Planet Defenders
Planet Defenders Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 9 Planet tiles
- 3 Control tiles
- 4 Player boards
- 10 Blue energy cubes
- 10 Orange energy cubes
- 10 Green energy cubes
- 33 Battery cubes
- 20 Robot cards
- 23 Technology cards
- 3 Planet defenders
- 3 Plastic stands
- 1 D6 die
Game Setup (4 Players)
- Take the "Base" Planet tile (without symbol in the upper left corner) and place it in the center of the table. Assemble the 3 Planet defenders with stands and place them on the "Base".
- Randomly lay out the other 8 Planet tiles in a 3x3 grid. This is considered the game board.
- Shuffle the 20 Robot cards and make 4 face-down piles, with each pile containing 5 cards. Place them on the top, bottom, left and right side of the game board. Then reveal the top card of each pile.
- Place the 3 Control tiles in a row next to the game board. Randomly choose one side face-up.
- Shuffle the 23 Technology cards and make a face-down pile as the "Technology deck". Place it near the game board and reveal the top 4 cards face-up beside the deck as the "Technology supply".
- Sort the Battery cubes and the Energy cubes by colors. Place them next to the 4 corner of the game board as Reserves.
- Place the Die on the space of the corresponding Planet tile.
- Take a Battery cube as a "Switch marker" and place it on the bottom right space of the corresponding Planet tile.
- A. Randomly determine a Starting player. He takes the Player board with "START" and places it in front of him.
- B. The other players take a Player board in front of themselves.
- C. Each player takes 5 Battery cubes and places them on the upper side of his Player board.
2 or 3 Players
Setup is the same as above, with the following changes:
- Shuffle the 20 Robot cards and make 4 face-down piles, with each pile containing 4 cards.
- Remove 2 cubes of each energy color. There are no other changes.
Aim of the Game
In Planet Defenders, players pay Batteries to control the 3 Defenders. Move them among the Planets and collect Energies.
Players may enhance their actions by spending Energies and/or Batteries to upgrade their Technology. They earn the Research Points (RP) by catching the Disposed Robots in outer space and by collecting Technology cards.
When Robots from 2 different piles are depleted, complete the current round, so that all players have equal number of turns. The player with the highest RP wins.
Sequence of Play
Beginning with the Starting player, players take turns in clockwise order. On the active player's turn, he may perform 1 or 2 "Main actions", and then 1 optional "Extra action". He may also choose to "Rest" to refill Battery(s) (without performing any actions).
Main Action
Main actions are performed by the 2 following steps: 1. Move the Defender, 2. Activate the Planet.
1. Move the Defender
Choose 1 Control Tile. If this is the first Main Action of this turn, pay 1 Battery. If this is the second Main Action, pay 2 Batteries.
Note: On a player's turn, each Control tile may only be chosen once. Place the paid Battery(s) onto the chosen tile as a reminder.
According to the color of Defender and the number marked on the chosen tile, move the corresponding Defender exactly 1 or 2 times along orthogonally adjacent Planets.
Example: On a player's turn, he pays 1 Battery onto the "Red 1" Control tile. Then he moves the red Defender by 1 Planet and gains a Green energy and a Battery.
Note:
- Each Planet (including the "Base") can host only 1 Defender.
- Defenders can't move back and forth between 2 Planets.
- Defenders must move exactly the number of times indicated by the Control tile.
- Defenders may move through other Defenders, but must end its move on an empty Planet.
2. Activate the Planet
Activate the effect that the target Planet provides. Gain the corresponding Energy(s) and/or Battery(s) immediately. The cubes owned by a player must be visible by all players at all time.
For more details of the effect that each Planet provides, please check the "Description of the Planets" section below.
Example: Continued. He decides to perform the 2nd Main action. So he pays 2 Batteries onto another Control tile "Yellow 2". Then he moves the yellow Defender by 2 Planets and pays a Green energy to gain 5 Batteries.
Note:
- Energy cubes are limited. If the Reserve is exhausted, players cannot gain the exhausted Energy but gain Battery(s) as an alternative.
