Animal Kingdoms Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Game Setup
• Gameplay
  • I. Claim a Territory
    • About Decree Cards
    • Place an Influence Marker
    • Claiming a Capital City
  • II. Rally
  • III. Withdraw
• End of Age
• Battles
  • Peace Treaty Variant
• Councils
• Reset Kingdoms
• New First Player
• Game End
• Solo Play Rules
  • Setup
  • Game Play Changes
  • Before Claiming a Capital City
  • Robot Bonus Card
  • After Claiming a Capital City
  • Resolving Battles
  • End of Age (Solo)
  • End of Game (Solo)
  • Scaling Difficulty
• Credits

Overview

In Animal Kingdoms, each player is the leader of a house battling for control of the five kingdoms. Cards in your hand represent noble beasts that have pledged their allegiance to you.

Over the course of three ages, you must deploy your beasts to the various kingdoms – while adhering to each kingdom's decree – to try and improve your position. The house that gains the most influence by the end of the third age is declared leader of the realm and wins the game.

Components

• 64 Noble Beast Cards
• 30 Decree Cards
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Score Board
• 15 First Place Tiles
• 4 First to Withdraw Tiles
• 18 Battle Modifier Tiles
• 90 Influence Markers
• 5 Player Scoring Markers
• 1 Game Board

Game Setup

1. Place the game board within reach of all players.

2. Each player chooses a color and takes that color's Influence markers (18) and scoring marker. Return unused Influence markers and scoring markers to the box; they will not be used this game.

3. Shuffle all Noble Beast Cards into a Noble Beast Deck. Deal 4 cards face down to each player. You may look at your own cards. Place the Deck within reach of all players.

4. Shuffle the Decree Cards and randomly place 1 face up in each of the 5 decree spaces at the base of each kingdom. Place the rest of the Decree Deck off to the side.

5. Shuffle the orange "First Place" Tiles face down. One at a time, randomly place a tile face up in each of the 3 tile spaces at the base of the 5 kingdoms. Once placed, rearrange each kingdom's trio of tiles so they appear in increasing value, left to right.

6. Shuffle the green "first to withdraw" tiles face down. Randomly select 3 and place them face down off to the side, returning the last tile to the box without looking at it.

7. Place the score board off to the side and each player's scoring marker beside the board. Place the Battle Modifier Tiles within reach of all players.

8. The player who most recently saw an animal in the wild is the first player.

You are now ready to play

Gameplay

Play takes place over three rounds, called "ages". Beginning with the first player and continuing clockwise, players will take turns through the current age until all players have withdrawn. At the end of each age, players will score influence points based on how well they dominated in each of the five kingdoms.

On your turn, you must perform one action from the following:

• I. Claim a Territory – playing a noble beast card into a kingdom
• II. Rally – discard and redraw noble beast cards from the deck
• III. Withdraw – withdraw and stop playing cards during the current age

At the end of your turn, play passes clockwise to the next active player (i.e. player who has not withdrawn).

I. Claim a Territory

Play a Noble Beast Card – To claim a territory, you must play a card from your hand by placing it below any of the 5 kingdoms, so long as your card adheres to that kingdom's decree (a placement rule that you must obey in order to play your card in that particular kingdom).

Simply place the card below the chosen kingdom such that it does not cover the rank/beast of any existing cards in that column.

Each Noble Beast Card shows its Beast Type (the animal symbol on the banner at the top left) and its Card Rank (the large number at the bottom right; the rank also appears on the banner at the top left).

About Decree Cards

Some decrees have a basic rule, identified with no arrow (Example A: "6, 7 or 8").

Other decrees have a conditional rule in which the last card (or all cards, in some cases) played below that kingdom affects the card that can be played on top of it. These decrees are identified with a down arrow. (Example B: "+/- 1" with a down arrow)

Some decrees have a conditional rule in which the last played card in each neighboring (adjacent) kingdom affects the next card that can be played below this kingdom. These decrees are identified with single left/right arrows. (Example C: "Either Neighbor's Rank or Beast" with left and right arrows)

Finally, some decrees have a conditional rule in which the last played card in ALL other kingdoms affects the next card that can be played below this kingdom. These decrees are identified with double left/double right arrows. (Example D: "Any Other Kingdom's Rank" with double left and double right arrows)

If a decree relies on specific cards (such as cards in neighboring kingdoms) and no cards are played that satisfy this condition, then any card may be placed in this kingdom. For example: The decree equal to or higher than the highest neighbor requires a card in at least one neighboring kingdom. If there are no cards in either neighboring kingdom, any card may be played to satisfy this decree.

