CO₂: Second Chance Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Cooperative Setup
• Overview
  • How It All Ends
  • Playing a Decade
• 1. Operations Phase
  • Special Rule for 3-player Cooperative Games
• 1.1 Executive Actions
  • a. Move a Scientist
  • Gaining Knowledge
  • b. Visit the CEP Market
  • c. Play a Lobbyist card or Claim a UN goal card
• 1.2 Main Actions
  • a. Propose a Project
  • b. Prepare Infrastructure
  • c. Build a Power Plant
  • Controlling a Region's Energy Supply
  • Energy Summits
  • End of Turn
• 2. Income Phase
• 3. Environmental Goals Phase
• 4. Energy Supply Phase
  • Reducing Pollution Levels
• 5. End of Decade Phase
• Game End
• UN Inspectors Variant
• Competitive Play
  • Setup
  • Overview
  • Playing a Decade
  • Phases of Play
  • End of the Game
• Quick Reference
  • CEPs
  • Knowledge
  • Region Control
  • Scientists
  • Infrastructures
  • Tech cubes and Regions (competitive version)
• Environmental Goal Tiles
• Game Cards
  • Lobbyist cards
  • Cooperative Private Goal cards
  • Company Private Goal cards
• Credits

Components

• 1 double-sided gameboard
• 4 player boards in player colors
• 4 player aids and 1 rulebook
• 1 Starting Player token and a 3-player Co-op token
• 36 Knowledge, Scoring, and Action markers in player colors
• 32 Infrastructure tokens in player colors
• 20 Control markers and 32 Control cubes, in player colors
• 4 Action markers and 16 Scientists in player colors
• 50 Carbon Emission Permits (CEPs) and 1 CEP Market Price marker
• 1 Team Score marker and 30 Tech cubes
• 1 Decade counter and 1 Operations Round counter
• 2 Global CO₂ Pollution Level markers (1 for Co-op and 1 for Competitive)
• Currency: $1 billion, $2 billion, $5 billion, $10 billion
• 25 Power Plants (5 of each type)
• 25 Projects (2 level-1 and 3 level-2 of each type)
• 30 Fossil Fuel Power Plants in 3 types (Gas ×12, Oil ×10, Coal ×8)
• 8 Regional Agenda tiles
• 18 Energy Summit tiles in 3 different sizes (size 2 ×10, size 3 ×5, size 4 ×3)
• 47 Environmental Goal tiles in 3 types, and 1 Bag (cooperative game)
• 7 Event tiles (competitive game)
• 36 Lobbyist cards
• 4 Configuration and Victory Epithet cards
• 45 UN Goal cards in 2 types
• 16 Cooperative Private Goal cards (cooperative game)
• 10 Company Private Goal cards (competitive game)

The five green power plant / energy types are: Recycling, Hydro, Wind, Solar, and Forestation.

With the exception of money, all other components are limited to the existing amount.

Cooperative Setup

Place the gameboard in the middle of the table with the cooperative side face up. (For the competitive game, consult Competitive Play.)

1. Each player chooses a color. Then take:
   • a. The player board in your player color.
   • b. Wooden pieces in your player color: infrastructure tokens, discs, control markers, control cubes, and an action marker.
     • i. Stack 3 discs on the executive action stack space (with a "3" in it) of your player board.
     • ii. Place the pentagonal action marker on the action space (with a "1" on it).
   • c. 1 scientist of your color (the other 3 go in the recruitment pool), 2 CEPs, 2 Tech cubes.
2. Whoever most recently planted a tree goes first, and takes the Start Player token.
3. Place the Cooperative Score marker on space 0 of the score track on the gameboard. (You will use this marker to keep track of the group's victory points.)
4. Place the Decade marker on the first decade (2010). See Special Rule for 3-player Cooperative Games.
5. Place the Phase marker on the Energy Supply space of the Phase track on the gameboard.
6. Make a bank outside the board. Give each player money in clockwise order starting with the start player: 1st player gets $3; 2nd and 3rd players get $4; 4th player gets $5. Your money is public information.
7. Place the Tech cubes on their space on the gameboard to form the general pool.
8. Separate the projects by type, and place them on their appropriate spaces on the board, sorted with the level-1 projects on top and the level-2 projects on bottom.
9. Separate the green power plants by type, and place each type by the board near the matching Project tiles.
10. Shuffle the Energy Summit tiles to form a face-down deck.
11. Place a face-up Energy Summit tile in each such space on the board.
12. Place a random Regional Agenda tile on each region's space. Return the rest to the box.
13. Shuffle all the Fossil Fuel Power Plant tiles and form 3 face-down stacks of similar size, then place them next to the board. (3-player game: Return 6 of the Gas ("20") tiles to the box.)
14. Place the Global CO₂ Pollution Level marker on 400 ppm of the CO₂ track.
15. Place 1 CEP in each marked space in each region.
16. Pile the rest near the board as a CEP bank.
17. Place 2 CEPs in the middle of the CEP Market.
18. Place the CEP Price marker on the "3" space of the CEP Market.
19. Set up the Environmental Goal tiles as follows, filling the 21 spaces:
    • Shuffle the tiles in the bag.
    • Fill the first group of spaces with 8 random Power Plant goal tiles (green tiles), placed face up.
    • Fill the second group of spaces with 5 random Knowledge goal tiles (pink tiles), placed face up.
    • Fill the third group of spaces with 8 Summit goal tiles (blue tiles), placed face up.
    • Return the bag to the box.
20. Shuffle both UN Goal card decks separately, and create a display of face-up cards near the board; the number of UN Goal cards in the display depends on the number of players (refer to the Configuration card that matches the number of players). Example: in the 4-player game make a display of 3 cards of each type.
21. Give 2 secret Cooperative Private Goal cards to each player. Return the rest to the box.
22. Shuffle all the Lobbyist cards and give 5 to each player. Return the rest to the box.

