Bios: Earth suggested rules

Those are suggested rules for a consolidated multiplayer campaign from Bios: Genesis to
Interstellar. It is meant to be used with my Bios: Earth Campaign Log. It includes house rules
suggested by me or found on the BGG forums.

Campaign scoring
At the end of each game, score 1 campaign VP for each opponent with a lower game score.

House rules
Interstellar: In case of a cooperative endgame, each player scores:
- 0 campaign VP for a collective defeat
- 1 campaign VP for a minor victory
- 2 campaign VP for a victory
- 3 campaign VP for a major victory
This rule changes the dynamic of Interstellar, as players ahead in the campaign scoring
could want a cooperative victory more than the others to keep their lead.

Bios: Genesis

House rules
Rule D10a (Armageddon) is not used.
Armageddon ending makes for a very unsatisfying start for a campaign, as you won’t have
anything to start with in Bios: Megafauna.

Bios: Megafauna

Transition from Bios: Genesis to Bios: Megafauna

Use Bios: Megafauna rules C2 adding the following house rule:
At the end of Bios: Genesis, check the 6 last weather icons on the event cards:
- If there are 6 cold icons: When setting up Bios: Megafauna, use the ice age climate
strip and degas the 3 white disks and 2 black disks found in Atmosphere at random
on the cratons. It cannot be placed on a starting hex.
- If there are 4 or 5 cold icons: When setting up Bios: Megafauna, use the cool climate
strip and degas the 3 white disks found in Atmosphere at random on the cratons. It
cannot be placed on a starting hex.
- If there are 3 cold icons and 3 warm icons: No changes to Bios: Megafauna setup.
- If there are 4 or 5 warm icons: When setting up Bios: Megafauna, use the warm
climate strip and liberate a northern offshore black disk at random.
- If there are 6 warm icons: When setting up Bios: Megafauna, use the hothouse
climate strip and and liberate all northern offshore black disks.

For now, Venus and Mars rules are unplayable in multiplayer. To be added.
To be tested:
Venus : Use the Aphrodite and Ishtar Cratons + the two other cratons on their Earth side.

House rules
Mutagen events are always the first to be resolved during the event phase.
Makes the game more predictable and avoids the extinction of all your species on a bad
event that can’t be foreseen.

D10a change: Triggerhappy superpower now moves 3 disks instead of all.

Makes the game more predictable and avoids the extinction of all your species on an
opponent’s move you can’t do anything about.

Bios: Origins

Transition from Bios: Megafauna to Bios: Origins

Use Bios: Earth campaign geographic world building method (Eskander):

General Guidelines: (Edited in v1.1)

C6: Follow (C6) instructions until (C6d) and instead use the steps below in order to
overlay custom hex tiles on cratons (and ultimately replace).
Active Player: For each hex placement, a single player is considered the Active Player
and must decide all ambiguous matters of hex placement not specified in the steps.
Highest scoring player from Megafauna begins as the first Active Player and this role is
passed clockwise after each placement.
Random and Conditional Statements: Tiles should be drawn at random from specified
piles. If a condition such as “(prioritize stars)” is listed, then keep drawing from the pile
until the condition is met (in this example, draw until getting a stars icon on relevant
color). Only when a condition can no longer be met (such as when the pile is empty of
stars) then repeat drawing and placement with hexes that do not meet the condition
specified.
Craton Dispersal:When placing hexes in a single step, try to sequentially place hexes
on different cratons each time so as to evenly spread stars priority.
Equator Preference: When climate strip is one of the “Too Cold” settings, there likely
will not be enough white hexes to cover the cold latitudes. In these cases, try to prioritize
placement of white hexes in each step by latitudes furthest from the equator.
Climate Chit Count: After all hexes are placed, players should decide which count of
stars to cover up with climate chits to determine habitable space. For parity in habitability
to C6d method, fill a climate chit in every hex with any stars (least habitable). For a
game with 3-4 landfolk or 1 merfolk and rest landfolk, it may be advisable to consider
only filling climate chits on 3+4 or 4 star hexes only similar to a standard game setup.
Regardless, ensure at least 1 climate chit of each type exists. Average/Estimated counts
of habitable spaces for this variant: 2-4 Stars~20; Cover 3-4~28; Cover 4 Stars~30.

