GAME BOARD SETUP: Choose the side of the board corresponding to the player count.

Place the Era 1

cards in the top right of the board. Leave the Era 2 and 3 decks off board. Place the tan era marker on
the first space of the era track. Place each player’s marker on the scoring track, the player order track,
and the federation track.. For a 4P game, place the action cloning tile and use all 13 purple symbiotic
domes. For 3P and 2P games, return the action cloning tile to the box and use 10 and 7 symbiotic domes
respectively. Shuffle the special cards that cost one and two credits separately, then place the deck on
the board with the top card face up. Shuffle the special cards that cost three credits separately, then
place six face up on the board, returning all others to the box. For solo play, use all symbiotic domes, but
not the action cloning tile. For New Discoveries, select a variant, and decide to use Normal or Quick
Start. Solo uses Quick Start, with boards 13-16, and the Metropolis Choice variant.

PLAYER BOARD SETUP: Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding three action tiles,
Player Info card, Personal Assistant card, and Final Scoring card. Each player also takes one kelp, one
steelplast, one science, and two credit tokens. Then each player chooses a player board, and selects the
symmetric or asymmetric side. Place one non-symbiotic city in the lower right corner spot of each player
board. Mix the brown and blue metropolis tiles, giving each player one brown and two blue metropolis
tiles, placing each randomly in the corresponding areas of the player board. Place the play-order
markers randomly on the play-order track. The first player places their Federation marker below the
Federation track. The second player places their Federation marker on space 4 of the Federation track,
the third player on space 3 and receives one extra credit, and the fourth player on space 2, and receives
one extra credit and one steelplast. Each player then draws 6 Era 1 cards, chooses 3 to keep and 3 to
discard. For solo play, take three tiles of a non-player color, and place them on the rightmost action slot
of each color. Remove the metropolis tile shown on page 18 of the rulebook. The solo player goes first,
so their Federation track marker starts below space 4. Use an asymmetric player board. For the
Metropolis Choice variant, draw the Metropolis tiles indicated on the Player Board selected, then choose
one for each corresponding colored slot available on the board.

QUICK START: Instead of the starting resources and the Personal Assistant from the base game, each
player receives two random New Discoveries Personal Assistants. These are drawn after their starting six
Era 1 cards, but before discarding down to three. Place one into play as one of your four allowed action
cards, and return the other to the box. Then, randomly draw Starting Resource tiles equal to the player
count plus one (for solo, draw two, choose one and return the other to the box.) In reverse turn order,
each player selects a Starting Resource tile, then immediately takes the resources depicted. Any
structures or cities granted are placed for free. Buildings gained this way are placed around your starting
city, tunnels and cities gained are placed in any legal spot. Then all players discard down to three Era 1
cards. The era marker starts on the second spot.

END GAME SCORING AND VICTORY CONDITIONS: The game ends when the third Era is complete.
Players will score connected brown Metropolis tiles, End-Scoring cards effects, their Network, and their
leftover resources according to the Final Scoring card. Final play-order breaks ties. For solo play, the
player wins if they have 7 connected cities and at least 100 points. Contracts are not used in solo play.
For solo play with New Discoveries, the player wins if they have 7 connected cities and at least 125
points.
ERA SEQUENCE/PRODUCTION PHASE: Era 1 consists of 4 rounds, and Eras 2 and 3 consist of 3 rounds.
Each Era is followed by the Production Phase. Network production is depicted on the player information
card. Resolve all claimed card effects with production icons and Metropolis production effects. At the
end of the Production Phase, each connected city will consume 1 kelp. If kelp is not available, pay 1
biomatter; if still unfed, lose 3 points per unfed city. Rotate all used Action Cards to their available
position. Remove the old Era deck and replace it with the next. Players retain cards from the previous
era and draw 3 cards from the new Era deck, then discard down to 3 cards. Advance the Era marker.

