Farms Race Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • Components
• Starting the Game
  • For More Maps
• How to Win
• Controlling Regions
• Taking a Turn
• Phase 1: Preparation
• Building
  • There are four things you can build:
• Phase 2: Actions
  • Attacking Humans
• Combat
  • 1. Dealing Damage
  • 2. Retreating or Continuing Combat
  • Clarification
  • Example of Attacking Humans
• Victory Points for Conquest
  • Example of Attacking Players
• Destroying Buildings
• Turmoil
• Phase 3: Resources
  • Example of a Resources Phase
• Phase 4: Discard
• Trading
• Starting the Game: A Common Mistake
• Variants
  • Easy Mode
  • No Mutations
  • Open Trading
  • Stealing
• Example Turn
• Maps
  • Suggestions for Making Your Own Maps
• 2-Player Rules
  • Scenarios 1 & 2
  • Scenario 3
• Glossary: Mutations
• Glossary: Spies
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Quick Reference Guide
  • Setup
  • Starting the Game
  • Turn Order
  • Building
  • Trading
  • Combat
  • Victory Points (VP)
  • What You'll Probably Forget

Setup

1. Each player is the Supreme Leader of a species of farm animals: cows, sheep, pigs, or chickens. Each player chooses a species to play, takes the Reference Card and pieces for that species, and places them in front of themselves.
2. The landscape of Farms Race is a map of the countryside formed by hexagonal regions of different environments. For your first game, set up the regions as shown to form the map on which you'll be playing.
3. The countryside is home to unsuspecting humans which you'll have to kill off in order to expand your territory. These human workers are represented by tokens and range in combat strength from one to three, which is explained in more detail in Attacking Humans. After you've set up your map, place a random Human Worker Token face down in every region of the map except for the indicated starting regions, bordered in red, making sure that the number on the token is hidden and unknown.
4. Place the following near the map within easy reach of all players as shown: the Spy Cards (shuffled), the Combat Dice, the Resource Dice, the Nukiest Award, the Tokens, and the Resource Cards.

Components

• A. 25 regions, 5 of each type
• B. 100 Resource Cards, 20 of each type
• C. 4 Reference Cards, one per species
• D. 48 herds, 12 per species
• E. 12 Barns, 3 per species
• F. 8 Armories, 2 per species
• G. 11 Mutation Cards
• H. 24 Spy Cards
• I. 1 Nukiest Award
• J. 28 Human Worker Tokens
• K. 16 Nuke Tokens
• L. 16 Victory Point Tokens
• M. 8 Turmoil Tokens
• N. 2 Resource Dice
• O. 8 Combat Dice
• Not pictured: P. Rulebook

Starting the Game

5. Randomly decide who will go first by whatever means you choose.

6. Deal 2 random Mutations to each player. Mutations provide a special ability for players throughout the game.

7. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player does both of the following:

   • Chooses and reveals one of their two Mutations, discarding the other. If players have questions about how their Mutations work, refer to the Glossary at the end of the rulebook.
   • Chooses one of the available starting regions as indicated in red in the map, and places a Barn and 2 herds in their starting region. Make sure that the herds start the game at 2 Health Points (HP). Players do not need to choose the starting region closest to where they're sitting.

8. Finally, to make up for taking their turns later, the 3rd and 4th players start respectively with one and two resources of their choice. In a 3-player game, the 3rd player still receives one resource of their choice.

   Strategy Tip: Choose a resource you need but are not close to. Resources correspond with regions.

9. The first player then takes their turn, and play proceeds clockwise from that player in the order in which they are seated. (Please note that there may be a difference between where a player is sitting and where the player's herds start on the board. Play order is determined by where they are sitting, not by their chosen start location.)

For More Maps

There are additional maps at the end of the rulebook for future games. We recommend not randomizing your maps in Farms Race.

