Black Hole Buccaneers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Overview
• Anatomy of Space Junk
• Sequence of Play
  • Selection Phase
  • Scoring Phase
  • Example: Scoring Phase
  • Cleanup Phase
• Final Scoring
• Overview of All Card Types
  • Value and Weight Cards
  • Robots
  • Time Machine Parts
  • Shapeshifters
  • Toys
  • Spaceships
  • Artifacts
  • Relics

Components

• 13 "black hole" cards: 4 menacing, 4 risky, 5 dangerous
• 67 space junk cards: 10 spaceships, 10 toys, 12 time machine parts, 10 shapeshifters, 10 robots, 8 artifacts, 7 relics
• 2 weight cards (-6 and -10)
• 1 value card (+10)
• 1 direction card
• 5 threshold cards (-4, -2, +2, +3 and +4)
• 4 scoring cards (for 3, 4, 5 and 6 people)
• 6 overview cards
• 1 scoring pad

Each row of the scoring pad tracks, for a round: weight (step E), value (step G), points (step H), and the running sum.

Setup

1. For your first game, find the 3 black holes shown below and stack them face down in the middle of your play area, so that the dangerous black hole (red) is on the bottom and the menacing one (green) is on top. Turn over the topmost black hole of the stack.

   You do not need the remaining black holes in this game. Put them back in the box unseen.

   From your second game on: instead, shuffle all the black holes, draw 3 of them face down, and place them as a stack in the middle of your play area.

   Note: Of course, before a game you can also agree together on which black holes you want to play with.

2. Shuffle the space junk face down. Now deal to each person as many cards as the lower value on the revealed black hole indicates (so in the first round of your first game, 6 cards). Take the cards into your hand so that you each see the front of your own cards.

   Place the remaining space junk face down as a draw pile in the middle of your play area. Leave room next to it for discarded cards.

3. Lay out the scoring card showing as many Black Hole Buccaneers as are playing.

4. Lay out the direction card with a random side face up in the middle of the play area.

5. Set out the value and weight cards, the threshold cards, and the scoring pad. Take 1 overview card each.

Now the 1st round can begin.

Game Overview

You play against each other over 3 rounds. Each round consists of a selection phase, a scoring phase, and a cleanup phase.

In the selection phase, you will gradually lay out space junk in front of you and use its effects. In the scoring phase, you check whether the weight of your space junk is less than or equal to the threshold value for the black hole. Only then may you score your space junk and receive points. If the weight of your space junk is greater than the black hole's threshold value, you are pulled into the black hole: you must discard all your space junk and do not take part in that round's scoring. In the cleanup phase, you finally prepare for the next round.

Whoever has gathered the most points after 3 rounds wins.

Anatomy of Space Junk

Every piece of space junk has a value and a weight. You compare the total weight of your cards, in the scoring phase, to the black hole's threshold value. If you were not pulled into the black hole, you may then add up the values of your cards. Whoever has gathered the highest value receives the most points.

Many cards have effects that become active when revealed, or from the next turn onward (see below). Relic effects become active in the scoring phase.

• Value
• Weight
• Card effect on reveal
• Effect in the scoring phase

You rotate many cards during the course of play. Always rotate a card 90 degrees clockwise. In the scoring phase, the two values (value and weight) that then sit at the top edge (the edge farthest from you) count.

Sequence of Play

You play 3 rounds. Each round consists of a selection phase, a following scoring phase, and a cleanup phase.

Selection Phase

In the selection phase, you play several turns of 3 steps each. You play each individual step simultaneously. Make sure every person has completed a step before you move on to the next step.

1. Choose space junk

Choose 1 of your hand cards with space junk each and lay it face down in front of you.

2. Reveal cards

Reveal the chosen cards and resolve their effects. The effects of all cards are explained starting on the card-type reference below.

Important: do not reveal toys (red cards) during this step!

3. Pass cards on

If you now have 2 or more hand cards, pass them to the next person according to the arrow direction on the direction card. The cards you receive from the person beside you are your hand cards for the next turn.

Note: the direction in which you pass cards can change over the course of the game.

If you have only 1 hand card left each, place it face down on a pile next to the black hole. Then continue with the scoring phase.

Scoring Phase

In the scoring phase, you resolve the effects of relics and of the toy. You also determine whether you are pulled into the black hole. If this is not the case, you take part in the awarding of points.

Carry out the following steps in order. Skip a step if a particular relic is not in play.

