SETI – Alien Life Awaits, If You Can Keep Up with the Planets

Look up at the night sky, and you’ll see a million galaxies, each brimming with the possibility of alien life. What if you could lead the charge in finding it? In SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, you’re not just a dreamer. You’re the head of a space exploration agency. Build and launch probes, explore distant planets, uncover traces of alien life, and take your first steps toward discovering the unknown. Are you ready to join the search?

👥 1-4 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 40 minutes/player
📝 Designer: Tomáš Holek

🏢 Publisher: Czech Games Edition (review copy provided)

Gameplay Overview

In SETI, your mission unfolds over five rounds, each packed with strategic decisions. During a round, players take turns performing one main action at a time. This continues until everyone has passed, signaling the start of the next round.

To explore the vast galaxy, you will need to launch probes and move them across the gameboard to celestial targets like comets, asteroids, and planets. The gameboard features a clever rotation system that mimics the movement of the solar system. By using this to your advantage, you can reduce probe travel costs and plan your moves more efficiently.

Once your probe reaches a planet, you have two options. You can orbit the planet, which earns rewards like data cubes, radio signals, or increased income. Alternatively, you can land on the planet or its moon to uncover valuable yellow traces of alien life. In either case, your probe is removed from the galaxy board and placed on the planet board, where your discoveries come to life.

To discover the two alien species in the game, you’ll need to collect three different colors of alien life traces. To obtain pink traces, you will scan nearby stars using telescopes on your player board. This requires discarding a card to match a specific sector, along with any telescope upgrades you have researched. Scanning also gives you the chance to mark extra signals if you have invested in advanced technology.

The blue traces of alien life are discovered by processing data. Data is collected through various actions such as scanning, orbiting, or landing, and it is placed into your computer for bonuses. By upgrading computer slots and analyzing the data you have gathered, you can uncover the elusive blue traces.

Whenever you gain a trace of alien life, you’ll place it under the alien board or directly on the board if you have already discovered that alien species. Each alien race brings unique cards, tokens, and gameplay rules, introducing different mechanics as you uncover more about their civilizations.

To stay ahead in your search, you will also need to research new technologies. These upgrades improve your probes, telescopes, and computers, making your actions more powerful. Research also influences the solar system’s rotation, moving planets, asteroids, and probes in ways that challenge your planning skills.

Mission Cards and Milestones

Mission cards are versatile tools in your arsenal. You can use them for their color during scan actions or play them as missions to unlock additional bonuses. Some missions are triggerable and provide rewards during the game, while others are end-of-game missions that score points when the game concludes. Alternatively, you can discard mission cards for immediate benefits or tuck them under your income card to boost your income in later rounds.

As you score points throughout the game, your marker will move along the scoring track. Each time it crosses a milestone space, you can claim one of the gold milestone tiles. These tiles provide extra points at the end of the game, so timing your progress is key.

End of a Round

When you can’t, or don’t want to, take more actions during a round, you will need to pass. The first player to pass gets to rotate the solar system, which can shake up everyone’s plans. At the end of the round, all players gain income based on their income cards and any tucked mission cards.

Winning the Game

After five rounds of exploration, scanning, and discovery, it’s time to count your points. You’ll add up the points from mission cards, scoring tiles, and any bonuses tied to the alien species you have uncovered. Combine this with your in-game scores to determine the winner. Whoever has come closest to unraveling the mysteries of the galaxy will take the crown.

SETI: The Details

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a space exploration Eurogame for 1-4 players, aged 14 and up. Be prepared for an evening-long experience when playing SETI. First games can easily stretch to 2-3 hours, especially if someone needs a rules explanation. While the box promises about 40 minutes per player, this estimate might be a bit optimistic for newer players. The game was released last month as the big Spiel ’24 release by Czech Games Edition. It’s the brainchild of Tomáš Holek, a new name in board game design, who hit the scene this year with not just SETI but also Galileo Galilei and Tea Garden. We’ll be reviewing all three, but for now, let’s keep our eyes on the stars with SETI.

Components, Production, and Artwork

Opening the box, you’re greeted with an impressively packed collection of game materials. The centerpiece is the large galaxy board, and its main attraction is the rotating solar system with the sun at its heart. This isn’t just there to look pretty (although it does); it brings a whole new dimension to gameplay by introducing moving planetary positions that demand careful timing and planning.

The game includes over 200 cards, each containing unique abilities and thematic illustrations that showcase real-world technologies and discoveries. Many of these cards also feature little nuggets of information in the flavor text, making them both functional and fun. If you’re a fan of “Did you know?” trivia, you’ll enjoy these touches.

