Weather Machine

1 / 44 ~22 min
The World Needs You, Scientist

Welcome to Weather Machine

In Weather Machine, you are a scientist working with Professor Professor Lativ at Lightning Technologies. The Weather Machine was supposed to control local weather -- adjusting rainfall, clearing skies, tweaking temperatures. But something has gone horribly wrong. Each test of the machine causes extreme weather events elsewhere on the planet -- a "butterfly effect."

Your mission: conduct research into these weather anomalies, publish papers on your findings, and build prototypes that can fix the damage. Along the way, you will earn Climate Points (CP) (CP) -- the player with the most CP at the end is the world's greatest scientist and wins the game.

Tutorial Overview

Glossary

Assembly Line

The 4 sections at the top of your Laboratory, each with 3 spaces holding your 12 starting Bots. When you construct a Bot, you remove it from the leftmost available section, paying the depicted Supply Vouchers. The empty spaces you uncover may grant income benefits during Phase C.

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Award Token

Tokens gained from certain actions that can be placed in your Office at any time during your turn. Each Award token placed on a completed row scores 4 CP when you publish that row's paper. Your 3rd Award token also earns you the Nobel Prize (if still available).

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Bot

Small robot units stored in your Workshop and placed onto the Weather Machine, Government Machine, or R&D branches. Bots are built from your Assembly Line and are essential for running experiments, selling parts to the government, and conducting research. You start with 12 Bots in your Assembly Line.

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Breakthrough

An action at R&D costing 2 R&D Vouchers. Choose a row in your Office where you have published a paper (Breakthrough marker at rightmost space). Pay Science Vouchers matching the Extreme Weather tile, move your Breakthrough marker onto the tile, build a prototype, and gain an Award token.

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Chemical

A resource used when working on experiments in the Lab and when conducting R&D research. There are 5 types matching the 5 weather types: Verdino (green/Rain), Melgoth (white/Wind), Delugium (pink/Sun), Calorium (red/Fog), and Radieu (blue/Snow). Stored in your Workshop on matching colored spaces.

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Citation

A special token that can be placed in your Office row to complete it when you only have 2 tokens. Available when the Lock token on the matching weather Citation space has been removed (by publishing or completing an R&D branch for that weather). Requires spending a Goal tile of the matching color.

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Climate Points (CP)

The victory currency of the game. CP are scored throughout the game and during final scoring. The player with the most CP at the end wins. Earned by publishing papers, building prototypes, running experiments, advancing on Funding tracks, completing Goal tiles, and winning the Nobel Prize.

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Executive Exchange

A conversion action you can perform at any time during your turn. Three types: (1) Science Exchange -- pay 3 Vouchers to gain 1 Science Voucher; (2) Chemicals Exchange -- pay 2 Vouchers to swap a Chemical for the required type; (3) Machine Parts Exchange -- pay 2 Vouchers to swap a Machine Part for another color.

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Experiment

During Phase B, the Weather Machine may run an experiment on the active branch. It runs if both conditions are met: (1) there is an Experiment tile in the display matching the active branch's weather, and (2) every space on the active branch has a Bot. Players with Bots on the branch gain CP, rewards, and Research tokens.

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Experiment Tile

Tiles depicting a weather type, a Science Voucher cost, and rewards. Come in 3 stages (I, II, III). Displayed in a row of 3 next to the Experiment deck. The rightmost tile matching the active branch's weather is the active Experiment tile when an experiment runs.

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Extreme Weather Tile

Tiles on the R&D board representing weather problems to solve. Come in 3 levels. Each shows required Machine Part colors for building prototypes and spaces for Breakthrough markers and Government markers. When all spaces are full, the tile is resolved and returned to its stack.

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Funding Track

Three tracks on the main board (Government, Lab, R&D) representing external sponsorship. You advance on them by performing corresponding actions. Position on each track determines end-game CP scoring and provides benefits when you receive funding from Goal tiles.

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Goal Tile

Tiles placed below your Laboratory representing end-game scoring objectives. Each has conditions (e.g., number of Bots placed, research tokens collected). Worth 5 CP each at end of game if conditions are met. Can also be flipped during the game to receive Funding track benefits.

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Government Machine

A second machine on the board where the Government builds its own prototype. When you Sell a Part at the Government Location, you place a Bot and Machine Part here. When a branch fills up, each player scores 3 CP per Bot they have in that branch, and a Government marker moves to the Extreme Weather tile.

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Initiative

Determines turn order for the following round. You can pay 1 Supply Voucher at the Supply Location to move your Initiative marker to the front. During Phase C, Turn Order markers are adjusted to match Initiative marker positions.

