Full Metal Planète Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Contents of the Box
• Summary of a Game
• Introduction
• Tips for Beginners
• A Brief History of FMP
• The Planet
  • The Map
  • The Ore
  • The Tides
  • How Tide Effects Units
• Playing the Game
  • Action Point System
  • Time
  • Transporters
• The Weather Hen
• The Pontoon
• The Destroyers
  • Destroying Elements
  • Fire Zones
  • Attacking Units Defended by a Fire Zone
  • Capturing Units
  • Retreat & Neutralization
  • Practice Quiz
• The Starfreighter
  • Entering and Leaving
  • Capturing the Freighter
• Setting Up
  • Before the Game Starts
  • First Turns
  • End Game
• Variants
• Credits

Goal of the Game

Leave Full Metal Planet carrying as much ore and as many units as possible.

Contents of the Box

• 1 playing field representing one sector of the planet
• 15 tide cards
• 84 metal pieces:
  • 4 Freighters
  • 12 Turrets
  • 8 Crabs
  • 4 Weather Hens
  • 32 Tanks
  • 4 Heaps (T-99 heavy tanks)
  • 8 Gunboats
  • 4 Barges
  • 8 Pontoons
• 100 colored markers for identifying which unit is controlled by which Freighter
• 8 colored cubes to count the Action Points saved by each player
• 1 turn marker cube
• 1 rulebook
• 100 pieces of ore
• 1 black plastic box with many uses: the box is a current turn indicator, a cemetery for destroyed units, a pool for material yet to be created, and a display unit for tide cards

Summary of a Game

You land your Freighter on Full Metal Planet on a mission which will last 21 or 25 turns.

On every turn you have a certain number of Action Points which you can use — but no matter how many action points you have, each turn lasts for a maximum of three minutes.

On each turn you can do the following:

• Collect ore to be stored into your Freighter, or used by your Weather Hen to construct more units
• Create additional units with the Weather Hen to help you collect more ore or defend your sector
• Weaken your opponents with armed units
• Threaten or hinder opponents' movement by occupying strategically important parts of the map.
• Capture one or more Freighters and thus increase the number of units under your control, and their contents.
• Hold peace negotiations or discuss actions against opponents who are too aggressive

If all goes well you can lift off in turn 21 or 25 (your choice).

You get 1 point for every unit and 2 points for every piece of ore you manage to take from the planet with you. The player with most points wins!

Introduction

In this game of science fiction strip mining, players land on a planet and try and grab as much ore as possible and take off before time runs out.

Each player has a mothership, mining equipment and tanks, boats and barges at their disposal, and will have to contend with random tides and the other miners.

The game uses an action point allowance system and thus is dice free. On their turn, each player has a pool of points that they can spend in a variety of ways, putting all the points into one unit's movement, or dividing them among several units. Each turn is timed so players have to think quickly, and once a move has been made it cannot be retracted. Full Metal Planet is as close to a pure strategy game as possible, and rewards careful planning and execution.

Tips for Beginners

• Read the rules: the other players probably forgot to explain a few important ones to you. Your questions may give away your strategies planned.
• Don't place your Weather Hen, Barge or Heap in unnecessary danger. You'll surely lose them and they can't be replaced.
• Place as many figures as possible at the start of the game. You'll surely lose a few eventually.
• Look at your position in relation to your opponent. Come up with a strategy based on this and stick to it.
• Attempt, as early as possible, to save up bonus action points. Your best opportunities will occur with 20 or 25 action points, and if you want to attack, those points will be very valuable.
• You have 3 minutes to make your move. That's plenty of time to plan before you start mucking your pieces about the board.
• If a person promises to never attack your freighter, even though you're a beginner, don't believe them.

A Brief History of FMP

Full Metal Planète is a game lost in time: a oddity from the 1980s that still has a small but loyal cult following over 30 years after it first appeared.

Designed by three friends — Gérard Mathieu, Gérard Delfanti, and Pascal Trigaux — Full Metal Planète was originally published as a boardgame by Ludodélire in France in 1988. Most people discovered "Full Metal Planet" when it was licensed by Infogrames as a computer game the following year, eventually appearing across all the platforms of the time: Amiga, DOS, Atari ST, Apple IIgs, and even the Macintosh.

While the boardgame came with beautifully crafted metal playing pieces and actual rocks for ore, it was the computer version that fully realized the vision of the game designers, with the strict time limits and fire zones enforced by hardware. The computer version also had the benefit of sound effects, and showing the rise and fall of the tide that changed the board.

