Kardashev Scale Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Card Breakdown
• Gameplay
  • Conflict, Trade and Research
  • Advance
    • Advancement Turn Order and the Starting Token
  • Advancement Card Placement
• Advancement Card Abilities
• Round End
• Game End
• Games with 2 Players

Components

• Alien Civilization dials: 6
• Starting token: 1
• Resource tokens: Conflict 20, Trade 20, Research 20 (Resources are not limited)
• Advancement cards: Planetary 30, Stellar 18, Galactic 12

The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is able to use.

• A Type I civilization, also called a Planetary civilization, can use and store all of the energy available on its planet.
• A Type II civilization, also called a Stellar civilization, can use and control energy at the scale of its planetary system.
• A Type III civilization, also called a Galactic civilization, can use and control energy at the scale of its entire host galaxy.

Setup

1. Each player chooses an Alien Civilization dial and places it in front of them. The remaining Alien Civilization dials are returned to the box.
2. Sort and shuffle the Advancement cards by Type and place each deck in a column near the center of the table in escalating order (Planetary at the bottom and Galactic at the top). Deal out 4 cards from the Planetary deck, then 3 cards from the Stellar deck, and finally 2 cards from the Galactic deck, placing each faceup to form a pyramid display in the center of the table as shown.
3. Sort the Resource tokens by type and place them in separate stacks near the Advancement cards. Note: Resources are not limited.
4. Give the youngest player the Starting token.

Card Breakdown

• A - Victory Points (VP): this is the base VP value of the Advancement.
• B - Purchase Cost: in order to buy this Advancement, you must spend the indicated resources, placing them back in the supply.
• C - Aspect: some Advancements reference the Aspect of a card. The Aspects are Technology, Territory and Culture.
• D - Ability: this is what the Advancement does when it is built. Some abilities trigger immediately on purchase, some are ongoing effects, and some score extra VP at the end of the game.

Gameplay

Each round, all players will simultaneously participate in a Summit and secretly choose one of the four actions (Conflict, Trade, Research or Advance) on their Alien Civilization dial.

Make sure your chosen action is visible, and then place your dial facedown on the table.

When everyone has chosen the action they are going to perform, all players simultaneously reveal their Alien Civilization dial.

Conflict, Trade and Research

If choosing Conflict, Trade or Research, you will compare your action against your neighbors on both your right and left using the chart.

Chart:

• Conflict beats Research
• Research beats Trade
• Trade beats Conflict

Beginning with the player holding the Starting token and moving clockwise, each player takes Resource tokens from the supply as follows:

• When winning against your neighbor, take 2 Resource tokens matching your chosen action.
• If you tie, take 1 matching Resource token.
• If you lose, take nothing.

Example: After all players have revealed their actions, Sato checks with his left and right neighbors. He has chosen Research, while on his left, Joseph has chosen Trade, and on his right, Kimberley has chosen Research as well. Sato's Research beats Joseph's Trade, thus gaining 2 Research Resource tokens from that matchup. However, he ties with Kimberley, so he only gets 1 Research Resource token. Joseph would get no Resource tokens, as he has lost in both cases. Kimberley would also get a total of 3 Research Resource tokens, having beaten Joseph and tying Sato.

Since you will compare results against BOTH of your neighbors, you may obtain up to 4 Resource tokens on your turn.

If you exceed 10 Resource tokens in your pool at the end of the round (after all players have Advanced), you must discard down to 10 Resource tokens (discarding token(s) of your choice back to supply) at the end of the round (after all players have Advanced).

Advance

Advancement occurs after resources are taken, and if you choose Advance, any neighbor that plays Conflict, Trade or Research automatically wins against you and takes the 2 applicable Resource tokens.

When Advancing, you may buy 1 Advancement card by paying the Resource tokens required to purchase the card as printed on the left side of each Advancement card (with the Resource tokens being returned back to the supply). You may also return any 3 resources for 1 of any other resource.

Once you buy an Advancement card, place it in front of you and deal a new Advancement card from the applicable deck to replace the purchased Advancement card before the next player Advances.

Advancement Turn Order and the Starting Token

In the event that multiple players choose to Advance, turn order begins with the player holding the Starting token Advancing first (if they chose Advance), and moves clockwise to the next person that chose to Advance until all players have Advanced.

Each time the player holding the Starting token successfully purchases an Advancement card, the Starting player token is passed clockwise to the next player.

(Note that the Starting token may be passed multiple times in a round, and if all players choose Advance (and successfully buy an Advancement card), the Starting token will circle back to the player originally holding the Starting token at the beginning of the round).

Example: Kimberley, holding the Starting token, chooses Advance, while Sato chooses Conflict and Joseph chooses Trade. Sato takes 2 Conflict Resource tokens against Kimberley and none against Joseph. Joseph takes 2 Trade Resource tokens against Kimberley and 2 more against Sato. Kimberley is now able to purchase an Advancement card and, when she does, passes the Starting token to Sato. Had she not purchased an Advancement card (whether by choice or lack of appropriate resources), she would have kept the Starting token.

Advancement Card Placement

You must place Advancement cards in front of you in a pyramid shape, starting at the bottom.

You must purchase Planetary cards first and place each new Planetary card immediately to the right or left of a previously purchased Planetary card (if any).

In order to purchase a Stellar card, you must have two Planetary cards below to support it. Therefore, Stellar cards are always placed on the second level. Similarly, to purchase a Galactic card you must have two Stellar cards to support it, and you will put it on a third level. Just like Planetary cards, Stellar cards, and Galactic cards must always be placed next to already placed cards of the same type, if any.

You may not purchase a card if you are not legally able to place it.

Placement diagram (levels from top to bottom):

• Galactic: you would need another Stellar card below to support a Galactic card placed here.
• Stellar: you may put a Stellar card here because there are enough Planetary cards to support it. You may not put a card here because there are not enough Planetary cards to support it and it is not next to another Stellar card.
• Planetary: base level.

Note: Your final shape does not have to be a pyramid. You are required to place Advancement cards of each type horizontally in their own row. You may have multiple Galactic cards as long as you have enough Stellar cards to support them. You are not required to buy a Galactic card.

Advancement Card Abilities

Advancement cards have a base victory point value in the top left corner. They also have special rules that can grant you powerful abilities, or extra points at the end of the game. You may use an Advancement card's abilities as soon as you purchase and place it. Advancement abilities can stack (becoming cumulative) and any text on Advancement cards supersedes the rules in this rulebook.

Round End

After every player who chose Advance purchases or chooses not to purchase an Advancement card, the round ends. All players then take their Alien Civilization dial and prepare to choose their action to start the next round.

Game End

The game ends once one player reaches 25 or more victory points, counting only the base victory points on the cards or there are no more cards of the appropriate deck to replace a purchased Advancement. Players finish the current round. Each player tallies up their base victory points and additional points scored through abilities on Advancement cards. The player with the most points is the winner.

In the event of a tie, the tiebreakers, in order, are (1) most Galactic advancements, (2) most Stellar advancements, (3) most total Advancement cards, and (4) most total Resource tokens in hand. If the game is still tied, players share the victory.

Games with 2 Players

When winning during a Summit, take 3 Resource tokens, not 2.

The Starting token is not passed unless both players choose Advance during the same Summit, in which case the player holding the Starting token Advances first and then passes the Starting token to the other player to hold until both players choose Advance again in a subsequent Summit.