SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

How do you win the game?

Conclusion: The game SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence consists of 5 rounds. After the 5th round ends and final scoring is completed, the player with the highest prestige points wins.

When Does the Game End?
The game lasts for 5 rounds. Each round begins with the player holding the starting player marker taking the first action, followed by players acting in clockwise order. Players who have already passed during that round do not take further actions. Once all players have passed and the last player selects one card from their remaining two cards while discarding the other, that round ends. After the 5th round concludes—when the last player passes—the game moves into final scoring.

What Does Final Scoring Include?
After the last round ends, players score points in the following sequence:
1. Any "End of the Game Scorecards" you've played (cards with a gold border on the face);
2. The "Gold Scoring Tiles" you've acquired;
3. Certain alien species may add an additional scoring step.

Points earned throughout the game (from the scoring track) are already counted toward your total; final scoring adds to this base score.

How Do You Obtain Gold Scoring Tiles?
Whenever your score reaches or exceeds 25, 50, or 70 points at the end of a round, you may choose a gold scoring tile and place a marker on it. Each tile has multiple decreasing-value positions: the first player to select the tile places their marker on the highest-value spot, the second on the next-highest, and so on. All players can choose the same tile, but no one may select the same tile twice. Thus, if you reach at least 70 points, you'll end up with markers on three out of four tiles.

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What is the effect of Pioneer No. 11's mission?

Conclusion: Pioneer 11 Mission (main deck card number 1) is a triggerable mission card.

• Sector: Yellow | Cost: 0 | Income: Power | Free action corner: 1 movement
• Mission effect (two circles):
• Jupiter → Gain 1 data
• Saturn → Gain 4 points

Specific procedures, conditions, and exceptions:

1. Missions on these cards are "triggerable"; they are activated by actions you actually take. After playing the card, place it face-up in front of you.
2. Only events that occur after you play this card count as triggers—visits to Jupiter or Saturn before playing do not qualify. The trigger condition is: your probe must move to the space corresponding to the relevant celestial body (for example, in the card example, the Mariner 10 Mission requires moving to Mercury or Venus).
3. When triggered, you may choose to cover the corresponding circle with one of your own markers and immediately claim the reward indicated on that circle. Each circle can only be covered once.
4. You may voluntarily forgo the reward: you are not required to use the effect when triggering—for instance, if you already have 10 prestige points, you can save the benefit of visiting Venus for another turn.
5. If a single action triggers multiple rewards (either on the same card or on different cards), you may only choose one circle to cover at a time; to cover another circle, you must trigger the mission again.
6. Once both circles have been covered, the mission is automatically completed. Flip the card over and leave it face-up in front of you along with other completed missions (it remains face-down for the rest of the game).
7. Additional note: Some missions may also be triggered outside your turn. (This is a general guideline for this type of mission card; the original text does not list separate exceptions specific to this card.)

If by "Pioneer 11" you mean a different card rather than Pioneer 11 Mission numbered 1, we could not find the name "Pioneer 11" in the rulebook. The above explanation applies to the card numbered 1 in the deck, whose English name is Pioneer 11 Mission.

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When inserting income, can you immediately receive one income?

Conclusion

Yes. When you tuck a card from your hand beneath your starting income card as income, you immediately receive the bonus resource printed in the bottom-right corner (the income marker) of that card, once. Afterward, this card becomes part of your permanent income, providing you with that resource again at the start of each round beginning from Round 2.

It's important to note: what you immediately gain is the income marker resource of the newly inserted card, not a full re‑evaluation of your entire income area. The rulebook text states: "Insert → Immediately gain the card's income marker reward."

Basis

"Increasing Income."
> "Whenever you gain, you may tuck a card from your hand underneath your starting income card. The tucked card now permanently bolsters your income. Immediately gain whatever bonus is printed in the bottom-right corner. You will receive this bonus again at the start of each round from Round 2 onwards."

