Distant Suns Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview and Goal
• Components
• Setup
• Game Turn
  • Assignment
  • Drawing
• Preparing a New Round
• Frontier Spaces
• Upgrade Spaces
• End of Game
  • Optimization Tiles and Associated Shapes
    • Alien Tile
    • Upgrade Tile
    • Treasure Tile
    • Group Tile
    • Black Hole Tile
  • Victory Points
  • Bonuses and Penalties
  • Final Tally

Overview and Goal

In Distant Suns, you must do everything you can to score as many victory points as possible by the end of the 3 rounds. On your turn, choose the shape you want to draw on your sheet from those remaining, as well as the shape your opponents must draw on theirs. Cover the aliens, obtain upgrades, go around black holes and treasures, and reach the edges of your sheet to become the greatest space explorer of all time. At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins the game.

Components

• 1 Dashboard board (made of 2 parts)
• 10 Exploration Zone tiles
• 10 Optimization tiles (2 identical sets of 5 tiles)
• 5 Assignment Module tiles
• 1 pad of Cosmos sheets
• 4 pencils
• 11 shape templates

Setup

1. Assemble the Dashboard board by placing its two parts side by side. The board has spaces for the Optimization tiles near the long edges, as well as spaces for the Exploration Zone tiles in its center. The Black Hole, printed on the board itself, is an Exploration Zone used in every game. On either side of the board, notches let you insert the Assignment Module tiles.
2. Take the 10 Exploration Zone tiles, shuffle them, and randomly put 5 back in the box. Place each of the 5 remaining tiles in a central space on the board. Each Exploration Zone tile shows a shape made up of several hexagons. A symbol with the same overall outline as the shape is also shown on it.
3. Separate the 2 sets of Optimization tiles (blue background and purple background). Shuffle one set and randomly place its 5 tiles in the 5 spaces reserved for them, on one side of the board. Place the 5 tiles of the second set opposite each tile with the same symbol, on the other side of the board. The Optimization tiles are divided into 2 sets of 5 symbols. At the start of the game, each one is associated with the Exploration Zone tile placed opposite it. This second set makes the information on the board easier to read.
4. Sort the Assignment Modules in ascending order to form a stack, and place it next to the board, within reach of all players. Each Assignment Module is made up of an octagon and a circle. In the octagon, a pictogram means "Your opponents." In the circle, another pictogram means "You." In addition, two triangular notches let you insert these Modules into the edges of the board. The Modules are numbered 1 to 5 to help you remember which one was played last.
5. Each player takes a Cosmos sheet and a pencil. The left-hand part of the sheet forms a grid of hexagons called "spaces." This is where you draw the shapes chosen or assigned to you each turn. The right-hand part shows a summary of your victory points, as well as an area dedicated to Upgrades in the top right corner.
6. Place the shape templates within reach of the players. The templates help you draw the shapes.

Game Turn

A game of Distant Suns is played over 3 rounds. Each round consists of 5 turns (or only 4, if the 5th cannot be played), divided into 2 phases, as follows:

1. Assignment
2. Drawing

The youngest player at the table becomes the first active player.

Assignment

During this phase, determine which Exploration Zone shapes you and your opponents must draw on your Cosmos sheets.

As the active player, take Assignment Module 1 from the stack and insert it into two neighboring notches of your choice on the board.

Example: You decide to place the Module here.

You may place the Module on any side of the board, as long as the two chosen neighboring notches are both free. In addition, since the Modules are double-sided, you may choose whichever face you prefer.

If you cannot place your Module because there is no longer enough room, or there are no more Modules left in the stack, move on to Preparing a New Round. This always happens after 4 or 5 turns. If you have just played your 3rd round, go to End of Game instead.

Example: You cannot play the 5th Module, because the others prevent you from placing it.

Then move on to the Drawing phase.

Drawing

During this phase, reproduce on your Cosmos sheet the hexagons that make up the shape of the Exploration Zone assigned to you in the previous phase. All players carry out this phase simultaneously:

• If you are the active player, you must draw the shape opposite the notch where the round part of the Assignment Module is inserted.
• If you are not the active player, you must draw the shape opposite the notch where the octagonal part of the Assignment Module is inserted.

To draw the assigned shape, follow these rules:

• The shape must cover at least one space adjacent to a space already covered on a previous turn. The first shape drawn in the game must cover at least one space adjacent to the starting space (bottom left).
• You must draw the entire shape (unless you spend Upgrades — see Upgrade Spaces below). You may apply any rotations and reflections you like. The entire shape must fit inside the grid. You may use the shape templates to help you.
• The shape may cover Alien and Upgrade spaces, but never a Start, Treasure, or Frontier space.

You must draw the shape once, respecting all of the above rules. If you cannot respect all of them, do not draw any shape this turn.

