Unsettled Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Conceptual Approach to Unsettled
• How to Approach This Rulebook
• Introduction
  • Game Format
• Setup and Starter Guide
  • Game Setup
  • Planet-Specific Setup
  • Before You Begin
  • Adjust Difficulty (Optional)
• Getting Started
  • Conceptual Overview
  • Turn Overview
  • End Game
• Game Space Overview
  • Dashboard & Mindset Overview
  • Mindset
• Rules, Key Terms, and Mechanics
  • Taking a Turn
  • Focus
  • Focus Actions and Action Spaces
  • Your Dashboard
  • Traits
  • Insight
  • Comprehension
  • Breakthroughs
  • Breakthrough Board & Structures
  • Distress
  • Movement
  • LUNA
  • The Moment Board & Opportunities
  • Discoveries, Anomalies & Properties
  • Survival Tasks
  • Time & Trust
  • The Resource Board
  • Final Details
• Universal Rules
• Advanced Directives (Glossary, Reference & FAQ)
• Iconography
• Appendix A: Example Turn
• Appendix B: The Scarab (Cross Section)

The Conceptual Approach to Unsettled

Unsettled is a series of survival puzzles set in the bizarre and wondrous depths of the cosmos. Each play represents your crew's visit to a strange world with its own environment, special rules, and challenges to overcome. It is a collaborative experience — all players working against the game — where you succeed (continue living) or fail (the other thing) together.

The goal for Unsettled is to create an experience that goes beyond putting everyone on the same team — one that requires active involvement in each other's turns, and consideration of what it means to truly work together. Individual personalities and group trust are represented by game mechanisms. The abilities you gain are yours, but most are designed to be used on — or to the benefit of — others, and they are often best-used on someone else's turn. Your scientific comprehension assists those around you; so while your crewmate may not understand how to take advantage of a strange discovery, if you are with them, they can lean on your knowledge. Your victories and failures come down to one thing — what you manage to achieve together.

Secondary to this collaborative focus is a vision for a sci-fi experience that sees the universe as awe-inspiring in its beauty and strangeness. A vision interested in the grandeur of the unknown, in physics that don't behave as expected, and in the stunning majesty of trying to perceive elements of existence beyond our capacities.

The greatest threat in this universe is not militant aliens or warring factions; it is our lack of understanding. Threat is a fluorescent flower that turns our minds inside out when we touch it. It is only perceiving space in three dimensions when the thing that kills you comes from the fifth. It is the assumption we make based on our shallow, subjective experiences in a reality infinitely more complex and diverse than we can fathom. Exploring the stars is an act of bold curiosity and a passionate embrace of wonder, and the best defense against the dangers of such a journey is more likely to be an open-minded scientist than a laser rifle with a chainsaw attachment.

Work together. Be in awe of the infinite possibilities of the universe, but stay vigilant — you're far from home, and every molecule could be an unsuspecting, kinda-upsetting threat. Space is hard. Try not to die.

How to Approach This Rulebook

Unpacking Everything. Don't try to sort and put away everything ahead of time. Most components will eventually be stored in the same trays they are displayed in during play. Setting up your first game will also be setting up storage of the components. It's best to keep each planet's components separate from one another (those store in their planet box) — but otherwise don't get preoccupied with trying to organize it all just yet.

Rulebook Layout. The rulebook is divided into 4 sections:

• Setup & Starter Guide: introduce yourself to the world of Unsettled and start getting your bearings.
• Rules: learn to play with a basic-enough understanding of the game's systems that you can begin your first game.
• Advanced Directives: the nitty-gritty glossary FAQ index forum-fodder stuff. Don't read this before playing. Seriously. If, while playing, you encounter something that would send you there, read the Universal Rules. If you still think you need the granular details in the Advanced Directives — well OK then, that's what they're there for!
• Appendices: sample turn and some non-essential fun.

This is LUNA. Trust her.

Introduction

Game Format

Format Concept. Unsettled has core structure that will be the same each time you play, and a series of planet packs that each offer unique twists and variations on those core systems. Essentially, each planet is a different version of the game. There is no overarching campaign. Each play is an isolated, standalone experience, and each planet may be played repeatedly. Though, in time, you will begin to think of each play as the next stop on the long, weird journey home.

The Unsettled game system has two parts: the main framework and planet boxes. The framework features all the non-planet-specific components that will be used in every play. The planet boxes hold everything that makes that planet's experience unique. The framework is a game system; the planet boxes are cartridges you plug into it to play.

An Expanding Universe. Strategies that work well on one planet may be weaker on another. Where your attention is (finding discoveries, map navigation, so forth) will vary depending on what is necessary to survive each environment and the circumstances each planet presents. Planets can be played repeatedly and in any order. There's a (strongly) recommended starting point, but from there it's a wide-open universe. Go wherever seems most interesting. Each planet has a "challenge" level. This 1-4 rating is a composite of complexity and difficulty, indicating the mental load required to face each world.

Component List. Each game requires the base framework and 1 planet box to play. The base framework comes with 2 planet boxes, but additional planet boxes are available at orangenebula.com.

The base framework comes with:

• 12 large white focus cubes (6-sided dice)
• 2 large moment markers (pink and blue)
• 1 LUNA miniature
• 4 Explorer miniatures
• 2 discovery dice (8-sided blue and green dice)
• 24 materials (green gems)
• 24 data (blue cubes)
• 6 power (orange discs)
• 12 black markers (black cubes)
• 1 time marker (circular white marker)
• 1 trust marker (black square marker)
• 4 scientific pursuit cubes (small black 6-sided dice)
• 4 endurance markers (clear cubes)
• 3 double-sided Scarab (spaceship) tiles
• 4 dual-layered player dashboards
• 3 structure tiles (research hut, laboratory, workshop)
• 12 trait tiles
• 15 personal avatar tiles
• 4 robotics comprehension tokens, 4 engineering comprehension tokens, 4 chemistry comprehension tokens
• 12 investigated tokens
• 6 timeline trigger tokens
• 4 main boards with GameTrayz (resource, breakthrough, time, moment)
• 4 double-sided cheat sheets (and this rulebook)

A typical planet box contains:

• 48 over-sized cards: environment, survival tasks, opportunities, and planet-specific cards (card count varies per box)
• 12 breakthrough cards
• 12 distress cards
• 12 anomaly cards
• 12 discovery tokens
• Various planet-specific tokens

Setup and Starter Guide

Game Setup

Select a Planet. For your first game, visit Wenora. It's covered in toxic spores — you'll love it. The planet box will provide all the cards and some of the tokens needed for setup.

Place the 4 Main Board Trays. Place the resource and breakthrough boards (in their trays) next to each other on one end of the play area, and the time and moment boards on the other.

1 — Resource Board

• Place the materials (green gems), data (blue cubes), and black markers (black cubes) in the top wells.
• Place all 6 power (orange discs) in the depleted ( — ) sphere of the dynamo.
• Shuffle and place the environment and planet-specific cards in their spaces beneath the board. (For Wenora, the planet-specific cards are hallucination cards. Some planets have multiple planet-specific card types, stack them separately.)

2 — Breakthrough Board

• Place the research hut, laboratory, and workshop tiles in their spaces with the "build" action space (black square) face-up.
• Place any planet-specific tokens from the planet box in the designated space. Exception: the 12 discovery tokens are placed on the moment board (3).
• Place the 12 comprehension tokens in the small easels in the tray as shown.
• Place LUNA's primary function card.
• Shuffle and place the anomaly and breakthrough cards in their spaces beneath the board — the breakthrough cards should be separated and placed by type.
• Place the distress — 3 per explorer — in their space beneath the board. Excess remain in the planet box.

3 — Moment Board

• Place the pink and blue moment markers in their giant, unmistakable spaces.
• Stack the 12 investigated tokens in the well between the moment markers.
• Place the 12 discovery tokens from the planet box into the quick-read display.
• Shuffle and place the opportunity cards in roughly equal piles in each of the 2 spaces below the board.

4 — Group Trust / Time Board

• Place the time marker on the leftmost space of the time track as indicated by the dotted outline.
• Place the group trust marker on the rightmost space of the group trust track.
• Place the trigger tokens near the timeline, or keep them in the box until referenced.
• Choose 1 of the 3 survival tasks to play. For your first game, select task A. Each task typically has 4 double-sided cards, differentiated by a colored stripe and a unique title. Stack the cards in order so they progress like a book with page 1 on top.

5 — Explorer Dashboards. Each explorer should select an explorer miniature and dashboard with matching color. There is no functional difference between the colors.

• Each explorer places an endurance marker (clear cube) in the topmost space of their endurance track.
• Each explorer places a scientific pursuit cube (the small black cube with engraved science icons) in the bottom space of the insight track. Note: these cubes denote the discipline of science the explorer is pursuing. It's best to diversify these among the group, but they will shift throughout the game so choose whatever.
• Each explorer takes 3 focus cubes (1 each of awareness, wonder, and energy). They place them near their dashboard with the 2-pip (dots) icon oriented upward and the 3-pip icon oriented toward themselves. (Not pictured).
• Each explorer draws two unique trait tiles and selects one, then places it white-side up on their dashboard covering the action space with the same action name. The unchosen tiles are returned to the box. Nuance: performing the trait-selection setup without discussion will provide the most true-to-life experience. Alternatively, trait selection can be performed as a draft or as an open discussion.
• Select and place any of the available avatars (chits with faces) to identify your character with. Choose carefully, yours is probably the last mug your crew will see as they slip into unconsciousness.

6 — The Scarab (Ship) and the Crew.

• Place one of the Scarab tiles at the center of the table. For now, use a side that is just illustration. Each of the Scarab tiles has an extra ability on its back to make the playing experience easier. For your first game, we recommend playing without a Scarab ability. Use those to modulate difficulty if you find yourself losing often.
• Place LUNA (the robot) and each explorer's miniature on the Scarab tile.

Planet-Specific Setup

Travelogue. Once you've performed the standard setup, it's time to get decidedly non-standard by reviewing your chosen planet's travelogue!

• Read aloud the narrative introduction from the front cover.
• Perform the planet's unique setup.
• Review the overview of the planet's unique mechanisms (most planet primers spill onto the back cover).

Even after setup, some of the planet's tokens and cards may not have been specifically addressed. Life is mysterious like that sometimes. Place these in the areas designed for planet-specific tokens and planet-specific cards (separating cards into stacks as indicated by the names on the card backs). Some planets contain cards titled "mystery" or "secret"; for the best experience, avoid looking at the faces of these until they are referenced.

Survival Task. During the framework setup you will have selected one of your planet's 3 survival tasks. The last phase of setup involves digging into this unique task. Each survival task consists of multiple cards that you advance through in order, like flipping through the pages of a book.

• Read aloud the narrative on card 1, then flip that card face-down into the empty space to the left as if turning the page of a book.
• Perform the task-specific setup on card 2 (the back of card 1).
• Review card 3; this is typically your first objective.

Before You Begin

After Setup is Complete.

• Review each explorer's personality traits. Be mindful of your group's social dynamic.
• Make sure everyone understands the current survival task objective.
• Come up with a bizarre method for selecting a starting explorer; turns proceed clockwise around the table. You are now ready to begin. The starting explorer takes the first turn.

Adjust Difficulty (Optional)

The basic setup of the game is designed to get you playing quickly. For additional control, adjust the difficulty to fit your group's desired experience using the following adjustments during setup. It is recommended you not do this until you've played a few times.

Discomforting (less difficult).

• Same setup as "harrowing", but also play with one of the Scarab abilities.

Harrowing (standard).

• Endurance: each explorer starts with full endurance.
• Scarab: use the basic Scarab (no ability).
• Focus: Each explorer sets their focus to specific starting quantities scaled by player count. Example: in a 3 explorer game, each explorer would set one of their focus to 2 and the other two to 1.

Excruciating (more difficult).

• Endurance: each explorer loses 1 endurance during setup.
• Scarab: use the basic Scarab (no ability).
• Focus: Each explorer sets their focus to lower starting quantities scaled by player count.

Getting Started

Conceptual Overview

Get Busy Livin'. Your goal is continued existence. You need to complete your survival task and get everyone back to the ship before your endurance runs out. You have 3 cubes that represent your focus. During your turn, you'll use them to activate action spaces while also moving around and programming LUNA. On other peoples' turns, you may use many of your abilities to bolster — or react to — what they're doing. To survive long enough to complete your survival task you're going to need to explore, gain new abilities, build structures that unlock abilities, and so forth.

