Element × Extremophile is a resource-engine card game with area control and tableau-building. It is explicitly not a combat game. There are no hit points. Organisms do not fight — they outcompete, poison, or starve each other through thermodynamic reality.
~42 kJ/mol = thermodynamic minimum for ATP synthesis.
Also: the answer to everything.
| Axis | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| Energy vs. Fragility | High-energy organisms (phototrophs, iron oxidizers) score fast but need narrow conditions. Low-energy organisms (fermenters) score slowly but survive everything. |
| Independence vs. Syntrophy | Solo organisms function alone but generate modest BP. Syntrophic consortia generate bonus BP but collapse if one member is removed. |
| Colonization Speed vs. Depth | Rushing to claim zones gives flexibility; deep metabolic networks give exponential scoring. |
| Specialization vs. Versatility | Specialists score higher per turn in their niche; generalists survive disruption. |
| Component | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Organism Cards (Tarot 70×120mm) | 120 | 30 per suit: Pyro / Litho / Photo / Halo |
| Event Cards | 40 | Red card back; 4 categories |
| Equipment Cards | 20 | Silver card back; tools, CRISPR mods |
| Central Board (4-fold) | 1 | ~500×500mm; shared zones + Electron Tower reference |
| Planet Board (3-fold) | 1 | ~400×600mm; Project AXIS mode only |
| Player Mats | 4 | ~200×300mm each |
| Zone Cards | 16 | Define habitat conditions |
| Quick Reference Cards | 4 | One per player |
| Energy Tokens (yellow) | 60 | Denominations: 40×1, 15×3, 5×5 |
| Carbon Tokens (black cubes) | 30 | |
| Electron Tokens (blue crystals) | 30 | Translucent acrylic — the best component |
| Nitrogen / Sulfur / Iron tokens | 60 | 20 each; Iron = heavy metal cubes (thematic) |
| pH / Temperature / Radiation tokens | 35 | |
| Stress Tokens (red cubes) | 20 | |
| Syntrophy Link tokens (wooden arrows) | 15 | Double-headed |
| Score Trackers (meeples) | 4 | Colors: Red, Gray, Gold, Purple |
| Redox Cascade Marker | 1 | Electron-shaped wood piece |
| Custom dice (d6, element faces) | 2 |
| Players | Personal Zones | Shared Zones | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 each | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | 3 each | 3 | 12 |
| 4 | 2 each | 4 | 12 |
Draw 2 cards from any combination of:
Hand limit: 7 cards. Discard down immediately if exceeded. Discarded organisms → Extinction Pile. Organisms in the Extinction Pile add 2 Carbon to their last zone (real lysis chemistry).
| Action | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A. Deploy Organism | Printed deploy cost | Must pass Viability Check (see below) |
| B. Play Equipment | Printed cost | Attach to organism or zone |
| C. Move Organism | 1 Energy | To adjacent zone; must pass Viability Check in new zone |
| D. Activate Special Ability | Varies | Tap organism (turn sideways); untaps at start of your next turn |
| E. Initiate Syntrophic Pair | 0 | Declare two organisms in same zone as partners; place Syntrophy Link token |
When deploying or moving an organism, ALL of the following must match the zone:
For each of your organisms in a viable zone:
Only triggered after the last player's turn in each round. Flip the top Event card and resolve immediately. When the Event deck empties, the game ends at the completion of that round.
| Resource | Token | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (ATP) | Yellow disc | Universal currency. Pay deploy costs, move organisms, buy equipment. Also the scoring unit. |
| Carbon | Black cube | Required by heterotrophs. Produced by autotrophs and fermenters. |
| Electrons (e⁻/H₂) | Blue crystal | Reducing equivalents. Flow from donors → acceptors through the electron tower. |
| Nitrogen | Green disc | Required for growth. Nitrogen fixers produce it; all organisms consume it slowly. |
| Sulfur | Orange disc | Cycled between SO₄²⁻ (oxidized) and H₂S (reduced) forms. |
| Iron | Rust metal cube | Cycled between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺. Iron cubes are physically heavy — thematic. |
| Zone Type | Resources Generated |
|---|---|
| Surface / Oxic | +2 Energy, +1 Carbon, +1 Nitrogen |
| Subsurface | +1 Energy, +1 Iron or Sulfur |
| Deep | +1 Energy, +1 Sulfur |
| Core Interface | +2 Iron, +1 Sulfur, 0 Carbon, 0 Nitrogen |
Card ID Format: [SUIT]-[RARITY]-[NUMBER] | Suits: PY / LI / PH / HA | Rarity: C / U / R / L
Rarity borders: Common = single line · Uncommon = double · Rare = triple · Legendary = thick + internal pattern
Syntrophy models real obligate metabolic partnerships. The output of organism A must include a resource that is the input of organism B (or vice versa).
