Ecologies: Bizarre Biomes
Ecologies: Bizarre Biomes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup and Overview
Ecologies: Bizarre Biomes includes 108 cards. There are 77 organism cards, 21 biome cards, and 10 biotic/abiotic factor cards. Players build food webs using their cards, which are worth victory points. The winner is the first person to reach 12 victory points, or the person with the most points after all cards have been drawn and players have completed a round without anyone playing a card. When the main deck is depleted, shuffle the discard pile and turn it over. If both the main deck and discard pile are depleted, players keep playing until more cards are discarded or a round of turns is completed without anyone playing a card. To start, deal each player 7 cards.
Card Types
The four card types are: Biome, Organism, Biotic Factor and Abiotic Factor.
Turns and Gameplay
Turns follow the same pattern: draw 2 → trade → play 2 → purchase. To start, draw 2 cards. Next, trade cards with your opponents if you'd like. There are no restrictions on the number or types of cards to be traded with others, so long as they are unplayed cards in hand and not active cards on the table. After trading is complete, you may play up to 2 cards. Playing any type of card counts as one of the two plays. Finally, before ending a turn, players can purchase 1 new card for every 4 unplayed cards they would like to discard. This option is desirable when a player has many unwanted cards, but is not necessary each turn. A similar purchase can be made by destroying one's own ecology that is no longer wanted. In this case the trade is 3 for 1, rounding down (ex. destroying an ecology with 10 cards would net 3 new cards). This is rarely desirable but still an option.
Turn order: DRAW 2, TRADE, PLAY 2, PURCHASE.
Biome Cards
The first card each player plays will be a biome card. This is because every ecology needs a biome before it can be populated with organisms. Only one biome card is needed per ecology. Multiple biome cards may be played, but each one is the start of its own ecology. Each biome has its own color and abbreviation. Organisms played in a biome must have a matching background color / abbreviation. Some organisms survive in two biomes. Biomes give "healthy ecology bonuses" when players fulfill 5 specific roles in the food web: (P), (C1), (C2), (C3), and (SD). Organisms can switch roles within a biome or move to different biomes during a player's turn, but can only have one role in one biome at a time.
Biomes
- VER: Vernal Pool
- MAN: Mangrove
- RIP: Riparian
- CAV: Cave
- URB: Urban
- CHA: Chaparral
- SWA: Swamp
Organism Cards
Trophic levels are shown in the upper left corner and victory points in the upper right. The background colors and 3-letter abbreviations indicate which biome(s) the organism can survive in. The text box shows what it eats and what it is eaten by. Cards are placed in rows above what they eat, as energy comes from the foundation of the food web and moves up. The only exceptions to this rule are scavenger, decomposer, and detritivore cards (SD), which eat everything but are always placed on the same level as primary consumers (C1) in the food web. Many cards have multiple trophic levels, and can be moved around the food web to function in different roles, as long as each organism has food available to it. The bottom row of cards is for biome cards and producers (P). A biome card must be played first, and a producer card (P) played second.
Together these two cards become the foundation for all other cards above. The second row is reserved for organisms acting as primary consumers (C1) or scavengers/decomposers/detritivores (SD). The third row is reserved for secondary consumers (C2), the fourth row is reserved for tertiary consumers (C3), and any rows above this are reserved for organisms acting as quaternary and above consumers (C4). Cards do not have to be placed directly over what they are eating, just in the correct trophic level row. Also, multiple types of animals can feed off one type of prey animal. For example, the (C1) leaf beetle card can support multiple (C2) organisms above, as the one card represents a large population of beetles being eaten by multiple predators.
Biotic/Abiotic Factor Cards
Powerful biotic and abiotic factor cards are mixed into the deck. Some give victory points. Others hurt your opponents' ecologies or help your own. Biotic factors are derived from the living parts of an ecosystem and abiotic factors come from the non-living parts. These 10 cards have a huge impact on the game so play them at the right moment! For example, there is a card that forces everyone to discard certain cards. This is best used when opponents have large hands but the player has a small hand. Some cards are added to ecologies. Some are permanent player buffs placed on the table. One-off action cards are discarded after use but can come back when the discard pile is recycled later in the game.
Food Webs
Food webs, and their interactions with the environment, are what make ecologies. They are dynamic relationships that often change. Non-producer organisms may be moved around and between food webs during a player's turn, but producers (P) cannot leave the web they are placed in. For example, a crayfish can act as a scavenger (SD) on the second row, but move later to the fourth row to act as a tertiary consumer (C3). Organisms only fulfill one role at a time. The only time players can move organisms outside of their turn is when opponents destroy a card or alter their ecologies. If a web is disturbed in this way, the player may attempt to reorder the remaining cards in a way that works.
