Skymines - General game info
Skymines
2-4 players, 75-150 minutes, 12 years and older
AuthorsViktor Kobilke
Alexander Pfister (prpr)
IllustratorJavier González Cava
Published byDeep Print Games
Online since 2024-01-21
Developed by (Stonecrusher)
Boardgamegeek359438
Complexity3,88/5
Yucata.de owns a license for the online version of this game. A big "thank you" to the copyright owners (publisher and/or author and illustrator) who make it possible to have this game for free online here!
Skymines - Rules

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Components

1 double-sided game board

4 double-sided player boards

Front: Moon side

Back: Belt side

Front: Standard side

Back: Luna side

5 double-sided company tracks

Each side shows a different track and has an ID made up of a letter and a number (A1 to E2).

44 action cards

                Front                           Back

5 track cards

                Front                           Back

36 starting action cards
(9 per player:
)

                Front                       Back

4 single-energy cards

                Front                     Back

4 bonus tiles

                Front                           Back

10 starting research tokens

  Front                 Back

8 ON/OFF markers

Front: ON side

Back: OFF side

                                  72 research plans

    24 A-research plans     24 B-research plans     24 C-research plans

    Front     Back            Front     Back            Front     Back

6 special research plans

Front           Back

60 CrypCoin

4 player tokens

20 bonus markers
(5 per player)

16 track markers
(4 per player)

1 first player marker

60 outposts
(15 per company)

4 helium-3 markers

4 upload markers

4 overview sheets Round overview

Additional components

For playing with the module “Mission cards” (see Module: Mission cards):

12 one-time bonus markers
(3 per player)

6 mission cards

                                              Front:                    Back:
                                          Mission Card           mission status card

Setup

Below you find the setup and rules for the basic game of Skymines, which is played on the Moon side of the board.

Object of the game

Your goal is to earn the most CrypCoin by investing resources in the 4 companies and by spreading their outposts across the Moon. By investing resources, you increase the number of shares you hold in a company and by spreading that company’s outposts, you increase the value of each of its shares. Also, you can improve your earnings by storing helium-3 on your tank track and by uploading the research of your research track.

During the game, you gain CrypCoin in cash, which you mostly use to pay for certain actions. The main portion of CrypCoin, however, you earn at the end of the game. Then your wealth is calculated by summing:

The player with highest total wins the game.

Playing the game

Skymines is played over 7 rounds .

Each round consists of 3 phases:

1) Planning phase see
2) Action phase see
3) Preparation phase for the next round see

After the Action phase of round 7, the game ends with a Final scoring phase. see

Note: The current round is always indicated by the highest large white number on the round track. At the start of the game, the first round track space is empty to indicate the first round. In subsequent rounds, the new round will be indicated by flipping the next special research plan face up (during phase 3).

1) Planning phase

The Planning phase is carried out by all players simultaneously and comprises 2 steps:

a) Each player plans their Action phase by placing cards face down in their action area

b) All players turn their placed cards face up

a) Place cards face down in your action area

Each player: Choose cards from your hand and place them face down in the available action slots of your action area (the area below your player board).

Note: You will use the cards in your action area during the Action phase. Thus, the cards you place will determine to a certain extent which actions you can perform see here for details of the cards and their actions.)

At the start of the game, you have 3 action slots available (the 3 slots marked “ON” at the bottom of your player board).
Each available action slot can hold 1 card. Therefore, you can place up to 3 cards. Later in the game, you may switch on one or even two additional action slots by reaching certain spaces on your tank track and your research track (see Special spaces of the player boards). As each switched-on slot lets you place a card, you could place up to 5 cards if you had switched on both additional action slots.

  • Which card you place in which slot is up to you.

  • You can place fewer cards than allowed.

Be aware, that the cards that you use in a round won’t be available to you again for a while: at the end of your action phase, you must move each card from its action slot to a different one of your resting slots. The cards that gather in each resting slot are called a resting deck. They are inactive and cannot be used until they are recovered. However, each round, you can only return one resting deck to your hand (see Drop out of action phase).

Note: For a more challenging variant, in which each action slot is linked to the resting slot in the same vertical line, see Gameplay variant: Linked slots.

b) Flip cards face up

Once all players are finished placing cards, everyone flips their cards face up.

2) Action phase

The player with the first player marker begins the Action phase by taking one turn. Then the player to their left takes one turn, then the next player and so on. In this manner, the Action phase proceeds turn by turn in a clockwise direction until all players have dropped out of the Action phase.

When it is your turn, you must perform exactly ONE of the following actions:

1) Use 1 or more resource cards of a single type in your action area see

2) Use all energy cards in your action area see

3) Use 1 research scientist card in your action area see

4) Use 1 field scientist card in your action area see

5) Place 1 bonus marker see

6) Drop out of Action phase see

Once all players have performed the “Drop out of Action phase” action, the Action phase ends.

The cards you placed in the Planning phase determine what actions are available to you in the Action phase.

Example:
On her turn, Lin cannot perform the “Use all energy cards” action as she has not placed any energy cards in her action area. (The energy cards in her resting slots do not count, because they are inactive.)


After you have used a card for an action, you must flip it face down (to indicate that you have used it). Flipped cards cannot be used again this round.

Example:
After using her research scientist card, Lin flips it face down.