How to Win

Farms Race is a free-for-all among mutated farm animals for control of the countryside, represented by accumulating Victory Points (VP). The first player to reach 10 VP is the "most equal" and immediately wins the game. There are 5 ways to get VP:

1. Barns, worth 1 VP each
2. Armories, worth 2 VP each (must be upgraded from Barns)
3. Conquering an opponent's region, so long as it's not in Turmoil, worth 1 VP each
4. Purchasing the most Nukes to become the Nukiest, worth 1 VP
5. Obtaining one or more of the four Spy Cards worth 1 VP each.

Except for Spies, which remain hidden, all other points are readily visible by looking at the map and player's personal supplies.

Just so you know: VP Tokens are only awarded to players for conquering opponents' regions, not for buildings, the Nukiest Award, or Spy Cards.

Controlling Regions

Ever wanted to be in control... of everything? Controlling regions is very important in Farms Race, and the term "control" will come up a lot. To control a region, a player must have something of their color there, whether a herd or a building. Don't forget this!

Taking a Turn

Each player's turn is divided into 4 phases:

1. Preparation
2. Actions
3. Resources
4. Discard

Building: Players can build at any point during their Actions, Resources, and Discard phases, except during Combat.

Phase 1: Preparation

During the Preparation phase, players will remove Turmoil Tokens and gain new herds at their buildings. Turmoil Tokens will be explained later. For now, let's discuss gaining new herds.

During this phase, players place one herd at each of their buildings. Each species has a limited number of herds that can be placed on the map at a single time. If you are close to running out of herds, attack your friends!

Please note: Players do receive a new herd at their starting building on their first turn.

For future reference: At the beginning of each player's turn, they must remove all Turmoil Tokens from regions they control. These tokens are placed in regions when those regions are conquered by another player, and will be explained in further detail in Turmoil and Victory Points. Additionally, if any uncontrolled region has a Turmoil Token in it, remove the Turmoil Token.

Strategy Tip: Don't forget to gain new herds at the start of your turn or it'll be hard for you to win.

Building

Players may build at any time on their turn after their Preparation phase, except during combat. Building is one way to gain Victory Points (VP). Building will also help players gain herds faster and increase their ability to wage war effectively.

Players can only build in regions they control. Players may build as many things as they desire, can afford, have in their supply, and have space for, but no region may have two buildings in it.

To build, pay the appropriate resources to the Supply, as indicated below and on the Reference Cards.

There are four things you can build:

1. Barns — Costs: 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 wheat, 1 plutonium.

Each Barn is worth 1 VP and produces 1 herd each turn during that player's Preparation phase.

2. Armories — Costs: 3 weapons, 2 plutonium.

Armories are upgraded from Barns. When building an Armory, return the Barn to your personal supply.

Each Armory is worth 2 VP and produces exactly 1 herd each turn, just like a Barn. However, Armories also give your herds better weapons, granting one additional damage per Armory each time you roll in combat, regardless of where the combat occurs.

For example, if you have one Armory and would deal 2 damage, instead you deal 3 damage. If you have two Armories and would deal 0 damage, instead you deal 2 damage.

Strategy Tip: You can't gain additional herds from Barns on the turn you build them, since you can't build until after the Preparation phase. However, you do gain the extra damage from Armories on the turn you build them.

3. Spies — Costs: 1 wood, 1 wheat.

Draw a Spy card and keep it hidden until you play it. Spies do useful things like stealing resources from other players and blocking Nukes.

Spies may only be played on your turn unless otherwise stated on the card. You may play any number of Spies per turn.

You may not play Spies on the turn you purchase them, with the exception of Spies that are worth VP, which you may play immediately, though we recommend keeping them hidden unless playing them would win you the game.

Once a Spy is played, discard it face up (except for Spies worth VP). If the deck of Spy Cards runs out, you may not purchase any more Spies.

4. Nukes — Costs: 1 weapons, 1 plutonium, 1 brick.

Nukes deal one damage to every unit in a single region adjacent to one you control.