A Resolve the effect of Surprise Egg.

B Resolve the effect of Alien Wading Pool.

C Now reveal your toys and add up their weight. Whoever among you has the heaviest total toys takes the -6 weight card. In case of a tie, none of you receives this card.

D Resolve the effect of One Ring.

E Add up the weight of your cards and note the sum on the scoring pad. Then simultaneously resolve the effects of Anti-Grav Carpet and Exoskeleton.

F Now shuffle the cards you placed next to the black hole at the end of the selection phase. Then reveal 1 of these cards. Determine the black hole's final threshold value by adding or subtracting the weight of the revealed card to/from the black hole's threshold value (note the effect of XXL Paperweight). If threshold cards lie at the black hole, additionally add or subtract their values as well.

G Check in turn whether the total weight of your laid-out cards is greater than the black hole's final threshold value (note the effect of Space Blanket). If so, discard all your cards. The affected persons do not take part in the awarding of points in step H.

H Now add up the value of your laid-out cards. Whoever among you has the most valuable cards receives the points for 1st place of the current round. Look up on the scoring card how many points that is. All other persons follow in descending order of value. Whoever had to discard all their cards in step G receives no points.

In case of a tie, the person involved in the tie who has the most valuable spaceship (blue cards) in play ranks ahead. If the persons involved have no spaceship in play, they all receive the points for the worse placement. The points for the better placement are not awarded in this case.

Example: 3 persons have the same value for 2nd place and no spaceships. They therefore each receive the points for 4th place.

Note: a spaceship with a negative value counts as more valuable than no spaceship at all, for this purpose.

Example: Scoring Phase

In step A of the scoring phase, Andrea discards her Surprise Egg card. To do so, she draws the top card of the draw pile, the XXL Paperweight.

The group skips step B of the scoring phase, since no one played Alien Wading Pool.

In step C, Lisa, Jens, and Andrea reveal their toys. Lisa has the heaviest total toys and receives the -6 weight card as a reward.

Step D of the scoring phase is skipped again.

In step E, everyone notes the weight of their cards on the scoring pad. Lisa receives the +10 value card for her Anti-Grav Carpet card, since — because of the -6 weight card — she has the lightest total laid-out cards.

In step F, Jens determines the black hole's final threshold value for the group. He shuffles the cards placed at the black hole and reveals 1 card, the Card Reader. The card's weight is added to the black hole's threshold value. The final threshold value is therefore 24 (18+6).

Because of the XXL Paperweight, the final threshold value for Andrea is 30 (18+6+6).

Only Jens's cards, in total, exceed the final threshold value, so he must discard all his laid-out cards and is excluded from the awarding of points.

Since Lisa has the most valuable laid-out cards in total, she receives 15 points in the awarding of points (step H). Andrea, in 2nd place, receives 10 points. Jens receives nothing.

Cleanup Phase

Put the black hole just played back in the box and reveal the next one. Return the distributed weight and value cards, as well as the threshold cards placed at the black hole. Do not flip the direction card!

Then shuffle all the space junk and deal each person, face down, the number of cards indicated on the new black hole.

Then begin the next round.

Skip this phase at the end of the 3rd round. Instead, continue with final scoring.

Final Scoring

After the third round, add up your points from all rounds on the scoring pad. Whoever has gathered the most points overall wins. In case of a tie, among the persons involved in the tie, whoever has the most valuable spaceship in play in the 3rd round wins. If the persons involved have no spaceship in play (or had to discard it), they share the victory.

Overview of All Card Types

Value and Weight Cards

If you receive a weight card during the course of play, subtract its value when determining your weight in steps E and G of the scoring phase.

If you receive the +10 value card during the course of play, add its value in step H of the scoring phase.

Robots

Robots could be worth quite a lot on the black market. At the same time, though, they show strange behavior when other Buccaneers collect them too.

All robots have the same effect: if you reveal a robot in step 2 of the selection phase and 1 or more other persons also reveal a robot on this turn, you must rotate your card 90 degrees clockwise. This lowers the robot's value and, at the same time, raises its weight. Robots played on earlier turns are not affected by this.

The following value/weight combinations exist:

• 3 each: value 4 / weight 2, value 6 / weight 3
• 1 each: value 5 / weight 2, value 7 / weight 3

Note: when a robot is rotated, its value and weight are swapped.

Time Machine Parts

Individual time machine parts are relatively worthless and heavy. If you collect several parts, though, you can combine them into a valuable time machine that also helps you escape the black hole.

