1. Set the game board in the middle of the table. The game board is double-sided. It's recommended that you use the side shown, but you can use the back if you'd prefer. You will need to use a second player cube to track your TR once you reach 10 TR.

2. Set the phase tracking tokens next to the game board with the closed door side up.

3. Set all of the forest VP and the copper, silver, and gold cubes next to the game board.

4. Place the two clear cubes on -30° C on the temperature track and 0% on the oxygen track.

5. Give each player a player board and the 13 cubes in their player color. Each player places a cube on the ‘0’ space of each of the six production tracks on their player boards and a cube on the ‘5’ of the TR track on the game board. Use the other cubes when you have 10 or more production/capabilities.

6. Shuffle the ocean tiles blue side down and place them on the nine ocean spaces on the board.

Optional Setup for Step 6: You can shuffle the ocean tiles and stack them blue side down to the side of the board. When a player flips an ocean, they take the top tile in that stack, flip it over, and place it on the board.

7. Shuffle all of the project cards together facedown to form the project card deck. Deal each player eight project cards. You will keep all of them. Split the deck into two piles so that all players can easily reach one of the decks.

For your first game instead of performing step 7, find the sixteen green project cards that have a star symbol next to the card number. Shuffle them and deal each player four of those cards. Place any remaining cards with a in the discard pile. The rest of the project cards are already shuffled. Feel free to cut the deck, then deal four more cards to each player.

8. Shuffle all of the corporation cards facedown and deal each player two corporation cards. Each player picks one to use for the game and discards the other. Return all unused corporation cards to the box.

For your first game, instead of performing step 8, deal each player one of the corporation cards with a star symbol next to its card number.

Advanced Rule: Once you have been dealt your corporations, but before you have chosen which one you want to use, you may discard any number of project cards and draw that same amount.

9. Each player receives any starting resources and abilities from their corporation.

10. Give each player a set of five phase cards corresponding to their player color.

11. Start the game.