Cosmic Colonies Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Credits
• Setup
  • Learn to Play!
• Player Setup
• Gameplay Overview
  • Action Phase
  • Refresh Phase
  • Scoring
• Gameplay
  • Worker Cards
  • Action Phase
  • Collect Resources
  • Place a Building
• Tile Placement Rules
• Refresh Phase
  • 1. Add Resources
  • 2. Fill Empty Building Slots
  • 3. Move the Round Marker
  • 4. Orbit Worker Cards (3-5 players)
  • Orbit Worker Cards (2 players)
  • 6. Continue Gameplay
• Scoring
  • Calculating Your Score
  • Undeveloped Terrain
  • Constructed Buildings
• Advanced Setup
  • Setup
  • Advanced Workers — Action Phase
  • Advanced Workers — Scoring
• Additional Variants
  • "Plan Ahead"
  • "Rank and File"
• Solo Mode Rules
  • Components
  • Overview
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
  • Action Phase
  • The Robot's Turn
  • Robot: Place a Building
  • Robot: Collect Resources
  • Continue Gameplay
  • Refresh Phase
  • Scoring

Components

• 96 Building Tiles — 16 of each: Habitat, Greenhouse, Atmosphere Generator, Power Plant, Entertainment Complex. 8 of each: Soylent Factory and Statue.
• 5 Score Markers
• 1 Round Marker
• 60 Resource Tokens — 15 of each: Water, Minerals, Organics, Power. 5 of each 2x Resource Tokens.
• 20 Basic Worker Cards (marked with a gear symbol)
• 20 Advanced Worker Cards (marked with a gear-with-people symbol)
• Double-sided Main Board
• 5 Double-sided Asteroid Boards
• Score Track / 2-Player Board
• Solo Mode Asteroid Board
• 5 Private Objective Cards
• 14 Solo Mode Worker Cards (marked with a person symbol)

Credits

• Game Design: Scott Almes
• Illustration: Tristam Rossin
• Cover Illustration: Matt Bain
• Graphic Design: Matt Paquette
• Game Development: Ben Harkins
• Editing: Paige Polinsky
• Publisher: Floodgate Games
• Playtesters: Beth, Joe, Alyssa, Dan, Hannah, Ray, Jess, Mark, Shawna, Eric, Liz, Peter Yang, Nate Anderson, Dan Marta, Evan Pedersen, Emily Tinawi-Harkins, Josh Slivken, Matt Henning, Travis Magrum, Ian Moss, Jim Schoch, Danielle Seidner

Setup

Players can choose to play with the Basic or Advanced setup. Basic setup is recommended for first-time players. Changes for Advanced setup are covered in Advanced Setup, toward the end of the rule book.

1. Place the Main Board in the center of the table with the appropriate side facing up.
2. Fill each Resource Location with its matching Resource Tokens from the supply by player count, adding 1 token per player.
3. Fill each Building Slot with a corresponding building of the same shape. Note: 1x1 and 2x1 tiles will not be placed on the Main Board.
4. Place the remaining Building Tiles and Resource Tokens to the side of the Main Board to form the supply.
5. Place the Round Marker on the 1 space of the Round Track.
6. In a 2-player game, flip the Score Track over and place it between both players, showing the 2-player side of the board. For all other player counts, place the Score Track face-up and place each player's Score Marker on the 0 space.

Learn to Play!

We'll teach you how to play! Watch a video explanation here: Floodgate.Games/CosmicColonies

Player Setup

A. Give each player a random Asteroid Board, placing it with the Basic side face-up (indicated by a gear symbol).

B. Give each player 1 token of each resource type, placing them on their Asteroid Board in their Warehouse. Note: Players may only hold 9 of any type.

C. Select the Worker Cards that will be used during the game. This can be done randomly, or you can pick which ones you prefer after you've played a few times.

• For the Basic Setup, only select from the Worker Cards with a single ability. These have a gear symbol on the card backs.
• For 2 or 3 players, use 12 cards.
• For 4 players, use 16 cards.
• For 5 players, use 20 cards.
• Remove the unused Worker Cards from the game.

D. Shuffle these Worker Cards and deal each player 4 Worker Cards face-down to form their Worker Hand. Players may look at these cards but must keep them secret from each other.

• In a 2-player game, there will be 4 cards left over. Make 2 piles of 2 cards and place 1 pile on each slot face-down on the 2-Player Board.

E. Shuffle all Objective Cards together and deal 1 to each player face-down. Players may look at their card but must keep it secret from each other. Remove the unused Objective Cards from the game.

Gameplay Overview

Each game takes place over the course of 8 rounds, each broken into 2 phases: Action and Refresh.

