INSTRUCCIONES DEL JUEGO / RULEBOOK

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 MORE THAN THREE PLANET CARDS
COMPONENTS
MILLENNIA HAVE PASSED
SINCE THE HUMAN RACE During the game, Planet Cards generate
FIRST LEFT ITS NATIVE resources or skills. At the end of the
1 FIRST PLAYER MARKER game, they are used to calculate Victory
PLANET. THE DISCOVERY
4 DIPLOMACY CARDS Points and determine who wins the
OF THE SOPHIA
16 VALUE 1” RESOURCE GEMS game.
TRIAD TRANSFORMED
8 VALUE 5” RESOURCE GEMS
SCIENTIFIC THEORIES
INTO FACTS, PROVING
40 SOLDIER MINIATURES MATTER CARDS
20 PLANET CARDS
RESULTS THAT Matter Cards are used by players
12 MATTER CARDS
WERE THOUGHT TO throughout the game. They are divided
4 CIVILIZATION CARDS
PREVIOUSLY HAVE BEEN in three groups determined by the
IMPOSSIBLE. INCREDIBLE color of the card’s edge: Cavorite
IDEAS WERE TESTED AND (green edge), Antimatter (red edge) and
EXPERIMENTED UPON TO FIRST Dark Matter (purple edge). Each player
PROVE THEIR VIABILITY
AND EVERY TIME THE
PLAYER is dealt one of each kind at the start of
play.
SCIENTISTS’ METHODS MARKER
MET WITH SUCCESS. This Marker indicates CIVILIZATION
who is the first player in
any given round. CARDS
NOW, HUNDREDS OF Before the game starts, players should
CULTURES STRETCH
ACROSS THE GALAXIES, DIPLOMACY CARDS choose whether to play with the
civilization cards or not - see “Variants”
EACH ONE BORN AT Each player has a Diplomacy Card (two section at the end of this rule book.
THE DAWN OF SPACE Diplomacy Cards each in a two player Civilization Cards give extra Victory
NAVIGATION AND game). They are used to negotiate with Points if the requirements shown are
EVOLVED BY THE POWER and gain resources from other players. met during the game.
OF THE THREE MATTERS. The card indicates that a player has
THEY COMPETE used the Matter Cards belonging to
FOR EACH PLANET another player. SOLDIER
DOTTED THROUGHOUT
THOUSANDS OF SOLAR
MINIATURES
SYSTEMS. WHETHER OR
RESOURCE These are used to
NOT THE PLANET IS ABLE GEMS represent attacks on
5pt
TO SUSTAIN LIFE WHEN other players’ Planets.
These represent each
IT IS FIRST DISCOVERED 1pt player’s power and
MATTERS LITTLE. THE are used to pay for
ONLY IMPORTANT THING Actions.
IS TO TERRAFORM THAT
PLANET BEFORE ANYONE
ELSE CAN.

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 PLANET CARDS IN DETAIL
Each card has different characteristics, as shown on the face and back. They are:

FACE

Terraforming cost

Special skill

Improvement cost
Victory Points Value

Defense value
Reverse Victory Points Value

Reverse Victory Points Value

Note: The face side of a

BACK Planet Card also shows the
back side’s Defense and
Victory Points Values, but
these numbers should not
Special skill be used until the Planet
is Improved. They are for
reference only.

Victory Points Value Defense value

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 MATTER CARDS IN DETAIL
Each Matter Card is divided in 4 zones: Upper Face, Lower Face, Upper Back and Lower Back.
The Face side is visible to the card’s owner.
The Back side is visible to all other players.
In the game, Matter Cards change positions in players’ hands, meaning different zones will be visible at different times. If a
Matter Card changes position, the zones remain in place.
The Matter Cards show Initiative Value and Skills, as shown in the image below.

Upper zone

Skills
Initiative value

Skills Initiative value

At the start of the game,

Matter Cards must be set
up so the initiative value 3
is in the Upper Back zone Lower zone
and the initiative value
of 1 is in the Lower Back
zone.

PLAYING THE MATTER CARDS

Matter Cards change their positions in the players’ hands
depending on how they are played. The Matter Cards only
change their positions when affected by a game action. Cards
can either be Flipped or Spun.
Spin: Rotate the card 180 degrees, shifting the Upper zone to
the Lower zone and vice versa.
Flip: Turn a card to its opposite side, so the Back is now the
Face and vice versa.