When you build a Nuke, receive a Nuke Token and place it in your personal supply. You may launch Nuke Tokens immediately or on one of your future turns, but not during combat. When you launch the Nuke, flip the token to the mushroom-cloud side and deal damage. The Nuke is spent and may not be used again.

If you nuke another player, they may immediately spend their resources or Nuke Tokens to nuke as many regions and players as they can afford and desire. They may nuke any region(s) adjacent to their nuked region or another region they control. Players may not trade for resources in order to do this; adequate preparation is necessary for these kinds of decisions.

Nukes kill all humans in a region, since humans only have 1 HP each. If nuking a region with humans, remove the Human Worker Token from the map.

Nukes are resolved one at a time. So if, for example, a player wants to nuke another player twice in a row, the other player may nuke back after the first nuke and/or after the second nuke.

Nukes do not destroy buildings.

Nukes are not considered combat for the purposes of Mutations or Spies.

Nukiest: The first player with a Nuke Token receives the Nukiest Award, worth 1 VP, and places it face up in front of them. If any player surpasses the Nukiest player in number of Nuke Tokens, they take the Nukiest Award and its associated VP from that player. Nuke Tokens count toward the Nukiest Award regardless of whether they've been spent or not.

For future reference: If a player conquers another player's region, they destroy any buildings in that region. See Destroying Buildings for more details.

Phase 2: Actions

Each herd gets one action on your turn. It can either move to an adjacent region or heal. Herds may not heal and move on the same turn. Herds may refrain from using their action.

To heal a herd, flip its health from 1 HP to 2 HP (it rests and heals).

Each herd may not move more than once per turn. Herds may move together simultaneously. Herds from different regions may move together into one region.

If you move one or more herds into a region occupied by an opponent or by humans, a combat will occur in that region.

Resolve each action before declaring your next action.

Attacking Humans

Humans are unbelievably lazy, and won't try to harm you unless you attack them first. In the beginning of the game, each movement will result in combat with neighboring humans to take over the regions they control. Humans in each region are represented by a Human Worker Token, which has a hidden number of humans on the back, ranging from 1 to 3. For those of you who like to know, there are four 1s, sixteen 2s, and eight 3s. Humans only have 1 HP each.

Players first declare which of their herds are attacking the humans, then they reveal the number of humans by flipping over the token and beginning combat. Don't reveal the Human Worker Token until the player has chosen which herds they are attacking with.

For future reference: Humans never move nor initiate combat. For now...

Combat

Before beginning combat, the attacking player must declare which herds are moving into the occupied region, after which they may not bring in any additional herds.

A region may not be attacked more than once during your turn. If your initial attack on a region fails, then you will need to wait until your next turn to attack it again.

Combat is divided into two phases:

1. Dealing damage
2. Retreating or continuing combat.

1. Dealing Damage

The attacker and the defender each roll one Combat Die for each herd or human they have in the combat. If the attacker is only fighting humans, have another player roll for the humans.

Damage is dealt simultaneously. Players take damage from each gun their opponent rolls, plus one damage for every Armory their opponent has (see Armories).

Humans take damage from each gun and each farmer the attacker rolls, plus one damage for every Armory owned by the attacker.

Starting with the attacker, each player decides how damage is distributed to their own herds. Your herds have 2 HP, which means they may each take one damage without dying. If a healthy herd takes a damage, flip it over to its injured side. Injured herds can still move and fight. If a herd takes a second damage, remove it from the map and place it back in that player's supply.

Since humans only have 1 HP each, they die immediately upon being damaged (or nuked).

2. Retreating or Continuing Combat

Once each side has assigned damage to their own herds, each side has the option to retreat all of their herds, starting with the attacker. Humans never retreat (they're quite foolish). If neither side retreats, then combat repeats. (You'll remember this because it rhymes.)

If the attacker retreats, their herds must return to the region(s) they came from; they may not retreat more herds to any of their regions than originally moved in from that region.

