SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Main board: solar system board, tech board, planetary board (assembled together), 3 solar system discs, the Sun, 4 sector boards.
Player pieces (in each color): 1 player board (assembled), 1 quick reference sheet, 8 figures, 30 markers, 1 publicity counter, 1 score counter, 1 100/200-point token, 1 income card.
General pieces: 48 tech tiles, 12 two-point tiles, 1 starting player marker, 2 solar system rotation tokens, 4 gold scoring tiles, the main deck of 138 cards, 30 credit and 30 energy tokens, 70 data tokens.
Alien species (5 boards, each with a rule sheet and its own cards/tokens): Mascamites, Exertians, ‘Oumuamua, Centaurians, Anomalies. In each game, 2 of these 5 species may be discovered.
Solo game: 24 solo objective tiles, 19 rival action cards.
Supply of credits, energy, data, figures, and markers is unlimited—use a suitable replacement if you run out.
Setup
- Main board. Assemble it from the planetary, solar system, and tech boards and place it in the middle of the table.
- Alien species. Shuffle the 5 alien species boards face down and place 2 at random in the slots on the edge of the planetary board. No one knows what they are until discovered. Return the others to the box unseen. Leave all alien cards and components in the box for now.
- Solar system board. The three central discs and 4 surrounding sector boards start in a random configuration—the discs must line up to form eight well-defined sectors, each with one nearby star.
- Card row. Shuffle the main deck and deal 3 cards face up.
- Pile of credits/energy. Keep energy and credit tokens near the board.
- Data. Each nearby star gets enough data tokens to fill its data slot (some get more than others). Keep the rest nearby.
- Gold scoring tiles. Place the 4 double-sided tiles beside the board with a random side up.
- Neutral milestones. Place neutral markers (of an unused color) above the 20- and 30-point spaces on the scoring track: 1–2 players = 2 markers above each; 3 players = 1 marker above each; 4 players = milestones are ignored.
- Technologies. For each of the 12 techs (4 in each of 3 colors), shuffle its 4 matching tiles and place them on the matching space, technology side face down, with a 2-point tile on top.
- End-of-round cards. Prepare 4 stacks, each containing 1 more card than there are players. After you pass in round 1–4, you gain a card from that round's stack.
- Solar system rotation tokens. Place one on the marked space on the tech board. Place the second on the first pile of end-of-round cards, as a reminder to rotate the solar system the first time a player passes in a round.
Player setup
Each player takes the pieces of a color. The player who last saw a UFO is the starting player. Your score starts at 1 (first player), 2, 3, or 4 by turn order; players play clockwise. Take your starting income card: your starting resources (on the back) are 4 publicity, 4 credits, 3 energy, and 5 cards. Place your publicity counter on the marked space (all players start with 4 publicity), take the credit and energy tokens, draw 5 cards, then turn one of your cards into income.
Increasing Income: whenever you gain income, tuck a card from your hand under your starting income card. It permanently bolsters your income—gain the bonus in its bottom-right corner immediately, and again at the start of each round from round 2 onward.
Game Overview
The game is played in 5 rounds. The starting player takes the first turn; players take turns clockwise, skipping any who have passed. At the end of round 5, the player with the most points wins.
Turn structure: On your turn, you take only 1 main action. In addition, you may perform any number of free actions at any time during your turn (before, after, or during your main action). After your main action and free actions, resolve any milestones or discovered species, then play passes.
The main actions are: Launch a probe, Orbit a planet, Land on a planet or moon, Scan nearby stars, Analyze data, Play a card for its effect, Research a tech, or Pass for the round.
Card overview: A card is used for only one of its benefits. As a free action, discard the card at any time during your turn for the depicted benefit. As a main action, play the card for its effect, paying its cost. Cards may also have a mission (extra bonuses if you meet conditions), a sector color (used during a Scan), and an income type (the resource it becomes when tucked).
Launch a Probe
Pay 2 credits to launch a probe. Place one of your probe figures on the Earth space of the solar system board. By default each player is limited to one probe in space (anywhere in the rings of the solar system board; figures on the planetary board are not "probes in space"). If at your limit, you cannot Launch.
Movement
You can move probes around the solar system. For each movement, move one probe into an adjacent space (not diagonally). Leaving a space with asteroids costs one additional movement. The Sun is not a space and cannot be moved through. Moving into a space with a publicity icon gains 1 publicity (no publicity for visiting Earth).
