Circadians: First Light
Circadians: First Light Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
The aim of Circadians: First Light is to lead a team of researchers on the recently discovered planet of Ryh. Players will need to manage their crew (dice) as they visit various parts of the planet for trade, farming, construction and research. Players will score points for negotiating with the locals, harvesting resources for the depository, upgrading their research bases, exploring the planet and collecting gems. The game is played over 7 rounds. At the end of the final round, the player with the most points is declared the winner.
Second Edition Changes
For those familiar with the original release of Circadians: First Light, there are very few rules changes in this edition. The majority of changes are aesthetic, with updates to art, iconography and various components. There have also been a few changes to the terminology used.
Also included are 2 new Leader Cards, the Allies Expansion, and 2 gameplay variants: the Dyad Alliance and the Irenic Union.
New Leaders
Renzo Nolan and Zoey Ashford are 2 new Leaders included with this second edition of First light. Renzo also has an Event Tile which he uses during play.
The Allies Expansion
This mini expansion adds 4 Leader Cards and 3 Tiles: Bjorg and Sal, Sunari, Ul Kah Tal, and Zapporah.
Insert Guide
- Resource Trays for Water, Algae, Energy and Gems.
- Contract Cards.
- Scheme Cards and Event Cards.
- Dice and Harvesters, with Station Boards on top.
- Leader Cards.
- Faction Boards.
- Ship Tiles.
- Incident Tokens, Radio, Gem Caches, Progress Tiles and Sal Tile.
- Farm Tiles, Ul Kah Tal Ship Tile, Sunari Farm Tile and Renzo Event Tile.
Once all components listed above are in place, lay the Spaceport Board over the middle section. On top of that lay the Planet Board and Research Bases. Finally, place the Negotiations Board, Screens and Rulebook.
Tip: Punchboard frames can be placed under the insert to lift it closer to the lid, making everything fit better.
Components
- 1 Spaceport Board
- 6 Station Boards
- 12 Incident Tokens
- 3 Faction Boards
- 14 Leader Cards
- 1 Negotiations Board
- 36 Contract Cards
- 20 Scheme Cards
- 16 Event Cards
- 4 Screens
- 1 Planet Board
- 18 Ship Tiles
- 15 Farm Tiles
- 1 Ul Kah Tal Ship Tile
- 1 Sunari Farm Tile
- 1 Radio
- 6 Gem Caches
- 3 Progress Tiles
- 1 Renzo Event Tile
- 1 Sal Tile
- 52 Dice (13 per player)
- 4 Harvesters (1 per player)
- 4 Research Bases
- 50 Water: 40 Small (value 1), 10 Large (value 5)
- 40 Algae: 32 Small (value 1), 8 Large (value 5)
- 30 Energy: 24 Small (value 1), 6 Large (value 5)
- 30 Gems
Setup
To set up Circadians: First Light, follow these easy steps:
-
Place the Planet Board in the middle of the table, with either side faceup. Onto this Board, place 3 Water or 1 Gem onto each of the indicated spaces (look for the small icons at the top point of some spaces).
Place all remaining resources (Water, Algae, Energy and Gems) into a Main Supply within reach of all players. All resources are intended to be unlimited. Should they run out, use a suitable substitute.
-
Mix up the 6 Gem Caches and randomly slot 1 into each of the open spaces along the edge of the Planet Board, with the faceup side showing the Gem and Die icons. Do not reveal the reverse side of Gem Caches to any players.
-
Place the Negotiations Board near the Planet Board with the appropriate side faceup for the number of players in the game.
-
Choose either side of each Faction Board and slot them above the Negotiations Board with Leyrien on the left, Zcharo in the middle and Jrayek on the right.
-
Place the 12 Incident Tokens into the holes on the left side of the Negotiations Board.
-
Place the Spaceport Board near the Planet Board with the appropriate side faceup for the number of players in the game.
-
Place the "End of an Era" Event Card facedown on the Spaceport Board. Shuffle all remaining Event Cards and place 6 of them facedown on top of the "End of an Era" Event Card. This forms the Event Draw Pile. Place the remaining cards back into the box without revealing them.
-
Place the 6 Station Boards with their appropriate sides faceup for the number of players in the game.
-
Shuffle the Farm Tiles and separate them into 3 even stacks, placing 1 faceup onto each of the spaces along the bottom of the Laboratory Board. Shuffle the Ship Tiles and separate them into 3 even stacks, placing 1 faceup onto each of the spaces along the bottom of the Foundry Board.
-
Shuffle all Contract Cards together to form the Contract Draw Pile. Allow space for a faceup Discard Pile nearby. Should the Draw Pile ever run out, shuffle the Discard Pile to form a new Draw Pile.
Have each player choose a colour and give them the following:
- 1 Research Base and 1 Screen.
- 13 Dice in their colour: 3 on their Research Base and 10 in a reserve nearby.
- 15 Water, 4 Algae and 2 Energy from the Main Supply.
- 1 Harvester in their colour, placed onto the central space of the Planet Board.
Randomly determine a starting player and give them the Radio.
Leader Selection
Shuffle all Leader Cards and randomly deal 3 facedown to each player. Players should choose 1 to keep, placing it faceup alongside their Research Base. The other Leader Cards should be returned to the box. Alternatively, players may wish to choose their Leaders from all those available. Some Leaders also come with a Tile or other Setup bonuses. These should also be collected by players if required.
