Welcome to space!

This game requires two to four teams. Each team chooses a color and takes the 31 tokens of that color, placing them in a bag, well shuffled. The game master randomly (and secretly) places one "K" (Kessler) token into one of the bags.

Each team randomly draws 8 tokens – throughout the game, a team must have 8 tokens in front of it at any one time; if it has fewer, it must draw tokens from the bag at the beginning of each turn, until the supply is exhausted.

Thirty of these tokens are satellites. There are 5 types of satellites, each with 6 tokens:

• Scientific Satellite (): a satellite that observes the Earth or the universe to improve scientific knowledge.
• Commercial satellite (): a satellite that offers a commercial service (communication, imagery, etc.) for financial gain.
• Military satellite (): a satellite that assists in military activities (guidance, secure communications, espionage, etc.).
• Dual-use satellite (): a satellite capable of performing two functions, one military and the other commercial (e.g., general and secure communications, general and reconnaissance imaging, etc.).
• Repair satellite (): this in-orbit servicing system allows a satellite that has become unusable to be restored to working order (through repair, refueling, etc.).

The two additional tokens represent events: major collision(), Kessler().

Place the orbital board in the center.

The goal of the game is to last ten rounds without having a completely occupied board. Each satellite then counts as one point.

In each round: each team draws tokens to have 8 of them, then takes turns deciding to place zero to 8 satellite on the board. Scientific, commercial, military, or dual-use satellites are placed in the available spaces on the board. A repair satellite is placed on a dead satellite, allowing it to become active again. Be careful, the game ends (and everyone loses) when there are no more free spaces on the board.

One of the teams (color chosen by a die roll) starts playing after two turns. [This reflects the technological lag of some countries that gained access to space later...]

Two tokens must be used immediately if drawn:

• Large Collision (): When a large collision occurs, the affected team loses a satellite and creates six pieces of debris that must be placed on the board in free spaces. The affected team cannot play any other tokens during this turn.
• Kessler Syndrome (): A massive collision has produced so much debris that the entire orbital area becomes unusable. The game ends, all teams lose, and the board must be cleared.

When all teams have played, the game master removes two dead satellites

• > if there is only one, remove one dead satellite and one piece of debris
• > if there are no dead satellites, remove two pieces of debris
• > if there are no debris or dead satellites, proceed to the next action

this simulates the atmosphere clearing the orbit. The game master then rolls the die several times. The first roll triggers an event, depending on the result:

1. Solar Storm : One satellite from each team is disabled.
2. Malfunction : One satellite is disabled; the affected team is chosen by a second roll of the die*.
3. Cyberattack : A commercial or dual-use satellite is disabled; the affected team is chosen by a second roll of the die*.
4. Takeover : One team takes control of another team's satellite; the affected teams are chosen by two additional rolls of the die**.
5. Impact : A satellite loses a piece – it is disabled (the affected team is chosen by a second roll of the die*) and a piece of debris is created#.
6. Attack : A military or dual satellite is disabled (the affected team is chosen by a second roll of the die*) and a piece of debris is created#.

* To choose which satellite is disabled, roll the die a second time to select the color (and therefore the team) involved:

• If there are two teams, numbers 1 to 3 apply to one team and 4 to 6 to the other
• if there are three teams, numbers 1-2 apply to the first team, 3-4 to the second, and 5-6 to the third
• if there are four teams, numbers 1 to 4 each identify one team (roll again if you get a 5 or 6)

Then place the "disabled" token ( )on a satellite of the chosen color (and of the specified type if there is a restriction).

# Place a debris token () on an empty space on the board.

** For the takeover, roll the die once to identify the team that loses a satellite and a second time to identify the team that replaces it.

Goal: 10 cycles without filling the board!

Place a "K" token in one of the token bags.

Each team takes a bag and draws tokens to always maintain a total of 8 in front of them. One team starts to play two rounds after the others*.

Tokens to play immediately:

• : Everyone loses!
• : one satellite lost* (place on it), place 6 pieces of debris on the board. Otherwise, each team places 0 to 8 tokens on the board.

Before proceeding to the next round, clear the board (remove two malfunctioning satellites or debris) and then roll the dice:

1. Solar Storm : one satellite lost per team
2. Malfunction : one satellite lost*
3. Cyberattack : one commercial or dual satellite lost* ;
4. Takeover : one satellite changes hands* ;
5. Impact : one satellite lost* + one debris ;
6. Attack : one military or dual satellite lost* + one debris.

* Roll the dice to choose which team is affected.

The reality:

the game aims to be as realistic as possible… For example:

• The upper atmosphere slows down satellites and debris in low Earth orbit: they can therefore fall back to Earth (currently, one cataloged piece of debris falls back to Earth every day).
• For now, each country or company populates the orbit without coordinating with others.
• So far, only the Hubble Space Telescope has been repaired, but there are plans to make this routine. This will avoid using new resources to build new satellites.
• The more satellites there are, the more collisions and problems there are, leading to orbital saturation. An avalanche phenomenon (Kessler syndrome) is possible and would render the orbit unusable for everybody.
• Satellites can be (and already have been) attacked in various ways, through a cyberattack (on the satellite or its ground relays) or a missile to destroy them.

Some points to ponder:

• Instead of orbital zones, the game could just as easily be applied to lunar or planetary zones. Indeed, the number of interesting areas on the Moon is also limited! However, the resources they contain are non-renewable…
• How many satellites are installed each turn? There is no obligation to install satellites (the rules impose placing 0 to 8 tokens!). Thus, all teams win if no satellites are installed for ten turns! In addition, one could decide to wait for the team that is behind by not playing during the first two turns…
• What types of satellites were installed? Some are more “fragile” than others… One could also decide to limit oneself to a single type of satellite (installing only scientific satellites, avoiding commercial activities or militarizing space, or conversely, engaging in no scientific activity and focusing solely on commercial activities).
• Did the teams coordinate their strategy? The placement of satellites can be discussed to avoid overcrowding. A team can also repair an opponent's satellite, even if it doesn't earn them anything…
• Who won? The rules don't explicitly state that the team with the most points at the end of round 10 wins… They simply state that a satellite is worth one point. How did you choose a winner? And is there even a need for one? Victory can also be a team effort…

This is an easy-to-print paper version requiring only a desktop printer and colored paper.

Simply print each page following the instructions.

Download the PDF: Orbit-Jam-papier.pdf