Alas, that was it for Full Metal Planet. Ludodélire folded in the early 1990s, the software licenses lapsed, and boardgame was never reprinted. The three original designers had a falling out so severe that, to this day, each refuses to allow the others to republish the game — or release the rights. Fans have created unlicensed online versions of the FMP, and one knock-off boardgame, but the original has now become a collector's item.

The Planet

The Map

The playing area is composed of 851 hexes (only complete hexes are used: vehicles cannot enter half hexes).

The dotted lines mark the landing zone boundaries for arriving Freighters.

There are five types of terrain:

• the plains are light brown
• mountains are gray
• the open sea is blue
• the reefs are blue with light brown dots
• swamps are light brown with blue dots.

The type of each hex depends of its dominant color: if you are not sure, look at the maps on page 5.

The Ore

The ore you are here to mine is spread across the map (see game set up on page 13 for starting placement). A hex with ore is occupied. The hex can not be used in any way before the ore is picked up from the hex.

Ore can be transported into the Freighter to gain victory points or it can be used by a Weather Hen to manufacture additional units such as a Crab, Tank or Pontoon.

At low tide, the ore can be picked from any type of hex. At normal tide, the ore can not be picked up from reefs. At high tide, ore can not be picked up from reefs or swamps.

The ore can be manipulated in following ways:

• load it into Freighter from adjacent hexes
• load, transport or unload it with a Crab (can carry up to 2 ores) or with a Barge (can carry up to 4 ores)
• load, transport, unload or transform it with Weather Hen (only one ore at a time)
• blow it up it with two destroyers (tank, Heap, gunboat, or turret. See combat on page 9.)

The Tides

Every game turn, the playing area is subjected to one type of tide — normal, low or high — selected randomly.

• When the tide is normal, swamps = plain, reefs = sea
• When the tide is high, swamps and reefs = sea hexes
• When the tide is low swamps and reefs = plain hexes

The management of the 15 tide cards (five normals, five lows and five highs) are explained on page 13.

Consequences:

When the tide is low, reefs are exposed: terrain vehicles can move through them and access those hexes but marine vehicles (gunboats and barges) cannot.

When the tide is high, swamps are flooded: marine vehicles (gunboats and barges) can move through them and access those hexes, but terrain vehicles cannot.

When the tide is normal, swamps are plains, and reefs are sea: swamps can be used by terrain vehicles and reefs can be used by marine vehicles.

Units surprised by a change of tide are neutralized:

• Marine vehicles are neutralized if they are on reef or swamp when the tide is low.
• Marine vehicles are neutralized if they are on swamp when the tide is normal.
• Terrain vehicles are neutralized if they are on reef when the tide is normal.
• Terrain vehicles are neutralized if they are on reef or swamp when the tide is high.

Units "surprised" by "bad weather" can do nothing, absolutely nothing. They are immobilized, but can be captured, destroyed or act as obstacles — and they remain neutralized until the tide changes favorably.

It is possible to voluntarily neutralize a unit by running it aground: in that case, the unit is neutralized and must stop on the exact hex which is temporarily unusable by it.

How Tide Effects Units

	Reefs — marine units	Reefs — terrain units	Swamps — marine units	Swamps — terrain units
Low Tide	disabled	operational	disabled	operational
Normal	operational	disabled	disabled	operational
High Tide	operational	disabled	operational	disabled

Normal Tide: The swamps are solid ground for terrain vehicles, and the reefs are navigable by marine vehicles.

Low Tide: Some sea hexes become lakes, locking up marine units. Terrain units can move on the emerged reefs as if they were plains.

High Tide: The sea engulfs swamps, isolating imprudent terrain units. Marine units can travel through swamp hexes and penetrate inland.

Playing the Game

Action Point System

Once a player had landed their freighter and deployed their units, they will get a basic credit of action points each turn to move their units as they wish. The 3rd turn the player gets 5 points, the 4th turn they get 10, and from turns 5 to 25, they get 15 action points a turn.

Cost in action points for each action:

• moving a unit from one hex to adjacent hex: 1
• loading or unloading a unit or a piece of ore: 1
• creating a new unit with Weather Hen carrying ore: 1
• re-entering or leaving Freighter: 1
• capturing an opponent's unit: 1 (requires two units)
• destruction of an unit or ore: 2 (requires two units)
• Final takeoff: 1-4 (depending on Freighter's condition).

