Ecosfera
Ecosfera Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 25 Animal Kingdom Cards
- 60 Element Cards (earth, water, time, sun and air)
- 30 Plant & Fungi Kingdom Cards
- 50 Disaster Cards
- 7 Biome Tiles (Taiga, Temperate Forest, Desert, Savanna, Tropical, Aquatic and Tundra)
- 7 Extinction Tiles
- 12 Ability Tiles
Each card from the plant/fungi kingdom has symbols at the bottom. These symbols represent the elements required by that plant or fungus. The symbols at the top of the card represent the different biomes where the plant or fungus lives.
The animal cards only have biome symbols at the bottom that show where the animal lives.
Some cards also contain ability symbols or the mushroom symbol. How these work is explained under Ability Tiles and the mushroom-card note below.
Setting Up the Game
Start by placing the deck of animal kingdom cards, face down, on one side of the playing space. Below these, place the deck of plant and fungi kingdom cards face down. Place four cards from each of these decks next to them, face up.
Place the five decks of element cards, one next to the other, below the plant and fungi cards.
The game has five levels of difficulty. Place a number of element cards according to the difficulty level decided to play. From 2 to 4 players, the game must start with one of the following number of cards of each element: 8, 7, 6, 5 or 4, plus one card of each element for each player. Solo version starts with 12, 11, 10, 9 or 8 cards of each element (the easiest level is the one that starts with the most cards of each element).
Place the deck of catastrophe cards, the deck of seven tiles representing different biomes and the deck of seven extinction tiles on one side.
Each player receives three ability tiles, one of each, one card of each element (from the display deck) and two catastrophe cards.
The players place the three ability tiles in front of them. Each player shuffles their cards and places the deck on the right side of the ability tiles, face down. Next, each player will take the top four cards from their deck and place them on the right side of the deck one next to the other, horizontally (this will be your line of cards).
Goal
You win all together if you manage to collect the 7 biome tiles. You lose if you get all seven extinction tiles (see Achievements and Scoring for the different achievements and scoring system).
Let's Start!
The player who most recently planted a plant will start the game.
You look at the four cards from the plant/fungi kingdom to see what elements each of them requires. If you have the elements on your line that any of the plant/fungi cards require, you may use these elements to take the plant/fungi card and place it onto your line of cards.
Each card from your line of cards can only be used once per turn. Every time you use cards to achieve a new card, move the used cards about five centimeters apart from the rest of your line of cards so that it is clear that these cards have already been used.
It doesn't count as a used card when you only use its ability symbols. Then you don't have to move them (see Ability Tiles).
Acquired cards do not count as used cards (until you use them to pick up another card or achieve a biome tile), so you will place them on your line of cards without being advanced.
If you are missing one single element that a plant/fungi card requires, you can take that element from the element deck, place it on your card line and use it to get the plant/fungi card. This is the only way to achieve more elements.
In the same turn it might be possible to do various actions, to get more than one element to gain more than one card.
If on your turn, you get two plant/fungi cards on your line which have at least one biome in common, you have the possibility to achieve an animal card as long as there is an animal card on the playing space with at least one of these biomes. Even if the two plant cards have more than one biome in common, you can only take one animal per turn with those two cards.
If on your turn, you manage to have two animal cards that share a biome on your card line, you all win as many biome tiles as the biomes that the two animals have in common.
Also, every time you have two animals that share a biome, you will be able to reactivate one of the ability tiles that you have previously used.
The biome tiles will be placed at top of the playing space in a star-shaped puzzle.
If on your turn, you cannot achieve any cards or place a biome tile, you will get a disaster card onto your card line and your turn is over.
If on your turn, you get three cards of the same element, you will get a disaster card onto your card line and your turn is over.
If on your turn, you get three disaster cards on your line, your turn is over and all together get an extinction tile, even if the third disaster card is the one you get after not being able to achieve any cards or biomes. The extinction tiles will be placed in a puzzle next to the biome tiles. If 4 disasters appear when you open the cards, you will receive 3 extinction tiles on your turn.
Some of the cards from the plant/fungi kingdom and the animal kingdom also contain ability symbols and you can use them once, when they appear on your card line. These abilities are independent of using the same card to acquire other cards or biomes, so after using the ability you can still use the card to acquire more cards or biomes and vice versa too.
If you have more than one card with extra abilities on your turn, you can use all of them, but if the same card has more than one extra ability, you must choose which ability to use.
Some tree cards have a mushroom symbol. If on your turn you get a tree with that symbol together with a mushroom card, these will mycorize and you will directly get the biome tiles that these two cards have in common. If you already had the tiles of the biomes that they have in common, you can use the cards like the rest of the plant cards, obtaining an animal instead of the tiles.
