Black Hole Council
Black Hole Council Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 64 Player Cards
- 40 Coin Tokens
- 32 Planet Cards
- 20 Agenda Cards
- 10 Intrigue Cards
- 8 Player Tokens
- 1 Round Marker
- 1 Sand Timer (2 min)
- 1 Leader Token
- 1 Board
- 1 Manual
Overview
Black Hole Council is a game about deciding the Outcomes of thirty different planets. The possible Outcomes are Settle, Tax, Mine, Conquer, and Black Hole.
As a shady councilor, you have a secret Agenda that you want to achieve for the Outcome of each type of planet. Throughout the game, negotiate for your Agenda and try to deduce the Agendas of your fellow councilors!
Influence is what a councilor wants most and your goal is to seize it all. Your level of Influence is ranked on the Influence Track. The higher you rise in the Council, the harder it becomes to Advance on the Track and the more cutthroat the competition. Win the game by being furthest along the Influence Track after the final Round!
Setup
Board: Lay out the board so there's a free area above it. Choose Player Tokens and place them on the first space of the Influence Track. Place the Sand Timer on the Timer Space and the Round Marker on the first space of the Round Track. Shuffle the Planet Cards, then place the deck and the Coin Stock nearby the board.
Cards: Shuffle the deck of Agenda Cards and deal one face-down to each player. Then shuffle the 10 Intrigue Cards and again deal one face-down to each player. View your cards privately. Return all the undealt cards to the box, unseen.
Take the Player Cards (Bank, Deduction, and Vote Cards) of your color. Lay the Bank Card face-up in front of you and put a 1-Point Coin on it. Keep your other cards, including Agenda and Intrigue, in your hand or face-down in front of you.
Leader: Give the Leader Token to the most recent player to make a deal; this is the first Leader! Adjust the Token so the '1' corner is pointing at the first Leader.
Card Types
Agenda Cards display your five secret Goals, which are the Outcomes you want for each type of Planet. Planet types are indicated by their color and symbol. Every Agenda has all five colors, and no two cards are the same. Each card also has a secret quote from a member of the Council, which has no in-game effect.
The Goals on the example card are to Settle red planets, Tax green planets, Mine yellow planets, Conquer blue planets, and 'Black Hole' black planets.
Planet Cards come in five equal sets of colors. Each Planet is worth Influence Points, ranging from 0 to 3. There are also two Rainbow Planets, which count as all five colors simultaneously; one is worth +1 Point and the other -1 Point. Half the cards also show a Coin symbol which can provide a game-end Coin bonus.
Player Cards include Vote Cards, Deduction Cards, and your Bank. Keep any Coins you receive on your Bank. Each '1' Coin is worth 1 Influence Point. Switch out five '1' Coins for a '5' Coin when needed. You can have any number of Coins.
Intrigue Cards are special actions you can use once per game to help you Advance. The rules for each action are shown on the cards, and on Page 9.
Gameplay Overview
Black Hole Council is played in six Negotiation Rounds and three Deduction Rounds followed by a final Pay-Out Round. Here's a quick review of the game flow:
Negotiation Rounds: The Council debates which Outcomes will occur for five different Planets and then votes on the Proposal. During Negotiations, try to make the Planets match your Agenda! You'll gain Influence Points for Planets that match.
Deduction Rounds: Councilors steal Influence by guessing each others' secret Goals. The specific Goals and player you'll be guessing depends on the round. For now just think: 'What does the player on my left want for their Settle or Tax Goal?'
Pay-Out Round: Each Councilor reveals their Agenda and compares it to the results of all six Negotiation rounds. Any Planets which match your Agenda and also show a Coin symbol provide bonus Coins that help you Advance one last time.
Sharing Information
Your cards are private information, only viewable by you. You're allowed to say anything you like at any time, including discussing knowledge about other players, but you may only reveal your cards when the rules say to do so. To ensure smooth play, make sure all players understand their own Agenda Card before play begins.
Negotiation Rounds
In Negotiation Rounds, the Council will decide the Outcomes of five Planets. Each round consists of five Phases: Prepare, Negotiate, Vote, Advance, and Chronicle.
