Cosmoctopus
Cosmoctopus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Overview and Goal
- Components
- Setup
- Taking a Turn
- Play a Card
- Scriptures
- Relics
- Hallucinations
- Constellations
- Discard Down to 8
- Gaining Tentacles
- First Contact
- Winning the Game
- The Private Investigator
- Game Duration, Starting Hands & Difficulty
- Alternative Inky Realm Layouts
- The Cosmic Bridge
- Card Clarifications
- Questions & Reminders
- Credits & Acknowledgments
- A Word From the Designer
Overview and Goal
You will move Cosmoctopus through the Inky Realm, a configuration of tiles, gathering resources and obtaining cards that represent relics, scriptures, hallucinations and constellations. By playing these cards and combining their effects, you will aim to be the first player to gain 8 tentacles and win the game.
Components
- 88 devotee cards (22 of each type)
- 4 reference cards (with optional starting hands)
- 4 First Contact cards (these have a purple cost icon)
- 4 Forbidden Knowledge tiles (1 of each type)
- 12 Inky Realm tiles
- 8 basic tiles
- 4 special tiles (marked with a star icon at the bottom of the tile)
- 96 resource tokens, 24 of each type: ink, coins, whispers, stars
- 4 summoning tiles (front blank; back has icons)
- 3 generic discount tokens
- 4 resource multiplier tokens
- 30 miniatures: 1 head + 29 tentacles
The components below are used when playing with the Private Investigator (see The Private Investigator):
- 8 behaviour cards
- 1 progress tracker card
- 3 revelation cards
- 2 magnifying glass tokens
The tokens below are used for an optional game mode (see The Cosmic Bridge):
- 2 cosmic bridge tokens
Setup
Randomly choose 1 of the 4 special Inky Realm tiles and add it to the 8 basic Inky Realm tiles. Shuffle and lay out the resulting 9 tiles; for your first game arrange them in a 3 x 3 grid (A). In future games you might like to try a different Inky Realm layout (see Alternative Inky Realm Layouts). Place Cosmoctopus' head on the center tile (B) and place the tentacles nearby (C). Shuffle the devotee cards and place them face-down to form a devotee deck (D), then reveal 3 cards to create the card row (E). Set the 4 Forbidden Knowledge tiles face-up nearby (F) with the resources (G), resource multiplier tokens (H) and First Contact cards (I), then give each player a summoning tile (blank side up) (J) and reference card (K). Each player starts the game by drawing 5 cards from the devotee deck (L) and taking 2 of each resource (M). Determine a first player, and give any remaining players the following generic discount token: 2nd = 1, 3rd = 2, 4th = 3 (N).
Generic discount tokens may be discarded at any time to gain a one-off discount against a generic card cost (card cost is covered under Card Cost).
Taking a Turn
Your turn is made up of 3 steps:
- Move Cosmoctopus (move icon), then
- Play a card (optional), then
- Discard down to 8.
At the end of your turn, rotate Cosmoctopus to face the next player.
Move Cosmoctopus
You must always move Cosmoctopus on your turn.
Move Cosmoctopus to an adjacent tile in the Inky Realm (Cosmoctopus cannot move diagonally), then gain the bonus shown on the tile that Cosmoctopus lands on:
- Gain 3 ink / coins / whispers / stars.
- Discard the card row, then take a card from the new row.
- Gain 1 ink / coin / whisper / star and take a card from the card row.
- Draw and keep the top devotee deck card, then gain a resource matching the card type.
- Gain 2 resources of the same type.
- Take all cards of the same type from the card row.
For example, if Cosmoctopus was on the centre tile of the Inky Realm, they could be moved to any of the 4 adjacent tiles.
The most reliable way to get cards is to visit "take a card" Inky Realm tiles, but some card effects also grant them. Gaps in the card row are filled immediately. You rarely draw from the devotee deck; do not do so unless a tile or card tells you to. If the devotee deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new devotee deck. You may look through the discard pile at any time.