Action Phase

During this phase, players will:

1. Simultaneously select 1 Worker Card from their Hand.
2. Simultaneously reveal these workers.
3. Choose to either collect resources or place a building on their asteroid. Players will perform their chosen action in order of Worker Priority, from the smallest to largest number. Note: These actions may be enhanced or restricted by the special ability on Worker Cards.

These steps are then repeated once, with players choosing a second Worker Card. After each player performs their second action, move on to the Refresh Phase.

Refresh Phase

During the Refresh Phase:

1. For each Resource Location, add 1 token per player of the corresponding type from the supply.
2. Fill empty Building Slots on the Main Board from the supply.
3. Move the Round Marker on the Round Track.
4. Orbit each player's 2 used Worker Cards: each player passes them to the player on their left and simultaneously receives 2 new Worker Cards from the player on their right.

Scoring

At the end of the 8th round, players gain points based on uncovered spaces on their Asteroid Board, sets of 1 of each main Building Tile, and Building Tiles that match those on their Objective Card. The highest-scoring player is the winner!

Gameplay

Each game is played over the course of 8 rounds. Each round consists of an Action Phase and a Refresh Phase.

Worker Cards

GOLDEN RULE - Worker Card abilities may break from these gameplay rules. When performing an action, players must follow the rules adjusted as indicated on their Worker Card.

Basic Worker Card layout:

1. Priority Number
2. Carry Limit
3. Name
4. Ability

Example: "Land Surveyor" — Priority 7, Carry Limit 3. Ability — Build: The tile may cross the outside edge of your Asteroid.

Action Phase

1. Players simultaneously, secretly select 1 Worker Card from their Hand, placing it face-down in front of them. Once all players have selected their card, continue on to the next step.
2. Players simultaneously reveal their selected Worker Card.
3. Each player performs their action in order from smallest to largest Priority Number (not simultaneously).

NOTE: Be sure to perform any Before Action abilities as indicated on the Worker Card. Some of these are only available when taking a specific action.

There are two options for Worker Actions – unless otherwise noted, players may either:

• Collect Resources
• or Place a Building

These actions may be enhanced or restricted by the special abilities on Worker Cards, so be sure each player reads their worker's Ability before performing their action.

Collect Resources

• To Collect Resources, a player selects one Resource Location on the Main Board and collects Resource Tokens from that location equal to their worker's Carry Limit. If there are too few tokens, then collect all tokens at that location instead.
• Add these Resource Tokens to the player's Warehouse on their Asteroid Board. If a player ever exceeds 9 Resource Tokens in their Warehouse, they must return tokens of their choice from their Warehouse to the supply until they are down to 9 tokens.
• Some workers augment the Collect Resources action when it's selected, as indicated by "Collect:" followed by the ability text.

Place a Building

The cost to place a building is indicated next to each Building Slot. If a Building Slot has a tile in it, a player may:

• Pay the cost in Resource Tokens, returning the required tokens from their Warehouse to the supply (not to the Resource Location on the Main Board).
• Take the tile from the Main Board, placing it on their asteroid, obeying all tile placement rules.
• Some workers augment the Place a Building action when it's selected, as indicated by "Build:" followed by the ability text.

Entertainment Complex Tile: The straight-lined building's cost is 2 tokens of 1 resource type and 1 token of any other type. They cannot all be the same type.

4- & 5-Player Games: For 4- and 5-player games, there are 2 of each Building Tile available each round. One is more expensive than the other, so it's often beneficial to Place a Building earlier!

"Practice" Tiles: Players may need to "practice" placing a tile to find the best placement location (e.g., rotating / flipping the tile, or seeing the impact of various locations). It may be helpful for players to practice with a tile from the supply before deciding to take the Place a Building action.

Tile Placement Rules

• The first tile on an Asteroid Board may be placed anywhere.
• Every other tile must be placed adjacent to another tile (not necessarily the previously placed tile).
• Tiles must share at least 1 edge with an adjacent tile. A tile may not be placed if it is only diagonally adjacent to another tile.
• Tiles may be rotated or flipped before being placed.
• Tiles must not overlap an existing tile.
• Tiles must be placed within the outer edges of the asteroid grid lines.
• Tiles must be aligned with the grid lines such that they cover terrain symbols.
• Once a tile is placed, it cannot be moved.

NOTE: Some worker abilities allow players to break some of these placement rules.