1) Use 1 or more resource cards of a single type in your action area

With this action, you can acquire a new card from the card display and advance your markers on the company tracks.

To perform this action, choose from your action area any number of face up resource cards of the same type (carbon, minerals or titanium). You must choose at least one card, irrespective of how many resource cards of this type you have and which value each of them shows.

The values of your chosen cards add up to form your resource value, which you must use to:

  • Acquire a maximum of 1 card from the card display AND/OR

  • Advance on 1 or more company tracks with your track marker(s).

Example:
To perform this action, Lin could use:

  • the single 2-unit titanium card OR

  • the single 3-unit titanium card OR

  • the 2-unit titanium card and the 3-unit titanium card combined to form a resource value of 5 units OR

  • the 2-unit carbon card

Acquire 1 card from the card display

Acquire 1 card of your choice from the card display. Each card’s total cost equals its printed cost plus the cost on the game board to its right. Your resource value must meet or exceed this total cost.

If your resource value equals the total cost, take the card from the display and put it in your hand.

If your resource value exceeds the total cost, take the card into your hand and use the remaining units to advance on 1 or more company tracks (see below).

Attention: The card display is not refilled until the end of the round.

Advance on 1 or more company tracks

Use your resource value (or the remaining units if you acquired a card) to advance on company tracks. For each unit, move one of your track markers 1 space forward. Do so until you have used up all units. You can split up your units in any way you want, using all of them on the same company track or dividing them among different tracks. (See details of the company.)

Once you are finished, flip each card that added to the resource value face down. Then your turn ends.

Example: Lin () uses a resource value of 5 units (by combining the 2−unit titanium card and one of the 3−unit titanium cards).

For a card price of 4 units, she acquires the 2-unit minerals card from the display and puts it into her hand. As she has 1 unit left, she uses it to advance 1 space on a company track of her choice.

Finally, she flips the used titanium cards in her action area face down.

2) Use all energy cards in your action area

With this action, you can spend energy to expand a company by entering new sectors of the Moon with its outposts.

To perform this action, you must use all energy cards in your action area at once. You may not keep any of them for a later turn.

Each energy card shows a number of energy points (, or ). Add up the energy points of all energy cards in your action area and use that total to expand 1 company. Which company you expand is up to you (but you may not divide your energy points among more than 1 company).

Note:It doesn’t matter if any of the energy cards you use show an additional share of any company. These additional shares only matter in the Final scoring phase.

First, choose a company. Then spend your energy points to enter new sectors with outposts taken from that company’s station. The 24 sectors are separated from one another and the stations by single lines or double lines. Entering a sector consumes either 1, 2 or 3 energy points (see below for details). Once you have spent all energy points, you receive the rewards the sectors you entered. Then your turn ends.

To enter a sector, carry out the following steps:

  1. Choose which sector you want to enter. This sector must be adjacent to either the expanding company’s station OR to any sector that contains an outpost of the expanding company.
    Important: The sector you choose can contain an outpost of another company but not of the expanding company itself.

  2. Check how many energy points entering the sector consumes (going out from the adjacent station/sector of the expanding company). If you only have to cross a single line to enter it, it consumes 1 energy point. If you have to cross a double line, it consumes 2 energy point. And if there is already an outpost of another company in the sector, entering it consumes 1 additional energy point.

  3. If you have enough energy points to enter the sector, take 1 outpost from the expanding company’s station. Note, that each station comprises 3 columns of 5 home spaces each. You can take the outpost from any of the station’s columns, but only from the top of that column (closest to the game board’s center).

  4. Place the outpost in the sector. However, place it on its hemispheric side, so that it stands upright. (This is to mark that you have entered the sector but have not yet received its rewards.)

Repeat steps 1 to 4 until you’ve spent all your energy points. If you cannot or do not want to spend all of them, you must forfeit any excess.

Example: Lin uses her total of 5 energy points to expand Minerva Corp.

First, she enters sector 21 , which consumes 1 energy point, as she has to cross the single line a to reach it. She marks entering the sector by taking an outpost (a) a from Minerva Station and placing it upright in the sector.

Next, she chooses to enter sector 16 , which also consumes 1 energy point (for crossing the single line b). Again, she marks this with an outpost (b) from Minerva Station.

Finally, she enters sector 24, which consumes her remaining 3 energy points (2 for crossing the double line c and 1 more because a yellow outpost is already there). Then Lin also marks this sector by placing an outpost (c) from Minerva Station in it.

Once you have finished spending your energy points, carry out the following steps:

  1. Gain the reward of each structure in the sectors you just entered. Take the rewards in any order, regardless of the order in which you entered the sectors.

  2. Oust any outposts that were already in the sectors you entered. Return each of them to a vacant home space of its station. You may choose which column to place the outpost in, but it must go to the lowest vacant space of that column. However, you can never return an outpost to the crossed out home space of a column (the 5th space at the bottom). Once that’s been revealed, it stays revealed for the entire game. Instead, return the outpost to the next vacant space above it.

  3. Once any ousted outposts have been returned to their stations (there can be no more than one outpost in each sector now), tip over the upright outposts.

  4. Finally, flip all energy cards in your action area face down. Then your turn ends.

Example (continued):
After Lin finishes expanding Minerva Corp. into sectors 21, 16 and 24, she gains the rewards of their structures: she gains 1 CrypCoin from the bank and utilizes 3 research points (see below). Then she ousts the yellow outpost back to Skymine Station, lowers any upright outposts and flips the energy cards in her action area face down.