Paying Tribute
If you wish to move Cosmoctopus further in the Inky Realm, you may spend a resource of any type for each additional tile moved. Cosmoctopus cannot return to the same tile they were on at the start of the Move Cosmoctopus action, and you only gain the bonus shown on the final tile that Cosmoctopus lands on, not the tiles on the way.
For example, this move would require 1 resource to be spent as Tribute.
Play a Card
Playing a card is optional.
On most of your turns, you'll play a single card from your hand. Do not play more than 1 card unless you are using the effect of another card that allows you to do so.
Card Types
There are 4 types of card in the game, distinguishable by their colour and card frame shape:
- Scripture
- Relic
- Hallucination
- Constellation
Card Cost
Cards are played by spending resources: ink, coins, whispers and stars.
Most cards have a specific cost (A) and a generic cost (B). You must pay the total cost to play a card.
For example, to play the card "Broken Leg of Sea Throne" would cost a total of 5 resources; 3 coins plus 2 of any combination of additional resources.
Discarding Cards for a Discount
If you're running low on resources, you may discard any number of cards from your hand to discount the cost of a card you wish to play:
- For each Scripture card discarded, discount the cost by 1 ink.
- For each Relic card discarded, discount the cost by 1 coin.
- For each Hallucination card discarded, discount the cost by 1 whisper.
- For each Constellation card discarded, discount the cost by 1 star.
You may discard cards of any type to discount the generic cost of a card.
You may also discard cards to discount Forbidden Knowledge (see Forbidden Knowledge).
Over the next two pages, we'll explain how each type of card works, with some examples.
Scriptures
Scriptures are permanent upgrades that discount all other costs by the resources shown at the bottom of the card. These discounts can be stacked, and ink/coin/whisper/star discounts can be used against Forbidden Knowledge (see Forbidden Knowledge).
Ink/coin/whisper/star discounts cannot be used against generic card costs. Generic discounts only work against generic costs and cannot be used against Forbidden Knowledge unless the Forbidden Scripture icon is shown in the bottom right corner.
Scriptures with the Submerge icon below their cost have the Submerge effect which resolves once, immediately, when the card is played. To Submerge, discard each Scripture and Relic card in the card row, then perform a Move Cosmoctopus action for each card discarded, gaining the tile bonus for each Move Cosmoctopus action performed. The ongoing effect of these cards works as normal.
- Blotted Notes — This card provides a 1 ink discount against all cards that cost ink for the rest of the game. It also has the Submerge icon; this effect will resolve when the card is played.
- Resonating Manuscript — This card provides a 1 generic discount against all generic card costs for the rest of the game. It also has the Forbidden Scripture icon, allowing the discount to be used against any Forbidden Knowledge.
Relics
Relics are permanent upgrades that provide on-going effects; usually a resource-related boost. Relic effects can be stacked.
When you play a relic with the draw icon below its cost, you may immediately draw and keep the top card of the devotee deck. The ongoing effect of these cards works as normal.
- Cackling Coin Purse — This card adds an extra 3 coin resources every time you gain any amount of coins from any source. For example, if you would gain 1 coin, gain 4 instead; if you would gain 3 coins, gain 6 instead.
- Ancient Astrolabe — Every time you gain a tentacle, this card immediately provides 3 star resources. It also has the draw icon, allowing you to draw a devotee deck card when you play this card.
Hallucinations
Hallucinations bestow powerful one-off effects. The effect resolves immediately when the card is played and the card is then discarded.
Hallucinations with the lightning bolt icon below their cost allow you to play another card in the same turn, if you have the resources to do so.
- Escape from the Water Prison — This card immediately provides 8 coin resources when played; the card is then discarded. It also has the lightning bolt icon, allowing you to play another card in the same turn, if you wish.
- Remains of a Dead Planet — This card immediately provides a tentacle when played; the card is then discarded. If you possess Forbidden Knowledge, you may also Move Cosmoctopus.