Ways to generate movement (free actions): spend 1 energy to gain 1 move (you can move a probe the same turn you launch it), or discard cards showing the movement icon.
Orbit a Planet
Pay 1 credit and 1 energy to turn one of your probes into an orbiter. This main action can only be performed if your probe is on a space with a planet (other than Earth). Remove your figure from the solar system board and place it in that planet's orbit on the planetary board. Gain the bonuses shown above the planet. The first player to enter a planet's orbit also scores 3 points (cover the space with your figure to show later orbiters won't). There is no limit to orbiters at a planet. Once on the planetary board, your figure no longer counts against your "probes in space" limit.
Land on a Planet or Moon
Pay 3 energy to turn one of your probes into a lander (main action; probe must be on a space with a planet other than Earth). If there is already an orbiter at that planet (regardless of owner), it costs only 2 energy. Remove your figure and place it on that planet on the planetary board. Gain the bonuses in the middle of the planet (always including some data and points). The first player to land on a planet also receives some data (cover the space to show later landers won't). Mars is unique: it has two such spaces. There is no limit to landers on a planet.
Some planets have moons. You cannot land on a moon unless an effect or tech allows it. When you land on a moon, gain the depicted rewards; each moon has space for only 1 lander.
Marking Life Traces
When you earn a life-trace icon, you have found a trace of extraterrestrial life. Below each alien board are three discovery spaces matching the 3 types of traces. Place your marker on a matching space if one is unmarked. Gain 1 publicity and 5 points for claiming a discovery space; it may give other benefits when the species is discovered. A universal trace is a wildcard for any of the 3 life traces. If both matching spaces are full (and neither species is discovered yet), place your marker on an overflow space instead (see Discovering Alien Species).
Scan Nearby Stars
Pay 1 credit and 2 energy to scan nearby stars, listening for signals without needing a probe. This main action lets you, in the order of your choosing:
- Mark 1 signal in Earth's sector.
- Discard 1 card from the card row and mark 1 signal in a matching sector (one of the two sectors matching the card's upper-right corner), then refill the card row.
- If you have telescope techs, activate them in any order (most require an additional cost—see Telescope Techs).
You always mark at least 2 signals when you Scan; with the right telescope techs you can mark up to 4. Some card effects let you mark signals too.
Marking Signals
You may never skip placing a signal—it is mandatory. To "mark a signal in a sector", take the leftmost data token from that sector's data slot, put it in your data pool, and replace it with a marker of your color. If you place a marker in the second position of a data slot, immediately score 2 points. Data is replaced by markers from left to right. You may place more markers than a sector can hold (you get no data for the excess, but they help you win the sector).
Completing a Sector
If you replace the last data token in a slot, you have completed the sector. After your main action, resolve all completed sectors in any order:
- The player with the most markers wins the sector, placing a marker beside the nearby star and getting the reward shown. Break ties in favor of the player whose marker was placed later. Excess signals count toward winning.
- Each player who contributed at least 1 marker gets 1 publicity (including the winner).
Resetting the sector: Determine second place with the same tiebreaker; the second-place player leaves a marker on the first space of the slot. Return all other markers and refill the data slots. The sector can be completed and won again later. Winners always leave a marker above the slot (ignore it when determining the next winner).
Analyze Data
Pay 1 energy to analyze your data (main action). It can only be performed if the top row of your computer is filled with data (bottom-row computer-tech spaces may be filled or empty). Discard every data token in your computer (keep data in your data pool), then mark a life trace for one of the two alien species. Your computer is now empty and can be refilled.
Placing Data: At any time during your turn, as a free action, take a data token from your data pool and place it in your computer (left to right); resolve any effect on the covered space immediately. Various spaces grant publicity, income tucks, or 2 points. Your data pool can never hold more than 6 data; discard any excess you would gain. You cannot place data when it is not your turn.
Play a Card
As your main action, play a card for its effect (the white part), paying the printed cost. If the effect includes other actions (launch, scan, etc.), perform them without paying their standard cost. Afterward, discard the card near the main deck, unless it is one of these:
- Mission cards — keep in front of you. Conditional missions state a condition and reward; when the condition is met you may complete it as a free action (gain the reward, turn it face down). Triggerable missions are triggered by things you do after playing them; cover a circle with a marker to gain the bonus. When all spaces are covered, the mission is complete (kept face down).