Further notes and special cases:

  • There are 2 enclave sectors on the Moon. Each of them is entirely surrounded by another sector. Thus, before you can enter an enclave sector, you must first have entered its surrounding sector.

  • If there are no outposts left in a station, you cannot expand this company until outposts are returned by ousting. If a station runs out of outposts while you expand its company, you must forfeit any remaining energy points.

  • If you need to return an ousted outpost to its station but there is no valid vacant home space left, remove the outpost from the game entirely.

  • If you only have one energy card and its energy points are not enough to enter any sector, you must forfeit them entirely.

  • In each column of a station, the crossed out home space is the most valuable as it shows 2 coin icons and cannot be covered again. Thus, when expanding a company, it is usually advisable to empty a column entirely before starting to empty the next column. However, if you have good reasons, emptying the columns evenly can also be a viable option.

  • It does not matter if an outpost in a sector has any connection to its station, you are still allowed to enter a sector adjacent to this outpost’s sector when expanding its company.

  • Stations are not sectors and thus cannot be entered.

Before you learn about the “Use 1 research scientist card” action (which is used to advance your upload marker on your research track), you first need to know about research plans and research points:

Your upload marker can only enter a screen of your research track if there is a research plan on it. This means that in order to move forward on your research track at all, you must gradually fill its screens with research plans from the research display. (Each player already starts with 1 research plan on their starting research token.)
To acquire research plans from the research display, you need research points. You might get research points when expanding a company (see the previous pages), by using a research scientist card or through certain bonuses. However, you cannot save research points up. Whenever you receive any, you must utilize them right away by spending their total on any of the following:

  1. Take 1 A-research plan from the research display
    (cost: 1 research point).

  2. Take 1 B-research plan from the research display
    (cost: 1 research point).

  3. Take 1 C-research plan from the research display
    (cost: 2 research points).

  4. Take 1 CrypCoin from the bank
    (cost: 1 research point).

  5. Take 1 face-up special research plan from the round track
    (cost: 2 research points).
    Note:: The first special research plan becomes available in round 2. Then each round, a new one is revealed.

If you take a research plan from any of the 3 red-framed spaces linked to the supplement space, also take any CrypCoin on that supplement space.
(Note: Each round, only 1 CrypCoin is added to it.)

At the end of your turn, after you have utilized all your research points, carry out the following two steps if you acquired any research plans:

  1. Place each plan you acquired onto any screen on your research track. However, there are a few things to consider:

    • You are not allowed to place an A-research plan onto an empty screen that shows a crossed out A. (Only B-, C- and special research plans may be placed onto these screens.)

    • You need research plans if you want to advance on your research track. Advancing is described below. For now, you just need to know that research plans show requirements which you must meet with the cards in your action area. The better the requirements of the different plans fit together, the easier it is for you to fulfill several of the research plans at once and advance quicker on the track. Since you cannot skip empty screens, it usually is advisable to fill the screens of the track from front to back. However, planning ahead and trying to place research plans with similar requirements next to each other can be a good reason to place research plans farther up the track.

    • Once placed, research plans cannot be removed from the track, though they may be flipped (see below).

    • You are allowed to place a newly acquired research plan on top of any research plan (irrespective of its type/letter) that is already on your track and that your upload marker has not reached or passed yet.

  2. After placing the acquired research plans onto your research track, fill each of the now empty lettered spaces in the research display with a face-up research plan of the matching letter from the research plan supply. Any empty round track spaces remain empty.

Example: Expanding a company, Lin has entered a sector that gives a research point reward of and a sector that gives . As she collects her rewards, she utilizes this total of 3 research points to take two A−research plans from the research display and 1 CrypCoin from the bank.

At the end of her turn, she places these two research plans onto her research track:

Then she refills the 2 empty spaces of the research display with face-up A−research plans from the research plan supply.

3) Use 1 research scientist card in your action area

With this action, you can upload your research by advancing your upload marker on your research track. This may give you various rewards.

To perform this action, carry out the following steps:

  1. Before moving your upload marker, you may pay 2 CrypCoin to the bank to flip 1 research plan on your research track face down (this includes the research plan on your starting research token).

  1. Move your upload marker as far forward on your research track as you like, bearing in mind the following rules:

  • You must move the upload marker forward plan by plan (in the direction indicated by the arrows of the screens and the cables). Before your upload marker can enter a research plan, however, you have to check whether you meet its requirements. Each research plan shows in its upper half 1 or 2 requirements. These requirements refer to the cards which you currently have face up in your action area. To meet a requirement, you must make sure that the total value of the cards of this type in your action area equals or exceeds the total value required. (The order of the requirements on the research plan is irrelevant.) If you meet all requirements of a research plan, you may enter it with your upload marker. Then you must check whether you meet the next plan’s requirements. Again, if you do, you may move forward, and so on. This means each research plan is regarded separately - the requirements of the research plans are not cumulative. Also, the cards used to meet the requirements are not used up, so do not flip them.

  • Special research plans have a different requirement as they have a CrypCoin cost instead:
    To enter a special research plan, you must pay as many CrypCoin to the bank as its requirement shows.
    (Note: The big number in the top right corner shows in which round the special research plan becomes available.)

