Arctica Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview and Goal of the Game
• Setup
  • General Setup
  • Individual Setup
  • Advanced Setup
  • B-Face Map
• Core Concepts
  • Generation Board
    • Wheels
  • Individual Tokens on a Generation Board
    • Released Tokens
    • Fauna Card Columns
  • Generation Cards
  • Fauna Cards
  • Central Game Board (Action Board, Arctic Board, and Arctic Circle)
  • Region Tokens, End of Round Cards & Event Tiles
• How to Play
  • Rounds
    • Step 1: Move the Action Markers
    • Step 2: Rotate an Action Wheel and Resolve Actions
    • Step 3: Pass the Leader Token
• End of the Round
  • 1. Melting Ice Floes (Rounds 1, 2 & 3)
  • 2. Majority Scoring
  • 3. Population Collapse (Rounds 2 & 3)
  • 4. Endangered Species
  • 5. Events (Rounds 1, 2 & 3)
• End of the Game
• Central Game Board Actions
  • Fauna
    • Flipping Generation Cards
  • Discovery
  • Flora
  • Wheels x2
  • Wheels (plus Migration)
  • Migration
  • Ability
  • Reproduction (plus Discovery)
  • Colony
• Iconography
• Teaching Arctica
• Solo Mode
  • Setup
  • Rounds — Player & Automa Turns
  • Automa Token Placement
  • Automa Actions
  • End of Round
  • End of Game
• Events
• Credits
• NGOs and Associations
• This Way! Links & Community

Components

• 1 Arctic Board (made up of 3 regions) & 1 Action Board
• 4 Generation Boards (each with 4 Gears and a base)
• 4 Biodiversity Point tokens (1 for each player)
• 120 Fauna tokens (30 per player, 6 for each of the 5 groups in the game: Fishes, Birds, Land mammals, Marine Mammals and Invertebrates)
• 9 Event tiles (3 Bear, 3 Eagle, 3 Lynx)
• 6 Ice Floe tiles (numbered 1–6)
• 1 Leader token
• 3 Majority tokens
• 5 Action markers (4 white, 1 turquoise)
• 40 Flora tokens
• 3 Double Region tokens
• 145 Fauna cards (including 5 Starting Species cards)
• 8 Generation cards (4 Short Generation cards, 4 Long Generation cards)
• 4 Player aids
• 4 End of Round cards
• 11 Automa cards

Overview and Goal of the Game

The goal of Arctica is to earn the most Biodiversity Points. In the game, you earn Biodiversity Points in several ways: but Arctica has a flow all its own, so here's a rundown of the main things to do to grow your ecosystem:

Play Fauna cards (see p.18) — Each Fauna card will earn you Biodiversity Points at the end of the game. Try to play as many as you can!

• Example: Playing this card gives you an invertebrate token and 2 Flora in your wheel.
• Example: Playing this card will earn you 3 Biodiversity Points at the end of the game.

Reproduce your animals (see p.21) — Breed your already played animals to gain more tokens of that species!

• Example: Reproducing this animal gives you 1 Flora token in your Short Generation Wheel.

Turn your wheels (see p.20) — Animals and flora fall from your player board. A new life has been born! Place the tokens in your Release Zone.

Colonize the Arctic Board (see p.22) — Fauna tokens in your Release Zone can be placed on the central board and let you make Connections to earn those precious Biodiversity Points.

• Example: Placing a token here would earn you 3 Biodiversity Points from Connections! 2 Biodiversity Points for the first and 1 Biodiversity Point for the second. The perfect spot!

Use your animals' Abilities (see p.21) — Some animals have the Ability to earn you a lot of Biodiversity Points.

• Example: You have already played 3 land mammals. If you use your mosquito's ability, that's 6 Biodiversity Points each time you use it! The perfect card!

Win Majorities (see p.14) — At the end of each Round, two regions let players score majority points – so aim to hold the majority in as many regions as possible at the end of each Round!

• Example: If you don't place 2 or 3 tokens here before the end of the Round, you'll be handing precious Biodiversity Points to the player playing black. Get in there before it's too late!

Save your animals on the Arctic Circle (see p.19) — Your Fauna tokens on the Arctic Circle can migrate around the circle. When they reach tile 6, you earn 3 Biodiversity Points and they return to your board, to be available again.

• Example: By migrating twice along the circle with your leader token, you'll get 1 card, and then reach tile number 6. That's 3 Biodiversity Points in the bag! Then return home!

Setup

General Setup

1. Place the Action Board in the center of the table.
2. For your first games, assemble Face A of the Arctic Board (the side with the black dots: one dot, two dots, three dots) by fitting its three segments around the Action Board, aligning the images.
3. Create the Arctic Circle: shuffle the 6 Ice Floe tiles and place them, in a random order, on the 6 Arctic Circle sections surrounding the Action board.
4. Create the End of Round deck: stack the End of Round cards for rounds 4, 3, and 2 face down, in that order (Round 4 on the bottom, Round 2 on top). Place the End of Round 1 card face up next to this deck.
5. Shuffle the 3 Double Region tokens and place them face-down in a stack next to the End of Round deck. Flip over the top Double Region token and place it above the End of Round 1 card. Place a Majority token in each of the two regions shown on the flipped Region token (these can be placed on top of the animal icons of those regions).
6. Take the 9 Event tiles and separate them into three stacks based on the icon on their back (Bear, Eagle, Lynx). Shuffle each stack and place them face down at the edge of the Arctic Board.
7. Place all Flora tokens within reach of all players. This forms the general supply.
8. Find the 5 Starting Fauna cards in the Fauna deck (marked with a star in the bottom left corner). Deal 1 card at random to each player. Return any unused Starting Fauna cards to the Fauna deck.
9. Shuffle the Fauna deck to form a draw pile, and place it within reach of all players.
10. Choose a player to be Leader for the first Round, and give them the Leader token.

Individual Setup

Each player chooses a color and sets up their play area as follows:

1. Take a Generation board and assemble it by slotting the top onto the base.
2. Place a Long Generation card to the left of the Generation board, starting side up.
3. Place a Short Generation card to the right of the Generation board, starting side up.
4. Take 30 Fauna tokens of the chosen color (6 from each Fauna group). These form your personal supply.
5. Take 2 Flora tokens from the general supply and place them in the starting Flora spaces of your Long Generation Wheel (see next pages for placement rules).
6. Draw 5 cards from the Fauna card draw pile.
7. Take the Starting Fauna card you received during general setup and resolve the following steps in order: a. Play the card on top of the Short Generation card (right side of the Player board) ensuring that the icons of the Generation card underneath are still shown at the top. b. Resolve the Play banner effects on the Fauna card just played (see Iconography, p.22). For all Starting Fauna cards, one Play effect grants 1 Fauna token (matching the biological group of your Starting Fauna card), which is added to the leftmost space in the Short Generation Wheel (ignore mountain art spaces). This token represents the first young animal emerging in your ecosystem. c. Place 2 additional Fauna tokens (also matching the biological group of their Starting Fauna card) onto Ice Floe tile 6. These represent the first male and female animals in the player's ecosystem.
8. Players place their Biodiversity Point token on the score track around the edge of the board in clockwise order, starting with the first Leader. Starting positions depend on the number of players:
   • 2 players: P1 – 0 BP, P2 – 2 BP
   • 3 players: P1 – 0 BP, P2 – 2 BP, P3 – 5 BP
   • 4 players: P1 – 0 BP, P2 – 2 BP, P3 – 3 BP, P4 – 4 BP

Advanced Setup

If you've played at least once and feel comfortable with the game, you can opt for the advanced setup, in which you get to choose the first Species card to be added to your ecosystem:

Leave the Starting Fauna cards in the Fauna draw pile. Replace steps 6 and 7a of Individual Setup with the following:

6. Draw 8 cards from the Fauna card draw pile.
7. a. Choose 1 Fauna card from these cards to be the first added to your ecosystem. Discard a number of cards from your hand equal to the chosen card's cost, then play it on top of the matching Generation card (see Fauna cards, page 10).