Bonus Action Points:

• A player who uses only 10 points out of their 15 can save 5 action points. A player who uses only 5 points out of his 15 saves 10 action points.
• If player saves 5 or 10 points, they pick up a colored cube for each 5 actions points they save as a reminder.
• The maximum number of saved action points is 10. It is possible, but not mandatory to use all saved points on same turn. Turn saving allows players to have maximum of 25 action points per turn (base credit of 15 + saves of 10).
• When saved actions points are used, the colored cube(s) are returned to the box.

ATTENTION:

• All actions are done DEFINITELY
• If an unit performs actions that are against the rules, only the points preceding that operation are un-done and the player resumes from the hex/action which he or she was before the impossible operation
• Every unit or item occupies one hex: two units or items can never occupy the same hex (except units on pontoons and transporters carrying items).
• The barge is the only unit that occupies two hexes. Any movement that makes it cover a new hex costs one action point. The barge can travel both forwards and backwards, so it is not required to spend action points to just rotate it 180 degrees.

Time

Each player has maximum of three (3) minutes in which to make his or her actions. After that time the player can not perform any actions. If unit is being moved when the time runs out, it must remain on the hex where it originally was located. Armed units can complete their firing commands IF the firing units are already placed correctly.

After a turn has ended the next player's turn starts immediately. If a player asks how much time is remaining on his or her turn, the question must be answered. All players should be able to see the timer at all times.

It is very important to strictly stick to the 3-minutes-rule, even if it creates errors: panic is one of the ingredients of Full Metal Planet.

Transporters

There are three kinds of transporters:

• the Barge (with 4 cargo slots)
• the Crab (with 2 cargo slots)
• the Weather Hen (with 1 cargo slot, and which can only transport ore)

Transportable elements are:

• ore, tanks, Heaps, pontoons (1 cargo slot each)
• the Weather Hen and Crabs (2 cargo slots each)

Only the Barge can transport a Crab or Weather Hen.

Loading is performed from a transporter's adjacent hex. Unloading is performed to a transporter's adjacent hex. Loading and unloading always costs 1 action point. To load or unload a crab which carries item(s) costs only 1 action point. To modify its contents while on barge does not cost any actions points.

Any unit carried by any transporter is automatically neutralized.

The target hex where units or items are unloaded must be empty or occupied by a pontoon or another transporter which has enough free cargo slots to accept the unit or item.

To re-enter or leave the Freighter with a transporter that carries items costs only 1 action point.

A transporter can not load or unload a unit or ore to or from a hex if that hex is in a fire zone (see page 9). Unloaded units do not have to be moved.

Items and units can be unloaded onto sunken reefs or swamps, but in that case the items and units will become neutralized until the tine changes favorably. It is not possible to unload anything into an open sea hex except a pontoon. (Docked to land or other pontoon). Units can not be moved on a sunken hex that contains (thus neutralized) units or items (except pontoons).

Example I — Loading & unloading: Situation at the start of the turn: a tank can be loaded on the Crab. 1st Action Point: A tank is loaded on the Crab. 2nd Action Point: The Crab and its cargo is loaded on the Barge. 3rd Action Point: The Crab and the two tanks are unloaded from the barge.

Example II — It takes 8 Action Points to bring 2 pieces of ore inside the Freighter with the Crab: 1st Action Point: The Crab picks up the first ore. Action Points 2-3: movement. 4th Action: The Crab picks up the second ore. Action Points 5-7: movement. 8th Action: The Crab enters the Freighter.

The Weather Hen

The Weather Hen is your most valuable unit on the board.

Weather prediction:

When the tide changes, any player who has an operational Weather Hen can look at the next tide card that will be drawn. If a player has two Weather Hens, they can look at the next two future tide cards. A Hen is inoperative when inside the Freighter, on a Barge, when in a fire zone, or when disabled due to being stuck on a sea hex.

Manufacturing units:

If the Weather Hen has access to ore, it can create new Crabs, Tanks or Pontoons. It can manufacture up to two units in one turn but can not make two Crabs or two Pontoons in the same turn.

• A Weather Hen can only create a unit type if one is available in the shared reserve.
• The creation of a new unit costs two action points: one point to load the ore and another one to lay the item.
• The Hen can lay a tank or crab in any adjacent hex as long as the hex is not under fire or a sea hex. Units can be unloaded on a sunk reef or swamp hex, but will be disabled until the tide changes favorably.
• A pontoon can be unloaded on a sea hex but only if it is connected to land or another pontoon segment.
• The Weather Hen can load ore, then move, and this way lay the new unit further away, even in another turn.
• If so required, Weather Hen can unload unconverted ore (so it can be used as a normal transporter for ore).