The components are just as impressive as the cards. You’ll find over 200 sturdy tokens crafted from eco-friendly materials like ReWood and RePlastic, a nice nod to sustainability. The dual-layered player boards are well-designed, helping keep tech tiles in place even if someone bumps the table (looking at you, clumsy friends). There are also quick reference sheets to speed up play, and while there’s no insert included, some third-party organizers are already available if you want to keep everything tidy.

Complexity and Learning Curve

SETI is best described as a mid-heavy Eurogame. While the rulebook is clear and logically structured, there’s definitely a learning curve. It’s not one of those games where you dive in and “wing it.” However, after a couple of plays, the mechanics feel intuitive, and the complexity becomes part of the fun rather than a barrier.

The gameplay combines several strategic elements, including engine-building, resource management, and space exploration. It strikes a satisfying balance: challenging enough to keep seasoned gamers engaged but streamlined enough that you won’t need a Ph.D. in astrophysics to enjoy it.

Gameplay Breakdown

Engine Building

SETI starts off at a slow, methodical pace, but by the third round, players typically find their stride. As you research new technologies, you’ll gradually enhance your probes, telescopes, and computers. These upgrades make your actions more efficient and open up new strategic opportunities. Watching your engine grow and seeing it pay off is incredibly satisfying.

Resource Management

Managing your credits and power is critical. You’ll need these resources to launch probes, upgrade your technology, and analyze data. Balancing everything can feel like juggling flaming comets, but when you nail it, it’s immensely rewarding.

Space Exploration

The core of SETI revolves around launching probes to explore planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. The rotating solar system board spins the gameplay in a fresh direction, requiring players to think ahead and align their movements with the shifting celestial bodies. It’s like playing chess in zero gravity: strategic and unpredictable in all the right ways.

Multi-Use Cards

The game’s deck of over 200 cards provides plenty of strategic flexibility. Each card can be used for immediate actions, resource boosts, or long-term projects. This lets players adapt their strategies based on what they draw, keeping every game fresh.

Alien Discovery

Collecting traces of alien life in three colors (yellow, blue, and pink) leads to the discovery of alien species. Each alien race introduces its own set of mechanics, cards, and bonuses, ensuring no two games feel the same. Each alien race tweaks the gameplay just a little, but uncovering their quirks is part of the adventure. The surprises are all yours to discover!

Rotating Solar System

The rotating board is more than a gimmick. With four layers moving at different speeds, planetary positions are constantly shifting. This dynamic mechanic makes every decision feel impactful, as you have to align your plans with the galaxy’s movements.

Player Interaction

While SETI is competitive, it avoids direct confrontation. Players race to be the first to orbit or land on planets, with bonuses awarded for beating others to these key spots. There’s also a subtle but meaningful struggle for dominance in signal detection. To claim the best rewards, you’ll need to outmaneuver opponents and gain majorities in specific sectors.

The mission cards ramp up interaction further by introducing objectives that encourage players to compete for specific planets, moons, or resource advantages. This indirect competition keeps things engaging without causing hurt feelings, unless someone swoops in and steals the bonus you were about to grab. That stings.

Replayability

Replayability in SETI is, dare we say, out of this world. The rotating solar system ensures that planetary positions vary each game, forcing players to adapt their strategies. With two of the five alien races selected for each game, there’s a lot of variety in how the gameplay evolves. Each alien species has unique abilities, stronger-than-average cards, and bonuses that can significantly impact your approach.

To shake things up even more, the end-game objective milestones are double-sided and randomized, ensuring that scoring priorities change from game to game. These small variations, combined with customizable tech paths, make every playthrough feel unique.

Final Thoughts

SETI is a game that captured our attention right from the first look. The rotating mechanics of the galaxy board and the strategic depth they introduce are not only unique but also incredibly fun to engage with. The addition of alien species with their own cards and abilities keeps the gameplay fresh, while the multi-use cards and dynamic objectives ensure that no two games ever feel the same.

Our plays regularly stretch to two and a half hours, but the game never felt like it dragged. Every decision feels meaningful, and turns move quickly enough to keep everyone engaged. However, if you don’t pay attention to those rotations, your plans might just literally spin out of control.

SETI is more than just a beautiful game; it’s thoughtfully designed and combines stunning visuals, high-quality components, and deep strategic gameplay. From eco-friendly materials to its clever mechanics, every aspect feels carefully crafted. If 2024 were a galaxy, SETI would undoubtedly be among its brightest stars.

📝 A review copy of the game was provided by Czech Games Edition.