Antscape Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Goal of the Game
• Game Setup
• Quick Gameplay Overview
• Player Turn
  • 1. Play an Action (Optional)
  • 2. Claiming a Territory or Recruiting an Ant (Mandatory)
    • 2a. Claim a Territory
    • 2b. Recruit an Ant
    • 2c. Pass
  • 3. Hand and Market Refill (Mandatory)
  • Earthmoving Cards
  • Queen Cards
• Game End and Scoring
  • A) Bonus Card Scoring
  • B) Played Queen
  • C) Claimed Territories
• Actions
  • Colony Cards
  • Recruit Cards

Components

• 40 Colony cards (4x 10 per color)
• 6 Bonus cards
• 18 Recruit cards
• 2 Queen territories
• 36 Territory cards
• 4 Flag cards
• 4 Earthmoving cards

Goal of the Game

Win the most points by claiming valuable territories, deploying your queen strategically, and building a strong colony.

Game Setup

1. Give each player a set of Colony Cards (blue, pink, yellow, or green). Return any unused colors to the box.
2. Shuffle your colony cards and place them face down as your own draw pile. Draw four cards as your hand, visible only to you.
3. Take all territory cards and the 2 queen territory cards. For your first game, use the 24 cards with a star on the back plus 1 random extra card. This set provides an easy introduction; experienced players can choose their own set. Note: In a two-player game, only one queen territory card may be included. Replace the other card with another territory card.
4. Take the chosen territory deck and lay out a 5x5 grid. In a two-player game, make a 4x4 grid and return the leftover cards to the box.
5. Shuffle the recruit cards and place them as a face down deck next to the Territory Cards. Draw the top three recruit cards and place them face up next to the deck to form the market.
6. Give each player the flag card matching their color. Each player places it within reach. Return unused colors to the box.
7. Give each player an earthmoving card. Each player places this within reach. Return any unused earthmoving cards to the box.
8. Shuffle the Bonus Cards and reveal one face up on the table. This is the active Bonus Card for the game (or, if you prefer, choose one together).
9. Determine the starting player.

Quick Gameplay Overview

Players take turns clockwise, performing effects, recruiting ants, or claiming territories. Over time, players will expand their colonies by claiming more territories and occupying strategic spaces. The game ends when all territories have been claimed!

Player Turn

On your turn, perform one or more of the following steps in this order: 1) Play an action; 2a) Claim a territory / 2b) Recruit an ant / 2c) Pass; 3) Refill your hand. Then the player to your left takes their turn.

1. Play an Action (Optional)

Some colony and recruit cards have an action icon on them. To use them, place the card from your hand on your discard pile, unless the played card indicates otherwise. You may only play one action during your turn, and this must be at the start of your turn. What the actions do is explained in the Actions chapter.

2. Claiming a Territory or Recruiting an Ant (Mandatory)

You must chose one of the following options:

2a. Claim a Territory

You may claim a territory card by paying with colony and/or recruit cards from your hand (actions on these cards are ignored). The icons of your cards must match the icons of a territory card. The ant icon acts as a joker and can be used as an icon of your choice. Use one of the cards you pay with to claim the territory card by placing it face down on the corresponding territory card. Note that:

• You must use a colony card of your own color for this.
• If you only use recruit cards for the payment, you must use the flag card of your color to cover the territory card.
• If you have already used your flag card, you must use the next colony card in your draw pile to cover the territory card.

The remaining cards you use for your payment are placed on your discard pile. Any surplus icons are allowed, but are not kept.

Example: Irene plays two colony cards and a recruit card with the required icons to claim a territory with 1 point. The two stars with the '=' sign, indicate that two of the icons used have to be the same. She takes her strawberry colony card and places it face down on the claimed territory.

2b. Recruit an Ant

Discard your entire hand to your discard pile. You may then take one recruit card from the market and place it on your discard pile.

2c. Pass

In the rare case that you cannot perform 2a or 2b, you must pass. Discard your entire hand and proceed to step 3.

3. Hand and Market Refill (Mandatory)

Draw cards from your draw pile until you have four in hand. If empty, shuffle your discard pile to form a new one. This is how recruit cards enter your deck.

Refill the market if any cards were taken.

Earthmoving Cards

Each player has one earthmoving card. You may play this at any time during your own turn. Place it over an unclaimed territory to change its cost and value. To claim an earthmoving card, you always need three identical icons. Note: an earthmoving card can be claimed by any player.

Queen Cards

The queen cards are in the four player colors.

Game End and Scoring

The game can end in three ways:

1. Everything is full: The game ends immediately when all territory cards have been claimed. The round is not completed.
2. The queen areas remain open: If all territories except the queen territories have been claimed, finish the current round; then the game ends.
3. Everyone passes: If all players pass consecutively, the game ends immediately.

In all cases, all players add up the points of A) the Bonus Card, B) their possibly played queen and C) claimed areas. The player with the most points wins the game. In the event of a tie, the player with the most Colony Cards left (hand, discard pile and draw pile together) wins!

A) Bonus Card Scoring

All Bonus Cards relate to the claimed Territory Cards. Adjacent (orthogonal) colony and Flag Cards of one player are called a 'colony'.

1. Trio triumph: 3 points for colonies of exactly three territories.
2. Bigger is better: For each colony you can get points according to the following requirements:
   • 1 territory = 0 points
   • 2 territories = 1 point
   • 3 territories = 3 points
   • 4+ territories = 5 points
3. Land baron: 6 points to the player with the largest colony. In case of a tie, all tied players receive 6 points.
4. Divide and conquer: 6 points to the player with most colonies of at least two territories.
5. Barricade: 6 points per colony of at least four territories in a straight line.
6. Small but mighty: Minus 3 points per colony with four or less territories.

B) Played Queen

If you used your queen to claim a territory, you get 2 bonus points.

C) Claimed Territories

Remove your colony and Flag Cards one by one from the Territory Cards and add up the points of the Territory Cards you claimed.

Actions

Here is an explanation of all the actions:

Colony Cards

• Queen icon (2): If the queen is on a claimed territory, the owner of the queen receives two extra points.
• Glove icon (draw from another hand): Draw a card from another player's hand. Place this card on that player's discard pile. The player does not receive a replacement card.
• Recruit card icon (draw the top recruit card): Draw the top recruit card and place it on your discard pile.
• Market refresh icon: Refresh the market. Discard all open market cards and draw three new ones.
• Two-cards icon (draw two, keep one): Draw two cards from your draw pile, take one into your hand and place the other on your discard pile.

Recruit Cards

• Footprint icon plus recruit card: Remove one colony card from a claimed territory of your choice and remove it from the game. After playing this action, remove this card from the game. Then skip step 2.
• Queen-move icon plus recruit card: Move (orthogonal) one of your Colony Cards from a claimed territory to an unclaimed territory. Ignore cost. Remove this card from the game after use.
• Market recruit icon: Take one recruit card from the market into your hand immediately. Then replenish the market.
• Two-cards icon (draw two and add): Draw two cards from your draw pile and add them to your hand.