SETI: Space Agencies
SETI: Space Agencies Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
New Alien Species
Arkhos
- 1 alien board
- 1 rule sheet
- 9 exploration cards
- 12 security cards
Glyphids
- 1 alien board
- 1 rule sheet
- 1 translation board
- 2 strip tiles
- 10 Glyphid cards
- 35 glyph tokens
Glue together using provided stickers.
Amoeba
- 1 alien board
- 1 rule sheet
- 10 Amoeba cards
- 5 organelle tokens
- spare tokens
Other Components
- 11 asymmetric organizations
- 1 Futurespan token
- 3 Xenolab tiles
- 21 quick start cards
- 42 cards for the main deck
- 10 signal tokens. Their supply is unlimited. If they run out, use a suitable substitute.
- Solo game: 4 rival action cards, 3 long-term objective tiles
Cards from the expansion are marked with an expansion icon.
Using This Expansion
These components are meant to be added to the base game immediately, no matter if you use other parts of the expansion or not:
- More cards: Shuffle the 42 new cards into the main deck.
- Alien Species: Mix the 3 new aliens with the original ones. Randomly select 2 for each game as usual.
- Signal Tokens: Some new effects award these tokens. Keep them within easy reach.
The organizations introduce a whole new way to play SETI and are used together with the quick start cards.
Playing with Organizations
Each player now controls an organization with unique powers and an asymmetric starting setup and income.
Thanks to their powers, the organizations can achieve more than you may be used to from the base game. To balance that and to keep games from running too long, games with organizations are 4 rounds long.
Play only rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Setup
- Prepare end-of-round cards for rounds 2, 3 and 4 only.
- Determine the starting player and set the starting scores based on turn order as usual.
- Set publicity to 0 for all players.
- Then deal each player:
- 2 random organizations
- 3 random quick start cards
- 4 random cards from the main deck
Tip: Knowing what cards you start with can help you choose the organization and the quick start cards.
Each player chooses 1 organization and 2 quick start cards and keeps all 4 main deck cards.
Then all players simultaneously resolve their 2 quick start cards and gain all of the starting resources and effects of their chosen organization.
First game: When playing with organizations for the first time, consider starting with those numbered 1–4 (see the bottom left corner). Those four are generally less complex.
We recommend giving everyone 1 of those four organizations, 2 quick start cards (instead of 3) and 4 cards from the main deck.
Quick Start Cards
The top half may instruct you to place an orbiter, trace, or signals. Mark those, but do not gain any effects or other benefits for doing so.
The bottom half may give you starting resources, points, and other effects, usually related to what you marked above, but not always!
Note: After resolving the cards, you can return them to the box (unless they were tucked for income like the one shown on the right).
Organization Card Layout
The rulebook labels the parts of an organization card as follows (illustrated with the Turing Systems card): Starting resources and effects, Income increases, Income, Passive power, and Once per round ability.
Once per round ability: This ability is a free action, available once per round. When used, mark its space to remind you it has been used this round.
Income increases: Most organizations let you tuck cards for income. Gain the resource from the card you tuck immediately.
Note: Income increases are resolved after taking all starting resources. You may choose which cards to tuck from the 4 cards you've been dealt in setup and any extras gained from the organization or quick start cards. Resolve multiple income increases one by one. So if one gives you a random card, you can use that exact card for the following one.
Income: Do not resolve income at game start. You will resolve your income at the start of rounds 3, 4 and 5.
When resolving income, this reminds you to remove the marker from the once per round ability.
Example (printed on the Turing Systems card): "When you research a computer tech, gain 1 publicity." Its once per round ability reads: "Choose any [icon] or [icon] tech. This turn you can use its effect as though you had researched it. (Do not gain the tech's immediate bonuses.)"
Adjustments for 1–2 Players
As an optional module, the quick start cards can also be used to make the initial setup more dynamic, even in games without organizations!
Before players choose an organization and any quick start cards, reveal 4 quick start cards at random. Mark any orbiters, signals, or traces shown in the top half of those cards using neutral color pieces. Ignore the bottom half of the cards.