If the defender retreats, their herds must all retreat to one adjacent region they control, if able. If there is no adjacent region they control, they may retreat to an uncontrolled adjacent region with no Human Worker Token on it.

If neither side retreats, both sides roll dice again (one die per surviving herd or human), damage is dealt again (including damage from Armories), and each side has the option to retreat again. Repeat until one side retreats or all herds and/or humans on one or both sides have been killed.

Attackers may not retreat after killing all of the defender's herds and must keep all of their attacking herds in the attacked region.

If a player retreats from attacking humans, any humans they killed stay dead (No human zombies in this game. Yet...). Put the Human Worker Token back in the Supply, and replace it with a Human Worker Token matching the number of humans left in the region. There's no need to do this unless the attacker retreats.

Clarification

The prohibition against attacking the same region multiple times on the same turn includes the unlikely scenario in which all herds on both sides of the combat die, and the attacker still has another herd available to move in afterward to take control of the region. The attacker is not allowed to move into the region, because they have already attacked it this turn.

Example of Attacking Humans

1. Dakota, playing as Pigs, declares that he is sending three herds to attack the humans. Then, he reveals the Human Worker Token: there are 2 humans defending the region.
2. Dakota rolls one die per herd, for a total of 3 dice, and the humans roll one die per human, for a total of 2 dice. Dakota deals one damage to the humans by rolling a gun, and the humans deal one damage to Dakota by rolling a gun. Herds take no damage on farmers. Now Dakota has two injured herds, and there is only one human remaining.
3. Dakota chooses to continue combat rather than retreating, and the humans can't retreat. Dakota still has 3 herds, so he rolls 3 dice. There is now only one human left, so the humans only roll one die. Dakota rolls a gun, killing off the last human. The humans roll another gun, dealing one last damage to Dakota. Note: There's no need to replace the Human Worker Token unless Dakota chooses to retreat.
4. Dakota takes control of the fields region with three injured herds, and places the Human Worker Token back in the Supply.

Victory Points for Conquest

Players collect one Victory Point (VP) Token each time they conquer another player's region, unless that region was in Turmoil (see the Turmoil section). Players conquer a region by taking control of a region that started the turn in another player's control; they are not considered to have conquered it unless all the other player's herds are removed from the region (they retreated and/or were killed) and at least one of the attacker's herds moves into the region.

You don't need to roll dice to conquer a region. This means, for example, that you may nuke all the herds off of a region, walk in without a battle, and gain a VP for it.

Defenders never get VP Tokens for being in combat. Players are not awarded VP Tokens for taking regions from humans.

Strategy Tip: This isn't like those silly, peaceful trading games you may have played before. Conquering other players' regions is a necessary step if you want to win the game. Keep your eyes open for easy-to-take regions on your borders, and also be careful not to give your opponents easy opportunities to take regions from you.

Example of Attacking Players

1. Myranda, playing as the sheep, attacks Jesus, playing as the cows.
2. Jesus retreats. Myranda conquers Jesus's region, gains a VP Token, and places a Turmoil Token in the region. This region won't be worth VP again until after someone starts their turn controlling it and removes the Turmoil Token.
3. Jesus attacks the region back on his next turn.
4. Jesus wins the combat, but doesn't gain a VP Token because now the region is in Turmoil. Myranda retreats. (She doesn't lose her VP Token; she keeps it for the rest of the game.)
5. Myranda doesn't attack back on her next turn, so Jesus controls the region at the start of his following turn. Therefore, he removes the Turmoil Token during his Preparation phase.

Destroying Buildings

If you conquer another player's region, you automatically destroy any buildings in that region, and that player loses any VP they had gained from those buildings. They return their destroyed building to their supply. If a player loses all their buildings and herds, they are eliminated from the game and are in charge of snacks and drinks until the game ends ("Sorry, it's in the rules!").

