Twinkle Twinkle
Twinkle Twinkle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- A 1 Draw Bag
- B 95 Star Chart Tiles
- C 4 Player Standees
- D 1 Observation Board
- E 1 Scoreboard
- F 1 Dry Erase Marker
- G 4 Star Chart Boards
- H 20 Object References (5 per player)
- I 1 Cosmobot Reference (solo play only)
Setup
- Place the Observation board and scoreboard in the middle. Use the side of the Observation board marked with your player count. Use the side of the scoreboard with the 5 scoring objects (unless playing with expansions).
- Put all Star Chart tiles in the draw bag. Draw random tiles 1 at a time to fill first the Current Round row, then the Next Round row, going left to right. Each time you place a Slow tile, slide it to the rightmost empty space in its row before drawing the next tile.
- Each player takes a standee, Star Chart, and reference for each of the 5 scoring objects.
- For each scoring object, players collectively decide whether to use the standard rule (green side) or advanced rule (blue side). All players slot their references into their Star Charts with the 5 selected rules faceup. For your first game, use standard rules for all objects. After your first game, use any combination of standard and advanced rules.
- Randomly arrange players' standees on the Turn Order track.
Goal
Map out the night sky by filling your Star Chart with celestial objects like Stars, Planets, and Asteroids. You score points for connecting Stars to make Constellations, and for arranging the 5 scoring objects according to their unique rules.
Game Rounds
Each round, each player takes 1 tile from the Current Round row, in the order shown on the Turn Order track. The tile you choose determines your Turn Order position for the following round.
For 2-player games, see additional rules on pg. 3.
On Your Turn
- Move your standee from the Turn Order track to the space above the tile you want to take.
- Immediately place the tile in any space on your Star Chart. You can rotate or flip it however you like.
End of Round
After the last player in Turn Order places their tile, follow these steps:
- Move all standees from the Current Round row back up to the Turn Order track, keeping them in the same order.
- Slide the leftover tile on the Current Round row all the way to the left. Then move all tiles from the Next Round row up to the Current Round row, keeping them in the same order.
- Draw new tiles to refill the Next Round row, from left to right. Each time you draw a Slow tile, slide it to the rightmost empty space before drawing the next tile.
- Start the next round!
Game End
The game ends when everyone has filled their Star Chart. Use the scoreboard to add up each player's final victory points (VP). Follow the rules on your Star Chart to score Constellations and Nova Stars, then use the object references to score each of the 5 objects.
Constellations
A Constellation is a chain of 2 or more Stars connected together by dashed lines. A Constellation may branch in multiple directions, and does not have to be a closed loop.
Important: Dashed lines at the corners of tiles can only connect to other tiles diagonally. They can't connect to corner lines on vertically or horizontally adjacent tiles. If 2 Constellations meet at a diagonal intersection, they cross over each other without connecting (see example below).
Nova Stars
Nova Stars are the same as other Stars, except that you score an extra 1 for each Nova Star that is not next to a Black Hole. This includes Nova Stars that aren't part of Constellations. Unless otherwise noted, Nova Stars count as Stars for Constellation scoring and all object rules.
Scoring Example
Largest Constellations — This player's largest Constellation scores 25 VP for 8 Stars, and their 2nd-largest scores 4 VP for 3 Stars.
Number of Constellations — Every group of 2+ connected Stars is a Constellation. This player scores 9 VP for 4 Constellations.
Nova Stars — This player has 8 total Nova Stars but only scores 7 VP, since one is next to a Black Hole (bottom right).
Corner Connections — Constellations can only connect straight across the corners of tiles.
Separate Constellations are allowed to cross each other at intersections.
Object Scoring — All objects other than Stars score based on their own unique rules. For this game, players used the standard rules for all 5 objects.
- 4 VP for 1 Comet with 4 Stars beside it
- 9 VP for 3 total Planets
- 9 VP for 1 cluster of 3 Asteroids
- 2 VP for 1 Black Hole not beside any Black Holes + 5 VP for 1 Black Hole not beside any Black Holes, Stars, or Planets
- 9 VP for 1 Satellite next to 2 Planets and 1 Black Hole
This player's scoring breakdown: Largest Constellations 25, Number of Constellations 9, Nova Stars 7, Comets 4, Planets 9, Asteroids 9, Black Holes 7, Satellites 9. Total: 83 VP.
Object Clarifications
Adjacency
If an object rule refers to other objects beside it, it only applies to objects on orthogonally adjacent tiles, not diagonally adjacent ones. Unless you are using expansions, diagonal adjacency only matters for Asteroids.
Comets
Advanced: Each Comet can only count each adjacent Constellation once (no matter how many sides it touches).
Asteroids
Advanced: Count all your Asteroids toward fewest Asteroids, not just your largest Cluster.
Planets
Advanced: Do not count Planets beside advanced Black Holes towards most Planets (see Black Holes).
Satellites
When playing with expansions, Satellites can only be used if Planets or Black Holes (or both) are in the game.
Black Holes
Advanced: Black Holes do not eliminate connections between Stars; they only reduce the number of Stars counted toward the size of a Constellation. This may affect which of your Constellations are the largest. If a Constellation is reduced to less than 2 countable Stars, it no longer counts as a Constellation for Constellation scoring or other object rules (such as advanced Comets). Otherwise, Black Holes do not affect scoring for objects other than Stars and Planets (specifically, Satellites and Comets may count objects next to Black Holes).
2 Players
With 2 players, each player takes 2 standees. One player starts on spaces 1 and 4 of the Turn Order track. The other starts on 2 and 3. Each player takes 2 turns each round, using each standee to take 1 tile.
Solo Play
Exploring the cosmos alone? Play against the Cosmobot and see how high you score!
Setup
- Set up the Observation board as you would for 2 players (see Setup, steps 1-2). Place the Cosmobot reference next to the Observation board.
- Set up 1 Star Chart and select 5 object references for yourself only (the Cosmobot does not use them).
- Choose 2 standees for yourself and 2 for the Cosmobot. Place your standees on spaces 1 and 3 of the Turn Order track and the Cosmobot's on 2 and 4.
Gameplay
Take your turns as normal. On the Cosmobot's turn, use its reference to determine which tile it selects. Place its standee above that tile and remove the tile from the game (don't return it to the bag).
The Cosmobot selects tiles based on its standee's position on the Turn Order track. Its reference shows the list of preferences it uses, based on its current position. It always takes the tile that satisfies the first possible preference on its list. If there is a tie for the first possible preference, it takes the leftmost preferred tile. (Note: "Tile with most objects" includes Stars.)
Example: There are no Slow tiles, and the 2nd tile has been taken, so the Cosmobot takes the tile with the most objects. There are 2 tiles with 2 objects, so it chooses the one farthest left.
Scoring
Count up your VP and see how you did!
| VP | Rank |
|---|---|
| 0-59 VP | Dream on, Dreamer |
| 60-74 VP | Amateur Astronomer |
| 75-84 VP | Strong Effort |
| 85-94 VP | Astronaut Candidate |
| 95-104 VP | Explorer of the Stars |
| 105-114 VP | Galactic Pioneer |
| 115+ VP | Absolutely Stellar! |
Credits
- Design: Ammon Anderson
- Illustration: Natalie Dombois
- Graphic Design: Matt Paquette & Co., Anca Gavril & Co.
- Development: John Brieger, Michael Dunsmore
- Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser
- 3D Artists: Filip Gavril