Important: You are not allowed to discuss cards in your hand during the game!

Lobbyist Draft variant: Once you are familiar with the game, you should draft your initial hand of Lobbyist cards. Choose 2 of the 5 Lobbyist cards you have, and pass the other 3 to the player on your right. Then from the 3 received, take 1 and pass 2 to the right. From the 2 received, take 1 and pass 1 to the right.

Overview

A game of CO2: Second Chance lasts 4 decades, and each decade is divided into the following 5 phases:

1. Operations — where the real action takes place. You propose projects to stop CO2 emissions from increasing; any company can prepare the infrastructure to handle the new power plant (rewarded by the UN); and any company can actually build the power plant. You gain knowledge by sending scientists to work on new projects and to present their findings at energy summits. You can also manipulate the Carbon Emission Permit (CEP) market and utilize lobbyists.
2. Income — the industry experts in each energy type reap the fruits of their labor in the form of money and/or victory points, as they choose.
3. Environmental Goals — you lose victory points for any environmental goals the group has not yet achieved.
4. Energy Supply — each region whose energy requirements are not met will meet their own needs with fossil fuels. To prevent this, you must forecast their energy demands and build sufficient green power plants. With each new fossil fuel plant, more CO2 emissions pollute the planet, which also requires the region to spend a Carbon Emission Permit.
5. End of Decade — merely prepares the game setup for the next decade.

How It All Ends

In CO2: Second Chance, victory points represent your reputation, your knowledge about the different clean sources of energy, and the work you have done to help preserve the environment. If the group's victory points are below zero at the end of any decade, you all lose the game. Otherwise, the game ends after 4 decades.

Playing a Decade

Each decade plays out over the 5 phases described above. Keep track of the current phase by advancing the Phase marker as you go.

Note: During the game you are not allowed to trade money, CEPs, or any other resources with other players unless it is explicitly written in the rules.

1. Operations Phase

Move the Phase marker to the first Operations Phase space, on the left.

In each round every player takes one turn. Once you play the last Operations round, you advance the Phase marker on the Phase track. The number of rounds in the Operations phase is as follows:

• 1–2 players: 4 rounds
• 3 players: 3 rounds (skip round 4)
• 4 players: 2 rounds (skip rounds 3 and 4)

Starting with the start player and going clockwise, in each round every player takes one turn. On your turn, you must take 1 Main action, and you may take any number of Executive actions, but you can only take each Executive action once per turn. You may take your actions in any order.

At the end of your turn, always check whether any energy summits have been completed (see Energy Summits), then prepare for the next player's turn.

There are 3 Executive and 3 Main actions in the Operations Phase:

Executive actions

• a. Move a Scientist
• b. Visit the CEP Market
• c. Play a Lobbyist card or Claim a UN card

Main actions

• a. Propose a Project
• b. Prepare Infrastructure
• c. Build a Power Plant

Special Rule for 3-player Cooperative Games

Place the 3-Player Co-Op token on the 4th decade space. When the 4th decade arrives, flip and move the token to cover the 3rd Operations space. In the 4th decade, you will play only 2 Operations rounds instead of the usual 3. This ensures that the 3-player game has roughly the same number of turns as a 2- or 4-player game.

