Play Hints
- Use the dividing line on the Turn Order track to indicate when a faction has had its turn.
- Some players (especially those with the Earth Hidden Agenda) like to use the Opening Treaty to protect their Earth population until at least 8 billion is reached (allowing for generation of 1 free billion - which still requires a New Colony or Migrants card - each turn thereafter).
- Some players prefer to halve a 4 token to source the 2 billion population required for 2 New Colony cards, two Migrants cards, or 1 of each played on the same turn.
- Roughly speaking, control of the Neutrals goes to the player with the least to do (the least tokens on the board). If you control them, you decide where their free Migrants come from and where they go (although sometimes game conditions dictate your actions). The Neutral only gets one token per turn for its free migrant, but you also control how many get generated, allowing for the rules for larger populations and generating a population. So, a Neutral token on 32 can generate 1 or 2 billion (your choice). A token on 4 reduced to 2 can generate a 1 or a 2 billion (your choice). All of these choices, made wisely, can give a player an edge. Use it.
- It is legal (but nasty) to send out migrants (for Another Player) or colonies (for a neutral or Another Player), score the points, then remove them on the same turn through the play of Colony In Trouble or This Is Our Home.
- Remember, a population (for a Another Player) on 8 or 16 billion can be forced to halve if it is used as the source of 2 New Colony cards, two Migrants cards, or 1 of each. There is no way for the target population to avoid this.
- A good time to use a Double card is to get one of your tokens onto a growth limit, preventing any further free doubling.
- A Double card marked for "Another Player" can be used to Double a player where they are already well ahead, or clearly behind. So, you get 3 points and they get virtually nothing!
- Remember, you score your points for a Double (Another Player) or Double (Neutral) even if cancelled. So, lead off with one of these cards (especially if you also have a normal Double card for your faction).
- A good time to send out a New Colony, or Migrants, is if you are playing late in the turn order. This reduces opportunities for other players to remove them. If you then go early next turn then better still!
- Here are 2 good ways to play a New Colony or Migrants card with "Another Player" marked on them, and still get the 3 points! One way is to look for players with a colony of 2 billion, or migrants of 2 billion (or 1 of each) in a planet's holding box. Give them a third one (e.g. they have 2 billion colonists, so you must give them a migrant - or visa versa) and it's wasted when they become established on the population track on that player's turn, as 3 must round down to 2. The other possibility is to send 1 billion to Mercury (easy to do) or Pluto (hard to do, due to distance) - 1 billion is not enough to colonise either planet. They both require 2 billion, which is converted to 1 billion when they become established. Apart from being easier to do, Mercury is the better choice because it's free doubling limit is only 1. This means it's easy for players and neutrals to equal positions on Mercury!
- The Discovery cards are often under-used by new players. Remember, revealing a Discovery card provides a free colony at the destination planet, regardless of distance! This is a really useful way to open up the outer Solar system. Even better, if you have reached the Discovery card limit (1 in the basic game, 2 with the Optional Rules) and you then play a Make A Discovery card, you can choose which of your Discovery cards to keep (from your existing ones, and the new one). This applies to face-up Discovery cards too! So, you can colonise one planet after another for free using the Discovery cards.
- If using the Optional Rules it's best to gain the lead in at least one of the three Discovery Tracks, which allows you to manipulate the otherwise random turn order. If you don't, then accept stoically whatever fate throws at you when the turn order is drawn for the last turn...
- The end game is often critical. Try and reserve cards like Power Politics, Death, Famine, Pestilence to counter the other players, Double for yourself, and New Colony and Migrants (marked with "Another Player") to ship your opponents out - especially where they compete with you - when they (hopefully) won't get to become established. Think about how the game ends - free doubling and Double cards can be countered, colonies in holding boxes can be stopped with a New Colony In Trouble card.
- For a shorter first game, play the12 Billion variant to 256 (instead of the usual 1024). Note that this would allow the game to end on Mars, as well as Earth and The Asteroid Belt. Add the Optional Rules in your second game.
- To save time studying the Distance Chart, remember that all 5 inner Solar System population tracks are 1 away from their inner Solar System neighbours, and the last 3 outer Solar System population tracks are 6 away from their neighbours. That leaves Jupiter (2 from Asteroid Belt, 3 from Saturn). Or, photocopy the Distance Chart.
- Cancel cards (11.2) & Response cards (11.3) are meant to be played in player order. However, rather than asking each player in turn if they wish to play such a card, just ask if anyone will play such a card. Only if more than 1 player wants to play a Cancel or Response card does it matter about the turn order. All players should quickly make up their minds and place the Cancel or Response card they intend to play face-down. If there's more than one player, check the turn order, and the player (with a face-down card) earliest in the turn order gets to play their card.
- If you find the space for tokens a little cramped on the outer planet population tracks and the holding boxes, try placing your tokens as follows:
Jupiter population track: Black on 8, Red on 4, Green on 2 and Blue on 1
Neptune holding box: Red - 1 billion Migrants, Green - 2 billion Migrants, Black - 1 billion Colonists.
Uranus holding box: Blue - 2 billion Colonists.
Don't forget, you can "spill over" onto the Mercury, Pluto and Earth holding boxes without too much fuss.
(This situation is pretty rare - tokens rarely get onto the "2" spaces for holding boxes)- The best scoring strategy is probably a balanced one!