Refresh Phase

If this is the eighth round, then immediately proceed to Scoring. Otherwise, complete the following steps:

1. Add Resources

• Leave any remaining Resource Tokens on the Main Board.
• For each Resource Location on the Main Board, add the corresponding type of Resource Tokens to that location equal to the player count (e.g., add 3 Resource Tokens each in a 3-player game) from the supply.
• If a Resource Location exceeds its limit, return excess Resource Tokens to the supply -- limits are 5 Tokens per location in a 2- or 3-player game / 7 each in a 4- or 5-player game.

Note: If there are not enough Resource Tokens in the supply, then only add as many as possible to the location.

2. Fill Empty Building Slots

Fill each empty Building Slot with a corresponding Building Tile of the same shape from the supply. Each slot should only have 1 Building Tile.

3. Move the Round Marker

Move the Round Marker on the Round Track 1 space to the right.

4. Orbit Worker Cards (3-5 players)

Orbit each player's 2 used Worker Cards. To do so, each player passes their used Worker Cards to the player on their left and simultaneously receives 2 new Worker Cards from the player on their right.

Players will now have a mix of cards they didn't use in the previous round and new cards passed from their neighboring player to use in the next round.

Orbit Worker Cards (2 players)

Instead of giving and receiving Worker Cards directly from their opponent, players will both:

• Take the two cards placed face-down on the right side of the 2-Player Board, adding them to their hand.
• Then place their 2 used Worker Cards face-down on the left side of the 2-Player Board.

This creates a one-round delay before the Worker Cards a player used are available to their opponent.

6. Continue Gameplay

If this was the end of the eighth round, proceed to Scoring. Otherwise, continue gameplay with another Action Phase.

Scoring

After the eighth round, players proceed to scoring. Players each select a Score Marker and move it along the Score Track as they gain points.

Calculating Your Score

1. Place each player's Score Marker on the 0 space on the Score Track.
2. Determine each player's score by adding the following:

• Undeveloped Terrain (fewer visible spaces is typically better)
• plus Constructed Buildings
• plus Private Objective Cards

Undeveloped Terrain

Points are awarded based on the terrain spaces that are visible (not covered by a Building Tile), based on the chart below.

Terrain Spaces Visible

Terrain type	0	1	2	3	4	5+
Crystal (purple)	15	12	9	6	3	0
Rock (tan/rubble)	10	8	6	4	2	0
Ice (blue)	5	4	3	2	1	0
Dirt	Basic: 0 points each					Advanced: 1 point each

Constructed Buildings

• 15 points for each complete set of 5 Main Building Tiles on their asteroid.
  • Each tile can only be counted toward 1 set.
  • 1x1 Statue and 2x1 Soylent Factory tiles do not count towards Private Objectives or sets.
• 2 points for each Building Tile on their asteroid that matches the tile on the top of their Private Objective Card.
• 1 point for each Building Tile on their asteroid that matches the tile on the bottom of their Private Objective Card.

The player with the highest score is the winner!

Ties are broken by the player who placed the most Building Tiles, then the tied player with the most resources, and finally by the player with the highest final round Worker Priority Number.

NOTE: In a 2-player game, the Score Track is located on the back side of the 2-Player Board.

Advanced Setup

Setup

Asteroid Board: Each player places their Asteroid Board with the Advanced side face-up. During scoring, each Dirt Terrain Space is worth 1 point each instead of 0 points, such that covering those spaces with Building Tiles is detrimental.

Worker Cards: When selecting the Worker Cards to be used during the game, use the Advanced Worker Cards instead of the Basic Worker Cards -- these have a gear-with-people symbol on the card backs.

Advanced workers have different abilities based on whether they are selected as a player's first or second worker during the round. When played first, the Day Ability (top) is used; when played second, the Night Ability (bottom) is used. This will require more clever timing from the players, but it will also give an opportunity for better abilities and even bigger combinations!

Advanced Worker Card layout:

1. Priority Number
2. Carry Limit
3. Name
4. Day Ability
5. Night Ability

Example: "Land Surveyor" — Priority 7, Carry Limit 3. Day Ability — Build: The tile may cross the outside edge of your Asteroid. Night Ability — Day Ability + If the tile does cross the outside edge, gain 1 resource of any type from the supply.

Advanced Workers — Action Phase

• The first Worker Card played is the Day Worker Card -- it will be resolved using its top ability, referenced as Day Ability.
• The second Worker Card played is the Night Worker Card -- it will be resolved using its bottom ability, referenced as Night Ability.
• Some Night Ability text begins with "Day Ability +". When resolving these abilities, use the Day Ability (top) with any changes listed.

Advanced Workers — Scoring

Players will instead gain 1 point for each Dirt Terrain Space that is not covered by a Building Tile, requiring even more careful placement of Building Tiles.

