Silent Planet
Silent Planet Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
55 cards:
- 15 cards showing a 1
- 12 cards showing a 2
- 9 cards showing a 3
- 6 cards showing a 4
- 4 cards showing a 5
- 9 translation machine cards (shown with an "x")
Setting up the game
- Shuffle the cards and deal nine to each player. Put the rest of the cards back in the box without looking at them.
- Once you've all had a good look at your cards (without showing them to each other or saying anything), all players take these two actions simultaneously:
- Place your cards face down in front of you in a row, in the order of your choice.
- Reveal as many cards in your row as you would like to communicate the logic of your order to the other players.
Important: It's entirely up to you how you arrange your cards and how many you reveal. However, if you reveal a card, you won't be able to use it for the rest of the game. You may choose not to reveal any cards at all.
Example: Valentina places her nine cards in a row in front of her and decides to reveal a 2 and a 4 as hints for the other players.
Playing the Game
Take turns revealing cards in the other players' rows of cards. Use the revealed cards to create teams of aliens together. If you manage to create as many alien teams as there are players in the game, you all win together.
The quietest player goes first, then take turns in a clockwise direction. On your turn, the other players as a group must decide which one of your cards they want to reveal, and turn it over.
Important: Remember you're on the Silent Planet, so no one gets to talk! You may use any other way to communicate you can think of: nodding or shaking your heads, telepathy, showing numbers with your fingers or tentacles… However, you can't use pen and paper to communicate!
Also: You can't ever give any hints regarding your own cards during the whole game.
When it's your turn (that is, when the other players try to agree on which of your cards to reveal), you mustn't give any hints at all. Even making a face is out—keep your alien poker face!
Once the other players have picked a card, they reveal it and put it in the center of the table, face up. Then it's the turn of the player on your left and all the other players pick one of that player's cards.
When it's your turn, if you don't have any face-down cards in front of you anymore, your turn is skipped.
Example: The other players have picked one card from Valentina's row. They reveal a 2 and put it in the center of the table.
Alien Teams
The first card you've revealed is the start of the first alien team. Add each following card to the current alien team.
The alien team is complete once you've collected exactly five aliens that are all the same or all completely different.
You're always working on only one alien team at a time. While you're creating one, you can't start the next alien team.
Once your alien team is complete, put it aside in a pile so you can all see it.
If you reveal a card that does not fit the current alien team, the entire team breaks up: put all the cards in that group back in the box. Then, the next player (going clockwise) takes their turn and you start a new alien team.
Example: The other players have picked a card from Fabio's row and revealed a 3. However, there are two 2s in the middle of the table. It's impossible to create a correct alien team using these three cards, so they all must go back in the box.
The Translation Machine
The translation machine is a wild card that can be used in place of any alien. It's possible to have more than one translation machine in the same alien team.
How you use the translation machine within an alien team may change at any point. If you reveal it as the first card of a new team, for example, you don't have to decide which alien it represents immediately.
Examples of Completed Alien Teams
5 different aliens: Five cards with five different numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) make a complete alien team. Translation machines may stand in for any missing numbers.
5 identical aliens: Five cards showing the same number make a complete alien team. Translation machines may stand in for any of the aliens.
The End of the Game
To win the game together, you must create as many alien teams as there are players in your game. If you fail, you all lose together.