Contract Card Draft
From the top of the Contract Card Draw Pile, have each player draw 4 cards to their hand. From their hand, players must select 1 card to keep, passing the remaining 3 cards to the player on their left. From the next 3 cards they should again select 1 and pass on the remaining cards. From the final 2 they receive, they must select 1 to keep and place the other in the Discard Pile. Each player should now have 3 Contract Cards in hand.
The Dyad Alliance
This variant lets players use 2 Leader Cards each. It is not recommended for your first few games of First Light.
When collecting resources during Setup, each player should only gain 10 Water, 2 Algae and 2 Energy. During Leader Selection, follow these steps:
- Place all Leader Cards faceup on the table.
- In turn order, each player selects 1 available Leader Card and places it faceup in front of them.
- Again in turn order, each player selects 1 of the remaining Leader Cards and returns it to the box, making it unavailable for this game.
- In reverse turn order, each player selects 1 of the remaining Leader Cards and places it faceup alongside their other Leader. Any unselected cards can be returned to the box.
For the entirety of the game, players may always benefit from the abilities of both their Leaders. This allows for interesting synergies, higher scores and more replayability.
First Time Players
When playing for the first time or teaching others, there are a few key concepts to keep in mind:
- Harvesting as many resources as possible each Round is vital. Players should try to move their Harvesters out on the Planet Board as early as possible. Note that this isn't always the case for more experienced players.
- Dice are what drive actions in the game. Players should try to have at least 3 available each Round.
- Resources produced in Farms will not be available for use until the next Round. Planning ahead is crucial.
- The 6 Station Boards are for taking actions. Any Dice sent here are returned at the end of each Round. The Depository and Negotiations Board are for scoring points. Dice sent here are never returned. The Headquarters is a place where players can send Dice to be used in the next Round, ahead of the usual turn order.
- Leader Cards provide players with variable player powers throughout the game. When teaching the game, be sure to explain all the other rules before having players choose their Leader.
Round Structure
First Light is played over a series of 7 Rounds. Each Round runs through the same 4 Phases. There is a summary of these Phases inside each player's Screen.
1. Plan
- Reveal the top Event Card
- Roll & assign Dice to Bases
- Warning: do not alter Dice values
2. Execute
- Remove Screens
- Send Dice from the Headquarters
- Send Dice from Garages in turn order
3. Harvest
- Gain resources from Farms & Harvesters
4. Rest
- Return Dice from all Station Boards
- Pass the Radio clockwise
- Warning: max 5 Dice, max 8 Cards
Leader Cards
- Akira may treat 1's, 2's and 3's as 6's in her Farms and at the Mining Camp.
- Bjorg gains the Sal Tile during Setup. Sal is a 3-valued Die, whose value can never be altered. He cannot be sent to the Depository or Negotiations Board. He does not count towards a player's Dice limit.
- Dan gains 1 additional reward of a different type when sending Dice to the Depository. For example, placing a Die in the top row would let him move his Harvester and also gain 1 Die or 2 Contract Cards.
- Any time Jakob gains a Farm Tile, he also gains 1 Ship Tile for free from the top of any stack.
- Lysias may always treat Setbacks as if they were positive effects. For example, a Setback that causes players to lose a Ship Tile would instead gain him a free Ship Tile from the top of any stack.
- Naira ignores all Algae costs from Garages.
- Renzo gains his Tile and 6 random Event Cards in a facedown Draw Pile during Setup. At the beginning of the first 6 Rounds, he reveals an Event Card and selects if he will resolve his Event or the global Event. If he selects the global Event, he immediately gains 2 Water. He ignores the effects of whichever Event he does not choose.
- Roslyn gains 1 Die from the reserve at the end of each Round if she is not already at her Dice limit.
- Sable may move her Harvester 1 space at the end of each Harvest Phase (after producing resources).
- Sunari gains her unique Farm during Setup. This should be placed onto her left-most empty Foundation.
- All negotiations (sending Dice to the Negotiations Board) for Troy require 1 fewer Gem, 2 fewer Energy and 3 fewer Algae.
- Ul Kah Tal gains his unique Ship during Setup. This should be placed into his left-most empty Garage (the Garage that costs 1 Algae).
- Zapporah may immediately roll and assign any Dice she gains during the Execute Phase to her Farms. After rolling, she may choose not to place them on her Farms.
- Zoey gains 3 more Contract Cards from the top of the Draw Pile after all players have drafted their starting hand. When fulfilling a Contract, she may pay to fulfill a second Contract at the same time.
Plan
Reveal Event
At the beginning of the Planning Phase, reveal the top Event Card from the Event Draw Pile. This should be placed faceup in the space above the Event Draw Pile. The Player holding the Radio should read the text aloud. Some Event Cards will affect players for the duration of the current Round, while others may be resolved at a particular moment during the Round.
Roll Dice
After revealing the current Event Card, all players simultaneously roll all their available Dice behind their Screens. In the first Round, each player will have 3 Dice. This number will rise and fall over the course of the game.
Players are not allowed to physically alter the values of their Dice in this Phase. Some Dice spaces allow for their values to be affected, but this should not be done until the Execute Phase.
Assign Dice
Behind their Screens, away from the peering eyes of their opponents, players must now assign their rolled Dice to the various spaces on their Research Bases.
Once all players have finished assigning Dice they simultaneously remove their Screens and move on to the Execute Phase.
Players have 2 options available when assigning Dice: Garages and Farms. Players cannot assign Dice to their Cantina. Its purpose will be explained under the Execute Phase.
