SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence · Board game rules
Does the 1st Telescope tech place 3 or 2 signals?
Quick answer
The 1st Telescope tech (T1 202) allows marking 2 signals: 1 in Earth's sector and 1 in a matching sector from the card row. It does not increase the total number of signals beyond the base 2.
Details
The 1st Telescope tech (T1 202) grants two primary benefits:
- Sector Flexibility: During a Scan action, you can mark 1 signal in a sector adjacent to Earth instead of Earth's sector [p.17 — Telescope Techs].
- Immediate Bonus: Gain 2 data tokens when you acquire this tech.
The base Scan action (without any Telescope techs) requires marking at least 2 signals: 1 in Earth's sector and 1 in a sector matching a discarded card from the card row [p.12 — SCAN NEARBY STARS]. The 1st Telescope tech does not increase the total number of signals marked; it only changes the location option for one of the signals.
Watch out:
If you also have the 2nd Telescope tech (T1 203), which allows marking an extra signal by discarding a card, the total becomes 3 signals. However, this is separate from the 1st Telescope tech’s effects. Always check which techs you’ve activated during a Scan action to avoid overcounting.
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