ECO: Coral Reef
ECO: Coral Reef Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 40 Picture tiles
- 1 Scoring board
- 20 Mission tiles
- 1 Start player marker
- 8 Gems
- 4 Turtles
Picture Tiles
The picture tiles are used by the players to create a shared game board, the coral reef.
There are 5 types of picture tiles, which differ in the number of marine creatures: tiles with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 marine creatures. Each type consists of 8 picture tiles. Although each type shows the same creatures, the loner tiles (1 creature) are unique.
Mission Tiles
Mission tiles are challenges that the players can fulfil with the help of picture tiles by creating the required layout. Each mission tile shows a picture tile type and a layout.
There are 4 types of mission tiles, which differ in the number of marine creatures: tiles with 2, 3, 4 or 5 marine creatures. Each type consists of 5 mission tiles. Although each type shows the same creatures, each has a different layout.
There are 5 different kinds of layouts (see illustration; the illustration is labelled by number of marine creatures: 5, 4, 3 and 2).
Setup
- Place 1 random tile with a loner creature in the middle of the playing area.
- Shuffle the mission tiles and the picture tiles face down and stack them as separate decks.
- Reveal 2 mission tiles and 3 picture tiles next to the decks to form the tile display. Each deck can be divided into smaller decks as needed.
- Place the scoring board next to the tile stacks. Each player chooses a turtle and places it on the starting space of the scoring board. Place gems in the same colour as the turtle on spaces 10 and 20, one for each space.
- Each player takes 2 picture tiles and places them face up in front of them.
- The player who most recently visited the ocean becomes start player.
Example of a 3-player setup: the illustration shows the central loner tile, the two decks of mission tiles and picture tiles with their displays, the scoring board with gems, each player's 2 picture tiles in front of them, and the start player marked.
The Game Board
The game board is created by laying picture tiles on the playing surface and is shared by all players.
- Each new tile must be adjacent to one or more previously placed tiles.
- Each tile can be rotated before it is placed.
- No changes can be made once a tile has been placed.
- Building over existing tiles is not allowed.
Turtles & Gems
A player's turtle serves as a marker on the scoring board. Each time a player gains points by placing a tile, their turtle advances accordingly.
Survival: Whenever a player's turtle reaches or passes a gem (on spaces 10 or 20), it receives the gem of its colour.
Browsing: On their turn, a player may pay (discard) a gem to add 2 new picture tiles or 2 new mission tiles to the tiles already in the display.
Attention! Using gems is a free action and can be done at any time during the turn and more than once.
Each player has 1 turtle and 2 gems of the same colour.
Game Flow
Beginning with the start player, the game is played clockwise, with each player taking 3 actions in turn.
Each action consists of one of the following options:
- Either you take 1 picture tile or 1 mission tile into your possession (from the tile decks or from the display),
- Or you place one of your picture tiles on the game board.
The start player receives an additional action only in their first turn.
Attention! A player who takes 1 tile from the display does not draw a new one to replace it.
At the beginning of each player's turn, new tiles must be revealed to refill the display: 3 picture tiles and 2 mission tiles. If the required number of tiles or more is already displayed, no new ones are revealed.
At the end of a player's turn they may only keep 5 picture tiles and 5 mission tiles; all excess tiles are discarded.
In general: all players' tiles are visible to everyone at all times.
If at the beginning of a player's turn all picture tiles in the display are of the same type, they may (once per turn) put one tile back into the middle of the stack and 1 under the stack, and reveal 2 new tiles instead. In the rare case that the tiles of a certain type run out, the game continues as usual.
Time
Friendly game (recommended): The players take turns without a time limit.
Competitive game: It is mandatory to limit the turns of all players to 15 minutes. You can download a timer application (installation at the user's own risk) for Android or iPhone. You can decide that any player whose time has run out automatically loses the game, or that they lose a point for each additional minute (or part thereof).
Mission Scoring
Each collected mission tile can be used in the same round or later.
A player completes one or more missions when the picture tiles on the game board take 1 of the following 3 forms during their turn:
- A. Settlement (Besiedelung) - Complete the mission with the required layout using picture tiles of the same type.
- B. Coexistence (Koexistenz) - Complete the mission with the required layout using picture tiles of different types.
- C. Migration (Wanderung) - Complete the mission in a rectangular-square layout using picture tiles of the same type.
Rectangular-square layout: has 4 tiles in its corners that form the outline, provided that none of the tiles is adjacent to another.
The mission tile shows the required picture tile type and the required picture tile layout.
Note! By placing one picture tile, more than one mission can be completed. Picture tiles can be shared by different layouts, but they cannot score more than 1 mission tile per layout.