Note: You cannot play any cards with prerequisites at the start. In the rare case all 8 cards have prerequisites, discard your hand and draw 8 more cards.

B-Face Map

Once you've truly mastered the game, you can still refresh the experience by using the reverse side of the Arctic board.

When you assemble the board, you can choose whether or not to flip each region to its reverse side. This opens up new ways to play, as there are 8 different setups.

Each setup is balanced, so feel free to choose any one you like. You can even decide whether to flip the regions at random.

Core Concepts

Generation Board

The myriad of living things that make up the natural world each follow their own unique rhythms. You must learn how to synchronize them to develop your ecosystem.

Wheels

Each player has their own Generation board featuring four interlocking Wheels.

Whenever an action instructs you to activate your Wheels, you must rotate your Activation Wheel (the small Wheel at the top right of your board) clockwise by one "Click." A Click of the Activation Wheel means:

• One third of a full rotation
• Place a finger where the Wheel meets the top edge of your board and rotate it until your finger reaches the right-hand edge

Rotating the Activation Wheel sets the other three Wheels in motion, advancing any individual tokens in them exactly one space closer to being released into the wild (falling through the holes of the Generation board).

• The Automa Wheel, located at the top of the board, is used only in solo mode (see page 28). The first space (sea art) is never used.
• The Activation Wheel, which turns all the Wheels on the board.
• Release Zone for Fauna tokens; Release Zone for Flora tokens.
• The Long Generation Wheel will typically release Individual tokens after a maximum of 5 Clicks.
• The Short Generation Wheel will typically release Individual tokens after a maximum of 3 Clicks. The first two spaces (mountain art) are never used.

Individual Tokens on a Generation Board

Certain actions allow you to add Flora and Fauna tokens to your Generation board, placing them into either the Long or Short Generation Wheel, as indicated by the action.

Golden Rule #1 — You cannot have more than 1 token on the same space.

Golden Rule #2 — If a wheel is full, no tokens can be added to it.

When adding a Fauna token:

• Fauna tokens obtained from cards in the left column are placed on the leftmost empty Fauna space of the blue Long Generation wheel.
• Fauna tokens obtained from cards in the right column are placed on the leftmost available Fauna space of the orange Short Generation wheel.

When adding a Flora token:

• You must always place it in the leftmost empty space of your Long Generation Wheel.
• No Flora token can be placed on the first space of your Long Generation Wheel.

Example: Faustine has just played the White-Beaked Dolphin card (card 142). Playing cards grant instant Play effects, and this one begins with her placing a matching Marine Mammal token onto her Generation board. As this is a Short Generation animal, she must place the token on her right-side Short Generation Wheel. There are already two tokens taking up the two first spaces of the Wheel, so she places the new token on the next (last) available space.

The next Play effect allows her to place two Flora tokens, which must go on the Flora spaces of her Long Generation Wheel. The first space of the Wheel is empty, but Flora cannot go in this space, so she places a Flora in the next available space for Flora (the third spot). Her Wheel is now full, and can't hold any more tokens, so the second Flora can't be placed and is lost.

Released Tokens

When a token falls through a hole in a Generation board, it is released into the wild. Place it in the Release Zone—the two areas at the top left of the board.

You may have any number of tokens there.

Tokens on Wheels cannot be used.

Example: Faustine's next action is turning her Activation Wheel, which turns all the Wheels on her board by one space. This causes a Flora and Marine Mammal token to fall through the holes. She places the Flora token in the Flora section of her Release Zone, and the Marine Mammal in the Fauna section.

Fauna Card Columns

Over the course of the game, you will create 2 columns of Fauna cards, one on either side of your Generation board: Long Generation Fauna on the left and Short Generation Fauna on the right. These columns make up your ecosystem.

Generation Cards

During setup, each player receives 1 Generation card for each of their 2 columns. You begin the game with these cards starting side up. Both Generation cards have ways for you to turn the Wheels on your Generation board, helping them get their Individual tokens into play more quickly.

Generation cards can be upgraded (flipped over) to show more powerful abilities, but only if enough Fauna cards have been played in the corresponding column. See Generation and Fauna cards (page 13) for when a Generation card is upgraded.

Fauna Cards

Your Fauna cards represent the Fauna you've decided to encourage in your ecosystem. Each card provides various information:

1. Generation: each Fauna has its own Generation length indicated by its color (Long or Short). Play Long Generation Fauna to the left of your Generation board and Short Generation Fauna to the right.
2. Cost: the number of cards you must discard from your hand to play this card when taking the Fauna action (in this case, you must discard 3 cards).
3. Prerequisite: Badge(s) you must have on Fauna cards already in your ecosystem in order to play this card (in this case, 5 different Fauna Badges). The majority of Fauna cards have no prerequisite.
4. Play Effect: when you play this card by taking the Fauna action, trigger all the effects in this banner.
5. Badge and Reproduce: Each Fauna card in your ecosystem gives you a Badge from this species. Whenever this Fauna reproduces, add 1 Fauna token of the group shown to the appropriate Wheel. ARCTICA features 5 Fauna groups: Fish, Invertebrates, Birds, Land Mammals, and Marine Mammals.
6. Ability: when you activate a Fauna's Ability, trigger the effects of this banner.
7. Endangered Badge: some Fauna have a special Badge: Endangered.
8. End of Game Biodiversity Points: the victory points you'll score for this Fauna at the end of the game if it's still in your ecosystem (in this case, you would score 6 Biodiversity Points).
9. Name: the Fauna's common and Latin names.
10. Flavor text: you don't need to refer to this text during the game—it's just here to help you learn more about Arctic fauna!

Central Game Board (Action Board, Arctic Board, and Arctic Circle)

The central game board is made up of several different zones:

1. The Action Board: this board has 3 Action Wheels and 6 spaces where you'll place Action markers during your turn as Leader. Each Action space has 2 lines linking it to 2 Action Wheels.

2. The Arctic Board: this board is divided into 3 regions: Bear, Eagle, Lynx. Each of these regions is further divided into 3 sub-regions. Each Arctic region has spaces for Fauna tokens linked to one another by lines, which also show bonuses you may be able to gain (see the Colony action).

   At the end of each round, the player(s) with the majority of tokens on certain regions will score Biodiversity Points.

