Sol: Last Days of a Star – Learn How to Play!

Welcome to Sol: Last Days of a Star! In this guide, I’ll be sharing the game rules with you so that you can get started on your interstellar adventure. It’s an exciting and challenging game that will test your strategy and decision-making skills.

Game Objective

The objective of Sol: Last Days of a Star is to navigate your spaceship through the depths of space and collect as many energy orbs as possible before the star goes supernova. You’ll need to carefully manage your resources and make strategic choices to survive.

Game Components

The game comes with several components to help you on your mission. Here’s what you’ll find in the box:

• A game board representing the star system, complete with different regions of space.
• Spaceship tokens for each player.
• Energy orb tokens that you’ll collect during the game.
• Action cards that provide special abilities and strategic options.
• A resource tracker to monitor your ship’s fuel and shields.

Gameplay

Now, let’s talk about how the game is played. Sol: Last Days of a Star is played over a series of rounds, with each round representing a day in the life of the star. Here’s what you need to know:

1. At the beginning of each round, players will take turns performing actions on the game board. These actions include moving your spaceship, collecting energy orbs, and playing action cards.
2. As the game progresses, the star will get closer to going supernova. This will put increasing pressure on the players to collect energy orbs and make it back to their home base.
3. Players must carefully manage their fuel and shields. Running out of fuel will leave you stranded in space, while losing all your shields will result in a game over.
4. The game ends when either a player collects a set number of energy orbs or the star goes supernova. The player with the most energy orbs at the end of the game wins!

Conclusion

So there you have it – the rules of Sol: Last Days of a Star. I hope this guide has helped you understand how to play the game. Now it’s time to embark on your interstellar adventure and see if you can collect enough energy orbs before the star meets its explosive end. Good luck!

I’m excited to tell you all about this awesome game, and I won’t keep you waiting! Let’s dive right in and get to the good stuff!

Here’s what you’ll find in the box:

– 1 Game Board

– 30 Effect Cards

– 96 Instability Cards

– 5 Player Holds

– 1 Momentum Track + Instability Spiral

– 5 Player Aids

– 8 Trigger Events

– 1 Instability Marker

– 7 Suit Tokens

– 89 Energy Cubes

– Rulebook

Now that you know what’s inside, let’s talk about how to set up the game.

Okay, let’s get this game started! Here are the steps to set up the game board:

Step 1: Lay out the game board. You have two options: a 1-4 player board or a 5 player board. Choose the one you prefer.

Step 2: Each player should stack their arks on space 0 of the momentum track. It doesn’t matter what order you do this in.

Step 3: Put the instability marker on space 13 of the instability spiral. This is an important marker, so make sure it’s in the right place.

Step 4: Take the red energy cubes and divide them into two piles. Put each pile in opposite corners of the game board.

Step 5: Now it’s time to choose your homeworld! Each player should pick a homeworld and take that world’s player aid and player hold. Once you have your homeworld, put the following pieces into your player hold:

• 8 sundivers
• 3 energy cubes
• Put your Movement marker on space 3 of the movement track.

Step 6: Finally, take the remaining pieces of your color and place them in your reserve. Here’s what goes in your reserve:

• 5 sundivers
• 5 solar gates
• 3 energy nodes
• 3 sundiver foundries
• 3 transmit towers

That’s it! Now you’re all set up and ready to play. Enjoy the game!

Hold Vs. Reserve: When you play this game, you have two important areas to understand: the hold and the reserve.

Think of the reserve as a storage area for all the structures you haven’t used yet. This includes things like sundivers, nodes, foundries, towers, and gates that you haven’t placed on the board.

Your hold, on the other hand, is where you keep your active sundivers and any energy you have. When you launch sundivers onto the board, they go from your hold to the reserve. And when you activate them, they come back to your hold.

7 The first player in the game is determined by who has been closest to the Sun most recently. So keep that in mind!

8 Now it’s time to place each player’s mothership on the board. You’ll place them on the eyes between the outer and inner orbit. Make sure to space them out equally, but leave a bigger gap between the first and last players. The number of spaces between the motherships will change depending on how many people are playing.

Let’s get started with step 9. We need to construct something called the instability deck. To do that, we’ll combine the solar flares with one other suit per player. Once we’ve combined the suits, we’ll shuffle the deck. It’s important to place the instability deck near the momentum track so we can keep track of it.

