Chaosmos
Chaosmos Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Object of the Game
- Game Components
- First Time Playing
- Game Setup
- The Turn
- Characters
- Equipment Cards
- Envelopes
- Movement
- Controlling the Envelope
- Combat
- Agreements
- The Void
- End Your Turn
- Game End
- Turn Examples
- Combat Example
- Rules Conflict
- Credits
- Glossary
- Equipment Glossary
- A Brief History of the Biocosm
- Equipment Reference Sheet
Object of the Game
In CHAOSMOS players take control of a covert alien operative competing to possess the Ovoid. Your goal is to have the Ovoid card in-hand when the Chaos Clock counts down to zero. If no one possesses it, there is no winner. Players explore planets, gathering weapons and equipment they will use to find the Ovoid, gain control of it, and protect it from their opponents. Your most potent weapon is your ability to bluff, misdirect, and deceive.
Game Components
- Rulebook
- Game Board
- Chaos Clock
- 8 Alien Miniatures
- 10 Planet Envelopes
- Envelope Box
- 70 Equipment Cards
- 8 Character Sheets
- 4 Custom Combat Dice
- 12 Red Hypertokens
- 2 Base Tokens
- 2 Radiation Tokens
- 56 Landing Tokens
First Time Playing
There are 6 complex cards with a paradox cube icon in the lower left corner—Smuggler Bunny, 2 Planetary Bases, Planetary Transceiver, Planetary Hypergate, and Mecha-Quake. Remove these cards to simplify your first game.
You should also skip the section "Prepare Cosmic Pool" as it will not be used.
Suggested aliens for your first game: Atturnuk, the Haghouhen, Drusu, and Vroon.
Game Setup
Choose Aliens
Each player draws two alien Character Sheets at random, and chooses one to play. Then place 3 Hypertokens (red hypertoken) on each player's Character Sheet.
Hypertokens allow you to Hyperspace (See Movement). You won't get any more, so use them wisely!
Prepare Board
Each player places their player token on their Home Planet. Each player also puts a Landing Marker on their Home Planet.
Ecology
Home Planet: You start the game here. This is the only planet that allows you use of the Cosmic Pool.
Toxic Planet: You may not control this Planet Envelope or initiate combat on this planet unless you reveal appropriate Enviro-Gear.
Aliens are color-coded with their Home Planets. Drusu is from Dhizmurq. The orange ring means this planet is toxic to Clokknid.
Prepare Cosmic Pool
Shuffle the deck of Equipment cards and place 6 random cards face-up in the Cosmic Pool area above the game board. (If one of these cards is the Ovoid, immediately draw a replacement card and shuffle the Ovoid back into the deck. The Ovoid never starts the game in the Cosmic Pool.)
2 Player Game
Each player places a radiation token on a planet of their choice, other than either player's home planet or toxic planet. Remove the envelopes for those two planets from the game. (You may still land on those spaces.)
Prepare Envelopes
Deal out 10 piles of 4 cards each (8 piles of 6 cards for 2 player games). Without looking at the piles, put one pile face-down into each of the Planet Envelopes. Each player should take their Home Planet's envelope and return the remaining envelopes to the Envelope Box.
Prepare Starting Hands
Deal the remaining cards evenly to each player. Players may open their Home Planet's envelope. Players determine which cards to keep as their beginning hand (up to 7), and which to put back in the envelope. Players begin the game in control of their home envelope (placed in front of them), but it must be returned to the box when their player token moves away from that planet.
Card Disbursement
Two Players (Only 8 planets)
- Each Envelope: 6 cards
- Each Player: 8 cards
Three Players
- Each Envelope: 4 cards
- Each Player: 8 cards
Four Players
- Each Envelope: 4 cards
- Each Player: 6 cards
Set Chaos Clock
Place the Chaos Clock in the center of the board, and set it to 48 turns (36 turns for a shorter game).
Roll to determine who goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.
The Turn
Players get 3 Actions each turn, which they may spend on the following:
Move (1 Action): Move one space on the game board per Action spent. Upgrade your Movement to a Hyperspace with a Hypertoken.
Control Planet (1 Action): Gain control of an envelope for a planet you are on.
Attack (1 Action): Initiate combat with a player in the same space.