3. The Arctic Circle: this part of the board is made up of 6 sections, which will be covered by Ice Floe tiles at the start of the game. As the ice floes melt, these tiles will be removed to reveal Melting Ice Floe areas.

Region Tokens, End of Round Cards & Event Tiles

At the end of every Round, the current End of Round card (from the deck created during setup) and the current Double region token (used for Rounds 1-3) together will determine which 2 regions of the Arctic board will be affected by an Event tile at the end of the round: Bear, Eagle, or Lynx.

Example: It's the second round of the game. Joëlle, Rémi, and Samson know that the first End of Round Events will occur in the Eagle region and the Lynx region and they will cover 1 of 3 sub-regions in each.

How to Play

ARCTICA is played over 4 rounds.

Rounds

Each Round consists of 5 Turns, regardless of the number of players. Players take turns in clockwise order, starting with the Leader. Each Leader's turn is resolved in three steps, in this order:

• Move the Action Markers
• Rotate an Action Wheel and resolve actions
• Pass the Leader token to the player on the left

Step 1: Move the Action Markers

There are 5 Action markers in total, including 1 turquoise marker. At the start of each Round, stack all 5 Action markers with the turquoise marker on top.

• On the first turn of the Round, the Leader places the entire stack of 5 markers onto any empty space on the Action Board.
• On each subsequent turn, the new Leader:
  • Takes the entire stack of markers from the previous space
  • Leaves exactly one marker behind on that space
  • Moves the remaining stack (now minus one marker) to any other empty space on the Action Board

The marker left behind indicates that the space is now unavailable for the rest of the Round. This process repeats each turn, with the stack shrinking by one marker each time.

When only the turquoise marker by itself is moved, this is the final turn of the Round. At this point, 5 of the 6 spaces on the Action Board will be occupied.

Example: The Leader token was passed to Rémi, who is now the current active Leader. It is the third turn in this Round, and so two Action spots have already been taken. He takes the stack of Action markers (with the turquoise marker on top) away from the second action space, but leaving the bottom white marker behind. He now has four empty spots to choose from, and chooses the one space where—after turning one of the Action Wheels—will give him the two actions he wants this turn.

Step 2: Rotate an Action Wheel and Resolve Actions

Each Action Board space is connected to exactly two Action Wheels. After placing the Action markers, the Leader must:

• Choose only one of the two Action Wheels connected to the space they moved to
• Rotate that chosen wheel exactly one quarter turn, either clockwise or counterclockwise. (This rotation is mandatory)

The Leader may not rotate any wheel not connected to that space.

After rotating the wheel, the two actions now facing the chosen space (one from each connected wheel) are the available actions for this turn.

• The Leader must take both available actions, resolving one completely before resolving the other. They can be taken in either order.
• All other players may simultaneously take one of the two available actions.

If a player cannot or chooses not to take an action, they instead draw 1 Fauna card.

Important: Once the Leader has turned an Action Wheel, if either of the 2 available actions is the Colony action, players do not take their actions simultaneously. Instead, take all action(s) in clockwise turn order, starting with the current Leader.

Example: After placing the Action marker stack, Rémi then turns the Wheel on the left by one quarter turn clockwise. The available actions this turn are now Flora and Reproduction. Rémi decides to resolve Flora first and Reproduction second. While he takes these actions, Joëlle and Samson each choose 1 of these 2 actions to take simultaneously. Joëlle takes the Flora action and Samson goes for Reproduction. If they had wanted to, they could have opted for the same action.

Step 3: Pass the Leader Token

At the end of a turn, after all players have taken their actions, the player to the left of the Leader receives the Leader token and becomes the new Leader.

After the fifth turn of a Round (when the turquoise Action marker was moved by itself), move on to the END OF THE ROUND.

Example: Joëlle is the new Leader. She takes the stack of Action markers, leaving the marker on the bottom behind in the space chosen by Rémi last turn. None of the players will be able to place the stack of markers in that space until next round.

End of the Round

Check the current End of Round card and follow any of the following steps that may be shown, in the following order:

1. Melting Ice Floes (Rounds 1, 2 & 3)

Fully resolve each step at the beginning of the End of the Round phase:

• Find the lowest numbered Ice Floe tile remaining on the board.
• It melts (remove it from the board, and put it back in the box).
• Any Fauna tokens on the melting Ice Floe tile are discarded and returned to their player's personal supply (not their Release Zone).

Example: At the end of round 3, Ice Floe tile 3 melts. Samson has 2 tokens on this tile, and Joëlle has 1. They are all returned to their players' personal supplies.

2. Majority Scoring

Identify which players have the most Fauna tokens in the regions indicated with the Majority tokens for this Round.

• During Rounds 1, 2 & 3 majorities are checked in two of the three regions, one region at a time, in an order chosen by the players.
• At the end of Round 4, as indicated by the final End of Round card, majorities are checked in all three regions, one region at a time, in the same manner.

For each region being scored:

• Rank players who have at least one Fauna token in that region from most to fewest tokens.
• Award Biodiversity Points to the players in first, second, and third place (if present), using the Biodiversity Point values shown on the current End of Round card. (If there is a fourth place player they receive no Biodiversity Points.)

Ties for Majority:

If two or more players are tied for a place:

a. Combine the Biodiversity Points for the tied place and the next highest place(s) equal to the number of tied players. b. Divide the total Biodiversity Points evenly among the tied players, rounding up. c. Any players below the tie are moved down accordingly and may receive fewer or no Biodiversity Points.

Example: This round, players are checking who has the majority in the Eagle region. Samson has 3 Fauna counters in this region. Joëlle and Rémi each have 2. Samson therefore scores 5 Biodiversity Points. Joëlle and Rémi are tied, so they share the 2 Biodiversity Points for second place and 1 Biodiversity Point for third place, each scoring 2 Biodiversity Points (3 ÷ 2 = 1.5, rounded up to 2).

3. Population Collapse (Rounds 2 & 3)

Check your personal supply. If you have run out of all 6 Fauna tokens for any 1 Fauna group, your ecosystem is imbalanced and the population of that group collapses. Whenever you have a collapsing group, you must resolve the following steps:

• Remove 3 of the collapsing group's tokens of your choice currently in play (on the central game board, in your Release Zone, or even in your Wheels) and return them to your personal supply.
• Add 2 Flora counters to your Long Generation Wheel, following normal placement rules.
• Draw 4 Fauna cards.

Several groups can collapse in the same turn, and the same group can collapse multiple times over the course of a single game. If multiple players plan to remove their tokens from the board, do this in clockwise turn order, starting with whoever was Leader on the last turn of the Round.

Example: Joëlle has no more Bird tokens in her personal supply. This means her Bird population collapses. First, she must return 3 of her Bird tokens to her supply. She decides to take 1 from the Eagle region that has just been checked for a majority. She then takes 1 from the Arctic Circle and, finally, 1 from her Long Generation Wheel. She gains 2 Flora, which she puts in her Long Generation Wheel, then draws 4 Fauna cards.

4. Endangered Species

Fauna with an Endangered Badge are harder to keep in an ecosystem. For a player to keep all of the Endangered Fauna cards they currently have in their ecosystem, they must:

• Pay 1 Flora per Endangered Fauna card
• If you cannot or do not wish to pay the total cost in Flora tokens, you can pay no Flora tokens and instead discard just 1 Endangered Fauna card from your ecosystem. This Fauna is now extinct.