Now, for step 10, we need to select some instability effect cards. We want to have the same number of instability effect cards as suits in the deck that we created earlier. These instability effect cards have different titles, and they are color coded. The blue and green cards have simple effects, while the yellow cards have more complex effects. Finally, the red cards have attack or negative effects.

Okay, we’re almost done. Step 11 is all about assigning each instability effect a suit token. This suit token will correspond to one of the instability suits that we created earlier. It’s also worth mentioning that the solar flares will have their own associated instability effect. So don’t forget about that! And there you have it – that’s how you construct the instability deck for this game.

Note: For your first game, I suggest using the blue cards. Once you know how to play, feel free to mix in other colors of instability effects to create a unique mix for each game.

WARNING: Only use red cards if everyone agrees to being targeted and attacked!

In this game, we have 12 vestigial structures, which are remnants of the damaged solar harvesting system. To make the game quicker and easier, follow these steps: Each player takes turns placing either a single gate or a single station (node, foundry, or tower) on the board.

You can place vestigial gates anywhere on the barrier between the inner orbit and the convective layer. As for vestigial stations, they can be placed in the outer orbit, inner orbit, or the convective layer. Remember, there can only be one station per space, and each gate can only connect two spaces.

I’m ready to play! First, I need to place either a station or a gate on the board. It’s important to follow the rules when deciding where to put it. Once I’ve made my decision, I’ll move my piece on the movement track to 4.

If I’m not using vestigial structures, I can add another instability suit to the deck. This suit comes with its own instability effect, which adds more excitement to the game.

Now that I’ve set up everything, it’s time to start playing! The goal of the game is to gain momentum by transmitting energy to my ark and throwing sundivers into the Sun. But I need to be quick because there’s a supernova coming, and I have to outpace the other players. The ark with the most momentum when the game ends survives, while the rest meet a fiery demise.

Let’s get started and see who will emerge victorious!

Hey there! Take a look at the image on the right. That’s your hold—your special area if you’re the purple player. It’s like the inside of your mothership and where you keep all your important stuff, like your sundivers, energy, movement marker, and you even have space for one instability card.

Each turn, you get to do one action. And after that, you move your mothership forward along the orbital track.

Purple Player Hold

So, you have three actions to choose from:

Move

Convert

Activate

Note: Any gates and stations can be used, not just your own. If you use someone else’s, they receive a small bonus.

Deeper layers of the Sun yield greater rewards for stations built on them, but also result in more instability (represented by drawing cards from the instability deck) when you convert or activate on those layers.

You draw instability cards each time you hurl sundivers, convert, or activate within the Sun’s 3 layers. You can keep one of these cards to play on a future turn. The card’s effect depends on which instability effect card contains its suit token.

Each time you draw a red solar flare, the instability marker moves down the instability spiral. Drawing the 13th solar flare causes the Sun to go supernova, signaling the end of the game!

So, here’s the deal. If you manage to move your ark the farthest along that momentum track, you’ll escape just in the nick of time and win the game. But if you don’t, well, tough luck, my friend.

How to Play

The Space Orbit

Alright, let’s set the scene. Those motherships are gonna be chilling out there in the void, right smack between the outer and inner orbit. But listen up, the player who’s up right now gets a little something special – they’ll have a bigger gap in front of their mothership. The number of spaces between the motherships will change depending on how many players are in the game.

Alright, once you finish making your move, it’s time to move that mothership of yours along the arrows on the orbital track. You’ll be going counterclockwise, by the way. So, as your ship advances, the gap in front of you will close up, and the gap behind you will get bigger. That’s the signal that it’s the next player’s turn now. Got it? Good.

On Your Turn:

When it’s your turn, you have three options: move, convert, or activate. You can also use an instability card that you earned on a previous turn if you want.

Once you’ve chosen your action and completed it, make sure to orbit your mothership. This will signal to the next player that it’s their turn.

Action Choices

1. Move

At the start of your turn, you have 3 movement points. These are indicated by the movement marker on the movement track in your hold. Additionally, you gain one movement point for each of the five layers in which you have a station.

If you have vestigial structures, your movement points are immediately increased to 4 when you place your first station. With your available movement points, you can choose to launch, fly, or hurl your stations.

When it’s time to make a move, you can launch a sundiver from your hold onto the game board. You have the option to place it in any of the 4 orbital spaces next to your mothership. Keep in mind that you can’t have more than 5 of your own sundivers in a single space on the game board at any given moment.