Constellations
Upon completion, constellations grant a tentacle and additional one-off effects. To complete a constellation, you must fill all 4 slots on the card with resources. Every time you gain a resource, you may either keep it, or place it onto an open constellation slot with the matching icon. The top-left slot (A) is always open and must be filled first. Once a slot is filled, all slots it connects to (via an arrow) are classed as open and may be filled. Once all 4 slots have been filled, resolve the card effect, return the 4 resources to the bank and discard the card.
You cannot fill constellation slots with resources gained before the constellation was played.
Dreamwake Devolver — When completed, this card will grant a tentacle and allow you to play another constellation card from your hand for free.
You must always start filling constellations from the top left slot (A). In this case, the top left slot is a star slot. Once the star slot is filled, the whisper slot will open and may be filled. Once the whisper slot is filled, both the coin and ink slots will open; you can fill these in any order but all 4 slots must be filled to complete the constellation and resolve its effect.
You'll find an icon guide on the back of the lore sheet and on your reference card. Card clarifications can be found under Card Clarifications.
Discard Down to 8
At the end of your turn, you must discard resources and cards until you have at most 8 of any single resource type and at most 8 cards in hand.
If your hand is nearly full, remember that you can discard cards to discount card costs (see Discarding Cards for a Discount) and Forbidden Knowledge (see below).
For example, this player will need to discard 1 coin as they have 9, but can keep the rest of their resources.
The Gaze of Cosmoctopus
Once you've finished your turn, rotate Cosmoctopus to face the next player. If Cosmoctopus is looking at you, it's your chance to prove your devotion!
Gaining Tentacles
When you gain a tentacle, add it to a gap in your summoning tile. The first player to gain 8 tentacles wins.
Constellations will always provide a tentacle when completed, and some other cards will grant a tentacle at the time they are played (for example, the "Remains of a Dead Planet" hallucination).
Another way to gain tentacles is Forbidden Knowledge.
Forbidden Knowledge
If you end up with 13 resources of a single type on your turn (perhaps you saved 8 from a previous turn and gained 5 this turn), you may obtain the Forbidden Knowledge matching that resource. Pay 13 matching resources, immediately gain 2 tentacles and take the corresponding Forbidden Knowledge tile. No other player may gain the same Forbidden Knowledge type for the rest of the game.
Remember, ink/coin/whisper/star discounts provided by scriptures can be used against Forbidden Knowledge, but generic discounts cannot, unless the card features the Forbidden Scripture icon. You can also discard cards to discount Forbidden Knowledge.
First Contact
The first player to gain a tentacle may immediately select 1 of the 4 First Contact cards and take it into their hand. When other players gain their first tentacle, they may choose 1 of the remaining First Contact cards. These cards are free to play, but still count as the 'play a card' step of a turn.
First Contact cards have purple cost icons and a cost of 0, making them easy to find if they are accidentally shuffled into the devotee deck.
Winning the Game
The game ends immediately when a player gains their 8th tentacle. The winning devotee may take Cosmoctopus' head and place it in the centre of their summoning tile, completing their portal to the Inky Realm!
You can share a photo of your victory on social media using the hashtag #cosmoctopus; feel free to tag us in @paperfortgames!
Next, we'll cover how to play co-operatively or solo using the Private Investigator. For details of the express game, ways to alter the game's difficulty and alternative Inky Realm tile layouts, see Game Duration, Starting Hands & Difficulty and Alternative Inky Realm Layouts. The optional cosmic bridge game mode is explained under The Cosmic Bridge.
The Private Investigator
The Private Investigator (PI) is a non-player character that can be introduced into the game to convert a multiplayer game from a competitive experience to a co-operative one, or to allow solo play. To win, every player must gain 8 tentacles before the PI does. Can you stop the PI from uncovering the secrets of the Great Inky One?