Important: At the end of round 4, you'll have to discard 2 Endangered Fauna cards instead of one.

Move on to END OF THE GAME after the Endangered Species step round 4.

Example: Anton has 3 Endangered cards in his columns of Fauna cards. He only has 2 Flora in his Release Zone and so he can't pay the full price of 3 Flora. He must therefore discard 1 of his 3 cards. He chooses the Bar-tailed godwit (card 1) and puts it into the discard pile. He pays no Flora tokens.

5. Events (Rounds 1, 2 & 3)

Trigger Events in the regions shown on the Double region marker above the current End of Round card. To do this, complete the following steps for each region, in order. Fully resolve each step before moving on to the next.

• Flip over the top Event tiles from the stacks that match the icons on the Double region marker. Find the sub-regions with the same number of dots as on the tiles. The Event tiles will be placed there.
• Before placing an Event tile in its matching sub-region space, certain Fauna tokens may need to flee and escape to the Arctic Circle. Those Fauna tokens are:
  • any tokens in the affected sub-region that is about to be covered by the Event tile.
  • any tokens on spaces in the two adjacent sub-regions (to the Event tile) that have direct Connections with the affected sub-region.
• For each Fauna token you want to help to safety, follow these steps:
  • Discard 1 Flora
  • Move that Fauna token to an Ice Floe tile or Melting Ice Floe area in the Arctic Circle adjacent to the affected sub-region. (If the Event happens in the sub-region that's in the middle of the region, any Fauna tokens on that sub-region may flee to either of the 2 adjacent Ice Floe tiles or areas in the Arctic Circle that allows those animals.)
  • Gain the bonus on the Ice Floe tile or Melting Ice Floe area you moved your Fauna token to.
• Repeat these steps (discard 1 Flora, move a token, gain a bonus) for each Fauna token you are helping to flee.
  • If you cannot or do not wish to pay the required Flora to allow a Fauna token to reach safety, return that token to your personal supply (not your Release Zone).

Important: Birds and Land Mammals cannot move into a Melting Ice Floe area (a section without an Ice Floe tile). If there is no Ice Floe tile for them to flee to, the animal can't be saved and is returned to your personal supply.

Example: This round, the Event occurs in the Eagle region. An Eagle tile is flipped showing 2 dots. It will go in the sub-region in the middle. Joëlle has 3 Fauna tokens in that sub-region. She has 2 Flora, so she can save 2 of 3. She pays 1 Flora and puts her Bird on the section of the Arctic Circle with an Ice Floe tile. She draws 1 card.

Next, she pays her second Flora, places her Fish on the section of the Arctic Circle without an Ice Floe tile, and receives 1 Biodiversity Point. Finally, she returns her Land Mammal to her personal supply, because she doesn't have a third Flora available to save this final Fauna token.

Example: Another Event occurs in the Bear region. A Bear Event tile is flipped showing one dot. It will go in the first sub-region. Samson has two animals being affected from this Event: The Fish in sub-region 1, and the Land Mammal in sub-region 2 (as it has a Connection to sub-region 1). He has plenty of Flora, and so he can save at least the Fish token, which goes in the adjacent section of the Arctic Circle after paying 1 Flora. His Land Mammal in sub-region 2 would normally have a choice of going to either of the two adjacent Arctic Circle spaces. However the Ice Floes that were here have both been melted already. With nowhere for his Land Mammal to go, Samson is forced to discard that token.

Prepare for Next Round:

If this is not the fourth and final Round, prepare for the next Round:

• The new Leader collects the 5 Action markers from the board and re-stacks them, with the turquoise marker on top.
• Flip over the next End of Round Card
• Flip over the next Double Region token, and place it above the revealed End of Round Card (unless it's the 4th round, where no Double Region token is used).
• Put Majority tokens directly onto the regions shown on the Double Region token (or on all three regions if it's the final Round). These are the regions where players will check for a majority next Round. In the final round, all three regions will be checked for majorities.

At the end of the fourth round, after the Endangered Species step, move on to END OF THE GAME.

Example: The second Round has ended, and Anton has become the new Leader. He collects the Action markers and re-stacks them, with turquoise on top. He then flips over a new End of Round Card, as well as a new Double Region token, which he places above it. The Double Region token shows the Eagle and Bear symbols, and so he places a Majority token in each of those regions.

End of the Game

Each player totals the Biodiversity Points they scored over the course of the game's 4 rounds plus the following:

• 1 Biodiversity Point for each token remaining on their Release Zone (Fauna and Flora tokens)
• 1 Biodiversity Point for every 2 tokens remaining on their Wheels (Fauna and Flora tokens)
• the Biodiversity Points on each Fauna card in their ecosystems

The player with the most Biodiversity Points wins the game! In case of a tie, the player with the most Fauna cards in their ecosystem wins. If there's still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Example: It is the end of the fourth Round, after the Endangered species step, and therefore the game has ended! Rémi, Samson and Joëlle now calculate their total BP score:

• The BP scored during the game: Rémi (51), Samson (54) and Joëlle (49)
• 1 Biodiversity Point for every Fauna token remaining on their Generation boards (Wheels and Release Zone): Rémi (2), Samson (8) and Joëlle (3)
• 1 Biodiversity Point for every 2 Flora tokens remaining on their Generation boards (Wheels and Release Zone): Rémi (3), Samson (3) and Joëlle (2)
• The total combined Biodiversity Points from the Fauna cards in their Ecosystem: Rémi (23), Samson (19) and Joëlle (30)

The final score is 79 Biodiversity Points for Rémi, and Samson and Joëlle tying at 84. But as Joëlle had 1 more Fauna in her ecosystem than Samson, she is declared the winner!

Central Game Board Actions

The Action board's Action Wheels and the sub-regions of the Arctic board offer players various possible actions.

Golden Rule #3 — All actions in the game must be performed in order from left to right, to the maximum that you can do them. If an action cannot be performed, move on to the next one.

Fauna

Play a Fauna card from your hand. To play a Fauna card from your hand, resolve the following 4 steps, in order:

1. Play the card into its corresponding Generation column:

   • Long Generation card: Left column
   • Short Generation card: Right column

   Place the card at the front of the column, making sure the banners at the top of any cards underneath remain visible.

2. If the Fauna card has a prerequisite, you must already have the required number of Badges in your ecosystem. If this condition is not met, the Fauna action cannot be taken for that card.

3. Discard a number of cards from your hand equal to the cost of the card you're playing.

4. Resolve the effects of the Play banner on the Fauna card you just played, to the maximum.

Example: Rémi is taking the Fauna action. He decides to play the Sei whale card (card 159). This is a Long Generation Fauna, so he plays it at the front of his Long Generation column. It has a cost of 5, so he discards 5 cards from his hand. Next, he triggers all the effects of its Play banner. First, he places a Marine Mammal token in the leftmost available space in his Long Generation Wheel. Then, he turns his Wheels one time. Finally, he gains 1 Flora token, which he places in his Long Generation Wheel.