Fly

Hey there! So, here’s the deal: when I’m out in space doing my thing as a sundiver, I can move from one space to another using one movement point per space. It’s pretty cool because I can go forward, backward, up, and down, as long as there are solar gates in the spots where I need them. The only thing I can’t do is fly through those thick black lines, or barriers, that separate the Sun into its three layers. Gotta use a solar gate for that. But other than that, I’m free to explore and fly around!

Movement And Gates: When you move through someone else’s gate, they’ll receive one energy cube from the general supply. If you happen to use multiple players’ gates in a single turn, each player will get one energy cube. However, please remember that the maximum reward per player per turn is limited to one energy cube, no matter how many of their gates you use. It’s like a day pass for them! The gate owner has no option to refuse this energy. Sadly, you won’t receive an energy bonus for using your own gates.

Hurl

When I’m in the core, I can dive into the Sun! But here’s the thing: it’s a risky move. I know I’ll be vaporized, gone forever. But I also know that the shockwave I create will push my ark forward. For each dive, I get to move my ark 2 spaces on the momentum track. And that’s not all! When I dive, I also draw an instability card. If it’s a solar flare, I get even more momentum. It’s a gamble, though, because all the other instability card rules still apply.

2. Transform

Here’s another move: I can transform sundivers into stations or gates. All I have to do is place them on the game board and sacrifice the sundivers. They go back in my reserve, not my hold. It’s a strategic move that can help me shape the game in my favor.

If you want to fly around with your stations again, you’ll need to rebuild them. And if you decide to convert a station in a layer that didn’t have one before, you’ll move the marker on your movement track forward by one space.

You can only convert one station per turn, so choose wisely. Don’t forget to draw instability cards based on the layer you convert into.

Note: If you ever start your turn and find that you don’t have any sundivers in your hold or on the board, you need to break down one of your stations or gates and put it back in your reserve. Then, add 2 sundivers from your reserve to your hold.

If you remove a station from a layer of the board where you don’t have any other stations, move your movement marker down one space on the movement track in your hold. You can then continue with your turn.

Solar Gate

Gates are like connections between the different layers of the Sun. They look like 2 sundivers, one on top of the other. The gate connects the space of the lower sundiver to a nearby space in the layer below. You draw cards based on the deepest layer that the gate touches.

Energy Node

When it comes to gathering energy from the Sun, I use Nodes. These Nodes work by having 2 sundivers in the same layer, with a gap between them. It’s in this gap that I place the Node, right where the two sacrificed sundivers used to be. Pretty nifty, huh?

Sundiver Foundry

To rebuild sundivers from energy, I rely on Foundries. To set up a Foundry, I need 2 sundivers in the same layer, but this time they should be in adjacent spaces. Once I have them, I can place the new foundry in either of the spaces where the sacrificed sundivers used to be. It’s like magic!

Transmit Tower

The towers are essential for sending energy to your ark on the momentum track. To create a tower, I need to place 3 sundivers on 3 different layers, in adjacent spaces. The tower goes in the space where I sacrificed the deepest sundiver.

Remember: I can only have one station in each space, and there can only be one gate connecting any two spaces.

Don’t forget to draw instability cards after converting and activating!

3. Activate

To activate stations (nodes, foundries, or towers), I need to have my sundivers in the spaces where those stations are located at the beginning of my turn.

When you choose to activate an action, you bring back each activating sundiver to your hold (not the reserve!) and reap the rewards of the station.

• Energy nodes give you new energy cubes (see values below)
• Sundiver foundries use energy to rebuild sundivers (one sundiver per energy)
• Transmit towers use energy to boost your momentum (one momentum point per energy)

How much do I receive for activating a station?

Hey there! Did you know that the amount you receive when you activate a station depends on who owns it? Let me break it down for you:

• If you activate a station, you’ll receive the base amount.
• If you own the station, you have the choice to take the bonus amount.
• If you activate and own the station, you’ll get the base amount and have the option to take the bonus as well.

Now, the base and bonus amounts for each station are determined by their depth. The deeper the station, the higher the base and bonus amounts. Pretty cool, right?

Hey there! I have an important message for you. Let’s talk about station rewards and how they work. It’s crucial to understand that station rewards are all or nothing. This means that you can never do less than the full amount of either the base or bonus reward. It’s an all-in scenario.

For example, when it comes to foundries and towers, if you don’t have the full amount of energy required, you won’t be able to do the desired action or receive the reward. It’s a simple rule: no full energy, no action or reward. Take that into account when making your plans.