  • Research plans that have been flipped and thus have their back side up can simply be entered as they have no requirements.

  • Empty screens of the research track can’t be entered.

  • If you cannot or do not want to move any farther, leave your upload marker on the research plan that you entered last. Then you receive the reward of this (and only this) research plan. Flipped research plans and special research plans give no rewards. However, special research plans increase the value of your research track at the end of the game.

  • If you do not move forward during this step and thus do not enter any new research plan, you do not gain a reward.

  1. After you have finished moving your upload marker and have received the reward of the last research plan you entered (or have not moved at all), utilize the total number of research points shown on the research scientist card as usual.

Afterwards, flip the used research scientist card face down. Then your turn ends.

For a list of special requirements and rewards, see the section “Overview of selected icons”

Attention: If you are planning to use a research scientist card for moving forward on your research track, make sure that you do so before an action that flips any of the required cards. Once flipped, they are not valid for the requirements.

Example: Lin uses the research scientist 1 in her action area.
First, she chooses to pay 2 CrypCoin to flip the research plan 2 that requires her to have at least 2 energy points in her action area (which she does not have).
Then she moves her upload marker forward 3, checking each research plan to see if she meets the requirements to enter it (i.e. if the total value required is present in her action area). To enter the special research plan 4, she pays another 2 CrypCoin, then moves along. She finally stops on the sixth research plan 5 (as she cannot meet the requirements of the subsequent plan). She receives the sixth plan’s reward (2 research points). After utilizing these 2 research points, she utilizes the 2 research points of her research scientist card 6 and then flips it. Since she managed to reach the fifth screen, she also switches on the additional action slot there 7 (see Special spaces of the player boards). Then her turn ends.

4) Use 1 field scientist card in your action area

With this action, you store helium-3 by advancing your helium-3 marker on your tank track. You also gain a few CrypCoin.

Note:Field scientist cards are the only action cards you have none of at the start of the game. There are 5 Field scientist cards in total which you can acquire from the card display during the game.

To perform this action, use 1 of the field scientist cards in your action area.

If you use this field scientist, move your helium-3 marker 1 space forward on your tank track
AND gain 2 CrypCoin from the bank.

If you use this Astrogo field scientist, first move your helium-3 marker 2 spaces forward on your tank track AND gain 1 CrypCoin from the bank.

Then check how many gas collectors are in the sectors controlled by Astrogo Enterprises (i.e. each sector that contains a pink outpost):
For every 2 gas collectors, move your helium-3 marker 1 additional space forward on your tank track.

For each company, there is 1 field scientist card that functions like the Astrogo field scientist card:

After you’ve used your field scientist, flip it face down. Then your turn ends.

Example: Lin uses the Astrogo field scientist to move her helium-3 marker the basic 2 spaces forward and to take 1 CrypCoin from the bank. Then she checks the sectors controlled by Astrogo Enterprises for gas collectors. As there are 3 gas collectors, she moves her helium-3 marker 1 additional space forward. (If there were 4 gas collectors, she could move 2 spaces.)

5) Place 1 bonus marker

With this action, you can place 1 of your bonus markers onto a vacant bonus space, which gives you certain privileges or rewards.

To perform this action, take 1 of the bonus markers from your reserve and place it onto a vacant bonus space. Usually, each bonus space states a requirement or cost which you have to meet or pay in order to place your marker onto it. Depending on the space, you either receive its reward immediately or reserve for yourself a certain bonus tile for the next round.

Once you have placed a bonus marker, it stays on that bonus space and blocks it for the rest of the round.

On the game board, you can find the following bonus spaces:

Majority bonus spaces

Requirement: You are only allowed to place your bonus marker onto this bonus space if currently no other player has more research scientist cards face up in their action area than you.

Reward:

If you have 1 research scientist card in your action area, gain 2 CrypCoin from the bank.

If you have 1 research scientist card AND in addition another scientist card (no matter if it is a research scientist or field scientist), gain 2 CrypCoin from the bank AND utilize 1 research point.

If you have 1 research scientist card AND in addition at least two others scientist cards (no matter if those are research scientists and/or field scientists), gain 3 CrypCoin from the bank AND utilize 2 research points.

Requirement: You are only allowed to place your bonus marker onto this bonus space if currently no other player has a higher total value of titanium face up in their action area than you.


Reward:

If you have a total value of at least 2 titanium units, you may move your marker on the Astrogo track 2 spaces forward.


If you have a total value of at least 4 titanium units, you may instead move your marker on the Astrogo track spaces forward AND remove an outpost from a station of your choice. (See Overview of selected icons).



If you have a total value of at least 6 titanium units, you may instead move your marker on the Astrogo track 4 spaces forward AND utilize 1 research point.

Each of the other 3 majority bonus spaces works just like the titanium majority bonus space: You may only place your bonus marker onto such a majority bonus space if currently no other player has a higher total value of the required type (resource units/energy points) face up in their action area than you.

Depending on your total value of the required type, you gain a certain reward which includes moving forward on a specific company track and may include an additional reward (like gaining 1 CrypCoin).

You may choose the reward of a lesser total value than you have. (For example, even if you have 6 minerals units in your action area, you still may take the “4+” minerals reward instead of the “6+” minerals reward).)