Explore, Pursue Opportunities, Make Discoveries. As you explore this strange world, you'll reveal unique new parts of the environment. Some will be nasty. Others may be beautiful. Often, they'll be both. All can be scanned and investigated to reveal resources and opportunities that you'll want to take advantage of. Along the way, you'll acquire bizarre discoveries with strange anomalies that you can leverage as your scientific understanding of this world increases.

Gain Comprehension, Trigger Scientific Breakthroughs. You're scientists, not soldiers; science is what's going to keep you alive. But science on undiscovered planets doesn't always obey the way you expect it to. Many actions will grant you insight into your surroundings, which you will apply to your current field of study. In time, these insights will lead to comprehension and scientific breakthroughs, providing you new abilities and technologies to help you achieve your goal of not-dying-weirdly.

Maintain Group Trust, Be Aware of Personality Traits, Use Time Wisely. Pragmatically, this is all straightforward. In reality, nothing involving human personalities in high-pressure situations is ever straightforward. If you're going to survive, you're going to need to work together. Keep your group trust high. Be sensitive to — and leverage — the unique personalities of your crew. Use time wisely.

You Can Only Endure So Much. Not dying is hard work. Over time, your circumstances will grind you down and, if you don't do something about it, you will eventually die. Or, as the game presents it: become unendingly unconscious. You and your team will increase in distress, be afflicted with strange new behaviors and conditions, and, in time, will simply be unable to go on. Support each other, mitigate your distress, and complete your tasks before your endurance collapses.

Complete Your Tasks, Get Out. If you've completed your survival task and everyone is safely back to the Scarab: you've done it — you've pulled together, overcome the odds and, somehow, you've survived. For now.

Turn Overview

On your turn you will set your 3 focus to take actions. You'll move yourself and your adorable robot friend. And everyone (other explorers included) may use various free actions. Then, you will gather your focus back up and your turn is over.

4 Things to Do on Your Turn. In any order, you may:

1. Set Your Focus (mandatory). Place focus cubes onto action spaces to activate that space's effect.
2. Move Your Explorer (optional). Move your miniature between nodes, resolving any movement effects.
3. Program LUNA to MOVE and/or SCAN (optional). Move LUNA between nodes and have her reveal resources you may gather.
4. Take Free Actions (optional). Everyone will be unlocking abilities that can be used at any time. Deciding when to use these abilities is key to your survival.

Regroup To End Your Turn. Your final action during your turn is to return all your focus cubes from wherever you used them to a space near your dashboard. Be mindful to preserve the topmost face (don't rotate them). Doing this signals the end of your turn.

Acting on Other Explorers' Turns. Using free actions on other explorers' turns is a key part of the Unsettled experience. Your breakthrough abilities can be used at any time as a free action. Each discovery you make can be consumed to trigger an effect as a free action. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to put these abilities to use.

End Game

Did you pull together cohesively enough to stay alive and continue your journey? Either you complete your survival task, or you run out of endurance trying.

• Victory: Explorers Survive. If you have completed your survival task and all explorers and LUNA are on the Scarab tile (including unconscious explorers): you win (survive).
• Defeat: Explorers Perish. If at any time all explorers' endurance is reduced to zero: you lose (do not survive).
• Hollow Victory: Some Survive. If you have completed your survival task, and made it back to the ship, but without some members of your crew — well — that's nice. Call it a victory of sorts if you want. We understand. Without your crewmates though, you're as good as dead, so use the next few days well. They will be your last.

Game Space Overview

Time & Trust Board. This is where you track group trust and time. When you consume an entire cycle of time, everyone loses 1 endurance. Sometimes trigger tokens are added to the timeline to mark when planet-specific effects occur. Your survival task (your ultimate goal) is displayed below this board as two stacks of cards that you flip through like a book as you complete objectives.

The Moment Board. As you investigate the planet you will reveal opportunity cards — unique encounters that typically yield wondrous discoveries. Opportunity cards and discovery tokens live on this board. The moment markers (colorful acrylic pucks) are placed onto the map to indicate where those opportunities exist once they are revealed, and the white investigated chits are used to mark when a node has been investigated.

Resource Board. Resources in Unsettled (data, materials, power) are shared by all explorers. This board contains each resource's supply, the action used to gain each, and the shared storage of resources gained. Beneath this board are the environment cards that have not yet been revealed and any unique card types associated with your current planet.

Breakthrough Board. This board holds the things you can unlock or build to gain personal abilities (comprehension and breakthroughs), one-time-use abilities (anomalies), and group abilities (science facilities). It also stores any unique tokens for the planet you're exploring, LUNA's current special ability, and the unique distress cards the planet can inflict upon you.

Dashboard & Mindset Overview

Personal Action Spaces. These six black and white squares with little arrows in them are action spaces. Each turn you will place all 3 of your focus blocks onto action spaces, increasing or decreasing their value according to those little arrows. Action spaces are available all over, with many coming and going throughout the game, but these on your dashboard are always available to you (unless they get covered by distress). Your personality tile covers and tweaks one of your 6 personal action spaces.

Avatar. You. Your miniature represents your location in the world, but this token reminds you who you are under the helmet. It is sometimes used for various planet-specific purposes. Otherwise, it remains here as a representation of your wonderful face.

Endurance Track. Circumstances are constantly taking their toll. As time ticks by, you will slowly (but not as slowly as you'd like) lose endurance. If your endurance marker reaches the pink bottom space of your endurance track you become unconscious. If everyone is unconscious: you lose.

Breakthroughs, Discoveries, Anomalies. Gained as you play, these card types provide additional personal abilities. Unlike your 6 focus action spaces however, these can be used as free actions at any time, during anyone's turn.

Personality Trait. A unique trait that impacts the effectiveness and style of your focus action spaces. As group trust changes, your trait tile flips to affect different actions, demonstrating how each of us responds differently to perilous circumstances.

Insight & Comprehension. Many actions and effects grant you insight, moving your insight marker up its track. When it advances off the track you gain comprehension and a breakthrough of whatever scientific discipline you were pursuing and reset the marker to pursue a new discipline.

Mindset

Make this the experience you want it to be. Experiences are largely defined by what we bring to them. Good news: we each get to determine what those things are.

Unsettled is a puzzle to solve with your wits and ingenuity, but it's also a feast for your imagination — bring your sense of wonder. It's a lively adventure — bring your wacky enthusiasm and zeal for creativity. Take risks. Make sacrifices. Come up with weird ways to combine your abilities and then narrate your actions aloud.

While you're at it, think about the dynamics of teamwork at play. You're sitting at a (moderately) comfortable table. What if you were in this alien place, depending on each other as your endurance plummets and your best and worst selves come out? Unsettled is designed to explore all these things, but how prominent a presence each has in your experience depends greatly on which you lean into.

Consider also that the game's various tasks and elements will balance differently depending on player count. Some objectives are simply harder (or easier) with a different number of people. This is an intentional design decision because this game isn't just about solving a math riddle. There's a bit of that, but mostly it's about working together within your unique circumstances.

Have fun. Expand the map. Investigate opportunities, even if the benefits don't seem immediately applicable. Gather up abilities and look for ways to use them on other explorers' turns. Be creative. If one survival task is giving you trouble, try another. If you're curious what another planet has to offer — switch which box you're playing. This is your game. Lean into the bits that make it what you want it to be.

Rules, Key Terms, and Mechanics

Taking a Turn

On your turn, you take actions by placing your focus cubes on action spaces. Optionally, you may also move, activate LUNA, and/or take free actions. When you have no further actions you want to take, you retrieve your focus cubes to announce that your turn has concluded.

1 — Set 2 Focus to Take Actions, REST 1 (required). You have 3 focus cubes: the things that look like dice but here are called "cubes" because they aren't rolled. At the start of your turn, these 3 cubes will be sitting next to your dashboard. Each focus represents a different aspect of your self: awareness, wonder, and energy. The number of pips (dots) currently upward represents how much of that you have to give. You take an action by placing a focus cube onto an action space, rotating it as you set it to increase or decrease it, depending on the action space.

Some action spaces have strict requirements for use. Some provide bonuses for using a certain focus-type. Some are exceptionally weird; just go with it, you're in the fringes of existence. Even if a focus cube has been reduced to zero, you may still use it to take actions, but doing so will cause time to advance. Each turn you must place all 3 cubes. 2 you may place on any available actions you qualify for, while 1 must be placed on the REST action on your dashboard.

2 — Move Your Explorer (optional). You are represented in the environment by your explorer miniature. During your turn, you may (if you wish) move 1 node by picking up your miniature and placing it onto an adjacent node. If there are environment cards remaining in the draw-pile near the resource board, you may explore off the edge of a node into an empty space, drawing and revealing a new node and expanding the map.

There are sometimes symbols on node edges representing what you encounter when you travel. When your movement takes you across these symbols, you resolve them immediately. You could gain insight (the environment in that direction is particularly interesting) or the way may cause you to consume extra time (the terrain is challenging). Many planets will have their own unique node-edge symbols for you to consider.

3 — Program LUNA to MOVE and/or SCAN (optional). You may have LUNA — loyal robot helper (and possible best friend) — perform several actions during your turn: she may move 1 node and/or reveal resources on her current node. Moving with LUNA is a great way to scout out the environment by revealing new nodes. She does not resolve any node-edge symbols or suffer any strange effects from nodes that affect explorers. Once per turn, LUNA may scan her current node for a type of resource (data or materials) that isn't currently revealed there. To do this you roll a discovery die. Add the resulting amount of that resource onto the node.

Many other actions involve LUNA. The ANALYZE DATA action gains some available data from LUNA's node. Many breakthrough abilities involve her. Some opportunity and survival task action spaces require she be present. Basically, she's the best.

4 — Take Free Actions (optional). At any time (regardless of whose turn it is) you may perform various free actions. Free actions interrupt anything else that's happening and are a great way to react to things on the fly. The most important of these to understand when you first start playing are using breakthrough abilities, consuming discoveries, and using abilities granted by scientific structures.

5 — Regroup Focus to End Turn (required). Once you're done doing all the doings you wish to do, signal that your turn is over by retrieving your focus cubes. Set them somewhere near your dashboard (being careful not to rotate them).

Free Actions. Free actions interrupt other effects and may be performed at any time, regardless of whose turn it is. Here are some:

1. Use a Scientific Breakthrough Ability. Pay the resource cost to activate a breakthrough ability you possess. Each breakthrough ability can be performed once per turn.
2. Consume a Discovery. Discard a discovery you possess to use its anomaly's discard effect.
3. Exchange Discoveries & Inventory. Local explorers (explorers on the same node) may freely exchange discoveries (along with their anomalies) and personal inventory at any time.
4. Forfeit an Opportunity. Occasionally, you may find it advantageous to let an opportunity pass. Forfeit an active opportunity by discarding it and returning its moment marker to the moment board. You may not forfeit opportunities that are "engaged" with an explorer or currently resolving an effect.
5. Use a Science Structure Ability. Building the 3 science facilities grants access to 3 new free actions. When a building is built, you may perform its action, regardless of your location, as often as you wish so long as you can afford to pay the cost.
6. Alter Your Scientific Pursuit. As you find it necessary or advantageous, you may forego your progress on the insight track to alter your scientific pursuit (from, say, chemistry to engineering). Place the cube at the bottom of the track rotated to the side of your choosing.
7. Cope With Distress. If you have distress on your dashboard, you may manage that distress by moving it to another action space (except REST) by decreasing a focus by 1.
8. Meet a Card's Conditions and Resolve Its Effect. Many effects on survival tasks, planet-specific cards, or distress resolve at various times or when certain criteria are met. When you meet the criteria of such an effect, you immediately resolve those effects.
9. Contribute to an Objective. Some survival task objectives require you to do bizarre things that fall outside the regular action system. You'll know these when you see them, and they'll make sense at the time.

Other Explorer Abilities. During your turn, other explorers may perform free actions. Using their abilities allows them to assist you or weather the impact of anything terrible you happen to trigger. Whether or not other explorers perform free actions on your turn is their choice. They may offer to help, you may request their help, but you cannot announce that you are "using" their abilities. They have agency over their own dang selves. It's up to them to decide whether or not they think it's a good idea for them to spend resources to use their own unique abilities. Being active on other explorers' turns is at the heart of Unsettled. Explorers not looking to assist each other stand a poor chance of survival.

Focus

You take actions by setting your focus cubes on action spaces. Each turn you must set all 3, and then regroup them next to your dashboard to end your turn.

Basics.

• Focus is your primary resource used to take actions.
• You have three types of focus: awareness, wonder, and energy.
• 4 of the cube faces form a sequence as the cube rotates (3, 2, 1, time).
• The face of the cube that is oriented upward is how much of that focus-type you have available.
• The two axis faces have no function beyond indicating that cube's type. (These sides have a solid circle with a reversed icon.)

