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4-player advanced game

Bios: Origins (Second Edition): glossary and rules terms

Definitions from the authored tutorial, with stable links for sharing a particular term. The selected edition and scenario determine how each rule applies.

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90 terms

Free Will

Pawns here can become Elders or Emissaries. Expended Elders return here. They cannot directly bid from the Brain.

Rule reference: B4/D1/G1

Emotions

The starting Brain domain. Encephalize moves one pawn to Vocabulary; prayer may move one to Mysticism.

Rule reference: D1/G9

Vocabulary

The middle Brain domain. Abstraction moves one pawn from here to Free Will.

Rule reference: D1/G9

Menopause

A requirement satisfied when at most two pawns remain in Emotions. Check after the Eureka.

Rule reference: J2a

Encephalize

Move one pawn from Emotions to Vocabulary. It does not immediately create a Free Will pawn.

Rule reference: G9a

Abstraction

Move one Vocabulary pawn to Free Will.

Rule reference: G9b

Prayer

Move one pawn from any Brain domain into Mysticism.

Rule reference: G9c

Art

Move one Mystic to Free Will.

Rule reference: G9d

Mysticism

Pawns in the map’s Mysticism pool contribute cultural VP, augment religious bids and determine preaching strength.

Rule reference: B4/I1/E2b

Specialize

Move up to your Information stage in pawns from Free Will onto public market Ideas as Elders.

Rule reference: G1

Artisan

Move one Free Will pawn onto a market Idea as an Elder.

Rule reference: J5d

Elder

A pawn on a market Idea. It may help invent that card, bid in auctions, pay for Library, or be expended during Quelling.

Rule reference: B4/G1

Invent

Take a market Idea with at least one Elder of yours and enough total Elders for its row. Expend all invested Elders, award Eurekas, then retain or discard the card.

Rule reference: G2/J2

Eureka

The mandatory immediate advancement printed in a card’s center. Award it before checking retention requirements.

Rule reference: E2e/G2b

Copycat

Each other player with at least one Elder on an invented Idea receives its Eureka once. All those Elders return to Free Will.

Rule reference: G2c

Information

Limits pawns placed by Specialize and Ideas retained in the Tableau. It also contributes industrial VP.

Rule reference: G1/J2e/I3

Library

Expend a number of Elders equal to current Information and advance Information one printed stage, up to six. Emissaries are not Elders.

Rule reference: G3

Elect

Expend all Elders and Emissaries, choose a ruling class and Quell Dissent. If class changes, continue at the new Species lower row. At most once per turn.

Rule reference: G4

Ruling Class

The Culture, Politics or Industry column selected by the Crown. Only its visible action rows are active.

Rule reference: D1/F

Crown

Marks ruling class and supplies one Dissent space and Rainbow. Its initial number assigns starting class; #4 gives an encephalize perk.

Rule reference: C2/D1

Foundation

A won Challenge retained below the Species Placard. It persists unless purged or removed by genocide.

Rule reference: E2/D1

Idea

An invention card from a public market pile. Retained Ideas sit above the Species and must match the ruling class.

Rule reference: B2/J2

Tableau

A player’s three columns of Foundations, Species Placard, Crown and retained Ideas. Resolve the ruling column from bottom to top.

Rule reference: D1/F

Orientation

One of a card’s two colored action ends. The upright end is active; the other is inactive.

Rule reference: B2/D3

Lore

Public discarded Ideas available for Science or Pseudoscience. Cards removed out of the game are separate.

Rule reference: J2/J5

Cull

A mandatory Eureka instruction to discard one retained Idea of the specified Epoch or earlier. If none qualify, nothing is discarded.

Rule reference: G2b

Obsolescence

After adding an Idea beyond Information capacity, discard one retained Idea to Lore.

Rule reference: J2e

Science

Retrieve an eligible Idea with a red orientation from Lore, without its Eureka. Add it as the oldest Idea above the Species, meeting requirements and ruling orientation.

Rule reference: J5h

Pseudoscience

As Science, but the retrieved Idea must have a white orientation. Requirements still apply, and no Eureka is gained.

Rule reference: J5i

Challenge the Gods

With an Elder or Emissary available, reveal the next Challenge, resolve both events, then its once-around auction or dictator award. You may instead skip.

Rule reference: A1/E1

Auction

Each player bids once or passes, clockwise from the challenger. Each new bid must exceed the last. Only the winner expends their bid pawns.

Rule reference: E2

Augmentation

Free bid strength from Mysticism on religious Challenges and/or the discipline favored by Philosophy. A real bid still requires at least one Elder or Emissary.