Important: Gaining the reward of a majority bonus space does not use up the cards in your action area, so do not flip them.

Example: In a 3-player game, Lin () wants to place one of her bonus markers onto the minerals majority bonus space. First, she checks whether she is allowed to do so. She has a total value of 5 minerals units. Malik () has a total value of only 3 minerals units and Amber () also has a total value of 5 minerals units. Since no other player has a higher total value, Lin is allowed to place her bonus marker. She immediately moves 3 spaces forward on the Minerva track and 1 space forward on her tank track.

Standard bonus spaces

Requirement: You are not allowed to place your bonus marker onto this bonus space if you are the first player AND this is your very first turn of a round. (In later turns, you may place your marker here.)

Reward: Immediately take (or keep) the first player marker (i.e. you will be the first player of the next round).
This is the only way the first player changes in the game.
Also utilize 1 research point.

Requirement: Pay 1 CrypCoin to the bank.

Reward: Immediately buy 1 card from the card display by paying its total cost in CrypCoin to the bank.
This is the only way to acquire cards for money instead of resources.
Take the card into your hand.

Example: After paying 1 CrypCoin to place her bonus marker onto this bonus space, Lin acquires the 2-unit titanium card from the card display by paying 3 CrypCoin to the bank.

Require­ment:
Remove 1 card from your hand by placing it face up onto the action card discard pile.







Reward: Immediately gain an amount of CrypCoin from the bank equal to the cost printed on the removed card + 2.

Example: Lin removes the 1-unit carbon card from her hand and discards it. For this, she gains 3 CrypCoin from the bank.

Bonus tile spaces

Requirement: Pay to the bank the amount of CrypCoin shown (1 or 2).

Reward: There is no immediate effect, but you reserve the corresponding bonus tile for the next round. You are not allowed to take it right away! (See Details of the bonus tiles.)
Note This icon indicates that you get the reserved bonus tile in the “Preparation phase for the next round”.

6) Drop out of Action phase

Perform this action only if you cannot or do not want to perform any of the other actions.

To perform this action, carry out the following steps:

  1. Turn the face-down cards of your action area face up.

  2. Pick up exactly 1 of your resting decks. In the first round, each resting deck comprises only one card. Later, resting decks may comprise several cards. Take all cards of your chosen resting deck into your hand.

    In the last round of the game (round 7) it doesn't matter which resting deck is picked up, because these cards won't be used anymore (there is no round 8). In order to speed up the gameplay, the Yucata implementation automatically picks the leftmost resting deck for you.

  3. Then, clean up your action area by moving each card in your action slots to a different resting slot of your choice (you can’t move more than one of them to the same slot). If there is already a resting deck at a resting slot, place the new card offset on top, creating an overlapping column in which the bottom of each card is visible.

    In the last round of the game (round 7) it doesn't matter which resting slots you move the cards to (there is no round 8). But even in the second last round of the game (round 6) this doesn't matter because in the following (last) round, it it won't matter which resting deck you pick up (see above). In order to speed up the gameplay in both cases, the Yucata implementation automatically moves the cards (to the resting slot directly above).

    Finally, return any bonus tiles in your action area to the area below the right side of the game board.

Example:: Since Lin has no cards or bonus markers left to use, she drops out of the Action phase. First, she flips the face-down cards in her action area face up 1.
Then she picks up 1 resting deck of her choice to return to her hand 2.
Then she moves the cards from her action slots to her resting slots 3, each to a different one.
Finally, she returns the field scientist tile to the area below the right side of the game board 4.

Players who have performed their “Drop out of Action phase” action are skipped for the rest of the Action phase.

Once the last remaining player has performed the “Drop out of Action phase” action, continue with the “Preparation phase for the next round”. After the Action phase of round 7, continue with the Final scoring phase.

3) Preparation phase for the next round

Carry out the following steps:

  1. Flip the next special research plan face up

  2. Return the bonus markers to the players (including possible bonus tiles)

  3. Fill up the card display

a. Flip the next special research plan face up

Look under the next round’s special research plan on the round track and take the CrypCoin beneath it. Place the coin onto the hexagonal supplement space of the research display. (If there are already any CrypCoin on the supplement space, place the new one on top of them.) Then flip the next round’s special research plan face up.

Example:: At the end of round 3, in the preparation phase for round 4, the coin beneath the special research plan 4 is moved to the supplement space.

Then the special research plan 4 is flipped face up.

b. Return the bonus markers to the players (including possible bonus tiles)

Each player: Return all your bonus markers from bonus spaces to your reserve. If you return any markers from bonus tile spaces, also gain the corresponding bonus tiles now and place them face up in your action area next to your action slots. (See details on the bonus tiles.)

Example:: Along with returning her bonus marker from the “Field scientist” bonus tile space to her reserve, Lin also takes the corresponding field scientist tile and places it face up in her action area.

c. Fill up the card display

First, remove all remaining cards in the right column of the card display (spaces 1 to 4) and place them face up onto the action card discard pile.

After that, slide the cards remaining in the middle and left columns as far right as they will go.

Finally, fill each empty space - going from the lowest number to the highest - with a face-up card drawn from the action card stack.

If the action card stack runs out, any remaining empty spaces in the display are not filled up any more.

After these steps are finished, begin with the Planning phase of the next round.

