✕

👾 HOSTILE ALIEN — RULE GUIDE

The Alien is using one rule from each section. Vote on what you think each rule is. Votes during the game are informational only — you'll lock in officially at the final guess.

TRUST — How positive letters score

TRUST +1	+1 point for each Trust letter in the word.	BATCH (B=Trust) → +1 BUBBLE → +2
TRUST +2	+2 points for each Trust letter in the word.	BATCH → +2 BUBBLE → +4
TRUST: Any = Exactly 2	If the word has any Trust letter, Trust score is exactly 2 (not per letter).	BATCH → 2 BUBBLE → 2 CRACK (no Trust) → 0

AMPLIFY — How the score is multiplied

AMPLIFY ×2	Score ×2 for each Amplify letter present.	Trust=2, R=Amp → 2×2=4 Two R's → 2×2×2=8
AMPLIFY +3	+3 points for each Amplify letter present.	Trust=2, R=Amp → 2+3=5 Two R's → 2+3+3=8
AMPLIFY ×(−2)	Score ×(−2) for each Amplify letter. Can flip sign.	Trust=2, R=Amp → 2×−2=−4 Two R's → 2×−2×−2=8

SUSPICION — What happens if the Suspicion letter appears

SUSP. (−)	Score flips to negative if positive; already negative stays negative; 0 stays 0.	Score=4, M=Susp → −4 Score=−4 → stays −4
SUSP. −2	−2 for each Suspicion letter present in the word.	Score=4, one M → 4−2=2 MAMMOTH (2×M) → 4−4=0
SUSP. =0	Score becomes exactly 0 if any Suspicion letter present.	Score=8, M=Susp → 0

GOT IT

✕

HOW TO PLAY

This game is inspired by A Message from the Stars from Allplay.

🎯 GOAL

One player is the Alien. Everyone else is the Scientists. The Alien must communicate 4 secret words to the Scientists using only a limited alien cipher — and the Scientists must decode them.

🔑 THE CIPHER

At game start, a cipher is generated with three sections. Letters come in three rarities: Common, Uncommon, and Tough. Only one Tough letter can appear across the entire cipher.

• TRUST — 3 letters: 1 Common + 2 Uncommon/Tough
• AMPLIFY — 2 letters: 1 Common + 1 Uncommon/Tough
• SUSPICION — 1 letter: any rarity

⚙️ SCORING RULES

In Standard mode the rules are fixed. In Variable Cipher and Hostile Alien modes, one rule per section is chosen randomly.

TRUST

• +1 per Trust letter in the word (Standard, Variable, Hostile)
• +2 per Trust letter in the word (Variable & Hostile only)
• Any Trust letter present = score is exactly 2 (Variable & Hostile only)

AMPLIFY

• ×2 score for each Amplify letter present (Standard, Variable, Hostile)
• +3 for each Amplify letter present (Variable & Hostile only)
• ×(−2) for each Amplify letter — can flip sign (Variable & Hostile only)

SUSPICION

• Always negative — positive scores flip to negative, 0 stays 0 (Standard, Variable, Hostile)
• −2 for each Suspicion letter in the word (Variable & Hostile only)
• Score becomes exactly 0 if any Suspicion letter present (Variable & Hostile only)

📻 GAMEPLAY — 4 ROUNDS

Each round has two transmissions:

1. The Alien sends a word. Scientists see its score and use their deduction console to track what they learn.
2. The Scientists send a reply word. The Alien sees its score and uses it to help communicate.

Both sides have a secret message card with a thematic sentence and a word list. Choose words from your list that score well with the cipher.

🎯 FINAL GUESS

• Scientists vote on which 3 words the Alien was trying to say. All must agree before locking in.
• Alien guesses which 3 words the Scientists were trying to say.
• Both teams guess the full cipher (Trust, Amplify, and Suspicion letters).
• In Hostile Alien mode, scientists also guess which scoring rule was active for each section.

🏆 SCORING

• +1 per correct word guess — up to 6 points (3 per team)
• +1 per correct cipher letter — up to 6 points (3 Trust + 2 Amplify + 1 Suspicion)
• Standard & Variable Cipher: 12 points maximum
• Hostile Alien: +1 per correct cipher rule guess — 15 points maximum

GOT IT