Additional Variants

"Plan Ahead"

When selecting Worker Cards, players instead simultaneously select both Worker Cards for the round -- this requires a bit more planning, and does not allow players to adapt to the new state of the game for their second worker of the round.

• After selecting both Worker Cards, players place these cards face-down, side-by-side below their Asteroid Board. Players simultaneously reveal the worker selected on the left, resolving these in Priority Order as normal.
• Then, players simultaneously reveal the worker selected on the right, resolving these as normal.

"Rank and File"

As an additional twist on the "Plan Ahead" variant, all Worker Cards are resolved in Priority Order, which may result in players being able to take both their actions in a row if they select the right Worker Cards.

Instead of each player resolving their first selected worker before moving to the second workers, resolve workers in increasing Priority Order.

• After selecting both Worker Cards for the round, each player keeps their selected cards in their hand, hidden from the other players (setting aside other workers for now).
• Then, have one player count upwards from 1.
• When a player notices that one of their worker's Priority Numbers is called, the count stops and the player takes their action using that Worker Card.
• The count continues in this manner until each player has resolved both their selected Worker Cards.

Solo Mode Rules

Components

• 1 Solo Mode Asteroid Board
• 14 Solo Mode Worker Cards

Overview

You will compete against an artificially intelligent player (the Robot), trying to beat their score.

Setup

A solo mode game is set up similar to a Basic 2-player game, with the following exceptions:

1. Use the Solo Mode Asteroid Board for the Robot's Asteroid Board.
2. Use the Basic side of your Asteroid Board.
3. The Robot does not receive a Private Objective card. You may keep your Private Objective Card face-up (as the Robot isn't able to see your card).
4. Give the Robot 2 Resources Tokens of each type into their Warehouse.
5. Use the entire set of Solo Worker Cards instead of the Basic or Advanced Worker Cards. These have a person symbol on the card backs. a. Shuffle the deck and place it face-down near the Main Board to form the Worker Deck. b. Draw 4 cards into your own Hand, and leave the rest of the cards in the deck.
6. Select a difficulty by placing a Score Marker on the Difficulty Track at the top of the Robot's Asteroid Board. Set it to 7 for a medium level of difficulty. Adjust lower or higher to make it easier or harder to win.

Gameplay

Unless otherwise noted, gameplay is the same as a multi-player game.

Action Phase

1. Select 1 worker card from your hand, as normal. NOTE: There are 2 special actions on the bottom of each Worker Card – these are used exclusively by the Robot.
2. Reveal the top card of the Worker Deck. This is the Robot's Worker Card. Use its Priority Number to determine who goes first (you or the Robot), taking turns in increasing Priority Order as normal.

The Robot's Turn

When it is the Robot's turn, the bottom of their Worker Card determines the actions they will attempt: Place a Building or Collect Resources.

The Robot will first attempt the action on the bottom-left of the Worker Card. If this action can be completed, their turn is over. If the Robot fails the 1st action, then they will attempt the 2nd action (bottom-right). If the 2nd action fails, then their turn is over.

Robot: Place a Building

The Robot will attempt to build the tile shown. If they have enough resources to pay the cost and the piece is still available, the Robot pays the resources to the supply and places the tile on their Asteroid Board. This action is now complete. If they do not have the required resources, or the tile is not available, this action fails.

The Robot's Asteroid Board has a special slot for each building shape. If it builds more than 1 of a given tile, stack on top in the same slot.

Robot: Collect Resources

The Robot will attempt to collect the resources shown. There may be multiple resources of several types, and the number of icons shows the quantity they will try to collect. They will try to collect the resources shown in order from left to right.

If the Robot collects any of the resources shown, then the action is complete. If the Robot is not able to collect any of the resources shown, then this action fails.

The Robot's Warehouse is limited to 9 tokens and they will not collect over their limit.

Continue Gameplay

Repeat the Action Phase as before.

Refresh Phase

Place the 2 Worker Cards you used face-up in a Discard Pile near the Worker Deck.

Place the 2 Worker Cards used by the Robot in your Hand.

If there are no cards remaining in the Worker Deck, shuffle the Discard Pile and form a new face-down Worker Deck.

Scoring

You score as normal, including your Private Objective Card.

The Robot scores points for each tile built based on the difficulty level. For example, if the Robot builds 7 tiles across all types and the difficulty is set to 8, the Robot gains 56 points.

The Robot loses 5 points for each tile type that it didn't build at least one of. (As shown on their Asteroid Board, an empty space shows a "-5").

If your score is higher than the Robot's score, you win! Try adjusting the difficulty and playing again!