Ability Tiles
Each player has three ability tiles that can only be used on your turn. Every time you use an ability tile, you place it face down, thus being deactivated. Every time you have two animals on your line that share a biome, you will be able to reactivate one of your ability tiles by placing it face up again (this is the only way to reactivate them).
- Plus — allows you to take an extra card from your deck onto your card line.
- Refresh — allows you to refresh the four plant and fungi cards or the four animal cards, placing them under the corresponding deck and replacing them with four new cards.
- Movement — allows you to give a card from your card line to another player's card line, or recycle a card from your card line to the corresponding supply deck, as long as it is not a disaster card and you have not used the card already on your turn.
Once you have finished your turn, you collect the cards on your line and put them together in a deck, face down, on your right side (discard pile). Before it's the next player's turn, you open four new cards from the deck on your left. These are the cards you will play on your next turn. If the left deck runs out of cards, you shuffle the cards from the right deck, place the deck to the left, and place four cards in front of you.
Hopefully we will rewild the world together!
Achievements and Scoring
Depending on the degree of difficulty that you choose at the beginning of the game, you will directly obtain the following points:
(These are the number of ability cards in the supply deck at the beginning of the game, not counting the ability cards in each player's starting deck.)
- Starting with 8 cards of each element (Solo - 11 cards): 10 pts.
- Starting with 7 cards of each element (Solo - 10 cards): 20 pts.
- Starting with 6 cards of each element (Solo - 9 cards): 30 pts.
- Starting with 5 cards of each element (Solo - 8 cards): 40 pts.
- Starting with 4 cards of each element (Solo - 7 cards): 30 pts.
At the end of the game, regardless of whether you have won or lost, you will count the points obtained according to the following values:
- Each biome tile placed: 50 pts.
- All 7 biome tiles placed: 350 extra pts.
- Each unplaced extinction tile: 20 pts.
- Each element card in the supply deck: 1 pt.
Eco-Warriors
Become a true eco-warrior by completing one or more of these game challenges!
- The 0 Waste Master — Win the game without reactivating any ability tiles: 20 pts.
- The Anónymous — Win the solo game: 20 pts.
- The Monk (Playing more than one) — Win the game without speaking at any time: 40 pts.
- The Extinction Rebel — Win the game by starting with only one extinction tile left unplaced. Just one life and there is no planet B: 100 pts.
Playing more than one, all players must complete the challenges and the points are counted for the whole group, not individually.
Solitaire Version
The solitaire version follows the same mechanics with only one difference. Every time we use the movement ability, instead of being able to pass it to another player, you place the card that you want to move on top of your deck of cards on the left, facing up. On the next turn you have that card as an extra card on your line of cards.
Rules Summary
- You win all together if you get the seven biome tiles and you lose the game by getting all seven extinction tiles.
- To start, each player will have three ability tiles (one of each) and a deck of cards made up of one card of each element and two disaster cards.
- Each player will place the deck face down to their left and open four cards face up to their right. Every time, before the end of your turn, you will discard your line of cards into a discard pile further to the right and place four new cards for the next turn.
- By using the correct combination of element cards on your line, you will get cards from the plant and fungi kingdom.
- Every time you are missing one single element, on your line, to get a card from the plant or fungi kingdom, you can take that element from the corresponding deck onto your line and get the plant or fungi kingdom card.
- Having on your line two cards from the plant or fungi kingdom that have at least one biome in common, you can get an animal that has the same biome in common.
- With two animal cards on your line that have at least one biome in common, you achieve all the biome tiles they have in common.
- Every time you have two animals on your line that have at least one biome in common, you can also reactivate an ability tile (only the player who plays the turn).
- You can use the cards you get on your turn on that same turn, both to get new cards and by using their abilities.
- If you can't acquire a card or place a biome tile on your turn, you'll have to take a disaster card but if you have extra abilities, you can use them before that.
- Reactivating abilities or using the abilities does not prevent you from having to take a disaster card unless due to the consequence of their action you can avoid it.
- If you get three cards of the same element on your line during your turn, you will have to take a disaster card and your turn is over.
- Each time you get three disaster cards, your turn automatically ends and you get an extinction tile. If you get four disaster cards your turn automatically ends and you get three extinction tiles.
- By combining a mushroom card with a card with the symbol of a mushroom, you will get the biome tiles that they have in common directly without going through the animals. If you already have the biome tiles that they have in common, you are able to get an animal.
- Every time you achieve a card from the animal or plant supply line, you have to place a new card in the remaining space on the supply line.
- Even if you've used a card already, you can't remove it from your card line to the discard pile until the end of your turn, just before placing four new cards.
- Every time your deck runs out of cards, you will shuffle the discard deck and place it as a new supply deck.
- All actions can only be performed when it is your turn. Outside of your turn you can only receive cards onto your line that other players pass to you using their extra abilities.