ROUND SEQUENCE: A round consists of 3 turns for each player. Then, return all action tiles to their
owners. In a 4-player game, return the action-cloning tile to the middle of the table. Reorder the
play-order markers according to the order on the Federation track (a marker on the Federation track
goes ahead of any markers stacked below it.) Markers below the Federation track do not change their
play order. After play order is determined, move all markers below space 4 of the Federation track.
Advance the era marker. If this causes the end of an era, proceed to Production Phase. For solo play,
move all non-player action tiles one space clockwise at the end of each round. If you did not advance
on the Federation Track, occupy a fourth action slot in the following manner: reveal the top card of the
current era’s deck. Add its digits to determine a number. Starting with the first green action slot, count
clockwise until reaching that number. Place an extra non-player action tile there if the spot is empty,
proceed clockwise to the next if not.

TURN SEQUENCE/HAND LIMIT: A turn consists of simultaneously playing one card and one action tile.
The action tile must be played to an available action slot, or the special slot that is always available. If
the color of the card played matches the color of the action slot, resolve both the card and the action
slot effects. If not, resolve only the action slot effect. End your turn by drawing 1 card, then discarding
down to 3 at any time before your next turn. Players may have more than 3 cards at any time other than
the end of their turn and the beginning of a new Era.

FEDERATION TRACK: When you advance on the Federation Track, move your marker ahead and
immediately gain any depicted resources at the new position. If the space is occupied by other markers,
place your marker on top of the others, preserving their relative position. The top position and rewards
of the first place may be claimed repeatedly in the same round, even by the same action.

CARDS: All card effects are resolved only if played with a matching action tile/slot. Cards with a
lightning (Instant) icon in the top left are resolved immediately. All other cards are “claimed” by placing
them into the play area or an action card slot as appropriate. Cards with an infinity icon have a
permanent effect that is resolved when triggered/applicable. Cards with an A icon may be used once per
era by the player that claimed the card, and are rotated 90 degrees after use to show they are no longer
available. Action cards are used when the A symbol is present on an action tile slot used or card effect
claimed. Both infinity and action cards may be used as soon as claimed, and players have a limit of 4
Action Cards in play, including their Personal Assistant. If more than 4 are claimed, Action Cards in play
must be immediately discarded until only 4 remain. Cards with a gear icon resolve during the three
Production Phases of the game. Cards with a clock icon score additional points at the end of the game.
Players are permitted to use only part (or none) of a claimed card’s effects, but at least part of an action
slot effect must be used, or the slot may not be chosen.

SPECIAL CARDS: Special cards may be drawn to a player’s hand by using an Action Slot marked with an S
icon. When drawing a Special card, you may choose one of the 3 credit cost cards, the top card of the
1/2 credit cost cards, or move the top 1/2 credit cost card to the bottom of its deck, then draw 3/choose
1, placing the other two on the bottom of the deck. If a 1/2 credit cost card was chosen, reveal the top
card after drawing. Special cards are claimed by playing a matching Action Tile and paying the credit cost
printed. If the Special card does not match the Action Tile played, or the credit cost is not paid, the card
is discarded instead. 1 and 2 credit cost Special cards are returned to the bottom of the Special card
deck when discarded. 3 credit cost Special Cards are removed from the game if discarded. Special cards
that are claimed are not returned to the Special card deck, even if they have an Instant effect.

SLOTS AND TIMING: The Always-Available slot grants 2 (current Era deck) cards and 2 credits, but has no
color, so the card played is discarded. The Action-Cloning Tile (4P only) allows a player to pay 1 credit,
take the Action-Cloning Tile, and choose an Action Slot occupied by a different player. This effect is
available only once per round. When playing a matching color card to an action slot, the card or the
action slot effects may be resolved first (and in any order) at the player’s discretion, but must be fully
resolved before beginning the other source’s effects. If a new effect is triggered while resolving effects,
resolve it immediately, then finish the effect that triggered it.

RESOURCES: Tokens are not limited by their supply. Tunnels and cities are component limited. Era and
1/2 credit cost Special cards are not limited. 3 credit cost Special cards are limited. The Gain Card effect
icon allows a player to draw a card from the current Era deck, not a Special card. Biomatter is a universal
building material that may substitute for Kelp or Steelplast when building a tunnel, building, or city.

