The Science and Seance Society
The Science and Seance Society Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 18 Science Engine cards (6 dark grey, 12 light grey)
- 3 Science Ability cards (red)
- 4 Science Engine markers
- 8 red dice
- 8 black dice
- 8 white dice
- Dice bag
- Dice screen
- Science reference card
- 22 Séance Tarot cards (20 black-backed, 2 white-backed)
- 5 Séance Ability cards (black/white)
- Séance reference card
- Void card
Setup
One player chooses to play Science, while the other plays Séance. Both players can setup their tableaus simultaneously, but they are detailed here separately.
Science
Take the 18 Science Engine cards and separate them into piles by color (light and dark grey). Shuffle both piles face down independently, and draw 4 light and 3 dark into your hand. Look at them and choose one of each color to discard. Place the 5 remaining cards face up in front of you (1) and return all other Engine cards to the box. Place the 4 Engine markers to the side (2). Place the 3 Science Ability cards face up nearby (3). Put all of the dice into the bag. Draw 4 dice and roll them behind the screen (4). Keep the Science reference card nearby.
Séance
Take the 22 Tarot cards, the 5 Séance Ability cards, and the Séance reference card. Shuffle together the black-backed cards, making sure to making sure to rotate some of them 180 degrees as you do, so that they're not all aligned in the same orientation. (The source repeats "making sure to" in this sentence; the duplicate is removed here.) Deal 3 face down in a row in front of you, leaving a space between each card. Place the deck to the left of the row. Place the 2 white-backed cards in between the three black cards to create a black-white-black-white-black pattern. Flip all of the cards face up (5). The Science player will then choose which color of the cards you are playing: black or white. Based on that choice, lay out the single-use ability cards near your tableau with that side face up (6). Draw three cards from the deck into your hand.
Make sure a space exists between both players' tableaus. Place the Void card between them (7). This will be used for holding spent dice until they can be returned to the bag.
Game Play
The Séance player always goes first. Players will alternate turns until one of four things happen:
Science wins if
- They have placed 3 dice on all 5 of their cards
- The Séance player tries to draw a card from their deck but they cannot
Séance wins if
- They have arranged all 5 of their cards in order in their tableau
- The Science player tries to draw 4 dice from their bag but they cannot
Science
Your goal is to place 3 dice on each of the 5 cards in your tableau. You may also use your dice to slow down your opponent by placing them on their cards, which can disable their abilities or remove their cards and replace them.
Your turn consists of three steps:
Step One (Optional): You may place one die on one Séance card. The die must match the placement spot on the card (as detailed below in placement). Placing a matching die on a Séance card disables the ability on that side of that card. The card may still be moved or rotated by another card.
Step Two: Place dice in available spaces on Engine cards.
- Grey: any color die may be placed, but must match number.
- No pips: any number die may be placed, but must match color.
- Equal sign: placed dice must have same number.
Step Three: Return any unused dice to the bag. Draw 4 dice from the bag and roll them behind the screen.
Once you have filled all 3 placement spots on an Engine card, it is complete, and the dice on the card are locked for the rest of the game. However, you have gained a once-per-turn ability. Place a Science Engine token on the white circle in the bottom right corner of the card.
Only 1 ability may be used per turn, regardless of how many abilities you have earned. When you use an ability, move the token from the circle to the center of the card, covering the ability icon. If all earned abilities have been used, you may reset all of the tokens. A used ability may not be used again until all other earned abilities have been activated.
Note: Abilities that add or subtract pips from dice do not allow a die to go from 6 to 1 or 1 to 6.
If at any point 2 dice have been placed on one side of a Séance card, remove those dice to the Void, discard the card from the tableau, and replace it by drawing three from the deck. The Science player chooses one to put into play, deciding its orientation. You may choose the orientation of the card. Place the other cards you drew on the bottom of the deck.
Ability cards: You have 3 one-time Science ability cards that allow you to 1) change a die to any number, 2) change a die to any color, and 3) reroll any of your dice. However, you may only use one per turn, and only two during the game. After using your 1st ability card, choose one of the remaining two to discard from the game. These may be used in combination with any earned abilities from completing a card.
At times, dice will get placed into the Void, making it so you can't use them. If there are 3 or more dice in the Void at the end of your turn, return them to the bag.
Séance
Your goal is to arrange your cards in order from left to right, with your color on the bottom half of the cards (facing you). If Science chose for you to play the black cards, you are arranging them numerically (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). If it is white, then it is alphabetical (A, B, C, D, E).
Each turn has two phases:
In Phase One, choose one of the following options:
- Draw 1 card from the deck.
- Replace 1 card in the tableau with one from your hand. You must match the ability on one of the sides. Black or White does not matter, as long as the ability that matches is in the same position as the card you are replacing (which gets discarded). You may still do this if the card has one or more dice on it. If a card is replaced in the tableau, move all dice on that card to the Void.
- Discard 1 card from your hand to activate 1 of the abilities on that card.
In Phase Two, you may optionally discard 1 card from your hand to remove a matching die from any non-completed Engine card or from any Séance card. Then, place the removed die on the Void. Then, activate up to 2 abilities on the bottom half (facing you) of cards in your tableau. Abilities can be applied to the activated card or any other card in the tableau. Shift the card down to show that you have used its ability this turn.
Note: If a card has a die on the side facing you, then you can't perform that ability.
If you cannot or choose not to use any of your card abilities, you may use one of your single-use ability cards and remove it from the game.
Once you have finished your turn, shift the cards you have used back up to signal that you are done.
Note: The 2 white-backed cards can be used for their abilities but they must be replaced in order to win the game - they do not count toward your goal.
Example: If this card is discarded from the Séance player's hand, they could remove a Red 3, a White 3, or a White 6 die from any non-locked Engine or Séance card.
Science Icons
- ± (plus/minus) with one-pip die: Add or subtract one pip from a die before placing
- ± (plus/minus) with two-pip die: Add or subtract two pips from a die before placing
- Curved arrow (flip): Flip one die before placing
- # (hash) icon: Change a die to any number before placing
- Split red and black icon: Place a die as if it had the appropriate color
- Four-way arrow icon: Move a die from any non-locked location to any other location
- Circular arrows icon: Re-roll any number of dice that have not been placed
- E: Even number
- O: Odd number
Séance Icons
- + (plus): Draw one card from the deck
- Rotate icon: Rotate one card in the tableau
- Two cards with opposing arrows: Swap two adjacent cards
- Three cards with arrows between the outer two: Swap one card with another card that is two spaces away
- Black card: Take any card from the discard pile