Example — Manufacturing a pontoon: Situation at the start of the turn. 1st Action: Crab loads an ore piece. 2nd Action: Move. 3rd & 4th Action: The ore is transformed; a new pontoon is unloaded.

The Pontoon

Pontoons are floating bridges used to cover reef, swamp or open seas hexes.

• A pontoon can be unloaded or loaded to or from a transporter (or from the Freighter), whatever the tide.
• One pontoon is used exactly like a plains-type hex.
• Pontoons must always touch at least one ground hex.
• It is possible to connect many pontoons together, as long as the first one touches ground hex. In this case, if the first pontoon is destroyed or loaded, the remaining pontoons are destroyed. Also, if the hex to which a pontoon is connected sinks because of tide changes, the whole pontoon structure is lost.
• If a pontoon is destroyed, everything on top of the pontoon is also destroyed.
• If a pontoon is under enemy fire, it can not be used or loaded.
• A pontoon is a neutral unit. Once unloaded, it can be used by any terrain vehicle. Because of that, an enemy transporter can load a pontoon without capturing it first.
• If a pontoon is unloaded onto firm ground, it can still be used.
• Gunboats and barges can not travel into or through a hex that contains a pontoon.

Example — Approaching, loading, and losing a pontoon: Situation at the start of the turn. The Crab approaches the first pontoon. The Crab picks up the pontoon. The 2nd unconnected pontoon sinks with the tank.

The Destroyers

Destroyers can blow up any element (unit or ore) on the board, except Freighters and their contents; however, a Freighters' turrets can be destroyed. Destroyers are used to eliminate, capture, or push back enemy units, and to defend sectors with the creation of "fire zones." There are four types of destroyers: tanks, gunboats, the T-99 long-range Heavy Tank familiarly called a "Heap," and the turrets on a Freighter.

Destroying Elements

Any element that can be reached by the targeting and simultaneous shooting of two destroyers of the same player is destroyed and removed from the board.

Firing mechanism:

• Turrets, tanks and gunboats can reach two hexes from their own position.
• A Heap can reach a target three hexes away from its own position.
• A normal tank located on a mountain hex can reach a target three hexes away (even if the target is on another mountain).
• A destroyer can shoot over any obstacle or terrain, including sea, ore, Freighter, mountains etc.
• A destroyer has ammunition to fire only twice (two times) per turn. Other actions can occur between the two shots. Every destroyer is restocked with ammunition at the start of the following player's turn.

Restrictions:

Remember: it is always required to have two (2) destroyers to fire on any target. A single destroyer can not attack nor defend anything. Because of this, it costs 2 action points to destroy any target: one point per destroyer.

• Heaps, even if transported, can never go on a mountain hex.
• When a turn ends, two tanks can not be parked on two adjacent mountain hexes. If a player leaves both tanks in this position, they will lose 5 Action Points the next game turn.
• Destroyers can not target their own units except pontoons.
• When destroyers open fire at a hex, everything on that hex is destroyed.

Fire Zone definition: a hex is "under fire" or when it is in range of two or more destroyers of the same player.

The two tanks above can fire only to the black hexes. So, the more closer together the destroyers are, the more effective they become.

Fire Zones

If a hex is in range of two or more operational destroyers of the same player, it is automatically considered "under fire." Enemy units cannot normally move into a fire zone, and, if a unit is caught "under unfavorable fire," it is neutralized and inoperable until the fire zone is gone.

Freighter turrets can not be neutralized. They can shoot, even when inside an unfavorable fire zone.

Attacking Units Defended by a Fire Zone

There is only one time a unit can move into an enemy fire zone: a destroyer can move under unfavorable fire if, after moving inside the fire zone, it can immediately remove the fire zone by destroying an enemy unit.

The "Theory of the Second Unit" can be summarized as follows: The first unit of the attacking pair can never be placed under unfavorable fire and must be able to target an enemy destroyer from outside the zone. The second unit can move inside the fire zone if it stops at once inside the zone, and instantly open fire along with the first unit.

After firing the shot, the second unit must have destroyed enough defenders so not to be under unfavorable fire any longer. Only then can the attacking player can move the second unit further.