Let me break it down for you. At a foundry, building one sundiver requires one energy. So, if you don’t have the required energy, you won’t be able to build the sundiver and get the reward connected to it. And at a tower, for every point of momentum you want to transmit to your ark, you need one energy. No energy, no momentum transfer, and subsequently, no reward.

Remember, the same rule applies even if you have some energy, but it’s not enough to complete the full foundry activation or receive the complete reward. In such a case, you won’t be able to take the desired action or get the bonus. It’s all or nothing, my friend.

I hope this clears things up. It’s important to understand the concept of station rewards and how they function. Don’t forget about the energy requirement and be sure to plan accordingly. Good luck with your adventures out there!

Let me break this down for you. So, there’s this black player, right? They’re doing something pretty cool – activating an energy node. It’s like they’re tapping into a source of power up in the convective layer. And guess what happens next? The sundiver, which is like this ship, gets called back to the hold. And get this, the sundiver actually gets an energy boost too! It’s like a bonus. So now, the black player has a total of 3 energy in their hold (that’s 2 from the base plus 1 from the bonus).

I’m going to tell you about something called a sundiver foundry. It’s a special device that a black player can activate in the radiative layer. When they activate it, the sundiver is brought back to their hold. They have to pay 5 energy to do this, and they also get 5 new sundivers from their reserve. This adds to their hold, which already had 3 sundivers. So now they have a total of 8 sundivers in their hold (3 from before + 5 from activating the sundiver foundry).

Imagine this: a black sundiver effortlessly gliding through the sky above a lush green foundry. The striking contrast of the black sundiver against the vibrant green below catches my eye. It’s like the sundiver is activating the foundry, breathing life into it.

The sundiver gracefully moves through the air, almost as if it’s dancing. In a moment of brilliance, the sundiver recalls its companions and channels its energy. With a burst of power, it builds three new sundivers, each one adding to the base of three already present in the radiant layer.

It’s truly a sight to behold. The sheer beauty and elegance of the black sundiver’s ballet in the sky leaves me in awe. As I watch, I can’t help but marvel at the magnificent display of nature’s power and artistry.

When it comes to energy management in the game, the color green only provides 1 energy, which means that it cannot activate the bonus that requires 2 energy. In this case, green must decline the bonus, allowing another player, like black, to claim it instead. Black can pay an additional 2 energy and build 2 more sundivers to claim the bonus.

Using Multiple Sundivers in a Turn

If you have sundivers on different stations of the same type, you can activate all of these stations in a single turn. This applies regardless of who owns the stations – you have the freedom to use as many of your own sundivers as you like.

However, please note that each individual station can only be activated once per turn. This means that even if you have multiple sundivers on one station, you are still limited to activating it only once.

On the other hand, you cannot activate different types of stations in the same turn. For example, you cannot activate both an energy node and a sundiver foundry unless there are special circumstances like the FESTIVAL effect in play.

Hey there! Pay close attention: After you’ve paid the energy (if there’s any) and received the activation reward, bring back the activating sundiver to your hold.

Now, here’s a key distinction between converting and activating: when you convert, the sundivers are given up and stored in your reserve. You’ll have to rebuild them before you can use them again.

But when you activate stations, the sundivers are smartly called back to your hold. This means you can launch them again on your next turn. So, don’t just recklessly toss away your faithful sundivers!

So, here’s what happened: I was the green player, and I made a pretty epic move. I activated not just my transmit tower, but also Black’s tower – all in one go! And you won’t believe what happened next. Both of my sundivers were instantly sent back to my hold. Talk about a power move!

Now, let me break it down for you. When I activated my transmit tower, I managed to transmit a total of 10 energy. How did I do it? Well, the base value was 5 energy, and I got a bonus from my own tower. But that’s not all! I also got a bonus from Black’s tower. So, in the end, it all added up to 10 energy.

Of course, all of this power doesn’t come for free. I had to pay 10 energy to make this move. But you know what? It was totally worth it. Not only did I get to transmit all that energy, but my ark also moved forward 10 spaces on the momentum track. Now, that’s what I call progress!

But wait, there’s more. Black had the option to take a bonus of 3 energy since I activated her tower. And guess what? She had enough energy to do it. So, she paid the 3 energy and moved her ark forward 3 spaces on the momentum track. Looks like my move benefited her too!

Hey there! I have some exciting news for you. Did you know that there are these cool creatures called green sundivers? They’re super interesting because they can be found on three different energy nodes owned by other players. These nodes are known as convective, radiative, and core.