The last 8 cards of the action card stack are single share cards. Depending on how many cards the players have acquired during the game, these single share cards enter the display sooner or later (or not at all). Each of these cards represents a single additional share of a specific company. Once acquired, a single share card remains in the hand of its owner until the Final scoring phase. It can never be placed in an action slot (as there is no action associated with it).

End of the game

After the Action phase of round 7, the game ends. Now, the Final scoring phase takes place as follows:

Each player: First, pick up all cards of your resting decks and add them to your hand. Then find from your hand all cards that show an additional company share on their right side. Sort these by company and place them in front of you.

Now, one player takes the scoring pad. Go step by step through the 7 scoring categories, while that player writes down how much each player earns:

1)

Write down the amount of CrypCoin each player has as cash in their reserve.

2)

Then, turn to Astrogo Enterprises and calculate for each player the amount of CrypCoin they earn from the shares they have of Astrogo Enterprises. To do this, count the number of uncovered coin icons in Astrogo Station. Then, for each player, multiply this number by the total number of shares which that player owns of Astrogo Enterprises. Write the individual result of each player down.

Reminder: A player’s total number of shares of a company is equal to the last share icon that they reached on that company’s track + each additional share of that company they have on their cards (see also section “Object of the game”).

Repeat this for the shares of:

3)

Tawac Industries,

4)

Skymine Resources

5)

and Minerva Corp.

6)

For each player, write down the last value their helium-3 marker has passed on their tank track.

7)

For each player, determine the last value,
which their upload marker has passed on their research track.

Then add to it any values on face-up special research tokens that their upload marker has reached or passed. Write the individual result of each player down.

Finally, add up the earnings in the seven categories for each player. The player who earned the most CrypCoin in total wins the game. In the case of a tie, the victory is shared.

Further details

Details of the bonus tiles

You can reserve bonus tiles for the next round via the bonus tile spaces (see Standard bonus spaces). You receive them during the “Preparation phase for the next round” and must cede them again at the end of that round.

There are 4 bonus tiles:

“+1”-resource tile

When you receive the “+1”-resource tile, place it next to your player board and keep it there until the Action phase of that round. Then, during any of your own turns of that Action phase, place the “+1”-resource tile in the bottom right corner of any face-up resource card in your action area. From then on, the value of this resource card is increased by 1 unit of that type.

  • Once placed, you are not allowed to move the “+1”-resource tile to another resource card.

  • After you have used the resource card with the tile, flip both face down.

  • You cannot use the tile independently of a resource card.

This card counts as a 3-unit carbon card

The following 3 bonus tiles are called action tiles. Action tiles are regarded as action cards of their type, except that they don’t require empty action slots and instead are placed beside your other cards in your action area. They are flipped after use as usual.

Field scientist tile

When you use this tile, first move your helium-3 marker 2 spaces forward on your tank track. Then move your helium−3 marker 1 additional space forward for each further field scientist card that is currently face up in your action area (excluding this field scientist tile).

Research scientist tile

This tile is used like any other research scientist card (but grants only 1 research point).

Energy tile

This tile is used like any other energy card and has a value of 2 energy points.

Details of the company tracks and their bonuses

Each company track has one or two money barriers. These are not considered spaces of that track but function as a link between two adjacent spaces. Whenever your track marker passes a money barrier, you must immediately pay the CrypCoin shown on it to the bank. If you cannot or do not want to, your track marker must stop and remain on the space before the money barrier. If you reach the last space of a track, your track marker remains there for the rest of the game. If you use a reward that lets you move forward on a specific track and you cannot use it completely (because of a money barrier which you cannot pay or the end of the track), move your marker as far as possible and forfeit the rest.

      Money barrier

Each company track has 2 bonus thresholds. Whenever your track marker passes one, two things happen:

  1. You gain from the bank the amount of CrypCoin shown beside it (1 or 2 CrypCoin).

  2. Each player who has already passed it also gains that amount from the bank.

Example: Lin () moves 3 spaces forward on company track A1 and passes the first bonus threshold. For this, she gains 1 CrypCoin from the bank.
Since Malik () and Amber () already have passed that threshold, they receive 1 CrypCoin from the bank as well.

First bonus threshold   First track bonus

When you pass a bonus threshold, you also unlock its track bonus. This track bonus will take effect from your next turn onward (i.e. if you unlock it in the middle of an action, you cannot use it while carrying out that action).

There are 2 types of track bonus:

Permanent bonuses  and  bonus space bonuses

If you have unlocked a permanent bonus, you may use it each time you perform an action to which it is relevant.

Bonus space bonuses work exactly like the bonus spaces on the game board (i.e. you use them with the “Place 1 bonus marker” action).

Each track has 2 track bonuses. The second is usually an improved version of the first.

Important: If you’ve unlocked the second track bonus of a company track, you may use EITHER the second OR the first track bonus, but you cannot use both. This means:

  • Permanent bonuses are not cumulative.

  • If one of your bonus markers is already on one of the two bonus spaces of a company track, you are not allowed to place a second marker onto the other.

Second bonus threshold   Second track bonus
Permanent bonuses

The total value of energy points in your action area is increased by 1 or 2 for all intents and purposes (expanding a company, majority bonus spaces, research plan requirements, etc.). However, this bonus takes effect only if you have at least 1 energy card in your action area.

