Complexity

A chemical disaster has wiped out nearly all bacteria, and life can't go on without them. You and your rival scientists each hold the last viable strain, and its DNA is badly mutated. Race to reassemble the genetic code for three molecular machines: the flagellum that moves the cell, the ATP synthase that powers it, and the ribosome that builds everything else. Finish first and your microbe saves the planet.

The three machines are made of eight subunits in all. Each subunit is coded by four DNA codon cards played left to right: a start codon, two amino-acid codons, and a stop codon.

Each turn has four phases: Enrich: discard any two cards to draw one, as often as you like. Code: play up to two codons onto your sequences. You can build up to three subunits at once (two in a five-player game). Close a sequence with a stop codon and the finished subunit is safe for the rest of the game. Mutate: once everyone has a codon on the table, you must roll the mutation die at a rival's unfinished sequence. On 1-3 you may cap it early with a stop codon from your hand; on 4-5 you may swap one of your codons for one of theirs; on 6 you may steal a codon outright. Reset: end your turn with six cards, drawing or absorbing an unfinished sequence back into your hand to start it over.

Completing a machine unlocks its ability. The flagellum lets you counter-roll a rival's mutation, ATP synthase lets you draw two cards and keep one, and the ribosome lets you play up to three cards a turn. Gene Scissors cards (CRISPR-Cas9) let you edit your own code: remove, insert, or swap a codon. The first player to complete all three machines wins.

The rules were developed with PhD-trained scientists, and the included Lab Manual explains the real molecular biology behind each rule.

—description from the designer