- Battery cubes are unlimited. If the Reserve is exhausted, players can use any handy bits as an alternative.
Extra Action
In addition to the Main action, players may perform up to 1 Extra action after all of the Main actions are finished. Players may choose not to perform the Extra action. There are 2 types of Extra actions: Upgrade a Technology or Catch a Robot.
1. Upgrade a Technology
Choose 1 Technology card from the Technology supply and pay the corresponding cost. Take the card and place it on the left side of the Player board. Then immediately reveal a card from the top of the Technology deck and refill the supply to 4 cards. For more details of the effect that each Technology card provides, please check the "Description of the Technologies" section below.
Example: Player pays a Blue energy and a Battery to gain the Technology card.
2. Catch a Robot
Defender(s) which has moved this turn may be used to catch Robots (paid Battery(s) is placed on the Control tile as a reminder).
A Defender ending its move on a Planet in the outer circle may catch a Robot on the top of the closest Robot pile.
Example: The red and yellow Defenders have been moved on the player's turn. He may catch 1 of the 3 Robots marked with red or yellow frame. But he may not catch the Robot marked with blue because the blue Defender was not moved this turn.
Pay the cost printed on the Robot card, take the card from the pile and place it on the right side of the Player board. Gain the one-time bonus marked on the card (if any). Then reveal the top card of the pile.
Example: Player pays 2 Blue energies and 1 Orange energy to catch the Robot. He gains a Green energy as a bonus.
Note: Defender moving to the Base may catch a Robot on the top of any piles.
End of the Turn
When the active player decides not to perform any further actions, he returns all Battery(s) on the Control tile(s) to the Reserve, and flips over the used tile(s). Now the next player may take his turn.
Note: Do not flip the Control tiles which are not used this turn.
Example: Player decides to end his turn. He returns 3 Batteries from the 2 Control tiles to the Reserve and flips them back. So the Control tiles that the next player can use change from "Yellow 2", "Red 1" and "Yellow 1" (the top) to "Blue 1", "Blue 2" and "Yellow 1" (the bottom).
A player can never have more than 5 Energies at the end of his turn. If this happens, he must return Energy(s) to the supply until he only has 5 left.
Rest
On the active player's turn, he may choose not to perform any Main and Extra actions. He may refill up to 3 Batteries and end his turn.
Example: On a player's turn, he decides to Rest. He still has 1 Battery so he gains 2 Batteries from the Reserve and immediately ends his turn.
Game End & Scoring
When 2 of Robot cards are depleted on a player's turn, complete the current round so that all players have an equal number of turns, and then the game ends.
Example: On Player B's turn, 2 piles of Robot cards are depleted. The game will end after Player D's turn. (Turn order: Player A → Player B → Player C → Player D, with Player A as the START player.)
Each player scores Research Points (RP) for the followings:
- RP on the upper left corner of the Robot cards next to his Player board.
- 3 or more different types of Robots are worth extra RP as listed below (maximum of 6 types):
| Type | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
- 2 or more Technology cards are worth extra RP as listed below (maximum of 5 cards):
| Number | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Note: Energy and Battery cubes are worth nothing.
Example scoring:
- Robot cards: 12RP
- different types of Robots: 4 types → 2RP
- Technology cards: 4 cards → 4RP Total: 18RP
The player with the highest RP wins. In case of a tie, whoever has the most Energy cubes left, among the tied players breaks the tie.
Symbols
We use the following symbols on the Planet tiles, Control tiles, Player boards, Robot cards and Technology Cards:
- Energy of your choice
- Roll a die
- Blue energy
- Research Point
- Orange energy
- Catch…
- Green energy
- Technology card
- Battery
- Types of Robot
- Pay…to gain
- Ignore…
- Exchangeable
- Gain from the Reserve
- Or
Strategy Tip
Use the Technology cards wisely for synergistic effects.
Try to perform 2 Main actions on each turn. It will help players gain Energies more efficiently.
No Batteries, no actions. Avoid Resting too many times in a game.
The end of the game may come much earlier than expected. Make the best use of your Energies and Batteries because they are worth nothing in the end.