Garages
Garages are used for sending Dice to other locations (the Spaceport, Negotiations Board and Station Boards). When assigning dice to Garages, players must always fill from left-to-right. Dice here should be placed onto the spaces directly above the Garages.
The first Garage features a Ship that allows Dice sent from this Garage to be increased or decreased by 1. 6's cannot become 1's, or vice versa. It also has no Algae cost attached to it.
All other Garages begin with Rovers, but can be upgraded during the game by installing Ships. These Garages are considered "empty" for game purposes. They all have an Algae cost printed above them. This cost must be paid when sending out Dice during the Execute Phase.
This is the next available Garage. It will cost 1 Algae when sending a Die from here during the Execute Phase.
Farms
Farms are used to gain resources during the Harvest Phase. When assigning Dice to Farms, players do not need to fill in a particular order - they may freely assign Dice to any available Farm.
The left-most Farm does not produce any resources. Assigning a Die of any value here will increase the value of Dice in all other Farms by 3 (to a maximum of 6).
The other 2 Farms produce either of their indicated resources. The amount they produce is determined by the value of the Dice assigned to them. The table below these Farms indicates how much of the chosen resource they produce. All Dice assigned to Farms are returned during the Rest Phase.
The Farm shown above with a 5-valued Die would produce either 7 Water or 2 Energy.
The 3 spaces to the right are Foundations. Players can build additional Farms on these spaces during the game.
Execute
Remove Screens
At the beginning of the Execute Phase, all players remove their Screens to reveal their assigned Dice. At this point, players cannot make any changes to where they have assigned their Dice.
Send Dice from the Headquarters
Regardless of the current Round's turn order, all Dice at the Headquarters are sent out in the order they were placed. This does not take place in the first Round and won't necessarily happen in all future Rounds.
- When sending Dice from the Headquarters, they cannot be sent back to the Headquarters.
- The first Die in the Headquarters may optionally be flipped to its opposite side when being sent out, as indicated on the Board.
Other than the points made above, sending Dice from the Headquarters functions in the same way as sending Dice from Garages.
Event Cards like this affect Dice sent from both the Headquarters and Garages.
Regardless of which player holds the Radio, Blue will send out their Die from the Headquarters first, followed by Orange. Once both these Dice have been sent out, the player holding the Radio will follow with the Die in their first Garage.
Send Dice from Garages
Once there are no Dice remaining in the Headquarters, players begin sending out all Dice assigned to their Garages. This is done in clockwise turn order, beginning with the player holding the Radio. This continues, each player taking turns sending 1 Die (or 2 if sent to the Laboratory), followed by the player to their left until there are no longer any Dice remaining in Garages. If a player has no Dice to send out on their turn, they must pass.
- Players must always send Dice from their left-most Garage.
- Most Garages have an Algae cost. This must be paid when sending out Dice. If a player cannot pay, or wishes not to pay, that Die and all other Dice in their Garages are immediately sent to the Cantina space of their Research Base. They immediately gain 2 Water from the Main Supply for each Die sent to their Cantina.
- Some Ships can influence an action's cost, or affect the value of Dice as they are sent out. Details on how these function can be found under the Foundry.
On this player's first turn, they must send out their 2-valued Die. Thanks to the Ship in their Garage, they may optionally change the Die's value to a 1 or 3. On their next turn they must send out their 5-valued Die, which comes with a discount of 1 Energy when resolving its action.
The Irenic Union
This variant lets players send Dice from Garages in any order, rather than always from left-to-right. This is recommended for groups that might find the decision of which Die to assign to which Garage a little overwhelming. It does take away some of the tough decisions that many players will enjoy, but creates a slightly more relaxed and forgiving experience.
Locations
There are a number of locations available for sending Dice to:
- Headquarters
- Mining Camp
- Laboratory
- Foundry
- Market
- Academy
- Control Room
- Negotiations Board
- Depository
Each space at these locations may only contain a single Die. Players are allowed to send multiple Dice to the same location in the same Round.
Headquarters
Sending Dice to the Headquarters allows players to resend them in the next Round, ahead of the usual turn order. Dice sent here must be placed onto the highest available space (1st > 2nd > 3rd > 4th). All spaces immediately reward either 2 Contract Cards from the top of the Draw Pile or 5 Water from the Main Supply.
Mining Camp
Sending Dice to the Mining Camp allows players to collect Gems. Dice sent here may be placed onto any 1 of the available spaces. Depending on the value of their Die and where it was placed, players may need to pay some Water in order to collect Gems.
Each space shows a sum (X=?) with a number specific to that space. This number is the effort required to collect the indicated Gems. Players must spend Water equal to this number, minus the value of their Die.
Blue has sent a 4-valued Die to the "X=10" space of the Mining Camp. They must pay 6 Water to the Main Supply in order to collect 1 Gem (10 - 4 = 6).
Black, on the other hand, paid no Water using their 6-valued Die to collect 1 Gem.
Laboratory
Sending Dice to the Laboratory allows players to build new Farms. Dice sent here must be placed together as a pair of equal values. The second Die of the pair must be a player's next available Die.
For example, if their first Die was sent from the Headquarters, their second Die must still be the next they have available. Unless they have another Die at the Headquarters, this would be the Die in their first Garage.