Flipping Generation Cards

After resolving a Fauna action, check whether the following condition has been met:

If you have played a certain amount of Fauna cards (see below) into one of your Generation columns, you must flip that column's Generation card (from wherever it is) and move it to the front of that column, placing it on top of the Fauna card just played.

• Long Generation: 4 cards in the column (including the Long Generation card)
• Short Generation: 5 cards in the column (including the Short Generation card)

Note: A flipped Generation card remains flipped for the rest of the game, regardless if Fauna cards are removed at a later point.

Example: Joëlle plays this Fauna card into her Short Generation column. Thanks to its Play effect, she gains 1 Bird token and can make 2 Migrations (see page 18). This card is the fifth in her Short Generation column, so she must now flip her Short Generation card and place it at the front of its column.

Discovery

Discover new Fauna that might be able to gain a foothold in your ecosystem. To do so, draw 2 cards from the Fauna card draw pile.

Golden Rule #4 — There is a hand limit of 10 cards. You may never exceed this limit. If an action would cause you to draw beyond your hand limit, draw only up to your limit instead.

Example: Joëlle is taking the Discovery action. She already has 9 cards in her hand, so she only draws 1 card instead of 2.

Flora

Encourage the flora your ecosystem needs to function. To do so, resolve the following steps:

Take up to 2 Flora tokens from the general supply and add them to the Long Generation Wheel, one at a time, into the leftmost available spaces.

Example: Samson is taking the Flora action. He places his first Flora token in space 3 in his Long Generation Wheel. There are now Flora tokens in spaces 4 and 5, and space 2 already contains a Fauna token, so he can no longer place any Flora for this action.

Wheels x2

Let time do its work.

Rotate the Activation Wheel by two Clicks.

Wheels (plus Migration)

Let the circle of life do its work. Resolve the following steps:

1. Rotate the Activation Wheel by one Click.
2. Make 1 move around the Arctic Circle (following the instructions for Migration, below).

Migration

Make up to 2 moves around the Arctic Circle. The same Fauna token may be moved twice, or 2 different Fauna tokens may each be moved once.

For each single Migration move, resolve the following steps:

1. Choose 1 of your Fauna tokens on the Arctic Circle.
2. Advance that token clockwise. Where it ends its move depends on its biological group:
   • Birds and Land Mammals always advance to the next Ice Floe tile, even if this requires passing over 1 or more Melting Ice Floe areas. This still counts as 1 move.
   • Fish, Invertebrates, and Marine Mammals advance to the next section of the Arctic Circle, whether that section is an Ice Floe tile or a Melting Ice Floe area.
3. Gain the bonus on the tile or area where the token ends its move.

Ice Floe Tile 6 (Special Rules)

Ice Floe tile 6 is unique. When a Fauna token moves onto it, resolve one of the following options:

• Discard 1 card then return your Fauna token currently on Ice Floe tile 6 to your Release Zone and gain 3 Biodiversity Points.
• If you cannot or choose not to discard a card to return your Fauna token, no bonus is gained, and the token remains on Ice Floe tile 6. It may continue moving around the Arctic Circle with future Migration moves.

Example: Rémi is taking the Migration action. He decides to use his first move to advance his Fish token to the next section of the Arctic Circle, and gains 1 card. He makes his second move with his Bird token. The next section of the Arctic Circle is a Melting Ice Floe area, so it can't stop there. He therefore advances it to the next Ice Floe tile. This allows him to activate his Wheels once.

Example: Anton is taking the Migration action too. He advances his two Marine Mammal tokens one space, making both of them reach Ice Floe tile 6. He only has one card left in his hand, so he can only use the tile's bonus action once. He discards his only card, then brings one of the Marine Mammal tokens back to his Release Zone, scoring 3 Biodiversity Points. The other Marine Mammal token remains on Ice Floe tile 6, free to continue migrating on future turns.

Golden Rule #5 — Before using a Fauna card for Ability or Reproduction, place it at the back of it's column.

Ability

Trigger the effects of the Ability banner of 1 of the Fauna cards in your ecosystem. Resolve the following steps:

1. Choose 1 of your 2 columns of Fauna cards.
2. Move the card at the front of that column to the back, ensuring that the banners at the top of all cards remain visible.
3. Trigger the effects of that moved card's Ability banner.
   • Only the card at the front of the chosen column may be moved and activated. No other card in the column may be moved.
   • A Fauna card can be used for Ability even if its full effects cannot be realized (see Golden Rule 3).

Example: Rémi is taking the Ability action. The card at the front of his Long Generation column is his Sei whale card (card 159), while the card at the front of his Short Generation column is his Short Generation card. He can choose to use either one, but he chooses to activate the whale's Ability. He moves this card to the back of his Long Generation column, then triggers all the effects of its Ability banner, playing a Fauna card from his hand with a reduction of 2 cards.

Reproduction (plus Discovery)

Add 1 Fauna token to a Wheel on your Generation board, by resolving the following steps:

1. Choose 1 of your 2 columns of Fauna cards.
2. Move the card at the front of that column to the back, ensuring that the banners at the top of all cards remain visible.
3. Take 1 Fauna token of the group shown with the card's Reproduction symbol from your personal supply and add it to the appropriate Wheel.
   • Only the card at the front of the chosen column may be moved and used to reproduce. No other card in the column may be moved.
   • A Fauna card's Reproduction can be activated to cycle the card, even if it can't reproduce (see Golden Rule 3).
   • Generation cards are not animals, and do not produce a Fauna token for your Wheel. However, you can still activate their Reproduction icon to turn your wheels.
4. In addition, draw 1 Fauna card.

Example: Samson is taking the Reproduction action. The card at the front of his Long Generation column is his Brent goose (card 3), while the card at the front of his Short Generation column is his Short Generation card. While the Generation card can be used with a Reproduction action (causing the Wheels to turn), Samson really wants a new animal token. And so he chooses to reproduce Brent goose. He moves this card to the back of his Long Generation column and activates its Reproduction banner, which shows 1 Bird. He therefore gains 1 Bird token to add to his Long Generation Wheel. He has just enough space in his Wheel: All the spaces except one are full, therefore he can place the token in the last space. Finally, he draws 1 Fauna card.

Colony

Send your available Fauna counters out to colonize the Arctic board. To do so, resolve the following steps:

1. Discard a Flora token.
2. Choose 1 biological group for which you have Fauna tokens in your Release Zone.
3. Move as many Fauna tokens in that group as you like onto the Arctic board. Follow the placement conditions below.

Note: During your own Colony turn, if additional tokens of your chosen animal group become available, you may also place them on the Map.

Important: When this action is available, players do not take actions simultaneously. Instead, actions are taken in clockwise turn order, starting with the current Leader:

• The Leader takes both of the available actions.
• Each other player, in clockwise order, takes 1 of the available actions.

Placement Rules

• You may place Fauna tokens on any region, including multiple different regions.
• Fauna tokens may be placed:
  • On empty spaces that hold only 1 token, or
  • On shared spaces that can hold any number of tokens.
• Each space shows 1, 2 or 3 biological group icons, indicating which groups may be placed there.
• Some spaces provide a bonus when a Fauna token is placed there. If possible, resolve the bonus immediately, then continue the Colony action.
• Some spaces have a cost (Flora tokens or Fauna cards), which must be paid from your Release Zone or hand, respectively, to place a Fauna token there.

