Cosmolancer

Frequently Asked Questions

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Does a Black Hole tile cancel any Photo Op tiles in its row or column?
Not really
When scoring a row or column that the Black Hole is NOT in, do not cancel any tiles that were previously affected by it.
If an Imaging Device has already been scored in a column, does it score again for its row?
Yes
In scoring, all tiles and Imaging Devices are counted twice - once for their column and once for their row.
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If a tile has already been scored in a column, does it score again for its row?
Yes
In scoring, all tiles and Imaging Devices are counted twice - once for their column and once for their row.
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How many ICs are scored, if a row or column only have Imaging Devices?
0
To gain or lose ICs, a row or column must have both - any number of Photo Op, Hazard tile and Imaging Devices, because both values are multiplied by one another.
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Do Special tiles have any value?
No
Special tiles (Meteor Shower, Hyper-drive, Black Hole) don't have any value.
Do players get back all their played Imaging Devices at the end of a round?
No
At the end of a round, players only get back their played Tier 1 Imaging Devices. Any played Tier 2, 3 or 4 Imaging Devices are returned back to the box at the end of a round.
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How to prepare for a new round?
See the following rule(s) to find an answer to this question.
Can more than 1 tile be placed on the same space on the board?
No
Each space can only hold up to 1 tile or an Imaging Device.
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Can a player lose more ICs than they have left?
Yes
It is possible to lose more ICs than you have and go into debt.
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Is it possible to score negative ICs?
Yes
It is possible to score negative ICs from a row or column and that player will need to lose that many of their ICs.
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Are all Imaging Devices in a row or column counted together?
No
All Photo Op and Hazard tiles in a scored row or column are counted together, but each players only counts the total of their own Imaging Devices in that same row or column to determine their gained ICs for it.
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Is there any sequence for scoring?
Yes
All columns and rows are scored in order. Starting from column 1 to column 6, and then continuing with row 7 to row 11.
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How do I score?
See the following rule(s) to find an answer to this question.
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When does the game end?
After 3 round
The game ends after 3 rounds.
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When does a round end?
When all spaces on the board are full, the round ends.
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Can a previously played tile be moved later in the game?
No
Once a tile or an Imaging Device is played, it can't be moved and stays in its place until the end of the round.
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Can a player skip their turn?
Not really
Players may pass only if they are unable to take any actions - they don't have any Imaging Devices, they don't have their Secret tile and they can't draw and play a face-down tile.
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What can a player do on their turn?
Each turn, a players needs to either play one of their Imaging devices to the board, play their Secret tile, or draw and play a random tile.
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Do players take all Imaging Devices of their chosen color when setting up the game?
No
The amount of Tier 1 Imaging Devices players need to take is determined by the amount of players in the game.
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Are there any differences in setup for a 4-player game?
Yes
The only difference in setup for a 4-player game is that each player needs to take two Tier 1 Imaging Devices of their color. Otherwise, there are no changes to the setup.
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Are there any differences in setup for a 3-player game?
Yes
The only difference in setup for a 3-player game is that each player needs to take three Tier 1 Imaging Devices of their color. Otherwise, there are no changes to the setup.
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Are there any differences in setup for a 2-player game?
Yes
The only difference in setup for a 2-player game is that each player needs to take four Tier 1 Imaging Devices of their color. Otherwise, there are no changes to the setup.
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How to setup the game?
See the following rule(s) to find an answer to this question.
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What is the goal of the game?
The goal of the game is to score the most ICs (points) after 3 rounds.
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Are points scored as soon as a til is played?
No
Scoring happens only at the end of a round when all spaces on the board are filled. Alternatively, there is a variant to the game in which players score as soon as a row or column is complete.
Are there any variants how the game can be played?
Yes
There are 3 different variants that change how the game is played.
Can the game be played with less luck involved?
Yes
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Waht does the Black Hole tile do?
When scored a Black Hole tile cancels the values of all Photo Op tiles in its row or column. In other words, only Hazard tiles are counted in a row or column with a Balck Hole tile.
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What does a Hyper-drive tile do?
When scored Hyper-drive tile doubles the values of all Photo Op and Hazard tiles in its row or column.
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What does a Meteor Shower tile do?
Meteor Shower tiles function as dividers by splitting their row or column into two separate parts when scored.
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What is a Hazard tile?
Hazard tiles provide negative points to the players. These tiles can have a value from -6 to -1, and there is a single copy of each denomination.
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What is a Photo Op tile?
Photo Op tiles provide positive points to the players. They can be valued from 1 to 6, and there are two copies of each denomination.
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What are ICs?
Points
ICs is short for Interstellar Credits and they are victory points in the game.
What does the Cruiser token do?
The Cruiser token keeps track of the game's current Cycle (round). Otherwise, there is no other function.
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What are Imaging Devices?
Imaging Devices are special player tokens divided into four Tiers and function as one of the multipliers that determine a player's score ICs.
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