Turmoil

Turmoil Tokens prevent players from receiving VP Tokens for attacking each other back and forth. Any time a player conquers another player's region, place a Turmoil Token in the region if it doesn't already have one. Regions with Turmoil Tokens are not worth Victory Points when conquered by other players.

Players remove all Turmoil Tokens from regions they control during their Preparation phase.

Also at the beginning of players' turns, if an uncontrolled region contains a Turmoil Token, remove the Turmoil Token. (For example, if all the herds were killed by Nukes in a previous turn, and the region is now empty.)

Do not place Turmoil Tokens on regions taken from humans.

REMINDER: You can build during the Actions phase at any time except during Combat.

Phase 3: Resources

REMINDER: Many of the players' decisions will revolve around regions they control. Players control regions when they have a herd or a building within the region.

At the start of the Resources phase, roll the two Resource Dice. All players collect resources for each region they control that match the resources on the dice. The region types and their resources are: Fields produce wheat, Forest produces wood, Hills produce brick, the Power Plant produces plutonium, and the Weapons Factory produces weapons.

Player's choice: If both Resource Dice roll the same result, each player collects two of that type of resource for each region of that type they control. For example, if a player rolls two wheat, each player collects two wheat for each Fields they control.

If the player rolls a ?, they may choose any type of resource for players to collect from regions they control, even the same resource as on the other die. If a player rolls both dice as a ?, they choose only one type of resource; each player collects two of that type of resource for each region of that type they control.

The player whose turn it is does not automatically collect resources from rolling a ?; they only collect the resource they choose if they control a region of that type.

If the Supply has insufficient cards to give each player their resources, the resources are NOT lost; use something else to represent those resources.

Example of a Resources Phase

• Addie, playing as cows, rolls brick and chooses wood for the ?.
• Addie controls one Hills and two Forest regions so she collects one Brick and two Wood.
• Mike, playing as pigs, collects two Brick and one Wood.
• Jacob, playing as sheep, collects one Brick and no Wood. If Jacob didn't control any Hills, he wouldn't collect any Brick either.

Resources may be hidden from other players, though the total number of resources each player has may not be hidden.

Players may trade resources with the Supply and with each other (see Trading).

REMINDER: You can build during the Resources phase, even after rolling for resources.

Phase 4: Discard

At the end of each player's turn, that player must have 7 or fewer resources. Otherwise, they must build, trade with the Supply, or discard until they have 7 or fewer resources.

There is no hand limit for Spy Cards.

Players don't have to discard Resource Cards except at the end of their own turn.

Trading

Players can trade with the Supply on their turn at a rate of 3 of one kind of resource to the Supply for 1 of a different kind of resource from the Supply. Players may only trade with the Supply during their turn.

Due to the busy nature of taking over the countryside, resources can only be traded with other players when it's not your turn. Players may trade with each other at whatever rate they'd like. You aren't forced to stop trading once the previous player finishes their turn, however, and you may trade with the previous player at that time. Resource trades must be honored if they're taking place immediately, but promises only need be kept by those who find it expedient, even if the promise is for future resources.

Resources may be given as bribes at any time except to help a player launch a retaliatory nuke. Cash and material bribes are also encouraged, for players who really want to win.

Spies are always loyal to their regime, and as such may never be traded. Victory Points, buildings, and herds also may not be traded.

Strategy Tip: Trading with other players is critical, especially if you're playing on a map with an uneven distribution of resources. Plan ahead, consider what resources you might need, and initiate trades with other players before your turn starts.

Starting the Game: A Common Mistake

The most common mistake players make in Farms Race is splitting their herds on the first turn and getting wiped out by humans. It's statistically unlikely but still happens, and it can ruin the rest of the game. Sending in only 2 herds to fight humans on your first turn is something you absolutely should not do unless you are Adorable (who doesn't need to fight humans), Blue-Blooded (who start with an Armory), or Zombie (who won't lose a herd even if they lose the battle).