Place an Influence Marker

Place an Influence Marker – After playing your card below a kingdom, add one of your influence markers to any empty territory in that kingdom. A territory with a castle symbol represents that kingdom's capital city and you may NOT place a marker in a capital city unless every other territory in that kingdom (excluding councils) has already been claimed.

Councils are special locations that may never be accessed through marker placement (see "Councils").

After placing your marker, draw your hand back up to 4 cards.

If you run out of markers, then you are immediately withdrawn from the age.

Claiming a Capital City

Claiming a Capital City – If you play a card and claim the final territory in a kingdom – the capital city, identified with a castle symbol – then you are immediately withdrawn from the age. Draw back up to 4 cards and place your hand of cards face down in front of you to indicate to all players that you have withdrawn for the remainder of the age.

II. Rally

Instead of claiming a territory on your turn, you may opt to rally. When you rally you immediately gain 1 point by advancing your player marker on the score track. Additionally, you may discard 1-4 cards from your hand (placing them face up in the discard pile) and draw that many new cards from the deck. If the deck is ever empty, simply reshuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.

Important Note: If any player has been withdrawn from the age, you may NOT take the rally action for the remainder of that age! If you cannot play a card to any of the kingdoms, you must pass and be withdrawn from the age.

III. Withdraw

If you cannot / do not want to play a Noble Beast card and choose not to rally OR another player has already withdrawn and you cannot rally, you must withdraw from the age. If you withdraw from the age, place your hand of cards face down in front of you to indicate to all players that you have withdrawn.

First to Withdraw Tiles – If you are the first player to withdraw during an age (either from placing in a capital city or from choosing to withdraw), randomly select one of the available green "first to withdraw" tiles and place it face down in front of you. You may look at its value but don't reveal it until the end of the game.

End of Age

When all players have withdrawn from an age (by either withdrawing or claiming a capital city), the age ends and "End of Age Scoring" occurs.

End of Age Scoring – Scoring takes place at the end of each age. Starting with the smallest kingdom (with only 4 placement spots) and resolving in clockwise order, award first place to the player who has the most markers in that kingdom (including markers in the capital city AND council). That player scores the amount listed on the leftmost "first place" tile of the kingdom, immediately advancing their marker on the score track, and then that tile is placed out of the game.

If tied for first place, a battle immediately occurs to determine the winner (see "Battles").

Award 3 points each to player(s) with the second most influence markers and 1 point each to player(s) with the third most influence markers. Unlike first place, players tied in second or third would both receive full points. Ties for second do not prevent players in 3rd place from receiving points. Example: in a 4-player game, Carla has 3 influence markers and receives 8 points for First Place, Dan and Steven are tied in second with 2 influence markers and receive 3 points each. Nick is in 3rd place with 1 influence marker and receives 1 point.

Battles

A battle occurs if players are tied for first place in a kingdom. Battles do NOT occur to resolve second/third place. Each battling player simultaneously chooses a card from their hand for battle and reveals it. The player that reveals the highest rank wins the battle, with one exception: a "1" rank always beats an "8" rank!

The winner of the battle is awarded the First Place Tile points and that tile is removed from the game. The loser of a battle gets second place and is awarded 3 points. The players with the next most influence markers in that kingdom are in third place and get 1 point, and all other players are out of contention for points.

The loser of a battle is also awarded a "+2" Battle Modifier Tile to be used in a future battle. In the case of a three-way tie, both losing players are awarded 3 points for second place and both gain a "+2" Battle Modifier Tile.

If players reveal cards of the same rank and thus tie, players choose another card from their hand to battle with. Players continue until a winner is resolved. If both players play all four of their cards and are still tied, both receive full first place points.