Hex Placement Steps for Sequential Terrain Creation: (edited in v1.1)

a. Sort Hex Piles. Create 3 separate piles of hexes -- Pile A: (4 hexes total) All blank
hexes (with white backsides); Pile B: (9 hexes total) All blue hexes (with white
backsides); Pile C: (13 hexes total) All green/orange hexes. Instructions will specify
which pile to draw from; use the side that has the color specified.
b. Coastal Seas. For up to four sea spaces without a black or green disk, place a blue
hex from Pile B with stars. Due to number of tiles, at least 2 sea spaces with no disk
must be left open. If less than 2, remove blue hexes placed until 2 sea spaces are open.
c. Polar Seas. If any of the four sea hexes are in white latitudes, flip hex to white side. If
the sea space had a white disk and is in a white latitude, then swap hex with a white hex
with stars from Pile B.
d. Polar Mountains. For each space with a black disk in white latitudes, place a white
hex from Pile B (prioritize stars).
e. Polar Deserts. For each weeds space with a white disk in white latitudes, place a
white hex from Pile B (prioritize stars). If no white hexes remain, draw from Pile A
(prioritize stars). If still no white hexes remain, place an orange side hex from Pile C
(prioritize stars).
f. Convergent Plate Boundaries. For each space with a black disk in green latitudes
AND the space is adjacent to a different adjoined craton, place a white hex from Pile B
(must have stars). Draw a starred white hex from Pile A if none remain in Pile B. If no
white hexes with stars remain, draw an orange hex from Pile C instead (prioritize stars).
g. Mountains of Accumulation. For each central craton space with a black disk, place
a white hex from Pile B (prioritize stars). Skip if no white hexes.
h. Arid Mountains. For each space with a black disk still uncovered, place an orange
hex from Pile C (prioritize stars).
i. Tundra. For each weeds or swamp space with no disks in white latitude, place a white
hex in order of priority: Pile B > Pile A. Skip if no white hexes remain.
j. Arid Deserts. For each weeds or swamp space with a white disk in green latitudes,
place an orange hex from Pile C (prioritize stars).
k. Jungles. For each space with a green disk in green latitudes, place a green hex from
Pile C (prioritize stars).
l. Ice, Meltwater, and Lowlands. For all remaining hexes in Pile B, place in priority until
depleted: 1) any remaining spaces in white latitudes (white hex); 2) any remaining
swamps in green latitudes (blue hex); 3) any remaining weeds in green latitudes (blue
hex).
m. Arboreal Forests and Cold Deserts. If there are any remaining spaces in white
latitudes, place a white hex from Pile A if any remain. For all further spaces in white
latitudes, fill green disk or swamp spaces with green hexes and all else with orange
hexes -- try to keep green/orange hexes closer to equator if possible, swapping with
previously placed tundra hexes in step i that are closer (white hexes in white latitude on
open weeds/swamp).
n. Grasslands and Steppes. For all remaining spaces in green latitudes, place any
remaining blank hexes from Pile A, prioritizing weeds spaces not adjacent to any
mountain (black disk that was replaced in steps f or g) until depleted.
o. Rain Shadow and Temperate Forests. For all further remaining spaces in green
latitudes, if the space is adjacent to a mountain, place an orange hex; else, place a
green hex.
p. Climate Chits. Place Climate chits on any corresponding starred hex. Use 2, 3, 4
stars or some variation as players prefer for habitability space. Ensure at least 1 climate
chit of each type is placed. Optional: Decide whether to place over ice chits any shelf
sea space on map that is in cold latitudes (treat as ice).

House Rules
Landfolks vs Merfolks could be clarified, to be added.

This BGG post suggests house rules, here are the ones I use:

1) Negociation: add to the GLOSSARY entry: 'If a trade is initiated with you, instead of
taking a bonus you may cause your trade partner to suffer a Chaos or you may voluntarily
suffer Chaos via an Embargo to prevent either of you from getting a negotiation bonus; you
may only do the latter with a Cultural or Political ruling class.' Motivation: make the Trade
action a bit more balanced and interesting.