We strongly recommend allowing new players who make this mistake the chance to redo their turn, as it will upset the balance of the entire game. Your beginning herds are critical; losing even one can be devastating.

If a player redoes their turn, replace any Human Worker Tokens they revealed with random ones so that they once again won't know how many humans there are.

Variants

Easy Mode

If a player brings at least 3 herds into a region occupied by humans, their herds can't take a total of more than one damage in that combat.

No Mutations

You only thought some animals were more equal than others! You can choose to play without Mutations for a truly egalitarian game.

Open Trading

Players may trade with each other even on their own turn. Depending on your group, this will probably slow down the game.

Stealing

Whenever a player rolls doubles on the Resource Dice, they may steal a random resource from another player. If playing with the Lucky Mutation, the Lucky player does not get to steal if they choose two of the same resource to produce. If playing with the Insecure Mutation, the player whose turn it is decides whether Insecure's power goes first or the stealing happens first.

Example Turn

Phase 1 Preparation: Grace, playing as Chickens, receives a new herd at each of her buildings, and removes the Turmoil Token from her Weapons Factory.

Phase 2 Actions Part 1: Grace builds a Barn in her Forest, heals the herd on her Fields, and moves a few of her herds around.

Phase 2 Actions Part 2: Grace sends her remaining four herds to another Fields region to attack humans. She finds that there are two humans there, and deals 2 damage (one gun plus one from her Armory), killing the humans. She takes no damage during the combat, since the humans rolled no gun.

Phase 3 Resources Phase: Grace rolls Weapons and Plutonium. She receives one of each, as does Michael (sheep). Maiola (pigs) only receives a plutonium.

Phase 4 Discard:

1. Grace trades her three Weapons to the Supply for a Wood.
2. Grace builds a Barn on one of her Fields.
3. She also decides to spend her unspent Nuke Token to nuke Michael's Weapons Factory, dealing one damage to each herd there (which kills one of them).
4. She has 7 or fewer resources in hand, so she ends her turn. Grace is left with one Plutonium at the end of her turn.

Maps

The rulebook includes five 3-player maps (A–E) and five 4-player maps (F–J), listed from most peaceful to most contentious, plus 2-player scenario maps. Starting regions for each player are outlined in red on each map.

Suggestions for Making Your Own Maps

To create your own map, arrange the regions so that all players have access to the same number of types of resources (i.e. all players have access to all 5 resource types, or to only 4 of the 5, etc.).

Random maps are often unfair in Farms Race and can result in unbalanced games. If you wish to play with a random map anyway, deal an extra Mutation Card to the last two players during Setup. The last player also receives an additional starting resource of their choice.

2-Player Rules

Players still compete for Victory Points (VP) by constructing buildings and acquiring spies and nukes, but now they must also race to kill off a neutral species before time runs out. If they succeed, the player with more Victory Points wins. If they don't, they share a visceral, gut-wrenching defeat.

The following rules modify the regular rules in order to play with 2 players. For all three 2-player scenarios, remove the following Mutation Cards from the game: Adorable, Flying, Insecure, Parasitic, Radioactive, and (if playing with the Deluxe Edition) Ballistic and Extra.

You can use any species as the neutral species. The neutral species also receives a Mutation.

Scenarios 1 & 2

In these two scenarios, the players are separated by an Adorable neutral species, and they have 8 turns to completely eliminate its Armory and all of its herds.

Set up the regions as shown to form the 2-player map for Scenario 1 or 2. Place the neutral species' Armory straddling its two central regions as shown. Place a Human Worker Token and a VP Token in each of the neutral species' starting regions. Also place a Human Worker Token in each uncontrolled region like normal.

At the start of the game, deal three random Mutation Cards to each player instead of two.

The second player starts with two random resource cards by rolling the two Resource Dice and rerolling any **?**s.

The neutral species does not move its herds, and its Armories do not produce additional herds. The neutral species' Armory isn't destroyed until all humans and herds in both regions it straddles have been killed, and a player controls at least one of the straddled regions.

