Stellarion
Stellarion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Base Game Components
- 64 Celestial cards
- 8 Voyage cards
- 6 Shooting Star tokens
Expansions Components
This box includes four expansions. Each expansion is independent from the others, and they can be freely combined.
- 8 Black Hole cards
- 8 Advanced Voyage cards — Each expansion requires you to add between one and five advanced Voyage cards at random to the Voyage cards from the base game. If you play with all the expansions at once, you'll use all 16 Voyage cards.
- 4 Theory tokens
- 4 Breakthrough tokens
- 8 Mirror cards
- 1 Glaucous Sun figure
- 4 Meteor tokens
- 1 game board
Overview
Stellarion is a deck management game which can be played solo or as a two-player co-op.
Your goal is to Launch 8 space Voyages (2 in each of the 4 Galaxies).
Launch
Each Voyage needs the 4 Celestial cards belonging to that Galaxy: Ship, Nebula, Stars and Planet.
Shooting Stars are a great help, since a Shooting Star token can replace any Celestial card.
At the beginning of the game, all the Celestial cards are split into 8 decks. You know the contents of the decks.
You can only use the top card from each deck, making it paramount to manage the resources you have in each deck to ensure you have the right cards available at the right time.
Coordinate
You may also Coordinate 2 cards of the same Type (for instance 2 Planet cards) in order to trigger a specific power that will allow you to shrewdly manipulate the various decks of cards – and maybe get the cards you need.
You win the game if you acquire all the Voyage cards (8 in the base game).
You lose if you're unable to Launch or Coordinate at the beginning of your turn.
Base Game
Set-Up
Sort the Observatory cards according to the symbols on the back. You should have 8 different decks: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Ship, Nebula, Stars and Planet.
Each deck contains 8 cards: 2 copies of each of the 4 Celestial cards in the deck.
For instance, the Alpha deck will have 2 copies of each of the Ship, Nebula, Stars and Planet cards from the Alpha Galaxy.
The Planet deck will have 2 copies of each of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta Planets.
There are 4 copies of each card in the game: 2 in the Galaxy deck of the card, and 2 in the Type deck of the card.
For instance, the Gamma Planet Celestial card will be found twice in the Gamma deck, and twice in the Planet deck.
Shuffle each deck separately and lay out the 8 decks as shown.
Leave enough space next to each deck for a discard pile (each deck will have its own discard pile). Leave some space next to the Observatory for a zone called the Outpost.
Sort the Voyage cards face up in four stacks – two Voyage cards per stack, one stack per Galaxy.
Reveal the first card from each deck, leaving the card on top of its respective deck.
Celestial Cards
Each Celestial card bears three symbols.
- A 'Type symbol' (Ship, Nebula, Stars or Planet) in the upper left-hand corner.
- A (smaller) 'deck symbol' in the center at the bottom of the card, which serves as a reminder of the deck – and discard pile – to which the card belongs.
- A 'Galaxy symbol' (Alpha, Beta, Gamma or Delta) in the upper right-hand corner.
Two cards with the same 'Type' and 'Galaxy' symbols but a different 'deck' symbol are considered identical.
Voyage Cards
Each Voyage card has just one symbol. This indicates the Galaxy to which the Voyage card belongs.
If it's your first time playing, take one Shooting Star token and place it next to the Voyage cards.
If you've already played Stellarion and you lost your previous game(s), you can decide to play with an extra Shooting Star (up to a maximum of four). If you won, you can choose to play with one less Shooting Star (down to no Shooting Stars at all). Place any unused tokens back in the box.
Important note: For the following rules, "the Observatory" refers to the top card of each deck (face up). The discard piles and the cards in the Outpost are never considered to be "the Observatory".
Gameplay
During a turn you must choose one of the following two actions:
- Launch
- Coordinate
Launch
Discard four different Celestial cards belonging to the same Galaxy (one Ship, one Nebula, one Stars and one Planet card) to get one Voyage card from the Galaxy and put it in your victory pile.
Shooting Stars
You may use one Shooting Star token during a Launch. The token replaces any one of the Celestial cards required for that Launch (meaning you only need 3 different Celestial cards belonging to the same Galaxy). Remove the token from the game after use. You may use only one token per Launch.
Coordinate
Discard 2 cards of the same Type (for instance 2 Planet cards) to trigger an effect. The nature of the effect depends on the Type of cards discarded and will be doubled if the cards are identical. You'll find the description of the various effects on pages 12-13, and a recap on page 24.