CITIES: Building a nonsymbiotic (white) city costs 2 steelplast, 1 kelp, and 1 credit. Building a symbiotic
(purple) city costs 1 steelplast, 1 kelp, 1 biomatter, and 2 credits. Cities must be built adjacent to one of
your existing cities, as connected by a potential tunnel slot (the actual tunnel is not required.) Cities
have expansion sites, including one that is generally not available unless specifically allowed by a card.

STRUCTURES - BUILDINGS AND TUNNELS: Farms (costs 1 Kelp), Desalination Plants (costs 1 Credit), and
Laboratories (costs 1 Steelplast) may be built in empty building sites around your cities or sites where
you could legally build a new city (adjacent.) Tunnels cost 1 Steelplast and 1 Credit, may be upgraded,
and must trace an unbroken path of tunnel sites back to your starting city when placed (empty city sites
are allowed.) Buildings produce in the Production Phase if they are connected to your network by
tunnels and cities, and may be upgraded. Upgrade Structures by choosing the upgrade action and
paying 1 Science. Upgraded Buildings stack an additional token; upgraded Tunnels flip over.

BUILDING BONUSES: Placing cities and structures on sites with bonuses immediately grant that bonus
to the building player, regardless of whether the city or structure is in the player’s network.

NETWORK: A building or city that can trace a continuous path of tunnels back to your starting city is in
your network. Buildings and cities that are not in your network do not produce during the Production
Phase, do not consume Kelp at the end of Production, and do not count during Final Scoring.

METROPOLISES: Metropolis tiles provide their printed benefits when all adjacent tunnel sites have
tunnels built and they are connected to your network. Brown Metropolises provide final scoring
bonuses; Blue Metropolises provide Instant and possibly Production Phase effects.

VARIANTS: During setup, place 3 contract cards at random. Any player may claim a contract as soon as
they meet all of its criteria, and its effects are immediately resolved. Black and red sites require
surcharges to build on them, which are applied after any discounts or cost reduction effects a player may
have. (e.g. if an effect allows a player to build on a site for free, they must still pay the surcharge for the
site.) Surcharges only apply to building, not upgrading. Production multipliers double the resources an
individual building generates during the Production Phase (not the bonus for two upgraded buildings.)

NEW DISCOVERIES SPECIFIC CARD RULES: The Federal Priority Special Card that awards points for end
scoring, permanent, and production effects does not apply to your starting Personal Assistant. The
Recruitment Card allows you to resolve and discard a card with an instant effect, or claim any other card
as if played with a matching action slot. The Negotiation Team card has the same effect when using the
Always Available action slot.

METROPOLIS RACE VARIANT: Use player boards 1-4, 5-8 or 9-12, with all players using boards from the
same group of four. Blue metropolis tiles are not assigned to player boards. Instead, randomly draw a
number equal to the player count plus one. Do the same for the green metropolis tiles. Brown
metropolis tiles are assigned as normal. Display all of them faceup in a supply. Players claim blue
metropolis tiles from the supply as they connect to their first available spot; green metropolis tiles when
they connect to their second available spot.

METROPOLIS CHOICE VARIANT: Use player boards 13-16. Each player draws metropolis tiles as shown
in the lower right corner of their board. Select the number and type allowed by the player board slots,
and return the rest to the box.

MUSEUM VARIANT: Use player boards 9-12. Choose a side of the museum board, and place the
metropolis tiles and special cards indicated on the green spaces of the board face up next to the board.
Each player takes the 5 discovery tiles of their color, shuffles them, and places them facedown on the
discovery sites on their player board. When a player builds on a discovery site on their player board,
immediately claim the benefit shown on the discovery tile placed there. Then place the discovery tile on
the museum board, choosing a reward corresponding to which discovery was made (first through fifth.)
The credit cost of any special cards gained is paid for free, and special cards gained this way are claimed,
not added to hand. Additional metropolis tiles gained are placed next to your starting city and are
considered connected. Note that end game scoring Special Cards that are doubled still require the
resources/criteria to be paid or met both times.