Copernico

Players assist an astronomer in developing a new model of the cosmos by building a personal 3x3 grid of cards. Each turn, they draft four cards, keeping one, discarding one, and passing the remaining cards to neighboring players. Cards are played by discarding others as a cost. Players complete a private pattern and form lines of matching colors, while trying to deduce opponents’ patterns and copy them for additional points. Advancing a scheme reveals two secret scoring bonuses. When a player completes their 3x3 grid, the game ends; victory points come from lines, patterns, secret objectives, and used cards.

Players: 1–5 best 4
Playing time: 15–25 min
Age: 10+
Complexity: 1.5 / 5