Setting Focus.

• During your turn you must set all 3 focus, 1 of which must be set on your REST action.
• You set your focus by placing them on available action spaces, rotating each as indicated by the action space as you set it down.
• Action spaces may increase, decrease, or have no impact on the focus when you take that action. This is indicated by up or down arrows on the action space (or lack thereof). Note: focus cubes are designed to function with simple forward or backward rotations to help explorers avoid wasting time searching for icons.
• Increasing focus: pip up (turn the cube away from yourself so that the amount of pips on the upward face increases).
• Decreasing focus: pip down (turn the cube toward yourself so that the amount of pips on the upward face decreases).
• Once set, a focus cube remains on that action space until the end of your turn (1 action per focus-type each turn, focus actions cannot be repeated).
• You may use your 3 focus in whatever order you wish, splitting their use between other activities as you see fit. The only requirement is that 1 REST.

Decreased Focus Consuming Time. Over the course of several turns, your focus will erode. You may continue taking actions but the exertion necessary for you to maintain focus consumes extra time. Choosing when to over-exert yourself is an important and necessary calculation.

• If you are required to decrease a focus cube (using it on an action or by any other effect) and the time symbol is oriented upward, you instead advance the time marker 1 space for each focus required (the focus cube doesn't rotate).
• If you perform an action or endure an effect that causes a focus to rotate to the time symbol, you do not need to advance on the timeline. You only use time if you need to decrease your focus and time is already the upward face.

Example 1: You choose to perform an action with your wonder that requires 2 focus, but that cube is already displaying the time symbol. You can still take this action — set your wonder on that action space (with the time symbol still up) and advance the time marker 2 spaces on the timeline.

Example 2: You have 2 awareness. A card effect requires you to decrease your awareness by 3. Reduce your awareness 2 rotations (to the time symbol) and advance the time marker 1 space on the timeline.

Effects that Increase/Decrease Focus. Many card effects will cause you to increase or decrease your focus, but you get to decide which of your 3 cubes are affected. Increase (pip up) any 1 of your focus. Decrease (pip down) any 1 of your focus.

End of Turn: Regrouping Focus. Once all 3 of your focus have been set, and you wish to end your turn, retrieve all 3 (being careful not to change their orientation) and place them near your dashboard. If no effects are triggered by your regrouping, your turn is now over.

Remember: if your focus have been reduced to zero, you can still take actions at the cost of time. Time must be managed carefully, but do not avoid using it entirely. It may seem like the enemy, but it's also a resource. Use it wisely — but use it.

Focus Actions and Action Spaces

You may place your focus on any available action space for which you qualify. Action spaces can be found on your dashboard, the various side boards, opportunities, environment nodes, survival tasks, and more. Whether you qualify to use an action space is situational to each space.

Elements of an Action Space.

• Action Title. Directly beneath each action space is the title of the action you will perform when using that space. These are primarily narrative in nature. It is highly recommended you read them aloud as you perform the action.
• Amount of Focus Needed. The number of arrows indicates how much focus is increased or decreased when taking that action. Pip up once for each up arrow, pip down once for each down arrow as you set your focus cube on that action space. (For example: decrease focus by 1, increase focus by 3, or no change.)
• Bonuses for Focus Types. Some actions grant bonuses if you use a specific type of focus when taking that action. These actions have nested symbols beneath the action space. Example: an action might decrease the focus you set here by 1, and if awareness is set, advance 1 space on the insight track; or if wonder is set, increase any of your focus by 1.
• Costs, Requirements, Outcomes. Some actions have explorer-count, LUNA, or comprehension requirements. These are typically shown to the side of the action space. Some actions must be performed at specific locations (or locations on which a specific structure has been built). This is typically shown by an arrow pointing to an image of the location or the structure. Most actions have some effects listed beneath them. These are the combination of costs, gains, and other results of you taking the action. Everything listed beneath an action space must be performed when taking that action. If you cannot perform all of the effects listed beneath an action space you cannot take that action.

Your Dashboard

Your dashboard grants access to many important actions. These are always available on your turn — regardless of your location — unless otherwise noted.

Personal Action Spaces.

1. Theorize Action.

   • Decrease the focus you are setting by 1.
   • Another explorer (they do not have to be local) advances 1 on their insight track.
   • Bonus: if you set your awareness focus, you also advance 1 on your insight track.

2. Investigate Action.

   • Decrease the focus you are setting by 1.
   • Reveal an opportunity on your current node.
   • Bonus: if you set your wonder focus, advance 1 on your insight track.
   • Cannot be performed if your current node already contains an investigated token.

3. Traverse Action.

   • Decrease the focus you are setting by 1.
   • Take an additional MOVE action, following all the regular movement rules. If an effect or ability has increased your movement, the traverse action is similarly affected.
   • You may carry another explorer using this action. If you do, only you (the active explorer) resolve node-edge symbols.
   • Bonus: if you set your energy focus, you also advance 1 on your insight track.

4. Support Action.

   • Decrease the focus you are setting by 1.
   • Remove 1 distress from another local explorer (you may not SUPPORT yourself). That explorer decides which distress to remove.
   • Increase group trust.
   • Cannot be used on explorers who do not have distress.

5. Recover Action.

   • Increase the focus you are setting by 3.
   • Decrease group trust.

6. Rest Action (required).

   • This action is required every turn unless otherwise noted by an effect.
   • Increase the focus you are setting by 1.
   • Advance the time marker by 1.

Rest of Your Dashboard.

• Breakthroughs & Discoveries. When you gain breakthroughs and discoveries, store them to the left of your dashboard in-line with their designated positions.
• Avatar. Hey look — it's you! This token is sometimes used by survival tasks and planet-specific effects. Until referenced it just hangs out looking fantastic.
• Inventory. Some effects will place items in your inventory. Place them here. Until referenced by name, this space is not used.
• Insight Track. Advance up this track when an action or effect grants you insight.
• Scientific Comprehension. When you gain comprehension place it here.
• Endurance. Run out of this and you go unconscious. If the whole crew is unconscious, you have lost. When you suffer an effect with this icon, you lose 1 endurance. Move your endurance marker 1 space down the track toward its distressingly pink bottom.

Running Out of Endurance. If your endurance marker moves onto the bottom (pink) space of the track, you become unconscious. You may not perform any additional actions. Dramatically knock your miniature onto its side.

Unconscious Explorers. If another explorer is unconscious, you may:

• Exchange discoveries and inventory with them (giving and/or taking) if you are local.
• Carry them using the TRAVERSE action.
• Use breakthroughs and other effects on them (sometimes requires hilariously-creative narrative justification). Abilities that place them onto different nodes are particularly useful.
• Count them as present for survival task actions (again, lean into hilarious narrative).
• Save their life by getting them to the ship before you collapse, thus winning the game.

You may not: Utilize their comprehension, breakthroughs, or anything they would need to initiate.

Traits

Trait tiles are placed onto your dashboard over the action space that they affect. As group trust shifts between high and low, these effects change dynamically.

How Traits Work. The active side of the trait (determined by the current state of group trust) affects how you handle specific actions on your dashboard. Some personalities rise to the occasion when trust is low; others struggle. Some are at their best when trust is high; others get complacent.

• High Trust Example: normally, the SUPPORT action decreases focus by 1, can only be used on another explorer, and increases group trust. As the altruist, when trust is high, your SUPPORT action requires no change in focus and can be used on any local explorer, including yourself. It also does not increase group trust.
• Low Trust Example: normally, the THEORIZE action decreases focus by 1, and another explorer gains 1 insight. If you perform this action with your awareness, you also gain 1 insight. As the altruist, when trust is low, your THEORIZE action requires no change in focus, and offers no action bonus for you, but doubles the amount another explorer can advance on the insight track.

How Traits Manifest as Group Trust Shifts. Which side of the tile is face-up is determined by the position of the group trust marker. When the group trust marker moves between high and low, all explorers flip their tiles to the appropriate side.

• When group trust is high: all explorers' trait tiles have the high-trust side (white) face-up.
• When group trust is low: all explorers' trait tiles have the low-trust side (black) face-up.

How Distress Affects Traits. When you gain distress, you place a distress card over any action space on your dashboard (except REST). This prevents you from using that action. Distress negates your traits the same way as your regular action spaces:

• If distress is placed on an action space with a trait tile, the distress is placed on top. Neither the trait action nor the base action beneath it are available.
• If a trait tile moves onto an action space with an existing distress, the distress is placed on top.

Insight

Many things you do result in insight into the world around you. As a scientist, you have a tendency to channel those bits of incoming knowledge into whatever scholarly pursuit has your attention. In short: insight leads to comprehension and breakthroughs. Each time you gain insight you advance your scientific-pursuit cube a space up the insight track. This gets you one step closer to gaining the comprehension indicated by the cube's upward face.

Gaining Insight. Advance your scientific pursuit cube up the insight track each time:

• You pass over the insight icon on map nodes when moving.
• You take a focus action that grants insight.
• You resolve any other effect that grants insight.

When you advance off the top of the track (are in the top space and gain insight):

• Gain a comprehension and breakthrough matching the cube's upward face.
• Place the cube back on the bottom of the track with whatever upward face you wish.

Altering Your Scientific Pursuit. There are times you may wish to alter your scientific pursuit.

• Abandoning pursuit: you may reset your scientific pursuit as a free action. Move the cube to the bottom of the track, forfeiting any current progression, and rotating it to whatever side you choose.

If you're already part-way up the track this is clearly a lossy option. The best bet is usually to finish the track, gain the rewards, and then pick a new pursuit when you reset the cube to the bottom. Desperate times though — do what you need to do.

Comprehension

As you explore the planet, insights and other effects will eventually lead to comprehension — enabling you to perform advanced actions and become more efficient.

Gaining Comprehension. When you gain comprehension (either through insight or another effect):

• Gain a comprehension token of that scientific discipline from the breakthrough board.
• Place it in a comprehension slot on the right side of your dashboard.
• Draw a breakthrough card of the same scientific discipline and place it to the left of your dashboard.

The Role of Comprehension. Many actions can only be performed when enough comprehension is present. Comprehension is always a prerequisite and is never "spent." Example: an action can only be taken if an explorer with chemistry comprehension is present. Other times, having the proper comprehension present can reduce costs. It is wise to diversify your comprehension so you're ready to face whatever.

Pooling Comprehension. An explorer's comprehension is shared by all explorers on their node. With your crewmate close by to fill in the knowledge gap, you can perform actions that require comprehension, even if you don't personally possess it. Example:

• You have 1 robotics comprehension.
• Another explorer on your node has 1 engineering comprehension.
• While you are on the same node, robotics and engineering comprehension are both "present."
• The other explorer — who does not have robotics comprehension — is free to take an action requiring robotics because you are there providing the comprehension needed.

Breakthroughs

Surviving strange and lethal worlds requires innovative thinking. Comprehension leads to breakthroughs: unique abilities that can be performed as free actions. Unlocking breakthroughs — and finding creative and timely ways to utilize them — is often the difference between life and "very, very extreme unconsciousness."

Having a Breakthrough. When you gain comprehension, you also gain a breakthrough card in the same scientific discipline:

• Draw the top breakthrough card from the stack of the same scientific discipline as the comprehension just gained. Place it to the left of your dashboard.
• It is immediately available for use.

Using Breakthroughs. Breakthroughs are the fantastic sciencey abilities you develop on each planet to help you overcome that world's unique challenges. You can use them on anyone's turn (so long as you can afford them).

• Breakthroughs are free actions. Free actions interrupt any other effects and may be performed at any time, regardless of whose turn it is.
• Each breakthrough may only be used once per turn. As in: you can use each of your breakthroughs once on Lacey's turn, and then use each of them once on Theresa's turn, use them each once on your own turn, and so on.
• Each breakthrough has a resource cost that must be paid before the effect occurs.

Breakthrough Board & Structures

The Scientific Disciplines. There are 3 scientific disciplines in the game: robotics (from the formal sciences), chemistry (from the natural sciences), and engineering (from the applied sciences). These disciplines are most pointedly represented by comprehension, breakthroughs, and scientific structures.

Structures. Each scientific discipline has a small modular facility you may construct on eligible locations throughout the environment. Each provides a free-action ability, and being present at specific structures is often a requirement of survival task actions and objectives.

