Planetopia
Planetopia Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 5 Individual boards
- 28 Prestige cards
- 60 Cosmos cards (including 15 starting cards)
- 80 Alien tokens (5 different Aliens, 16 tokens each)
- 24 Special tokens
- 40 Atom tokens
- 1 First player token
- 1 Rulebook
Setup
The setup steps below are numbered as on the 4 player setup example in the rulebook.
- Shuffle the Prestige cards and form a face-down pile.
- Draw as many cards as there are players +1 and place them face-up to form a row to the right of the deck.
- Shuffle the Cosmos cards and form a face-down pile.
- Draw 5 cards and place them face up to form a trail to the right of the deck.
- Separate the Alien tokens by color and make several heaps accessible to all.
- Do the same for Atom tokens and Special tokens.
- Each player receives an individual board, 2 Atom tokens and three starting cards (purple background). These cards constitute the starting hand for each player.
The player who has been in space most recently is declared first player.
Starting cards:
- Swap two Aliens horizontally.
- Gain 1 Atom token.
- Swap two Aliens vertically.
Important: Unused starting cards are returned to the box.
The 2-3 player setup slightly differs, see the corresponding section (2-3 Player Game) below.
Turn of Play
The game goes clockwise, each player taking one turn at a time. During their turn a player must choose one of the following actions:
Mandatory action to choose from:
- Take 1 Cosmos card: Take 1 Cosmos card from the common trail. The rightmost card is considered to be closest to your planet. So you can take it without spending an Atom token. On the other hand, if you choose to take a card further away from your planet, you will have to place an Atom token on each card to the right of the chosen card. The chosen card then joins your hand, you can only apply its effect once you play it. When you take a Cosmos card with one or more Atom tokens on it, you also get the token(s). Once the card is taken, slide the cards left of it to the right to fill the gap. Then draw a new Cosmos card and add it to the left end of the row so you have 5 cards available again.
- Play 1 card: Play 1 card of your hand face up in front of you and apply its effect. Most of the time the Cosmos cards will accommodate new residents on your planet. In that case, take the Alien tokens corresponding to the icons on the card played and place them on your game board. If you end up with more Alien tokens than your board can welcome, discard the surplus token(s) of your choice without obtaining Atom token(s) in exchange. If you play the last card you had in hand, recover all your cards at the end of your turn.
- Recover cards: Collect in your hand all the cards played face up in front of you.
On top of your mandatory action you can make another optional action. You can choose from:
- Atomize: Discard 1 or 2 of the aliens of your choice from your planet, receive 1 Atom token for each discarded Alien token. (The rulebook icon shows one Alien for one Atom token, and two Aliens for two Atom tokens.)
- Make a combo: Discard the Alien tokens corresponding to the pattern on any Prestige card in the row and take it. Keep it face up in front of you. Some cards can also give you Special tokens (see the Special Tokens section below).
You can therefore do a maximum of 2 actions per turn: 1 mandatory and 1 optional, in the order of your choice.
Game Board
Each game board can accommodate up to 9 Alien tokens.
The placement of the tokens on the board is free, however the tokens are subject to the gravity of your planet: they always fall from top to bottom. Thus it is not possible to place a token on a top line if no other token is below.
Your board can also accommodate a maximum of 3 Special tokens.
The board shows a reminder of the available actions, the Alien tokens placement grid (a 3 by 3 grid of slots) and the slots for Special tokens.
Cosmos Cards
When you play a Cosmos card, apply its effect immediately. In the example in the rulebook, you take 3 Alien tokens: 1 green, 1 red and 1 purple Alien to add to your game board.
- The Raygun card allows you to turn 1 Alien already present on your game board into another color of your choice for 2 Atom tokens. Exchange the Alien token with one from the common supply.
- The Switch card allows you to swap 2 adjacent Aliens diagonally on your game board.
Prestige Cards
In order to take a Prestige card, the pattern on it must match the one on your game board. Slots on the card where no Alien is represented (white circles) can be occupied by any Alien.
The top of the card shows the number of Prestige points the card grants.
Once you made the combo, place the Prestige card face up in front of you. Prestige cards must always be superimposed so that everyone knows how many prestige points a player has accumulated.