| Pair Name | Organisms | Mechanism | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Methanogenic Couple | Fatty acid oxidizer + Hydrogenotrophic methanogen | Fatty acid oxidation only favorable when methanogen removes H₂ (ΔG shifts +48 → -22 kJ/mol) | +3 BP (obligate) |
| AOM Consortium | ANME archaea + Sulfate-reducing bacterium | Reverse methanogenesis coupled to sulfate reduction | +4 BP (highest in game) |
| Nitrification Team | Ammonia oxidizer (AOB) + Nitrite oxidizer (NOB) | NH₃ → NO₂⁻ → NO₃⁻ (complete nitrification) | +2 BP |
| Iron Cycle | Iron oxidizer + Iron reducer | Fe²⁺ ↔ Fe³⁺ closed loop | +5 BP (cycle bonus) |
| Cable Bacteria | Cable bacterium + Any sulfide producer | Long-distance electron transport through filament — unique: links adjacent zones | +3 BP + cross-zone link |
When two players' organisms occupy the same shared zone and compete for the same electron acceptor:
Losing organism gains 1 Stress per turn of exclusion. Players can retreat (Move action) before 3 Stress accumulate.
Competitive Exclusion does NOT apply to syntrophic partners using different resources, or organisms on different metabolic pathways.
Energy flows from low potential (donors) to high potential (acceptors). Greater ΔE = more energy released. Higher-potential acceptors always outcompete lower-potential acceptors.
*Iron E°' is pH-dependent — the game models this with pH Modifier Tokens (game mechanic).
The Redox Cascade: as O₂ is consumed, the Redox Cascade Marker moves down, opening niches for anaerobes. Players experience the real stratification of a biofilm, sediment, or stratified lake in real time.
Revealed at the end of each full round. Resolved immediately by all players.
Victory: First to 42 BP, or highest BP when Event deck empties.
Tiebreaker: Most organisms alive → Most syntrophic links → Most distinct metabolic types → Shared victory.
Passive — Heat Shield: Pyro organisms ignore temperature increases from events. Never stressed by heat.
Suit Mechanic — Thermal Gradient Bonus: Pyro organisms in 3+ zones at different temperature ranges: +1 BP/turn per additional zone.
Legendary — Strain 121 (Geogemma barossii): Deploy in ANY zone regardless of temperature. Zone becomes inhospitable to non-Pyro organisms for 2 turns. Grows at autoclave temperature (121°C) — real organism.
Passive — Rock Eaters: Litho organisms extract resources from zones with 0 organic carbon. They feed on rock.
Suit Mechanic — Electron Shuttle: Litho organisms can pass electron tokens to adjacent zones at no action cost.
Legendary — Desulforudis audaxviator: Completely self-sufficient — fixes N, fixes C, uses radiolytic H₂. 4 BP/turn with no partners. Cannot form syntrophic pairs (obligate loner). Real organism found 3.1 km underground, South Africa.
Passive — Light Harvest: Photo organisms generate +1 Energy Token per turn for their zone.
Suit Mechanic — Oxygen Economy: Oxygenic phototrophs produce O₂ each turn. Too much O₂ poisons your own anaerobic partners. Manage the balance.
Legendary — Cyanobacterial Mat Formation: Requires 3 Photo organisms in one zone. Creates simultaneous oxic (surface) + anoxic (interior) microenvironment — both aerobic AND anaerobic organisms can coexist. +3 BP/turn for the formation.
Passive — Stress Resistance: Halo organisms have +2 to all Event resistance. Lose 1 Stress Token per turn naturally.
