SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: strategy and opening decisions

Decision 01

Finance the whole mission

Reserve energy for travel and landing as well as credits for the initial launch and orbital fees. A probe that cannot finish its journey ties up earlier spending. Compare an attractive destination with its reachability after the next Solar System rotation.

Decision 02

Match development to the remaining rounds

Early income and technology can support several later actions. Near the end, spending on development has fewer chances to repay itself, so compare it with immediate points and mission completion. The expansion starts later and its organization changes that calculation.

Decision 03

Watch shared discovery races

Signal sectors, alien traces and first-arrival rewards invite competition. A majority can change before a sector finishes, and another player may collect a scarce reward first. Keep flexible cards and resources when a plan depends on being the only institution pursuing it.

Test the idea at the table

The three-player base game covers rounds one through five and final scoring. The Space Agencies route uses organizations, signal tokens and Quick Start, beginning in round two and ending after round five. It is not a demonstration of the base game’s round-one opening.

Revisit a decision in the guided playthrough and compare its payment, position and next available action. The alternatives explain trade-offs; they do not branch into a simulated new game or promise a winning line.