Solaris
Solaris Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Laser
- 6 Space stations
- 8 Energy bridges in 4 colors – connecting and transporting energy between stations
- 4 Shuttles in 4 colors – transporting energy to the laser
- 108 Cards – each card showing a space station's icon in the center, and one energy color of the 4 different energy bridges and shuttle colors. Front: Needed for the basic game. Back: Needed for the variant "Time Game".
- 1 Station marker – used to indicate the currently active station
- 10 starting tiles – 5 each marked A and B
- 35 Energy Tokens – 7 each of 5 different player colors
- 5 Summary cards – one for each player, showing information on possible actions during a player's turn
- 3 turnmarker – only used for the game variant
- 1 Rules booklet
Setup
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Mix all cards and randomly deal 5 to each player. Stack the remaining cards face down in good reach of all players, and then reveal the top three as an open display next to the stack.
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Place the laser in the center of the playing area. Arrange the six space stations around the laser in the order as shown in the picture. Put one energy bridge between each two neighboring stations, choosing their colors randomly. Set the other two bridges aside.
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Each player chooses a color and takes the 7 energy tokens of that color. Give one summary card to each player, and one A plus one B half of the starting tiles. Each player puts their two halves together and flips the disc, seeing a sketch of the playing area with a certain number assigned to each station. Now, each player places one of their energy tokens on the space with the corresponding number of the energy track of each space station. Finally, all players place their last energy token on the "0" space of the laser's energy track.
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The Shuttles are placed next to the stack.
Game Round
Each game of Solaris is played in rounds until at least one player has accumulated 7 or more energy in the laser. During each game round, each of the six space stations will be activated once. The first activated station is always the station next to the Energy Cell in clockwise direction.
Each player chooses one of the 5 possible actions and performs their action at the currently activated station. Then, the next station in clockwise direction is activated, etc., until each station has been activated once.
Example: The engine deck is in clockwise direction next to the energy cell and therefore is the first station to be activated.
Details of a game round
Place the station marker on the activated station.
The player order is different on all stations and depends on each player's amount of energy at that station. The player owning the most energy at a given station (indicated by their energy token) performs their action first, followed by the player owning the second most energy etc. If two or more players own the same amount (i. e., their tokens occupy the same space), the player whose token is on top goes first, then the player with the second token from top etc.
Example: The white player has the most energy at the engine deck and can perform his chosen action first. The player order for the other players is as follows: grey, yellow, black and at last the orange player.
At the start of their turn, the active player moves their energy token from the energy track to the adjoining space of the outer track, as of now called "rim track". The token is placed on top of any other token occupying that space already, if any.
Example: It it the grey players turn, he takes his energy token from the energy track and puts it on the adjacent space on the rim track.
Note: Anytime an energy token changes its position on the energy or rim track, and lands on an already occupied space, the token is put on top of the other tokens. No player can have more than 7 energy on any of the 6 stations.
Then, the player chooses to perform one of the following 5 possible actions:
a) Replenish energy b) Redirect energy c) Exchange one card d) Pass e) Perform that station's specific action
The actions in detail
a) Replenish energy
If the player has one or more cards with the activated station's icon in their hand, they may play these cards and advance their energy token on that station's rim track a number of spaces equal to the number of cards they played.
Example: The yellow player plays three cards and therefore advances his energy token on the rim track by three spaces.
b) Redirect energy
If the player has one or more cards in their hand showing the color/form of one or more of the energy bridges connected to the activated station, they may play these cards in order to redirect energy from the activated station to the station connected by that energy bridge. The player moves their energy token on the activated station's rim track backwards as many spaces as the number of their played cards, and advances their energy token on the energy track of the not activated station accordingly.
Example: the grey player plays 2 purple and one pink card, reducing his energy 3 spaces on the rim track of the engine deck. He advances his energy token 2 spaces on the Energy Cell (purple bridge/2 purple cards) and 1 Space on the Headquarters (pink bridge/1pink card).
c) Exchange one card
As an action, the player may discard exactly one card from their hand and take the top card from the stack or one card from the open display instead.
Example: The player tosses his green canteen card and choses the purple engine deck card from the diplay.
d) Pass
The player simply forfeits their turn and does nothing. Then, the next player takes their turn.
e) Perform that station's specific action
If the player has some energy at their disposal at the currently activated station, they may spend it to perform that station's specific action.
The stations' actions in detail:
Engine deck
At this station, a player may spend energy to increase his energy at another station. For each energy spent at the engine deck he can play up to two cards with the icon of another station. For each played card he advances his energy marker of the station on the card by one.