1. Prepare: Add or remove Coins from the board so that 1 Coin is on the Bribe Space. Draw and immediately place 5 Planets from the Planet Deck face-up, one above each Outcome. The Leader will make a Proposal for the Outcomes of these Planets. Once the 2-minute timer is empty, flip it as the 5th card is placed to begin.
2. Negotiate: While the timer runs, only the Leader may rearrange the Planets to change their Outcomes, making any number of changes. All players may make suggestions for changes simultaneously (for example, "Swap Mine and Conquer!"). All Planets remain on the table, and no two cards may share an Outcome. The Negotiation ends when the Leader calls for a Vote or as soon as the timer runs out.
Bribes: While the timer is running, the Leader may Bribe players to encourage support for a Proposal. Do this by taking Coins from the Bribe Space (not your own Bank). Place one or more of them next to any other players' Banks. Bribes from the Leader can't be refused or taken back; however, Bribes do not force any action.
The Leader, once per Proposal, may choose to accept a 1-Coin Bribe from a single player if offered. That player removes the Coin from their Bank and puts it next to the Leader's Bank. The Leader cannot give & receive a Bribe with the same player.
3. Vote: All players except the Leader choose and hold out a face-down Pass or Fail Vote Card, then simultaneously reveal. If the majority vote Pass, the Proposal is Approved; put any Bribes you were offered onto your Bank and see 'Advance' below. If half or more of the players vote Fail, it's a Failed Vote; see below.
Failed Votes
1. Return Bribes: All Coins given from the Bribe Space return there, and any Bribe offered to the Leader returns to the player who offered it. Place an extra Coin in the Bribe Space; there is now one more Coin available than in the last Proposal.
2. Pass Leadership: Since the first (or second) Proposal failed, the Council will try again. Rounds can last up to three Proposals, indicated by the Proposal Track (showing 1-2-3) on the Leader Token. Turn the Token to the next higher number and hand it to the player left of the current Leader; this is the new Leader.
3. Prepare: Discard the Planet above Black Hole to the bottom of the Planet Deck, face-down. (It's been pushed back in the itinerary.) Place a new Planet Card face-up in its place. Start the next Negotiate Phase by flipping the timer. Add 1 Coin to the Bribe Space.
3rd Failed Vote: If a 3rd Vote fails in a round, all the Planets are simply written off for destruction. Flip all five Planet Cards to their backs. No Points are given and no one may Advance. Collect a Coin if you voted Pass on this Proposal. The cards remain flipped and may not be examined. Proceed to 'Chronicle' on page 9.
4. Advance: Each Planet-Outcome combination that matches one of the secret Goals on your Agenda earns you the Influence Points shown on the Planet Card. Secretly add up your Points from the current round. Your total can be negative.
The example player below has matches for Settle (-1 Point), Tax (2 Points), and Mine (3 Points), for a 4 Point Total. Remember that Rainbow Planets match all Outcomes.
You may Advance your Player Token on the Influence Track if you made at least the number of Points shown between your current space and the next. If you didn't make enough, you can use Coins from your Bank to pay for the additional Points needed. Advance just one space, even if you could Advance again. Whether you Advance or not, all used or unused Points are lost at the end of each round.
In turn order starting with the Leader, announce & complete one of the following:
- Advance Naturally: You made enough Points to Advance. You must be honest in determining whether you Advance, but the number of Points earned is a secret.
- Advance with Points & Coins: You didn't earn enough Points to Advance, so add Coins to your Points. Announce and give up Coins from your Bank to the Coin Stock, one for each extra Point needed to Advance. You may pay more Coins than needed in order to confuse your opponents, even if you could Advance Naturally.
- Get Paid: You can't Advance Naturally or with additional Coins, or you prefer not to. Luckily, you still earn a salary: collect one Coin and add it to your Bank.
The Blue Token in the example is Advancing, meaning the player earned at least 2 Points this round, earned 1 Point and paid 1 Coin, or earned 0 Points and paid 2 Coins. It is also possible that they made enough Points but still chose to pay extra Coins.
5. Chronicle: Move the Planet Cards to an area either above or next to the board; this is the Planet History. Place each round's Planets slightly above the last layer, so the information at each card's bottom is visible (there won't be info for a set if its 3rd Vote failed). There will be six sets in the Planet History by game end.
