How to Play Gaia Project | Official Rules

In Gaia Project , each player controls one of 14 factions striving to peacefully colonize the Terra Mystica galaxy. Each faction has different environmental needs to survive on a planet.

These needs have led the factions to master terraforming, enabling them to make different planet types habitable for themselves.

During the game, you will colonize new planets, upgrade mines into better structures, and unite planets to form federations. The choice is yours: will you expand near other factions, which might give you power and trade partners, or will you look for solitude, where you can expand more freely?

In addition, you will need to research and discover new technologies to improve your skills. In the end, only the best developed faction will win.

Components

• 10 Space Sector Tiles
• 1 Scoring Board
• 10 Round Scoring Tiles
• 10 Round Boosters
• 36 Standard Tech Tiles 4 each:
• 6 Space Stations
• 1 Research Board
• 7 double-sided Faction Boards Each side shows a different faction.
• 6 Final Scoring Tiles
• 15 Advanced Tech Tiles
• 12 Gaia Planet Tokens
• 1 Lost Planet Token
• 19 Federation Tokens
• 15 Record Tokens
• 20 Action Tokens
• 7 Faction Cards
• 1 Terraforming Reference Card
• 17 Decision Cards
• 1 Turn Order Card
• 4 Player Aids
• Structures and other player pieces (in each player color)
• 14 Credit Marker Markers
• 7 Ore Markers
• 7 Knowledge Markers
• 30 Quantum Intelligence Cubes
• 50 Power Tokens
• 1 Brainstone
• 1 First Player Marker

Setup

For your first game, play with the following game board setup and factions. For future games, also use the Advanced Setup, which features a variable game board and all factions.

Determine a first player using the method of your choice. That player takes the first player marker.

Game Board

Setup For 3 And 4 Players

Assemble the game board by taking all 10 sector tiles and placing them as shown below. Make sure that sector tiles 05, 06, and 07 are solid-side up.

Setup For 1 And 2 Players

Assemble the game board by taking sector tiles 01 to 07 and placing them as shown below. Make sure that sector tiles 05, 06, and 07 are outlined-side up. Return the unused sector tiles to the box.

Research Board And Federation Tokens

Place the research board next to the game board.

Take the nine standard tech tiles with green marks on the back and randomly place each of them faceup on a different tech space of the research board. Then stack the remaining standard tech tiles on the placed tiles of the same type; this will give you nine piles of four identical tech tiles.

Randomly place one advanced tech tile faceup on each space between level 4 and 5 of the six research areas. Return the unused advanced tech tiles to the box.

Set aside the federation token shown to the right; this is the Gleens faction's federation token. Randomly take one federation token from those remaining and place it on level 5 of the "Terraforming" research area.

Sort and stack the remaining federation tokens by type and place these six piles next to the game board with their green sides faceup.

Exception: The 12 VP federation tokens have two gray sides.

Scoring Board

Place the scoring board next to the game board. Randomly place one round scoring tile faceup on each numbered tile space of the scoring board. Return the unused round scoring tiles to the box.

Randomly place one final scoring tile faceup on each tile space to the right of the green ranking tracks. Return the unused final scoring tiles to the box.

Round Boosters And General Supply

Randomly select as many round boosters as there are players in the game plus three (e.g., seven round boosters in a 4-player game) and place them next to the game board. Return the unused round boosters to the box.

Place all action tokens, Gaia Planet tokens, the Lost Planet token, power tokens, Q.I.C., and record tokens near the game board as a general supply.

Choosing A Faction

The First Game

For your first game, choose one of the following factions:

• 1 player: Hadsch Hallas ( Human ), Taklons ( Automa )
• 2 players: Hadsch Hallas, Xenos
• 3 players: Terrans, Taklons, Geodens
• 4 players: Terrans, Hadsch Hallas, Xenos, Taklons

The first player chooses one of the above factions and takes the matching faction board. Continuing in clockwise order, each other player chooses one of the remaining factions. Place your faction board in front of you with the chosen faction faceup.

Take all structures and Gaiaformers of your color. Place the structures on their corresponding spaces of your faction board. Place your three Gaiaformers near your faction board.

The Terrans' structures and Gaiaformers.

Take one ore , one knowledge , and two credit markers and place them on the starting positions of your resource track. Return the unused ore, knowledge, and credit markers to the box.

The Terrans start with 3 knowledge, 4 ore, and 15 credits.

If your faction board shows at least one Q.I.C. below your name, take that many Q.I.C. from the supply and place them on your faction board.

For each area of the power cycle on your faction board, take from the supply the number of power tokens shown and place them in that area.

The Terrans place 4 power tokens in area Iand 4 power tokens in area II.

Take six player tokens of your color and place one of them on level 0 of each research area on the research board.

The Taklons start on level 0 in each research area.

If your faction board shows level 1 of a research area, advance your token one level in the corresponding area. If that level shows a resource marked by a star and a white outline, gain that resource immediately as a one-time bonus:.

To gain ore, move the ore token that many spaces to the right on your resource track.

To gain a Q.I.C., take a Q.I.C. token from the supply and place it on your faction board.

To gain a Gaiaformer, take one of your set-aside Gaiaformers and place it on your faction board.

Note: The level 1 bonuses of the "Economy" and "Science" research areas are income bonuses and are not gained during setup.

The Terrans' faction board shows level 1 of the "Gaia Project" research area; they advance 1 level and gain 1 Gaiaformer.

Take the seventh player token of your color and place it on space 10 (10 VP) of the VP track as a VP marker.

Take all satellites of your color; place one on each "0" space on the scoring board and the rest near your faction board.

Take one player aid and place it faceup near your faction board.

If you are playing the Taklons, take the brainstone and place it in area Iof your power cycle.

If you are playing the Gleens, take the Gleens' federation token and place it near your faction board.

If you are playing the Ivits, take the six space stations and place them near your faction board.

Placing Your First Structures

The First Game

For your first game, place your mines as shown below. Always By placing your first structures, you colonize your first planets, take your mines from left to right on your faction board. and you reveal spaces on your faction board. This is important for your income.

Choosing Your First Round Booster

Starting with the last player and continuing in counterclockwise order, choose an available round booster and place it faceup in front of you. Unchosen round boosters will remain next to the board and be available for the first round.

Neutral Player (1-2 Players)

When playing with 1 or 2 players, a neutral player is added to affect final scoring. Take two satellites of an unused color and place one on each ranking track next to the final scoring tiles; the number on each final scoring tile determines the satellite's position on that ranking track. During final scoring, these satellites count as a neutral player at the appropriate rank. Return all unused satellites to the box.

In a 2-player game, a neutral satellite is placed on space 8 of the ranking track next to this tile.

Return Player Components

Return all unused faction boards, structures, Gaiaformers, player tokens, satellites, ore markers, knowledge markers, credit markers, player aids, the brainstone, the Gleens' federation token, and space stations to the box.

Return the turn order card to the box; it is used only when playing with variable turn order. Variable turn order is an advanced rule.