Ardillas del Bosque
Ardillas del Bosque Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
5 game boards, 35 Player tokens and 5 Animal tokens.
Object of the Game
To get the biggest group of identical nuts.
Game Modes
Choose the diurnal squirrels to play a more strategic game, or the nocturnal squirrels if you are a little rascal. Squirrels may be surrounded by all the fauna in the woods, by only one animal (King of the Woods), or by none (Little Squirrels).
Start with the daytime mode and all the fauna, and discover the other game modes later.
Set Up
Take as many game boards as players in the game and place them on the table on their daytime side. Then, create the woods by joining the game boards by the angles with the wild fruits equal to the number of players.
Diagram labels: nest, hiding place, leaf type.
Caption: The woods for 3 players: 3 game boards joined by the angles with 3 blackberries.
Each game board shows a different kind of leaf. Each player draws the 7 Leaf tokens corresponding to their closest game board, shuffles them and places them on their leaf side in front of them to create the player's nest.
Finally, choose the starting player.
Playing the Game
In autumn, the tokens are stacked in the woods (squirrels hide their nuts). In winter, the tokens are placed in the nests (squirrels gather as many nuts as they can).
Autumn
The starting player chooses one of their tokens, looks at it secretly and places it on its leaf side in any hiding places in the woods; other players cannot see what it is under the leaf.
If there is one or more tokens in the chosen hiding place, the player places their token on the top.
Players perform this action, in turns, until all tokens have been stacked in the woods.
Winter
The starting player, and then the other players in turns, draws a token from the top of any hiding places, flips it and places it in their nest. This way, players may check who has drawn a nut… or something worse.
When a player draws a squirrel, they draw the attention of the animal who lives in that game board, and so that animal's action must be performed (see Animals in the Woods).
If you are playing with diurnal animals, these actions will allow you to draw an extra token from the woods. If this extra token is a new squirrel, the new animal's action must be performed. A player's turn doesn't finish until they draw a different token from a squirrel.
Exception: When there are only squirrels left in the woods, a player's turn will be incomplete.
End of the Game
Once all the tokens have been drawn from the woods, each player must eliminate a nut for every poo they have in their nest.
The player with the biggest group of identical nuts is the winner.
Placement: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.
In case of a tie, tied players compare their next biggest group, so on and so forth, even the groups with only one nut. If the tie persists, the tied player who has played the last is the winner.
Nighttime Mode
During the set up, place the game boards on his night side.
In autumn, each player chooses one of their tokens to keep it in their nests; that token is placed on its leaf side in their nest, none else will know what it is.
Then, to place the remaining 6 tokens in the woods, a player may look at all their tokens secretly and place the one they prefer in every turn.
In winter, not a single nocturnal animal will allow you to draw tokens from the woods.
King of the Woods Mode
During the set up, choose an animal to be the king.
Create the woods as always (day or night side) and place the King Animal token in the middle of the woods.
In autumn, follow the rules of the daytime or the nighttime mode, depending on the chosen animal.
In winter, when a squirrel is revealed, the King of the Woods' action is always performed.
End of the game (optional): You may play a tournament to the best of 5 games, one with each diurnal or nocturnal animal. The starting player will be rotating, and the winner of every game will get the King of the Woods token. In case of a tie, the tied player who has been the best in the fifth game is the winner.
Little Squirrels Mode (for players under 6)
During the set up, remove the Squirrel tokens from the game. This way, animals' actions won't be triggered.
The player who gets the most nuts is the winner. And, in case of a tie, all tied players win.
When the little squirrels know how to play this mode, you may introduce the King of the Woods mode and, later, the Daytime mode. The Nighttime mode is only recommended when they have no problem with other players stealing their tokens.
Additional Rules for 2 or 3 Players
The sleepyhead squirrels (hibernator) are extra players but don't play. Add as many as you want, the more the merrier!
During the set up, add an extra game board for every sleepyhead squirrel. Shuffle their tokens and place them on their leaf side in the two hiding places of their boards.
If you play the Nighttime mode, also remove a token from every game board of the sleepyhead squirrels randomly and without looking at them.
In autumn, you cannot place tokens in the game boards of the sleepyhead squirrels. However, in winter, you may draw tokens from all the woods.
Animals in the Woods
Diurnal Animals
Bear: Flip the token pile from any hiding place in the woods. Then, draw the token on the top of that hiding place or of another one, show it and place it in your nest.
Lynx: Choose a hiding place and look at all its tokens secretly. Draw one of them, show it and place it in your nest. Place the rest back in its hiding place in the same order.
Golden Eagle: Draw the token on the top of any hiding place, look at it secretly and place it in your nest without showing it! You must only show it at the end of the game.
Ant: Choose a hiding place; that will be the ant's nest. Look the token on the top secretly and decide a) to show that token, place it in your nest and finish the action, b) or to leave it in any other hiding place in the woods, and repeat the action with the next token in the ant's nest. Repeat this action until you place a token in your nest. If you reach the token at the bottom of the ant's nest, you must draw it.
Lizard: Flip the tokens on the top of 2 hiding places. Then, draw one of them and place it in your nest. If there are tokens in only one hiding place in the woods, divide that token pile in two hiding places before flipping the tokens.
Nocturnal Animals
Wild Boar: Choose a hiding place and look at all its tokens secretly. Rearrange them the way you prefer and place the token pile back in its place, but flipped.
Fox: Draw a token from another player's nest and place it in your nest.
Owl: Remove a token from another player's nest from the game.
Dung Beetle: Move a poo from one nest to another. You don't have to move it to your own nest if you don't want to.
Snake: Defend yourself! Remove one of your nuts from the game. If you don't have any nut to throw it, run away from the woods and leave the game.
Squirrel Advice
Do you have bad memory? Hide your nuts strategically: Place them near you, turn the leaves pointing to the front, follow an order…
Remember! The player with the most nuts is the winner. Draw other player's tokens as soon as you can! If you wait, you will get the worst. And pay attention to other players: If they don't draw their own tokens is because something smells fishy! Don't even touch them!
Look carefully at the flipped tokens. You may guess the colour of the squirrels left. Look at the colour of your leaves in your nest secretly. Now you know which leaves hide the nuts you are looking for.