Building Structures. To construct a structure:

• Your explorer must be on a node with an empty build site — a cogwheel-shaped halo.
• Take the BUILD action on the structure you wish to construct, either advancing time by 1 or having a comprehension of that structure's type present.
• Place the structure — with your focus cube still on it — onto the build site.
• When you regroup your focus at the end of your turn, flip the structure. It — and its free action — are now available for use.

Using Structures. Some action spaces (and occasional other objectives) require that you be at a specific structure. If you are on a node where that structure has been built, you are "at" that structure and meet this requirement. Science structures provide free-action abilities once built. These actions may be performed from anywhere in the environment. You do not have to be on the same node as the structure and they may be performed repeatedly, so long as you can afford them. Spam them; they're wonderful.

• Research Hut — Spend 1 data: gain an insight.
• Laboratory — Spend 1 material: increase a focus cube by 1.
• Workshop — Deplete 1 power: move LUNA onto an adjacent node.

Destroying Structures. Once a science structure has been built, an action space to destroy it is revealed on the breakthrough board. To destroy a structure:

• Your explorer must be on the structure's node.
• Take the DESTROY action, advancing time by 1.
• When you regroup your focus at the end of your turn, return the structure to the breakthrough board with the BUILD action side upward.

Planet-Specific Structures. Some planets have unique structures with unique rules. See the "Structures" entry in Advanced Directives for more.

Distress

You begin the game with 3 distress cards per player in the distress stack. If an explorer would gain a distress card but cannot because they are fully distressed or the stack is empty: everyone loses 1 endurance. It's only a matter of time before your mind and body begin to display the consequences of your less-than-normal circumstances. Each planet has a system of effects that will cause you to cover action spaces on your dashboard with distress cards. Until removed, a distress card nullifies your ability to take the action it is covering.

Gaining and Coping with Distress. If an effect causes you to gain distress (typically indicated by the + distress icon):

• Draw a distress card from the stack beneath the breakthrough board and cover any of the personal action spaces on your dashboard except the REST action. The covered action space is no longer available. You cannot place distress onto distress.
• The effects of the distress apply immediately and until removed. Each planet treats distress a little differently — do whatever the card says.
• You may manage your distress by moving it to another action space (except REST) by decreasing a focus by 1. This is a free action, usable at any time.
• If distress and personality tile ever occupy the same action space, the distress always covers the personality tile.

Removing Distress.

• When distress is removed, it returns to the bottom of the distress draw pile.
• Distress cannot be forfeited, it must be removed by an action or an effect.
• Other explorers on your node can remove a distress card from you by using their base SUPPORT action on their turn.
• You cannot use the SUPPORT action on yourself unless an ability or trait allows.

Maximum Distress.

• If an explorer would gain a 6th distress at once (they have no available action spaces to cover), each explorer loses 1 endurance.
• If an explorer is forced to draw a distress, but none remain in the pile, each explorer loses 1 endurance.

Movement

Explorer Movement. Exploring bizarre and wondrous new environments will be instrumental in your quest for continued survival.

Movement Basics. Don't let movement feel more complicated than it is: move your miniature to a neighboring card, resolve any effects that apply. On your turn you may perform 1 MOVE action:

• Your base movement is 1. Abilities and effects may alter this.
• Each in-play environment card is a node. Moving from your node onto an adjacent node consumes 1 movement.
• Adjacent nodes are those sharing an edge with your current node. Said another way: movement is performed orthogonally (no diagonals).
• Movement is optional; use all, some, or none of it.
• You may take your MOVE action at any point in your turn, but your movement may not be split.
• Your movement ends immediately, and unspent movement is lost, if you: reveal a new node or take a focus action.
• If your movement passes over any node-edge symbols, and/or you enter a node with a "when entering" effect, resolve those effects immediately.
• If you have more than 1 movement, pause and resolve the node-edge and "when entering" effects of each movement before continuing.

Carrying Other Explorers. When you use your TRAVERSE action you may carry 1 local explorer with you.

• Node-edge symbols resolve as they normally would for the active explorer (they have no effect on the carried explorer).
• "When entering" effects apply to both explorers.
• These rules hold true for unconscious explorers.

Map Exploration — Revealing New Nodes. If you are at the edge of the revealed environment, and there are unrevealed environment cards in the stack near the resource board, you may move into the unknown and reveal a new node adjacent to your current one.

• Point at the blank space adjacent to your current node where you intend to move.
• Reveal the top environment card from the stack.
• Place it face up in the position you indicated with the same orientation as the Scarab (explorers may not rotate cards when placing them).
• Place your explorer (and any necessary tokens as indicated by dotted outlines) onto the newly revealed node, resolving all node-edge and "when entering" effects.

Some planet setups feature environment cards face-down in specific formations. When moving onto these, flip them face-up with their current orientation and place your explorer (and any other tokens) onto them as normal.

LUNA

LUNA Overview. LUNA is your adorable-yet-ferocious research bot, equipped to handle pretty much anything. Each turn (in any order and at any time on your turn) you may move LUNA and/or have her scan for resources on her current node.

Moving LUNA. Once on your turn, you may move LUNA. She makes an excellent scout.

• LUNA has a base movement of 1. Abilities and effects may alter this.
• Moving LUNA from her node onto an adjacent node consumes 1 movement.
• LUNA ignores all node-edge symbols and "when entering" effects.
• LUNA may explore to reveal new nodes or face-down nodes. If she does, any unspent movement is lost.

Scanning with LUNA. LUNA can scan her node for a resource type not currently revealed on the node, either data or materials:

• Choose one of two scannable resource types not currently on the node (either data or materials), and roll the corresponding 8-sided die.
• Place the resulting amount of that resource from the supply directly onto the node. Those resources have been identified as available, but need to be gathered using the ANALYZE DATA or UNEARTH MATERIALS actions.
• LUNA may not scan for a resource type that is already available on the node — the available resources must be harvested first.
• LUNA may, however, scan for materials if there is only data present, and vice versa.

Actions Requiring LUNA. In addition to her standard actions (MOVE & SCAN) LUNA plays a role in many other actions and effects.

LUNA & Action Spaces. Some action spaces require LUNA be present. Usually, this means she is assisting you with the action. Other times, the action may specify that LUNA's presence is required but yours is not. Each action is unique and is designed to be self-explanatory in context.

Programming LUNA. LUNA has a primary function card on the breakthrough board that differs on each planet. This is an action available for you to use on your turn; it is typically something LUNA performs on her node, but you can initiate that action from anywhere. Example: on Wenora, LUNA's primary function reads: "An explorer on LUNA's node may remove 1 distress." This action can be taken at any distance from LUNA, but the effect applies to an explorer on LUNA's node. LUNA also plays a role in other action types. Most robotics breakthroughs, for example, require the use of data to program LUNA's behavior — you pay the data and LUNA performs the action wherever she is.

The Moment Board & Opportunities

To complete your goals, you need to take advantage of the opportunities these strange worlds afford you. Opportunities are unique encounters providing new action spaces that usually result in your gaining a discovery. Only by seizing the opportunities fate throws your way will you know you've done everything possible to survive.

Revealing Opportunities. Opportunities are revealed when you use the INVESTIGATE action while on a node that has not already been investigated. To reveal an opportunity:

• Take the INVESTIGATE action on your dashboard.
• Place an investigated token on your node (each node may only be investigated once).
• Place an available moment marker onto your node.
• Reveal the top card of the opportunity stack associated with the marker you just placed by flipping the card face-up.
• Read the opportunity narrative aloud and resolve any effects in the left column.
• Explain the action available. Anytime a component is pictured with a dotted outline, find and place it there immediately.

This opportunity now exists "in the moment." Any explorer on the node with the associated moment marker may act on the opportunity on their turn.

Completing an Opportunity.

• Taking advantage of an opportunity can only be done if you are "in the moment" (on the same node as the moment marker).
• Opportunities remain in the moment until they are completed or forfeited.
• Any explorer on the same node as a moment marker has access to the associated opportunity and may perform its focus action on their turn.
• When you take the action on the card, immediately resolve its effects.
• Your focus remains set on the opportunity (and the opportunity remains in the moment) until you regroup at the end of your turn. At that time the opportunity is considered complete. Discard the opportunity and return the moment marker to its place on the moment board.

Forfeiting Opportunities. It is possible for there to be two active opportunities at a time. Occasionally you may find you do not wish to pursue an active opportunity and would like to remove it to make room for a new one. As a free action, you may choose to forfeit an opportunity.

• Remove the card from play and return the moment marker to its board.
• You may not forfeit an opportunity that has someone's focus set on it — focus always remain until regrouped at end of turn.
• You may not forfeit an engaged opportunity.

Becoming Engaged. Some cards "engage" you — locking onto you until resolved. In the case of an opportunity, becoming engaged means the moment marker now moves with you — you are a living part of the opportunity. When you become engaged:

• Place the card near your dashboard, paying attention to any ongoing effects.
• If the card is an opportunity, place your miniature on the moment marker. If you move, the moment moves with you.

Discoveries, Anomalies & Properties

As you take advantage of opportunities and explore the environment you will reveal action spaces that provide the means to gain unusual items and creatures. These discoveries each come with an anomaly that can be leveraged for their scientific properties and special abilities — if you have enough comprehension.

Acquiring a Discovery and Revealing Its Anomaly. When you gain a discovery:

• Claim the discovery token from the display on the moment board.
• Draw an anomaly card from beneath the breakthrough board and place it to the left of your dashboard.
• Place the discovery token onto the bottom of the anomaly.

Consuming Discoveries. Each discovery may be consumed to take advantage of its bizarre anomaly — triggering that anomaly's discard effect — if you have the requisite scientific comprehension. To consume a discovery you possess and trigger its anomaly effect as a free action:

• The requisite comprehension must be present on your node.
• Resolve the "discard" effect on the anomaly.
• Discard the anomaly and the discovery token.

Discoveries & Scientific Properties. Each anomaly card typically has a scientific property associated with it.

• Simply put: if you possess a discovery whose anomaly grants a scientific property — you possess that property.
• The comprehension required to take advantage of an anomaly's discard effect has no impact on scientific properties.

Scientific Properties. As you interact with these alien environments, alien-ish things are going to start happening. You may become host to a living fungus, develop magnetism, or just start glowing A LOT. These are properties you take on and are indicated by a gold-colored badge containing that property title (e.g. "fungal host"). If you possess a property — it is an active, ongoing part of you. Think of it like "being tall." Being tall is a prerequisite for some actions in life — like reaching things in high places — but you do not need to "activate tallness," you simply are tall, and can do the thing.

Gaining Properties. Each planet approaches and uses properties differently. Often properties will be gained through anomalies on discoveries. Other times they may be granted by distress or a totally unique planetary element. The simplest way to understand properties is this:

• If you possess a component (on or beside your dashboard) that has one of those gold badges, then you "possess" that property.
• Some planets may grant properties in their own unique ways.

Effects of Properties. Properties usually have no inherent effect; they typically do not affect play until they are referenced. Some ways properties may be referenced:

• As a prerequisite for taking an action.
• As a test that dictates the result of an effect.
• By an action requiring you to contribute a discovery whose anomaly grants a specific property.

Survival Tasks

Survival is the goal; survival tasks are what must be done for that to happen. If you successfully complete your task and get everyone (including LUNA) back to the ship — you have survived.

Each time you play Unsettled you will select one of your chosen planet's survival tasks. Each task represents a unique story of visiting that world. They may be played in any order (though Task A typically offers the best introduction to each planet's systems) and are designed as if the other survival tasks do not exist and this is the only time you will visit that world. Think of each survival task as a variant, or parallel-universe, visit to that planet. While you may have played a planet a dozen times, narratively speaking the crew only ever visits a planet a single time.

Progressing Through a Survival Task. The survival task is your crew's story on this world — it will progress like a book. At any given time, only 1-2 cards will be showing. When you first set up the game the cards will be in a stack, with card 1/8 on top.

• Read the title and introductory narrative aloud, then flip this card onto its face to the left of the stack — like turning the page of a book.
• You should now have a spread of two cards: the card on the left (card 2/8) features the task's unique setup instructions. The card on the right (card 3/8) features your first objective. Read the cards aloud and make sure everyone understands the objective. Italicized text is narrative and should be read dramatically.
• Colored bars indicate what must be done to advance to the next portion of the task. Once the conditions indicated in the colored bar have been met, advance to the next card by flipping the just-completed card onto its face on the left.
• Typically, as you advance through a task, the cards on the left include narrative and effects, the cards on the right provide the current objective.
• Continue working your way through the stack until you reach the final card. The last objective of every survival task is to get the entire crew to the Scarab. The moment all explorers and LUNA are on the Scarab — you win!