In multiplayer games with the PI, when each player gains their 8th tentacle, they immediately return their tentacles to the supply. Then, they flip their summoning tile to the side with icons and discard all of their cards and resources. On future turns, they perform the Move Cosmoctopus step only, donating the bonus to another active player of their choice. They no longer play cards.
Setup
Set up the game as for the core game (see Setup). In addition, shuffle the 8 PI behaviour cards and place them face-down to form a PI behaviour deck (A). Choose 1 of the 3 PI revelation cards and place it next to the PI progress tracker card with the 'I can see the patterns...' side up, forming a complete book (B). Return the rest of the PI revelation cards to the game box. Place a tentacle on the '0' spot of the progress tracker card (C), then reveal the top card of the PI behaviour deck (D). Take the 2 magnifying glass tokens (E) and place 1 on each of the 2 Inky Realm tiles with an icon matching the icon shown in the top left of the PI behaviour card. These 2 tiles are being 'investigated' by the PI. Choose a difficulty (see below) and give the PI the corresponding starting resources.
In your first game against the PI, we recommend choosing the 'Naïve' difficulty level.
| Difficulty | Naïve | Tenacious | Relentless | Obsessive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI starting resources | 1 of each type | 2 of each type | 3 of each type | 5 of each type |
Playing Against the Private Investigator
The active behaviour card shows the currently investigated Inky Realm tiles (F) and the effect that will resolve when the PI gains a tentacle (G) or Forbidden Knowledge tile (H).
If you move Cosmoctopus onto an investigated Inky Realm tile for any reason, give the PI a resource matching the investigated type from the bank. Moving through an investigated tile is free.
The PI wins if they gain 8 tentacles before all other players do. When the PI gains their 5th tentacle, flip over the progress tracker card and the revelation card to reveal the rest of the tracker and a new game rule.
The PI always takes their turn last. On their turn, perform the following steps in order:
- Give the PI a resource matching the type of each individual card in the card row.
- Check whether the PI has 13 or more of any single resource. If so, and the Forbidden Knowledge corresponding to that resource is still available, return 13 of these resources to the bank, advance the progress tracker tentacle by 2, remove the associated Forbidden Knowledge tile from the game and resolve the Forbidden Knowledge effect on the PI behaviour card. If not, move to the next step.
- Check whether the PI has 8 or more of any single resource. If so, and the Forbidden Knowledge corresponding to that resource is no longer available, return 8 of these resources to the bank, advance the tentacle on the PI progress tracker by 1 and resolve the tentacle effect on the PI behaviour card. If not, move to the next step.
The PI does not take First Contact cards. Resolving the Forbidden Knowledge and tentacle effects may result in the PI gaining additional resources that pushes them over the threshold for gaining additional Forbidden Knowledge and/or tentacles. Resolve each effect in sequence, allocate any resources and then recheck if any new thresholds have been met.
- If the PI gained any tentacles this turn, discard the active behaviour card, reveal a new one and move the 2 magnifying glass tokens to the new tiles being investigated. If the behaviour deck is empty, shuffle the discarded behaviour cards and form a new deck. If the PI did not gain any tentacles this turn, the current behaviour card remains in play.
- Check whether the PI has 8 or more tentacles. If so, the PI wins; if not, the PI's turn ends and play moves on to the next human player.
Unlike players, the Private Investigator does not discard resources at the end of their turn.
Game Duration, Starting Hands & Difficulty
- For a quicker game (ideal for busy devotees or new players), each player starts with 3 tentacles. This express game mode usually lasts less than an hour.
- When playing with new or younger players, you might like to use the optional 3-card starting hands shown on the back of the player reference cards. Use these in place of a random 5-card starting hand for every player. The effects of these 3-card combinations have been designed to complement each other.
- Once you are familiar with the game, you might like to draft starting hands to give you more control over your strategy. To draft a starting hand, each player keeps 1 card from their 5 starting cards, then passes the remaining 4 cards to the player on their left. Each player then keeps 1 card from the 4 cards they received, passing the remaining 3 cards on. This continues until all players have chosen and kept 5 cards.
