A card and dice game for 1-5 players based on the Spore series of videogames. Each player is control of his own race as it evolves and develops from a single cell to spacefaring.
The game plays in 5 stages (Cell stage, Creature stage, Tribal stage, Civilization stage, Space stage) with each stage having a separate deck of trait cards, and event, challenge type and challenge result tables. Players move from one stage to the next at different speeds and do not directly interact until the last stage, the Space stage. At the beginning of each stage, each player chooses 1 characteristic for his race – these characteristics improve a particular attribute for the race.
Players share a common set of Victory Point Tokens (VT), Food (Resource) Tokens (FT), Hunger Tokens (HT) and Death Tokens (DT). Each player starts with 1 VT and 3 FT.
Players take turns with each turn comprising 5 Phases:
Mutation Phase
Draw 1 (or, possibly, more) card from the deck (of the stage you are in).
Event Phase
Roll once on the event table (of the stage you are in) and resolve the event.
Selection Phase
Most events are challenges between your species and another species that is either weaker, equal, or stronger than you.
To resolve a challenge first roll on the challenge type table to determine what attribute will affect the challenge. Next Roll 1D6 (Attribution Roll) and add your level in the indicated Attribute. This is your Attribution Total.
Next roll 1D6, 2D6, or 3D6 depending on the Strength of the Challenger.
This is the Challenge Roll.
If the Attribution Total is greater than the Challenge Roll, you win the Challenge.
If it is equal or less, you lose the challenge.
Refer to that stage’s Challenge Result list to determine the benefits or consequences of winning or losing the challenge.
You may attempt to evade a challenge. If you do so, add +4 to your attribution roll.
However if you win, you get no reward.
Evolution Phase
You may gain 1 Trait by playing 1 Trait card from your hand and paying its cost in food or resource tokens. The Trait card stays in play in front of you.
Metabolic Phase
Discard 1 Food Token. If you have no food tokens gain 1 hunger token. If you have 2 hunger tokens, discard them and gain 1 death token.
Max hand size is 5 cards. Discard excess cards.
Determine whether your race moves to the next stage:
If you have 6 Trait cards in Cell stage in play go on Creature stage.
If you have 8 Trait cards in Creature stage in play go on Tribal stage.
If you have won against 5 villages in Tribal stage go onto Civilization stage.
If you have won against 7 nations in Civilization stage go onto Space Stage.
If going on to the next stage set your old Trait cards aside in your Progress Pile. Except for and VT they might score, these do not apply to later stages. Select a new characteristic for the new stage and discard down to 2 FT or RT.
The game ends after any player has completed his 15th turn in the Space stage at which point scoring is undertaken:
Gain 5 VT for completing the Civilization stage and entering the Space stage.
Add up the VT bonuses from all the Trait cards in your Progress Pile.
Each Death Token counts as a -2 VT penalty.
Add or lose VT arising from Events and Challenges.
The player with the most Victory Point Tokens wins.