Overview

Comet is a strategic card game set in prehistoric times. A comet threatens to wipe out all life, and players race to save extinct and endangered species from destruction. Players hatch animals on the island, move them to the safety of a cavern, and use their abilities to rescue even more creatures. Saved animals score rescue points in various ways at the end of the game, while also providing ongoing bonuses. The game combines hand management with area movement on a compact board.

Components

• Game board (island with paths to the safe cavern)
• Silver animal cards (standard deck)
• Golden animal cards (powerful/rare deck)
• Hero cards (asymmetric player powers)
• Player boards
• Animal tokens/meeples
• Comet track

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center.
2. Shuffle silver and golden animal card decks separately.
3. Deal starting hands of silver cards to each player.
4. Each player selects or is dealt an asymmetric hero card with unique abilities.
5. Place animal tokens on the starting areas of the island.
6. Set the comet track to its initial position.
7. Determine a starting player.

Turn Structure

On your turn:

1. Play cards from your hand to perform actions (hatch animals, move animals, use abilities).
2. Draw cards to refill your hand.
3. Check the comet track — if triggered, advance the comet marker.

Actions

Hatch Animals

• Play animal cards from your hand to hatch corresponding animals onto the island board.
• Hatched animals are placed on their starting spaces.

Move Animals

• Play cards to move your animals along paths on the board toward the safe cavern.
• Different cards allow different types or amounts of movement.
• You need to spend cards strategically — the cards you use for movement cannot be used for hatching.

Save Animals (Move to Cavern)

• When an animal reaches the safe cavern, it is saved and placed on your player board.
• Saved animals provide ongoing abilities for the rest of the game and score rescue points at game end.

Use Hero Abilities

• Each player’s hero card provides unique abilities that can be activated during their turn.
• Hero abilities can provide extra movement, bonus hatching, card draw, or special scoring.

Use Saved Animal Abilities

• Once animals are saved in the cavern, their card abilities become available for use on future turns.
• This creates an engine-building aspect — the more animals you save, the more powerful your turns become.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when the pile of silver cards is exhausted, triggering the comet phase (final rounds). After the comet phase:

• Each saved animal scores rescue points as printed on its card.
• Different animals score in different ways: some score for sets, some for specific conditions, some flat points.
• Golden animals generally score more but are harder to save.
• Hero card bonuses may provide additional scoring.

The player with the most rescue points wins. Ties broken by the number of saved animals.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Comet phase: When the silver card pile runs out, the comet approaches. Players have a limited number of final turns to save remaining animals before the comet strikes.
• Golden animals are rarer and more powerful but require more effort to hatch and save.
• Card management is key — every card can be used for hatching OR movement, creating constant tension.
• Asymmetric heroes mean each player has a different optimal strategy.
• Animals left on the island when the comet strikes are lost and score nothing.
• The game scales well from 2-4 players; at higher counts, competition for cards and board space increases.

Player Reference

Action	Requirement
Hatch Animal	Play matching animal card
Move Animal	Play card(s) for movement
Save Animal	Move animal to cavern
Use Hero Ability	Per hero card rules
Use Saved Ability	After animal is in cavern

Scoring	Source
Saved Animals	Rescue points on card
Set Bonuses	Collecting specific combinations
Hero Bonuses	Per hero card
Unsaved Animals	0 points