- Some cards and abilities also cost Actions (indicated with the action icon).
- Once per turn, if you control your home planet's envelope, you may trade a card in your hand with another card in the Cosmic Pool. (This doesn't cost an action.)
Characters
Players control an alien character. Each alien comes from a different planet and has unique abilities, resistances, and ecology. Abilities listed on Character Sheets take precedence over the rules in this rulebook.
Equipment Cards
There are 70 Equipment cards. They may be carried in your hand or left behind on planets you visit. Cards go back to your hand after you play them, except for yellow cards, which are discarded to the Void after a single use. Your hand limit is 7.
Card anatomy (example: Ion Grenade):
- Name of card, and the number of card copies in the game (e.g. "1 of 3").
- Yellow cards are Single Use.
- Indicates combat card / Card type (e.g. "Combat — Single Use Weapon").
- Resistance (indicated alien takes 1 less damage).
- Main text or combat modifier (e.g. "+3").
- Discard after use symbol.
NEVER show cards to other players unless a rule specifically says to!
Envelopes
There are 10 Planet Envelopes, one for each planet. Each envelope has a number of face-down cards in it, and up to one face-up card. (See Traps, Vaults, and Bases.)
Movement
- Each star or planet is considered a space. Move one connected space on the game board per Action spent.
- You may spend a Hypertoken in addition to an Action to teleport to any planet or star (see Hyperspacing).
- Multiple players can be on the same planet or star.
Controlling the Envelope
Spend 1 Action to take control of the envelope for a planet you're on (take the envelope from the envelope box and place it in front of you). Open the envelope and announce any face-up cards (Traps or Vaults) that were activated by other players.
- If the planet is toxic to your alien, you must reveal environment gear to control it (See Ecology).
- If an opponent controls the envelope, you must battle them for it (see Combat).
- Always place cards into envelopes face-down, so their backs are visible. You may activate a Trap, Vault, or Base by placing it face-up. (An envelope may only have ONE face-up card at a time.)
- When you leave a planet, you must return the envelope to the envelope box. You may also choose to return the envelope to the envelope box any time while still on the planet.
Landing Markers are colored flags that track who has controlled each planet most recently. When you control a new planet, flick away the flag for the previous conqueror, and plant your own flag. This system allows you to deduce what's happening based on where each player has gone recently, like a trail of bread crumbs.
As long as you control a Planet Envelope, you may exchange cards between your hand and the envelope, even when it's not your turn. You must keep your main hand of cards separate from your envelope. You may not access your envelope during combat. During their turn, the active player may say "Ready hands" and ALL players must promptly decide which cards are in their hand and which are in their envelope.
Combat
Spend 1 Action to attack a player on the same planet or star as you.
- If that player is on your toxic planet, you must reveal the proper environment gear to attack (see Ecology).
- You may only attack each player once per turn.
- To start combat, each player rolls a pair of combat dice to set their initial combat score.
- Each player may play combat cards face-up on the table to modify their combat score. Players may play Combat cards in any order, though usually the player with the lower score will play cards first. Only Combat cards may be played during combat.
- When both players are done playing cards, the player with the higher combat total wins (in the event of a tie, combat ends as a draw).
- The winning player chooses to take spoils or to banish the loser. If the loser controlled an envelope, the winner either takes control of it (for free) or returns it to the envelope box.
Spoils: Look through your opponent's hand and take one card if you wish. If you're then above your in-hand card limit (7 cards), give them a card in return.
Banish: Instantly send your opponent to their home planet, and their turn ends (if it is their turn).
Combat Dice: Each die has a mirror symbol. When rolled, it mirrors the number on your other die. (For example, a 3 and a mirror makes a total of 6). If you roll two mirrors, you automatically win the combat!
TIP: Only play enough cards to swing the tide in your favor. If you reveal all your cards right away, other players see your strategy and can plan to beat you with the proper counter cards!
Agreements
Verbal agreements may be made between players across the table at any time, but they are non-binding.
The Void
Place any cards discarded during play (usually Single Use cards) into the Void. The cards in the Void are face-up and players may look at them at any time (for example, to see how many of a specific card have been played).
You're ready to play CHAOSMOS!
End Your Turn
Finish your turn by clicking the Chaos Clock down one notch towards zero.