Variants
After you are familiar with the rules of Planet Defenders, you may like to try this more tactical variant. (Note: Game time and down time will be extended a little.)
- Players are allowed to perform 1 or 2 Extra actions on a turn.
- Players may perform their Main and Extra actions in any order. (Example: Extra, Main, Extra, and Main.)
Description of the Planets
Category: "Base" — Player gains an Energy of his choice and a Battery from the Reserve.
Category: "Pulsar" — Player gains a Blue energy and a Battery from the Reserve.
Category: "Ore" — Player gains an Orange energy and a Battery from the Reserve.
Category: "Rings" — Player gains a Green energy and a Battery from the Reserve.
Category: "Pulsar" — Player gains 3 Batteries from the Reserve.
Category: "Fluid" — Player rolls a die and gains the following resources according to the die result:
- 1: gain 2 Batteries.
- 2-4: gain an Energy of his choice and a Battery.
- 5 or 6: gain 2 Energies of his choice.
Category: "Fluid" — Player pays an Energy of his choice to gain 5 Batteries from the Reserve.
Category: "Rings" — Player pays an Energy of his choice and a Battery to gain a Blue, an Orange and a Green Energy from the Reserve.
Category: "Ore" — Player may move the Switch marker by 1-3 spaces along the arrows:
- The 1st space: gain 1 Energy marked on the space.
- The 2nd and 3rd space: pay 1 Battery each to gain the Energy marked on the space.
Example: Player activates the Planet. He moves the Switch marker by 1 space and gain a Green energy. Then he decides to pay 2 Batteries to move the marker by 2 more spaces and gain a Blue and an Orange energy.
Description of the Technologies
Players can find detailed descriptions of all the content and effects of the Technology cards. Check the description when a specific card enters the game.
When players gain a Technology card, place it on the left side of the Player board. The effect can be applied in the owning players' turns.
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At the end of a player's turn, if he has less than 3 Batteries, he immediately gains a Battery from the Reserve. (Note: Their effects can be stacked.)
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When a player catches a Robot, he may ignore 1 Energy marked on the Technology card if the Planet where the chosen Defender stays shares the same "Category" (marked on the upper left corner) as the Technology card. (Note: There are 4 categories of Planets, with each category containing 2 Technology cards. If a player owns 2 cards of the same category, their effects can be stacked.)
Example: The red Defender which was moved on the player's turn stays on a Planet with "Rings" category. Therefore, he may ignore 1 Orange energy when catching the Robot because he owns a Technology card with the same category.
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When a player needs to pay Battery(s), he may pay an Energy of the marked color on the Technology card to gain 2 Batteries from the Reserve, and vice versa.
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After a player moves the Defender, if the moved Defender stays on a Planet where its "Category" (marked on the upper left corner) is the same as the category marked on the Technology card, he immediately gains a Battery from the Reserve.
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When a player needs to pay Energy(s), the 2 Energy types marked on the Technology card are considered the same.
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When a player chooses the control tile, if the color of Defender marked on the chosen tile is the same as the Technology card, he may move the Defender by 1 more Planet.
Credits
- Designer: Wei-Min Ling
- Artist: Maisherly Chan
- Producer: Wei-Min Ling
- English Translation: Wei-Min Ling
- Proofreading: Zong-Wei Zheng, Smoox Chen
The designer would like to thank: The coffee from Cama Cafe, the amazing idea and illustration by Maisherly, the advices from all partners in EmperorS4, and finally, all the testers who played the game and gave us so much valuable feedback.
The artist would like to thank: The store managers, owners and players who are willing to provide advices about the cover painting, Wei-Min who always works with me till midnight and the ideas he provides, and finally, all of my friends willing to accept my invitation to test the game.
The publisher would like to thank: Cooperation and support from all the distributors, retailers and publishers, and review and intro by all the reviewers and bloggers, and the most importantly, players who are willing to buy and play the game. All these help and support complete Planet Defenders!
© 2016 EmperorS4 Technology Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 16F-2, No.267, Sec. 2, Dunhua S. Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan (R.O.C.)