Example: The yellow player spends 2 energy at the engine deck to perform the station's specific action twice in order to play 3 cards with the shuttle port symbol to increase his energy at that station by 3.
Headquarters
At this station, a player may spend energy in order to draw two cards from the stack and/or from the open display for each energy spent. The open display is refilled only after the player has completed their turn.
Each player's hand limit is seven cards at the end of their turn. If a player has more cards at the end of their turn, they have to discard any excess cards of their choice.
Example: The orange player spends 2 energy at the headquarters and therefore can pick 4 cards in total. He takes 2 cards from the display and 2 from the stack.
Biotope
First, the player has to spend one energy if they want to redistribute their remaining energy from the biotope, or some of it. For each further energy spent from the biotope, other stations in counter or clockwise direction from the biotope receive one more energy each, until all energy the player wants to spend is redistributed. This way, each other station can gain exactly one energy, stations with seven energy will be skipped. The player's energy token on the rim track of the Biotope is moved backwards accordingly; on each of the served stations the player's energy token is advanced by one space on the energy track.
Example: The yellow player spends 4 energy at the Biotope, 1 to activate the station's specific action and the excess 3 energy he uses to distribute in clockwise direction increasing his energy by 1 on the shuttle port, the canteen and the energy cell.
Shuttle port
For each energy the player spends from this station, they may dock one of the shuttles lying next to the stack at any station of their choice. The shuttle is placed between the selected station and the laser. Already docked shuttles may not be moved by players.
Example: The grey player is fourth in player order and spends one energy to dock the last shuttle (blue) lying next to the stack on the headquarters. The fifth player can not dock any shuttle this round.
Canteen
For each energy the player spends from this station, they may randomly draw one card each from the hand of other players, and store these cards face down in front of them. Only one card may be drawn from a particular player. Cards cannot be drawn from those cards other players may have stored face down in front of them.
After all players have performed their action at this station, each player adds any stored face down cards to their hand.
Each player's hand limit is seven cards at the end of their turn. If a player has more cards at the end of their turn, they have to discard any excess cards of their choice.
Example: The orange player spends 2 energy and draws 1 card from 2 different players. Those cards he places face down in front of him.
Energy Cell
For each energy the player spends from this station, they may transfer energy from any station with a docked shuttle to the laser. Of course, the player must have some energy at each selected station, and they must play a card matching the color of the shuttle at that location. The player moves their energy token backwards at that station and advances their energy token at the laser accordingly.
Note: A player can use different shuttles in one turn to transfer energy to the laser, provided he has the needed energy at the respective stations and the correct color cards to transfer through the shuttle.
Example: The yellow player spends 2 energy at the energy cell as well as 2 energy at the headquarters and plays 2 blue cards matching the docked shuttle at the headquarters in order to increase their energy by 2 at the laser.
Important: For each 2 played cards as part of their chosen action the player gets 1 new card in return. They may choose the top card of the face down stack or from the open display. The open display is refilled only after the player has completed their turn. If the stack should be finished at any point during the game, reshuffle the played cards to form the new stack.
Example: The player has played 3 cards, therefore gaining 1 card in return. He chooses 1 card from the display.
After all players have completed their turn at the currently activated station, all energy tokens on the rim track are moved to the adjoining space of the energy track. If energy tokens are stacked on a space, their order is not changed. Then, the next station is activated.
Example: All energy tokens are moved from the rim track to the energy track after all players have performed their action at the station.
End of the game round
After the last players turn at the last station (Energy Cell), the round ends. Pick up all shuttles and set them aside for the next game round.
Draw the top card from the stack and exchange the two energy bridges connected to that station randomly with the two energy bridges not used during this game round.
Finally, all players draw 1 card from the stack for each station at which they have only 1 energy or none at all.
Before the next game round starts, all players who have more than 7 hand cards must discard any excess cards of their choice.
End of the game and winner
The game ends when at least one player has accumulated at least 7 energy in the laser at the end of a game round. The player owning the most energy at the laser is the most successful energy monger and winner of the game.
In case of a tie for the most energy at the laser, the tied player who owns the highest energy at the energy cell is the winner of the game. If there is a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Variant: "Time Game"
Changes during set-up: The laser is flipped to the other side. Place the 3 turn markers on the spaces 2, 3 and 4.
Changes during sequence of play: After each round the next in line turn marker is removed from the laser indicating the new round. After the 4th round the game ends. The player with the most energy at the laser is the winner.
Variant: "Layout change"
Changes during set-up: Change the arrangement of the stations to your liking or at random to set-up the game.
We only recommend the energy cell still to be the last activated station in a round. The starting energy can still be seen by the A and B starting tiles.