Game End
When the Chaos Clock reaches zero, the game is over. The player with the Ovoid in their hand wins the game.
TIP: The Temporal Displacer card can move the Chaos Clock in either direction up to 8 turns. If you have the Ovoid and the Temporal Displacer towards the end of the game you can surprise your opponents with an early win!
Turn Examples
Turn A: Atturnuk is 3 spaces away from Dhizmurq. He spends all 3 of his Actions to move three spaces, landing on Dhizmurq. CLICK! His turn is over.
(other players go—CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!)
Turn B: Atturnuk spends his first Action to control the Dhizmurq envelope. He opens it and is relieved there is no active Trap or Vault. After taking all the cards he wants from Dhizmurq (and making sure he has 7 or fewer cards in hand), he spends his second Action and discards a Hypertoken to instantly travel to Cphov, his home planet. (He returns the Dhizmurq envelope as he leaves.) Cphov is already occupied by Neeksi, who controls the envelope. Atturnuk uses his final Action to attack Neeksi (see Combat Example), and after winning the battle, he takes control of the envelope from Neeksi for free. CLICK!
(other players go—CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!)
Turn C: Atturnuk trades a Spore to the Cosmic Pool in exchange for a Planetary Base. He uses his first Action to activate the Base, announcing it and placing a Base token on Cphov. He also puts some of his weapons in Cphov to protect his Base from attacks. Then he returns the envelope to the envelope box and uses his last two Actions to move 2 spaces towards Oolu. CLICK!
Combat Example
Atturnuk spends 1 Action to attack Neeksi. Each player rolls two dice. Neeksi gets a 3 and a 5, for a total of 8. Atturnuk rolls a 2 and a mirror, which copies the 2, giving Atturnuk a total of 4. Atturnuk's unique ability allows him to re-roll one of his dice. He re-rolls the 2, hoping to get a second mirror (since double-mirrors is an instant win). He rolls a 4. Now the mirror is copying the 4, so Atturnuk's total is 8, the same as Neeksi's. Since Atturnuk automatically wins ties, Neeksi must play something or lose the battle. Neeksi plays an Imp (+1), so she is up by 1. Atturnuk plays Phrenal Infector (+2), but Neeksi is resistant to it, so it is only +1. Combat is tied. Neeksi plays her Havocium Blaster (+2), and Atturnuk reveals the Havocium Inverter, which counters the Blaster and adds +1. Now Neeksi is losing by 1. She plays the single use Ion Grenade (+3) that she'd been saving. Now Neeksi is up by 2. Atturnuk plays the Voltaic Trident (+1) and the Flash Rifle (+1), which brings the combat total back to a tie. Neeksi doesn't play anything else, so Atturnuk wins using his tie-breaking ability.
During Combat Resolution, Atturnuk chooses to take spoils from Neeksi's hand. He privately selects the Respiration Worm, which is the environment card he needs to land on Guriwan. Atturnuk must give Neeksi a card in return, since he now has too many cards. He decides to give her a Spore, because it isn't useful on its own anyway. Since Neeksi controlled Cphov, Atturnuk wins control of it for free. He opens the envelope and is hit with Neeksi's Trap!
Rules Conflict
If a rules conflict arises, resolve it in the following order:
1st: Unique character abilities (as listed on the Character Sheets)
take precedence over
2nd: Equipment cards
take precedence over
3rd: Rules in this rulebook
Other conflicts should be resolved diplomatically and chalked up to the chaos of the cosmos.
Credits
Design: Joey Vigour
Mythos & Character Art: William Tombs
Graphics: Danny Vigour
Development: Matthew Austin
Playtesting & Marketing: Sam Vest, Cameron Riddles, Ben Pamintuan, Evan Baker, Michael Chapin, Halley Kim, & Kathleen Smith
Additional clarifications, errata, and an FAQ will be updated at www.MirrorBoxGames.com
Feel free to email other questions to [email protected]. Phone: (818) 579-2120
Glossary
Access: You may exchange cards between a controlled Planet Envelope and your hand at any time, except during Combat. Keep your 7-card hand separate from your envelope.
Active/Activate: You can activate a Planetary Base, Magnetostatic Vault, or a Telethwarter Trap by turning it face-up in an envelope (so the card face is visible when the envelope is opened). Once active, these cards affect players who try to control that planet. Only one card may be placed face-up in an envelope at a time.
