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The Search for Planet X · Reference sheet

The Search for Planet X reference sheet

Overview

  • Competitive deduction game: deduce the location of hidden Planet X [p.2 — Goal of the Game]
  • 2–4 players; app required (PlanetXApp.com) [p.3 — Components]
  • Standard Mode: 12 sectors; Expert Mode: 18 sectors [p.4 — Sectors]
  • Earn points by submitting correct theories and locating Planet X [p.2 — Goal of the Game]
  • Turn order is dynamic — the pawn farthest back on the time track acts next [p.8 — Gameplay Sequence]
  • All information from the app is private unless stated otherwise [p.8 — Take One Action]

Setup

  1. Choose Standard (12 sectors) or Expert (18 sectors) mode [p.6 — Choose Game Mode]
  2. Place solar system board (correct side up), sun disc in center, earth board on top; rotate so sector 1 starts the visible sky [p.6 — Board Setup]
  3. Each player picks a color; place all pawns in sector 1 of the time track in random order [p.6 — Player Setup]
  4. Give each player: matching note sheet, player screen, 2 target tokens, 12 theory tokens [p.6 — Player Setup]
  5. Standard Mode: each player returns 3 dwarf planet tokens (keep only 1); Expert Mode: keep all 4 [p.6 — Player Setup]
  6. Install app, generate a game code on one device, join on others; each player receives starting info at chosen difficulty (Beginner/Experienced/Genius) [p.7 — App Setup]

Turn structure

Each turn, the player whose pawn is farthest back on the time track is active [p.8 — Gameplay Sequence]

  1. Take One Action — Survey, Target, Research, or Locate Planet X [p.8 — Take One Action]
  2. Advance Your Pawn — Move clockwise by the action's time cost [p.12 — Advance Your Player Pawn]
  3. Rotate the Earth Board — Rotate clockwise until arrow points at the new farthest-back pawn; pause for Conference or Theory phases if icons are passed [p.13 — Rotate the Earth Board]

Actions

Action Cost Effect Limit
Survey (1–3 sectors) 4 ⏱ App reveals count of chosen object type in range Visible sky only
Survey (4–6 sectors) 3 ⏱ Same as above Visible sky only
Survey (7–9 sectors) 2 ⏱ Same as above Expert Mode only
Target a Sector 4 ⏱ App reveals exact object (or 'appears empty') in one sector 2 uses total per player
Research a Topic 1 ⏱ App reveals one logic rule for this game Cannot Research twice in a row
Locate Planet X 5 ⏱ Name sector + both adjacent objects; app confirms correct/incorrect Triggers end if correct
  • Planet X appears empty in surveys and targets [p.4 — Planet X]
  • Survey for comets: range must start and end on a valid comet sector [p.9 — Survey for an Object]

Scoring

Tally at game end on your note sheet's score chart [p.17 — Final Scoring]

  • Leader Bonus: +1 pt per sector where you were first (or tied first) to submit a correct theory [p.17 — Leader Bonuses]
  • Asteroids: 2 pts each correct theory [p.17 — Correct Theories]
  • Comets: 3 pts each correct theory [p.17 — Correct Theories]
  • Gas Clouds: 4 pts each correct theory [p.17 — Correct Theories]
  • Dwarf Planets: 4 pts each (Standard) / 2 pts each (Expert) [p.17 — Correct Theories]
  • First to locate Planet X: 10 pts [p.17 — Locating Planet X]
  • Later Planet X locators: 2 pts × number of sectors your pawn is behind the winner (max 10 pts) [p.17 — Locating Planet X]
  • Incorrect theory penalty: advance pawn 1 sector on time track [p.15 — Incorrect Theory]

End of game

  • Game ends immediately when a player correctly locates Planet X [p.16 — Game-End Condition]

  • That player advances pawn 5 ⏱ but does not rotate the earth board [p.16 — Game-End Condition]

  • Each other player gets one final scoring opportunity based on how far back their pawn is [p.16 — Final Scoring Opportunities]

    • 1–3 sectors back: submit up to 1 theory OR attempt to locate Planet X
    • 4–5 sectors back: submit up to 2 theories OR attempt to locate Planet X

  • Press 'Reveal Objects' in app; flip all face-down theories; remove incorrect ones [p.16 — Reveal Objects]

  • Tally scores; most points wins; tiebreakers: Planet X points → leader bonus points → shared victory [p.17 — Winning the Game]

Glossary

  • Visible Sky: the half of all sectors currently visible on the inner ring; changes as earth board rotates [p.5 — Visible Sky]
  • Time Track: outer edge of board; pawn position determines turn order — farthest back acts next [p.5 — Time Track]
  • Truly Empty: a sector with no object at all (Planet X's sector is NOT truly empty) [p.4 — Truly Empty Sectors]
  • Appears Empty: what the app reports for Planet X's sector in surveys and targets [p.4 — Planet X]
  • Theory: a face-down token placed on a peer review track predicting an object in a sector [p.5 — Theories]
  • Peer Review Track: 4-space track per sector; theories move inward each Theory Phase; reviewed at inner space [p.5 — Peer Review Tracks]
  • Adjacent: one sector immediately to the left or right [p.18 — Adjacent To]
  • Directly Opposite: the sector exactly halfway around the board (180°) [p.18 — Directly Opposite]
  • Within N Sectors: any sector up to N steps away in either direction [p.18 — Within N Sectors]
  • Band of N Sectors: an unbroken group of consecutive sectors of that size or fewer [p.18 — In a Band of N Sectors or Less]
  • Conference Phase: triggered by earth board icon; app reveals a Planet X logic rule to ALL players [p.13 — Conference Phase]
  • Theory Phase: triggered by earth board icon; players submit theories then advance/review them [p.14 — Theory Phase]

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