1.1 Executive Actions

You may do each one of these once during your turn, before or after your Main action. When you perform an Executive action, cover its space on your player board with an action disc.

a. Move a Scientist

Scientists enable you to gain knowledge through their project experience and by attending energy summits. Knowledge will bring income and victory points, and allow you to build better power plants.

Move one of your scientists as follows:

From your player board to:

• a. any unoccupied proposed project (see Propose a Project), or
• b. any unoccupied Lobbyist card played by any player to make use of the card's minor effect (see Playing a Lobbyist card).

Or from a proposed project to:

• a. any unoccupied proposed project,
• b. any unoccupied Lobbyist card played by any player to make use of the card's minor effect,
• c. any unoccupied energy summit talk about the same energy type (see Energy Summits), or
• d. your player board.

Scientist Restrictions:

• Only one scientist can be on each project or on each lobbyist card.
• Scientists never move to a project with infrastructure (see Prepare Infrastructure).
• The only way for a scientist to speak at an energy summit is by moving off a project.
• A scientist can never move to a summit directly from the player board.
• Once a scientist is on a summit, he/she remains there until the summit is resolved.
• Once a scientist is on a lobbyist card, he/she remains there until the end of the game.

Important rule: Whenever you move your scientist from a proposed project, for any reason, gain 1 knowledge in the proposed project's energy type (see Gaining Knowledge). When the scientist leaves the project he/she was researching, he/she gets knowledge in that type of energy. Place or advance a disc one space on that knowledge track.

Gaining Knowledge

Knowledge represents the know-how of the Companies in each of the green energy sources in the game.

When you gain knowledge about a type of energy, advance your disc to the right along that knowledge track. If your disc lands on or passes over a space with an icon above it, immediately apply the icon's bonus. This bonus can be applied to any one player of your choice; it doesn't have to be you!

If it is your first knowledge point in that energy source, move one of your player-color discs from your player board to the first space on the respective track. When a disc is at the end of a knowledge track, it cannot advance further, and any knowledge gained beyond that point is lost.

The bonuses are:

• Energy type icons: You gain 1 point of knowledge in the indicated energy type.
• Tech cube icon: You receive 1 Tech cube. Take it from the general pool.
• Region CEP icon: You place a CEP from the market on any region of your choice with space for CEPs. Each region can only have 1 CEP per CEP space. If there aren't any spaces available you have to choose another region.
• Generic Energy icon: You gain 1 point of knowledge in any energy type.

Note: It is possible to create a chain of combos with these bonuses!

b. Visit the CEP Market

Companies are allowed to buy and sell Carbon Emission Permits to meet their pollution quotas or just to speculate on the market price and improve their profits. By taking this Executive action you may either:

• Buy 1 CEP from the market at the price specified by the red CEP Price marker, then move the CEP from the market to your player board. After buying, if the market still has any CEPs, the price does not change; otherwise, see The CEP Market Is Empty below.
• Sell 1 CEP at the price specified by the red CEP Price marker, then decrease the CEP price by 1 (min. $1). The CEP you sell must come from your player board, and returns to the bank next to the board.

The CEP Market Is Empty: Any time the CEP Market becomes empty (you will see the market icon on the board as a reminder), immediately increase the CEP price by 1 (max. $8), and add 2 CEPs from the bank. Once you see the market icon, the market closes for the remainder of your turn, which means that you can no longer Visit the CEP Market this turn.

c. Play a Lobbyist card or Claim a UN goal card

Competition in energy production is fierce, and no Company could survive it without persuasive lobbyists. Achieving UN goals will help a Company gain recognition and influence. By taking this Executive action you may either:

Play a Lobbyist card from your hand next to your player board, either for its main effect in the middle, or for the minor effect in the bottom right. The card effect must be applied during the current turn:

• Main effect: Play this before or after taking the action depicted in the middle of the card (which will be either a main action or one of the other two executive actions), then receive the benefit depicted below the green arrow pointing down from the action.
• Minor effect: There are no requirements for doing this. Just play the card, and take the benefit in the lower-right corner.

Note: Because you or another player can move a scientist onto the minor effect of any card after it's been played, the card's minor effect can be used twice during the game!

Claim a UN card from the display: Each UN Goal card depicts several green power plant types (sometimes including more than one of a single type!), as well as a cost in Tech cubes. If you have infrastructure (see Prepare Infrastructure) supporting all the built plants depicted on the card, then pay the Tech cubes shown on the top of the card to claim it. Flip the card face down in the display to show that it was claimed. The group immediately earns 2 victory points.