After sending a pair of equal valued Dice to the Laboratory, players must pay either 3 Algae or 10 Water to build a new Farm. They may choose any 1 Farm from the top of the 3 available stacks. The Farm Tile is then placed onto their left-most empty Foundation. If they choose, players may freely destroy a previously built Farm Tile to place their new Tile in its place. Farm Tiles destroyed this way should be removed from the game entirely.
In games with 4 players, 2 pairs of Dice may be sent to the Laboratory each Round. In games with fewer than 4 players, only 1 pair of Dice may be sent each Round. If a stack of Farm Tiles is fully depleted, it remains that way for the remainder of the game.
Blue has sent a pair of equal valued Dice to the Laboratory and paid 3 Algae to the Main Supply. They have taken the top Farm Tile from the middle stack and placed it onto their first Foundation. This Farm will now passively produce 1 Energy for them during each Harvest Phase.
Farm Tile types:
- Requires 1 Die and produces a number of Algae or Energy based on the Research Base table.
- Allows players to make any 2 trades, using the options shown on the Market Board.
- Requires a 6 and produces the indicated items.
- Passively produces the indicated resources.
- 3 points at the game's end.
Foundry
Sending Dice to the Foundry allows players to upgrade their Garages with Ships. This costs either 2 Energy or 10 Water. The Ship Tile they gain is governed by the value of the Die they sent to the Foundry. Gaining a Ship from the left stack requires a 1 or 2, the middle stack a 3 or 4, and the right stack a 5 or 6. Only the top Ship Tile from each stack is available.
Newly acquired Ship Tiles are placed on the left-most Garage not already containing a Ship. If they choose, players may freely destroy a previously built Ship Tile to place their new Tile in its place. Ship Tiles destroyed this way should be removed from the game entirely.
If a stack of Ship Tiles is fully depleted, it remains that way for the remainder of the game.
Blue has just sent a 5-valued Die to the Foundry and paid 10 Water to the Main Supply. They took the Ship Tile from the right stack and placed it on their third Garage. They can now ignore the Algae cost for sending out Dice from this Garage.
Ship Tile types:
- Dice sent from this Garage may be flipped to their opposite side.
- Dice sent from this Garage may be increased by up to 2.
- Ignore this Garage's Algae cost.
- Dice sent from this Garage may be increased or decreased by 1. 6's cannot become 1's, or vice versa. Ignore this Garage's Algae cost.
- Dice sent from this Garage may pay up to 5 fewer Water for their action.
- Dice sent from this Garage may pay up to 5 fewer Water for their action, and may optionally be flipped to their opposite side.
- Dice sent from this Garage may pay 1 fewer Energy for their action.
Market
Sending Dice to the Market allows players to trade resources with the Main Supply. Dice sent here may be placed onto any 1 of the available spaces. The chosen space indicates what trades are available, while the value of the Die governs the maximum number of individual trades that may be made.
Blue sent a 3-valued Die to the right-most space of the Market and made the following trades:
- 3 Water for 2 Algae
- 3 Water for 2 Algae
- 1 Energy for 2 Algae
Academy
Sending Dice to the Academy allows players to gain additional Dice from the reserve. Dice sent here may be placed onto any 1 of the available spaces, granted that the Die being placed matches 1 of the printed values above the chosen space.
After sending Dice to the Academy, players must pay the indicated resources to gain either 1 or 2 Dice. The resource type required is specific to the space where they placed their Die. It is their choice whether they pay for 1 or 2 Dice.
Newly acquired Dice should be taken from the reserve and placed at the bottom area of players' Research Bases. Dice added here only become available in future Rounds. However, they can still be lost through Setbacks or other effects.
Blue sent a 4-valued Die to the middle space of the Academy. They paid 2 Algae, adding 1 new Die to their Research Base from the reserve.
While players may never exceed their Dice limit (usually 5) during the Rest Phase, they may go above this during the Execute Phase. Dice are a limited supply. Once players have no Dice remaining in the reserve, they cannot gain more.
Control Room
Sending Dice to the Control room allows players to move their Harvesters on the Planet Board at the cost of 2 Energy or 10 Water. After paying, they must move their Harvester to an adjacent space on the Planet Board. The direction that it moves is governed by the value of the Die they sent to the Control Room.
As indicated on the Control Room Board, a 2-valued Die would move a Harvester 1 space to the right on the Planet Board. Players should make sure that the Planet and Control Room Boards are always positioned in the same orientation because of this.
If a Harvester moves onto a space containing a Gem or 3 Water, that player immediately removes it from the Planet Board and adds it to their supply. There is no limit to how many Harvesters may occupy or harvest from the same space.
Along the edge of the Planet Board are 6 arrows. Players may use these to move their Harvesters to the opposite side of the Planet Board. When doing so, they must move in a direction that would have their Harvester "step off" the side of the Planet Board in the direction of the arrow. Their Harvester should then immediately appear on the opposite side of the Planet Board.
Orange's Harvester is on the left edge of the Planet Board. With their 5-valued Die at the Control Room they paid 10 Water to the Main Supply, and moved their Harvester to the opposite side of the Planet. This allowed them to immediately collect the Gem from that space.
Blue's Harvester is near the centre of the Planet Board. With their 3-valued Die at the Control Room they paid 1 Energy to the Main Supply and moved their Harvester down to the right. This would usually cost 2 Energy, but their Fuel Refiner gives them a discount of 1 Energy at the Control Room.
Players may move their Harvesters onto Gem Caches. Doing so does not allow them to flip or look at the other side of the tile. Unrevealed Gem Caches produce 1 Gem and 1 Die during the Harvest Phase. If revealed, they produce no resources.
