Planetarium
Planetarium Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set-Up
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Place the game board in the middle of the table, leaving space around it for a row of cards to be placed on each side.
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Place four Planet tokens on the matching A, B, C and D spaces on the board.
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Turn the Matter tokens face down, mix them up, and place one on each white dot on the board. Turn all the Matter tokens face up.
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Place the Habitable/Hostile tokens, Hostile side up, in the circles on each of the four corner planet images.
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For each player, place two hexagon-shaped scoring markers on the zeroes on the score track (one for the units and one for the tens).
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Give each player eight cube-shaped markers in a color that matches their scoring marker.
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Give each player a player mat.
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Shuffle each set of cards separately (Low Evolution, High Evolution, and Final Evolution) and place them in three stacks within reach.
Each player draws two Low Evolution, two High Evolution and two Final Evolution cards. They then must discard one of the Final Evolution cards (form a discard pile beside the stack of cards).
Components
- 1 Game board
- 4 Planet tokens
- 4 Optional vertical Planet tokens (with stands)
- 68 Matter tokens (22 Gas, 22 Rock, 16 Water, 8 Metal)
- 4 Habitable/Hostile tokens (Hostile side shown)
- 4 player mats
- 8 scoring markers (2 per player color)
- 32 player markers (8 per player color)
- 52 Evolution Cards (18 Low, 18 High, 16 Final)
Credits
- Design: Stéphane Vachon
- Additional Design: Dann May
- Development: Stéphane Vachon, Dann May, James Lewis
- Illustration: Greg May
- Art Direction & Graphic Design: Dann May
- Production Management: Cody Jones
The Basics
Starting the Game
After setting the game up, players take turns until the game ends (see Final Stages). The player that discarded the highest scoring Final Evolution card during set-up takes the first turn. Then, play proceeds in a clockwise direction. If there is a tie for the highest scoring Final card discarded, then the first player is decided randomly.
Turn Summary
The basics of a turn are:
- Move one token on the board (a Planet or a Matter token) one space.
- If able to meet a card's requirements, you may play a Low or High Evolution card. Only one card can be played per turn.
- If you played a card, you must draw either a Low Evolution card, a High Evolution card, or draw two Final Evolution cards and discard one of them.
Play a Card?
On most turns, players won't be able to meet the requirements on a card, or may choose not to play a card, in which case they will simply move one token and pass the turn.
"I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people." — Isaac Newton
Making a Move
Token Movement
There are some basic rules for moving tokens (both Planets and Matter):
- Tokens always move in a clockwise direction around the board/star.
- Tokens move along the lines on the board from one point to another. They can move along the thicker circular orbits or the thinner lines that connect them.
- Tokens may only move one space (until the Evolution Track accelerates, see Final Stages).
- Matter tokens cannot move onto, through, or over other Matter tokens.
- Matter tokens can move onto the same space as a Planet token, or vice versa. When this happens the Matter token is placed on the player's mat on the matching Planet space.
Special Planet Moves
Planet tokens have two exceptions to the above rules:
- A Planet can "sweep out its orbit" by moving along a thick circular orbit line as far as desired, or until it moves onto the space of a Matter token.
- When sweeping out its orbit, a Planet can move through the space occupied by another Planet, but cannot finish its move on the same space.
Storing Tokens
Matter tokens gathered by colliding them with planets are stored on the player's mat until they are spent to play an Evolution card.
Playing a Card
Low, High & Final
Only Low and High Evolution cards can be played during the majority of the game. Final cards can only be played on the final turn a player takes in the game (see Final Stages).
Requirements
To play any card, the player must meet the requirements listed down the left edge of the card. Most cards have the requirement of paying Matter tokens of various kinds and amounts. The tokens must be available on the player's mat, on the Planet that the card is to be played to.
Some cards have other requirements. A full list of requirements is printed below (see Card Requirements).
Paying Matter Tokens
When a card is played that has a Matter requirement, the required Matter tokens must be moved from the player's mat to the next free space on the Evolution Track.
Placing Cards
Played cards are placed along the side of the board designated for the planet they are played on. As cards are played, a row of cards will grow along the edge of the board, showing the events that mark the planet's evolution.
When a player places a card, they also place one of their player markers on the card. These markers identify a card as being played by a specific player, and are a requirement for playing Final Evolution cards, see Final Stages.
Scoring
The player scores the number of points in the hexagon in the top right corner of the card.
Example
Issac has collected the required Matter tokens on Planet B, so that he may play the Magnetic Field Evolution card, it requires one of each type of Matter. He chooses to play it.
- He moves a Gas, a Rock, a Water, and a Metal token from the Planet B space on his player mat to the next available spaces on the Evolution track.
- He plays the Magnetic Field card into the next space along the Planet B edge of the board and places his red player marker on it. He scores 11 points, moving his player token up on the score track.