Each of the neutral species' regions is worth 1 VP Token to the first player to conquer it. However, unlike in the normal ruleset, players do not receive VP Tokens for conquering each other's regions. Players therefore also don't need to place Turmoil Tokens if they conquer each others' regions.

Scenarios 1 and 2 last a maximum of 8 turns. We recommend keeping track of this by stacking 8 VP Tokens to the side of the map; remove one VP Token from the stack each round after the second player's turn. If the neutral species is still alive when the timer runs out, both players lose. Otherwise, the player with the most VP when the neutral species is eliminated wins. If there's a tie, the player with more VP Tokens wins. If there's still a tie, the second player wins.

The game ends at the end of the turn in which the neutral species is eliminated. The other player does not get to take any additional turns.

Scenario 3

In this scenario, the players both have access to the Radioactive neutral species on the left side of the map and to each other on the right side of the map. They have 10 turns to destroy both of the neutral species' buildings. These buildings are barricaded behind "locked regions", such that they can't be attacked until the neutral herds in the regions in front of them are killed.

Set up the regions as shown to form the 2-player map for Scenario 3. The rules for Scenario 3 are just like Scenarios 1 and 2, with the following exceptions:

• When setting up the map, only place Human Worker Tokens in the uncontrolled regions (since the neutral species is not Adorable).
• Only the marked neutral regions are worth VP Tokens, of the amounts shown, for a total of 6 VP Tokens available to take from the neutral species.
• Place 10 VP Tokens in the timer stack instead of 8. Whenever you remove a VP Token from the timer stack, place one neutral herd at the neutral species' Barn if there's one available in the neutral species' supply.
• Two of the neutral species' regions are "locked", meaning that they can't be attacked until the neutral herds in other regions are killed off first. We recommend using Turmoil Tokens to represent these locks by placing one at each of the marked regions' borders. Region A cannot be attacked until all four neutral herds in Region B to its right have been killed. Region B cannot be attacked until all five neutral herds in the three regions to its right have been killed (in the neutral Power Plant regions and the neutral Forest region (Region C)).
• In order to win, the players don't need to eliminate the neutral species; they just need to destroy the neutral species' Barn and Armory by taking control of the neutral Weapons Factory region. If the 10-turn timer runs out before either player is able to control that region, both players lose. Otherwise, the player with the most VP when the neutral species' Barn and Armory are destroyed wins. The rules for ties are the same.

Glossary: Mutations

A mutation marked as ideal for first-time players is noted below.

Adorable. You don't kill humans, they don't attack you, and they stay and defend your regions. When another player attacks you, roll an extra Combat Die for each human in your region. You may allocate gun damage freely between your herds and any humans in your region. Any farmer they roll must be allocated toward your humans before any other damage is dealt. If your humans take damage but aren't completely eliminated, replace your Human Worker Token face-up with a lower-numbered token that isn't currently in play. If there aren't sufficient tokens of the number you need, use something else in its place. Your humans still only have 1 HP per human, and cannot be moved from region to region like herds. When defending, you have the additional option to retreat to a region containing a Human Worker Token. If you retreat before all the humans die, the attacker may either retreat or immediately initiate a new combat against all remaining humans in the region (your Armories no longer contribute any additional damage to help the humans). You may peek at Human Worker Tokens in regions you control. At the start of the game, place a random Human Worker Token face down in your starting region. You still only control regions if you have a building or herd in that region, even if you've previously controlled it.

Blue-Blooded (ideal for first-time players). Start the game with an Armory instead of a Barn. Start the game with an extra herd (3 total, and you'll receive a 4th on your first turn).

Deranged (ideal for first-time players). All your resources are wilds, but everything costs one extra resource. You may not use the original cost when building. This means that a Barn, for example, would cost any 5 resources, but you are unable to purchase it for the original cost of 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 wheat and 1 plutonium.

