Unsettled: Scientific Fascinations
Unsettled: Scientific Fascinations Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Quick Setup
Setup
Each explorer randomly draws 2 fascination boards, looks at them, selects 1, returns the other to the game box, and then places their fascination board to the right of their dashboard.
Read your fascination board and complete any setup instructions. Remember, anytime you see a dotted outline around an image of a component, you place that component there during setup.
Place the white fascination blocks within easy reach of all explorers. Many fascinations will utilize these white blocks in some type of unique way.
It's not recommended to play with both the fascinations and specializations modules at the same time. But you do you.
Gravity wells (boxed panel beside setup): Explorers adjacent to a gravity well node may move onto it without using movement effects (node edge effects still apply). Any explorer within 1 node of a gravity well may be placed onto that gravity well at the discretion of the crew.
Overview
Scientific Side Hustle
This module introduces a series of dual-layered dashboard extensions that represent the science-y preoccupation you have. Generally speaking, the fascinations all have a basic trajectory in common: you spend insight to activate your fascination's mechanism, and over time this results in some type of unique effect, ability, or access to a bonus action.
Because these powerful advancements come at the cost of insight, you have to weigh their value against the potential of the planet-specific comprehension and breakthroughs you would otherwise be using that insight to attain. While fascinations, carefully utilized, can tip things in your favor, the slightest misstep could just as easily take it the other way.
Diverting Your Insight
To divert an insight, move your insight marker 1 space down the insight track: [divert insight icon]
- You must have insight to divert. If your insight marker is on the bottom of the insight track, you cannot activate your fascination ability.
- Do whatever this triggers on your fascination board.
- Diverting insight to your fascination is an on-your-turn free action. You may do it as often as you want, on your turn.
Clarifications
Each fascination board is shown below with its printed text first, then the printed clarification for that board.
Cognition
Board: [divert insight icon] Add one fascination block to the forethought meter below. When the meter is full, you may discard these blocks to permanently place one of the focus tiles below on top of any existing focus action space.
Clarification: These focus tiles can be placed on any available focus space in the game: on a dashboard, on an environment card, on LUNA's card, wherever you feel they'd be the most helpful. They permanently revise the focus cost of that action for all explorers. If the action leaves play, the tiles do too.
Adversity
Board: When you gain a distress, you may place it below if there is not already a distress there. Distress rules apply normally. (distress placed here still counts toward your total)
While a distress is placed above, you may: [divert insight icon] distribute [up-arrow icon] [up-arrow icon]
Clarification: The distress placed on this fascination board still counts toward the maximum of 5. Placing distress on this board simply allows this explorer access to a dashboard action that would otherwise be covered by this distress card and unavailable for use. Diverting insight can only be done on the explorer's turn.
Gravity
Board: [divert insight icon] Add one fascination block to the gravity meter below. When the meter is full, you may discard these blocks to place a GRAVITY WELL on your node. Explorers adjacent to a gravity well node may move onto it without using movement effects (node edge effects still apply). Any explorer within 1 node of a gravity well may be placed onto that gravity well at the discretion of the crew.
Clarification: Only the player with the GRAVITY fascination can place a gravity well, but all explorers benefit from it. If there is a dispute to how the crew would like to apply the benefits, the player with the GRAVITY fascination decides.
Cartography
Board: [divert insight icon] Place a cartography token onto your current node if it does not already have one. Based on how many cartography tokens are in play, the crew gains the following abilities:
- x4 [cartography token icon]: Explorers may add 1 to their movement if that movement involves 2 or more nodes with cartography tokens.
- x5 [cartography token icon]: Once during an explorer's turn, when moving into a node with a cartography token, they may ignore 1 node edge.
Clarification: Cartography benefits begin once 4 or more tokens have been placed. There can be no more than 1 of these tokens per node, and once placed, they cannot be moved to other nodes. Only the explorer with the CARTOGRAPHY fascination can place a cartography token.
Kinetics
Board: Place a fascination block on the top-left space of the kinetics track.
[divert insight icon] Advance the block. When you have advanced 4 or more times, your base movement is permanently increased by 1. When you've advanced to the last space, your base movement is increased by 2 instead.
The track on the board is labelled "Add +1 to base movement" and "Add +2 to base movement" at its bonus spaces.
Clarification: Once the fascination block reaches a space with a movement bonus, that bonus is active for the rest of the game. This movement bonus only applies to the explorer with the KINETICS fascination. Remember: TRAVERSE is an additional MOVE action, so bonuses from this board apply.
Forethought
Board: [divert insight icon] Add one fascination block to the forethought meter below. When the meter is full, you may return these blocks to the supply and place one of the below TRIGGER TOKENS on a space of your choice on the timeline. When a trigger token is reached on the timeline, trigger its effect. (If multiple tokens occupy the same space on the timeline, trigger them in any order)
The two trigger tokens are: [up-arrow icon] [up-arrow icon] (a trigger token shown without printed words) and [distress icon] (the printed example calls this the remove 1 distress token).
Clarification: Once placed, these tokens continue to trigger each time the time marker reaches them. They cannot be moved on the timeline once placed. When they trigger, distribute the benefits amongst the crew, regardless of location. Example: when the remove 1 distress token is reached, any 1 explorer may remove a distress.
Automation
Board: Place a fascination block on the left space of the automation track above. Place the automation trigger token beneath the time marker on the timeline.
[divert insight icon] Advance the block on the track. When the block cycles back to the leftmost space, place or move an automation device onto any built structure. When the time marker reaches the automation trigger token on the timeline, gain 2 resources associated with each structure with an automation device.
The board shows an AUTOMATION DEVICE token marked "x2".
Clarification: Example: if an automation device is placed on the LABORATORY and the time marker reaches the automation trigger, the crew will gain: [+ green resource icon] and [+ green resource icon].
Documentation
Board: LUNA is documenting the crew's progress. As any explorer completes an opportunity, if LUNA is within 1 node of that pink or blue moment marker, you may: [divert insight icon]
If you do, place a fascination block on one of the spaces below, then distribute the following amongst the crew: [up-arrow icon] [up-arrow icon] [blue icon]
The board shows four empty spaces for the fascination block.
Clarification: LUNA must be on or adjacent to the node where the opportunity is completed. If LUNA's node is not considered adjacent for whatever reason, then she is not "within 1 node." Only the explorer with the DOCUMENTATION fascination may divert insight to trigger the benefit.
Considerations
Tread Lightly
Unsettled® is a tightly balanced experience, and your chances of survival stand on a knife's edge. Fascinations (and any other modular content) are interesting layers to add to the mix, but they open the door to a variety of potential pitfalls that make them less ideal content for new players. We strongly recommend that you save the introduction of modular content until you have firmly established your understanding of the game's systems and have a good feel for how the game moves.
Space is hard. Try not to die.
Further Resources
Every module and planet in Unsettled® has a database of how-to-play videos, a living FAQ, and an errata document on our website: orangenebula.com/unsettledDB