- He checks the balance of Habitable to Hostile points on Planet B. Magnetic Field adds 11 Habitable points to the planet. There are now more Habitable points (11) than Hostile (10), so he flips the Habitable/Hostile token to Habitable.
Card Requirements
- Gaseous: The planet must be a Gaseous System (as marked on the player mats and game board).
- Terrestrial: The planet must be Terrestrial (as marked on the player mats and game board).
- Orbit: The planet must be in an orbit that includes or lies between the numbers listed. The orbits are marked 1-7 (in Roman numerals). The four arms of the outermost orbits are all orbit 7.
- Habitable: The planet must be Habitable. The Habitable/Hostile token must be on the Habitable side.
- Hostile: The planet must be Hostile. The Habitable/Hostile token must be on the Hostile side.
- Matter cost: The listed number of Matter tokens must be present on the player's mat (on the planet they intend to play the card to). When the card is played, these Matter tokens are placed on the next available spaces on the Evolution Track.
- Marker: The player must remove one of their player markers that is already on a card on the Planet.
Habitable or Hostile?
Planets can either be Habitable or Hostile. This is indicated by the Habitable/Hostile token that is positioned in each planet's corner of the game board. The Habitable/Hostile tile begins the game Hostile side up.
After an Evolution card is scored, the players must check the Planet the card was played on to see if it switches from Hostile to Habitable, or vice versa. Compare the total points on Hostile Evolution cards and the total points on Habitable Evolution cards (that have been played on the specific Planet). If one total is higher, then place the Habitable/Hostile token that side up. If the totals are equal, leave the token as it is.
"It is unnatural in a large field to have only one shaft of wheat, and in the infinite Universe only one living world." — Metrodorus of Chios
Gravity
The Gravity icon grants some cards a special power. When a card is played with a Gravity icon, the player may take one Matter token from anywhere on the board and place it on any Planet on their player mat.
Downgrade
The Downgrade icon on a card means that instead of playing a card on your turn, you may discard this card and draw a Low Evolution card. You can only do this for one card per turn, and downgrading a card means that you cannot play another card this turn.
Drawing Cards
Whenever a player plays a card, they must draw a card from the Low Evolution or High Evolution deck; or draw two cards from the Final Evolution deck and take one into their hand, discarding the other.
Discard Piles
Final Evolution cards that are discarded are placed face-up in a discard pile. When the deck of Final Evolution cards runs out, the discard pile is shuffled and forms a new deck.
Similarly, High Evolution cards discarded with a Downgrade icon are placed in a discard pile, and when the High Evolution deck runs out, are shuffled and form a new High Evolution deck.
If any deck of cards completely runs out, then those cards simply cannot be drawn anymore.
Hand Size
A player's hand size is always five cards. A player cannot have more or less than five cards in hand at the start or end of their turn.
Players are limited to four Final Evolution cards. When Final Evolution cards are drawn, only one of the two is ever considered as in the player's hand.
Tip for first time players: When to draw Final Evolution cards, and which to keep, can be an important and interesting decision in the game. As Final cards can't be played until your final turn, yet take up space in your hand, if you draw too many too early it can make it a lot harder to play Low or High cards, and thus meet the requirements on the Final cards you have. However not having them early may make it harder to plan. To be safe, a good rule-of-thumb is to work to have two Final cards to play at the end of the game.
Ending a Turn
After a token has been moved, and possibly a card played, play passes to the next player in clockwise order.
The game continues to pass from player to player. The final stages of the game are covered below.
FAQ
What if I run out of player markers? You may choose to remove one of your previously played markers, and place it on the newly played card. Or, you may play the card without a marker.
Can I play more than one card on a turn? No. The only turn where you can play more than one card is your final turn, when you may play one High/Low Evolution card as normal, and then any number of Final Evolution cards.
Final Stages
Acceleration
As cards are played, Matter tokens are placed on the Evolution Track. When a token is placed on the acceleration space, it triggers an acceleration in the development of the solar system. Matter tokens can now be moved one or two spaces.
Planets still follow the normal movement rules for Planets, moving one space, and with the special Planet movement rules (see Making a Move).
The Final Turn
When a Matter token is placed on the final (larger circle) space of the Evolution track, the final turns of the game are triggered.
The player that placed the token may now play Final Evolution cards from their hand, ending their game. Then each other player in turn takes their final turn.
A final turn is the same as a normal turn, with the exception that after moving, and playing a card, a player may then play any number of Final Evolution cards to Planets (if they meet the cards' requirements). Matter tokens paid during the final turn are placed on the final space of the Evolution Track.
Playing Final Cards
For every Final Evolution card you play to a Planet, you must already have a player marker on a card on that Planet. When you play the Final card, remove one of these markers from a card on that Planet. Thus, you can only play a number of Final cards to a Planet equal to or less than cards you have already played to the Planet.
On your final turn you can play a maximum of 4 Final Evolution cards. Place them to the side of the Planet and score the points as indicated in the top right of the card.
Players do not draw cards on the final turn.
