Orbit Master
Orbit Master Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What's in the Box
- A. Master Boards (x12) - Larger boards that each player will use to place their chosen Master Sign.
- B. Master Sign Cards (x12) - When a player chooses their Sign to play, they receive the card that matches that sign.
- C. House Cards (x132) - These brighter colored cards represent each sign that must be placed under a Master Sign's house.
- D. Constellation Cards (x12) - At every Round there is a new Constellation that is revealed that provides a bonus depending on the signs played.
- E. Ophiuchus Card (x1) - This card is the sign Ophiuchus and comes into play to create a new Black Hole unless stopped.
- F. Dice - There is 1 Yellow and 1 White Die that serve as an aid in Challenging and Gathering.
- G. Reference Card (x1) - A guide to help identify the sign symbols on one side and the other to help explain the dice rules.
Master Board layout (Aries example)
The Master Board has a Player Area, the Master Sign card space, and the Sign symbols (Aries, Leo, Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio, Gemini, Aquarius, Libra). Each Master Board lists the Sign's Elemental Traits and its Constellation bonus. Aries example:
- Courage - Draw a card and play immediately at Challenge. Choose which card to use.
- Impatience - Demand all players to participate in a Challenge.
- Initiative - At the end of your turn, take another turn.
- Constellation - Aries +/-3 for You; Fire sign +/-1 for You.
Setup
There are 3 card decks in Orbit Master: the Master Sign Deck, the House Card Deck and the Constellation Deck.
Step 1: Choose a Sign & First Player
Each player chooses a sign to play from the Master Sign deck. Shuffle your chosen signs and randomly choose one card. This will be First Player and all rounds start with this player. Return the rest of the deck to the box.
Step 2: Place Master Boards
Find the matching Master Board and place your Master Sign card over the space with the sign symbol.
Step 3: Draw Cards
Shuffle the House Cards deck and each player draws 3 cards. Keep these cards hidden to yourself. Keep the deck face down in the middle of the play area. Players will always need to have 3 cards in hand.
Anytime during the game when you are less than or more than 3 cards, re-draw or discard back to 3.
Step 4: Prep Constellations Deck
Shuffle the Constellations deck and place the Ophiuchus card halfway down the deck or under the first 6 cards. Place the deck in the middle of the play area face down.
House Building
Before beginning game play, we need to understand what a House Card is and how to manage them.
House Cards are the main driver of the game and have different functions. The main definition of these cards are to represent a single zodiac sign residing under another sign's house. Here is how this works:
First off, there is a top and bottom to the card. This is shown by numbers and text being right side up. Second, the 2 matching symbols on the top are the Master Sign that this particular sign belongs to. The symbols on the bottom are the Sign itself.
Example: a card showing a Capricorn Sign that belongs under the Pisces House (Pisces symbol at the top). The player playing Pisces would add this Capricorn to their collection of 11 signs.
Each sign in Orbit Master has unique Positive and Negative traits. The positive is shown with a light color and the negative is the dark color. Each trait also has a Trait Value shown by the numbers.
The background color represents the element that the House Sign belongs to. Blue-Water, Yellow-Fire, White-Air and Pink-Earth.
Step 1: Build Your House
Check the 3 cards in your hand and see if you have any that have a matching top symbol of your Master Sign. If you do, place that card(s) to the right of your Master Board face up. If not, do nothing.
Step 2: Hold Your Desired Objects
You may have cards that another player needs. Check your 3 cards again and check to see if any top symbols match the Master Sign symbols of another player. If you do, place that card below your Master Board. If not, do nothing.
Face up or face down? The amount of Desired Objects that are face down will always match the amount of House Cards in your House. So, if you have 3 House Cards, then only 3 Desired Objects are face down.
Step 3: Re-draw Back to 3
If you placed any of your 3 cards into a location, then re-draw back to 3 cards in your hand. Keep re-drawing until you have cards that no one needs.