You have 1 or 2 additional bonus markers of your color which you can place as usual. (Take these bonus markers from those that were returned to the box during setup.)

Whenever you acquire a card from the card display by using minerals-resource cards as a payment, the card’s total cost is reduced by 1.

Whenever you acquire a card from the card display, you can use a mix of any type of resource cards to do so. Also, the card’s total cost is reduced by 1.

Each time you acquire a card from the card display by using titanium-resource cards as a payment, the card’s total cost is reduced by 1.

The value of each titanium resource card in your action area is increased by 1 for all intents and purposes.

This track bonus consists of 2 parts:

  1. You now have a permanent field scientist icon (virtually located in your action area). You cannot actively use it, but it counts as an additional field scientist card when using the field scientist tile, when gaining the scientist bonus space reward and for meeting the requirements of research plans. You always meet this research plan requirement now.


  2. Whenever you use any company’s field scientist (e.g. the Astrogo field scientist), the number of gas collectors that this company controls is increased by 1. If, for example, you use the Astrogo field scientist and Astrogo Enterprises controls 3 gas collectors on the board, they count as 4.

The second track bonus is the same as the first (see above), but the number of gas collectors is increased by 3.

Bonus space bonuses

Requirement: Pay 2 CrypCoin to the bank.


Reward:

EITHER:

Utilize 2 research points AND move your helium-3 marker 1 space forward on your tank track.

OR:

Utilize 1 research point AND move 2 spaces forward on your tank track.

Requirement: Pay 1 CrypCoin to the bank.


Reward: Immediately utilize 2 research points AND move 2 spaces forward on your tank track.

Requirement: None.



Reward: Immediately buy 1 card from the card display by paying its total cost in CrypCoin to the bank (take the card into your hand) AND/OR move 1 space forward on your tank track.

Requirement: None.



Reward: Immediately buy 1 card from the card display by paying its total cost reduced by 1 in CrypCoin to the bank (take the card into your hand) AND/OR move 2 spaces forward on your tank track.

Requirement: Remove 1 card from your hand by placing it face up onto the action card discard pile.

Reward: Immediately gain an amount of CrypCoin from the bank equal to the cost printed on the removed card + 3.

Requirement: Remove 1 carbon resource card from your hand by placing it face up onto the action card discard pile.

Reward: Immediately gain an amount of CrypCoin from the bank equal to the cost printed on the removed card + 8.

Requirement: Pay 1 CrypCoin to the bank.


Reward: Choose two company tracks (but not track D2 itself). Move your track marker on one of them 3 spaces forward and your track marker on the other 2 spaces.

Requirement: Pay 1 CrypCoin to the bank.


Reward: Move your track markers on each of the other 3 company tracks forward (not track D2). Move 3 spaces on one, and 2 on each of the others.

Requirement: Remove 1 card from your hand by placing it face up onto the action card discard pile.


Reward:

EITHER:

Immediately perform the action corresponding to the discarded card’s type. It cannot be combined with other action cards in your action area. If, for example, the discarded card has 2 energy points, you must use them to expand one company. You cannot combine the card with other energy cards in your action area. However, if it is a research scientist card, you still count the cards in your action area towards the requirements of research plans. The permanent bonuses of other company tracks still apply when using the discarded card (as if it were in your action area).

OR:

Pay 2 CrypCoin to the bank to add any card from the discard pile to your hand.

Requirement: Remove 1 card from your hand by placing it face up onto the action card discard pile.

Reward: Immediately perform the action of the discarded card AND/OR buy 1 card of your choice from the action discard pile (see left for details).

For simplicity reasons, in the Yucata implementation, the player first has the opportunity to buy a card from the discard pile and then performs the action of the discarded card (in that order).
Theoretically if the player first performed the action of the discarded card, the player may have gotten the needed 2 CrypCoins to buy the card from the discard pile. However this case is very special, rare and irrelevant if the player already has 2 CrypCoins available. And the action flow is more straight forward and easier to follow. For example: After playing a reasearch scientist that lead to removal of outposts from a station, the flow comes back to buying a card from the discard pile - the player may ask: what was that benefit for again?

Special spaces of the player boards

If your helium-3 marker reaches the final tank space, it must stop and remain there for the rest of the game. However, from that moment on, whenever you receive any rewards that allow you to move forward on your tank track (including any excess movement when reaching the space), instead gain 2 CrypCoin from the bank for each space you would have moved.

Once your helium-3 marker reaches this space, the additional action slot beneath it is switched on. Flip its ON/OFF marker to ON. You can use this slot starting with the next Planning phase (see section “Planning phase”).

If your upload marker reaches the research plan on the final screen , it must stop and remain there for the rest of the game. From now on, whenever you utilize research points, you must spend each of them to gain 2 CrypCoin from the bank. (You are no longer allowed to utilize research points in any other way.)

Once your upload marker reaches the research plan on this screen , the additional action slot beneath it is switched on.
Flip its ON/OFF marker to ON. You can use this slot starting with the next Planning phase see section “Planning phase”).

General game notes and further special cases

  • When acquiring a card from the card display, you must always use at least 1 resource card (even if the total cost is zero). However, if the cost is zero, you can use all units of the resource value to advance on company tracks. A card’s total cost can never drop below zero (even if a track bonus would make it do so).