Banish: When you win a combat against another player, you have the option of banishing them, which instantly sends them to their home planet, and their turn ends (if it is their turn). Other effects and cards (such as Traps) can banish players as well.
Chaos Clock: Counts down remaining turns as the universe collapses. Temporal Displacer is the only card that can alter the Clock.
Combat Total: The added total of all dice and Combat cards you play during combat. Other effects (such as special abilities or other players' cards) may also change your total.
Control: Players on a planet may spend an Action to place that Planet Envelope in front of them. They alone may access that planet and its contents (see Controlling the Envelope).
Counter: Cancel a card or ability's effects. When countering a card or ability that cost Actions, the Actions are still spent. When countering a Single Use card, the card is still discarded.
Face-up: See Active.
Hyperspacing: Spending a Hypertoken to teleport to any star or planet. Some cards allow Hyperspacing as well. The Haghouhen's unique ability to return home is not considered Hyperspacing.
Immune: Impervious to a particular weapon. For instance, Tertalje is immune to Ion Grenades, so they deal no damage to him (but are still discarded to the Void, being Single Use weapons).
Planet Envelope: An envelope corresponding to one of the 10 planets. It can contain any number of Equipment cards face-down, as well as up to one active, face-up card.
Planets: There are 10 planets, and each one is the home of one alien and toxic to another alien. Each planet has a corresponding Planet Envelope accessible by a player who controls it.
Play: Revealing a card to use it (often the word "Play" is used for Single Use cards that are discarded to the Void after use, while "Reveal" is used for cards that remain in the game).
Resistant: When an opponent plays a combat card you are resistant to, subtract 1 from their combat total. Resistance does not further increase if the opponent plays more than one of that card.
Reveal: See Play.
Scry: Privately look at a Planet Envelope or player's hand via card or ability.
Spoils: When you win in combat, you have the option to take spoils from your opponent. Look through their hand and take one card. If you're above your in-hand card limit (7 cards), give them a card in return (you may give back the card you just took).
Toxic: Every alien has a planet that is biologically unfriendly to them. Without the proper environment gear you won't be able to take certain actions there. You may not control your toxic Planet Envelope, or battle a player resting on that space on the board (even if they don't control the envelope). You may leave your environment gear on your toxic planet as you leave it, but it may make a return trip difficult.
Void: The discard pile. Abilities may send cards here, and Single Use cards are sent here after use.
Equipment Glossary
Smuggler Bunny: The Smuggler Bunny may frequently appear in the Cosmic Pool. This is because the Bunny itself may be traded to or from the Cosmic Pool while you are on any planet, as long as you control a Planet Envelope. You may still only trade with the Cosmic Pool once per turn.
The Ovoid: Hold the Ovoid at the end to win the game.
Telethwarter Trap: When you take control of a Planet Envelope containing an opponent's active Trap, you are banished to your home planet, where your turn ends. You must return the envelope to the envelope box. If you take control of a Planet Envelope containing your own active Trap, you may either access it without announcing or springing the Trap, OR you may spring the Trap on yourself.
You may not, however, activate a Trap face-up and then immediately spring it on yourself.
Traps may be cloaked using Cloaking Orb and are tripped if taken as spoils.
Magnetostatic Vault: When you take control of a Planet Envelope containing an opponent's active Vault, you may not access the cards in the envelope or deactivate the Vault unless you reveal a Magnetostatic Key. You may activate a Vault without a Key, and any Key can open any Vault.
Any player controlling a Planet Envelope with an active Vault may look inside that envelope, even if they don't have a Key. They can also leave cards behind, but will be unable to access them until they reveal a Key.
IMPORTANT: Vaults cannot lock up Keys. If you find a Key inside a locked Vault, you may unlock that Vault.
Planetary Base: When activating a Base card, announce it and place a Base token on that planet.
Bases fight on their owner's behalf to protect the envelope of the planet they're on. The player who activated the Base can control their Base's envelope normally, but opponents may not control the envelope unless they beat the Base in combat.
Attacking a Base: When your Base is attacked, set your hand aside and conduct combat on behalf of the Base, playing only Combat cards inside the Base to defend it. If your Base wins, you may either banish the loser or do nothing.