Suit Mechanic — Polyextremophile Bonus: +1 BP/turn for each additional stress type tolerated beyond primary.
Legendary — Melanin Radiotroph (Cladosporium sphaerospermum): Converts ionizing radiation directly into metabolic energy. Triple energy yield in irradiated zones. The real organism grows toward radiation sources at Chernobyl — mechanism still uncharacterized.
2–4 players, cooperative. Collectively establish a self-sustaining biosphere on a hostile planet. Win together or die together.
| Zone | Depth | Temp | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Surface | 0 | -60 to 40°C | Light: YES · O₂: Trace · Radiation: HIGH |
| 2. Cryosphere | 0–100m | -20 to 5°C | Light: NO · O₂: None · Acceptors: SO₄²⁻, Fe³⁺ |
| 3. Silicate | 100m–1km | 5–60°C | Light: NO · O₂: None · Donors: H₂(radiolysis), Fe²⁺ |
| 4. Upper Mantle | 1–10km | 60–200°C | Light: NO · Acceptors: CO₂, S⁰, Fe³⁺ |
| 5. Lower Mantle | 10–100km | 200–500°C | Light: NO · Donors: H₂(radiolysis), Fe²⁺ |
| 6. Core Interface | >100km | 500–1200°C | Light: NO · Radiation: HIGH (decay) · Fe³⁺/metallic Fe |
| Failure | Trigger | Effect | Real Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen Crash | All N-fixers die; N tokens → 0 | All organisms lose 1 BP/turn. Within 3 turns, all die. | If nitrogenase disappeared from Earth, biosphere collapses within one generation |
| Oxygen Poisoning | >5 O₂ tokens in a zone | All strict anaerobes in that zone die immediately | Great Oxidation Event, 2.4 Ga — cyanobacteria almost destroyed all anaerobic life |
| Sulfide Poisoning | >5 H₂S tokens in a zone | All aerobic organisms take 2 Stress/turn | Permian-Triassic "Great Dying," 252 Ma — euxinic oceans killed 90% of species |
| Thermodynamic Death | Total energy production = 0 for 2 turns | Immediate game over | Fundamental: life requires continuous energy input |
| Mode | Modifications |
|---|---|
| Beginner | Remove 8 most destructive Catastrophe cards; N-fixers are free to deploy; no Redundancy Check |
| Standard | Full rules as written |
| Hard (Hadean) | +5 "Hadean" events; starting resources -50%; 4 zones start with no electron acceptors |
| Nightmare (Titan) | Hard + surface zone has hydrocarbon lakes (no water); no phototrophs allowed; must colonize ALL 6 zones |
Pool of 180 cards in packs of 10. Serpentine draft (pass left, then right, then left). Build 20-organism + 5-equipment deck from your 30-card pool.
| Tier | Card | Why |
|---|---|---|
| S | Desulforudis audaxviator | 4 BP/turn, needs nothing, no partners required |
| S | Cable Bacteria | Cross-zone syntrophy is the only cross-zone mechanic in base game |
| S | Melanin Radiotroph | Turns the most punishing events into advantages |
| S | Cyanobacterial Mat Formation | Enables the oxic/anoxic dual-zone board state — best formation in game |
| A | Any nitrogen fixer | N is the bottleneck; N-fixer is mandatory infrastructure |
| A | Iron oxidizer + reducer pair | Instant +5 BP/turn cycle if you get both |
| A | ANME Consortium | +4 BP syntrophic bonus, highest paired bonus in game |
| B | Common sulfate reducers | Reliable 2 BP/turn in any anoxic zone |
| B | Spore-forming organisms | Survive nearly all destructive events |
| D | Strict aerobes (no backup acceptor) | One Impact Winter or O₂ depletion shuts them off entirely |
Deck rules: Exactly 20 organisms + up to 5 equipment. Must include organisms from ≥2 suits. Must include ≥1 autotroph. Must include ≥1 organism producing each of: Energy, Carbon, Electrons. Must be able to close ≥1 biogeochemical cycle in theory. Max 2 copies of any card. 5-card sideboard.