Now, here’s the fun part. When all three of these energy nodes are activated, the green player gets a whopping 10 energy! And that’s not all. The other players also get a little boost of energy – 1, 2, and 3 energy respectively for each player.

Isn’t that amazing? It’s like a win-win-win situation for everyone involved. The green sundivers get a big power-up, and the other players get a little energy boost too. It just goes to show that teamwork and cooperation can really make a difference in the game.

So, next time you’re playing, keep an eye out for those green sundivers and the energy nodes they’re hanging out on. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the lucky green player and get that awesome 10 energy boost!

So here’s what happens: Green draws 6 cards. Out of those 6, 2 are solar flares. These solar flares have an immediate impact and need to be resolved right away. Green gets to choose one card to keep (let’s say it’s a solar flare) and puts it in their hold. On a later turn, they can play it and activate the instability effect associated with that solar flare’s suit token.

Instability Cards & Effects

Now, let’s talk about instability cards. They have two important roles in the game. First, they help keep track of time. Second, they provide opportunities for players to use the instability effects they selected at the beginning of the game.

Getting Unpredictable with Instability Cards

Did you know that what we do in the Sun can affect its stability?

When you change or activate something in any of the Sun’s 3 layers, you gotta pull out those instability cards. And hey, if you activate more than one station at once, remember to draw cards for each of them!

Welcome to the world of solar physics! Let’s explore the fascinating phenomenon of the Sun and its layers together.

First, let’s talk about the number of cards you’ll be drawing per layer. It’s an important factor to consider!

Now, let’s break it down:

• Convective: You get to draw 1 card.
• Radiative: This time, you can draw 2 cards.
• Core: The core layer allows you to draw 3 cards.
• Hurling into the heart of the Sun: For each sundiver hurled, you’ll draw 1 card. And guess what? If that card happens to be a solar flare, you gain 1 extra momentum!

Solar Flares

Now, let’s talk about solar flares. When you draw a solar flare, here’s what happens:

First, you resolve its impact. It happens immediately, without any delay. So be ready for some action!

The Downward Spiral

Have you ever experienced a sudden shift in energy, where everything seems to be spiraling out of control? This phenomenon is known as a “Down Spiral,” and it can have a profound impact on our lives.

Unpredictable Energy

Just like the unstable nature of the sun, our energy levels can become unpredictable. There are times when we feel an abundance of energy, ready to take on the world. Other times, we feel depleted and lethargic, struggling to find motivation. This unstable energy can make it challenging to navigate through our daily tasks and responsibilities.

Activating Orbital Momentum

When faced with this unstable energy, we must find ways to regain stability and balance. One effective strategy is to activate our orbital momentum. This involves choosing a card to keep, which will serve as our anchor during uncertain times.

Choosing a Card to Keep

Now, here’s an important decision you need to make: you can only keep ONE card in your hold for use on a future turn. If you already have a card in your hold and draw more, you have two options. You can either keep the old card or choose one of the new cards.

Simply place the chosen card face up in your hold and discard the others. Once the impact of the solar flare is resolved, you can choose to keep your chosen card, just like any other instability card.

Utilizing your Instability Card

(based on the Effects of Instability)

Now, let’s talk about how you can use your instability card to your advantage. Each card has its own unique effects, and it’s essential to understand how they can work in your favor. By interpreting these effects, you’ll be able to make informed decisions and harness the power of your instability.

When it’s my turn, I have the option to use a card I earned earlier called an instability card. I can use it along with my regular action.

The special ability of each instability suit is determined by the suit tokens assigned to the instability effects chosen at the start of the game.

Each instability effect has a symbol indicating when I can play it: move, convert, activate, draw, or any time.

After I use the instability card, I have to discard it before drawing any new cards as a result of my action. I can’t play a card on the same turn that I receive it.

To see a complete list of possible effects, check out the INSTABILITY EFFECTS section on the back cover.

Finishing Your Turn

Once you’ve finished taking your action, drawing instability cards, and dealing with any solar flares, your turn is done.

Move your mothership into orbit! Meanwhile, the next player can start their turn as you decide which card to keep. If someone really wants to know which card you’re keeping, they can wait for you to choose. But in general, the game can keep going.

If your turn comes around again and you still haven’t picked a card to keep, the player on your right will choose one for you randomly from your options.

End of the Game

The game ends when the 13th solar flare is drawn and the instability marker reaches the supernova at space 0 of the instability spiral.

Once any towers in outer orbit are activated, the game immediately ends!