No spoils may be taken. If your Base is defeated, it is immediately deactivated (turned face-down), and the Base token is removed from the board. The winner gains free control of the Planet Envelope, including the deactivated Base card. (They may choose to spend an Action to reactivate it.)
Bases have no immunity, resistance, or unique abilities; when battling, they may ONLY play cards in their envelope. Bases have no in-hand card limit.
Opponents may not attack your Base while you control its envelope. If an opponent would take control of your Base's envelope, return it to the envelope box instead. That player must spend an Action to fight the Base if they want to gain control of the envelope.
A Brief History of the Biocosm
The Universal Biota (often referred to as the Biocosm) is believed to be the totality of existence... all that is or ever was. Nearly four hundred planets are linked together via the amniotic nerve reticulum of the great ultra-organism. Wormholes between systems are understood to be part of a larger biological process of ebb and flow—growth and decay. Conscious entities can link into this web of warped spacetime only by being enclosed inside organic plasmatic sacs—amnion suits—that effectively "ride" the nerve impulses of the great Biota from system to system. Thus, for the last 3^23 clicks of the Chaos Clock, all was well. Planets were colonized, peaceful trade routes were established, and the brutal and solipsist races kept to themselves (aside from the occasional wars over the mining planets rich in Hyper-Ore).
And then, slowly... the web of nerve connections started to break down. Contact between certain systems was severed, possibly forever. Click by click, the number of inhabitable planets accessible via amnion suit became smaller and smaller. The universe was dying.
Thus began the Gloaming Wars. Civilizations from the outer rim began aggressively moving their peoples to planets closer to the center spine of the Biocosm. The Cphovic Empire was especially aggressive, wiping out dozens of sentient species across the stars. The inhabitants of the colonized planets did not go peacefully, but even the hub planets in the Primary systems began to be cut off by the dying reticulum. There are only a few planets still connected, and the Chaos Clock continues to click. And while hope is lost for so many, the Prophet spoke of The Hatching: a cosmic rebirth, and the mysterious Ovoid that could mean salvation for the race that possesses it.
Note: Translators should footnote local dates for clarification. Use the Laebotian Chaos Clock for biocosmic timekeeping. Even though the Ovo religion is usually regarded as a cult, their timekeeping is beyond reproach.
—Wueifnaoejgl, Chief Archivist of TOK, Planet Ôb.
Equipment Reference Sheet
Aliens
| Alien | Home Planet | Resistance |
|---|---|---|
| Atturnuk the Brutal | Cphov | Immune: Flash Rifle |
| Vroon the Adventurer | Guriwan | Resistant: Phrenal Infector |
| Chlagazmaeporg the Seductress | Jagladak | Immune: Poison Dart |
| Haamflaagon the Collector | Oolu | Resistant: Spores |
| Clokknid the Automaton | Psilobik | Resistant: Pheromonic Harpoon |
| Drusu the Scryer | Dhizmurq | Resistant: Subsonic Shock |
| the Haghouhen the Homesick | Pendra | Immune: Voltaic Trident |
| Neeksi the Scavenger | Sykloakis | Immune: War Cudgel |
Enviro-Gear
| Enviro-Gear | Allows | To Land On (Toxic Planet) |
|---|---|---|
| Respiration Worm | Atturnuk the Brutal | Guriwan |
| Tropospheric Calibrator | Vroon the Adventurer | Cphov |
| Chlagazmaeporg the Seductress | Oolu | |
| Haamflaagon the Collector | Jagladak | |
| Electrodynamic Inductor | Clokknid the Automaton | Dhizmurq |
| Drusu the Scryer | Psilobik | |
| Pressure Regulator | the Haghouhen the Homesick | Sykloakis |
| Neeksi the Scavenger | Pendra | |
| Polymorpher | Universal Enviro-Gear |
Advanced Weapons [+2]
| Weapon | Immunity/Resistance | Defense [Counters, +2] |
|---|---|---|