Example: Rémi is the Leader this turn. The available actions are Reproduction and Colony. Rémi completes both of these actions. Now it's Joëlle's turn. She doesn't want to do Colony, so she chooses and resolves the Reproduction action. Samson goes next, and opts to do Colony.

Connection: Individual spaces on the Arctic board are linked by lines. A Connection is created when Fauna tokens occupy both spaces at either end of a line.

• As soon as a Connection is made (and after the player has received their space bonus), both players in the Connection that was just established receive the bonus shown on the line.
• Placing a single Fauna token may create multiple Connections at once. When this occurs, players decide together the order in which bonuses are resolved.
• If a player gains multiple bonuses at the same time, they resolve them in the order of their choice.
• If a player placed both Fauna tokens that form a Connection, that player gains the bonus only once.
• Connections may be broken by Event effects or during a Collapse when Fauna tokens are removed. Broken Connections may be recreated later, and their bonuses apply again when this happens.

2-Player Connection Rules — When you create a connection you score 1 Biodiversity Point in addition to gaining any other.

Example: Rémi decides to do Colony with his Invertebrates. He has 2 Invertebrate tokens in his Release Zone, which he can place in any region.

He puts his first Invertebrate token in the Eagle region, creating a connection with 1 of Joëlle's tokens. They both gain the "Draw 3 cards" bonus. He places his second Invertebrate token in the Bear region, creating a connection with 1 of his own Fish tokens. He gains the bonus of 2 Biodiversity Points only once.

Iconography

Each Fauna card is unique. Each has a Play banner and Ability banner. The effects of these banners must be triggered in order, from left to right (see Golden Rule 3).

• Gain X Biodiversity Points.
• Place 1 Fauna token of that type in the corresponding Wheel.
• Rotate your Activation Wheel by one Click.
• Add X Flora tokens to your Long Generation Wheel if there is an available space. This counts as a Flora action (but for X tokens).
• Discard X Flora tokens from your Release Zone.
• Draw X cards from the Fauna card draw pile (up to a hand limit of 10 cards).
• Discard X cards from your hand.
• Make X moves around the Arctic Circle. This counts as a Migration action (but for X moves).
• 5 different Fauna badges.
• If two actions are connected by an arrow, it is mandatory to do the first action before you can do the next actions.
• Play a Fauna card from your hand. Pay its full cost. This counts as a Fauna action.
• Play a Fauna card from your hand. Reduce its cost by X cards. This counts as a Fauna action (but paying X fewer cards).
• Colony action (see p.19).
• Gain X cards per shown Fauna badge that you have in your ecosystem.
• Gain X Biodiversity Points per shown Fauna badge that you have in your ecosystem.
• Return your Fauna token currently on Ice Floe tile 6 to your Release Zone.

The following effects allow Species in your 2 Generation columns to interact with one another. These effects will ALWAYS affect the column on the other side of your Generation board (i.e., the orange icons, which affect your Short Generation column, are on Long Generation cards, and vice versa).

• Trigger the effects of the Ability banner of the card at the front of the opposite column. Reminder: to do so, first move the card to the back of its column, then activate its abilities.

• Trigger the effects of the Reproduction banner of the card at the front of the opposite column. Reminder: to do so, first move the card to the back of its column, then add 1 Fauna token to the appropriate Wheel.

• Move a card to the front of the opposite column from anywhere else in that column.

• Endangered Species: Fauna cards with this Badge are classified as "vulnerable," "endangered," or "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List.

  They have particularly powerful abilities or score a high number of Biodiversity Points.

  However, it will not be an easy task for players who wish to keep them in their ecosystems. At the end of each Round, players must spend 1 Flora token per Endangered card that they have in their ecosystem in order to keep them all. If they cannot or do not wish to pay this full cost, they must discard 1 card with an Endangered Badge. With its last member gone, this Fauna is now extinct...

  Be careful: At the end of round 4, you'll have to discard 2 Endangered Fauna card instead of one.

• Predator: The predator "devours" a Fauna token from another group to multiply its own—discard a Fauna token of another group from your Release Zone and replace it with 2 Fauna tokens of the group the predator belongs to.

Important: Predators cannot devour Fauna tokens of their own group.

Important: If you don't have 2 Fauna tokens of the predator, you cannot devour.

Example: Anton takes the Ability action and decides to use it on his Arctic Grayling. The action in the Ability Banner is to use the Ability of the animal in the opposite column! He places the Arctic Grayling in the back of the Long Generation column and then activates the Ability of his Masked Shrew. That Ability is to activate the Reproduction of the animal in the opposite column! And so he places the Masked Shrew in the back of the Short Generation column and triggers the Reproduction of the Arctic Char, which is now in the front of his Long Generation column. He takes a Fish token from his supply, adding it to the next available space of his Long Generation Wheel, then places the Char's card at the back of that column. Anton caused a chain reaction, cycling through many cards in one turn — allowing his favorite cards to now be on the top of their respective stacks!

Example: It is Joëlle's turn as Leader. She wants to do the Colony action, but she only has one Fish and one Marine Mammal, while other players can place at least two tokens of one animal group, if they also choose the Colony action. Luckily, she can also choose Ability as her other action, and the Beluga Whale (card 141) is in the front of her Short Generation column. She triggers the Whale's "Predator" Ability first, which allows her to "consume" one of the animals in her Release Zone. She can't choose the other Land Mammal, and wouldn't want to anyway. So instead she discards the Fish token, and replaces it with two other Land Mammals from her supply. She now has 3 Land Mammal tokens, and uses them all with the Colony action next!

Teaching Arctica

This section is a placeholder in the pre-release preview PDF — the two "Teaching Arctica" pages carry only the section header and background art, with no body text yet written.

Solo Mode

Solo rules are the same as a 2-player game (including the 1 Biodiversity Point bonus for all Connections), except the second player is an Automa with the following changes:

Setup

1. Set aside all the animal tokens of a different color (these belong to the Automa).
2. Orient the board so that the lines of the Action spaces form a square for you. (The Action Wheels should now be in a diagonal line—it does not matter which direction they are slanted.)
3. The Automa starts at 2 Biodiversity Points on the Biodiversity Points track (as you are first player).
4. Shuffle the 10 Automa Action cards to form a face-down deck.
5. Place the Automa Generation card nearby to begin its single card column (starting side up with the Reproduction logo). All of the Automa's cards will be placed here, regardless if they are long or short generation.
6. Before choosing your own starting animal, reveal the top Fauna card from the deck and place it in the Automa's column, on top of its Generation card.
   • Place 1 matching token (from the set-aside tokens) on the Automa wheel (top Wheel of your Generation board) in the next available leftmost space.
   • Place 1 matching token on the lowest-numbered Ice Floe tile in a region that will be scored at the end of the Round (see Majority token).
7. Now choose and play your starting animal (using Beginning or Advanced rules). You begin the game!

