Solar Century is a heavy strategy game with combinative card play that aims to capture the political theatre of interplanetary colonization on a grand scale.
Players act as the Council of the Imperator who rules the solar system. Each turn marks the passing of ten unified solar years.
Starting the game, the Council drafts four colonies who send their leaders to explore and conquer planets. Players wield influence over these colony leaders to initiate actions and they have a century to prove themself to the Imperator or take over its Seat.
Each round has three phases:
- AUDIENCE: ask the Imperator to send agents to a region of the solar system,
- COLONIZATION: either make alliances or wield influence on an ally to initiate and action up to two times,
- SOLSTICE: develop a colony and prepare for the next turn.
A player within the Council wins with
- the most influence over the colony, which controls at least six planets at the end of a round (absolute win) or
- the most victory points at the end of the century (capital win).
—description from the designer