Completing missions in each of the 3 variants earns the player 7 points.
Completed mission tiles are placed next to the game board.
- Mission tiles that are completed in the forms Settlement/Migration (A, C) are placed face down.
- Tiles fulfilled through Coexistence (B) are placed in the same area but picture side up.
Missions in the form of Coexistence are shared by all players, but can be fulfilled only once for each layout (there are 5 possible layouts).
Note: Each mission layout can be completed vertically, horizontally or mirrored.
Reminder! Completing a mission is a free action and can only be carried out if the required mission tile is in the player's possession.
A player can only complete a mission if they place a corresponding picture tile on their turn.
If all spaces of a mission are already present on the game board, the mission cannot be completed.
Diversity (Vielfalt): A "Loner" tile can be used as a wild tile to complete one or more missions of any form.
You can use several "Loners" in one mission, but each Loner reduces its score by -3 points.
Coral Scoring
On the picture tiles, 4 different coral segments are shown, one in each corner.
- Living coral type A
- Living coral type B
- Living coral type C
- Living coral type D
- Living coral type E "Joker" (wild)
- Dead coral type F
Population - Matching Corners
The player receives 1 point when they join corals of the same type (living/dead) in adjacent corners (max. 1 point per corner).
If a corner of the Joker matches any living coral, and vice versa, the player receives 1 point.
A Joker can be used with 3 identical living corals for coral completion, which earns the player 1 point (instead of 3). Only 1 Joker may be used.
Stability - Coral Completion
By completing all 4 corners of the same living coral type, you receive 3 points for completing the coral (in addition to the population value).
Disturbance
Although matching the corners of a dead coral earns 1 point, you receive no points if you complete a dead coral or if you join the corners of a dead coral with a Joker.
Examples in the rulebook: one illustration shows scoring 1 point for a matching corner pair (others 0); another shows scoring 3 points for completing a coral; another shows scoring 5 points (matching corners worth +1 each and +3 for completion).
Example Turn
First action: Dan takes 1 mission tile (A) from the display.
Second action: Dan places one of his picture tiles (B) on the game board and receives the following points:
- 1 point for matching corners between a Joker and a green coral.
- 1 point for matching corners between 1 Joker and 1 yellow coral.
- Zero points for matching corners with a dead coral.
- 1 additional point for coral completion with 1 Joker: a total of 3 points.
Third action: Dan places one of his picture tiles (C) and receives the following points:
- 1 point for matching corners between two blue corals.
- 1 point for matching green coral corners (max. 1 point).
- Zero points for matching blue and yellow corners.
- 3 additional points for completing the green coral: a total of 5 points.
During this action Dan can complete a mission tile (A). He receives only 4 points, because he used a Loner (D) to complete the mission. Dan places mission tile A face up next to the playing area to show that this layout can no longer be used in the Coexistence form.
Dan moves his turtle across the scoring board at the end of each action: 3, 5 and 4 steps (12 points in total).
End of the Game
The game ends when one of the players reaches or exceeds the target: 40 points for a 2-player game; 37 points for a 3-player game; 34 points for a 4-player game.
At that moment the player finishes the actions of their turn. The current round is played to the end. If this player is the last player of the round, the game ends after their turn.
At the end of the game each player receives additional points:
- Survival: +1 point for each gem they own.
- Competition: -2 points for each mission not completed.
Ecological Inspiration
(Not required for the game)
- Ecosystem: An independent, self-sustaining organic environment.
- Settlement: Organisms of the same family settling in new places.
- Coexistence: A habitat that promotes biodiversity.
- Migration: Relocation of species to a new environment.
- Community: The interaction and relationship of species sharing a habitat.
- Struggle: Competition for resources between different species.
- Diversity: Variety and abundance that contribute to symbiosis and development.
- Disturbance: Environmental changes that bring about ecological renewal.
- Competition: Rivalry between species for limited resources.
- Stability: Persistence of species in the face of disturbances.
- Adaptation: Adaptations of organisms to environmental changes.
- Species growth: Spread and growth of successful species.
- Loner: Spend most of their time alone.
Results Overview
| Points | For |
|---|---|
| 1 | Matching identical (living/dead) coral corners. |
| 1 | Matching between a Joker coral and any living coral corner. |
| 3 | Coral completion (Stability) of all living corals of the same kind. |
| 1 | Coral completion (Stability) of a living coral with 1 Joker. |
| 7 | Completing a mission (without using a Loner). |
| -3 | For each use of a Loner in a mission. |
| 1 | At game end: for each gem of a player (Survival). |
| -2 | At game end: for each mission not completed (Competition). |