Note: For both Launch and Coordinate actions, you may only use cards from the Observatory and cards from the Outpost (see Outpost, page 13). Cards from the discard piles cannot be used.
End of a Turn
Once you have performed either a Launch or a Coordinate, end your turn by revealing the top card of any deck where the card on top has not yet been revealed.
If a deck is exhausted, keep playing with one less deck.
End of the Game
You win the game as soon as all Voyage cards are in your victory pile.
You lose the game if, at the beginning of a turn, you are unable to perform either one Launch or one Coordinate.
Discard Clarifications
Each card should be discarded face up in its corresponding discard pile (right next to its deck). Players may look through the discard piles at any time during the game.
Option: Provided you have enough space, we suggest you discard cards counterclockwise and place each discarded card slightly above the previous so that its upper left side (for the Galaxy decks) or its upper right side (for the Type decks) remains visible. This will allow you to see at a glance which cards have been discarded from each deck.
Two-Player Rules
The two-player game follows the solo rules, with the following exceptions:
Set-Up
Start the game with 2 extra Shooting Star tokens (if it's your first game, you'll thus start with 3 Shooting Star tokens).
Gameplay
Each player has their own victory pile where they place the Voyage cards they have acquired face up. Each player may only hold Voyage cards belonging to two different Galaxies in their victory pile. The game is won if each player has acquired all the Voyage cards of two Galaxies.
Each player may use a Shooting Star token from the reserve during their turn (as in the solo game, only one Shooting Star token can be used per Launch).
Coordinate Powers
Ship
Minor Power (2 Ships belonging to different Galaxies) Search through one deck for the card of your choice. Shuffle the deck and place your chosen card face up on top of the deck.
Major Power (2 identical Ships) Search through one deck for the card of your choice. Shuffle the deck and place your chosen card face up on top of the deck. You may repeat this once with another deck.
Nebula
Minor Power (2 Nebulas belonging to different Galaxies) Choose one card from a discard pile and shuffle this card back into its deck.
Major Power (2 identical Nebulas) Choose up to 2 cards from a single discard pile and shuffle those cards back into their deck.
Note (on both Minor and Major powers):
- If the deck the chosen card(s) belong(s) to is completely exhausted, the chosen card(s) 'become(s)' the deck. If you retrieve 2 cards belonging to an empty deck, the order of those 2 cards is determined at random.
- You can choose any card from a discard pile, even a card you just discarded to trigger this effect.
Stars
Minor Power (2 Stars belonging to different Galaxies) Up to two times: choose a deck and shuffle it. Next, look at the top 2 cards from this deck; choose one to put face down at the bottom of the deck, and put the other face up on top of the deck.
Major Power (2 identical Stars) Up to four times: choose a deck and shuffle it. Next, look at the top 2 cards from this deck; choose one to put face down at the bottom of the deck, and put the other face up on top of the deck.
Note (on both Minor and Major powers): You may choose a different deck each time.
Planet
Minor Power (2 Planets belonging to different Galaxies) Choose one card from the Observatory and place it in the Outpost.
Major Power (2 identical Planets) Choose up to 2 cards from the Observatory and place them in the Outpost.
Outpost
The Outpost allows you to stock Celestial cards for later Launch and Coordinate actions.
- You may freely combine cards in the Outpost and cards in the Observatory.
- You do not have to use all the cards in the Outpost in a single action.
- Once a card in the Outpost has been used, place it in its discard pile.
- The Outpost may not hold cards belonging to different Galaxies at the same time.
- The Outpost may not hold multiple copies of the same card at the same time.
General notes on Coordinate effects:
- If you wish, you may forfeit an effect entirely.
- If an effect asks you to shuffle a deck and the card on top of your chosen deck has already been revealed, this card is re-shuffled (face down) into the deck.
Expansion 1: Black Holes and Revelations
Components
- 8 Black Hole cards
Set-Up
Shuffle each Black Hole card into its deck.
Choose 5 advanced Voyage cards at random and add them to the 8 Voyage cards from the base game.
Gameplay
You now have an additional option besides Launch and Coordinate: Traverse.
Traverse
Discard 4 Black Hole cards from the Observatory to acquire any 3 Voyage cards.