Always lay out time machine parts in groups. Within a group, no time machine part may appear twice. You may, however, start another group at any time.

A complete group consists of the following 4 parts: Command Chair, Reflector Shield, Quantum Control, and Warp Engine.

Always place new parts into the group with the same orientation as the card(s) already in play. Once you have placed the second, third, or fourth part into the group, rotate all cards in that group 90 degrees clockwise. This makes the individual parts gradually more valuable and lighter.

Each time machine part exists 3 times. A group has the following value and weight:

• 1 card: value 2 / weight 5
• 2 cards: value 4 / weight 4 each (total 8 / 8)
• 3 cards: value 5 / weight 3 each (total 15 / 9)
• 4 cards: value 5 / weight 2 each (total 20 / 8)

Example: Lisa already has a group in play with a Quantum Control and a Warp Engine, rotated 90 degrees. On this turn, she reveals a Command Chair. She now places it with the time machine parts already in play — already rotated 90 degrees as well. She then rotates all 3 cards another 90 degrees, so that they now lie upside down in front of her (rotated 180 degrees). On the next turn, Lisa plays another Quantum Control. Since this is already part of the first group, she starts a new group with the new Quantum Control. She may not rotate the card, since it is the first part of the group.

Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters are highly sought after, as they can take the form of any object. Unfortunately, they tend to turn into the objects that other shapeshifters also represent. Perhaps you can turn this to your advantage?

Always place a shapeshifter on top of the shapeshifter you previously laid out, so that you can only see the value and weight of the cards behind it (the ones laid out longer).

Each of your laid-out shapeshifters always has the weight of the shapeshifter you laid out most recently — that is, the one lying on top. The value of the individual shapeshifters does not change as a result.

The following value/weight combinations exist:

• 2 each: value 3 / weight 3, value 4 / weight 4, value 7 / weight 7, value 8 / weight 8
• 1 each: value 5 / weight 5, value 6 / weight 6

Example: Jens already has Morpho Cubo (value 8, weight 8) in play. On a later turn, Jens reveals Morpho Broccolo (value 4, weight 4). He places it on the Morpho Cubo already in play, so that he can now only see its value and weight. Morpho Cubo now also has a weight of 4. In total, the two shapeshifters therefore have a value of 12 (8+4) and a weight of 8 (4+4). On a later turn, Jens reveals Morpho Servientes (value 7, weight 7). He must place it on Morpho Broccolo. As a result, each of his shapeshifters now has a weight of 7, for a total of 21.

Toys

Old toys aren't particularly sought after even in the year 2642. But other species have a special interest in them and offer their help escaping the black hole in exchange for old human toys.

Do not reveal toys like the other cards during the selection phase! Instead, reveal them in step C of the scoring phase. Whoever among you then has the heaviest total toys in play receives the -6 weight card as a reward.

The following value/weight combinations exist:

• 1 each: value 1 / weight 2, value 2 / weight 2, value 2 / weight 3, value 3 / weight 3, value 3 / weight 4, value 4 / weight 4, value 4 / weight 5, value 4 / weight 6, value 5 / weight 5, value 5 / weight 6

Spaceships

Spaceships can be very valuable. At the same time, they have the drawback of being very heavy. Other spaceships help us escape the black hole.

Spaceships have no effect, but they do resolve ties in the scoring phase and in final scoring: the person involved in the tie who has the most valuable spaceship in play ranks ahead. Note: a spaceship with a negative value counts as more valuable than no spaceship at all, for this purpose.

The following value/weight combinations exist:

• 1 each: value -5 / weight -4, value -4 / weight -3, value -3 / weight -2, value 7 / weight 5, value 8 / weight 6, value 9 / weight 7, value 10 / weight 7, value 11 / weight 8, value 12 / weight 9, value 14 / weight 10

Artifacts

Artifacts are unique objects with especially powerful effects.

Each artifact has a special effect. Some artifacts have effects that become active when the card is revealed; other artifacts have effects that apply from the next turn onward. We recommend resolving artifact effects simultaneously wherever possible. When in doubt, resolve them in the order in which they are explained here in the rulebook.

Analog GPS Tracker If you reveal Analog GPS Tracker in the selection phase, you must lay out 1 random card on your next turn of this round. (For example, have another person draw 1 of your hand cards.) You may look at your cards before randomly determining 1 of them.