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 CIVILIZATION CARDS IN DETAIL
FACE BACK

Improvement cost

Reduction values

Victory Points
Victory Points

Improvement cost

OBJECTIVE
OF THE GAME
A game of Dark Matter takes place over
four complete rounds. During a round,
each player takes one turn. At the end
of the fourth round, the game ends and
players count up their victory points.
The player with the total highest score
is the winner.
SETTING UP THE
GAME
Each player takes the following:
• 4 Resource Gems
• 1 Diplomacy Card (or two diplomacy
cards if only two people are playing)
• 3 Matter Cards (one of each kind:
Cavorite – Green edge / Antimatter
– Red edge / Dark matter – Purple
edge).
• If players choose to play with the
Civilization Cards variant, they
choose one each at random. At the
beginning of the game, the players
place the cards in their hands in a
way that the Upper Reverse zone has
the initiative value of 3.
Planet Cards are shuffled with the Face
side up. Four Planet Cards are set in the
middle of the table where all players can
reach. The remaining Planet Cards are
placed to the side to form a deck. When
the next Planet Card is required, it must
be taken from the bottom of that deck
so players cannot see what the next
card will be. Only the final card from
the deck will be common knowledge
amongst the players.
GAME ROUNDS
Each game round sees every player
take one turn. Once all players have
completed their turns, the round ends
and a new one starts. Each turn takes
place over three phases:
• Resource phase
• Action phase
• Final phase
Players cannot play any action outside
of their turn.