Players may choose to play a "+2" Battle Modifier after battle cards are revealed to increase the rank of their battle card. If both players have one or more "+2" Battle Modifiers, either player can elect at any time during the battle to add the modifiers, one at a time, to their rank and must wait to see if their opponent decides to use a "+2" Battle Modifier, as well. If two tied players are still tied after the use of modifiers, then the tie remains and players proceed to resolving tied battles as normal.

If there is a three-way tie for first place, the highest card wins the battle, with one exception: a "1" rank wins the battle if either of the battling opponents has played an "8" rank. If any Battle Modifiers would raise a player's rank to an "8" rank or higher, the "1" rank wins. If two players reveal winning battle cards of the same rank and thus tie, only those players continue battling by choosing another card from their hand to battle with, until a winner is resolved.

Regardless of the battle result, ALL Battle Modifiers used in a battle are discarded at the conclusion of a battle. Additionally, all players draw back up to 4 cards in hand at the conclusion of a battle.

Any unused "+2" Battle Modifiers are worth 1 point at the end of the game.

Peace Treaty Variant

For a friendlier resolution to ties for first place, try the Peace Treaty variant. Instead of battling when ties for first place occur, resolve ties as follows:

• If one of the players that is tied for first place has an influence marker on the capital city position, that player wins first place, is awarded the "First Place" tile points and that tile is removed from the game. The other tied player/s are in second place and get 3 points, while those with the next most influence markers in that kingdom are in third place and get 1 point. All other players are out of contention for points.
• If neither of the tied players has an influence marker on the capital city position, both players receive full first place points.
• The "+2" Battle Modifiers are not used in the Peace Treaty variant.

Councils

Each kingdom has a council, made up of 2 special territories. You may never place a marker on a council territory when playing a card to a kingdom.

Instead, at the end of Age I and Age II after scoring, if you placed a marker in a capital city you may now move it to an empty territory in that kingdom's council. Markers in a council remain there for the rest of the game and count toward your marker total for that kingdom when determining end of age scoring.

Reset Kingdoms

Reset the kingdoms to prepare for the next age by removing all markers from all kingdoms (returning them to their respective player) EXCEPT markers in councils, which remain.

Next, remove all Noble Beast cards below each kingdom and return them to the deck. Also return all discarded cards to the deck. Reshuffle the deck and set it aside for the next age. Cards in your hand should remain in your hand. If you have fewer than 4 cards in hand at this point, draw back up to 4 cards.

Remove the 5 current decrees from the game and reveal 5 new ones from the decree deck, placing 1 at the base of each kingdom.

New First Player

The player who is in last place on the score track becomes the new first player for the next age, with play proceeding clockwise. If tied for last, the tied player who claimed a capital city earlier in the previous age breaks the tie and goes first.

Game End

Play proceeds until the end of the third age, at which point the game ends.

After awarding "End of Age Scoring" points for the third age, all players reveal any "first to withdraw" tiles they collected during the game and count up any unused Battle Modifier tiles (1 point per unused), advancing their marker appropriately on the score track. The player with the most points wins!

If tied, tied players compare the capital cities they claimed in the third age. Whichever player claimed the larger kingdom's capital city wins the tie. If neither tied player claimed a capital city in the third age, the victory is shared.

Solo Play Rules

Setup

Setup is the same as the multi-player game with a few exceptions:

1. Deal yourself four cards, as normal, and display them face up in a row to the left of your play area to form your hand.
2. Place the rest of the deck to the right of your play area and flip over the top card, placing it beside the deck. This is known as the Robot Bonus Card.
3. Choose a color and place your markers off to the left. Next choose a color for the Robot opponent, and place these markers off to the right.
4. Place both scoring markers with the colors previously chosen beside the score track.
5. Remove the First to Withdraw and Battle Modifier Tiles – they aren't used.

Game Play Changes

• You take the first turn in each age.
• No "First to Withdraw" tiles are used.

Game play for you is the same as the multi-player mode: play a card and place a marker. Don't forget to redraw back up to 4 cards at the end of your turn! For the Robot, you will take turns on behalf of it. There are two different stages in how the Robot player plays – before you have claimed a capital city and after you have claimed a capital city.