Negotiations Board
Sending Dice to the Negotiations Board is a primary way for players to score points. Dice sent here may be placed onto any 1 of the available spaces, granted that players can pay the resources required by that space. For example, if a player wanted to send a Die to the top-left space of the Negotiations Board, they would need to pay 6 Algae to the Main Supply.
Once Dice are sent to the Negotiations Board, they remain there for the rest of the game. After sending a Die, and paying the required resources, these steps must be followed in order:
1. Contract Card Abilities
Some Contract Cards have abilities specific to the Negotiations Board, or to a specific Faction. These may be resolved immediately after paying the cost to negotiate. This is only for fulfilled Contract Cards (not those held in hand).
2. Faction Ability
Each Faction has a unique ability, as printed below their illustration. Resolving Faction Abilities are always optional.
3. Advancement
The first Die of a unique value sent to the Negotiations Board will gain an Advancement. This is representative of a player's use of new techniques when speaking with the host Factions. To claim an Advancement, players must move the Incident Token specific to their Die value from the left side of the Negotiations Board, to the right side (staying in the same row). They may move it to any available slot on the right side. Above the slot they select is a reward, which they must resolve immediately.
4. Setback
Similarly to how Advancements work, players may also encounter Setbacks when negotiating with the Factions. To determine if a player incurs a Setback, look at the values of all Dice in the column where they sent their Die. If the sum of all Dice in that column reaches or exceeds a particular sum, or if 1 or more Dice are of the same value as the Die being placed, a Setback may be incurred.
Along the bottom-left of the Negotiations Board are 6 Incident Tokens, each with a numerical condition printed above them. The first 4 refer to the total sum, while the last 2 are concerned with Dice of the same value. It is possible for players to qualify for more than 1 Setback. In that case, they still only choose 1 Setback to resolve.
When resolving a Setback, players must move the Incident Token specific to their condition from the left side of the Negotiations Board, to the right side (staying in the same row). They may move it to any available slot on the right side. Above the slot they select is a punishment which they must resolve immediately.
If players can resolve a punishment, they must. For example, if they have no Gems, they can't select "Lose 1 Gem" to avoid selecting another punishment which they could resolve. However, if none of the available punishments would affect them in any way, they must still select 1.
Blue has sent a 4-valued Die to negotiate with Leyrien, paying 9 Algae to the Main Supply. This will be worth 5 points at the game's end. They have no applicable Contract Cards to benefit from, but choose to resolve Leyrien's ability, setting 1 Die on their Research Base to any value. Since this is the first 4-valued Die to be placed on the Negotiations Board, they gain an Advancement: a Farm Tile; Ship Tile; or 1 Gem. They also incur a Setback, since the sum of all Dice in Leyrien's column equal 10. Even though they qualify for 2 of the Setbacks (sum of 8+ / sum of 10+), they only choose 1 to resolve. They must move 1 of these 2 Incident Tokens to the right side, and resolve their chosen punishment.
Advancements
- A player selecting this gains the resources from their Harvester's current position on the Planet Board.
- A player selecting this gains a Ship Tile from the top of any stack for free.
- A player selecting this gains a new Die from the reserve.
- A player selecting this gains a Farm Tile from the top of any stack for free.
- A player selecting this may move their Harvester 1 space on the Planet Board.
- A player selecting this gains 1 Gem from the Main Supply.
Setbacks
- A player selecting this must discard 2 Contract Cards from their hand.
- A player selecting this must destroy a Ship Tile from their Research Base.
- A player selecting this must return 1 of their Dice to the reserve. This may come from their Research Base, the Headquarters, or a Station Board.
- A player selecting this must destroy a Farm Tile from their Research Base.
- A player selecting this must move their Harvester 1 space backwards on the Planet Board (closer to the centre).
- A player selecting this must pay 1 Gem to the Main Supply.
If destroying a Ship Tile or Farm Tile results in an empty space between Tiles, shift them to the left to fill empty spaces.
Depository
Sending Dice to the Depository is a primary way for players to score points. Dice sent here may be placed onto any 1 of the available spaces, granted that their value matches the chosen column. Players may place Dice in any 1 of the 3 available rows. The final requirement for sending a Die to the Depository, is that players must be able to fulfill a Contract.
Once Dice are sent to the Depository, they remain there for the rest of the game.
Fulfill a Contract
Players start the game with 3 Contract Cards in hand, and can gain more during the game. After sending a Die to the Depository, players must fulfill a single Contract.
To Fulfill a Contract, players must place the Contract Card faceup alongside their Research Base for the remainder of the game. All resources shown in the top-left of the card must then be paid to the Main Supply.
Fulfilling this Contract will cost 3 Water and 2 Energy. The reward for the Contract is the Aqua Cannon, worth 2 points at the game's end. It also has an ongoing ability, providing a 5-Water discount on all future actions at the Foundry.
While some Contract Card rewards have in-game abilities, like the Aqua Cannon, others provide end-game scoring bonuses. A full list of all Contract Card rewards can be found in the Contract Cards section.
Delivery Reward
After fulfilling a Contract, players gain the delivery reward associated with the row where they placed their Die. These are shown to the right of each row: move their Harvester 1 space on the Planet Board; gain 1 Die from the reserve; or draw 2 Contract Cards.