Once the hexagons of the shape have been reproduced on your sheet, draw the associated symbol inside it. Spaces on which you draw are said to be "covered."

Example: Alpha 12 plays first and places their Module so as to be able to reproduce the "Moon" shape, while assigning the "Lightning" shape to the others.

Since the "Moon" shape is associated with the "Upgrade" Optimization tile on the board, Alpha 12 places it so as to cover an Upgrade space. This will earn points at the end of the game.

Once all players have drawn the shape of the Exploration Zone assigned to them, the player to the left of the active player becomes the active player. That player then starts again at the Assignment phase.

Preparing a New Round

To prepare the next round, collect the 5 Assignment Modules and form a stack with them again. The first active player of this round is the player who was unable to place a Module on the previous turn, regardless of the reason. Then start again at the Assignment phase.

Frontier Spaces

Frontier spaces are the only spaces that require you to be the fastest. If you cover a space adjacent to a Frontier space, announce it out loud to your opponents. If you are the first to reach that Frontier space, circle the 10 or 15 victory points and cross out the 5 or 8.

Your opponents must then cross out the 10 or 15 victory points: they can no longer obtain them. If one of them later manages to cover a space adjacent to that same Frontier space, they announce it out loud and circle the 5 or 8 victory points.

Several players can therefore reach the same Frontier space, but only one of them obtains the 10 or 15 points (the others obtain only 5 or 8 points).

Exception: If several players are the first to reach the same Frontier space on the same turn, all of those players score the full 10 or 15 victory points.

Upgrade Spaces

If you cover an Upgrade space, you gain 1 Upgrade: immediately check off a still-unchecked circle in the Upgrades area (top right of the Cosmos sheet).

On any turn, you may use Upgrades you have not yet used. To use an Upgrade, check the box beneath an Upgrade obtained on a previous turn. You cannot use an Upgrade obtained on the same turn.

Using an Upgrade lets you ignore one hexagon of your choice in the shape you must draw that turn, letting you cover one fewer space. You may use up to 2 Upgrades per turn, ignoring up to 2 hexagons of the assigned shape. The group of hexagons must remain connected: you cannot split a shape into several separate groups of hexagons. A shape, even reduced by Upgrades, still counts as that same shape for scoring victory points.

End of Game

At the end of the 3rd round, tally the victory points to determine the winner.

Optimization Tiles and Associated Shapes

Go through, one by one, the 5 Optimization tile–Exploration Zone pairings on the board. Each Optimization tile indicates where the shapes of the Exploration Zones must be drawn on your grid to earn victory points.

For each Optimization tile, note on your Cosmos sheet the number of times the associated shape meets the stated condition, as well as the points this earns.

Alien Tile

Count the number of Alien spaces on your grid covered by a hexagon of the associated shape.

Upgrade Tile

Count the number of Upgrade spaces on your grid covered by a hexagon of the associated shape.

Treasure Tile

Count the number of Treasure spaces on your grid that have at least one adjacent space covered by a hexagon of the associated shape.

Note: The condition can only be met once per Treasure space, no matter how many associated shapes are adjacent to that space.

Group Tile

Count the number of times the associated shape appears in the largest group made up of repetitions of that same shape. Shapes in the same group must be adjacent to one another. If you have several groups of the same size, only one of those groups can score victory points.

Black Hole Tile

Count the number of times the associated shape covers at least one space adjacent to a Black Hole.

Note: To score points with this Optimization tile, you must be able to draw at least one Black-Hole-associated shape thanks to the board's permanent Exploration Zone.

Example: 3 shapes associated with the Black Hole (here, the rockets) are adjacent to a Black Hole. Therefore, 3 is noted under the corresponding hexagon.

Victory Points

For each Optimization tile, record the victory points earned as shown in this table, based on the number of times the condition was met:

Times condition met	x1	x2	x3	x4	x5	beyond x5
Victory points	3	6	10	15	20	+5 each

Each occurrence beyond 5 earns 5 additional victory points.

Example: The condition for scoring with the Alien tile having been met 3 times, 10 points are scored for it (referring to the victory point table); then 15 points for the Upgrade tile, etc.

Bonuses and Penalties

Frontier spaces: Frontier spaces earn victory points during the game; those you failed to reach earn 0 victory points (see Frontier Spaces above).

Treasure bonus: Each Treasure space whose adjacent spaces are all covered (regardless of shape) earns 10 victory points.

Alien penalty: Each uncovered Alien space (regardless of shape) loses 5 victory points.

Final Tally

Add up the victory points earned from the 5 Optimization tiles, the Frontier spaces reached, and the Treasure spaces circled, then subtract the points lost from uncovered Alien spaces.

The player with the most victory points wins the game. If several players are tied for the lead, they share the victory.