Before Claiming a Capital City

• On the Robot's turn, draw the top card from the draw deck and play it below the kingdom matching that card's rank ("8" rank in the kingdom with 8 territories, "7" rank in the kingdom with 7 territories, etc. The largest kingdom has 8 territories and the smallest kingdom has 4 territories). Don't forget to place a Robot's marker in that kingdom! NOTE: Unlike you, the Robot does not have to adhere to the decree of each kingdom. This may affect certain decrees, which could help or hinder your efforts.
• If the Robot draws a "1", "2" or "3", it will play in the kingdom where you last placed.
• If the only available space in a kingdom is the capital city, the Robot will skip this kingdom and play in the next available kingdom in clockwise order unless no other kingdom has an empty territory, in which case it will claim that capital city and withdraw.
• If the Robot has a 2+ marker advantage in a kingdom, it will skip this kingdom and play in the next available kingdom in clockwise order unless no other kingdom has an empty territory.

Robot Bonus Card

After playing the Robot's card, check the Robot Bonus Card that is face-up beside the deck. If the Robot Bonus Card matches the beast or rank of the card just played, then immediately play the Robot Bonus Card too (adhering to the above Robot placement rules). At the end of the Robot's turn, if the Robot Bonus Card was played, flip over a new card from the top of the deck to reveal a new Robot Bonus Card.

After Claiming a Capital City

The Robot player will continue to place according to the above rules, but if given the opportunity to claim a capital city after you have withdrawn, it will now do so to immediately end the age. If the Robot draws a "1", "2" or "3", discard these cards.

Resolving Battles

If you and the Robot are tied for most markers in a kingdom, then a battle occurs. From your 4 cards in hand, choose one for battle.

Next, draw and reveal 3 cards from the deck for the Robot. If ANY of these cards can defeat your card, then the Robot wins the battle. If your card can defeat all 3 of the drawn cards, then you win the battle. If tied, then you must choose another card for battle while the Robot must draw and reveal 3 new cards.

• If you win the battle, then discard your battle card/s, but do not draw any new cards, unless there was a tie. Draw one card for each tie that occurred.
• If you lose the battle, then discard your battle card/s and draw an equal number of new cards from the draw deck. For future battles this age, the Robot must draw 1 card less.

End of Age (Solo)

At the end of an age, set up for the next age as normal. Make sure you have four cards in hand to begin the new age. If you discard any cards during the game, place them at the bottom of the deck. This is to ensure you do not confuse it with the Robot Bonus Card beside the deck.

End of Game (Solo)

At the end of the third age, if you have the most points, you win! If the Robot has the most points, the Robot wins. If tied for points, the Robot wins.

Scaling Difficulty

Easy Mode – The Robot will not use a Robot Bonus Card. It will take the first turn in each age. If the Robot draws a "1", "2" or "3" on the first turn, play into the smallest kingdom, which has 4 territories.

Medium Mode – The Robot will only play the Robot Bonus Card if it matches the beast of the card just played.

Normal Mode – Play using the normal solo rules.

Hard Mode – The Robot will draw 4 cards during battle, instead of 3.

Extra Hard Mode – Play using the normal solo rules, but add a second Robot Bonus Card. Only one Robot Bonus Card can be played each turn.

Credits

Game Concept and Design: Steven Aramini

Solo Game Design: Carla Kopp

Illustration: Katy Grierson

Graphic Design and Layout: Danny Devine, Michael Cofer, and Jeffrey Wallace

Editing: Calvin Wong Tze Loon

Special Thanks: Steven Aramini would like to thank Danny Devine, Paul Kluka, and Cardboard Edison. Galactic Raptor Games would like to thank everyone who playtested Animal Kingdoms and the 1,086 Kickstarter backers who made this game a reality.

Animals included in this game: Red Panda, Bengal Tiger, Honey Bee, Anole Lizard, Dart Frog, Barn Owl, Okapi, and Arctic Wolf.

© 2019 Galactic Raptor Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Animal Kingdoms™ is a trademark of Galactic Raptor Games, LLC