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Investment Tile

Tiles gained from publishing papers, completing R&D branches, and other actions. Placed to the left of your Laboratory. At the start of your turn, you may return one to the reserve to either set a Goal or receive funding from the corresponding Funding track.

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Lativ's Assistant

A piece that marks the active branch of the Weather Machine. The branch where the Assistant is determines which experiments may run during Phase B. After each experiment, the Assistant moves to the next branch following the arrows.

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Location

One of the 5 areas on the main board where Scientists can be placed. Location 1: Supply, Location 2: Government, Location 3: Lativ's Lab, Location 4: R&D, Location 5: Lativ's Office. Each offers different actions. Moving to a Location costs and gains Vouchers.

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Machine Part

A gear-shaped resource in 5 colors used to build prototypes during Breakthroughs. Stored in your Workshop (one per space). When you pay a Machine Part, return it to the reserve. All Machine Parts for a prototype must be in the same row of your Workshop.

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Nobel Prize

A unique token worth 5 CP at end of game. Claimed by the first player to place their 3rd Award token in their Office. Also triggers end-of-game conditions.

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Office

The area at the top-left of your Laboratory containing a grid of colored spaces for Research tokens and Award tokens. Each row has 3 spaces and a Breakthrough marker. Filling a row (with at least 1 Research token) qualifies you to Publish a Paper. Placing tokens grants the benefit depicted on the covered space.

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Professor Lativ

The chief scientist NPC who moves around the board. When you move to a Location where Lativ is present, you gain 1 Science Voucher. After you gain/pay Vouchers, if Lativ is at your new Location, he moves to the next Location. When Lativ moves, he checks the active branch of the Weather Machine in the Lab and may place one of his Bots.

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Prototype

Built during a Breakthrough action using Machine Parts from your Workshop. You must provide Machine Parts matching the colors depicted on the Extreme Weather tile. For each Research space: if no Bot is present, you must provide the depicted part; if your Bot is there, you gain 2 CP and may optionally provide the part. Each provided part earns 2 CP.

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Publish a Paper

An action at Lativ's Lab costing 2 Lab Vouchers. Choose a completed row in your Office (3 tokens, at least 1 Research token, Breakthrough marker at rightmost space). Slide the Breakthrough marker right for a benefit, score 2 CP per Research token and 4 CP per Award token in the row, then gain an Investment tile.

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Research Token

A token placed in your Office to track your research progress. Three types exist: Government (blue), Lab (green), and R&D (lilac). After performing actions or running experiments, you place Research tokens on matching color spaces in your Office. Completed rows enable publishing papers.

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Science Voucher

A special wild Voucher that can be spent as any other type. Gained from having Lativ at your Location, from certain actions, and from Funding tracks. Additionally, you can perform a Science Exchange: pay any 3 other Vouchers to gain 1 Science Voucher.

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Scientist

Your main worker meeple. Each turn you move your Scientist to an empty action space at a different Location than your current one. The Location you move to determines which Vouchers you gain and which actions you can perform.

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Subsidy Tile

Tiles gained from the Government Location. Placed blue-side up to the left of your Laboratory. At the start of your turn, you may flip one to gain its benefit and perform an action without paying Vouchers. Single-use only. Benefits are described on the Player Aid.

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Turn Order

The sequence in which players take turns during Phase A. Adjusted at the end of each round (Phase C) to match the Initiative marker positions. In Round 1, all players must first move to a Location's middle space.

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Voucher

The primary currency used to pay for actions. There are 5 types: Supply, Government, Lab, R&D, and Science. You gain Vouchers by moving your Scientist to Locations and spend them to perform actions. Science Vouchers are wild and can substitute for any other type.

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Weather Machine

The central apparatus in Lativ's Lab with 5 branches (one per weather type). Players place their Bots on branches via the Work on Experiment action. When an experiment runs (Phase B), players with Bots on the active branch gain CP and rewards. Lativ's Assistant marks the active branch.

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Weather Type

The 5 categories of weather in the game: Rain, Wind, Sun, Fog, and Snow. Each has a corresponding Chemical type and research track. Weather types determine which experiments run, which branches of the Machine are active, and how Extreme Weather tiles are organized.

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Workshop

The expandable storage area on the right side of your Laboratory. Stores Chemicals, Machine Parts, and Bots. Starts with 3 spaces and grows as you add Workshop tiles. Items can be rearranged freely at any time by swapping positions. A Workshop tile can hold either 1 Machine Part or 1 Bot, not both.

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Workshop Tile

A tile that extends your Workshop storage. Gained at the Supply Location. Must be placed orthogonally adjacent to your existing Workshop. Has colored half-circles that must match on touching edges. Once placed, cannot be moved or rotated. Creates colored spaces for Chemical storage.

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