- Some Inky Realm layouts are more challenging than others; read on to find out more.
Alternative Inky Realm Layouts
After a few games of Cosmoctopus, you might like to try different Inky Realm configurations. In the layouts below, tiles are shown as squares for ease of interpretation and any overlapping tiles are considered adjacent for the purposes of moving Cosmoctopus. Layouts are listed from least difficult to most difficult:
- Infin-Eight
- And then there was Naught
- X marks the Splot
- Threeping
- Pentaglyph
You can also design your own Inky Realm layout.
The Cosmic Bridge
This optional game mode can be used to add even more variety and tactical depth to your games of Cosmoctopus. The cosmic bridge allows players to teleport Cosmoctopus around the Inky Realm, and can be included in competitive, co-operative and solo games. It is compatible with any Inky Realm layout and allows players to design new, 'disconnected' Inky Realm layouts for their games.
Setup Changes
During game setup, when constructing the Inky Realm, lay out the Inky Realm tiles face down. Place the 2 cosmic bridge tokens (each representing one end of the cosmic bridge) onto any 2 non-adjacent Inky Realm tiles, then turn over all of the Inky Realm tiles and continue setup as normal.
Using the Cosmic Bridge
Inky Realm tiles which have a cosmic bridge token on them are considered adjacent for the purposes of moving Cosmoctopus, even if they are at opposite ends of the Inky Realm.
On your turn, during the Move Cosmoctopus step, you may discard a card of any type from your hand to move one of the cosmic bridge tokens onto a new Inky Realm tile. The cosmic bridge tokens must always be on different tiles, and discarding cards to move cosmic bridge tokens does not count as the 'play a card' step of your turn.
Disconnected Inky Realms
The cosmic bridge allows players to design new, potentially bigger, 'disconnected' Inky Realm configurations, where the main way to get between separated sections is via cosmic bridge teleportation. A suggested 10-tile layout of this type uses the 8 normal Inky Realm tiles and 2 (rather than the usual 1) of the special Inky Realm tiles. When playing with disconnected layouts, 1 cosmic bridge token must stay within each section of the Inky Realm.
An example of a disconnected Inky Realm layout with 2 sections: players can move either token, but each token must remain within its section.
Have you designed a great Inky Realm layout? You can share it with fellow devotees on social media using the hashtag #inkyrealm; feel free to tag us in @paperfortgames!
Card Clarifications
Resonating Manuscript, Tales of the Inexplicable — These 'Forbidden Scripture' cards have the Forbidden Scripture icon. Normally, Scriptures that provide a generic discount cannot be used to discount Forbidden Knowledge. However, Forbidden Scripture can be used to discount any Forbidden Knowledge by 1 resource (as well as providing its generic discount against card costs). This discount can be stacked with other Scripture discounts.
Atlas of the Branching Paths, Blotted Notes, Ringbound Tome of Riddles, Story of the Salt-Scarred Shipwreck — The ongoing effect of these cards works as usual. They also have the Submerge effect (Submerge icon) which resolves once, immediately, when the card is played. To Submerge, discard each Scripture and Relic card in the card row, then perform a Move Cosmoctopus action for each card discarded, gaining the tile bonus for each Move Cosmoctopus action performed. For example, if the card row contained a Scripture, a Hallucination and a Relic, you would discard the Scripture and the Relic, then perform 2 Move Cosmoctopus actions.
Angler's Gaslamp, Drowned Effigy, Sentient Inkpot, Spaceborne Geode — If you have one of these cards in play, Constellation slots matching the specified resource type are immediately filled from the bank when they open. If there are matching open slots when the card is played, they fill immediately. These cards can be combined to fill multiple slot types. See Constellations for more about Constellation slots.