  • When you buy a card for CrypCoin via a bonus space and its total cost is zero (it cannot drop below zero), you do not have to pay any CrypCoin to take it. (But you still have to pay the possible cost of the bonus space itself.)

  • If the research plan supply of a certain letter runs out, empty spaces of that letter in the research plan display are not filled up any more.

  • The supply of CrypCoin is considered unlimited. If you run out, use something else as a replacement.

Gameplay variant: Linked slots

If you want to make the card planning aspect in the game more challenging, you can use the following variant:

Each action slot is linked to the resting slot in the same vertical line. This means that when you clean up your action area during the “Drop out of Action phase” action, you must move each action card from its action slot straight up to the resting slot in the same vertical line (instead of choosing in which resting slot to place it).

In this play variant the Yucata implementation automatically moves the cards.

Modules

Module: Mission cards

Setup

After setting the game up as usual, take the 6 mission cards and shuffle them face down. Depending on the number of human players, place one or two mission cards face up next to the game board:

  • If there are 1 or 2 human players, place 1 mission card.

  • If there are 3 or 4 human players, place 2 beside each other.

Each player: Take 1 of the remaining face-down mission cards and place it in front of you so that the mission status card on its back is facing up. Then take your 3 one-time bonus markers and place them onto the 3 dashed spaces in the bottom part of your mission status card.

Finally, place your mission status card (with your 3 one-time bonus markers on it) in the area above the face-up mission card(s). Return any spare cards and one-time bonus markers to the game box.

Playing the game

The game is played as usual. The mission cards do not change the normal rules but provide additional options.

Each mission card shows 3 tasks that you can fulfill.
If, during your turn, you meet the requirements of any task, you may take your mission status card (with your one-time bonus markers on it) and place it directly below that task’s mission card so that their 3 columns align.

Afterwards, gain 2 CrypCoin from the bank.

Then take the one-time bonus marker in that task’s column and place it in your reserve.

Your mission status card is now linked to that mission card and for the rest of the game you can only fulfill tasks in whose column you still have a one-time bonus marker. Again, on any of your turns, you can fulfill such a task to gain 2 CrypCoin and the corresponding one-time bonus marker.

Once you’ve fulfilled the last task and all of your one-time bonus markers are gone from your mission status card, also take the mission status card and place it next to your player board. You have now unlocked the personal bonus space on its bottom, which you can use for the rest of the game (by taking the “Place 1 bonus marker” action as usual). The other players cannot use your personal bonus space.

Further notes and special cases:

  • Each player is allowed to fulfill the tasks of one mission card. They are not blocked by the first player to do so. If you fulfill your first task and there are already one or more mission status cards below its mission card, just place your mission status card below them.

  • When a mission status card is empty and thus removed from its mission card, just move any other mission status cards upwards to close the resulting gap.

  • As their name suggests, one-time bonus markers can be used like regular bonus markers but only once. So when you place a one-time bonus marker on a bonus space, that marker is removed from the game during the next “Preparation phase for the next round”.

  • You can fulfill the tasks of a mission card in any order and on any of your turns (even several in the same turn). Some of them can only be fulfilled by meeting their requirement while performing a certain action. Others can be fulfilled in addition to performing an action. In any case, fulfilling a task is never considered an action itself.

The tasks on the mission cards should mostly be self-explanatory. The following tasks may need clarification:

End of the game

Carry out the end of the game and the Final scoring phase as usual.




Overview of selected icons

Research scientist card

Field scientist card

Either scientist card

To meet this requirement, you need to have at least 1 field or research scientist card face up in your action area. However, if it is a research scientist card, it cannot be the one that is currently advancing your upload marker.

Move your helium-3 marker this many spaces forward on your tank track. (Follow the arrows of your tanks. If you move it through a pipe, follow the arrows to the next tank.)


Utilize this many research points to acquire research plans from the research display and/or CrypCoin from the bank (see).


Move your marker this many spaces forward on the track of the company you just expanded during a “Use all energy cards” action.

Move your marker this many spaces forward on the Astrogo company track .

Move your marker this many spaces forward on one company track of your choice .


Remove 1 outpost from the station of a company of your choice and return it to the game box. You may remove it from any column, but it must be the top outpost in that column (the one closest to the center of the game board). When playing on the Belt side of the board, shuttles cannot be removed this way.


To meet this requirement, you need to have at least 4 units of one resource type face up in your action area (at least 4 titanium units and/or 4 carbon units and/or 4 minerals units).

To meet this requirement, you need to have at least 3 units of carbon AND at least 3 further units of one resource type face up in your action area.
(You meet the requirement if you have at least:

3 carbon units + 3 titanium units

OR

3 carbon units + 3 minerals units

OR

6 carbon units).

Following the rules above, remove 2 outposts from any stations.

Pay this many CrypCoin from your reserve to the bank.

Gain this many CrypCoin from the bank.


To meet this requirement, you need to have at least 1 titanium unit face up in your action area.

If your upload marker stops on this research plan, gain from the bank an amount of CrypCoin equal to the total value of titanium that you have face up in your action area reduced by 1. (For example, if your total value of titanium is 6 units, you gain 5 CrypCoin, if it is 1 unit, you gain nothing).

Hints for handling

I cannot click the buttons of the dialog

For example this issue happens on an android mobile phone with Chrome browser. In this case it might help to deactivate the movability of dialog windows via the in-game settings.

 
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