Note on UN cards: Only the player who prepared the infrastructure can claim the card, but not until the power plant is already built. It does not matter who built the power plant.

1.2 Main Actions

You must perform precisely one of the three main actions on your turn, before or after any Executive Actions. Mark the action you choose on your player board with your pentagonal Action marker. If you cannot take any of the steps described, you cannot take the action.

The construction of power plants is abstracted into 3 steps, often carried out by different companies/players: Propose a Project → Prepare Infrastructure → Build a Power Plant.

a. Propose a Project

You propose a green energy project for a region, and in return, the region provides you with a grant. The region takes ownership of the project, which can then be initiated by any player's company.

To Propose a Project perform the following steps:

1. Take the top power plant tile of any energy type from the display and place it 'proposed side up' in an empty project space. The Region Agenda tile in that region must depict that type of energy. The level of the project only affects the Build a Power Plant action, to be performed on this project later.
2. Gain 1 knowledge in the project type of energy (see Gaining Knowledge).
3. Take the grant depicted in the space you covered, either:
   • Money: Take money from the bank equal to the number of CEPs the region has. Example: 3 CEPs = $3.
   • Tech cubes: Take 2 Tech cubes from the supply.
   • Scientists: Choose 1:
     • Recruit one scientist. To recruit a scientist, move one of your scientists from the recruitment pool to your player board. When you recruit a scientist, gain 1 knowledge in any type of energy (see Gaining Knowledge), or
     • Move one of your scientists (see Move a Scientist).

b. Prepare Infrastructure

A modern green power plant requires equally modern infrastructure to support it and to distribute its power. You prepare the infrastructure for a project, which provides you with immediate and long-term benefits, and lays the groundwork to build the power plant.

To prepare the infrastructure, perform the following steps:

1. Choose a proposed project on its proposed side.
2. Pay 1 CEP as indicated by the red arrow on the project tile. Any time you pay a CEP, it can come from your stock, or any region whose energy supply you control (see Controlling a Region's Energy Supply); CEPs always return to the bank. If there is a scientist on this project, the scientist's employer (player with the same color as the scientist) immediately moves the scientist for free, and thus gains knowledge (see Move a Scientist). Note: Moving your own scientist this way on your turn is also free and does not count as an executive action.
3. Receive the benefits shown by the green arrow on the project tile.
4. Flip the project tile.
5. Slide one of your infrastructure tokens into the project tile.

The benefits of Preparing an Infrastructure (also on your player board):

• Recycling: Take $5 from the bank and 1 CEP from the market.
• Hydro: Take $3 from the bank, 1 Tech cube from the general pool, and 1 CEP from the market.
• Wind: Take $5 from the bank and 1 Tech cube from the general pool.
• Solar: Take 3 Tech cubes from the general pool.
• Forestation: Take 2 CEPs from the market.

Note: The player who Prepares the Infrastructure is the one who will get access to the UN cards later, but not until the project is complete and the power plant is built (see Build a Power Plant).

Note: You can only prepare infrastructure for a proposed project, and only if you still have infrastructures in stock.

c. Build a Power Plant

Building upon prepared infrastructure, you finally construct the green power plant proposed in the first place. To build a power plant, perform the following steps:

1. Choose an infrastructure whose level is no higher than your knowledge in that energy type. Note: Once your knowledge in an energy type reaches the space depicting a power plant level, you are able to build that level of that type of power plant. Until then, you cannot.
2. Pay the CEP, money, and Tech cubes according to the plant type and level (consult your player board to find these costs).
3. Move the infrastructure to the region's leftmost empty energy demand space. If there is no empty space, replace the oldest fossil fuel plant, then reduce the global CO2 levels by the amount the fossil fuel plant emitted (the global CO2 level cannot go below 400 ppm). Note: Green Power Plants cannot be replaced. If a region only has green power plants, it is no longer possible to build power plants in that region.
4. Insert the matching power plant into the infrastructure.
5. Receive points according to the plant type and level (also on your player board).
6. Place 1 of your control cubes under the Regional Agenda tile, on the space matching the energy type. Each space can hold any number of cubes, from the same or different players.
7. Check to see if you took control of the region's energy supply (see Controlling a Region's Energy Supply).