Note:
- You now lose the game if you are unable, at the beginning of your turn, to perform either a Traverse, Launch or Coordinate action.
- A discarded Black Hole card may never be targeted by a Nebula Coordinate action (i.e. discarded Black Hole cards cannot be retrieved from their discard piles).
- A Black Hole card in the Observatory may never be targeted by a Planet Coordinate action (i.e. Black Hole cards cannot be placed in the Outpost).
Two-Player Game
Traverse is considered an action. As such, in a two-player game, it counts as the action a player will perform during their turn.
The player who performs the Traverse may donate to the other player one or more of the Voyage cards they acquire through this action; if they choose to do so, they must do so immediately.
Expansion 2: Theories and Breakthroughs
Components
- 4 Theory tokens
- 4 Breakthrough tokens
Set-Up
Choose one advanced Voyage card at random and add it to the 8 Voyage cards from the base game.
Shuffle the 4 Theory tokens, stack them and reveal the first token from the stack.
Shuffle the 4 Breakthrough tokens, reveal one at random and return the other 3 tokens to the box.
Gameplay
At any time during your turn, you may prove a theory simply by spotting 3 (or more) cards in the Observatory of the Type the Theory token on top of the stack needs.
Only cards in the Observatory are included (neither cards in the Outpost nor those in the discard piles count).
Once a theory has been proven, remove the Theory token from the game and reveal the next token on the Theory stack.
Note:
- Proving a theory is not considered an action.
- You may prove several theories during the same turn.
- You do not need to discard a card to prove a theory; spotting the right cards in the Observatory is enough.
- You may not prove a theory during a Coordinate action.
The Breakthrough tokens
Each Breakthrough token improves a type of Coordinate action. This upgrade is available to you each time you perform such a Coordinate action throughout the game.
Reversible thrusters (Ship) Choose one of the 2 Ship cards used to trigger this Coordinate action and put it on the bottom of its deck instead of discarding it. Discard the other as normal.
Time shift radar (Nebula) You may place the retrieved card(s) face up on top of its (their) deck instead of shuffling it (them) back into the deck. If you trigger a Major Power and retrieve 2 cards from a discard pile, put both cards on top of the deck in the order of your choice.
Reflection amplifier (Stars) You may place both revealed cards either on top or at the bottom of their deck (you decide in which order). You may choose to put one on top and one at the bottom of the deck.
Inflatable biodomes (Planet) The Outpost may now hold cards from different Galaxies. It still may not hold multiple copies of the same card.
Additional Victory Condition
The Theory deck must be empty. It doesn't matter whether this happens before or after you've acquired all the Voyage cards.
Two-Player
Any player can prove one (or multiple) theory (theories) during their turn.
Both players benefit from the Breakthrough token.
Expansion 3: Mirrors and Orbits
Components
- 8 Mirror cards
Set-Up
Shuffle each Mirror card into its deck.
Choose one advanced Voyage card at random and add it to the 8 Voyage cards from the base game.
Shuffle all Voyage cards before placing them face up in 2 columns. The cards should overlap, with the top of each Voyage card still visible.
If you play with this and one other expansion, or with all the expansions, you'll have an even number of Voyage cards; the two columns will therefore have the same number of Voyage cards.
If you play with this expansion only, or with three expansions, you'll have an uneven number of Voyage cards; the left column will therefore have one additional Voyage card.
Gameplay
You may now get a Voyage card only if this card is accessible (i.e. is at the bottom of a column and not covered by any other Voyage card).
As soon as you acquire a Voyage card, the Voyage card that had been covered by this card becomes accessible.
Coordinate
A Mirror card can be discarded with any other Celestial card from the Observatory or the Outpost. It is considered to be a card of the same Type but from another Galaxy (meaning you'll trigger a Minor Power).
Note:
- You may not use a pair of Mirror cards to Coordinate.
- You may not use Mirror cards to Launch.
- A discarded Mirror card may never be targeted by a Nebula Coordinate action (i.e. discarded Mirror cards cannot be retrieved from their discard piles).
- A Mirror card in the Observatory may never be targeted by a Planet Coordinate action (i.e. Mirror cards cannot be placed in the Outpost).
- If you play with the Theories and Breakthrough expansion, Mirror cards cannot be used to prove a theory.
- If you play with the Black Holes and Revelations expansion, each of the three Voyage cards you acquire with a Traverse must be accessible.
