Astro Jam
Astro Jam Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Objective
The objective of the game is simple: repair the space station as quickly and efficiently as possible so that you and your team of astronauts become heroes! Obviously, there are others who are trying to outmatch you, eager to steal all the glory that is deservedly yours. But stars will fade before you let them do it! Show them that good strategic planning and pure logic are not empty words.
Coordinate repairs. Deliver any necessary items to their proper places. The system will record the progress of your work and award you with points. Once you score 5 or more points, the space station is considered repaired and you win the game.
Game Setup
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Choose your side. Each player chooses the colour of his team and collects all (three) Astronaut Pawns in this colour. Put the remaining Astronaut Pawns aside, they will not interfere in your game… They must have proved too short for the discoverers of secrets of the universe.
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Set up the station. Combine four Module Boards to create the game board. You can arrange them in any way you like (one player may arrange all of them, or each player could add another Module Board – just do not quarrel while arranging them as you have not reached the proper stage of the game for this yet).
REMEMBER: At least two spaces of each Module Board must correspond with two spaces of any adjacent Module Boards. As you well know, any state-of-the-art space station needs to have hatches in the docking bay large enough for an entire fighter to fly through.
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Settle the order of play. Use any suitable method to randomly decide who will be the first player (for example someone who was recently in the outer space).
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Man the station. Beginning with the first player and going clockwise around the table, each of you places one Astronaut Pawn in any Starting Space. Repeat this process until all of your Astronaut Pawns are on the game board.
HELPFUL HINT: While deploying your Astronaut Pawns, make sure to have one by each Active Destination. We are not pressing you at all, but this may give you a competitive advantage over those who choose to ignore this suggestion. Do not underestimate the power of strategic planning.
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Deploy Robots. Beginning with the first player and going clockwise around the table, each of you places one Robot Pawn in any space adjacent to CARGO Sites. Repeat this process until all available Robot Pawns are on the game board. There are three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number of your robots.
Active Destinations are single, central spaces on three of four Module Boards with illustrations of a computer, an engine or a lab. Starting Spaces are spaces with Astronaut icons located around the Active Destinations. CARGO Sites are spaces with a "CARGO" marking located on the Module Boards.
Playing the Game
Beginning with the first player, players take their turns going clockwise around the table. Each player turn consists of the following phases:
Action Phase
You can perform actions by playing Action Cards assigned to them. You can play Action Cards in any order. Remember to keep at least one Action Card in your hand at the end of your turn. Alternatively, you can choose to pass and perform no actions at all.
If, in the Action Phase, transported a proper Item Token (defined on a Task Card) to its Active Destination, immediately go to the Scoring Phase. Congratulations! You have just earned a point, or perhaps two if you met additional requirements from the matching Condition Card.
Scoring Phase
If, in the Action Phase, you transported the proper Item Token to its Active Destination, you score one point. You mark it by taking the proper Task Card from below the matching Destination Card and place it in front of you.
If, during the Action Phase, you visited the Active Destination named on the Condition Card assigned to the same Task Card, you score another point. Take the proper Condition Card from below the matching Destination Card and place it in front of you. If you did not visit the Active Destination named on the Condition Card, the additional point is forfeited and the Condition Card should be discarded.
Next, refill two free spaces below the Destination Card by drawing one random card from the Task Card and the Condition Card decks.
If the last player finished his turn and any player has 5 or more points, the game immediately ends. The players count their points and check who has won the game.
Drawing Phase
Discard one Action Card from your hand and draw from the Action Card deck a number of cards equal to the Strength of the card you have just discarded.
Action Cards
You can keep up to 10 Action Cards in your hand. Every time you exceed this limit, draw the 11th card and then choose and discard one Action Card from hand. Repeat this process until you have 10 Action Cards in your hand.
Astronaut Action
Play this card to perform one of the two available actions (your choice):
- MOVE ASTRONAUT: You can choose one Astronaut Pawn in your colour and move it any number of spaces. Astronaut Pawns move only in straight lines, vertically or horizontally, but never diagonally.
You can only move your pawns through and into unblocked spaces (without any Astronaut Pawns, Robot Pawns or Crate Cubes). Item Tokens do not block spaces and consequently they do not block movement.