Rules Reminders.
> "When you tuck a card for income, you also gain that resource immediately."

Round‑by‑round income settlement.
> "Everyone gets income—the resources shown on your starting income card, plus the resources on all the cards you have tucked."

Specific Card Rulings.
- 34_1: "The first effect allows you to increase your income. To do so, insert another card from your hand as income, and immediately gain its income resource."
- 31_32_33_38_39_40_1: "When a delayed reward causes you to insert this card as income, you immediately gain the resource indicated by this card's income marker."
- 91_93_1 (involving the order of settling two cards): "Settle the rewards of cards already inserted into the income area first, then insert this card as income. Since this increases your income, you immediately gain the resource indicated by this card's income marker."

Conditions and Exceptions

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When I acquire an alien token, do I have to immediately place it on a space?

Conclusion

Yes—when you acquire a life trace icon, you must immediately place your marker on the corresponding space; this is how the "acquire a trace" effect resolves itself, not by holding onto it first and placing it later.

However, two points need to be clarified.
- It's not "any available space." The placement is strictly defined by the rules: prioritize the discovery space matching the trace color that is still unoccupied; only if all same-color spaces for both species are filled may you place the marker in an overflow space.
- The term "immediately" does not appear in the original rule text. The rule describes "acquiring the icon" and "placing the marker" as part of the same continuous action, without using words like "immediately," so it should not be interpreted as allowing delayed placement or requiring other actions first.

Additionally, overflow spaces can be chosen deliberately: even when there are still empty spots on the alien board or species board, the rules explicitly permit placing your marker in an overflow space.

Specific Rules and Sequence

1. Default placement: Same-color, unmarked discovery space

"Marking Life Traces."
> "When you earn one of these icons, you have found a trace of extraterrestrial life! Below each alien board are three discovery spaces matching the 3 types of traces. Place your marker on a matching space, if one is still unmarked."

In other words, each alien species board has three discovery spaces corresponding to the three trace types. Whichever trace you obtain, place your marker in the matching color space that remains unmarked beneath that species board.

Placing the marker also grants immediate benefits.
> "You gain 1 publicity and 5 points for claiming this space with your marker."

2. Universal trace (wildcard icon)

> "This is a universal trace – a wildcard that can stand for any of the 3 life traces."

Rather than being a fourth distinct color, it functions as a substitute for any trace type, so its placement depends on which space offers the relevant choice.

3. If all spaces of that color are full: Place in an overflow space and score 3 points

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SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence—Can a single action complete multiple tasks?

It depends on which kind of "mission" you're referring to—there are several categories in the rules, and the answer varies accordingly.

Clear Conclusion

Those that can be completed with a single action: Conditional Missions.
- These missions are fulfilled through free actions, not main actions.
- Free actions can be repeated at any point during your own turn (before, after, or even while your main action is underway).
- Therefore, as long as the conditions are met, you can complete multiple conditional missions within the same round. Moreover, the rules explicitly state that once the conditions are satisfied, you're not required to complete them immediately—you may do so at any time during any of your turns, provided the conditions still hold true.

Those that cannot be completed across multiple spaces in a single action: Triggerable Missions.
- These missions are triggered by "you doing something," and when triggered, you place a marker over one circle on the card to claim the corresponding reward.
- Key restriction: If a single effect triggers multiple rewards (whether on the same card or different cards), you may only choose to cover one circle—you cannot mark all of them at once. To mark a second circle, you must trigger the mission card again.
- A mission is considered complete only when all circles on the card have been covered; then, the card is flipped over and placed face-up in front of you.

The same applies to Task spaces on Objective cards:
- You may place only one marker per trigger. For example, if two objectives on your hand are satisfied by the same technological research, you can mark only one of them—you cannot mark both at once.

Conditions and Exceptions

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However, the FAQ mentions that scoring is done from left to right, and there's a rotating solar system effect before taking the technology tile—does this mean you must rotate the solar system first before claiming the upgrade tile?