Rounds — Player & Automa Turns

Automa Action Cards

On the Automa's turns, a new Automa Action card will be revealed face-up. Automa Action cards can have the following information:

1. The number determines where the Action marker stack is placed.
2. The arrows indicate which of the two wheels will be turned and in which direction.
3. The card may feature the "no Fauna" icon. Whenever it's your turn as Leader, if you chose to play a Fauna card as one of your two actions, the Automa can never choose this action if that icon is showing on the face-up Action card.
4. A bonus action that the Automa will perform.

Important: Whether you or the Automa are the current Leader, the Automa will always take its actions first.

When You Are Leader

1. Choose your 2 actions as normal.
2. First, the Automa performs one of those actions using this priority order: Colony (if possible) > Fauna > Reproduction > Ability.
3. Then resolve your 2 actions.

Restrictions: The Automa never Migrates, gains Flora, rotates the Activation Wheel, or draws cards. If none of the above priority actions are available, it activates the Ability action instead.

Example: It's your turn. As in a normal game, take all but one of the tokens from the stack, decide where to place them, and then turn one of the two connected Action wheels a quarter turn. The actions you have chosen are Fauna and Reproduction. It is always the Automa's turn to perform one of the two actions before you, so you follow the priority order: Fauna > Reproduction. The Automa will therefore perform the Fauna action. It will then be your turn to perform Fauna and Reproduction, in the order of your choice.

When the Automa Is Leader

On the Automa's turns, reveal its top Action card, then resolve the following in order:

1. Move the Action marker stack clockwise by the number of spaces shown on the card (1–3), skipping any occupied space. If it's the first action selection of the round, begin the movement on the upper-right space.
2. Rotate either the top or bottom Action wheel connected to the Action stack (depending on the center arrow) a quarter turn in the direction following the outer arrows (clockwise or counter-clockwise).
3. The Automa performs one of the two selected actions (using the priority order above).
4. Then resolve any bonus action that may be shown on the card.
5. You then perform one of the two actions.

Example: Next, it is the Automa's turn to be the Leader. You reveal the first Action card. It shows the number 3. So you place the stack of tokens (minus one of them) 3 spaces away from its original position, moving clockwise. This space is connected to 2 Action wheels. Since the arrow on the Action card is pointing down, you will turn the bottom wheel of the two clockwise (the direction the card specifies) a quarter turn.

The Action marker stack is now connected to 2 actions: Migration and Wheels x2. As always, the Automa should perform one of these 2 actions first, but since these 2 actions are not among the 4 actions the Automa can perform (Colony, Fauna, Reproduction, and Ability), it will simply perform Ability. There is a bonus action on the Automa action card: Reproduction. So the Automa will also perform that.

Next, you can now perform one of two actions; you choose Migration.

Automa Token Placement

When an Automa's animal token falls off its wheel (in the back of your Generation board), immediately place it on an Ice Floe tile, following this priority:

1. The lowest-numbered Ice Floe tile in a region where a Majority token is present.
2. If that tile is already occupied by an Automa token, place it on the next highest numbered tile where a Majority token is present.
3. If all Ice Floes are occupied by Automa tokens, place the token on the lowest numbered tile that already contains a token and a Majority token.

Example: After you turn your wheels, an Automa's animal token falls off. Because the Majority tokens this round are the Lynx and Bear regions, the lowest-numbered Ice Floe in these regions is #1. However, there is already an Automa token on this Ice Floe. The next tile in these two regions with the lowest number is tile #3. So you place its token on that tile instead.

Automa Actions

Colony

The Automa uses animal tokens that it has in the Arctic Circle to do the Colony action.

It always chooses its biological group with the most tokens on the Arctic Circle. In case of a tie, it chooses the first group in this priority order: Bird > Marine Mammal > Land Mammal > Invertebrate > Fish.

Place each token of that animal group, one by one, in available spaces (using normal animal group restrictions) in the sub-region connected to the Ice Floe tile where the token is located, following this priority:

• The space furthest to the left (when the Arctic Circle is below) in Subregion 1.
• If Subregion 1 has no available spaces, place the token on the leftmost empty space in Subregion 2. If Subregion 2 has no available spaces, place the token on the leftmost empty space in Subregion 3. If there are no empty spaces in the region in question, leave the token where it is.

Important: Biodiversity Points is the only space / Connection bonus the Automa can gain from placement in these spaces. All other bonuses (or payments) are ignored.

Example: It's the Automa's turn for Colony. There are 2 Birds, 2 Invertebrates and 1 Land Mammal on the Arctic circle. Because Bird > Invertebrate, the Automa will Colony with all its Birds. The first Bird is in the Lynx region so you put that token on the leftmost empty spot on sub-region 2. The Automa ignores the action space bonus (rotating the Activation wheel) but it gains 1 Biodiversity Point for making a Connection in a 2-player game, and the existing Connection bonus of 2 Biodiversity Points, and you gain 2 Biodiversity Points also because it connects with you.

The second Bird is also in the Lynx region but there is no empty spot left for Birds in sub-regions 1 and 2. So you place the Automa's token in the leftmost spot in sub-region 3. The Automa makes no Connection so it earns nothing.

Fauna

1. Reveal the top card of the Fauna deck and add it to the top of the Automa's column (prerequisites for playing are ignored).
2. Place one of the corresponding animal group's token on the Automa wheel, in the next available leftmost white space.
3. If there are no animal tokens left of that group, discard the card and repeat until there's a Fauna with an available animal token.

If the Automa were to take the Fauna action when the "no Fauna" icon is visible on a face-up Action card, it cannot take the action and does the next available action instead.

Important: Unlike regular players, if the Automa needs to add a token to the Automa Wheel but it's full, place that token as if it had just fallen off the Wheel (directly onto the lowest numbered Ice Floe tile in a region with a Majority token).

Example: It's the Automa's turn for Fauna. You take the first card of the deck and put it on top of the Automa's column. It's a Bird card so you place a Bird token in the next available empty white space of the Automa wheel (the second one). You ignore the card's Play effect.

Reproduction

1. Move the card at the front of the Automa's column to the back.
2. Add 1 token corresponding to the animal group from that Fauna card into the next available leftmost space.

Example: It's the Automa's turn for Reproduction. You take the first card of its column and move it to the back of it. It's an invertebrate card so you put an invertebrate token on the leftmost empty white spot of the Automa wheel.

Ability

1. Move the card at the front of the Automa's column to the back.
2. Ignore all icons in the Ability banner of that Fauna's card. The Automa simply gains an amount of Biodiversity Points according to the Difficulty level you're playing instead:

The Automa has 3 difficulty levels:

• Easy: 0 Biodiversity Points
• Normal: 1 Biodiversity Point
• Hard: 2 Biodiversity Points

Example: It's the Automa's turn for Ability, but the first card of its column is the Generation card. You place that Generation card at the back of its column which reveals an invertebrate on top of the column now – you then put an invertebrate token on the leftmost empty white space of the Automa wheel.

Generation Card Note

If Ability or Reproduction is activated on the Automa's Generation Card, the card is moved to the back of the column and the type of activation is the same in either case:

• 2 or 4 Biodiversity Points are gained (depending on which side)
• then a Reproduction activation of the next Fauna card (the card of which is not gets placed in the back).