The round is over. Reset the Proposal Track by turning the Leader Token to '1.' Then pass the Token to the next player on the left - that player is the new Leader. Move the Round Marker a space forward on the Round Track and begin the next round.
Intrigue Cards
Your Intrigue Card is an ability you can use once per game to help you Advance on the Influence Track or earn Coins. To use it, reveal the card on your turn during the Advance Phase of a Negotiation Round. Announce your action and complete its rules, then discard the card to a face-up pile. Your card will only affect your own Points or Coins. Any number of Intrigue Cards can be played in a round.
- Settle: The Planet above Settle is worth double Points if it matches your Agenda.
- Tax: If you don't Advance this round, collect Coins equal to the Points on the Planet above Tax. This is in addition to the one Coin received when you "Get Paid."
- Mine: Earn Points as though the Planets above Tax and Mine are swapped.
- Conquer: Earn Points for the Planet above Conquer, regardless of its color.
- Black Hole: Earn one Point for each 1st and 2nd Proposal that failed this round.
Deduction Rounds
During Deductions you can snipe influence from others by guessing the planet colors on their secret Agendas. Each Deduction requires guessing different Goals.
In the 1st Deduction Round, guess the player on your left's planet color for their Settle or Tax Goal, highlighted light blue on the board and on your Agenda Card. In the 2nd, guess the Mine or Conquer Goal of the player on your right, highlighted tan. In the 3rd, guess the Black Hole Goal of the player on your left OR right.
1. Deduce: All players choose a Deduction Card. Place it face-down next to your Bank, pointing at the player you're guessing. In the first two Deductions there are two possible correct answers. You are using one card to guess for both possibilities.
2. Resolve: In clockwise order starting with the current Leader, hand your card to the player you're guessing. That player secretly compares the card to their Agenda. If the card matches the color of one of their Goals being guessed this round then they must say, "You're right." If the guess was wrong they say, "You're wrong."
If you guessed your neighbor right, collect a Coin from the Coin Stock and place it on your Bank. If you guessed wrong, the player being guessed successfully hid their Goals and earns the Coin instead, placing a Coin from the Stock onto their Bank.
Return Deduction Cards to their owners. During any round you may place cards face-down around you as reminders of what you think other players' Goals are.
3rd Deduction: In the 3rd Deduction Round, collect two Coins instead of one each time you collect - double for guessing right, and double for hiding successfully.
Since players can choose to guess left or right in the 3rd Deduction, it is possible you will have zero cards pointing at you. This does not count as hiding successfully.
Pay-Out Round & Game End
1. Pay-Out: Starting with the current Leader, place your Agenda face-up near the board and compare it with each column in the Planet History. If any Planet that matches your Agenda shows a Coin in the middle, collect that amount of Coins.
2. Advance: Using all your remaining Coins, Advance as many spaces as possible on the Influence Track. There is no limit to the number of spaces you can Advance this round. Once you've reached the last space or you don't have enough Coins for the next level, stop Advancing and keep your remaining Coins.
3. Final Influence: Your last position on the Track is your ultimate influence in the Black Hole Council. The player furthest ahead wins and becomes the new Galactic Arbiter. If two leaders share a space, the one with more Coins in their Bank wins. If it's still a tie, you rule together! Enjoy deciding the fate of the universe.
Round and Phase Summary
Negotiation Rounds
- Prepare: Ensure the right amount of Bribe Coins, place 5 Planets, flip the timer.
- Negotiate: Only the Leader can rearrange Planets and give & accept Bribes.
- Vote: All players except the Leader vote. If it fails, prep and Negotiate again.
- Advance: Advance or not on the Influence Track with Points, Coins, or both.
- Chronicle: Move the Planets from this Negotiation to the Planet History.
Deduction Rounds
- Deduce: Choose a Deduction Card and point it at the player you're guessing.
- Resolve: View the cards secretly. Gain a Coin if you guessed right, and a Coin if someone guessed you wrong. Gain double Coins in the 3rd Deduction.
Pay-Out Round
- Pay-Out: Earn Coins for Planets matching your Agenda that show Coins.
- Advance: Use all your remaining Coins to Advance on the Influence Track.
- Final Influence: The player furthest ahead on the Influence Track wins. In case of a tie, the leader with more Coins wins. If still a tie, you win together.