Rule reference: E2b–c

Comet

Visible crosswise cards separate Epochs. Claiming I–III triggers future shock, renovation and comparison scoring; IV immediately ends the game.

Rule reference: E3/I

Bellwether

The reverse of a claimed earlier Comet. Discard it in a later Challenge phase to move Philosophy one or two adjacent steps.

Rule reference: E3e/E4

Globalization

Spend a Bellwether instead of challenging and move Philosophy one or two adjacent steps.

Rule reference: E4

Philosophy

A shared marker affecting bid augmentation, the Crisis test, transaction morality and final-score shutdown. Adjacent inner regions connect directly.

Rule reference: C2e/E4/I

Demagogue

A mandatory Eureka or voluntary printed activity allowing Philosophy movement by up to one adjacent step.

Rule reference: G9h

Diversity

The total unoccluded Rainbows in the entire Tableau, including inactive Foundations and Crown, minus those covered by Dissidents.

Rule reference: H3/I3

Rainbow

The multicolored icon on a Foundation or Crown. Each uncovered Rainbow counts toward Diversity.

Rule reference: B2/H3

Dissent

A printed space that can hold a Dissident. Each Crown has one; only some Foundation orientations have one.

Rule reference: D2

Dissident

A Migrant stored on Dissent in the ruling column. It covers one Rainbow and shuts down a Foundation’s actions when placed there.

Rule reference: D2/F

Chaos

Move the required Migrant to an empty ruling-column Dissent. If capacity is exceeded, fill available spaces, Quell and undergo one chaotic revolution.

Rule reference: D2

Quell

Clear a Dissident to its pool and pay one loss: an Elder/Emissary or City; a Migrant only when no Elder or City remains, with last-Migrant protection.

Rule reference: D3a

Revolution

A ruling-class change. Both types Quell Dissent and reorient compatible Ideas; incompatible Ideas become Lore.

Rule reference: D3

Quiet Revolution

A voluntary class change after a Foundation award or election. Foundations remain in their existing columns.

Rule reference: E2i/G4/D3

Chaotic Revolution

An involuntary change from excess Chaos. The newest ruling Foundation flips into its other column. If no Foundation exists, choose another class.

Rule reference: D3b

Putsch

The flip and transfer of the newest ruling Foundation during a chaotic revolution. Other Foundations stay where they are.

Rule reference: D3b

Constitution

Reorient one Foundation into its other column; clear Dissent on it without a Quelling effect. The Crown and ruling class do not move.

Rule reference: J5e

Migrant

A map figure on a Spot, also drawn from the same finite supply for Dissidents and Refugees. Migrants can spread or be consumed to urbanize.

Rule reference: B4/G5

Spread

Create a Migrant from one of your map tokens or move an eligible existing Migrant along white borders. Obey energy, maritime, climate and occupancy; landfolk end on land.

Rule reference: G5–G6

Spot

A printed land or water circle at a map Hex corner. Each Migrant there counts toward the population of all adjacent Hexes.

Rule reference: B3/G6/H1

Hex

A printed map region. A Hex may contain one City and shares its corner Spots with neighboring regions.

Rule reference: B3/G7

Footprint

Maximum total population in each Hex that your species can support at its own starvation check. Count all colors, then remove only your own excess tokens.

Rule reference: H1

Starvation

At upkeep, if a Hex containing your pieces has population above your Footprint, remove your own excess pieces and resolve their Chaos.

Rule reference: H1

Energy

Sets spread reach and contributes cultural VP. Energy 6 and 7 each grant one extra non-energy advance.

Rule reference: G6a/G9e/I1

Maritime

Maximum water Spots in a spread. It contributes industrial VP; maritime 2 changes movement between sea and other uninhabitable Hexes.

Rule reference: G6b/I3

Metallurgy

Determines war strength and access to some prospect resources and Ideas; contributes political VP.

Rule reference: J3c/G7c/I2

Immunology

Compared against Cities for crowd disease and Footprint for zoonotic disease. Affected players gain one stage of acquired immunity. Contributes political VP.

Rule reference: E1a/I2

City

A cuboid covering one exploited resource in a habitable Hex. Creating it consumes an adjacent Migrant and increases Urbanization.

Rule reference: G7

Urbanization

Number of Cities currently on the map, shown by exposed squares in that species’ City track.

Rule reference: D1/I2

Urbanize

Use domesticate, cultivate or prospect to replace a Migrant with a City on the appropriate available resource.

Rule reference: G7

Domesticate

Create a City on an available brown animal resource in a habitable Hex.

Rule reference: G7a

Cultivate

Create a City on a white horticulture or biofuel resource in a habitable Hex.

Rule reference: G7b

Prospect

Create a City on a black luxury, metal, oil or uranium resource after meeting its printed technology. Restricted prospect icons permit only luxury or metal.

