Signal
Signal Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In Signal, players take on the roles of Experts sent to understand an Alien visitor, who is also a player. The Alien will receive 'rules' of communication, which involve adding, moving, and removing pieces on the shared game mat. It is up to the Experts to experiment with placing pieces on that mat to 'transmit' to the Alien, who then responds by rearranging and changing them. If the Experts can provide an 'input' that can result in the desired 'output', the pictured Signal, all players win the round together, and are scored on how many guesses they didn't use.
Game play continues with a second and third round with additional rules, with a final score given for winning all three rounds. Each Alien is unique, so don't peak at them before playing. They are also ranked in a difficulty order, from 1 to 25, so consider completing them in the intended order.
Components
- 25 Alien cards
- 10 Transmission tokens
- 40 Signal tokens
- 1 Card holder
- 10 Ability cards
- 1 Canvas mat
- 1 Rulesheet
Setup
- Select who will be the singular Alien, while the remaining players will be the Experts.
- Place the canvas mat in the middle of the play area, with a long edge facing the Alien.
- Draw three random Ability cards face-up, each with a different value (1, 2, and 3). Return the rest to the game box.
- Give all ten red Transmission tokens and the black and white Signal pieces to the Experts.
- The Alien selects an Alien card to use, placing it in the card holder so only they can read the three rule columns on the back.
Advice
Signal is about experimenting, deducing, and communicating. It is cooperative. The Alien is required to exactly (as possible) follow the rules on their card, and should be ready to do so with great care. The Experts work as one unit, watching and discussing. They may take notes, pictures, and videos to record and remember prior turns. They can also split the Transmission tokens between themselves, to share the burden of who gets the final say on each Transmission. Technically, you could also have more than one Alien player sitting and playing as one.
Being the Alien
As the Alien, you have an important role. While you win with the Experts, your ability to communicate is limited while they 'solve' your Alien rules, which are listed in three rounds on the back of the Alien card you are using. You may not reveal or discuss this secret information, unless you use an ability.
As the Alien, you will start with the first round (left side) of the rules only. In the second round, you will use both the first and second round rules (center). In the third round, you will use all three columns.
As the Alien, you must complete each rule one at a time, always in order. You cannot deviate or backtrack. If you cannot complete a rule, you may skip it. If a piece leaves a mat, it is considered removed. If a rule is not specific about something, like how far something is moved, or where it is placed, you get to choose. Remember to be nice to the Experts - their score is your score, and their success is your success!
Example Alien card
An Alien card names a theme and a win condition on its front, and lists three rounds of rules — one per column — on its back.
Front — Magnetism: not touching, in a rectangle. They retreat when we match them. They return when we are contrary. We are wary of destructive forces.
Back — rule columns:
| Round 1: Repel | Round 2: Pull | Round 3: Annihilate |
|---|---|---|
| Move all white pieces away from each other. | Move all black pieces towards a white piece, then remove that white piece. | Move one white piece and one black piece towards each other until they touch. |
| Move all black pieces away from each other. | Move all white pieces towards a black piece, then remove that black piece. | Remove all black and white pieces touching each other. |
Goal: Magnetism — not touching, in a rectangle.
Step 1: Transmitting
There are no turns in Signal in a usual sense. All the Experts place as many as ten and as few as zero pieces on the mat in some arrangement. The pieces can touch, not touch, overlap or not overlap mat markings, and can be stacked or oriented however you'd like. This is called transmitting.
As a matter of 'solving' the Alien, you are trying to send a transmission that will get a specific response: the Alien creates the Signal, which is pictured and described on both sides of the Alien card. The Signal does not have to be centered, but it also cannot have additional pieces on the mat.
As a restriction, the Experts cannot send the goal Signal on its own, essentially always having the Alien create the Signal using their rules and the pieces you have provided in a certain way.
Once the Experts have placed the pieces they wish to transmit, they place a red Transmission token by the mat to show they are ready for a response.
Experts should consider various ways the rule may work when placing pieces, and try many different things to try and 'trigger' the rules to understand them. The inside of the box lid includes example terms and concepts that may be utilized by an Alien's rules.
Step 2: Responding
The Alien, once they receive a transmission, will then complete their rules in order as written. This is done steadily but without narration - the Experts can take notes, pictures, and videos to document this. The Alien will skip rules that are not possible (such as not enough available pieces), and remove pieces that end up moved off the mat edge. When the Alien is done with the response, they take the Transmission token to show they have completed their rules. This is called a response.
The intention is that the Experts will try and deduce the rules the Alien is following, and hopefully provide a transmission that the Alien can turn into the Signal as a reponse.
If the Signal is not created on its own, the Experts can clear the game mat and try again as long as they have not run out of Transmission tokens. If they have, all players lose.
If the Signal is created, the players have won that round. The unused Transmission tokens are counted as the score for that round (1 point each).
Step 3: Progressing
If players complete a round, all Transmission tokens are returned to the Experts and a new round begins. The Alien will now complete the rules from the first column, then the second column. In the third round they would also then include the third column. This means previous deductions are still in play, but new ones will have to be made.
If players finish the third round, they have won! Add together the points from each round, along with any bonus points, to get your score.
While you 'win' after the third round, the best of the best get 20+ points.
Abilities
There are three ability cards available for the Alien to use if they want to help the Experts. These can be used before any response, but only once each. Once used, they are returned to the box. Players receive bonus points equal to the value on each unused ability card if they complete the third round and win the game.