Whenever 6 cards are in the Automa's column, the Generation card is immediately flipped (upgraded) and placed in the front of the column.

End of Round

• If Automa tokens are on an Ice Floe tile that's about to be melted, immediately Colonize them (see placement rules above).
• The Automa never Collapses.
• If an event affects one or more tokens of the Automa, only one token will be saved for each Event: choose the token farthest to the left and place it back into the Automa wheel in the first available slot. If there are no available slots, no tokens are saved.

Example: The Ice Floe 1 melts. Because there is an Automa animal token on this Ice Floe, you simply do a Colony move with it: put that token on the leftmost empty space on sub-region 1.

One of the Events will then occur in sub-region 1 of the Lynx region. There are two of the Automa's tokens here. The farthest to the left is the Fish, so it will be saved: put this token on the leftmost empty white space of the Automa wheel.

End of Game

1. The Automa gains 1 Biodiversity Point per token on the Arctic Circle or the Automa wheel.
2. The Automa gains all Biodiversity Points shown on Fauna cards in its column.

Events

Oil Platform

The melting ice is opening access to enormous oil reserves, and nearly 600 fields are already being exploited or planned across the Arctic. In Alaska, the massive Willow project moves ahead despite legal challenges from the Iñupiat, whose hunting grounds are under threat. Here lies the paradox: the more the sea ice retreats, the more reachable the oil becomes — which means more extracting, which can accelerate the melt.

Military Bases in Greenland

The Arctic is a powerful geopolitical crossroads, sitting at the intersection of the U.S.A., China, and Russia. Many abandoned military bases (Bluie West) line the coasts of Greenland. Only one remains active: Pituffik. These American bases can be legally reoccupied under security agreements, and given recent statements about annexing Greenland, the landscape for wildlife and plant life could change quickly.

Human Settlement

As the ice retreats, the region grows more populated: villages become towns, and some Russian cities like Norilsk already count tens of thousands of inhabitants, driven by mining and oil. On the Canadian side, Iqaluit has doubled in size within a single generation. But everywhere the same challenge: these cities rest on thawing permafrost, where foundations shift, roads crack, and buildings struggle to stay standing.

Methane Crater

In recent years, the Siberian tundra has been exploding. As it thaws, the frozen ground lets methane build up under pressure in underground pockets, until the lid gives way: a blast hurls earth hundreds of meters away and opens a chasm dozens of meters deep.

Thawing Permafrost

The permafrost — ground frozen for millennia — holds enormous amounts of methane, carbon, and even ancient viruses. When it thaws, it releases these gases, which warm the climate, which melts even more ground. In Siberia, explosion craters open up across the tundra; in Alaska, villages subside and must be abandoned.

Plastic Pollution

No one lives on the sea ice, but plastic accumulates there: up to 12,000 microparticles per liter of ice, carried in by currents and wind from thousands of kilometers away. The algae beneath the ice are saturated with it, and from there it climbs the entire food chain up to the bears. The worst is yet to come: as the ice melts, it releases all that plastic at once into the ocean.

Overfishing

Greenland is warming. One consequence of this is longer fishing seasons. Taking advantage of the melting ice and shifting fish stocks, commercial fleets could eventually come to fish in the unprotected international waters around the North Pole. But unregulated fishing could destroy the ecosystem of this central Arctic Ocean—an expanse comparable in size to the Mediterranean—for which scientific studies are lacking, and where fish stocks could prove too fragile and too vital for the survival of other species.

Storm

Global warming unleashes the two faces of the Arctic storm. On the tundra, blizzards intensify: musk oxen and reindeer huddle with their backs to the wind, buried under snow that hides their food. On the coast, the sea ice no longer walls off the waves, and the open ocean stirs up storms that eat away at the shores. Seabirds, exhausted, wash ashore by the hundreds, while the beaches where seals and walruses once gave birth vanish beneath the waves.

Oil Spill

In 2020, near Norilsk in Siberia, thawing permafrost caused a fuel tank to give way: 21,000 tons of diesel poured into the rivers, staining the water red for dozens of kilometers. In the Arctic, an oil spill is nearly impossible to clean up. No technique can recover oil trapped beneath the ice, where it can stay locked in for over a year.

Credits

Playtesters

Joëlle (our first and most important tester), Philippe Butin, Ben (recettes ludiques), Mathieu Blayo, Adrien Fenouillet, Adrien Fargier, Polgara (and Chett) and Dorothée, the entire team behind the "On joues-tu?" podcast, Fabien and Romain from the game lab, Xavier Taverne, Gautier Althaus, PF Lorente, Fabien Gridel, Quentin Guesnel, Vianney Courtois, Theo, my dear brother, and Karine, Clément, Sabin (the adult), all the testers at the FIJ in Cannes in 2025 and 2026, Faustine Freyermuth, everyone at Gencon 2025, everyone at Essen 2025, Boris from the YouTube channel "Rue du jeu," Manuel Rozoy, Yann, my beloved brother, Baba Yaga, the IELLO team, Yann Palu, Marie and all the BGA playtest team.

Credits

• Game designer: Rémi Mathieu and Sams
• Artists: Christine Aubertin (fauna cards and cover), Emilien Rotival (map, events and generation cards), Léonard Dupond (region artwork)
• Project manager: Rémi Mathieu and Sams
• Graphic designer: Anthony Questel and Denis Hervouet
• Rulebook writer: Rémi Mathieu
• Scientific research: Christine Aubertin and Sams
• Proofreading: Geeky Pen, Sams and Anton Kawasaki
• Mathematical balancing: Thomas Maifret, Rémi Mathieu and Sams
• BGA Implementation: Emmanuel Albisser

NGOs and Associations

Given our understanding of the environmental and political context in the Arctic, we felt it was important to pay tribute to the various individuals and organizations—including scientific institutions, nonprofit groups, and government agencies—that raise awareness and advocate for animal welfare and environmental protection in the Arctic (and sometimes beyond). There are many of them, and they demonstrate a daily commitment to preserving these regions and the creatures that inhabit them. Here is a list of the NGOs and associations we would like to highlight here:

ANPCEN (Protect Night Life), Arctic Council Arthropologia (Protect Insects), ASPAS (Acting for Life and Wildlife), AVES (Protect Wild Animals), BirdLife International (Bloom), Humus Biodiversity Foundation, Enough Is Enough!, CAFF – Conservation of Arctic Flora & Fauna, CAN – Climate Action Network, CANOPÉE CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature, COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada), Ecological Corridors Conservation, Canada Global Forest Coalition, IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), GONORTH (Geosciences in the Arctic), Greenpeace, Gwich'in International Council, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Vincent Munier – Kobalann, La Fresque du Climat, Friends of the Earth, LPO (BirdLife France), OPIE (Office for Insects and the Environment), PAME (Conservation of the Arctic Marine Environment), Saami Council, Sea Shepherd, Seas at Risk (Protecting Europe's Marine Environment), SMAC (Canadian Arctic Weather Service), UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), WWF.

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Ask all your questions about the rules, give your opinion on the game, or share your best score.

Get a front-row seat to the next 'This Way!' project on our Discord channel. The creators share their thoughts and solicit the community on game design aspects.

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