If the second unit arrives transported, it must be unloaded outside the fire zone and then move inside the fire zone by its own means.

Attack Example: Situation at the start of the turn. 1st Action: The gunboat advances towards the fire zone but can not enter it. 2nd Action: As the second attacker, the tank can enter the fire zone. 3rd and 4th Action: Enemy boat is destroyed. With only one unit left, the unfriendly fire zone ceases to exist.

Capturing Units

Enemy units can also be captured. Two destroyers owned by the same player can capture a unit of a different color by moving adjacent to the target.

When capturing a unit, the destroyers performing the capture and the unit being captured must be outside of an fire zone. (A player can thus protect a unit from capture by covering it with a fire zone.)

• Capturing a unit costs 1 action point.
• If a destroyer is out of ammo, it can still capture a unit(s).
• The captured unit is immediately operational for any action.
• If a transporter is captured, all its cargo is also automatically captured and changes color without need to spend any additional action points.

The capture of Freighter is very different (see page 12).

Capture Example: 5th and 6th Action: The tank and the gunboat approach the enemy gunboat. 7th Action: The enemy gunboat is captured and its color marker is changed.

Retreat & Neutralization

At the end of a turn, destroyers can hold enemy units in their fire zone without destroying or capturing them.

In this situation, the threatened player can try to retreat on their turn: they can move each neutralized unit one hex, but only if the hex where the unit is moved is outside of the zone. If the player decides to retreat, they must do so before performing any other actions. A unit not able to move outside the fire zone is neutralized and can not do anything. If this happens, the only way to de-neutralize the unit(s) is to remove the enemy fire zone with other destroyers.

Practice Quiz

How can the two tanks on the left destroy the other tanks?

The enemy tanks cannot be destroyed. The first attacker has to enter either A or B, but it cannot do so because both enemy tanks can fire to A, B AND C.

After inspecting the fire zone (an "impenetrable coastline"), it is obvious that...

• The leftmost tank can be captured with two tanks and a pontoon from a barge.
• Two gunboats can disable the rest of the defenses.

The Starfreighter

The Freighter is your base of operations on the planet. This "mothership" occupies four hexes on the map, and is composed of a central bubble and three pods with turrets. Freighters can only land on plains or on swamps.

Except for its turrets, the Freighter and its cargo are indestructible, and the ship is unaffected by tidal changes. Any element that is inside the Freighter must be placed outside the map, visible to all players.

Any player who loses his/her Freighter automatically loses the game. In that case his/her extra bonus cubes are returned to the box.

Entering and Leaving

All units can exit and re-enter the Freighter from one of its three pods to any suitable adjacent hex. Units can not exit via the central bubble.

Once ore is loaded into Freighter, it can not be unloaded or transformed to other units.

If a loaded transporter enters or exits Freighter, it only costs 1 action point. Loading or unloading the transporters does not cost points when done inside the Freighter. On the same turn, a unit can enter Freighter via any pod and exist via any available pod.

The Freighter can be used to transport units from one side of the ship to the other, with the following exceptions:

• units can enter or exit from any pod that is under unfavorable fire IF the hex they are moving to or from is not inside a fire zone.
• units can not exit via a pod if pod's turret is destroyed
• however, units can enter, or unload ore into pod, even if that pod's turret is destroyed.

Capturing the Freighter

When its three turrets are destroyed, the Freighter and all its units are passed under the control of the first player who manages to enter the Freighter with a destroyer. In this case, the units preserve their original color.

As soon as the Freighter is captured, the player who performed the capture gets 5 more action points to his basic credit. Those extra 5 points can be used at once.

A player who controls several Freighters continues to play only one time, in his turn.

Each conquered Freighter gives a player a "superbonus" of 5 action points every turn. (Example: an owner of three Freighters — their original plus the two that they conquered — who has saved 10 action points can play basic credit+bonus+10 points = 35!) If a player loses one of their "extra" Freighters, they lose the five point superbonus.

The player who captures the Freighter can rebuild the turrets on the damaged Freighter:

• without needing ore or a Weather Hen
• in one or more turns
• never on a pod under unfavorable fire
• Rebuilding a turret costs 2 action points
• A rebuilt turret can fire immediately

The player who captures a Freighter controls all the captured units (in the Freighter and on the map) jointly with his own parts. All units preserve their color affiliation with their original Freighter.