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 INITIATIVE
The first player in the first round is
chosen at random, and they are given
the First Player Marker. Play then
continues in clockwise order.
For the following rounds, the first player
is whoever has the highest total initiative
value in the Upper Rear zone of their
Matter Cards at the beginning of the
round. Play then continues clockwise
around the table. Continue until all
players have played their turns.
Example: Player A’s cards at the start of
round two show initiative values of 3, 1
and 2 in the Upper Rear zones of their
Matter Cards. Player B shows initiative
values of 2, 2 and 1. Player C has 1, 2 and
1. Player D has 3, 3 and 2. The first player
in this round is Player D.
Note: If there is a tie in the result of
the initiative values between several
players, the first player is the one
closest to whoever was the first player
in the previous round (in clockwise
order). If one of the players in the tie
was the first player in the previous
round, they remain the first player for
this new round.
RESOURCE PHASE
In this phase, each player takes as
many resource gems as the number of
the round. In other words, in the first
round they take one gem; in the second
round they take two gems, and so on.
These resource gems can be played in
the same round as they are taken.
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ACTION PHASE
In the action phase a player can:
• Play the skills shown
on the Matter Cards
• that they are holding, and/or
• that belong to the other players
• Use the Planet Cards skills
• that belong to them, and/or
• that belong to the other players
• Perform a Special Maneuver
The actions that can be performed are:
• Terraform a planet
• Improve a controlled planet
• Recruit soldiers
• Spin matter cards
• Flip matter cards
Note: To perform these actions it is
more than likely that using several
different skills will be necessary.
USING THE SKILLS SHOWN ON
MATTER CARDS
All the actions performed with Matter
Cards must be paid for with Resource
Gems, no matter who owns the cards.
For Matter Cards belonging to the
player
A player can play whatever skill they
wish, as long as it is shown on the
Upper Face zone of one of their Matter
Cards. The Matter Cards zones show
either one or two skills. Every time a
Matter Card’s skill is played, the player
must pay one resource gem.
Even if you are performing two skills,
the maximum you will pay is one
resource gem. When the player needs
to perform more than one skill to play
an action, such as terraforming a planet,
they must pay one resource gem per
each matter card’s zone they are using.
If a player cannot pay resource gems,
they cannot perform any actions.
Every time a player uses one of their
Matter Cards, when the action is
complete, they must Flip the Matter
Cards they used (so the Upper Face
zone becomes the Upper Back zone
and vice versa.
Example: Player A wants to terraform a
planet at a cost of 1 Cavorite point and 1
Dark Matter point. She plays two of her
cards, the first to get 1 Cavorite point and
the second to get 1 Dark Matter point.
She then pays 1 gem per each zone that
she played – a total of 2 Resource Gems.
Although she played two different zone’s
cards, this means only 1 action: terraform
the planet.
Players cannot use the same Matter
Card more than once during an action.
When the action is finished, a Matter
Card can be used again, even if you
wish to use the same skill – as long as
the card is in the right position to do so,
this is allowed in play. Any unused skills
are lost at the end of an action. A card
cannot be played (and/or Flipped) until
at least one of its skills is used. If a zone
has two skills, the player can use only
one – the other is lost.
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 For Matter Cards belonging to other
players
A player can play the skills from the
Upper Back zone (the side that all
players can see) of the Matter Cards of
any player. They must pay one resource
gem as usual, but in this case the card
is not Flipped but Spun once the action
is done. The Upper zone becomes to
the Lower zone and vice versa.
The owner of the card then turns their
Diplomacy Card over to indicate that
the current active player has used once
their cards. A player can play only one
Matter Card per each opponent each
turn. The Diplomacy Card serves solely
as a reminder. If only two people are
playing, they each have two Diplomacy
Cards. They may use two of their
opponent’s cards, each time turning
one diplomacy card over to indicate it
has been used.
MATTER CARD ICONS
The Matter Cards have the following
skill icons:
Resource
The player gets one Resour-
ce Gem. They must put it
aside as it Resource Gems
cannot be used in the same
turn they are earned. At the end of their turn,
the player then takes any Resource Gems
they have earned.
Improvement
The player gets
1 improvement point,
used to improve one
planet under their control.
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Cavorite
The player gets 1 point of
Cavorite.
Antimatter
The player gets 1 point of
Antimatter.
Dark Matter
The player gets 1 point of
Dark Matter.
Hero
The player Spins any
Matter Card they choose,
belonging either to
themselves or any another
player. When this skill is used and the player
Spins another player’s card, this does not
count as if they had played a Matter Card
zone of another player, so their Diplomacy
Card is not used. Nevertheless, playing
this action costs 1 resource gem as usual,
regardless of who owns the card.
Politics
The player Flips any
Matter Card they choose,
belonging either to
themselves or any another
player. When this skill is used and the player
Flips another player’s card, this does not
count as if they had played a Matter Card
zone of another player, so their Diplomacy
Card is not used. Nevertheless, playing
this action costs 1 resource gem as usual,
regardless of who owns the card.
Sophia Matter
The player gets 1 point
of their choice of either
Cavorite, Antimatter or Dark
Matter.
Soldier
The player gets one Soldier
Miniature per each Soldier
icon in the chosen card
zone. Unlike the Resource
Gems rule, the Soldier Miniatures can be
used in the same turn as they are earned.
Earning Soldier Miniatures can be only
perfomed once per turn, either with Matter
Cards and/or Planet Cards.
Example: Player A plays 2 zones of Matter
Cards from their hand and earns one Soldier
Miniature for each zone. They also play an
opponent’s card, receiving another Soldier
Miniature. The total cost is 3 resource gems,