Contributing to a Survival Task. Each survival task is unique, and each objective is intended to be self-explanatory. Read everything carefully and do exactly what the cards say. Each objective will have unique requirements. When in doubt, rely on the colored bars to indicate what you should be doing.

Some objectives require you to arrange a special condition in the world. As soon as the condition is met, the objective is complete. Example: the objective on "It's a Fungal Out There" is to construct all 3 science structures. The moment all 3 structures are built the conditions indicated in the colored bar have been met and you advance to the next card.

Other times, objectives will provide action spaces. Typically these will require you to arrange certain conditions, gather specific resources, or reach specific locations to be able to perform the action and complete that objective.

When a survival task objective involves taking a focus action, you advance when your focus cube is regrouped at the end of your turn. Note on timing: because advancing to the next card is part of the resolution of regrouping your focus cube, if there are any effects or decisions that occur as part of that resolution, you are still considered to be the "active explorer" as those effects resolve.

Winning: Completing Survival Tasks. When you have completed the survival task, and managed to get all explorers and LUNA onto the Scarab tile at the same time (conscious or not), you win the game.

Time & Trust

Time Overview. Time is a resource and managing it wisely will be key to your survival. Each turn, the active explorer must REST one of their focus cubes, advancing time by 1. Additional consumption should be approached thoughtfully, but to avoid it entirely is often a mistake.

Advancing the Time Marker. You can consume time in myriad ways: crossing time symbols on node edges while moving, taking actions with a time cost, effects from opportunities, performing a focus action with a focus cube that has been fully depleted, and so forth. Simply put, if something you do involves 1 or more time symbols: time advances. If an effect or action has a time cost:

• Advance the time marker 1 space on the timeline for each time symbol.
• If the marker moves onto a trigger, finish the marker advancement and then resolve the triggers in the order they were met.
• When the marker would advance past the final space on the timeline, it advances back to the first space and each explorer loses 1 endurance. This does not occur when the marker reaches the end of the timeline, it occurs only when time advances the marker past the final space.

Timeline Triggers. Many planets and survival tasks use trigger tokens on the timeline to trigger various effects. Refer to your planet's travelogue and your survival task for details on their current functionality. If no setup instruction or game effect has referenced a trigger, then they are not in use.

Group Trust Overview. You are each other's greatest resource, and — sometimes — greatest liability. How you respond to your circumstances will influence the cohesion of your group; causing group trust to ebb and flow.

• Group trust is measured using the group trust marker on the group trust track.
• When an effect causes group trust to decrease, slide the marker to low trust. All explorers flip their trait tiles to the black side and place them over the proper action spaces.
• If trust is decreased when group trust is already low, the marker stays where it is and you distribute -2 focus among the crew.
• When an effect causes trust to increase, slide the marker to high trust. All explorers flip their trait tiles to the white side and place them over the proper action spaces.
• If trust is increased when group trust is already high, the marker stays where it is and you distribute +2 focus among the crew.

Example: In a 3-explorer game, trust is increased while trust is already high. The crew must decide how to distribute +2 focus. A single explorer could gain +2 focus, and the other explorers gain none; or they could decide that 2 explorers each gain +1 focus, and the other gains none. Trait tiles do not change, as they were already on the white side.

The Resource Board

There are 3 primary resources, shared by all explorers: data (stored in the crew's database), materials (stored in the crew's stockpile), and power (stored in the top portion of the crew's dynamo).

Gaining Resources Using ANALYZE, UNEARTH, and CHARGE. Each resource is gained in a slightly different way utilizing the focus action spaces on the resource board. Both data and materials need to be revealed on nodes before they can be gained from those locations, whereas power does not need to be revealed and may be gained from anywhere.

Gaining data:

• Data is gained from map nodes.
• To reveal available data, use LUNA to scan her node for data (data must not be present already). Scanning with LUNA will add data from the supply to her node.
• Use the ANALYZE DATA action to have LUNA acquire available data from her node to the crew's database.

Gaining materials:

• Materials are gained from map nodes.
• To reveal available materials, use LUNA to scan her node for materials (materials must not be present already). Scanning with LUNA will add material from the supply to her node.
• Use the UNEARTH MATERIALS action to acquire available materials from your node to the crew's stockpile.

Gaining power:

• Use the CHARGE POWER action, regardless of your location, to move power from the uncharged, lower half of the dynamo to the charged, upper half.

Gaining Resources Through Other Effects. Many other effects will cause you to gain resources. Any time you resolve these icons somewhere other than the ANALYZE or UNEARTH actions the resources are gained directly from their supply, not from map nodes. When resolving these icons (on non-resource board effects), gain the resources directly from the resource's supply, not from map nodes. In the case of power, this still means to slide power from the depleted portion of the dynamo to the charged portion.

Focus-Type Bonus on ANALYZE, UNEARTH, and CHARGE. Each action space on the resource board has a bonus if you use a certain focus type. These bonuses grant you a second resource from the same source. Example: using awareness on the ANALYZE DATA action allows you to gain 2 data from LUNA's map node, instead of 1. ANALYZE and UNEARTH are the only instances in which the "gain resource" icon refers to gaining resources from the map instead of from the supply.

Spending Resources. Many actions (and various other effects) will require you to spend or lose resources: Move those resources from the database, stockpile, or dynamo back to their supply. In the case of power, slide power from the charged portion of the dynamo to the depleted portion.

Other Elements of the Resource Board.

• Environment Cards. When unpacking your chosen planet's box, place the planet's environment cards here face-down. Many planet travelogues or survival tasks may feature predetermined setups, but if not, the cards remain here until revealed through exploration.
• Planet-Specific Cards. Each planet has an assortment of card types unique to that world; refer to the travelogue for instructions on their use. If a planet-specific card type is not referenced in the travelogue do not look at the front of those cards — either keep them in the box or store them in this planet-specific card area until they are referenced. If a planet has multiple types of planet-specific cards, keep them separated by type in stacks.

Final Details

Storage and Future Setups. Unsettled's tray system is designed to make setup and tear-down more efficient. When you are finished playing, refer to the "Rapid Tear Down" guide on the side of the framework box to put the game away. All 4 of the main boards remain in their trays, and many of the components on those boards are stored in place — meaning the next time you play all you have to do is remove those boards from the box and their components will already be on them, ready to go.

What's Next — Review & Sample Turn. At this point you should be ready to start playing. Make sure you've performed all elements of setup in order: Framework Setup, Travelogue Setup, Survival Task Setup. Double-check that you've read the travelogue and survival task narratives. Make sure everyone understands your first objective. Then select first player and proceed to take turns in clockwise order.

Advanced Directives & Videos. If you encounter questions while playing, you may refer to the Advanced Directives section of this rulebook — which acts as an index as well as: glossary, advanced guide, FAQ, and preemptive forum discussion. We do not recommend you attempt to absorb that section as part of your initial learning experience — just get out there and start playing! If you simply cannot get enough rulebook, we recommend absorbing the Universal Rules. Energetic instructional videos covering the content of this manual are available at orangenebula.com.

Fun tidbit: you are able to share resources across-planet from one another due to your suits' cutting-edge Phantom Mass Network! Space is hard. Try not to die.

Universal Rules

Before you go any further, please take to heart these two rules. Properly applied, they should negate the need for all that follows and yield significant happiness gains.

Creativity-Prevails Rule. If there is question as to whether an explorer can pull off the weird, creative use of effects they're trying to achieve — and no one knows for certain that they cannot — then they can. The cosmos are actively trying to kill you. You don't have many things at your disposal. When in doubt, if someone has come up with an exciting and innovative way to keep you alive — DON'T QUESTION IT. Use your free actions aggressively. Let yourselves wiggle out of precarious situations in whatever crazy ways you can come up with! You're clever, celebrate that. If you're quietly looking up whether someone can do the thing they are trying to do, close this booklet, look at them with a pleased expression and say, "you're right — you can totally do that."

Momentum Rule. Just go with whatever makes the most sense to the most people. Seriously. If you want to dig into it intensely later, and you discover that a mistake was made, oh well — you'll not make that mistake next time. Don't grind the game to a halt in search of a ruling on some fringe timing/effect conflict issue. Talk it out for a moment, go with your gut, keep the game moving.

Advanced Directives (Glossary, Reference & FAQ)

This section is intended to help you find answers while playing if you've applied the Universal Rules and they have failed to keep your game moving forward. Think of this as a mashup of an index, glossary, and FAQ. These entries are intended to be supplemental additions to the rulebook and do not stand on their own as a summary of the game's mechanisms. This will be a living document. For the most up-to-date version, please check out: orangenebula.com/unsettledDB.

Action Spaces. Action spaces (or "focus actions") are activated by placing focus cubes onto them, which triggers the effects listed beneath them. Some have prerequisites or situational conditions that must be met before the action can be taken.

• Everything beneath an action space is mandatory unless some other language like "may" or "if able" implies otherwise. You must resolve every effect/cost/gain listed as a result of the action being taken. If you are unable to resolve even 1 of the effects, the action may not be taken.
• Sometimes a single explorer icon is displayed to the side of an action space where it proved helpful during play-testing. Do not take the absence of an explorer icon on other actions to imply that an explorer is not required. Trust the text and contextual implications of each action to spell out what is required.
• Effects under an action space must be paid by the person performing the action.
• In the extraordinary case that an action space would cause you to gain a resource, but no resources are available, you may still perform the action and simply do not gain the resource.
• You may not use action spaces on other explorers' dashboards.
• You may use focus action spaces on cards other explorers are engaged with, so long as the effect of the card allows it, and you meet all the requirements of using the action.

Active Explorer. The person taking their turn right now. There is only ever 1 active explorer at a time. The active explorer remains the active explorer until they have regrouped their focus and any effects initiated by that regrouping have resolved.

Advance. It means "go to the next one." This can sometimes refer to a marker on a track, but most frequently refers to advancing through the stack of survival task cards. When you "advance" through a survival task you move to the next card: from the left card to the right card; or, if you're advancing past the right card — turning that card face-down to the left, like the pages of a book.

Adjacent. Term expressing relative locational relationship in the environment. Adjacency is measured orthogonally (no diagonals). An adjacent node is one of the (up to 4) nodes touching (1 movement away from) the node in question. A node is NOT adjacent to itself. Your node, and everything on it, is "local" to you.

Anomalies. Anomalies are the unique characteristics of a discovery token, drawn randomly when a discovery is gained. They are permanently tied to that discovery unless some effect says otherwise. Most anomalies grant you a scientific property as long as you possess the discovery, as well as a unique effect you can trigger (if you have the proper comprehension), usually by discarding the discovery.

• So long as you possess a discovery, you possess any property listed on it in the gold scientific-property bar. You do not need to "activate" the card in any way, or have comprehension to possess the property.
• The moment you discard a discovery, you no longer possess any property they provided.
• If a discovery is consumed/forfeited by an effect other than discarding it to use its discard-effect, then the discard effect does not resolve.
• Unless otherwise stated, discoveries and their anomalies are permanently linked once revealed. Treat them as a single component.
• Some planets feature anomalies whose effects can be used without discarding the discovery. Typically these are once-per-turn free actions with a cost, similar to breakthroughs.
• Anomaly effects resolve relative to the explorer who is discarding them, regardless of whose turn it is.

At the Start (of a turn / of your turn). Any effects that occur "at the start" of a turn must be resolved before any regular actions are performed by the active explorer. If there are multiple effects, resolve them in the order you wish, each as a standalone effect. You MAY use free actions prior to resolving "start of turn" effects, and between them if there are multiple. "At the start of each turn" means at the start of every single turn.

Avatar. Round token with a character illustration on it chosen during setup to represent "you." Sometimes these go unused all game. Other times avatars are used heavily by planetary mechanics or survival tasks.

Awareness. One of your 3 types of focus, represented by your focus cube with the awareness icon on its axis. The current number of pips on the upward face is the current amount of awareness you possess. Placing your awareness focus on an action space that has a bonus for using awareness grants that bonus. Otherwise, awareness has no intrinsic effect of its own.

Black Marker. This component exists as a generic piece for use as needed. Often they will be referenced in parenthesis following the name of the thing it is being used to represent. Black markers are meant to always be available as they will often be used for multiple things in a single game session. If a black marker is "removed from play," "discarded," "destroyed," or otherwise removed from active use, return it to the black marker supply unless some game text explicitly says that it will never be used again.

Breakthroughs. When you gain a comprehension, you gain a breakthrough of the same discipline.