Remarks:

• Even if all three turrets are destroyed, the Freighter still remains un-captured as long as a hostile destroyer does not infiltrate the Freighter.
• The capture of a Freighter is a unique case in which a hostile unit can go inside a friendly unit
• As usual, the capturing destroyer can enter the Freighter from a location that is outside of an unfriendly fire zone, but, as with all other units, it can enter via a pod that is inside of an unfriendly fire zone.

Change of color: A Freighter always preserves its original color — its transmitter — even if it is captured by another player.

Setting Up

Before the Game Starts

Spread ore on the map, one piece of ore every three hexes. Then remove all the ore that are placed on open sea hexes.

Each player takes a freighter, a set of colored markers, and a force pool of 1 Barge, 1 Crab, 1 Converter, 2 Patrol Boats, 4 Tanks, 1 Super Tank and 1 Pontoon.

The remaining pieces of equipment are placed to one side, available to players who build with their Weather Hen.

Shuffle the 15 Tide cards, place nine in the "Future Tides" tray and set the remaining six cards aside facedown.

First Turns

Turn 1: Arrival of the Starfreighters (No Action Points)

Put the turn indicator cube into the first turn slot.

Each player has three minutes in which to land their Freighter inside a "landing zone": a ground section between two dotted lines, or one of the two islands.

The following restrictions must be followed when placing the Freighter:

• Two Freighters can not land on adjacent landing zones (an island is not a contiguous zone).
• a player must leave at least one-hex-wide passage at the edge of the map
• a freighter can only land on plains or swamp hexes (or mix of both).
• The selected landing zone (including reef hexes touching the coast) is cleared of all ore.

Your places around the table are determined by the locations of your Freighters, so change chairs if needed.

Check that you have all the units in front of you: a Barge, a Crab, a Weather Hen, two Gunboats, four Tanks, one Heap and a Pontoon. Mark your units with your color.

Turn 2: Deployment (No Action Points)

Move the turn indicator cube into the second turn slot.

You have three minutes to deploy all or some of your units on the ground. You can place your units on any suitable hexes, as long as the hexes are inside your landing zone. The Barge and marine vehicles must touch the coast of their Freighter's landing zone. Transporters can be deployed loaded with other units.

On this turn, the tide is considered normal, but beware that it might change for the worse!

Turn 3: Start Mission (Five Action Points)

Decide which player begins: they will be "first player" for the game. The turns will be taken in clockwise order.

Move the turn indicator cube into the third turn slot. Take the first tide card from the deck and place it visible to the "current tide"-slot. That card indicates the weather for this third turn. The players whose Weather Hen is operational (not inside Freighter, on a transporter or stuck/disabled/neutralized) may look at the second card which indicates the tide for the next.

If every player has their Weather Hen functioning, the cards can be simply turned over, visible, on the top of the "future tides" deck. After that, the turn begins: You perform your actions, one by one, with 5 action points and three minutes.

Turn 4: Full Hassle (Ten Action Points)

The "future tide" card becomes "current tide" card. Everyone who has an operational Weather Hen may check the next tide. Every player can use 10 action points.

Turn 5 (15 Action Points)

Did you remember to move the turn indicator? The "future tide" card moves to "current tide" pile and can be checked by those who can do so. From now on, every player can use up to 15 action points.

Turn 6-20 (15 Action Points)

At the beginning of each turn, move the turn indicator and draw another tide card.

At the beginning of 11th and 19th turn when the "future tides" deck is empty shuffle all the tide cards except the "current tide" card and take out six cards. Place the new deck under the current tide card and set aside the 6 cards.

End Game

Turn 21: Early Departures (15 Action Points)

At the beginning of the 21st turn, after the tide card is moved, every player decides if they are going to blast off early, or stay until the end.

• Secretly, each player puts a spare unit or a piece of ore in his hand. The unit means that the player's Freighter will remain on the planet until the 25th turn; the ore means that the player's Freighter leaves immediately.
• Everyone opens their hands at the same time to reveal their choice.
• Those who decided to leave take off immediately, without playing their turn, with what their Freighter contained at the end of the 20th turn.

A player who has more than one Freighter can take off with some of their Freighters and leave other Freighters on the planet. If a player has, for example, two Freighters and takes off with one of them, their basic credit will drop from 20 action points to 15 action points.

The players who left early can count their score: 2 points per ore, 1 point per every unit in the Freighter, plus 1 point for each intact turret.