Rule reference: G7c–d

Re-urbanize

Use an existing City in its Hex for another permitted urbanization, including the same resource, to obtain a Consequent without consuming a Migrant.

Rule reference: G7

Blitzkrieg

A war-animal, oil or uranium City allows spreading from a moved Migrant or a City created this turn. It does not waive the starting-adjacency rule for City sieges.

Rule reference: G6c

Trade

Spread to an enemy Migrant or a Spot in an enemy City Hex, expend your trader, then both players take a Negotiation in initiator-first order.

Rule reference: J3a

Negotiation

Choose an eligible Domain Pawn to move to Free Will, clear a Dissident without effect, or advance a technology where the partner is ahead.

Rule reference: Glossary: Negotiation

Exogamy

Move one Free Will pawn as an Emissary onto an opponent’s Idea. Each owner may have at most one Emissary on that Idea.

Rule reference: J5a

Emissary

Your pawn on an opponent’s Idea. Each use gives you a Negotiation after its action and before its Consequent. It can also bid or be expended.

Rule reference: B4/Ff/J5a

Preach

With greater Mysticism, convert an enemy token. A Migrant target must be in spread reach; it is destroyed without Chaos and yours remains.

Rule reference: J3b

War

Attack an enemy token. For a Migrant, compare metallurgy: higher wins, equal destroys both, lower loses. Losses generate Chaos; the Consequent occurs regardless of outcome.

Rule reference: J3c

Enslave

Requires higher Urbanization than the opponent. A targeted Migrant is destroyed with Chaos and yours remains.

Rule reference: J3d

Morality

Certain Philosophy regions add one Chaos for performing enslave, preach or war after that transaction’s other effects.

Rule reference: J4

Refugee

A Migrant created by a destroyed City. Its treatment depends on the cause of destruction; Acts of Man supply Chaos.

Rule reference: D2/H1/Glossary

Diaspora

The last map token survives by escaping to a safe land Spot, initially following spread reach while ignoring specified barriers; if impossible, use the closest eligible Spot.

Rule reference: D4

Climate

Sea/ice and jungle/desert chits make covered Hexes uninhabitable for urbanization and restrict border movement until technology allows passage.

Rule reference: B8/E1/J1

Milankovitch

On warming/cooling, inspect the first event on an unused Challenge. A matching result flips all chits of the affected source climate; return the peeked card to its pile.

Rule reference: J1

Acquired Immunity

After being affected by crowd or zoonotic disease, advance immunology one stage, even if favorable rounding removes no pieces.

Rule reference: E1a

Crisis

Use the current Philosophy to select genocide, civil war or economic crisis and test each player’s public quantities.

Rule reference: E1i

Dictator

Skip the auction. A leftist goes to most Dissidents; a rightist to most Mysticism, with ties in clockwise challenger-first order. Resolve its Eureka and purge.

Rule reference: E1j

Purge

A dictator Eureka removes other Foundations in its chosen orientation out of the game and Quells their Dissidents.

Rule reference: G9g

Consequent

The mandatory effect after a performed printed action, shown after an arrow. Resolve negotiations and losses first.

Rule reference: Fd

Culture

Final score: Comet I chits + Mysticism + Footprint + energy, if Philosophy permits.

Rule reference: I1

Politics

Final score: Comet II chits + Cities + metallurgy + immunology, if Philosophy permits.

Rule reference: I2

Industry

Final score: Comet III chits + Diversity + maritime + Information, if Philosophy permits.

Rule reference: I3

Sapiens

Sapiens: African resources offer development with less early crowding; watch the shared market and Philosophy as well as the map.

Rule reference: C2/L1/L2

Denisovan

Denisovan: your Asian corridor overlaps Hobbit’s routes, so public trades and population pressure affect both plans.

Rule reference: C2/L1/L2

Neanderthal

Neanderthal: your European position rewards finding useful brain and market actions; the sample illustrates a disrupted, inefficient line rather than a recommended opening.

Rule reference: C2/L1/L2

Hobbit

Hobbit: maritime, Footprint, Trade and Emissaries offer ways to recover when neighboring Denisovan controls more Cities.

Rule reference: C2/L1/L2

Sources and scope

The tutorial uses the publisher’s March 2023 rulebook. Applicable corrected component faces come from Update Prints v4, dated 17 July 2024. The source audit was completed on 8 September 2026 and distinguishes publisher authority from secondary corrections.

Reading guide reviewed 2026-09-15; based on tutorial v1.0.4. This date records an editorial review of the existing tutorial, not a new rules edition. Strategic suggestions are conditional interpretations, separate from official rules.