• Breakthrough abilities can be performed any time you wish as a free action.
• Breakthrough abilities take place relative to the person using them, unless the text of the card expresses otherwise.
• If a breakthrough involves LUNA, the effect typically occurs relative to her.
• The number of breakthroughs an explorer can have is limited by the number of comprehension they can have at once: 4. If you would gain a 5th comprehension, you must choose which 4 of the 5 you wish to keep, discarding the 5th along with a breakthrough of the same type.

Build Sites. The semi-transparent cogwheel shape found on some environment nodes. When you are on a node with a build site you can construct one of the game's various structures. Build sites have no function other than providing a place where structures can be built.

Carry. The TRAVERSE action allows you to carry another explorer with you. When you use TRAVERSE, you may move both your explorer miniature AND another local explorer's miniature. Node-edge symbols are only resolved once (by you, the one doing the carrying), but both of you experience any "when entering" effects. You may only carry using TRAVERSE. You may carry unconscious explorers.

Challenge. Each planet has a challenge level, indicated on the outside of its box. This 1-4 rating is a composite of complexity and difficulty (mostly the former), indicating the amount of mental load required to face each world.

Comprehension. Comprehension represents the knowledge and understanding you have attained about the planet you are on. It is a requirement for some actions. Each time you gain a comprehension you also gain a breakthrough of the same scientific discipline.

• Comprehension pools between local explorers. If someone on your node has a comprehension, then you have access to it and vice versa.
• When you gain comprehension you may put it in whichever dashboard slot you wish. However, once it is placed, it must remain in that slot.
• You may only have 4 comprehension tokens on your dashboard at a time. If you should gain a 5th, you must discard one (along with a breakthrough of the same discipline).
• If you would gain comprehension and there are none available on the breakthrough board, then nothing happens; comprehension of that type is no longer available.

Consume. A flavorful way of saying "discard." Remove that item from play.

Coping (with Distress). As a free action, you may pip down a focus to move a distress card between your own action spaces (not onto REST). You may not move it onto another explorer's action unless some effect specifically says you can.

Crew. All the explorers and LUNA. If "the crew" is required at a location for an action to be taken, all explorers and LUNA must be present. At the end of the game you are usually required to get the crew onto the Scarab; that means all explorers and LUNA must be present on the Scarab. "If the crew has 4 distress then X": if 4 distress cards are possessed in total across all explorers, then X occurs.

Cube (vs. Block). These are the same thing. Typically, the game refers to focus as "cubes," and data, black markers, etc. as "blocks," but that is not mechanical language.

Cube (vs. Dice). The focus and scientific-pursuit cubes are totally dice. Yet, the game calls them "cubes." This is intended to reinforce the function of the component (rotation, not rolls).

Data. One of the game's primary resources (along with materials and power). Data are represented by semi-translucent blue cubes and are stored in their supply at the top of the resource board. Once gained by the crew they are stored in the database. Data in the database is shared by all explorers and may be accessed by anyone at any time.

• Data can be added to a map node through LUNA's SCAN (or an effect) and then gained to the database with the ANALYZE DATA action (or an effect).
• Data gained through the ANALYZE DATA action is gained from LUNA's current node.
• Data gained through any other effect — where that effect does not mention "nodes," "adjacency," or any other language implying it is gained from the environment — is gained directly from the supply to the database.
• Data spent to initiate actions, lost through an effect, etc. are moved from the database to the data supply.

Database. Storage for the data resources currently possessed by the crew. Data in the database is shared by all explorers and may be accessed by anyone at any time.

Deplete. Move a power disc from the charged (+) well of the dynamo to the depleted (-) well.

Destroy. A flavorful way of saying "discard." When the primary science structures (workshop, laboratory, research hut) are destroyed using the DESTROY action they are returned to the breakthrough board and may be built again.

Difficulty. Unsettled has an optional difficulty scale. It is recommended you ignore this completely until you find yourself really wishing such a thing were present. The starting focus amounts are calculated to control how quickly you encounter situations where you need to consume time to take actions.

Discard. Remove from play. Return discarded cards and tokens to the planet box. If resources or black marker blocks are ever discarded, they return to their supplies. Other terms are sometimes used as thematically-awesome substitutes for "discard": consume, destroy, forfeit, etc. They all mean the same thing.

Discoveries. When you gain a discovery you immediately gain an anomaly and place them together to the left of your dashboard. Much of what makes discoveries interesting has to do with their anomalies. If ever you reveal a card that displays the image of a discovery outlined in a dotted border, immediately move that discovery from the display on the moment board onto that card. If an environment node has an image of a discovery surrounded by a dotted border — but no action space through which to acquire that discovery — then it is a "potential discovery." On most planets there is no functional difference between the two sides of the discovery tokens.

Distress. Distress are (usually) negative cards gained differently on each planet any time you suffer an effect with the distress icon. They clog up your personal actions on your dashboard by blocking them from use.

• When you gain a distress you place it on any of your dashboard's action spaces that do not currently have a distress. You may NOT cover the REST action with distress.
• During setup, 3 distress cards per player are setup beneath the breakthrough board.
• If at any time you — personally — would gain a 6th distress, each member of the crew loses 1 endurance.
• When distress is removed from an explorer it returns to the bottom of the distress draw pile. It never leaves the game forever.
• If at any time a distress is supposed to be drawn but cannot, because all are currently in play, each member of the crew loses 1 endurance.
• Coping with distress: as a free action you may pip down a focus to move a distress card between your own action spaces (not onto REST).

Distribute. Spread the effect between multiple targets. Example: "Distribute 3 distress to local explorers." You get to choose how those 3 distress will be divided up amongst local explorers. You may distribute to yourself.

Dynamo. Storage for the power resource. The top part of the dynamo is "charged" (+) power, currently possessed by the crew. Power is shared by all explorers. The bottom part of the dynamo is "depleted" (-) power. Depleted power cannot be used for anything.

Each Explorer (vs. All Explorers). These phrases are used interchangeably. In both cases, they mean that each explorer individually resolves the thing. The word "distribute" will be used if the thing being resolved is meant to be spread amongst explorers.

Each Turn. Refers to each turn, not each of your turns. "Each turn / Once per turn" means on every single turn. "Each of your turns / On your turn" means only on your turns.

Effect. Anything the game does. Any output of a game mechanism. All icons or outcomes in an effect are considered to occur simultaneously as one effect. Sometimes effects are chained together; they are a series of connected effects. You may use interrupts to jump ahead of each subsequent effect in a chain.

End Game. The game ends in victory if you have met the condition on the back of the final survival task card — almost always "get the crew back to the Scarab." You win the instant this condition is met. The game ends in defeat if everyone collapses into unconsciousness (all endurance markers are on the pink space of the endurance track).

Endurance/Endurance Marker. If everyone runs out of endurance: you lose. If you run out of endurance, you become unconscious and can no longer take actions. Endurance runs out when the endurance marker reaches the pink space of the endurance track. Being on the pink space does not mean you're on your last endurance. It means you are out of endurance and are unconscious.

Energy. One of your three types of focus, represented by your focus cube with the energy icon on its axis. Placing your energy focus on an action space that has a bonus for using energy grants that bonus. Otherwise, energy has no intrinsic effect of its own.

Engaged. Generally speaking, if you reveal a card with the word ENGAGED on it, then you have "become engaged." That card locks onto you until resolved. In the case of an opportunity, becoming engaged means the moment marker now moves with you. When you become engaged, place the card near your dashboard, paying attention to any ongoing effects. If the card is an opportunity, place your miniature on the moment marker. If you move, the moment moves with you. Engaged effects are always active. If an action on an engaged card refers to a "non-engaged explorer," it means any explorer other than the one engaged with that specific card.

Explore / Exploration. The rules — and some cards — refer to you "exploring" to reveal new nodes. All this means is that you move in a direction where there is not currently a node, and you draw and reveal an environment card in that space. There is no official EXPLORE action, it is just a result of your movement.

Explorer. Term used to denote both you — the sentient being at the table — and your character and miniature in the game. The game does not make an effort to distinguish between players and their characters.

Focus. Your three dice-that-aren't-dice, used to take actions on your turn. The upward face of each focus denotes how much of that focus you currently have.

• 1 focus (your choice) must be placed on REST each turn.
• Awareness, wonder, and energy are each a "focus-type" and have no unique intrinsic characteristics that differentiate them from one another.
• "Total focus" means adding up the values of your 3 focus cubes.
• If you would gain focus on a focus cube that is already at maximum (3) then the focus you would gain is lost.
• If an effect causes you to gain or lose multiple focus, you may distribute those however you wish.

Forfeit. A flavorful way of saying "discard." Remove that item from play.

Framework. The core components and rule set that are used in every play of Unsettled. When you play, you use the framework and a planet box of your choice.

Free Action. Actions that you can take at any time, on anyone's turn. Free-actions function as interrupts, jumping ahead of any triggered but not-yet-resolving effects. The strongly recommended way to treat free actions: Do them whenever. Everything else pauses while the free action resolves.

High Trust. When the trust marker is on the right-ward side of the group trust track. When trust is high, personality tiles should all be white-side up.

If Able. Any effect or portion of an effect marked "if able" must be performed if possible but you may still take the action if that effect is not possible.

Immediately. Resolve this thing right now. If you just revealed a card with an "immediately" effect, it typically resolves as part of the card reveal. "Immediately" effects, like all effects, may be jumped ahead-of with free actions such as breakthroughs and anomalies.

Insight. To gain or lose insight means to go up or down the insight track on your dashboard. If you advance off the top of the insight track you gain a comprehension and breakthrough of the scientific discipline indicated on your pursuit cube. Reset the cube to the bottom of the track set to whichever discipline you choose. In rare instances you may lose insight. You may reset your scientific pursuit cube at any time as a free action.

Interrupt. Free actions — such as breakthroughs and anomaly discard effects — function as "interrupts." This means that they can be used at any time (on anyone's turn) and other effects are interrupted (think: paused) while the interrupt action resolves.

• Free actions are basically interjected in front of anything else that is resolving.
• An interrupt cannot prevent an effect from occurring; it can only jump ahead of it. Example: if you gain a distress, you may NOT use a free action that lets you remove a distress, and prevent ever receiving the distress.
• An effect cannot be "split," as all elements of an effect are considered to occur simultaneously.
• A nuance to this is that sometimes effects are chained together as a series of connected effects. You may use interrupts to jump ahead of each subsequent effect in a chain. These are not a single effect being split into pieces, they are a series of individual effects that happen in succession.
• Any effects that occur "at the start" of your turn may be interrupted and jumped-in-front-of by free actions.

Inventory. Refers only to the inventory spot on your dashboard. This does not refer to discoveries, etc. that you possess.

INVESTIGATE. Action on your dashboard that allows you to reveal an opportunity card on your node.

Investigated Token. When you use the INVESTIGATE action, you place one of these on your current node, marking it as INVESTIGATED. Nodes may not be investigated more than once.

Laboratory. Science structure built on build sites using the BUILD action while the lab is on the breakthrough board. Once built, all explorers everywhere have access to a new free action: you may discard a material from the stockpile to increase 1 of your focus cubes by 1.

Local. Existing on the same node. If something is local to you, it is on your node. If something is local to LUNA, it is on her node. Local includes everything on that node. For the sake of effects, you are local to yourself.

Low Trust. When the trust marker is on the left-ward side of the group trust track. When trust is low, personality tiles should all be black-side up.

LUNA. Your adorable, stalwart robotic buddy. LUNA ignores all node-edge symbols when moving. LUNA ignores "when entering" effects.

LUNA's Primary Function. Each planet box features a different primary function card for LUNA. These cards typically have a focus-action space that you may use to activate an ability that LUNA performs. Unless the card says otherwise, this is a programming ability, meaning that you may perform it from anywhere; you do not need to be on LUNA's node.

Marker. A generic term for a component denoting something. Sometimes specific components will be called for by name. Other times the game may direct you to "place a marker" as a reminder of an ongoing effect or as a way of measuring something; the intent is that you will use the generic black cubes.

Material. One of the game's primary resources (along with data and power). Materials are represented by semi-translucent green clusters and are stored in their supply at the top of the resource board. Once gained by the crew, materials are stored in the stockpile. They can be added to a map node through LUNA's SCAN ability (or an effect) and then gained with the UNEARTH action (or an effect). If an effect gains you a material, take it from the supply and place it in the stockpile, unless the effect mentions "nodes," "adjacency," or any other language implying it is gained from the environment.

Moment. A marker (big acrylic puck) that indicates the presence of an opportunity.

Movement / MOVE. Each turn you may perform a MOVE action, moving your explorer miniature from its current node to an adjacent node. Some effects may grant additional movement points, allowing you to move multiple nodes.