Neutral signals: When resolving a completed sector that includes neutral markers, treat those markers as if they belonged to another player. Since there can be at most 2 neutral markers in a sector, the neutral color can never win. But in situations where it has the second most markers, leave one neutral marker in the sector.
Solo with Organizations
Playing solo with the expansion is based on the standard solo mode, with a few changes to support organizations, quick start cards, and the new long-term objectives.
Setup
Set up as a 2-player game. You can include the neutral quick start cards as recommended in the 1–2 player adjustments (see above).
Choose a difficulty and prepare the game for solo as usual. The rival does not get an organization or quick start cards. They gain alternative benefits instead:
- Starting action deck: Shuffle the new extra starting action card into the rival's action deck.
- Publicity: Set rival's starting publicity to 4.
- Objectives (ignore when playing on [star] difficulty):
- Remove all level I objectives from the game. Stack level II and III objectives based on difficulty (as in the base solo rules). Then reveal the top three tiles as usual (those will be three level II objectives).
- Shuffle the 3 long-term objective tiles and reveal 2 at random. The third is not used.
So there will be 5 objectives revealed at the start of the game — 2 long-term objectives and 3 level II objectives.
Illustration on the rival's extra starting action card (text reads): "Then [1 orange triangle icon] for each [star icon] of your difficulty level."
Choose your organization and quick start cards as if playing a multiplayer game. Note that you make your choice after seeing the neutral quick start cards and the 5 revealed objective tiles.
Long-Term Objective Tiles
These work differently from regular objectives in two key ways:
- No replacement: When you complete all three tasks on a long-term objective, remove the tile from the game. That means you cannot spend it to prevent rival advancement at the end of rounds.
- Penalty for uncompleted tasks: At the end of rounds 2, 3, and 4, the rival gets [1 orange triangle icon] for each uncompleted task still visible on any long-term objective tile.
Uncompleted long-term objectives are not scored by the rival at the end of the game. They only cause rival advancement during the game.
Tasks on long-term objectives follow the same trigger rule as standard ones. If a single trigger could mark multiple tasks (even on different objectives), you must choose only one.
Example: At the end of the round, the rival gets [2 orange triangle icon] for the 2 uncompleted tasks on this long-term objective.
When You Run Out of Advanced Action Cards
At higher difficulty levels, the rival may run out of available advanced action cards. If the rival should gain an extra card and there are no cards left to be added, they gain [8 icon] instead.
Signal Tokens
This effect gives you a signal token. It can be found on some of the new cards and alien species. Some of the organizations even gain signal tokens as income!
Using Signal Tokens
You can use signal tokens during a [scan action icon] action by discarding them: For each signal token you discard, you may discard 1 additional card from the card row and mark a signal in the matching sector.
Note: Since the card row is replenished after you finish the whole scan action, you can't use more than two signal tokens during a single scan action.
Example: The left card (LOFAR Array) lets you use signal tokens because it includes a scan action. The right one (Very Large Array) doesn't. Even though it marks signals, it's not a scan.
FAQ
Can we play 5 rounds with organizations?
Not recommended. Organizations are balanced for 4 rounds. Also, it will prolong the game significantly.
Can we play 4 rounds with quick start cards but without organizations?
The quick start cards don't fully compensate for the missing round, so without organizations, you will achieve less then intended. It also impacts the game balance. But if you want to give it a go, use the starting income card from the base game in place of an organization.
Organizations
Helion Assembly & Cosmos Strategy Group
Although their topmost abilities resemble triggerable missions, they do not count as such.
If a single trigger fulfills both a triggerable mission and one of these abilities, you can mark both.
Futurespan Institute
You may have only one card prepared at a time. A prepared card is no longer considered to be in your hand and cannot be used for any purpose other than being played for free if the [Futurespan token icon] token has been reached.
The once per round ability can only be used if the token is on the scoring track.
For more clarifications, check the official online FAQ: cge.as/seti-faq