Controlling a Region's Energy Supply

Whenever you build a new green power plant, check to determine if you seized control of the region's energy supply. Control is checked only when a power plant is built. You take control of a region's energy supply:

1. If you have control cubes in the most energy source spaces below the Regional Demand tile.
2. If you are tied, you take control if you provide the most preferred energy sources (further left on the Regional Demand tile).
3. If you are still tied, you take control if you have more knowledge in the type you just built.
4. If you are still tied, you take control because you are the active player.

If you took control, replace the hexagonal control marker on the Regional Agenda tile with yours. Return the displaced Control marker to its owner.

Reminder: The only projects / power plants allowed to be in a region are those on its Regional Agenda tile.

Energy Summits

Companies can send their Scientists to energy Summits in order to gain knowledge about the energy sources discussed at the topics of those summits.

After you have completed your actions for the turn, resolve each energy summit that has all of its topics covered by scientists. If more than one energy summit was completed this turn, resolve them in the order they were completed. Resolve each one as follows:

1. In clockwise order, ending with the player who completed the summit by placing the last scientist on the Energy Summit tile, each scientist on the tile gains its employer 2 knowledge in any energy type(s) discussed at the summit (2 of one, or 1 each of two different), then returns to its owner's board.
2. Discard the Energy Summit tile, and replace it with the top tile from the Energy Summit deck.

Reminder: A scientist can only be moved to a summit from a matching proposed project. Once at the summit, the scientist cannot move away until it is completed.

End of Turn

After resolving any completed energy summits, remove all action markers from the action spaces on your player board.

2. Income Phase

Move the Phase marker to the Income Phase space.

In turn order, for each energy source, the players whose markers are in the two stacks furthest along its knowledge track will get income (2-player game: only the furthest stack). Each of these players receive income as indicated by that space. When you receive income, you choose how much of it to receive in money, and how much in victory points. Money cannot be shared between players.

Tip: It's easier to plan if you spend victory points required by the later phases before choosing to gain income, making the calculations and this decision quicker.

3. Environmental Goals Phase

Move the Phase marker to the Environmental Goals Phase space.

1. Flip achieved Environmental Goal tiles (see Environmental Goal Tiles).
2. For each remaining face-up Environmental Goal tile, lose victory points equal to the decade you are playing:
   • 2010: −1 point
   • 2020: −2 points
   • 2030: −3 points
   • 2040: −4 points

If the score is below 0 victory points at the end of this phase, the game is over and everyone loses.

Tip: To simplify maintenance and aid planning, you can flip the environmental goal tiles as soon as you accomplish each goal.

4. Energy Supply Phase

Move the Phase marker to the Energy Supply Phase space.

For each region (start with the region in which you are playing this game, and go clockwise), perform the following steps:

1. If the current decade's space in the region has a power plant, skip to the next region.
2. Otherwise, fill the empty space by randomly drawing a fossil fuel power plant from one of the Fossil Fuel Plant decks.
3. Increase the global CO2 levels by the emissions ppm number depicted on the fossil fuel power plant.
4. Move a CEP from the region onto the Fossil Fuel Plant tile. If the region has no CEPs, instead move the region's control marker from the regional agenda tile (belonging to a player) onto the tile.
5. The Region must pay 1 CEP (remove it from the Fossil Fuel Plant tile and return it to the bank).
   • If the Region cannot pay (and thus a Control marker is on the plant, instead), the player controlling the energy supply for that region (i.e. the player with a Control marker on the plant) must pay a fine (see Paying a Fine). Return the Control marker to the Regional Agenda tile.

After all regions are checked, all the CEPs on the fossil fuel power plants are returned to the bank.

Paying a fine: If you are unable to spend a CEP during the Energy Supply phase, then you must take one from the CEP Market to spend, and lose victory points equal to the current CEP Market Price.

Reducing Pollution Levels

After new fossil fuel power plants increase the pollution level, you have a chance to reduce the CO2 pollution level by spending victory points. You must reduce the CO2 at least to 500 ppm, but you usually want to reduce it as much as you can below this level, because reducing it later will only cost more!

The number of points you must spend to reduce CO2 pollution depends on the decade:

• 2010: −1 point per 10 ppm
• 2020: −2 points per 10 ppm
• 2030: −3 points per 10 ppm
• 2040: −4 points per 10 ppm

If the score is below 0 victory points at the end of this phase, the game is over and everyone loses because CO2 pollution will be above 500 ppm!