The identically colored units that the players left behind on the planet are neutralized: the remaining players can come to destroy or capture them.

Turn 25: Last Call (15 Action Points)

If one or more players decided to remain on the planet, they play the 21st turn and continue on until turn 25.

Players must attempt to launch their Freighters on turn 25, at the end of their turn. Take off requires the player to have at least 1 action point, plus 1 extra action point for every broken turret. For example a Freighter with two broken turrets needs 1+ (1+1) =3 action points to take off.

Caution: Be careful to leave enough points to launch! It is possible not to have enough action points at the end of the game to lift off.

After the 25th turn every player counts their points the same way like those did who took off on the 21st turn: 2 points per ore, 1 point per every unit in the Freighter, plus 1 point for each intact turret.

The player who has the most points wins. If two or more players have the same amount of points, the one who has the biggest load of ore wins.

Remember: Any used action point is lost forever. If, after having spent all their remaining action points, a player can not launch his Freighter, it will become marooned and be destroyed when the sea sweeps over this unstable region of Full Metal Planet.

Variants

Peaceful Game: Leave the Tanks and Patrol Boats in the scrap heap, and only mine ore in a friendly game. No combat is initiated.

Warmonger Game: Remove all the ore. Each player receives an equal number of units and fights to the end. Decide on an exit bonus of 20 or 25 points for each ship that successfully departs.

Time Variants: Give beginners an extra minute, or take away a minute of playtime from experience players.

Multi-Map Game: The maps of Full Metal Planete are geomorphic. Place two or more maps together to create a larger playing field. Alternatively, you could shrink the map size down by playing only on one or two segments. Players can combine multiple games to include more players, or provide more pieces to play with.

Rotating First Player: At the end of each turn, the "first player" position shifts clockwise to the next player at the table. Only use with four or more players.

A Tale of Two Freighters: If you have two sets of the game, you can play with this alternative where reenforcements are brought in for the last 10 turns.

On Turn 15, each player gets a second Freighter loaded with a starting lineup of units, (a barge, a crab, a layer, a pontoon, a large heap, two high-speed motorboats and four tanks). When the last player plays his 14th turn, the tide cards of the 15th turn are set up, and the players draw lots to determine the order of placement for their second mother ship (three minutes maximum per player).

• A minimum distance of five spaces from any Freighter already placed, friendly or enemy (the distance measured tip to tip) must be adhered to.
• It is forbidden to land a Freighter in an enemy fire zone or on top of any unit.
• Any ore present within a radius of three spaces around the new mother ship disappears.
• All units must deploy on spaces adjacent to the Freighter.
• A new drawing of lots takes place, which will determine the first player for this turn and the subsequent turns. The other players will follow in clockwise order.
• Each player may use only 5 Action Points on turn 15.
• On Turn 16 each player gets 5 Action Points per Freighter.
• From Turn 17-25, each player gets 10 Action Points a turn for each Freighter they control.
• Players who had their first mother ship captured before the fifteenth turn only get a base credit of fifteen movement points. (Optional: Players get 15 points for one Freighter plus 5 extra for the second, as per the original rules.)
• All rules regarding capture remain the same: If a Freighter is captured, only units with that ship's color are captured.

The Modular Plateau: In 1990, Ludodélire released an expansion for Full Metal Planete: Modular Plateau. The 19 large hex "map modules" could be added to the original map, or linked together to create an all-new map. Modular Plateau came with a special set of rules modifications.

Placing Freighters:

• There are no longer landing zones.
• A minimum distance of six spaces from any spacecraft already placed must be respected.
• Any ore located within three spaces of any point of a Freighter is removed upon landing.

Deployment: All deployed pieces must be within a maximum distance of two spaces from any point of the Freighter.

In the event two Freighters are able to affect deployment by creating fire zones, the players concerned will alternatively place pieces one at a time, within three minutes, starting with the player who placed a piece first.

Credits

FULL METAL PLANET English translation (revised) by Tony Barber, downloaded from BoardGameGeek; edited and updated by JP Trostle with additional French translations by Rusty Ferguson and Sandrine Simon. Revamped English rulebook by Jape.

Full Metal Planète, the boardgame, was only published in French, so the first English translation of the rules was for the computer game. That edition dubbed the la pondeuse-meteo the "Weather Hen," and the astronef (literally "spacecraft") as the Freighter. Other translations have referred to the freighter as "Mothership," Weather Hen as "converter," and vedette ("star" or "launch") as patrol boat.