Expansion 4: The Glaucous Sun
Components
- 1 Glaucous Sun figure
- 4 Meteor tokens
- 1 game board
Set-Up
Choose one advanced Voyage card at random and add it to the 8 Voyage cards from the base game.
Lay the board next to the Observatory.
Place the four Meteor tokens on the appropriate spots; place the figure on its starting field.
Gameplay
The Glaucous Sun moves forward
The figure automatically moves each time you perform a Launch or a Coordinate.
A Launch will move the figure 4 spaces forward.
A Major Coordinate will move the figure 2 spaces forward.
A Minor Coordinate will move the figure one space forward.
Moving the Glaucous Sun backward
You can move the figure backward by performing a Coordinate and forfeiting all of its effects. Forfeiting a Major Coordinate's effect will move the figure up to 8 spaces backward. Forfeiting a Minor Coordinate's effect will move the figure up to 4 spaces backward. If the figure ends its movement on a space with a Meteor token on it, take this token.
Note that moving the figure backward is the only way to land on a token.
Note:
- When you move the figure backward, you may move it fewer spaces than the maximum allowed (for instance if you want the figure to land on a space with a token).
- If you play with the 'Mirrors and Orbits' expansion, a Coordinate using a Mirror card has the same effect as a 'regular' Minor Coordinate: if you use the Coordinate's effect, the figure will move one space forward; if you forfeit the effect, the figure will move 4 spaces backward.
- If you play with the 'Black Holes and Revelations' expansion, a Traverse does not move the figure.
Additional Defeat Condition
You lose the game if the figure reaches the final space on the board. If this happens as a result of the Launch that allows you to get the final Voyage card, you still win the game.
The Meteor Tokens
Whenever you choose, you can remove from the game 2 Meteor tokens you have acquired to immediately acquire one Voyage card. This does not count as an action (and will not move the Glaucous Sun).
Note: If you play with the Mirrors and Orbits expansion, the Voyage card you acquire this way must be accessible.
Two-Player
If a player chooses to move the Glaucous Sun figure backward, they have performed their action for this turn.
Acquired Meteor tokens can be used by both players.
Credits
Game design: Shadi Torbey Artwork: Élise Plessis Layout: Studio Emli
Thanks: Annaëlle, Arman, Bernard, Camille, Carl, David, Diana, Manu, Marvic, Mino, Morten, Sébastien, Sonia.
© 2022 inPatience 100 Winston Churchill 1180 Brussels - Belgium
Player Aid
How to Get the Voyage Cards
- 4 Celestial cards of the same Galaxy (one Ship, one Nebula, one Stars and one Planet) = 1 Voyage card
- 4 Black Hole cards = 3 Voyage cards
- 2 Meteor tokens = 1 Voyage card
Advanced Voyage Cards Added During Set Up
- Black Holes and Revelations: +5
- Theories and Breakthroughs: +1
- Mirrors and Orbits: +1
- The Glaucous Sun: +1
The Glaucous Sun Movements
- Ship + Nebula + Stars + Planet (Launch) ⇒ figure moves 4 spaces forward
- Major Coordinate (2 identical cards) used ⇒ figure moves 2 spaces forward
- Minor Coordinate (2 different-Galaxy cards) used ⇒ figure moves 1 space forward
- Major Coordinate forfeited ⇒ figure moves 8 spaces backward
- Minor Coordinate forfeited ⇒ figure moves 4 spaces backward
Coordinate Powers Reference
Ship
- 2 Ships, different Galaxies: Search through one deck for the card of your choice, shuffle the deck and place the chosen card on top.
- 2 identical Ships: 2x Search through one deck for the card of your choice, shuffle the deck and place the chosen card on top.
Nebula
- 2 Nebulas, different Galaxies: Choose one card from a discard pile and shuffle it back into its deck.
- 2 identical Nebulas: Choose up to 2 cards from a discard pile and shuffle those back into their deck.
Stars
- 2 Stars, different Galaxies: 2x Choose a deck, shuffle it and look at the top 2 cards from this deck; put one face down at the bottom, and the other face up on top.
- 2 identical Stars: 4x Choose a deck, shuffle it and look at the top 2 cards from this deck; put one face down at the bottom, and the other face up on top.
Planet
- 2 Planets, different Galaxies: Put one card from the Observatory in the Outpost.
- 2 identical Planets: Put up to 2 cards from the Observatory in the Outpost.