5. End of Decade Phase

Prepare for the next decade as follows:

1. Advance the Decade marker.
2. Pass the Start Player token to the right (counterclockwise).
3. Check Game End.

Reminder: In a 3-player game, when you advance the Decade marker to the 4th decade, move the 3-Player Co-Op token to cover the 3rd Operations space on the phases track: In the final decade, you will play only two rounds of the Operations phase.

Game End

The game ends at the end of the 4th decade. The group loses if:

• The group doesn't finish the 4th decade.
• Any player has completed neither of their private goals.
• There are more than 3 UN Goal cards left unclaimed.

Otherwise, the group wins! Please refer to the Configuration card to earn your Victory Epithet.

UN Inspectors Variant

During setup, place a Tech cube as a UN Inspector next to the upper-left green Environmental Goal tile; place another next to the upper-left blue one. Do not put one on the pink box. Now, Advance the Inspectors.

Advance the Inspectors — For green, then blue, do the following:

• Draw a Fossil Fuel Power Plant tile.
• Advance the inspector clockwise along the tiles in the box (skipping empty spaces): 2 spaces for a 20, 3 spaces for a 30, 4 spaces for a 40.
• Tuck the Plant tile face down under the tile deck.

If you fail to achieve an environmental goal with an inspector on it, the goal's value is doubled for the current decade. Example: You haven't fulfilled the inspector's goal during the second decade (2020), so you lose 4 points for it, instead of just 2.

In the End of the Decade Phase, Advance each of the Inspectors in the same way described above.

Competitive Play

In the competitive game, you are competing to maximize your profit while ostensibly "working together" to reduce global CO2 emissions. If you wish to play competitively, apply the following changes. All other rules remain the same.

Setup

Use the competitive side of the board.

Player Setup:

• a. Place 1 disc of your color on space 0 of the score track. In this game version each player earns their own points, so keep track of each player's score separately.
• b. Instead of the Cooperative Private Goal cards, use the Company Private Goal cards. Each player receives 2 random secret Company Goal cards, immediately chooses one and discards the other to the box. (Remove the cards with the 2-player symbol from the 2-player games.)

Board Setup:

1. Place the Global CO2 Pollution Level marker on 50 ppm.
2. Instead of the Environmental Goal tiles, use the Event tiles. Shuffle all the Event tiles to form a face-down Event deck. Place this deck on the orange circle (the Upcoming Event space) near the corner of the board. Reveal and move the top tile to the white circle (the Current Event space), then flip a new tile from the Event deck. Now 2 events are visible.
3. Shuffle both UN Goal card decks separately, and create a display of 10 face-up cards near the board: 5 cards depicting 2 energy types from one deck, and 5 cards depicting 3 energy types from another deck. Return the rest of the cards to the box.

Overview

A competitive game lasts 5 decades. The Environmental Goals phase is replaced by an Events phase, and the Energy Supply phase is the first phase each decade, rather than the fourth. Each decade is divided into the following 5 phases:

1. Energy Supply
2. Operations
3. Income
4. Events
5. End of Decade

If the CO2 pollution levels ever reach 500 ppm, all players immediately lose the game. Otherwise, after 5 decades, whoever earned the most victory points wins.

Playing a Decade

• In the competitive game, there are no difficulty levels.
• During your turn, you can discard your Company Private Goal Card face-down in exchange for $8 (check the bottom right corner of the card).

Phases of Play

1. Energy Supply Phase — The rules for this phase are almost the same; however:

• You cannot spend victory points to reduce pollution.
• If a player needs to pay a fine, the points are taken from him.
• If the CO2 levels are above 500 ppm, the game is over and everyone loses!

In the first decade there aren't any power plants on the board, so all regions receive a fossil fuel power plant at random, and each region pays one CEP to the bank. Then the CO2 marker advances the total amount depicted in drawn tiles.

2. Operations Phase

Executive action c — Play a Lobbyist card or Claim a UN Goal card: When you claim a UN Goal card from the display, place it next to your player board. The more of these you have, the more victory points you will get at the end of the game; however, you do not get any immediate points for it.

Main action c — Build a Power Plant: Step 2 gives you an additional option in the competitive game. Because of the Energy Supply Phase, the regions may receive Tech cubes. When you pay the Tech cubes portion of the cost to build a power plant, if the region has any Tech cubes, you may use 1 of them to help cover the cost.

3. Income Phase — As in the cooperative game, when you receive income, you choose how much to receive in money and how much in victory points; however, in the competitive game, you each earn your own points, and you do so in turn order.