- End-of-game scoring cards (gold boxes) — keep in front of you; they score at game end.
Research a Tech
Pay 6 publicity to research a new technology (main action). First rotate the solar system (see below). Then choose a tech you don't have and take the top tile from that stack. If you're the first to take from that stack, discard the 2-point tile and score 2 points. Gain the tile's printed bonus, then flip it and place it on your board. Probe and telescope techs have specific slots; a computer tech goes in any computer slot (place it under any data token already there—this doesn't score). A card with a tech icon lets you research a specific type of tech (rotating the solar system, without paying publicity); if you already have all 4 of that type, ignore that part.
Rotating the Solar System
You always rotate the solar system when you research a tech, and the first player to pass each round also rotates it. The rotation counter reminds you which disc to rotate: first time rotate disc 1 (top), second time disc 2 (disc 1 rotates with it), third time disc 3 (all rotate together), then back to disc 1. Discs always rotate one sector counter-clockwise; probe figures rotate with the discs. Because of cutouts, a figure may not move even though its ring's planets do, or a figure in a cutout may be pushed into the next space (this movement is free, and grants publicity if applicable).
Tech types
Probe techs improve your probes: have up to 2 probes on the solar system board at once (immediate bonus launches a probe free); land for 1 less energy; gain 1 publicity when moving to asteroids (and asteroids no longer cost extra to leave); or land on a planet's moon instead of the planet (same cost).
Telescope techs (usable only during a Scan, in any order): mark a signal in a sector adjacent to Earth instead of Earth's sector (immediate bonus gives 2 data); discard a card from your hand to mark an extra matching signal; pay a cost to mark an extra signal in a sector with Mercury; or pay a cost to launch a probe / gain 1 movement.
Computer techs expand your computer (any slot; no duplicates). The upper space gives 2 points when you place data; the lower space gives the depicted reward and can be filled only if the upper space is already full. Analyze Data clears all spaces.
Milestones
Some events trigger when a player's score counter reaches or passes a score, resolved between turns after the current player finishes free actions.
- Gold milestones: At the end of a turn in which you reach/pass 25, 50, or 70 points, choose and mark one gold scoring tile (see End of Game). You cannot mark the same tile twice.
- Neutral milestones (games with fewer than 4 players): at the end of a turn in which you reach/pass the 20- or 30-point milestone, a nonplayer research group advances—move a nonplayer marker from the milestone to the leftmost empty discovery space of an alien species (this may cause a discovery). If all six discovery spaces are already full, these have no effect. Ignored entirely in 4-player games.
Multiple milestones are resolved starting with the player whose turn just ended, proceeding clockwise; the neutral milestone is always resolved last.
Free actions between turns are not allowed. Resource Exchange (free action): exchange 2 cards, 2 credits, or 2 energy (all of one kind) for 1 card, 1 credit, or 1 energy. Buying a Card (free action): spend 3 publicity to take a card from the card row or top of the deck.
Pass
Passing is a main action (you may take free actions on the turn you pass). Then resolve in order, without further free actions:
- Discard down to 4 cards if you have more than 4.
- Check whether you rotate the solar system: if you are the first player to pass this round, take the rotation reminder token, set it beside the stack, and rotate the solar system. (In round 5, you still rotate but discard the token.)
- Choose one card from this round's end-of-round cards and return the rest. The earlier you pass, the more cards you have to choose from.
Once everyone has passed, the round ends when the last player chooses one of the 2 remaining cards and discards the leftover.
Between rounds
- Everyone gets income (the resources on your income card plus all tucked cards).
- Pass the starting player marker one space to the left (a new player starts the next round).
- Move the rotation reminder token onto the next round's stack of cards.
Getting cards: "Draw a card" lets you take from the card row or the top of the deck; a different icon means draw a random card from the top of the deck only. When you draw from the card row, refill it immediately (reshuffle the discard pile if the deck runs out).
Discovering Alien Species
Each of the two face-down alien boards has three discovery spaces (traces of alien life). Traces are usually earned by: scanning nearby stars, landing on planets, or analyzing data. Once all three discovery spaces are filled (in 2–3 player games these may be nonplayer markers), the species is discovered.