Game Start
Step 1: Constellation Round Start
Flip over the first card of the Constellation Deck and create a face up discard pile next to the deck. This is the constellation for this round.
Rounds begin and end with First Player. When a new round starts, then the next Constellation Card is flipped face up and placed onto the discard pile. If the Constellation deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile and create a new deck.
Step 2: Check for Constellation Bonus
On your Master Board you will see the Constellation icon. If your chosen Master Sign is the same as the constellation for that round, then you get that bonus at the start of each player's turn that round. If it is not the matching sign, but the same element color, then you get the minor bonus which is listed under the matching constellation bonus.
Example: During a 4 player game, the signs chosen are Leo, Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius. Using the example above, during a full round at the start of each player's turn, Sagittarius and Leo would be able to activate their Constellation bonuses. Sagittarius would activate their matching Constellation bonus and Leo would activate their minor bonus because it is not their matching sign, but matching element color of Fire.
Step 3: First Player Chooses an Action
On your turn you will choose one of 2 actions. You will choose either Gathering or Challenging.
Gathering
To keep it simple, let's do the first round with the Gathering action.
With this action a player will decline to Challenge and make an attempt to draw from the deck instead. This is how this works:
Step 1: Roll the Dice
Roll both dice. If one or both of the dice shows a + sign, then your Gathering action is successful. If no + is showing, then the action failed and your turn is over.
Step 2: Draw the Top Card
Draw the top card of the House Card deck. Inspect the card to yourself to see if it is a card that can be placed in your House Card row or in your Desired Objects. If the card can be placed in your own play area, draw another card. Keep doing this until you draw a card that nobody needs.
Step 3: Determine Draw Amount
Lay down the useless card so everyone can see. Take the number of the Positive Trait on the card and use that number to determine how many cards can be drawn from the House Card deck, but no more than six.
Example: A player draws a useless card and the number of the Positive Trait is 10. That player would then draw 6. If the number is 3, then the player will draw 3.
Step 4: Resolve and End Turn
After you have gathered your drawn cards, keep the ones that are useful to you to be placed in your play area. For the rest, combine with your hand and discard down to 3 cards.
After you have drawn cards, your turn is over and the next player can start their turn without waiting for you to finish sorting. If they do, you cannot participate in a Challenge if you are still sorting.
Challenging
With this second action you will choose another player to Challenge and push for victory using the powers of your chosen sign! Here is how this works:
Step 1: Challenge a Player
Choose any player that you feel may have a card you need. They must defend this Challenge.
Step 2: Roll the Dice
Roll both dice. The dice determine the parameters of the Challenge rules and you will choose a card from your hand to face off against another player's chosen card.
The basics of the dice are as follows:
The Yellow Die determines whether a higher or lower number wins and the White Die determines which trait number to use on your chosen card. You will win this Challenge with either a Positive number, a Negative number or a Trait Score.
When a star shape is rolled, then either the Challenger or Defender can use an Elemental Trait bonus depending on the color with the star (see Elemental Traits).
Refer to the Reference Card for greater detail on how the dice works.
Step 3: Choose Your Card and Hold
After inspecting the dice rules, choose your card and wait until the other challenger chooses their card before revealing.
Step 4: Wait for Other Challengers
Yes, other players can join in on this Challenge! Before revealing, give other players a chance to join.
Step 5: Reveal Cards and Decide Winner
All players will now reveal their chosen challenge cards. Based on the rules of the dice, determine a winner. Here are Challenge end rules:
The card that won the Challenge gets discarded into a Discard Pile that is now next to the House Card deck.
In the event of a tie, any losing players are out of the Challenge and the remaining tied players keep drawing from their hand until there is a winner. Dice rules still apply and if a player empties their hand redraw 3 cards and keep the Challenge going.
Step 5: Winner Rewards
The winner of the Challenge can now pick one Desired Object from a choice any losing player that participated in the Challenge. They also receive all cards that were played in the Challenge from all players except for the discarded winning card.