1 per each zone played, for a total of 3
Soldier Miniatures. This means that Player
A cannot play more actions to get Soldier
Miniatures in this turn.
USING THE SKILLS SHOWN ON
PLANET CARDS
Planets belonging to the player
A player can use the skills of any planet
under their control at any time during
their turn. Using these skills do not
cost any resource gems. The card
must be turned 90º to indicate when
a Planet Card’s skill is used that turn.
If the planet is an improved planet, at
the end of the turn the Planet Card
returns to the original position and
can be used again on the next turn. If
the planet has not been improved, it
remains turned sideways until either
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 the end of the game or when it is
improved.
Like Matter Cards, many Planet Cards
have skills that can be used during a
turn. Some are shared, as shown in
the previous section, but some Planet
Cards have unique special skills.
PLANET CARD
ICONS
Diplomacy
This skill allows the player
to use an already spent
Diplomacy Card again, so
the current player can use
an opponent’s Matter Card
once more.
Planets belonging to the other
players
A player can use the skill shown on
another player’s Planet Card at any time
in their turn. To do so, the current player
must place as many Soldier Miniatures
on the target Planet Card as indicated
by the current defense value. Whether
the Planet Card is turned (because
it has been used) is irrelevant. When
the current player performs another
player’s Planet Card skill, this does not
mean this planet has been used, so the
planet remains in the same position as
before. It must not be turned after being
attacked with Soldier Miniatures.
If a Planet Card already has Soldier
Miniatures in place, it is not possible
to use that planet anymore during that
turn. A player can only use a planet
once per turn.
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Example: Player A has 5 Soldier
Miniatures. They want to use the special
skill of a planet controlled by Player B
that shows a Resource icon and has
a defense value of 2. Player A takes 2
Soldier Miniatures and places them on
Player B’s Planet Card. Player A earns
one Resource Gem which is set aside
(as it cannot be used this turn). Player
A cannot place more Soldier Miniatures
on the Planet Card to get more resource
gems as there are already Soldier
Miniatures there.
Note: Diplomacy Cards are not turned
when using skill on a planet card.
SPECIAL MANEUVER
On their turn, a player can use a
Resource Gem to Spin one of their own
Matter Cards. They cannot Spin other
players’ Matter Cards, or Flip any Matter
Cards regardless of who holds them.
ACTIONS
During the action phase a player may
perform as many actions as they wish.
These are:
TERRAFORM PLANET
Pay the terraforming cost of one of the four
planets in the middle of the playing area
to terraform and gain control of it. If you
perform this action, spend Matter points,
then take the Planet Card and sets it in front
of you. A player cannot control more than
five planets in a game. Once they terraform
a fifth planet, they cannot terraform anymore
in the game.
In a two-player game, each player can
control up to seven planets.
Example: Player A wants to terraform the
planet with a cost of one point of Cavorite
and one point of Dark Matter. They pay one
Resource Gem and use the Upper Face zone
of one of their cards to earn one point of
Cavorite, Flipping the card. They pay a second
Resource Gem and use the Upper Back
zone of an opponent’s Matter Card, earning
one point of Dark Matter, Spinning the card.
Their opponent turns their Diplomacy Card
to indicate that their cards have been used.
Player A takes the now claimed Planet Card
and sets it in their play zone.
When a Planet Card has Sophia Matter as a
cost, the current player must choose from
the other matter costs of that planet and
copy it. If the Planet Card only has Sophia
Matter as a cost, this must be paid for using
a set Matter of the same kind – for instance,
three Sophia Matter can be covered using
three Cavorite.
Example: A planet has a terraforming cost of
one point of Cavorite, one point of Dark Matter
and one point of Sophia Matter. The player can
pay two points of Cavorite and one point of
Dark Matter, or one point of Cavorite and two
points of Dark Matter to terraform the planet.
Example Two: A planet has a terraforming
cost of 2 points of Sophia Matter. The player
can pay two points of Cavorite, or two points
of Dark Matter, or two points of Antimatter to
terraform the planet.
IMPROVE A CONTROLLED PLANET
To improve a planet already controlled by a
player, they must pay as many improvement
points as indicated on the Planet Card. On
doing so, they then turn the Planet Card
over. From now onwards, the player uses the
new values indicated on the improved Planet
Card.
Example: Player A controls a planet
worth three Victory Points which has an
improvement cost of 2. They play two cards
from their hand, earning one improvement
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 point from each card, for a total of two
improvement points. They pay two Resource
Gems, then Flip both cards used. The two
improvement points improves their controlled
planet, which is now worth six Victory Points.
If a player improves a Planet Card that
previously been turned 90º when their
turn began, this planet is improved and
straightened, meaning its special skill could
be used in this turn.
Play then passes to the next player
clockwise around the table. If all players
have completed their turns, the round ends.
If the fourth round has been completed, the
game ends.
If the planet has already been used in
the player’s current turn and they choose
to improve the planet, then the card is
improved but not straightened until the start
of the player’s next turn.
Recruit soldiers
See Soldier in “Matter card icons” section.
Flip matter cards
See Politics in “Matter card icons” section.
Spin matter cards
See Hero in “Matter card icons” section.
FINAL PHASE
When a player cannot play or does
not want to perform any more actions,
their action phase ends and they move
to that turn’s final phase. The player
reclaims their Soldier Miniatures from
any opponents’ Planet Cards, add any
new Resource Gems earned during
their turn to those held previously, and
then straightens any improved planets
they control. The planets used in this
turn that are not improved remain
turned. Any used Diplomacy Cards
are returned to the unused position,
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ready for the next player’s turn. Finally,