With this Die, Blue can only place into the second or third row of the first column. Doing so will reward them with either 1 new Die from the reserve or 2 Contract Cards from the top of the Draw Pile.
Harvest
Harvesting is how players gain the majority of their resources in the game. All players may resolve the Harvest Phase simultaneously. All resources produced should be collected from the Main Supply. There are 2 areas where players may harvest resources from: The Planet and their Farms.
The Planet
Based on the position of their Harvesters on the Planet Board, players may gain Water, Algae, Energy, Gems or Dice. Multiple players may harvest from the same space.
Black's Harvester would produce 12 Water.
Blue's Harvester would produce 6 Water and 4 Algae.
It is important to note, especially for new players, that the further out from the centre that Harvesters go, the more resources they will produce each Round. Players should also observe how Water, Algae and Energy are distributed across the Planet Board for harvesting.
Harvesters produce nothing if on a revealed Gem Cache.
Farms
Players also gain resources from any active Farms. Some Farms require Dice to be activated, while others passively produce resources each Round. Players may resolve their Farms in any order.
Blue's Farms would produce the following:
- Their first Farm increases all other Dice on their Farms by 3, raising their 2-valued Die to a 5.
- Their second Farm requires a Die to be activated. It produces nothing this Round.
- Either 7 Water or 2 Energy from their third Farm.
- 1 Energy from their fourth Farm.
- Up to 2 trades from their fifth Farm. This can be any combination of trades shown on the Market Board (ignoring all Dice there).
Rest
Once all players have harvested their resources for the Round, play moves into the Rest Phase. Players simultaneously return all their Dice to their supply from the 6 Station Boards, and also from their Farms and Cantinas. Dice on the Spaceport Board and Negotiations Board remain where they are.
The player holding the Radio passes it to the player on their left. The player receiving the Radio will be first player in the next Round.
Players must now check that they have no more than 5 Dice in their supply or 8 Contract Cards in hand. Any excess Dice must be returned to the reserve, and any excess Contract Cards must be discarded (player's choice).
Dice at the Headquarters count toward the limit of 5, but those at the Depository and Negotiations Board do not.
Unless this is the seventh Round, play moves into the next Round, starting with the Planning Phase and continuing on, as in the previous Round.
End of Game
The game ends immediately after the Rest Phase of the seventh Round. Players will know this, as all 7 Event Cards will have been revealed. At this point, players add up their points. The player with the most points is declared the winner. They will be forever remembered among the Circadians of Moontide as the bravest and most resourceful explorer of this strange new planet.
In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most Dice left in their supply wins. If still tied, the tied player with the most Energy, Algae and Water still in their supply wins. If still tied, all tied players share the victory.
Scoring
Each player will score points for their efforts in the following areas:
- Dice on the Negotiations Board: Printed values next to each of their Dice.
- Fulfilled Contracts: Both the set values and any end-game scoring bonuses from specific Contract Cards.
- Harvester: If on a Gem Cache.
- Research Base: Printed values on specific Ships and Farms, as well as printed values on their left-most empty Garage and Farm/Foundation.
- Remaining Gems in their supply: 1 point each.
Scoring Example
Blue scores a total of 80 points from the following:
- 5 points from Leyrien, 10 points from Zcharo, and 17 points from Jrayek.
- 3 points from their Zcharo Lamp, 13 points from their Alien Relic, 8 points from their Uxolotyl (they had 9 Algae in their supply), and 4 points from their Security Codes.
- 1 point from the Ship Tile in their second Garage.
- 3 points from having a total of 3 Ships.
- 7 points from having a total of 6 Farms.
- 6 points from having their Harvester on the pictured Gem Cache.
- 3 points from their Gems.
Solo Setup
Introduction
Ever since the robotic protests back on Earth, we've had to learn to work alongside our manufactured associates. While they may never become true citizens of Moontide, they are eagerly persistent. Recently they took it upon themselves to make contact with the locals of Ryh. Their ability to decipher the host dialects provides a significant advantage over Circadians like ourselves. Why are they so interested in communicating with the three factions? They don't need them to survive. We will get to the bottom of this, but first we must focus on the task at hand - gaining the favour of our new hosts.
Setup
- Set up the game with the Negotiations Board, Spaceport Board and Station Boards all showing the sides for 1 player.
- Select an AI opponent to compete against. These are on the reverse side of the Research Bases. Xiao (standard difficulty) is recommended for the first game.
- Place the 3 Progress Tiles on their associated spaces of the AI Board. Pay attention to the stars on each Progress Tile.
- Shuffle the Scheme Cards and place them in a facedown Draw Pile nearby. Allow space nearby for discards. Should the Scheme Draw Pile ever run out, shuffle all discards to form a new Draw Pile.
- Assign the AI a player colour. Place 1 of their Dice onto each space along the top of their Board showing a small grey Die icon (their values do not matter). Place their remaining Dice in a reserve nearby. Place their Harvester at the centre of the Planet Board.
Set up all other components as you would for a multiplayer game. Rather than drafting Contract Cards, simply draw 5 and discard 2.
Solo Gameplay Overview
Like the multiplayer game, the solo variant is played over 7 Rounds. However, there are some differences for how the AI acts in each Phase, as described below. Unless specified otherwise, all rules from the multiplayer game function as normal.
AI vs Multiple Opponents
If using the AI against 2 or 3 players, use the correct sides of each Board, based on the total number of players (AI included). The AI Schemes still activate between sending Dice from the Headquarters and sending Dice from Garages each Round.
