
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,470
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Eminent Domain: Microcosm
- 2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2014

Rules assistance for Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets is an expansion for Eminent Domain released in 2011 for 2–4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Seth Jaffee and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, and Variable Phase Order.
This mini-expansion contains 9 bonus planets for use with Eminent Domain. It includes 3 Prestige planets and 6 Utopian planets. These planets are intended to spice up the game and add an interesting twist to the Survey role, making your choice of planets, and therefore your strategy, more interesting Prestige Planets There are 3 Prestige planets, each with a different cost, representing important or famous worlds. These planets are worth a high amount of Influence, but they do not help to satisfy any research requirements, they do not provide symbols, and they do not have any resource slots. Utopian Planets There are 6 Utopian planets, each with the same cost, representing impressive utopias where any type of resource can be produced and any type of technology can be studied. The resource slots on Utopian planets can store any type of resource, so when producing a resource you may choose which type to produce. In addition, when researching technology, a Utopian planet counts as any type of planet you already have for purposes of satisfying planet requirements. However, for each research role you may only count 1 Utopian planet this way. For example, if you have 1 Advanced planet and 2 Utopian planets in your Empire, then you could choose Advanced technology cards from level 1 or 2 (but not level 3). You could not choose any Metallic or Fertile technology cards unless you also have planets of those types in your Empire.
Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets belongs to these categories: Science Fiction, Expansion for Base-game, and Civilization. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, and Variable Phase Order. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets are: Seth Jaffee. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Eminent Domain: Bonus Planets as an expansion for Eminent Domain. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Eminent Domain to use it. Check that your edition of Eminent Domain is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.