the Planet Cards in the center of the
table are refilled so four are showing.
Remember, any new Planet Cards are
to be taken from the bottom of the
deck.
Play then passes to the next player
clockwise around the table. If all
players have completed their turns,
the round ends. If the fourth round has
been completed, the game ends.
ENDING THE GAME
When all players have played in the
fourth round, the game comes to an
end and it is time to count up your
Victory Points. Each player scores for:
• Terraformed planets:
The player gets as many Victory
Points as indicated by the planets they
control.
• Resource gems:
The player gets 1 Victory Point per
each Resource Gem they hold at the
end of the game.
• Planets with soldiers:
The players place their Soldier
Miniatures on Planet Cards they
control. For each planet that contains
as many Soldier Miniatures as the
indicated defense value on the card,
the player gets 2 Victory Points per
improved planet, and 1 Victory Point
per unimproved planet. If the Planet
Card doesn’t have a defense value, the
player must place 5 Soldier Miniatures
to get 3 Victory Points if the planet has
been improved, or 1 Victory Point if
the planet is unimproved.
The player who gets the highest total
score is the winner. If there is a tie, the
tied players total the initiative value of
the Back Upper zone of their cards (in
the position the cards were at the end
of the game) then add this value to their
Victory Points. If the tie remains, all tied
players are declared joint winners.
VARIANTS
CIVILIZATION CARDS
(an expansion to the basic game)
At the start of play, each player takes
one Civilization Card at random and
sets it in front of them, face side up.
On their turn, a player can pay the
improvement cost of their Civilization
Card, then can turn the card over. The
player must pay the total improvement
cost in one go. At the end of the game if
the Civilization Card has been improved,
the player gains 10 Victory Points.
Civilization Cards
have four reduction values:
Reduction
by planets
If the player controls a
number of planets equal
to or higher than the
indicated value, they do not have to pay
the matter point cost above this value
when improving their Civilization Card.
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 Reduction
by resources
If the player controls a
number of Resource
Gems equal to or higher
than the indicated value, they do not
have to pay the matter point cost
above this value when improving their
Civilization Card.
Reduction
by Soldier
Miniatures
If the player controls
a number of Soldier
Miniatures equal to or higher than the
indicated value, they do not have to
pay the matter point cost above this
value when improving their Civilization
Card.
Reduction
by planets defense
If the player controls
planets with a total
defense value equal to
or higher than the indicated value, they
do not have to pay the matter point
cost above this value when improving
their Civilization Card.
Example: Player A has a Civilization
Card with an improvement cost of 3
Cavorite points, 2 Dark Matter points,
1 Antimatter point, and 2 Improvement
points. This player controls 4 Planets,
has 3 Resource Gems, and 3 Soldier
Miniatures. Their planets total joint
defense value is 5.
The final cost to improve this Civilization
Card is: 2 Cavorite points, 1 Antimatter
point and 2 Improvement points. If
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the player had 6 or more Resource
Gems, they would have paid only 1
Cavorite point, 1 Antimatter point and
2 Improvement points to improve their
Civilization Card.
The Civilization Card is improved and
the player gains an extra 10 points at the
end of the game.
At the end of the game, all unimproved
Civilization Cards score as many
Victory Points as indicated in the
requirements for reduction values that
have been completed.
Example: The player from the previous
example does not manage to improve
their Civilization Card. Checking their
reduction values, they control 5 planets,
and since the requirement is 4 or more
they gain 2 Victory Points. They have
only 2 soldier miniatures, so scores
nothing from them. Their planets have
a total defense value of 8, so they gain
a further 2 Victory Points. In total, they
have scored 4 extra Victory Points with
their Civilization Card.
QUICK PROCESS
(recommended only for a game
of 2 players)
In this variant, Resource Gems are
available to be used in the same turn as
they are earned.
POWERFUL PLANETS
In this variant, Resource Gems earned
through skills shown on Planet Cards
are available to be used immediately.
Resource Gems earned through use
of Matter Cards cannot be used on the
same turn, as usual.
EXPLORING
THE BLACK HOLE
In this variant, after every final phase,
after getting back their Soldier
Miniatures, players may take whatever
number of Soldier Miniatures and put
them in an opaque bag or box (not
provided). Players cannot check the
amount of Soldier Miniatures they have
stored away. At the end of the game,
all players reveal the amount of Soldier
Miniatures that have been hidden
over the course of play. The player or
players with the most Soldier Miniatures
receive 10 Victory Points. The player
with the second highest amount gets 6
Victory Points. The next lowest amount
scores 4 and the lowest one gains 2
Victory Points. If a player has no Soldier
Miniatures stored, they do not get any
Victory Points, no matter their position
in the ranking.
UNLIMITED
CONTROLLED PLANETS
(recommended only for a game
of 2 players)
In this variant, there is no maximum
amount of planets that a player
can terraform. Players can still only
terraform a maximum of four planets
per turn, since there are still only four
planets in the table. In the final phase,
the Planet Cards are redrawn back to
four cards in the middle of the table.
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CREDITS
Design: Óscar Arévalo
Additional Ideas: Raquel Puerto, Servando Carballar y Marta Cervera
Illustrations: Víctor Pérez Corbella
Graphic design and rulebook design: Priority Soluciones Gráficas
Play testers: Servando Carballar, Marta Cervera, Raquel Puerto, Lola V. Sánchez, Alejandro Muñoz,
David Gómez, Anita DP, Mewi DP, Carlos Batto, José Alberca, Rachel Atopen, Pedro de Oro, Yurika
Katsu, Fanny Sarasola, Irene Molina, Víctor Diéguez, Ana Dors, Jorge Nieva, José Manzano, Álvaro de
Parra, Alberto Lunabia y Alejandra Bukowski.
Animated Make Robot design by zefram.
Licensed under the Creative Commons. Avaliable at: http://www.thingiverse.com/zefram/

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