4. Events Phase — You must provide aid to regions in need. If you already have infrastructure or power plants in the region, your contributions are already appreciated; if you don't, you must save face by providing Tech cubes and CEP support. The Events phase completely replaces the Goals phase of the cooperative mode. Proceed as follows:

1. Move the Phase marker to the Events Phase space.
2. Discard 1 Tech cube from each region (that has any) to the bank.
3. The Event tile on the white circle is now triggered. The region indicated suffers a disaster. Each player that has neither built a power plant in that region nor an infrastructure supporting a built power plant in that same region must contribute 1 of their own Tech cubes to the region, and pay 1 CEP on its behalf (see also Paying a Fine). Send the CEP to the bank and place the Tech cube on the proper space of the region. Each player who is unable to provide the Tech cube to the region loses 2 victory points. You cannot choose to keep the Tech cube and instead lose 2 victory points.
4. If the CO2 pollution level is at or above 400 ppm, the face-up Event on top of the deck (in the orange circle Upcoming Event space) also occurs. Follow the same procedure as in the previous step.
5. Discard the Event tile(s) that took effect.
6. Reveal the top tile from the deck (if not revealed yet) and move it to the white Current Event space, then flip the top Event tile of the deck face up, so again 2 Event tiles are visible.

5. End of Decade Phase — as in the cooperative game.

End of the Game

If the CO2 level ever reaches 500 ppm, everyone loses the game immediately. Otherwise, the game ends after the 5th decade. If you successfully reach the end of the game, each player performs the following steps for final scoring:

1. Collect all CEPs from the regions whose energy supplies you control.
2. Sell all your CEPs (collected and in hand) at the CEP Market Price, without reducing the price.
3. If you didn't discard your Company Goal card yet, you can discard it now to receive $8, or reveal it to gain victory points as indicated on the card.
4. Gain 1 victory point for each $2 you have.
5. The player with the most Tech cubes gains 3 victory points. If several players are tied for the most, each of them gets the 3 victory points.
6. Gain victory points depending on the number of UN Goal cards you have claimed: 1/2/3/4+ UN Goal cards = 6/10/15/21 Victory points.

The player with the most victory points wins. The tiebreakers, in order, are: most UN Goal cards; most green power plants; most infrastructures; most money. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Quick Reference

CEPs

• After setup, every CEP that enters play is taken from the market.
• When the market empties, move 2 from the bank to the market and increase the price by 1.
• Every CEP paid or sold goes to the bank.
• When you need to pay a CEP, you can take it from any region you control or from your hand.
• If you don't have any CEPs to pay, you cannot take the action.
• If you have to pay a fine you must take a CEP from the market in exchange for points equal to the market price.
• You can only sell a CEP from your hand. You cannot sell a CEP from a region, even when you have control.
• Some of the spaces on the knowledge tracks enable you to move a CEP from the market to a region of your choice, unless the region's CEP spaces are full.

Knowledge

• You earn 1 point of knowledge in an energy type of your choice when you Recruit a Scientist or cover the Generic Energy icon on the knowledge track.
• You earn 1 point of knowledge in a specific energy type when you Propose a project to a region, one of your Scientists leaves a Proposed project for any reason, or you cover an energy type icon on the knowledge track.
• At the end of a turn in which a Summit is completed, you earn 2 points of knowledge in any energy type matching the 'topics' of that summit, per each of your own participating scientists.
• At the Income Phase, the players with discs in the 1st and 2nd stacks in each energy type receive money and/or victory points.
• In order to build a power plant, the players must have enough knowledge in the energy source of the power plant.
• Knowledge is a tie breaker when determining Region Control.
• When the knowledge disc covers specific spaces, a bonus is gained.

Region Control

• Control of the energy supply of a region is checked only when a power plant is built.
• When determining Control by the most knowledge, it's decided only at the time of building. If later players' knowledge increases and changes for the tied players, Control of the region doesn't change.

Scientists

• If you have your own scientist in a project and decide to prepare an infrastructure there, you do not need to use your executive action to move the scientist out. The movement of that scientist is mandatory and free. You can still use your executive action to move the same or a different scientist.

Infrastructures

• In the competitive version, when an Event affects a region, having infrastructure supporting a power plant there means you don't have to pay anything.

Tech cubes and Regions (competitive version)

• If an Event occurs in a region and you have neither a power plant nor an infrastructure supporting a power plant in that region, you must give the region a Tech cube and pay 1 CEP.
• At the beginning of each Event phase, each region discards 1 Tech cube, if it has any.
• Each time you build a power plant, the region pays 1 of the required Tech cubes, if it has any.