Discovery (resolved after you finish your turn, after any milestones): flip the species board to reveal it, read that species' rule sheet, and follow its setup rules—the players that marked the three discovery spaces are rewarded now.
Alien cards: Each species has a special deck of cards, slightly stronger than regular cards, gained only from that species (Exertian species cards do not count toward your hand limit).
Further research: Each alien board offers new research spaces that work like the 3 discovery spaces—when you gain a matching life trace, mark any empty matching space and gain the reward. Nonplayer markers (2–3 player games) only play on the six discovery spaces, never on the species board.
Overflow spaces: If you gain a trace but all spaces of that color are taken, place your marker in an overflow space and score 3 points. Overflow markers count when a card refers to a trace marked for a species. You may use an overflow space even if another alien board still has an available space.
End of Game
The game ends after 5 rounds. Once the last player passes, final scoring:
- Score points for any end-of-game scoring cards you played (gold boxes).
- Score points for gold scoring tiles.
- Some alien species may add one more scoring step.
The player with the most points wins; a tie is shared.
Gold Scoring Tiles
Each gold scoring tile rewards you for sets; for each set, score the number of points shown by your marker. The double-sided tiles:
- Tech: score for each set of three techs, one of each type (i.e. the type you have the least of); OR score for each pair of techs you have.
- Mission: score for each mission completed (conditional and triggered); OR score for each pair of completed missions / end-of-game scoring cards (a pair can be 2 missions, 2 cards, or 1 of each).
- Income: score for each set of three cards tucked for income, one of each type; OR score for the type of income card you tucked the most (credits or energy). (Don't count the resources printed on the starting income card.)
- Other: score for each set of three life traces you marked, one of each color (overflow markers count); OR score for each sector win paired with an orbiter or lander (the smaller of your total sector wins vs. total orbiters and landers).
Solo Game
You compete against a rival research institution—outscore the rival at game's end. There are 5 difficulty levels (gold stars on the back of each player board).
Setup: Set up as a two-player game. Choose a difficulty and give the rival that player board (1-star and 2-star share a board), all pieces of one color, and a marker on the start of the progress track. Determine a starting player at random (the marker alternates each round). Set both publicity markers to 4. On 3-star+ difficulty, shuffle one random advanced action card (S.5–S.14) into the rival's deck of 4 basic action cards (S.1–S.4). On 2-star+ difficulty, build an objectives stack from levels I, II, III as shown on the rival's board (level III at the bottom), then reveal the top 3 tiles as your first objectives. (1-star has no objectives.)
Rival resources: The rival doesn't track credits, energy, or cards—instead, each such resource gained advances the progress marker 1 space (data tokens go straight to the rival's computer/pool). Gaining a life trace advances 4 spaces (usually from placing an orbiter). Crossing a strength icon adds a random advanced action card to the top of the rival's deck. The rival triggers neutral and gold milestones (always taking the first, most valuable gold spot; the decision arrow breaks leftmost/rightmost ties).
Rival turns: Reveal the top action card and perform the first action possible (top to bottom). Actions include Tech (spend 6 publicity, choosing the preferred tech shown by the progress track, preferring techs with a 2-point tile), Launch, Orbiter/Lander (move to the first reachable listed planet, then land/orbit by priority), Telescope (mark signals to win sectors, then score, then most markers), Analyze (only when computer full), and Species Discovery (swap in a species' special action card if discovered). The rival uses tech tiles as a resource: discard a probe tech to prioritize landing on a moon, a telescope tech to mark an extra signal, or a computer tech to gain 3 points and 1 progress.
Rival passing: If the rival starts a turn with an empty action deck, they pass—reshuffle their played cards into a new deck, take the top end-of-round card (advancing 1 progress), and rotate the solar system if first to pass.
Objectives: Complete tasks to mark objectives; at the end of your turn, move completed objectives to a pile and refill to 3. At the end of rounds 1–4, before income, spend completed objectives equal to the round that just ended; for each you can't spend, the rival advances 3 spaces. At the end of round 5, the rival scores 5 points for each uncompleted objective (still in the row or the stack).
End of game: After 5 rounds, score as in a multiplayer game. The rival doesn't score gold tiles; instead it scores 5 points for all uncompleted objectives. If you have more points than the rival, you win.