Conclusion: It is NOT the case that "card effects must be resolved from left to right." There is no such general rule in the Rulebook Text.

Regarding the two points you mentioned, here's how the original text actually states it:

1. When researching technology, it IS indeed "rotate the solar system first, then take the tech tile."
When researching technology—whether as a main action or triggered by a card effect—you first rotate the solar system, and only then choose a technology you don't already have, take the top tile from that stack, and receive the immediate reward printed on the tile. Therefore, the statement "you must rotate the solar system before taking an upgrade tile" is correct—this reflects the fixed sequence inherent to the research action itself, not a "left-to-right" order of card-effect resolution.

2. The "first… then…" rule in the FAQ refers to the specific resolution order of a single card.
In the FAQ, Card No. 65 (65_1) states: First mark two signals and refill the card row, then rotate the solar system and take the technology; if that technology grants you a card, you should select it from the newly refilled card row. This describes the internal sequence of steps for this particular card's effect—it is a special case specific to that card, not a universal "left-to-right" rule applicable to all cards.

3. In the original text, "left to right" applies ONLY to data tokens.
The only place where the Rulebook explicitly mentions "left to right" is for the placement and replacement of data tokens: data is placed into empty slots on the computer board from left to right, and when placed in a slot with an effect, that effect is immediately resolved; data markers are replaced in sequential order from left to right. This has nothing to do with the resolution order of card effects.

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How do you move in SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence?

"Mutation" corresponds in the rulebook to the cellular organelle "mutation" movement of the Amoeba alien race—note that the term "mutation" does not appear in the Rulebook text itself; below are the rules governing this cellular organelle mutation movement:

Key Takeaways:
- After obtaining an organelle reward, all organelles that just provided the reward each move one space (not just the one you selected).
- Movement direction is fixed: outer-ring organelles move clockwise, while inner-ring organelles move counterclockwise.

Conditions and Exceptions:
- When the target space is occupied: Moving organelles do not stop; instead, they continue jumping to the next available space in their original direction until they land on an empty spot.
- When multiple rewards are granted simultaneously within the same area: If all organelles in a particular color zone provide rewards at once, they move together as a single group based on their original positions, rather than moving one after another.
- Ways to trigger mutation:
- When marking an Amoeba space, you gain the printed reward for that space, plus the rewards for all organelles within that color zone (settled by color zone, not just the space itself).
- The organelle icon on an Amoeba card lets you choose one organelle from the corresponding color zone; after receiving its reward, that organelle undergoes mutation movement (if there are multiple organelles in that zone, you select one).
- Certain effects can remove your markers located on the Amoeba board, Discovery Zone, or Overflow Zone; based on the color of the removed space, you then settle the rewards for the organelles in the corresponding zone and proceed with normal movement.

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In solo mode, how does the computer act?

Based on the rulebook text that has been read, here's how you can answer your question about "how the computer behaves in solo mode."
Key Points of the Rival's Actions in Solo Mode

1. Competitive Objective: In solo mode, you compete against a rival research institution, aiming to score more points than the rival at the end of the game.

2. The Rival's Computer Board:
   - Whenever the rival acquires a data token, it is placed directly onto its computer board; if the board is full, the token goes into the rival's data pool.
   - When a data token is placed on an empty space marked with an effect, the rival immediately receives the benefit indicated by that space.

3. When Does the Rival Perform the "Analyze" Action?
   - The rival can only perform this action when its computer board is full.
   - If the board is not full, the rival skips this action and instead attempts the next action listed on the action card.
   - During the Analyze phase: all data tokens on the rival's computer board are removed (data tokens in the pool remain untouched), and the rival receives the benefits printed on the action card. Additionally, the rival gains any bonuses shown on their player board.
   - Afterwards, if there are still data tokens in the rival's pool, they try to place as many as possible onto their computer board, immediately claiming the corresponding benefits whenever they land on a space with rewards.
   - If the rival possesses computer technology, they discard that technology and gain 3 prestige points and 1 point toward their progress track; even if they have multiple technologies, they may only discard one.

