Starry Sky

Invented by Tom Schoeps.
Published by Goldsieber.
Translated by M. Schloth.
Copyright 1995, Tom Schoeps.

For 3 to 5 Players.

Game Material

• 12 Constellations
• 96 Star Coins
• 45 Star Tokens (5 sets of 9. Each set a different color)
• 1 Sheet of Stickers
• 1 Set of Rules

Preparation

• For the first game you must apply the stickers to the Star Tokens. Each set of 9 Star Tokens (same color) should contain: one "1", "3", "5", "6", "7","10" and Black Hole (black dot); and two Double Stars.
• Shuffle the 12 Constellations and select as many as there are players. Turn these Constellations face up and place them in reach of all the players. The other Constellations are set aside face down. They will be used later in the game.
• Each player chooses a set of Star Tokens of the same color and sets them before him or herself. The numbers and symbols on each player's Star Tokens should be concealed from the other players.
• Place all of the Star Coins in a pile in the middle of the table. This is the Reserve.

Game Play

• A player is chosen to start. Once a player has taken his or her turn, play continues with the player to the left.
• On your turn you select one of your Star Tokens and place it on one of the stars on one of the Constellations currently in play. You do not have to keep placing you Star Tokens in the same Constellation; you may place in different Constellations on different turns.
• Only one Star Token may be placed on each star in a Constellation.
• The stars in the Constellations are of two types: large and small. If you place your Star Token on a small star, then you must place it with its number or symbol face up. If you place your Star Token on a large star, then you place it with its number or symbol face down.
• Play continues in this way until a Constellation has all of its stars covered by Star Tokens. At that time, the play is briefly interrupted to score that Constellation.

Scoring

• First, all Star Tokens on the completed Constellation are turned to reveal their number or symbol.
• All Star Tokens directly connected by a line to a "Black Hole" are swallowed. Swallowed Star Tokens are removed from the Constellation and returned to their owner(s). Swallowed Star Tokens have no further bearing on the scoring of the Constellation from which they were removed.
• All Black Holes directly connected to other Black Holes (and there may be a chain) swallow themselves and are removed BEFORE they can swallow any other Star Tokens. Otherwise, the Black Holes remain (see NOTE below).
• "Double Stars" double the value of all Star Tokens on stars to which they are directly connected. If a Double Star is adjacent to any remaining Black Holes, then it is swallowed and removed before it can double the value of any adjacent Star Tokens.
• All players who still have Star Tokens on the Constellation now add up their points. Notice that each Constellation has a pair of numbers separated by a slash. The player with the highest total receives a number of Star Coins equal to the yellow number to the left of the slash. The player with the second highest total receives a number of Star Coins equal to the number to the right of the slash. The first and second place players take their Star Coins from the Reserve.
• If a player finishes 3rd, 4th or 5th, then that player receives a number of Star Coins equal to the number of Star Tokens he or she still has on the Constellation. The 3rd, 4th or 5th place finishers take their Star Coins from the 1st place player's winnings. (See Abb 5. on page 3).
• If only one player controls all of the stars in a Constellation or only one player's Star Tokens remain in a Constellation after the Black Holes have done their damage, then that player receives both the first and the second place payoffs from the Reserve.
• NOTE: A value of 0 can still win first or second place. A value of 0 means that you have only Black Holes and/or Double Stars in the Constellation. See Example 6 (Abb.6) on page 3 of the original rules and at the end of these rules.

After the Scoring

• All Star Tokens are returned to their owner(s). The completed Constellation is removed from the game and a new Constellation (if available) is set in its place.
• The player to the left of the player who completed the Constellation now continues by placing a Star Token and so on...

The End

Once all 12 Constellations have been completed and scored, the player with the most Star Coins wins.

Stalemates

Occasionally, two or more players will tie for the highest or the second highest value in a Constellation. The following rules will break such ties:

1. The player with more Star Tokens on the Constellation breaks the tie in his or her favor. Black Holes and Double Stars always count towards this total. See Example 7 (Abb. 7) on page 4.
2. If this still does not break the tie (all players with the highest total value have the same number of Star Tokens), then first and second place are not awarded and all players receive Star Coins from the Reserve equal to the number of Star Tokens they own on the Constellation.

If first place is clearly determined but there is a tie for second place that cannot be broken, then the first place Star Coins are awarded as usual but the second place Star Coins are not. The second place players and all others will receive Star Coins equal to the number of Star Tokens they own on the Constellation from the Reserve not, in this case, from the first place player's winnings.

Scoring Examples on Page 3

• Abb 2: This shows all Star Tokens directly connected to a Black Hole being swallowed and removed.
• Abb 3: The player with a value of 20 wins first place. The value is 20 because the Value 10 Star Token is doubled by the directly connected Double Star.
• Abb 4: ALL directly connected Double Stars double a Star Token's value. Here a Value 6 Star Token has its value doubled to 12 and then again to 24.
• Abb 5: Here first and second place are taken with values of 24 and 20. First place receives 9 Star Coins from the Reserve and second place receives 7 Star Coins from the Reserve. The third place player (value 11) has two Star Tokens on the Constellation so that player receives 2 Star Coins from the first place player's winnings. The fourth place player (value 6) has one Star Token on the Constellation so that player receives 1 Star Coin from the first place player's winnings. The second place player actually does the best by scoring 7 Star Coins because although the first place player won 9 Star Coins, he had to pay out 3.
• Abb 6: This shows that you can win first or second place with a value of 0. Here the Black Holes have swallowed most of the Star Tokens in the Constellation. The player with the Black Hole and the value 10 Star Token wins first place (6 Star Coins). The player with only a Black Hole (value 0) wins second place (4 Star Coins).
• Abb 7 on page 4 is incorrect. The second place player receives 4 Star Coins not 3.

The Game Cabinet - editor@gamecabinet.com - Ken Tidwell