Solo Gameplay
Plan
The AI takes no actions during this Phase. The player reveals the top Event Card, then rolls and assigns their Dice as normal. The AI is never affected by Event Cards.
Execute
The Execute Phase follows these steps in order:
- Dice at the Headquarters are sent out. The AI never uses the Headquarters. This is the player's only way of acting before the AI.
- Once there are no longer any Dice at the Headquarters, the AI will reveal and resolve a number of Scheme Cards. This entire step will be referred to as the AI's "turn".
- After the AI has resolved all their actions, the player sends out all Dice from their Garages, just as they would in the multiplayer game.
AI Turn
On the AI's turn, follow these steps:
-
Reveal the top Scheme Card from their Draw Pile and place it in the first slot below their Board.
-
Move the AI's Harvester on the Planet Board using the same directional guide shown on the Control Room Board. The direction they move is governed by the Die value shown on their first Scheme Card.
When moving the AI's Harvester, move it as far as possible in the indicated direction until it hits a Gem, the edge of the Planet Board or a Gem Cache. The AI will never move onto Gem Caches during this Phase. Return any Water it moves over to the Main Supply. If it hits a Gem, it stops on that space and adds the Gem to its supply.
The AI's Harvester will only "step off" the Planet Board, and move to the opposite side if they start their movement from that space. In this way, they cannot get stuck in an infinite loop of wrapping around the Planet Board. It is also possible that the AI's Harvester won't be able to move on their turn.
-
Send out the right-most Die from the AI's Board. The value and location for sending this Die are governed by their first Scheme Card. Each Scheme Card has 3 possible options. They will first attempt to send their Die to the top-most location. If that location is unavailable, or if they cannot afford the Gem cost, they will attempt the middle option. If that is also not possible, they will take the bottom option.
The AI will never resolve more than 1 option per Scheme Card.
Once a location is determined, set their Die to the value shown on the Scheme Card and place it at that location. How it interacts with each location will be explained below.
-
Turn over a second Scheme Card, but do not move their Harvester this time. Once again, send out their right-most Die, using the second Scheme Card to determine its value and location.
In the rare case that they do not have an available Die to send out for any of their Scheme Cards, nothing happens.
With their first Scheme Card they moved their Harvester to the right, passing through the Water and stopping at the Gem. The Water was removed, and the Gem added to their supply. They did not have enough Gems to Send their first Die to Jrayek. They instead sent it with a value of 2 to the Market, gaining 2 Gems. Their second Die was sent with a value of 6 to the Depository, costing them 1 Gem.
Market and Mining Camp
When sending Dice to the Market and Mining Camp, always place them onto the left-most available space. The revealed Scheme Card indicates how many Gems they gain from the Main Supply.
Laboratory
The AI only needs to send a single Die to the Laboratory, rather than a pair. This still blocks the space, making it unavailable for the Round. After sending a Die to the Laboratory, the AI unlocks their next available Progress Tile. They have 3 Progress Tiles which must be unlocked in order (1 star > 2 stars > 3 stars). When the AI unlocks a Progress Tile, turn it over and place it above their Board. These are each worth 2 points for the AI at the game's end. Once the AI has unlocked all 3 Progress Tiles, they will no longer send Dice to the Laboratory.
- Once unlocked, the AI gains 1 additional Gem each Round (even if they would otherwise gain none).
- Once unlocked, the AI gains 1 additional Die each Round (if not at their limit, and even if they would otherwise gain none).
- Once unlocked, the AI plays 1 additional Scheme Card each Round (3, rather than 2).
Foundry
When sending Dice to the Foundry, immediately turn over an additional Scheme Card and resolve it as normal. This Scheme Card should be placed under the fourth slot below their Board, and does not count as 1 of their standard Schemes for their turn.
Academy
When sending Dice to the Academy, place their Die into the specific column associated to their Die value. If that space is not available, they will attempt the next location on their Scheme Card. Sending Dice to the Academy gains them up to 2 new Dice from the reserve. New Dice should be placed onto the AI Board, filling empty spaces from left-to-right. The AI will never gain Dice beyond the limit of the 5 on their Board. Should Dice of their colour ever run out, use a secondary colour (the AI's reserve has no limit).
Depository
When sending Dice to the Depository, the AI will only do so if there is an available space in the specific column, based on their Die value. They also need to spend 1 Gem to send Dice here. Their Dice should always be placed into the highest available row. They ignore all delivery rewards.
Negotiations Board
When sending Dice to the Negotiations Board, the AI will only ever spend Gems. It can however, still send Dice to Leyrien and Zcharo. It simply treats their columns as if they had the same Gem costs as Jrayek (first row costs 2 Gems, second row costs 3 Gems, etc). They will always place Dice in the lowest row (highest points) possible, granted that they can afford the Gem cost. If that space is unavailable, they will move up to the next available space.
The AI ignores all Faction abilities, but they can still qualify for Advancements and Setbacks. They do not benefit or suffer from them in any way, but they still move an Incident Token. When moving Incident Tokens, move the left-most Token that they qualify for, placing it to the left-most available slot on the right side of the Negotiations Board.
Harvest
During the Harvest Phase, the AI returns all their Dice from the 6 Station Boards. These should be returned to their Board, filling empty spaces from left-to-right. If they do not have space to place these Dice, return them to the reserve.
After returning Dice, they may also gain Gems from the Main Supply. This is shown above the right-most Die on their Board.