| Subsonic Shock | Drusu Resistant | Subsonic Dephaser |
| Pheromonic Harpoon | Clokknid Resistant | Pheromonic Recoiler |
| Phrenal Infector | Vroon Resistant | Phrenal Deflector |
| Havocium Blaster | Havocium Inverter |
Primitive Weapons [+1]
| Weapon | Immunity/Resistance | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Poison Dart | Chlagazmaeporg Immune | No Defense |
| Voltaic Trident | the Haghouhen Immune | No Defense |
| War Cudgel | Neeksi Immune | No Defense |
| Flash Rifle | Atturnuk Immune | No Defense |
Creature Weapons
| Weapon | Immunity/Resistance | Defense [Counters] |
|---|---|---|
| Spore (3) [Swarming Creature] | Haamflaagon Resistant | Spore Immunity |
| Imp (3) [Growing Creature] | Imp Immunity | |
| Imp Food [Strengthens Imps to +2] |
Special Weapons
| Weapon | Function | Defense [Counters] |
|---|---|---|
| Ion Grenade (3) — Single Use | +3 in combat | Ion Shield |
| Nano Fabricator (3) — Single Use | Copies combat card | |
| Cosmic Fear — Single Use | Force opponent to commit their combat cards first | |
| Mecha-Quake | Anti-Base weapon (+ extra die roll) | |
| Targeting Computer | Reduce luck in battle |
Combat Resolution
| Card | Function |
|---|---|
| Cataleptic Fog* — Single Use | Retreat from combat |
| Cloaking Orb | Hide Card during combat resolution or scrying |
Tactical Equipment
| Card | Function |
|---|---|
| Claw of Sykloakis | Steal card from controlled envelope or Base |
| Guerrilla Drop Capsule — Single Use | Hijack controlled envelope |
| Hypertube (3) — 1 Action, Single Use | Send card to any envelope |
| Quantum Accelerator (2) — Single Use | Gain 2 Actions this turn |
| Telethwarter Trap (3) — Single Use | Booby-traps planet when face-up in an envelope |
| Temporal Displacer* — Single Use | Adjust Chaos Clock either direction up to 8 turns |
| Scrying Prism (3) — 1 Action, Single Use | Privately peek at any hand or envelope |
| Recovery Bots (2) — 1 Action, Single Use | Recover a card from the Void |
| Signal Jammer | Counters Traps and scrying your hand |
| Smuggler Bunny | Trade Bunny to or from the Cosmic Pool from any planet |
| Booster Rockets — 3 Actions | Spend 3 Actions to move up to 5 spaces |
| Evasion Rockets | Traveling between yellow stars costs zero Actions |
| Magnetostatic Vault (2) | Locks envelope when face-up |
| Magnetostatic Key (2) | Opens any active Vault |
| Planetary Hypergate — 1 Action | Hyperspace to your Base |
| Planetary Base (2) — 1 Action | Remotely defends a planet using the cards in the envelope |
| Planetary Transceiver | Remotely retrieves cards from your Base |
| Amnion Strike | Attack for free, once per turn |
| Assault Catapult | Attack from up to 2 spaces away |
| Amnion Power Flux — 1 Action | Multi-purpose Action saver |
| The Ovoid | Wins game when the Chaos Clock reaches zero |
Key: (#) = copies of card in game. Single Use = discard after use. * = can't be recovered.
Turn Reference Sheet
Move: Spend 1 Action for each space you move on the board. Spend 1 Action & discard a Hypertoken to move anywhere on the board.
Control: Spend 1 Action to take control of an envelope and place it in front of you. You may access it as long as you control it.
Attack: Spend 1 Action to attack one opponent or an opponent's Base. Each player or Base may be attacked once per turn. (Winning an envelope as victory spoils is free.)
Swap: Trade 1 card to the Cosmic Pool (Once per turn, and you must be in control of your home planet's envelope. Does not cost an Action.)
(3 Actions per turn)
Symbol Reference Sheet
- Action icon: 1 Action
- Envelope icon: Planet Envelope
- Box icon: Envelope Box
- Mirror icon: A mirror copies the other number. Double Mirrors is an instant win!
- +1: Combat strength
- Counter icon: Cancel a card
- Resistance icon: Weapon is -1
- Toxic icon: Planet you can't land on
- Discard-after-use icon (X)
- TRAP: Banishes player home.
- VAULT: Locks envelope but doesn't hide cards.
- BASE: Protects envelope with combat cards.