a good basis for future endeavors. Build on this foundation to achieve great things.
• 8–9 modules attached: Reach for the stars — You have transcended boundaries and shown what humanity is capable of when people work together. Keep up the good work! Make the ISS a symbol of your common strength.
• 10–11 modules attached: Worlds that no human has ever seen before — You strongly believe that there is far more out there just waiting to be discovered and are determined to find out just what. Until then, you can undoubtedly keep yourselves busy on the ISS. There's always something to do!
• 12 modules attached: Through space and time — The universe is your oyster. Now that space appears to have no boundaries for you, the only thing left to overcome is time.

Advice and tactical tips

Playing a round

There are no "rounds" in "Mission ISS" as such, but you take it in turns to play throughout the entire game. When a player ends their shift, the remaining players continue to play unaffected. So the end of a shift really only affects that particular player.

However, especially at the start, several players will have to end their shift in quick succession. Bear in mind that the ISS marker is moved further forward whenever a shift ends. Therefore, you may find that you must suddenly achieve an intermediate goal far sooner than expected.

When things aren't going so well anymore

Be sure to keep the command cards reasonably evenly distributed between you. If you take too many of a player's command cards, they might only be able to give a few commands before they have to end their shift again. This can cause the game to progress very quickly, making it very difficult for you to achieve your goals.

Run out of command cards

Be sure not to take a fellow player's last command card from them. If a player does not have any command cards – turned either face up or face down – then they must end their shift each time that it is their turn. The game will then progress far too quickly and you will have a very hard time completing the game successfully. (It can also get pretty boring for that player!)

Difficulty level

You can adjust the game's difficulty level with the number of "Good job" cards you use. The more there are in the incident pile, the easier the game gets. If you find the game too hard, add more than six cards to the incident pile when you set up the game. If you fancy more of a challenge, use fewer "Good job" cards.

Communication

There are no communication restrictions in "Mission ISS". You may – and should – talk to and advise each other during the game.

Discard pile

You are allowed to view the command cards lying face down in front of you as well as the incident cards that have already been turned over at any time in order to help you plan better.

Level of difficulty for assembling modules

At the start of the game, there is one difficulty marker on each module card. Up to three further incident markers can accumulate over the course of the game. Therefore, don't wait too long to attach a module: it will get increasingly difficult later in the game.

Single-player game

The rules of the multiplayer game apply, with the following exceptions.

Playing materials and setup

In the single-player game, use the following eleven command cards: 5×Move, 2×Research, 2×Assemble, 2×Exercise.

Shuffle these cards and lay four of them out face up in front of you. Lay a further three cards out face up above them as shown. Leave space above this for another row that you will fill over the course of the game. Take the four remaining cards in your hand. (From the top: top row, middle row, bottom row.)

How to play

To give commands, combine two cards – just like in the multiplayer game. You can do this in one of two different ways:

• Either choose one of your hand cards and place it in the top row of cards. Always place the card directly above a card on the middle row that has already been turned face up. These two cards determine the commands you will give during this turn.
• Or choose two of your hand cards and place one card in the top row and the other directly below it in the middle row. These two cards are then the two commands you will give during this turn.

Then execute both commands, like in the multiplayer game.

Repeat this procedure until you don't have any cards left in your hand or don't want to play anymore.

Command wild cards

Whenever you attach a module, pick the module card up and add it to your hand. As in the multiplayer game, you may use module cards as wild cards to give one of the four commands. You may play module cards in the same way as normal command cards. You may even combine two module cards.

End your shift

You may end your shift at any time when you have at least one command card on the top row.

To end your shift, complete the following steps in the order indicated. (The first two steps are exactly the same as in the multiplayer game.)

1. Move the ISS marker forward one space. If it lands on a symbol, execute this.
2. Use the exercise markers you've collected.
3. Remove all of the module cards you've played from the game and return them to the box.
4. Pick up all of the cards in the bottom row and add them to your hand. If you still have cards in your hand, add the new cards to these. So you don't have to discard any cards first and there is no limit to the number of cards you can have in your hand.
5. Then move all of the cards down one row so that the top row is empty again.

Change to the research tiles

Research tiles #13 and #24 have a different function in the single-player game:

Bonus (single-player game): Pick up one of the command cards in the bottom row and add it to your hand. You may never take the last card from the bottom row, though.

Overview

Assemble module

1. Attach the new module to the space station.
2. New astronaut?
3. Place the difficulty marker on the Earth board and the incident markers in the supply pile.
4. Place a new research tile on the new module.
5. Turn over two incident cards and execute them: module not attached yet → incident marker; module already attached → research tile; "Good Job" → no effect.
6. Turn the module card face down.

End your shift

1. Move the ISS marker forward one space.
2. Use the exercise markers you've collected.
3. Turn over your command cards again that were turned face down.