Ancient Astrolabe, Clockwork Hummingbird, Ever-Expanding Puzzlebox, Impossible Tuning Fork, Mariner's Bauble, Scratched Prism — The effects on these cards provide bonuses every time you gain a tentacle. If you gain multiple tentacles in a single turn (including from obtaining Forbidden Knowledge), receive the bonus for each tentacle you gain.
Behold the Yawning Darkness, Echoes of a Forgotten World, Remains of a Dead Planet, Witness Stellar Collapse — These cards always grant a tentacle when played. However, if you possess Forbidden Knowledge you may also perform a Move Cosmoctopus action, paying Tribute if you wish (see Paying Tribute) and gaining the tile bonus as normal.
Dance of the Inky Flames, Float Upon the Ephemeral River, Obey the Smiling Eclipse, Trapped in a Timeless Existence — When played, these cards allow you to immediately play a card from the card row for free. The card type that can be played for free is shown on the card; the icon shows the card in the middle slot of the card row, but you can choose to play any card of the matching type regardless of its card row position.
Questions & Reminders
When does the card row refill? Every time a card is taken from the card row, the empty slot is immediately refilled.
Can I look through the discard pile? Yes, you can look through the discard pile at any time.
When I play a constellation, can I fill the slots with resources from my resource pool? No; you cannot fill slots with resources gained before a constellation was played (see Constellations).
If I am able to complete multiple constellations in the same turn, can I choose the order that the cards resolve in? Yes, but all effects on each card must be fully resolved before moving onto the next constellation.
When using a card effect to automatically fill constellations, must the matching slots be 'open' before they will autofill? Yes, the corresponding constellation slots must be 'open' (see Constellations). Remember, resources used to autofill come from the bank, not your personal resource pool.
If a specific Inky Realm tile destination is shown after a Move Cosmoctopus effect and Cosmoctopus is already on that tile, what happens? Cosmoctopus does not move, but you still get the tile bonus.
Can I use scripture cards that grant a generic discount to discount an ink/coin/whisper/star cost? No; generic discounts can only be used against generic costs. The only exception is Forbidden Scripture cards (see Scriptures).
Can I use scripture cards that grant ink/coin/whisper/star discounts to discount a generic cost? No; ink/coin/whisper/star discounts can only be used against matching card costs and Forbidden Knowledge of the matching type.
Can I discard cards from my hand to discount a generic card cost? Yes.
Can I discard cards from my hand to discount the cost of Forbidden Knowledge? Yes.
Can I discard cards from my hand to pay Tribute? No. Tribute (see Paying Tribute) can only be paid with resources.
If a card effect grants an additional Move Cosmoctopus action, do I still get the bonus shown on the destination tile? Yes. You may also pay Tribute (see Paying Tribute) to move Cosmoctopus further, if you wish.
What are the resource multiplier tokens for? The game's resources are infinite. If you run out, use these tokens to represent 5 of any resource.
Credits & Acknowledgments
- Game design — Henry Audubon
- Artwork and icons — George Doutsiopoulos
- Development and production — Chris Kingsnorth
- Graphic design — Chris Kingsnorth, Henry Audubon
- 3D sculpting and renders — Raben White
- Supplemental art assets — Raben White
- Rulebook — Chris Kingsnorth
Thank you to every devotee who has playtested Cosmoctopus, provided feedback on the rulebook and helped spread the word of the Great Inky One; your support is hugely appreciated!
A Word From the Designer
To be honest, I didn't design this game. Rather, I witnessed my hands construct the first prototype without my permission. The pieces began to gather on my table in mysterious formations. I saw rivers of ink run across a page to reveal the rules. Then, suddenly, in a single tick of the cosmic clock, the game was finished, and I was left with the impression that the Great Inky One used me to make their game - an immense privilege!
Now you are in possession of this peculiar game. It is filled with secrets and cryptic messages that are beyond my understanding, but perhaps you can decipher them. Although I do not know this game's true purpose, I believe that the Great Inky One gave us this gift to bring us closer together with our friends and family. Enjoy!
— Henry
www.paperfortgames.com — @paperfortgames