The Solar Republic game is a great game for those familiar with the common games of Spades and Euchre but also appreciate a little “space” in their card games. The game was created with an affinity for space exploration, astronomy, and astronomical symbols.

Imagine a future, not quite dystopian, but by far not a walk in the park. We are space-faring but still human. Our technological advances have allowed us to thrive in places we would have never dreamed of.

The adventurous are truly going where no man has gone before, setting up settlements and colonies throughout the Solar System. Land is the new currency. The more you own, the more you can secure a future for yourself and your family amidst constant unrest.

You have three goals. Demonstrate your Prowess. Explore the Unknown. Conquer the Solar System.

The Solar Republic Game Play in 5 mins

The deck consists of 52 cards, 5 suits, and 2 wild cards. The cards are listed below from the most powerful cards to the least powerful.

• 5’s: The Sun (Sol) and the Asteroid Belt (Wild Cards) — 2 cards
• 4’s: Large Planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) — 4 cards
• 3’s: Small Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) — 4 cards
• 2’s: Large Moons and Dwarf Planets — 23 cards
• 1’s: Small Moons — 19 cards

Suits

There are 4 suits with 10 cards each, and one suit with 12 cards. This is the Sol suit. The Sol suit includes 10 cards, but also includes the Sol and Asteroid Belt wild cards. It is important to remember the 5 suit symbols since all cards belong to one of the 5 suits.

• Sol Suit — Yellow. However, Earth is sky blue and Mars is red to denote their significance. Both planets belong to the Sun suit.
• Jupiter Suit — Orange.
• Saturn Suit — Gold.
• Uranus Suit — Green.
• Neptune Suit — Blue.

The Object of the Game

End the game with the most rounds or “tricks” won.

Number of Players

The best gameplay is with 2 or 4 players.

Game Play

• The game begins with a shuffle and a deal of cards counterclockwise. Each player receives 10 cards.
• The remaining cards are stacked face-down on the table. This is the Draw Pile.
• The first player to the left of the dealer plays the first card from his hand face up. The first card sets the card suit.
• Everyone who plays a card from their hand thereafter must follow suit. If a player doesn’t have a card in suit, that player can draw a card from the draw pile and MUST play the card that is drawn and the player’s turn ends.
• A player can draw at any time since the player may not want to end the game earlier if they feel as though they aren’t in a winning position.
• The suit of the card drawn does not change the suit. Therefore the following players must follow the original suit.
• If the drawn card is a Trump card, the player wins the round (or trick).
• When everyone takes a turn, this is the first round (trick or hand).
• The trick is won by whoever plays a Trump card.
• The Trump cards are 5, 4, 3.

The winning Trump card doesn’t have to be in Suit, HOWEVER, if an out of suit Trump card is played, the player must not have any of the in-suit cards in their hand or else, this is a reneg. (To reneg is to fail to follow suit in cards when able and required by the rules to do so)

If a player draws a Trump card, that card wins the round (or trick) no matter the suit.

At the end of the round, if a Trump card is not played, another round ensues.

If TWO Trump cards of the same suit are played, the planet (Planets are 3’s and 4’s) closest to the Sun wins the round or trick.

The winner of the last round (or trick) begins the next round.

The Sun is the most powerful card, taking the Asteroid Belt anytime both cards are played in a round or trick.