2) Emissary: modify section F.f and the GLOSSARY entry: 'If during your activities you use
a card that has an opponent’s Emissary on it, then they gain a NEGOTIATION bonus may
RECALL the emissary to take the SAME Action or Advancement as you do.' Motivation:
make the Emissary function different than trade, and less aggravating to the opponent.

3) Cohesion: modify section H title: 'FOOTPRINT, COHESION and RESTORE MARKET';

add section H1.c: 'An enclave is defined as the set of 1 or more migrant(s) and/or city(ies)
where none can trace a valid spread path to another outside the set. For each enclave in
excess of 1, suffer a Chaos or return the entire enclave to the supply (without Chaos).'
Motivation: enforce a reasonably cohesive geographic distribution for each civilization.
 4a) Challenge the Gods: append to section E.a: 'For competitive games, ff the Challenge
deck has been reduced to fewer than the number of players AND no Tech track column*
3/4/5/6 has been reached by any player in Epoch I/II/III/IV, then add one same Epoch
Challenge card from the supply to the Challenge Deck.' Motivation: keep the Epoch from
advancing too quickly relative to the most advanced tech Civilization.

4b) Challenge the Gods: add section E.d: 'If any Tech track column* 3/4/5/6 has been
reached by any player in Epoch I/II/III/IV, then they must play a Globalization Card, take a
Comet Card or Challenge. ' Motivation: keep the Epoch from advancing too slowly relative to
the most advanced tech Civilization; additionally, keep the end game from dragging out.

5) Claim Comet: append to section E3.e: 'If the previous Epoch Bellwether card has not
been used, it must be discarded without effect.' Motivation: force the Philosophy track into
play earlier in the game.

7) Energy track BONUS: append to section G: 'Steam and Oil Energy Advance Bonuses
may advance another Tech track column* less than or equal to the Energy track column* 4-5
granting the bonus. For example, advancing the Energy track from Steam to Oil (column* 4
to 5) the BONUS could advance the Maritime track from Galleys to Ships (column* 3 to 4) or
Ships to Aircraft (column* 4 to 5) but not from Aircraft to Space (column* 5 to 6).' Motivation:
suppress the paradox of more primitive Energy tech advancing more advanced other tech;
plus, with Cohesion rule above the Energy track is more relevant on its own.

10) Idea Card Market: add to H2. 'RESTORE MARKET' 'Discard previous Epoch Ideas with
no Elder on them.' Motivation: improve the Market choices available.

High Frontier

Transition from Bios: Origins to High Frontier

Use the variants found in the Appendix with the following change:
V7biii: Gain +2 Aqua instead of doubling your Aqua
Doubling Aqua is just too powerful.

House Rules
Crews: Use the Crews found here.
The base game Crews abilities are more obsolete with each module.

Module 4: When playing with Module 3, instead of choosing a scenario for the War, just play
using both War Outbreak rolls when industrializing and the Exodus Union War Outbreak
(4F2c, removing the War Outbreak Roll from this list as this roll causes a Conventional War
with this house rule) and discover which one will trigger first.

(To be tested) 4F2C: Add the following War Outbreak: Each time a spaceborn colonist is
taken from the queue, roll one dice (1d6) and add the number of Seniority Disks that have
been placed into the assembly (O6). If the result is lower than the number of spaceborn
Colonists in play, then there is an outbreak of War at the start of the next player’s Turn.

3C1: Use a d3 instead of a d6 for the War Outbreak roll.

War often breaks out too early, leaving players unprepared and making the War quite boring.
In addition, it makes the other War Outbreaks (Spacer Union, or Futures) more common.

4D1a: The monetization Bernals causes the FINAO cost to be doubled instead of causing
isotope monetization.
A common suggested house rule: anchoring one of those Bernals early causes a weird
game state and makes them too powerful.

Interstellar

Transition from High Frontier to Interstellar

House Rules