Having 3 Dice would gain the AI 1 Gem. With fewer Dice, they would gain no Gems.
Rest
During the Rest Phase, the AI will gain new Dice from the reserve if they have fewer than 3 on their Board. Much like how they gain Gems during the Harvest Phase, this is also shown above the right-most Die on their Board. If they have no Dice on their Board, they gain 3 Dice from the reserve.
As mentioned above, the AI will never gain Dice beyond the limit of the 5 on their Board. Should Dice of their colour ever run out, use a secondary colour (the AI's reserve has no limit).
Destroy the top Farm Tile from the tallest stack (left-most, if tied) at the Laboratory.
Destroy the top Ship Tile from the tallest stack (left-most, if tied) at the Foundry.
Finally, discard all Scheme Cards from below the AI's Board.
Solo Scoring
Players score points in the same manner as the multiplayer game. The AI scores points for the following:
-
Dice on the Negotiations Board:
- Duska (Easy) / Xiao (Standard): The printed values next to each of their Dice.
- Injura (Hard): The printed values next to each of their Dice, plus 1 point per Die.
- Crux (Insane): The printed values next to each of their Dice, plus 1 point per pip on their Dice (the total value of their Dice).
-
Dice at the Depository:
- Duska (Easy): 1 point per Die.
- Xiao (Standard) / Injura (Hard) / Crux (Insane): 1 point per pip on their Dice (the total value of their Dice).
-
Harvester: move it to the nearest Gem Cache for scoring. If tied for nearest, move to the higher valued Gem Cache.
-
Unlocked Progress Tiles: 2 points each.
-
Remaining Gems in their supply: 1 point each.
-
Revealed positive (blue) Event Cards over the course of the game:
- Duska (Easy) / Xiao (Standard): 1 point per positive Event Card.
- Injura (Hard) / Crux (Insane): 2 points per positive Event Card.
Solo Scoring Example
Xiao scores a total of 64 points from the following:
- 13 points from Leyrien; 8 points from Zcharo, and 12 points from Jrayek.
- 15 points from the pips on their Dice in the Depository.
- 7 points from having their Harvester on the pictured Gem Cache.
- 4 points from their 2 unlocked Progress Tiles.
- 2 points from their Gems.
- 3 points from positive Event Cards.
Contract Cards
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| Algae Cells | Pay 2 fewer Algae at the Laboratory. |
| Alien Relic | Gain 1 point per Die you have on the Negotiations Board. |
| Archive | Gain 1 point per 2 Contract Cards still in your hand. |
| Aqua Cannon | Pay 5 fewer Water when sending Dice to the Foundry. |
| Aqua Pack | Gain 5 Water when sending Dice to the Negotiations Board. |
| Captain's Hat | Gain 1 additional Die when sending Dice to the Academy. |
| Engineer Bot | Gain 1 point per Die you have at the Depository. |
| Fuel Refiner | Pay 1 fewer Energy when sending Dice to the Control Room. |
| Grogg | Gain 1 point per 5 Water in your supply. |
| Hydraulic Core | Pay 5 fewer Water when sending Dice to the Control Room. |
| Ice Stones | Pay 7 fewer Water when sending Dice to the Laboratory. |
| ID Badge | Gain 2 additional Contract Cards when sending Dice to the Headquarters (not affected by the Water Tax Event). |
| Jakhaw | Gain 1 point per Ship Tile on your Research Base (do not count the starting Ship). |
| Jrayek Armour | Gain 1 Die when negotiating with Jrayek. |
| Jrayek Drill | Pay 5 fewer Water when sending Dice to the Mining Camp. |
| Jrayek Pump | Gain 5 Water when sending Dice to the Market (before trading). |
| Jrayek Shield | Gain 2 points per Die you have placed in Jrayek's column of the Negotiations Board. |
| Karvyk | Gain 1 point per Farm Tile on your Research Base (do not count your starting Farms). |
| Ledger | Gain 1 Contract Card when sending Dice to the Depository (after fulfilling a Contract). |
| Leyrien Armour | Gain 1 Die when negotiating with Leyrien. |
| Leyrien Sceptre | You may choose to ignore all Setbacks (do not move an Incident Token either). |
| Leyrien Basket | Gain 2 Algae when sending Dice to the Market (before trading). |
| Leyrien Scythe | Gain 2 points per Die you have placed in Leyrien's column of the Negotiations Board. |
| Security Codes | Gain 5 additional Water when sending Dice to the Headquarters (not affected by the Water Tax Event). |
| Security Drone | Gain 2 points per end-game scoring Contract Card you have fulfilled (including this one). |
| Soda Supply | Pay 5 fewer Water when sending Dice to the Depository. |
| Sleep Capsules | Gain 1 point per Die in your supply (including at the Headquarters). |
| Spare Parts | Pay 1 fewer Energy when sending Dice to the Foundry. |
| Uxolotyl | Gain 1 point per 4 Algae in your supply. |
| Worker Drone | Gain 2 points per in-game ability Contract Card you have fulfilled. |
| Yeki | Gain 1 point per 2 Gems in your supply. |
| Zcarpi | Gain 1 point per 2 Energy in your supply. |
| Zcharo Armour | Gain 1 Die when negotiating with Zcharo. |
| Zcharo Flyer | Gain 2 points per Die you have placed in Zcharo's column of the Negotiations Board. |
| Zcharo Lamp | Gain 1 Energy when Sending Dice to the Market (before trading). |