If there are any Item Tokens in the space from which your Astronaut Pawn is starting its move, he can take one of those Item Tokens with him.
- THROW ITEM: You can choose one Astronaut Pawn in your colour standing in a space with an Item Token and make a throw. He can throw this token only to another Astronaut Pawn from your team, or to a Robot Pawn. The throw has to be made in a straight line.
The Item Token thrown can pass through and into any number of spaces, even blocked ones (with Astronaut Pawns, Robot Pawns or Crate Cubes). Every player whose Astronaut Pawn is standing in the trajectory of the Item Token just thrown (except you) draws one Action Card for each such Astronaut Pawn.
Move Rival Astronaut
Play this card to choose one Astronaut Pawn from another team and move it according to the rules for moving Astronaut Pawns described above. Any Astronaut Pawn moved this way cannot take any Item Tokens.
Every time any rival Astronaut Pawn is moved, the player who owns this pawn draws one Action Card (observing the limit of 10 Action Cards in his hand).
You cannot play this card to force a rival Astronaut Pawn to throw an Item Token.
Robot Action
Play this card to perform one of the two available actions (your choice):
- 1. MOVE ROBOT: You can choose one Robot Pawn and move it according to the rules for moving Astronaut Pawns described above.
- 2. THROW ITEM: You can choose one Robot Pawn standing in a space with an Item Token and make a throw with this Item Token according to the rules for throwing described above. This Robot Pawn can only throw the Item Token to an Astronaut Pawn from your team, or to another Robot Pawn.
Crate
Play this card to move Crate Cubes found in the space station in straight lines.
You can move any number of Crate Cubes on condition that they are all adjacent and arranged in a line. Crate Cubes can only be moved along the line they are arranged in.
Crate Cubes can only be moved through and into unblocked spaces. You can cover any number of spaces in one move with these Crate Cubes as long as all of them are moved in a straight line.
[The printed rules show three diagrams: two green examples of cubes moved in a straight line, and one red example marked with a cross.]
Swap
Play this card to perform one of the two available actions (your choice):
- 1. SWAP: You can swap places of any two game elements other than Item Tokens (i.e. Astronaut Pawns, Robot Pawns and/or Crate Cubes). You cannot swap places of Item Tokens. You can only swap places of elements from two adjacent spaces (spaces with one common edge).
- 2. STEAL: You can use your Astronaut Pawn or a Robot Pawn to take an Item Token from any adjacent space, even if this Item Token is currently in a space with an Astronaut Pawn from another team or with a Robot Pawn. If you want to steal an Item Token from a space with a rival Astronaut Pawn, the owner of this pawn draws 1 Action Card as a recompense. This card does not allow you to steal your opponent's or a robot's artificial leg.
Spacesuit Shift
Play this card to choose any Astronaut Pawn and send him to a shift outside the space station. You simply choose and take an Astronaut Pawn of any colour (yes, it can be one of yours, but it can also be one of your opponent's) and place him by the edge of the game board. From this point on, this pawn cannot perform any actions. For the Astronaut Pawn to return from the shift, any player must play the Spacesuit Shift Action Card again. When this happens, this player chooses another Astronaut Pawn of any colour and swaps him with the one placed by the game board. The Astronaut Pawn currently on the spacesuit shift returns to the space station and is placed in precisely the same space from which the Astronaut Pawn on the new spacesuit shift is being sent.
Only Astronaut Pawns are capable of taking spacesuit shifts. Robot Pawns cannot be sent outside the space station (after all, they cannot replace us, human beings, in all circumstances). Also (quite logically), players cannot send Crate Cubes or Item Tokens for the spacesuit shift.
If you send your Astronaut Pawn from a space with any Item Tokens, he can take one of them with him for the spacesuit shift.
If you want to send a rival Astronaut Pawn for the spacesuit shift, his owner draws 1 Action Card.
Ending the Game
If the last player finished his turn and any player has 5 or more points, the game immediately ends. Players count their points and check who has won the game.
In case of a draw, the winner is the player with the most Action Cards in his hand. If there is still a draw, all tying players should check the total Strength of Action Cards in their hands – whoever has the most Strength wins. If the winner cannot be determined even using this method, all tying players share victory.