Solar Draft
Solar Draft Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components and Setup
5 Sun mats – put one in front of each player, and return any unused ones to the box. If this is your first time playing, use the side without the Special Ability on it.
- Solar Flare – every sun mat has this ability.
- Special Ability – varies for each sun.
4 Bonus Point cards – put these in a line to one side of the playing area, so that everyone can see them.
90 Solar System cards – Shuffle these in a face-down deck. Then deal 3 to each player to form their starting hands, and deal 5 to a face up line in the center of the table to create the Solar Row. Finally, return a number of them from the deck to the box based on how many players there are in the game:
- 2 players – return 40 cards
- 3 players – return 30 cards
- 4 players – return 20 cards
- 5 players – return 10 cards
The cards that are returned to the box will not be used this game, and should not be looked at.
Anatomy of a Solar System Card
Solar System cards depict planets, moons, and comets.
- Star – point value of the card.
- Ring(s) – number of rings on the planet.
- Letters B/G/R/T – denote the planet color (Blue, Green, Red, Tan).
- Letters S/M/L – denote planet size (Small, Medium, Large) with number indicating relative size.
- Ability Text – explains any possible special abilities.
Gameplay Overview
On your turn, you will either be drafting a card from the Solar Row to your hand, or playing a card from your hand into your own solar system. Once you have 8 or more planet cards in your own Solar System, the lap around the table is finished, Bonus Point cards are awarded, and you score your Solar System. The player with the most points, wins!
Gameplay in Detail
The player who most recently held the fate of a galaxy in their hands will be the start player and take the first turn. Play proceeds clockwise around the table, with each player taking a single turn at a time until the game ends. On your turn, you must either Draft a card, Play a card, or Terraform a planet. Details on each action are as follows:
Draft a Card
Draft a card of your choice from the Solar Row in the center of the table. You may not choose to draft a card if you already have 5 or more cards in your hand, you must instead choose one of the other possible actions. When you draft a card, pick up the card from the Solar Row and put it into your hand of cards, then refill the Solar Row to 5 cards by flipping over a new card from the top of the deck. Any time you would draft a card from the Solar Row, whether as your action for the turn or as a result of a card ability, you may choose instead to draw a card from the top of the deck (if you do this, do not flip a new card into the Solar Row).
Note: in the unlikely event that you are entirely unable to perform any action at all, because you have 5 or more cards in your hand already and none of them can be played, you may discard a card from your hand and then draft a card.
Figure 1: Drafting a card from the Solar Row.
Figure 2: Replenishing the Solar Row from the Deck.
OR… Play a Card
Play a card of your choice from your hand of cards to your Solar System. Planet and comet cards are placed in a line to the right of your Sun mat. Unless you have a card ability that says otherwise, planets and comets must be placed at the end of the line in your solar system, in the position farthest to the right. They may not be inserted between other cards in the line. Moon cards are placed above planet cards.
- Established Solar System – cards that have been played previously.
- Play a new card here – at the end of the Solar System.
If you play a Planet Card, it must be played to the right of your Sun mat, and it also must be to the right of all of your previously played planet and comet cards, as the last card in the line.
If you play a Comet Card, it must be placed to the right of all your previously played planet and comet cards as the last card in the line, and it must be next to one of your previously placed planets. You may not play a comet to the right of another comet card this way.
If you play a Moon Card, you must place it above one of your previously placed planet cards, to show that the moon is orbiting that planet. You may have multiple moons orbiting the same planet, each one should be placed above any previous ones.
OR… Terraform a Planet
Terraform one of your planets by discarding a card from your hand, then replacing a planet card in your Solar System with one from your hand (thus the new planet is not placed at the end of the line, but occupies the position of the old replaced planet). The old planet that is being replaced is removed and placed into a discard pile, and any moons orbiting it are now considered to be orbiting the new planet. You can not take this action if you cannot discard a card at the beginning of it.
- Discard – place a card from your hand into the discard.
- Terraform – after discarding, replace one of your existing planets with a new one from your hand.
Card Abilities
Once you've played a card, read the ability on the card aloud so that everyone knows what it does. Some cards have abilities which say "When played" – these abilities only occur once, the first time the card is played. Some card abilities say "Score" or "During Scoring" – these abilities only happen at the end of the game, and are often related to scoring. Cards which refer to planets before, after, or next to them in the solar system are referring to their relative positions in the line. Other cards have abilities which are always applicable after they are played, based on the text of the card.
Sun Abilities
Additionally, during your turn you may choose to use your Sun's Solar Flare ability and/or Special Ability (if you have one). These abilities describe what they do, and you can use each one only ONCE during the whole game. You may use the ability before or after you take your regular action for the turn, and after you do so it is recommended that you indicate that you may no longer use that ability by turning the Sun sideways in the direction of the ability that has been used, or upside-down if all abilities have been used.
Ending Your Turn
Once you've taken your action for the turn (and any optional Sun abilities you would like to do), check to see if you have 8 planet CARDS in front of you (this does not count moons, comets, or extra planets if a card counts as more than one planet – count only the physical number of planet cards), or if the deck has run out of cards. If you DO have 8 planet cards in front of you, or the deck is empty, the game is almost over! Players continue taking turns as described above until it reaches the start player. That player does not take another turn, and you must proceed to the End Of The Game instead. If you do not have 8 planet cards yet and the deck still has cards, then your turn ends and the next player begins their turn as normal.
End of the Game
Award each Bonus Point card to the player(s) with the most planets of the indicated color. If there is a tie for the most planets of a particular color, award that Bonus Point card to all the players who have the most of that color. Then total up your score:
You receive 5 points for each Bonus Point card you were awarded.
You receive points equal to the values printed in the corner of all the cards in your Solar System. Please note that moons' base point values are added to the planet they are orbiting, so if a planet's point value is doubled, this doubling should include the added value of any of its moons. Moons' abilities do not add value to the planet unless they say so. Some cards are worth negative points, subtract their value from your point total.
You receive points for any abilities on cards in your Solar System that say "Score", as described on the card. Please note that effects which double a planet's point value do not double points earned from abilities, and vice versa.
The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie for most, the tied player with the most total rings depicted around all of their planets wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the most total planets in their solar system wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player who went last in turn order wins.
Scoring Example
Star Values – 15 points
Card Abilities – 6 points An additional 5 points were scored thanks to the ability of the second planet, and 1 point for the ability of the second moon.
Bonus Points – 5 This player received a bonus card for having the most red planets.
Total Score: 26 points