• This is not a focus action, nor is it a free action. You initiate the action simply by picking up your explorer miniature and doing it.
• Because movement is not a free action, it cannot interrupt other effects.
• If your MOVE reveals a new node with an impassable border on the edge that you're attempting to cross, then you are unable to complete the move. Leave the new node revealed and return to the node you just attempted to exit. Don't resolve anything.
• Some effects have you "place" your explorer onto a node, rather than MOVE them. When you are placed on a node, you ignore node-edge effects.
• Movement effects are a "chain" of effects and can be interrupted by free actions.

If breaking movement down into a flow-chart becomes necessary, resolve movement effects in the following order: Resolve node-edge symbols of your original node (time symbols first, then insight, then any others); Resolve node-edge symbols of the destination node (time symbols first, then insight, then any others); Resolve any "when entering" effects.

Must Be Present. A highly contextual term. Generally speaking, "must be present" means that the thing in question must be on the node that the action indicates it needs to be on. "Present" means that it is there, but does not mean it must be controlled or provided by the active explorer taking the action.

Mystery Cards. Some planets have mystery cards that remain hidden until an effect reveals them. When revealing a mystery card, place it face-up in the play space. It is not unusual for the travelogue and survival tasks to not mention mystery cards until they are suddenly, surprisingly, referenced.

Node (Revealed). An in-play environment card. "Environment cards" and "nodes" are somewhat interchangeable terms. A "revealed node" is a face-up environment card in the play space. An "unrevealed node" is a face-down environment card in the play space. If an effect is applied to a node, it applies to the node itself, not explorers that happen to be present there.

Node (Unrevealed). Some predetermined setups will feature environment cards in play as nodes that are face-down. When moving onto an unrevealed node, flip it face up to reveal it, maintaining the orientation it had when it was face-down. If you have the ability to "place" an explorer on an unrevealed node — you may. Reveal the card and place yourself on it, then resolve any "when entering" effects. Ignore any node-edge symbols between your previous node and this one.

Non-Engaged Explorer. If an action or effect on an engaged card refers to a "non-engaged explorer" it means any explorer other than the one engaged with that specific card.

Once Per Turn / On Your Turn. "Once per turn" means on every single turn. "On your turn" means only on your turns.

Opportunities. Opportunities are encounters typically revealed by the INVESTIGATE action. A moment marker is placed on the node and an opportunity card is revealed. Each opportunity card has a bit of narrative and then provides a unique action space that is available on that node moving forward. LUNA may not perform opportunities on her own unless the card text clearly states that an explorer's presence is not required. If a stack of opportunities runs out, refill it with cards from the other stack. Forfeiting Opportunities: as a free action, you may choose to forfeit an active opportunity by discarding it and returning its moment marker to the moment board. You cannot forfeit an opportunity that is engaged with any explorer or that is currently resolving an effect.

Personal Inventory. Refers only to the "inventory" spot on your dashboard which is not used unless referenced by name. Does not refer to discoveries that you possess.

Personality Trait. Your unique personality tile that lives on your dashboard, amending one of your six personal action spaces. When trust is high, the white side should be upward. When trust is low, the black side should be upward. You may not choose to use the standard version of an action if your personality trait covers that action. Distress on the same action space as a personality trait always covers the personality trait. Personality traits are not "good" or "bad" on high/low trust. They are simply different manifestations of that personality.

Pip. The dots on dice faces. "Pip up": rotate die one value higher. "Pip down": rotate die one value lower.

Place (vs. Move). Many effects will "place" you onto a node. Being placed onto a node is different than "moving" onto a node. When an effect places you on a node: move your explorer miniature to the node, resolving any "when entering" effects on that node, but ignoring all node-edge effects. When an effect directs you to "place" your explorer, unless it directly specifies "revealed" nodes, you may place yourself on unrevealed nodes. You may not place yourself onto an empty space to explore it and reveal an environment card there.

Planet Boxes. The game system requires you have the framework and one planet to play. Each planet contains all the cards that will be used in the game.

Planet-Specific Cards. Each planet box contains all the regular cards used in each play. Many planets also contain several unique "planet-specific" cards. The travelogue will often explain how these cards are used. Generally speaking, when you are setting up a planet, don't look at the faces of the planet-specific cards — many of them have surprises on them.

Planet-Specific Setup. After you have completed the initial framework setup, you must then perform the setup instructions in your chosen planet's travelogue and then any final setup instructions on card 2/8 of your chosen survival task.

Planet-Specific Tokens. Many planet boxes come with a medley of unique tokens. Place them in the area designated for planet-specific tokens on the breakthrough board and then don't worry about them until they are referenced.

Potential Discoveries. If an environment node has an image of a discovery surrounded by a dotted border — but no action space through which to acquire that discovery — then it is a "potential discovery." Until another effect or action space is revealed that directs you to gain that discovery, it cannot be gained.

Power. One of the game's primary resources (along with data and materials). Power is represented by semi-translucent orange discs and are stored in the dynamo. Uncharged power is held in the lower (-) portion of the dynamo: this is considered the power's "supply." Power can be gained from anywhere using the CHARGE POWER action (or an effect). Gained power is stored in the upper (+) portion of the dynamo. Power "spent" to initiate actions is moved from the upper portion of the dynamo to the lower.

Prerequisite. A thing that must be completed/true before another thing can occur.

Programming (LUNA). The phrase "program LUNA" is sometimes used to emphasize that many interactions with LUNA can be performed from anywhere, regardless of your proximity to LUNA.

Properties. A property is a characteristic you take on by acquiring a component with a "property," displayed in a gold badge. If you possess a component with a property badge on it then you have that property as far as effects or actions are concerned. Unless otherwise noted, properties do not stack. Properties are not pooled like comprehension. If someone else is present, you do not possess or gain access to their properties. "If you possess": if an effect would impact you if you have a property then it is not optional. "If you possess, you may": the word "may" makes this optional.

RECOVER. Personal focus action on your dashboard that fully increases whatever focus you place on it. However, it does so at the expense of trust.

REGROUP. Returning all your focus cubes back to near your dashboard. Regrouping ends your turn. You may not MOVE or use LUNA after you have regrouped. You regroup all 3 of your focus at once. If your regroup triggers any effects, you remain the active player until those effects fully resolve.

Remove From Play. This thing is no longer an active part of gameplay. Set it aside somewhere. The thing may re-enter play later through an effect, but only once an effect does so directly.

Research Hut. Science structure built on build sites using the BUILD action while the hut is un-built on the breakthrough board. Once built, all explorers everywhere have access to a new free action: you may discard 1 data from the databank to gain 1 insight.

Resources. Data, materials, and power: used to activate many abilities, as costs for many actions, and a litany of other things. Resources are shared by all explorers. Data and materials are not limited by component count; should you need additional and none of their components are available, use a substitute.

REST. A personal action space on your dashboard that is required on each of your turns. When you decide to use REST on your turn is up to you — so long as 1 focus performs that action at some point during the turn. The focus that you place on rest pips up (rotates 1 value higher). Distress may not be placed on the REST action. Some personality traits amend the REST action — it is STILL required on each of your turns.

Reveal. Bring the item in question into play or turn it face-up if it is face-down.

Scan (LUNA). On each of your turns, you may have LUNA scan her current node for a resource not currently available there by rolling the discovery die and adding the resulting amount of that resource to the node. LUNA may not scan for a resource that is already available on the node. You may not "abandon" or "forfeit" a resource available on a node. It does not matter when in a turn she scans.

Scarab. The Scarab is your ship, represented in the game by a Scarab tile. The Scarab is considered adjacent to each of the nodes on its 4 sides, and is a "node" in the context of effects that would impact "adjacent nodes" or "explorers on adjacent nodes." Most survival tasks end with a final objective of getting the entire crew onto the Scarab. During setup you may decide which version of the Scarab you wish to use. The standard Scarab is a simple illustration with no ability or effect. The 3 alternate Scarabs each offer unique abilities designed to assist with the game's difficulty. The Scarab cannot be investigated for opportunities, nor can it be scanned for resources.

Sample Scarab abilities:

• Resuscitation Chamber: Place a data on the dotted box during setup. When an explorer on the Scarab uses the RESUSCITATE action, remove the data and everyone on the Scarab increases their endurance by 1.
• The Transporter: an explorer on the Scarab may deplete 2 power to use the TRANSPORT action. They place themselves on a node occupied by a different explorer, or they place a different explorer onto the Scarab with them.
• Rejuvenation Pod: during setup, place a data on the dotted box with pips matching the number of explorers. An explorer on the Scarab may use the REJUVENATE action to remove 1 of the data markers and exactly 2 distress from themselves. If you do not have at least 2 distress, you may not use the REJUVENATE action.

Science Structures. See: structures.

Scientific Disciplines. Chemistry, Robotics, and Engineering. These disciplines are a conceptual umbrella that hangs over many different component types. Each tends to relate to a specific resource.

Scientific Properties. See: properties.

Scientific Pursuit Cube / Scientific Pursuit. Used on your insight track to designate which type of comprehension/breakthrough you are channeling your insights toward gaining. Whatever the upward face on your pursuit cube, that is the discipline of comprehension and breakthrough you will gain when you move off the top of the insight track. If you wish to change your scientific pursuit, you may do so at any time by rotating the cube to the face of your choosing and resetting it to the bottom of the Insight track.

Set Apart. Sometimes planets or survival tasks will have you "set apart" a node (or another component). These are placed in the play space where they can be viewed but cannot be reached through any conventional methods — until something in the game gives you permission to do so.

Space. "Space" is used to refer to an individual point on a track (timeline, endurance track, insight track, etc.). If multiple effects would add markers to the same space, the markers "share" the space but operate independently. The term "space" is also used to refer to the physical slot on the table occupied (or potentially occupied) by an environment card.

Spawn. Standard gamey term for "comes into being." Usually, "spawning" something means that you're adding it to the map.

Stockpile. Storage for the materials resource currently possessed by the crew. Materials in the stockpile are shared by all explorers.

Structures. Cogwheel-shaped tokens that require empty build sites on environment nodes to be built. The workshop, laboratory, and research hut are structures available every game. Once built, structures provide additional free actions to all explorers. If an action requires you to be at a certain structure, and that structure has not been built, the implication is that you need to build it. If a structure is built using an action space on the structure token itself, then you may not use that structure on the turn you built it. If you take the action to DESTROY a structure, it does not resolve until you regroup at the end of the turn. Many planets feature unique structures explained by the travelogue.

SUPPORT. Personal action space on your dashboard that can be used to remove a distress from another explorer on the same node as you. This increases group trust. You may not use the SUPPORT action on yourself (unless an effect says specifically that you can).

Survival Tasks. The objectives/story that you play through and attempt to overcome. Complete the survival task and you win. Each planet has 3 survival tasks. Narratively speaking, you only ever visit each of these planets a single time. Each task starts as a stack of cards in a specific order — do not read ahead. In many cases, completing a survival task objective will involve a focus action; the action is considered complete, and the task advances, only when you regroup your focus cube off that action space at the end of your turn.

THEORIZE. Personal action space on your dashboard that allows another explorer to gain an insight (you select the explorer). If you use your awareness focus for this action you gain an insight as well.

Time & Timeline. A track that triggers various effects throughout play and the primary source of the crew's diminishing endurance. The time marker moves (to the right) along the timeline each time you resolve an effect with the time symbol (such as REST). Many planets and survival tasks use triggers: tokens on the timeline that indicate a specific effect when the time marker moves onto the space the trigger occupies. If a trigger is added to the space the time marker currently occupies, it does not trigger. When you advance the time marker multiple spaces, complete the advancement and then resolve each trigger in the order it was reached, fully resolving each triggered effect (including any subsequent effects) before moving on to the next.

Timing. If you have a timing question that the universal rules cannot answer, check the index entry for the specific thing. The "Interrupts" entry is particularly useful. We encourage you to take the universal rules seriously though. Just make a call.

Trait. See: personality trait.

Travelogue. The saddle-stitched booklet that comes in each planet box.

TRAVERSE. Personal action space on your dashboard that allows you to perform an additional MOVE action, with the additional ability to also carry a local explorer with you. When you carry another explorer, move both miniatures. Node-edge symbols are only resolved once (by you, the one doing the carrying), but both of you experience any "when entering" effects. You may carry unconscious explorers. A TRAVERSE is an addition to your regular MOVE action.

Trigger Tokens. Tokens used on the timeline to indicate when specific effects resolve. When the time marker moves onto a trigger token, resolve its effect. If a trigger is added to the space the time marker currently occupies, it does not trigger. Multiple triggers can occupy the same space of the timeline; resolve them in the order you wish, each as a unique effect.