4. Special Rewards for Acquiring Technology:
   - PROBE TECH: Grants priority landing rights on a specific satellite.
   - TELESCOPE TECH: Allows the rival to mark an additional signal on the card row.
   - COMPUTER TECH: Provides 3 prestige points and 1 point toward the progress track.
   - Any acquired technology is stored in the corresponding technology slot on the rival's player board.

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In SETI, if one action simultaneously satisfies multiple already-played mission cards, can they all be resolved?

Conclusion: They cannot be resolved simultaneously. During a single action (a single trigger), you may only choose one space on one of the tasks to place your marker; to mark other tasks or spaces, you must trigger it again.

The specific rules are as follows:

Triggerable Missions
- If an effect triggers multiple rewards—whether those rewards are printed on the same card or spread across several different cards—you may select only one space and place a single marker on it. To mark another space, you must trigger the mission again.
- Each circle on a card can be marked only once; once all circles are filled, the mission is automatically completed and flipped over, remaining face-up in front of you.
- Only actions taken after playing the mission can trigger it; actions performed beforehand do not count.
- Some missions can even be triggered outside your own turn.
- When triggering, you may choose not to use the effect—for example, moving to Venus when you've already maxed out your prestige points—opting instead to save that effect for next time, or wasting prestige points just to mark that particular space.

Tasks within Objectives Follow the Same Rules
- You may place only one marker per trigger. For instance, if two objectives share the same symbol, performing a single science research action allows you to mark only one of them—not both.
- After completing each task, mark it; only when all tasks are marked is the objective considered complete. At the end of the round, move completed objectives to the completion pile and draw new ones.

Exceptions/Unclarified Points to Note
- The above restrictions explicitly apply only to marking on triggerable missions and objective tasks.
- As for conditional missions: The rulebook states that once their conditions are met, you may complete them at any point during your turn as a free action (and if the conditions are already satisfied upon playing the card, you may resolve it immediately without being forced to wait). However, the rulebook does not specify whether multiple conditional missions met simultaneously can be resolved together—a detail absent from the official text.

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If I and another player are both tied for second place in a sector, who will be left with the remaining position after that sector is resolved?

Conclusion: When two players are tied for second place, the player who placed their marker later becomes the second-place finisher. During sector reset, only that player leaves one marker in the first space of the sector (at the far left of the data bar); the other player's markers (placed earlier) are all returned.

Order of Determination (when the sector's scoring is resolved)

1. First, determine the winner: The player with the most markers in the data space wins the sector, places a marker next to the nearby star, and receives the reward.
2. If there is a tie for the most markers, apply the tiebreaker rule: The player whose marker was placed later wins.
3. After determining the winner, use the same tiebreaker rule to decide second place—meaning, among the tied players, the one who placed their marker last is second.
4. The second-place player leaves one of their own markers in the first space of the sector; all other markers are returned to their respective players, and any empty spaces are filled with data tokens.

Conditions and Exceptions to Note

• If all markers in the sector belong to a single player, then there is no second-place finisher, and no one leaves a marker.
• This "victory marker" you leave merely indicates that you previously won this sector; it will be ignored when determining the next winner of the sector, and it will not help you win the sector again.
• After this sector, the sector can still be marked, completed, and won again; some sectors offer higher rewards to the first winner and lower rewards to subsequent winners.
• Any player who contributed at least one marker to the sector (including the winner) receives 1 propaganda token.

Content Not Found in the Rulebook: There is no further guidance in the rulebook on how to handle the situation where two players are tied for second place and also "placed their markers at the same time." The original text does not address this scenario (since markers from the same player cannot be tied in placement order, and different players cannot place markers simultaneously).

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