| Card | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Biosphere Awakening | 🚫 Banned | Bypasses Viability Checks — breaks core mechanic |
| Synthetic Minimal Genome | 🚫 Banned | Creates custom organism with any 3 abilities — eliminates need for syntrophic partners |
| Radiodurans Genesis (variant) | 🚫 Banned | Radiation immune + sporulation + DNA repair = literally unkillable, no counterplay |
| Cable Bacteria | ⚠️ Restricted (max 1) | Cross-zone syntrophy balanced at 1, oppressive at 2 |
| Desulforudis audaxviator | ⚠️ Restricted (max 1) | 4 BP/turn self-sufficient; 1 copy is answerable, 2 is a guaranteed win condition |
| Rating | Tier | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2200+ | Archaea Grandmaster | Progenitor |
| 2000–2199 | Master | Extremophile |
| 1800–1999 | Diamond | Chemolithotroph |
| 1600–1799 | Platinum | Syntrophist |
| 1400–1599 | Gold | Metabolist |
| 1200–1399 | Silver | Colonizer |
| 1000–1199 | Bronze | Fermenter |
| <1000 | Iron | Spore |
| Run Size | Cost/Unit | Retail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 units | $18.10 | $54.99 | Kickstarter fulfillment |
| 5,000 units | $9.85 | $54.99 | Distributor margin: $17.65/unit |
Cardstock: 330gsm blue-core, linen finish, matte varnish. Tarot size (70×120mm) for information density. Iron tokens: real metal cubes (weighted). Electron tokens: translucent blue acrylic crystals.
Realistic projection: ~300% ($75,000) based on comparable: Genotype (600%), Photosynthesis (900%), Wingspan (2700%)
| Amount | Unlock |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | Base game funded |
| $35,000 | Metal iron tokens upgraded (knurled, Fe-stamped) |
| $50,000 | Linen finish all cards |
| $75,000 | Planet Board (AXIS mode) included free |
| $100,000 | 20 additional Organism Cards (community vote) |
| $150,000 | Expansion 1 "Archaean Eon" bundled for Biosphere tier+ |
| $200,000 | Educator Kit add-on ($15): posters + worksheets + curriculum files |
| Tier | Price | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Spore | $5 | Digital rulebook + 30-card print-and-play |
| Extremophile | $50 | Full base game |
| Biosphere | $75 | Base game + AXIS planet boards for Mars/Europa/Enceladus/Titan |
| Progenitor | $125 | Biosphere tier + name a card (your name in flavor text) + signed rulebook |
| Gaia Class | $500 | All above + design a custom Legendary organism with the science team (4 slots) |
| Term | Game Definition | Real Science |
|---|---|---|
| Autotroph | Organism that produces its own organic carbon from CO₂ | Same |
| Heterotroph | Consumes organic carbon produced by others | Same |
| Chemolithotroph | Gets energy from inorganic chemical reactions | Same |
| Syntrophy | Two organisms that depend on each other's waste products | Obligate mutualistic metabolism where one partner's waste makes the other's reaction thermodynamically favorable |
| Redox potential (E°') | Number on Electron Tower determining dominance | Standard reduction potential at pH 7, 25°C |
| Extremophile | Organism with special environmental resistances | Organism that REQUIRES extreme conditions for optimal growth (not just tolerates) |
| Horizontal Gene Transfer | Mechanic for stealing/sharing abilities | Real process of DNA transfer between unrelated organisms — bacteria do this constantly |
| CRISPR | Equipment card for modifying organisms | Bacterial immune system repurposed as a gene editing tool |
| Biofilm | Formation granting Event resistance | Community of microorganisms attached to a surface in a self-produced matrix |
| Electron Tower | Redox potential ranking — determines competitive exclusion | The thermodynamic hierarchy of terminal electron acceptors that determines which organisms dominate in any given environment |
| ΔG | Energy released/consumed per reaction (determines if a card can function) | Gibbs free energy change — negative = spontaneous and energy-releasing |
| Syntrophic window | The narrow conditions where a card pair can function together | The specific H₂ partial pressure range (often <10⁻⁴ atm) where syntrophic reactions become thermodynamically favorable |
ELEMENT × EXTREMOPHILE — v1.0
"Every combo is real. Every failure teaches. Every victory is a biosphere."
2–4 players · 30–60 minutes · Ages 14+
See organisms.html for the complete 120-card organism database.
See index.html for printable card sheets.