Special Tokens
Most Prestige cards offer a Special token. Take the token indicated in the lower left corner of the Prestige card whose combo you have just made. Place the Special token on one of the 3 slots provided for this purpose on your game board.
You will only be able to activate the Special token effect during a later round.
Playing a token does not count as an action and can therefore be played in addition to your actions. Thus, you can play a maximum of 3 tokens during your turn. Once the effect of a token is applied, return it to the common supply.
You can not accumulate more than 3 Special tokens in the respective area on your board. If you gain a Prestige card that gives you a Special token and your board can not welcome a new one, you have to discard a token (this could be the token you just got).
The Special tokens are:
- Extra turn token: This token allows you to play another turn right away.
- Double earnings token: Double your earnings when you Atomize Aliens.
- Joker token: This token is a Joker and represents an Alien of any color. Discard it after making a combo with it.
Game End
As soon as a player has reached at least 25 Prestige points, finish the current round so that each player has played the same number of times, then the game ends.
The player with the most points is then declared the winner, their planet is the most remarkable of the whole galaxy!
In case of a tie, the player with the most Atom tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most Aliens remaining on their planet is declared winner. In the unlikely event that there is still a tie the tied players share their victory.
2-3 Player Game
2 player game: before starting the game, remove the Cosmos cards with both the 2-dot and 3-dot icons in the lower right corner, and Prestige cards with 9 points. Remove a total of 4 Prestige cards and 13 Cosmos cards. The rest of the setup is the same as for a 4 or 5 player game.
3 player game: before starting the game, remove the Cosmos cards with the 2-dot icon in the lower right corner, and Prestige cards with 9 points. Remove a total of 4 Prestige cards and 4 Cosmos cards. The rest of the setup is the same as for a 4 or 5 player game.
Note: the dot icons referred to in this section are pictograms in the source rulebook; they are described here by their dot count.
Tips
Try to optimize your hand and acquire only the cards that will allow you to complete the best combinations as quickly as possible.
Having too many cards in hand can interfere with the flow of your game and could benefit your opponents.
The best way to achieve a combination before others is to plan your actions.
Sometimes waiting a turn or two before using a special token can be crucial to gain the advantage.
Remember that you have a maximum of 2 actions per turn (a mandatory and an optional one), so do not hesitate to modify the grid layout on your game board at the last moment to surprise your opponents.
Example: Martin atomizes 2 aliens during his turn, thus earning 2 Atom tokens in exchange, and plays 1 Cosmos card allowing him to add the 2 missing Aliens to make one of the combos proposed by the Prestige cards in play. He then plays his Special token allowing him to perform a total of 2 actions again, so he takes the opportunity to win the Prestige card in question and to buy a Cosmos card of the common trail.
F.A.Q.
Am I limited to a number of cards in my hand? Absolutely not, you can have as many cards in hand as you want. However, we advise you to take into account only the cards that represent a real interest for you and your game, having too many cards in hand can make reading them difficult.
Can I use the Switch card to move an Alien to an empty slot? No, the Switch card (as well as the starting cards) allows you to swap two Alien tokens only. Note that the Joker Special token can be switched in the same way as any traditional Alien token.
Can I make multiple combos during the same turn? Sure, but you must meet two conditions for that: (1) own and use a Special token allowing you to play an additional turn and (2) make sure that once the first combo is made and the necessary tokens removed, the placement of the remaining tokens matches a pattern on one of the remaining Prestige cards (do not forget to apply gravity to the Alien tokens!).
I want to play a Cosmos card giving me the right to several Aliens tokens but one of them has no more tokens available? The various Aliens present in your galaxy are limited in number. If one of the alien colors is to be out of tokens, know that this is temporary. This does not stop you from playing a card with a missing Alien color, but you cannot substitute the missing token(s) of one breed by taking a token from another.
Can I look at the cards I have already played in front of me? Yes, this is also strongly recommended to help you decide which cards to add to your hand and to optimize your game.
How many actions in total (mandatory and optional) am I entitled to when I play a Special token entitling me to 2 turns? This token allows neither more nor less than to play twice during the same turn. Therefore you can perform a maximum of 2 mandatory actions and 2 optional actions, in the order that suits you best, when you use it.