Winner will then sort their cards and discard down to 3. And just like Gathering, the next player can play their turn before cards are sorted.
Elemental Traits
Sometimes during a Challenge you may be able to use the special character powers of your Sign. Here is how this works:
Step 1: Star on the Dice
When the dice are rolled, a star on either the yellow or white dice will determine if you can use a bonus. The bonus is optional during a Challenge.
Step 2: Announce
Let the other players know that you are going to activate an Elemental Trait.
Only the initial Challenger and Defender can use the bonuses. Other participants play by the basic parameters.
Step 3: Choose Your Bonus
On your Master Board in the same section as your Constellation Bonus, you will see 3 more bonuses to choose from. You have the Positive Trait bonus top, Negative Trait bonus middle and your Modality bottom.
Examine the bonuses and choose which one you would like to activate. You can only play the bonus one time during a Challenge.
There are 3 Modality bonuses in the game. Each one is shared between 4 signs.
Step 4: Play
Play the bonus by the rules of the Elemental Trait. Depending on the bonus, they will be activated before, after or during the Challenge.
Example (Leo Master Board):
- Creativity (Positive Trait bonus) - Choose another player's card to use at a Challenge reveal.
- Ego (Negative Trait bonus) - Demand a Challenge Card from each player. Play one and keep the rest.
- Modality - Fixed (Willpower) - Exit a Challenge before cards are removed from play.
- Constellation - Leo +/-3 for You; Fire sign +/-1 for You.
Ophiuchus
As players work to rebuild and rule the celestial orbit, the 13th sign Ophiuchus is not pleased and is seeking to poison your Master Sign and create another black hole. Here is how this works:
Step 1: Ophiuchus Revealed
Once the Constellation Deck has been exhausted half way down, the Ophiuchus Card is revealed. Take Ophiuchus out of the deck and draw the next Constellation Card.
Step 2: Determine First Poisoning
All players give your Master Sign card to First Player. First Player will take the Master Sign cards and shuffle them and choose one. This player will be the first to take Ophiuchus.
Step 3: Poisoned Master Sign
The player who receives Ophiuchus will place the Ophiuchus card over the space on your Master Board where your Trait bonuses are. While in possession of Ophiuchus, you will not be able to use your bonuses. Also, flip your Master Sign card face down in the same space it has been.
Step 4: Poisoned House
Take one of your House Cards, likely the farthest right one, and place it on the left side of the Master Board face down.
You are now in the grip of Ophiuchus.
Venom Spread
While in possession of Ophiuchus you can still Challenge and Gather, but every time you lose a Challenge or fail a Gathering, you must take another House Card and place it on the left side of the Master Board.
In order to win the game with your Master Sign, you must have all 11 Signs together in a row face up on the right side of the Master Board.
Banish
In order to rid yourself of Ophiuchus, you simply need to win a Challenge. When you win, pass the Ophiuchus card to next player in turn order. They are now poisoned. Flip your Master Sign card face up. You can use bonuses.
However, getting rid of Ophiuchus does not mean flipping your poisoned House Cards over. They stay face down and you must win Challenges in order to flip them face up and place them back in your House Card row. One card gets flipped per Challenge win.
Black Hole
What happens if you continue to lose Challenges and all of your House Cards are sent to the left side? In that event, a Black Hole has been born and how you play the game is different. Here is how it works:
Take your Master Board and flip it over. Place Ophiuchus on the single space shown. Your Master Sign is now out of the game. Return the card to the box.
You still need to collect the other 11 Signs according to the Sign you were playing, but as you acquire them, flip them face down in a face down row.
Any time for the rest of the game that a House Card that belongs to your Master Sign is showing face up, then that card is immediately given to you and added to your row. When you have all 11 signs, you win!
Retrograde
Once the House Card deck is exhausted, flip over the discard deck. This is the new House deck. Now, every time a player loses a Challenge, they must flip a Desired Object face up.