Trust. A measurement of your faith in each other, illustrated by the trust marker on the group trust track. When trust is low, personality traits should all have their black-side upward. When trust is high, personality traits should all have their white-side upward. If trust decreases when it's already low, or increases when it's already high, then a loss or gain of 2 focus is distributed between explorers. The "high-trust" and "low-trust" sides of the personality traits are not "good" or "bad."

Unconscious. What you become when your endurance marker reaches the pink space on your endurance track. There are no methods for bringing an unconscious explorer back from unconsciousness. When an explorer becomes unconscious, their distress remains on them. However, you may still use the SUPPORT action on them. They are unconscious, not dead. If another explorer is unconscious, you may exchange discoveries and inventory with them (if local), carry them using TRAVERSE, use breakthroughs and other effects on them, remove distress from them with SUPPORT, count them as present for survival task actions, and save their life by getting them to the ship. You may not utilize their comprehension, breakthroughs, or anything they would need to initiate.

Universal Rules. The two rules at the front of this appendix (Creativity-Prevails Rule and Momentum Rule) that should act as the first (and hopefully last) resort when you encounter confusion or conflict while playing.

When Entering. Effects that resolve as part of your miniature arriving on a node, whether by using a MOVE or TRAVERSE action or by being "placed" onto the node by an effect. If you entered the node using MOVE or TRAVERSE, and that movement took you across any node-edge symbols, those resolve before the "when entering" effect resolves. If a survival task or travelogue setup has you place someone on a node as part of setup, ignore the "when entering" effect.

Within X Nodes. Nodes within X movement of your current node. As in: your node, and any nodes you could reach using X movement. Example: "Within 1 node" means your node or an adjacent node.

Wonder. One of your three types of focus, represented by your focus cube with the wonder icon on its axis. Placing your wonder focus on an action space that has a bonus for using wonder grants that bonus. Otherwise, wonder has no intrinsic effect of its own.

Workshop. Science structure built on build sites using the BUILD action while the workshop is on the breakthrough board. Once built, all explorers everywhere have access to a new free action: you may deplete a power from the charged (+) well of the dynamo to the depleted (-) well to move LUNA onto a node adjacent to her current one.

Iconography

Glossary of icons and symbols used throughout the game:

• Anomaly. Card type. Each time you gain a discovery, draw a scientific anomaly to go with it and place it next to your dashboard.
• Arrow. "At" this location. Typically used on focus action spaces to indicate where something is supposed to happen.
• Awareness. Focus type. Some action spaces provide a bonus if you use a particular focus type.
• Black Marker. Generic utility component used in multiple ways.
• Breakthrough. Card type. Each time you gain a comprehension, draw a breakthrough of the same type and place it next to your dashboard.
• Build Site. Eligible location to construct cogwheel-shaped structures such as the workshop, research hut, or laboratory.
• Comprehension. Gained each time you advance off the top of your insight track and stored on the right side of your dashboard. Comprehension is used as a prerequisite for actions and is never "spent."
• Comprehension Must Be Present. Used most often on focus action spaces to indicate that specific comprehension must be possessed by an explorer on a specific node for the action to be taken.
• Crew. All of the explorers (even unconscious ones) and LUNA.
• Data (Gain). Move a data from the general supply to the database. Exception: when using the ANALYZE DATA action, move data from LUNA's current node to the database.
• Data (Use). Move a data from the database to the general supply.
• Discovery (Forfeit). Discard a discovery that you possess (and its anomaly) to the box.
• Discovery with Specific Property (Forfeit). Discard a discovery that you possess (and its anomaly). The discovery or its anomaly MUST feature the specific property indicated.
• Distress (Gain). Gain a distress card and place it onto your dashboard over an action space that does not already have one. May not be placed on REST. If you would draw a distress and none are available, every explorer loses 1 endurance. If you personally would draw your 6th distress, instead every explorer loses 1 endurance.
• Distress (Remove). Remove a distress from your dashboard, return it to the bottom of the distress draw pile.
• Endurance (Increase). Increase your endurance by moving your endurance marker up 1 space.
• Endurance (Decrease). Decrease your endurance by moving your endurance marker down 1 space. If your endurance marker reaches the pink space, you become unconscious. When the time marker resets back to the start of the timeline, everyone loses 1 endurance.
• Energy. Focus type. Some action spaces provide a bonus if you use a particular focus type.
• Environment. Card type. This symbol is typically only used for reference or sorting.
• Explorer Must Be Present. An explorer is required.
• Explorers (2+) Must Be Present. More than 1 explorer required.
• Focus (Increase and Decrease). For each of these icons you must pip up (or pip down) a focus cube. You may decide which of your focus are affected.
• Group Trust (Gain). Increase group trust by sliding the trust marker to the right. If this moves trust from low to high, flip all personality trait tiles to the white side. If trust was already high, distribute 2 focus.
• Group Trust (Lose). Decrease group trust by sliding the trust marker to the left. If this moves trust from high to low, flip all personality trait tiles to the black side. If trust was already low, distribute a loss of 2 focus.
• Impassable Terrain. Your movement may not cross over this symbol. If your movement reveals a node and that movement would take you over this symbol: return to your original node, leave the new node revealed. Your movement is not consumed. LUNA may cross. Nodes across this symbol are considered adjacent.
• Impenetrable Barrier. Nodes across this symbol are not considered adjacent. LUNA cannot cross. Explorers cannot cross.
• Insight. Advance your scientific pursuit cube 1 space up the insight track.
• Investigated. This node has already been investigated, and may not be investigated again.
• Inventory. Personal inventory on your dashboard, only used when referenced for unique planetary needs.
• LUNA Is Involved. Indicates LUNA's involvement. Typically used on focus action spaces to indicate that LUNA must be present when you take the action. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the intention is that LUNA is assisting you, and you must be present as well.
• Materials (Gain). Move a material from the general supply to the stockpile. Exception: when using the UNEARTH MATERIALS action, move material from your current node to the stockpile.
• Materials (Use). Move a material from the stockpile to the general supply.
• Move. Move from 1 node to an adjacent node. Typically used to indicate a bonus movement, separate from yours or LUNA's standard MOVE action.
• Opportunity. Card type. If used as part of an effect it means "reveal an opportunity."
• Outline (Dotted). If ever a card is revealed with a dotted outline on it, it indicates that a component is meant to be placed in that outline.
• Outline (Solid). Used in a variety of ways to indicate "spaces."
• Planet-Specific. Card type. If used as part of an effect it means to draw and reveal the planet-specific card named.
• Power (Gain). Move a power from the depleted (-) portion of the dynamo to the charged (+) portion.
• Power (Use). Move a power from the charged (+) portion of the dynamo to the depleted (-) portion.
• Property. A characteristic you currently possess. If you have a component with a gold bar in your possession, then you "possess" that property.
• Property Required. You must have the specific property to do the thing. Properties do not "pool" in the way comprehension do.
• Scientific Disciplines. Used on breakthroughs and comprehension to indicate which discipline of science (Robotics, Chemistry, Engineering) that component or action is affiliated with.
• Structures. Built on build sites from the breakthrough board (research hut, laboratory, workshop). If you need to be on a node featuring a structure, and that structure is not yet built — you must build it.
• Survival Task. Card type. Each survival task is comprised of multiple cards, distinguishable by the task's name and the colored stripe along the top of the cards.
• Time. Advance the time marker 1 space to the right on the timeline. If it would advance off the end of the timeline, wrap it around to the start of the track and each explorer loses 1 endurance.
• Time (Ignore). Ignore a time symbol. Typically used on breakthroughs and anomalies. For each of these ignore icons in effect, you may ignore a single time symbol.
• Travelogue. Planet's instruction booklet.
• Trigger Tokens (Gain). Used on the timeline by some survival tasks and planetary effects to indicate when an effect resolves.
• Wonder. Focus type. Some action spaces provide a bonus if you use a particular focus type.

Appendix A: Example Turn

You are playing a 3 explorer game with Lacey and Theresa. It is your turn.

Revealing a new node by moving LUNA. You would like to explore beyond your current node. Instead of moving blindly, you decide to move LUNA (which you can do once on each of your turns). You indicate the space you are going to explore, reveal the top environment card from the stack beneath the resource board and place it in that space oriented the same direction as the Scarab. You then place LUNA onto it. LUNA ignores node-edge symbols so you do not have to resolve that time icon.

Revealing resources using LUNA. Once on each of your turns you may have LUNA scan for a resource not currently available on her node. You decide to do that now and roll the blue data discovery die. The result is 2, so you move 2 data from their supply onto LUNA's node.

Moving and resolving node-edge effects. You use your turn's MOVE action to move onto the new node. The movement took you across 1 time symbol on node-edges, so you advance the time marker by 1.

Using a focus action to gain resources. Once data (and/or materials) have been revealed in the environment, you may use focus actions on the resource board to gather them. You use the ANALYZE DATA action by placing a focus cube on it. That action space has a single down arrow, so you rotate the focus cube to decrease it by 1 as you set it. You gain a data from the node and — because you placed the awareness focus which activates this action space's bonus — you gain a second data as well. Both data are placed in the database where they can be used by any explorer.

Fully spent focus cube. Next you would like to perform the INVESTIGATE action on this node. You hope to use your wonder focus so as to gain the action space's bonus. Unfortunately your wonder focus is at 0 (a time symbol is oriented upward). Were you to place this focus, you could still perform the action, but time would advance.

Another explorer uses a breakthrough as a free action on your turn. Lacey — who is nowhere near you — offers to assist. She has a breakthrough ability that allows her to program LUNA to increase an explorer's focus. Lacey spends 1 of the data you just gained to activate her breakthrough. You gain 1 focus, which you apply to your wonder, increasing it from 0 to 1.

Investigating an opportunity. You then use your wonder to take the INVESTIGATE action on your dashboard, decreasing it by 1 as you place it. You place an "investigated token" on the node, indicating that it cannot be investigated again. The INVESTIGATE action reveals an opportunity on your current node. You move an available moment marker onto your node and reveal the top opportunity card from the stack associated with that moment marker. You read the narrative on the left column of the opportunity aloud and resolve the IMMEDIATELY effect. The action space on the opportunity card is now available for any explorer on the node with that moment marker.

Because you've activated the action space's bonus by using wonder instead of a different focus, you immediately gain 1 insight. You advance your scientific pursuit cube 1 space up the insight track. It's in the top space now. The next time you gain insight you will gain comprehension and a breakthrough of the discipline you are pursuing (chemistry) and will reset your pursuit cube to the bottom of the insight track, changing it to whatever discipline you want to pursue next.

REST. Every turn you must REST one of your focus. You place your energy focus onto the REST action, increasing it by 1, per the arrow on the action space. When you REST, you advance time 1 space along the timeline.

Regrouping. You've moved, used all 3 of your focus, moved and scanned with LUNA, and do not wish to perform any free actions. You end your turn by returning your focus from the game space to a spot next to your dashboard, being careful not to change their upward faces. Your turn is now complete, and the explorer sitting to your left becomes the active player and begins their turn.

Appendix B: The Scarab (Cross Section)

Once the research ship you thought would help you push the boundaries of science and humanity's understanding of their place in the universe; now the home you hope will help you live to see tomorrow. The lovingly nicknamed "Scarab" is a 1st Generation M-Class Graham Science Vessel retrofitted to integrate its crew's ground-breaking LUNA creation. It is programmed to use an adjusted non-standard galactic time cycle: roughly 30 Earth hours, 10 of which the crew dedicates to medically enhanced sleep.

Key systems aboard the Scarab include: the Solar Shell (an advanced solar-absorption mesh woven through the hull, storing solar and radioactive energy); Algae Aqueducts (an enclosed living environment of bio-electric algae generating a constant trickle of oxygen); Zeolite Structural Filters (beams providing structural support while housing molecular sieves for air filtration); the Medical Bay; Navigation (manual control, deactivated — while aboard, LUNA interfaces with the ship and controls navigation); Crew's Quarters (Cabins A-I); Ion & Pulsed-Fusion Micro Drives (low-thrust backup drives); the Primary Methane Drive (the Scarab's principle propulsion system); Water Reclamation System and Condensers; Neo-Electrolysis Chambers (separating hydrogen and oxygen); and Sabatier Reactors (combining exhaled carbon dioxide with hydrogen to create methane and waste water).

The Scarab is an intricately woven web of systems. Be careful to maintain them — the collapse of one could beget the collapse of them all. No pressure.

How-to-play videos, additional planet boxes, card sleeves, and good vibes available at orangenebula.com.