TIIT CLO UHL If you reveal TIIT CLO UHL in the selection phase, you and everyone else must immediately draw 1 card from the draw pile and take it into hand. Also place the +3 threshold card at the black hole.

Note: by playing TIIT CLO UHL, you choose an additional card this round before the scoring phase follows. This can be useful, for example, if you still need a shapeshifter, a time machine part, or a helpful relic.

Swiss Pocket Laser If you reveal Swiss Pocket Laser in the selection phase, you must immediately place a -4, -2, +2, or +4 threshold card of your choice at the black hole. If you choose the +2 or +4 threshold card, discard Swiss Pocket Laser face up immediately.

If you choose the -4 or -2 threshold card, Swiss Pocket Laser must remain in front of you.

Titan Tentacle If you reveal Titan Tentacle in the selection phase, you must immediately draw 3 cards from the draw pile. Choose 1 of these 3 cards, reveal it, and lay it out as well. Discard the other 2 cards face up. If this card is an artifact with an effect that becomes active "on reveal," ignore that effect. All other cards keep their effects. For example, if you choose a robot and another person also revealed a robot, you must both rotate your card 90 degrees clockwise.

Reality Gyro If you reveal Reality Gyro in the selection phase, immediately flip the direction card. From now on, you pass your hand cards in the other direction.

Morphosucker Morphosucker has an effect that only applies from the next turn onward. Whenever another person (not you) reveals a shapeshifter, you must immediately rotate Morphosucker 90 degrees clockwise. (If several persons reveal shapeshifters, you must rotate Morphosucker multiple times.)

Note: this effect must also be carried out when another person reveals and lays out 1 shapeshifter through the effect of Titan Tentacle.

Cubus Librae Cubus Librae has an effect that only applies from the next turn onward. Whenever another person (not you) reveals a card with weight 7 or more, you must immediately rotate Cubus Librae 90 degrees clockwise. (If several persons reveal cards with weight 7 or more, you must rotate Cubus Librae multiple times.)

Note: this effect must also be carried out when another person reveals and lays out a corresponding card through the effect of Titan Tentacle. Robots can never trigger this effect.

Lootbox Lootbox has an effect that only applies from the next turn onward. Whenever you reveal a card with weight 6 or more, immediately rotate Lootbox 90 degrees clockwise.

Note: you must also carry out this effect when you reveal and lay out a corresponding card through the effect of Titan Tentacle. Robots can never trigger this effect.

Relics

Relics are unique in the universe. Many relics are worth almost nothing on the black market, but in exchange they have powerful effects that can be helpful near a black hole.

All relics have effects that only become active in the scoring phase.

Surprise Egg You may discard Surprise Egg face up in step A of the scoring phase. If you do, you must immediately reveal the top card of the draw pile and lay it out in front of you.

You may lay out a robot vertically in front of you. If you reveal an artifact, ignore its effect. Treat all other cards as if you had revealed them in the selection phase.

Note: if you revealed another relic, you may use its effect in the corresponding step.

Alien Wading Pool You may discard Alien Wading Pool face up in step B of the scoring phase. If you do, randomly reveal 1 of the cards placed at the black hole and lay it out in front of you.

You may lay out a robot vertically in front of you. If you reveal an artifact, ignore its effect. Treat all other cards as if you had revealed them in the selection phase.

Note: if you draw Surprise Egg, you may no longer carry out its effect, since step A of the scoring phase has already concluded.

One Ring You may discard One Ring in step D of the scoring phase.

Anti-Grav Carpet In step E of the scoring phase, check whether your cards have the lowest total weight. If so, take the +10 value card. In case of a tie, you do not receive the value card.

Exoskeleton In step E of the scoring phase, check whether your cards have the highest total weight. If so, take the -10 weight card. In case of a tie, you do not receive the weight card.

Note: resolve Anti-Grav Carpet and Exoskeleton simultaneously. If you have both cards in play, you may carry out at most 1 of them.

XXL Paperweight The effect of XXL Paperweight becomes active in step F of the scoring phase. The weight of the revealed card counts double for you (whether positive or negative) when determining the final threshold value. The black hole therefore has a different (usually higher) final threshold value for you than for the other Buccaneers.

Space Blanket The effect of Space Blanket becomes active in step G of the scoring phase. If the weight of your cards exceeds the final threshold value, you receive 5 points. Note these on the scoring pad in the field for the current round.

Note: you do not take part in step H of the scoring phase.