Environmental Goal Tiles

These are only used in the cooperative version of the game. If goals are not achieved, they will penalize the group based on the current decade. Note: If 2 tiles with the same goal are shown, the group has to accomplish both tiles separately.

• Building Goals (green): 12 tiles — Build a power plant in the depicted region. 10 tiles — Build a power plant of the depicted type.
• Knowledge Goals (pink): 5 tiles — Reach the top of the Knowledge track of the depicted energy type. 5 tiles — Reach the pink space (halfway point) of the Knowledge track of the energy type depicted.
• Summit Goals (blue): 5 tiles — Complete a Summit with the size indicated on the tile. 10 tiles — Complete a Summit that has the type of energy depicted.

Game Cards

Lobbyist cards

Major effects — These are used in both versions of the game. They can only be played using an executive action.

• Propose a project (01–06): Propose a project in the depicted region, then take $3.
• Propose a project (07–09): Propose a project in the grant space depicted, then take $3, take 2 Tech cubes, or move a scientist.
• Prepare infrastructure (10–14): Prepare infrastructure of the depicted energy type, then take $3, take 2 Tech cubes, or take 2 cubes or $2.
• Prepare infrastructure (15–19): Prepare infrastructure of the depicted energy type, then get one knowledge in the same type of energy.
• Build a Power Plant (20–24): Build a power plant of the depicted energy type, then take $3. You can use that money to pay for the build.
• Build a Power Plant (25–29): Build a power plant of the depicted energy type, then get one knowledge in the same type of energy.
• Scientist to Summits (30–34): Send a scientist to a Summit of the depicted energy type, then get one knowledge in the same type of energy. (This can only happen during your turn, because it's the only time you can play these cards.)
• Use Market (35): Buy a CEP, then earn 2 points.
• Use Market (36): Sell a CEP, then get an additional $3.

Minor effects: Take a CEP from the Market, Take a Tech cube, take $2, or move a scientist.

Cooperative Private Goal cards

These are only used in the Cooperative version. Each player gets two random Goal cards during setup. One of the conditions of winning the cooperative game is that each player accomplishes one of their two Goal cards. With the exception of card number 3, all cards remain secret until the end of the game.

1. Have at least 6 CEPs in your hand.
2. Control one region with at least 4 CEPs.
3. Complete a size-2 summit by yourself. (reveal this card as soon as you complete it)
4. Have 3 Tech cubes.
5. Have all scientists hired.
6. Have at least $10 in your hand.
7. Maximize your knowledge in at least 2 types of energy.
8. Control the number of regions shown at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
9. Prepare the number of same-type infrastructures depicted at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
10. Prepare the number of different-type infrastructures depicted at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
11. Build the number of same-region power plants depicted at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
12. Prepare the number of Infrastructures in different regions, shown at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
13. Build the number of same-type power plants depicted at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
14. Build the number of different-type power plants depicted at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
15. Build the number of same-region power plants depicted at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)
16. Build the number of Power Plants in different regions, shown at the bottom of the card. (check the number of players)

Company Private Goal cards

These are only used in the Competitive version of the game. They will be scored at the end of the game, or you can discard yours at any time in exchange for $8, and forgo scoring it. These cards remain secret at all times, even if discarded.

1. 2 points for each CEP in hand and in regions you control. (Maximum of 16 Points)
2. 4 points for each knowledge track you lead (ties count as leads). (Maximum of 16 Points)
3. 3 points for each UN Goal card you have scored. (Maximum of 15 Points)
4. 4 points for each region you control. (Maximum of 16 Points)
5. 3 points for each region in which you have at least 1 power plant. (Maximum of 15 Points)
6. 3 points for each different energy source of power plant you have built. (Maximum of 15 Points)
7. 3 points for each power plant you have built beyond the first one. (Maximum of 15 Points)
8. 3 points for each region in which you have at least 1 infrastructure. (Maximum of 15 Points)
9. 3 points for each infrastructure you have prepared from a different energy source. (Maximum of 15 Points)
10. 3 points for each infrastructure you prepared beyond the first one. (Maximum of 15 Points)

(Remove the cards with the 2-player symbol from the 2-player games.)

Credits

Game Design: Vital Lacerda. Illustrations, Graphic Design & 3D illustrations: Ian O'Toole. Main Developer: Paul M. Incao. Solo Game Development: Julián Pombo. Rulebook: Vital Lacerda. English Rules Editing: Nathan Morse. Published by Giochix (© 2018 Giochix / Inmedia Srl, Roma, Italy). English edition: Stronghold Games.