# Circadians: First Light

Circadians: First Light is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 60–90 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 2. It is rated 5.2 out of 10 by 20 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $51.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 2)
- **Playing time:** 60–90 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 3.4 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2019
- **Categories:** Dice, Space Exploration, Science Fiction
- **Mechanics:** Worker Placement, Secret Unit Deployment, Worker Placement with Dice Workers, Events, Contracts, Set Collection, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers
- **Ludoya rating:** 5.2 out of 10, from 20 reviews
- **Owned by:** 48 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 104
- **Unique players:** 108

**Designers:** S J Macdonald

**Artists:** Sam Phillips

**Publishers:** Garphill Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Atomic Empire | 51.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/316103 |
| Cardhaus Games | 65 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/circadians-first-light-second-edition/ |
| Mathom | 39.56 € | https://mathom.es/es/otros-juegos-de-tablero/42550-circadians-primera-luz-735850848549.html |
| Gigamesh | 29.95 € | https://gigamesh.com/circadians-primera-luz/ |
| La Gameria | 33.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/circadians-primera-luz-19625.html |
| Juegos de la Mesa Redonda | 40.46 € | https://juegosdelamesaredonda.com/8581-circadians-primera-luz-0735850848549.html |
| Ludifolie | 44.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/11976-circadiens-premieres-lueurs.html |
| Svet deskovych her | 1170 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/11576/circadians-first-light-second-edition |
| TLAMA games | 1419 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/theme/circadians--first-light-3/ |
| Hyggeonkel | 449.95 kr | https://www.hyggeonkel.dk/produkt/circadians-first-light |
| Uplay | 69.99 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-circadians--first-light.html |
| Spielezar | 74.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/zirkadianer-erstes-licht |

## Expansions

- [Circadians: First Light – Specialists Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/circadians-first-light-specialists-expansion)
- [Circadians: First Light – Allies Expansion](https://www.ludoya.com/games/circadians-first-light-allies-expansion)

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## Rules questions

### When do we reveal our assigned dice — do we take off screens as soon as one player is ready?

All players assign dice in secret; only once everyone is finished do you remove Player Screens simultaneously to begin the Execute Phase, and you may not change assignments after reveal (pages 6, 8).

### Can I change or flip dice during the Planning Phase or after I place them in Garages?

You may not alter rolled dice values during the Planning Phase; some alterations are allowed during Execute (the first Headquarters die may be flipped and the first Garage has a ±1 vehicle modifier, but those changes happen when actioning, not during Planning) (pages 7, 8).

### What happens if I can’t or won’t pay the Algae cost to action a Garage die?

If you cannot or choose not to pay the Algae cost for a Garage die (any but the left-most), that die and all dice to its right are immediately placed into your Cantina and for each die placed there you immediately gain 2 Water (page 8).

### If I put a die on the Negotiation Board, does it stay there and how do advancements/setbacks work?

Dice placed on the Negotiation Board remain there for the rest of the game; the first unique die value placed earns an advancement reward, while reaching setback conditions (sum thresholds or duplicate values) forces you to take one available punishment when it triggers (pages 9–10).

### How do I acquire Item Cards from the Depository and do I get anything extra?

To use the Depository you must place a die into the column matching its value and have the resources to trade for an Item in your hand; after buying, you also gain a row-based reward: top row lets you move your Harvester, middle grants a die for next round, and bottom draws 2 Item Cards (pages 10–11).

### When do Harvesters wrap around the Planet Board and when do Farms produce resources?

Harvesters may be moved off an edge using the edge arrows to immediately reappear on the opposite side of the Planet Board (wraparound), and harvesting (both Planet and Farm production) happens simultaneously in the Harvest Phase — Farms produce based on assigned die values (and the left Farm can boost other Farm dice) (pages 13, 15, 7).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/circadians-first-light)
- [Circadians: First Light in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/circadians-first-light)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/264052)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._