Winning the Game
After each player has taken their final turn and played any Final cards, the player with the most points is the winner of the game! Ties are broken in the following order:
- The player with the most Matter tokens remaining on their player mat.
- The player with the most player markers remaining on cards.
- The player with the fewest cards in hand.
Solo Variant
Overview
This variation of the game is to be played by a single player. Dice rolls are used to simulate gravity and the movement of planets, and the actions of other players. To win you must be efficient in your choices.
Set-Up
- Set the two red scoring markers to 100. These red markers will show the Target Score you will need to beat to win the game. As the game is played, this Target Score will be lowered to varying degrees. For an easier game you may set the initial Target Score to 90, or for a more challenging game, set the Target Score to 110.
- Take a player mat. Take the blue scoring markers, and set your score to 0.
- You will need two regular 6-sided dice.
Turn Summary
You will take the first turn. Take your turns using the same rules used in a regular game of Planetarium.
After each turn, roll the dice and move the planets based on the total of the dice.
- 2-7: Move all Planets on the corresponding orbit # or less. Move planets in order of A, B, C, then D. For example, if you roll a 5, then any Planets in orbits 5 and lower are moved, Planets in orbits 6 and 7 are not moved.
- 8+: No Planets move.
When Dice Move Planets
Planets always move directly forward one space on the thick circular orbit, or sweep out their orbit until they hit a Matter token.
If there are no Matter tokens on the orbit, then the planet moves along a thin line onto the adjacent orbit that contains the most Matter tokens (if the number of tokens is a tie, the planet moves to the adjacent orbit closest to the sun).
Note: Planets on the last space of orbit 7 move onto orbit 6 (and sweep out their orbit after doing so, if applicable).
Any Matter tokens collected by Planets are placed on the Evolution track face down. The Target Score is lowered by 2 for every face down Matter token as it is placed on the Evolution track. For example, if at the end of the game there are 20 face-down Matter tokens on the track, then the Target score should read 60.
Ending the Solo Game
Play the game until a Matter token is placed in the final space of the Evolution track; either by you or the Virtual Player, then play a Final turn, playing Final Cards as usual.
If your score is higher than the Target Score, you win the game.
Tip for solo players: Depending on your dice rolling, you may be in for a race, or have much more time to attempt a larger score. Either way, the target score will adjust to stay challenging but attainable, so keeping an eye on how fast the system is progressing is important.
Solar System Science
The back pages of the rulebook include two illustrated science essays contributed by real planetary scientists, tying the game's mechanics to real astronomy. "Solar System Formation: A Common Process in the Universe," by Dante Lauretta (Professor of Planetary Science, University of Arizona, and principal investigator of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission), walks through how the Solar System's planets, moons, and small bodies condensed out of the Sun's protoplanetary disk of gas, dust, and ice some 4.56 billion years ago, and how meteorites preserve a record of that process. "The Search for Life on Other Worlds," by game developer James Lewis, recounts the history of the search for life on Mars, from early telescope observations through the Mariner, Viking, Pathfinder, and Mars Exploration Rover missions to Curiosity, and connects that history to the game's Habitable/Hostile mechanic. Neither essay affects gameplay; they are included in the manual as background reading.
Card Summary (Quick Reference)
Starting hands:
- Draw 2 Low Evolution cards
- Draw 2 High Evolution cards
- Draw 2 Final Evolution cards, keep one and discard one
- Hand size: 5 cards (with a maximum of 4 Final Evolution cards)
Card icons:
- Downgrade: Instead of playing a card on your turn, you may discard this card and draw a Low Evolution card. You can only do this for one card per turn, and downgrading a card means that you cannot play another card this turn.
- Score: The number of points scored, shown in the hexagon in the top right corner of the card.
- Gravity: The player may take one Matter token from anywhere on the board and place it on any Planet on their player mat.
- Habitable: The planet must be Habitable (the Habitable/Hostile token must be on the Habitable side).
- Hostile: The planet must be Hostile (the Habitable/Hostile token must be on the Hostile side).
- Requirements: The requirements icons down the left edge of the card, listed in full under Card Requirements.
- Final: The card is a Final Evolution card, only playable on a player's final turn.
Card requirements (full list):
- The planet must be a Gaseous System (as marked on the player mats and game board).
- The planet must be Terrestrial (as marked on the player mats and game board).
- The planet must be in an orbit that includes or lies between the numbers listed.
- The planet must be Habitable. The Habitable/Hostile token must be on the Habitable side.
- The planet must be Hostile. The Habitable/Hostile token must be on the Hostile side.
- The listed number of Matter tokens must be present on the player's mat (on the Planet they intend to play the card to). When the card is played, these Matter tokens are placed on the next available spaces on the Evolution Track.
- The player must remove one of their player markers that is already on a card on the Planet.
- Acceleration: When a Matter token is placed on the acceleration space on the Evolution Track, thereafter Matter tokens may be moved one or two spaces. Planet tokens are not affected.