If there are cards without a food source however, they must be discarded. For example, if a web was based on one producer (P) and that card is destroyed, all cards above it must be discarded unless they can move to a viable biome. This is a good reason to have multiple producers, or otherwise protect ecologies. There are no "decaying biomass" cards. (SD) cards use all organisms as potential food. If an organism is eating an (SD) card, it is acting as a (C2), because (SD) cards are always placed on the (C1) row.
Healthy Ecology Bonuses
Bonuses are listed on biome cards and activated when an ecology has at least one card acting in each of the following 5 roles: (P), (C1), (C2), (C3), and (SD).
Many cards can move around to different roles in different trophic levels, but they cannot fulfill multiple roles at the same time. This means a player will need at least 5 cards in the biome to activate the bonus. Note that quaternary consumers (C4) are not necessary for a biome to be healthy. Bonuses are only active when an ecology is healthy and disappear if the ecology is no longer healthy. A healthy chaparral ecology lets a player force a trade every other turn, meaning they give a card of their choice to an opponent and take back a random card. A healthy urban ecology allows a player to choose whether to draw from the main deck or discard pile each time they draw a card. The mangrove biome gives +1 victory points for each active C4 organism you control, no matter which biome it is in. A healthy riparian ecology lets players play producer cards whenever they want (even outside their turn) without it counting as one of their plays. See other biome cards for their bonuses. Bonuses can stack (a player with 2 healthy vernal pool ecologies can force an opponent to discard a random card each turn).
Healthy ecologies include one biome card and at least one organism for each of the following roles:
- PRODUCER (P)
- PRIMARY CONSUMER (C1)
- SECONDARY CONSUMER (C2)
- TERTIARY CONSUMER (C3)
- SCAVENGER/DECOMPOSER (SD)
* Quaternary consumer (C4) not necessary
Single Player Game
Start with 7 cards. Turns follow this pattern: draw 4 → discard 3 → play 2 → purchase. Draw 4 cards to start each turn. Next, discard any 3 cards. Then play up to 2 cards and purchase new cards if you wish before ending the turn. Keep playing until the deck runs out. Don't recycle the discard pile. Play any remaining cards in hand. Total your final points and keep records of your high scores. Note: multiplayer effects or ones that confer unfair advantages in the single player game (such as the urban biome ability to draw from the discard pile) can't be used. These cards should be among those you discard or use to purchase new cards (4:1 ratio for cards in hand, 3:1 when destroying ecologies).
Simplified Game
Younger players and adults wanting a streamlined version can play the simplified game. In this version, there are no fractional points. Each organism is worth 1 victory point. The winner is the first person to reach 12 victory points. If the deck is depleted before anyone achieves 12 victory points, the player with the most points wins the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do chipmunks really eat birds and lizards?
Yes, it's strange for most people to realize, but the diet of most animals is wider than you think. Many creatures commonly thought of as herbivores are actually omnivores, and will eat just about anything they can to survive. Remember that when cards list what eats what they don't explain how often that food is taken or in what life stage. For example, dragonfly larvae eat toad tadpoles, but adult toads eat dragonflies. Ospreys are famously focused on catching fish, but will eat many other types of animals when given the chance, or during periods of extreme hunger. Cards list only the other cards in the biome that are possible prey.
What does it mean to be targeted?
When opponents single out another player, it is known as "targeting." Some actions are towards all players, or certain players at random, but when one player chooses another player, or their cards, that player has been "targeted."
What does "every other turn" mean?
Many bonuses are used "every other turn." These can be used the first turn they are activated, or players can wait to start using the ability in a future round. Note: Players cannot use the ability each turn by making the ecology unhealthy and then healthy again. The only possible way to use these abilities back to back is to stack multiple healthy ecology bonuses.
Can "nitrogen-fixing bacteria" still allow a player to draw cards if it is placed on an opponent's ecology?
Yes, it doesn't matter where the card is placed, if that food web receives a new card, the person who placed it there draws a card.
Can "invasive species" card be used on any card that lists a "C2" or above trophic level?
No, it matters what trophic level the organism is currently feeding at. If the card is currently acting as a C1 you cannot destroy it simply because it has the ability to occupy a higher level. Note: opponents can't move cards outside of their turn to avoid being targeting.
Example Food Webs
Two illustrated example food webs are shown. In the second, a note reads: the newt is feeding on leaf beetles, not foxes. Cards do not have to be directly over what they eat. The fox is currently acting as a scavenger.
Questions and Comments
There are multiple expansions/sequels planned for the future. They will introduce new biomes, factor cards, organisms, and healthy ecology bonuses. Players will be able to play them as stand-alone games or combine new and old decks for novel interactions, choosing which cards to include or exclude.
The rules written here are guidelines. Players should also have a say in how a game is played. If you find that altering the game in any way helps your family or friends enjoy the cards more, please do so!