Flying. At the end of your Preparation phase, you may redistribute your herds within regions you control however you'd like. You may abandon regions to do this. This does not count as your herds' movement for the turn; they can each still move or heal one time as their action for the turn.

Hyper-Intelligent (ideal for first-time players). You can build anything for 4 of one kind of resource. On your turn, you can trade 2 of one kind of resource to the Supply for one of another. You can still build buildings for their original cost instead of paying 4 of one kind of resource. You still must upgrade Armories from Barns.

Insecure. Start the game with a plutonium Resource Card. Every time the Resource Dice roll doubles for any player, you must nuke a region adjacent to one you control for free. Resource Dice roll "doubles" when both dice turn up the same result, such as wood + wood, or ? + ?. You do not collect Nuke Tokens for this. These Nukes may be used on other players and/or to kill off adjacent Human Worker Tokens. If the player with the Lucky Mutation chooses two of the same kind of resource during the Resources phase, the Insecure player still gets to use their power.

Lucky. Instead of rolling, you decide what resource(s) are produced on your turn. You still don't collect resources if you don't control the matching regions, even if you choose that resource to produce. This is still considered a roll for the purposes of the Insecure Mutation. Whenever another player rolls a ?, roll a Resource Die and draw an additional resource matching the result of the die. Reroll **?**s to ensure the drawn resource is random. This random resource is in addition to any other resources you might have drawn as a result of your opponent's die roll. If an opponent rolls ? ?, roll one Resource Die and draw two of the same resource matching the result.

Radioactive. You take no damage from Nukes and Pocket Nukes. You can still nuke your opponents. You may discard Hacking to draw a different Spy Card.

Regenerative. You may heal all your herds one time before the first combat roll, at any time during the combat, or at the end of combat. Nukes are not considered combat. So, if your herds get nuked, they will remain injured until you heal them. You may discard Field Hospital to draw a different Spy Card.

Parasitic. You also gain resources from opponents' regions adjacent to regions you control. You gain the same number of resources from those regions that your opponents do regardless of how many regions you control adjacent to their region(s). For example, if an opponent rolls wood, and you are adjacent to two Forest regions controlled by your opponents, you collect two wood cards. If the opponent were to roll wood + wood, you would gain four wood cards. Humans are not considered opponents, so you do not gain resources from regions controlled by them.

Zombie (ideal for first-time players). If your herds would die in combat, you may choose to retreat them with 1 HP instead. This may result in some of your herds retreating even while the rest continue in combat. Immediately declare where they are retreating, move them to the appropriate region(s), and then continue the combat if applicable. You must still obey the various restrictions on retreating. Nukes are not considered combat.

Glossary: Spies

Blackmail. Select an opponent with more VP than you, look at their resources, and steal up to 3 of them of your choice. Spies worth VP are hidden information and don't count toward players' total VP.

Double Agent. Steal 2 random resources from each player who has more VP than you. Spies worth VP are hidden information and don't count toward players' total VP.

Field Hospital. Heal all your herds. This cannot be used to cancel damage your herds would take, but can be used to heal them immediately after they take damage. For example, if you have 4 healthy herds that take 6 damage, you can use Field Hospital to heal the 2 herds that survive, but you cannot prevent the other 2 from dying. Additionally, Field Hospital cannot be used to heal any herds in a region that has been nuked during the current turn, though it may be used to heal them if they move to a different region.

Hacking. When someone tries to nuke you, you may play this to take no damage. They still receive a Nuke Token. This can also be used to take no damage from Pocket Nukes.

Pocket Nuke. Pocket Nukes are like nukes in every regard except that they deal only 2 damage and you don't get to collect a Nuke Token for playing it, which means it doesn't help you acquire the Nukiest Award. The player taking the damage determines how the 2 damage is distributed among their herds. If nuked by another player, players may play a Pocket Nuke to nuke that player back. Additionally, players may pay to nuke you back if you play Pocket Nuke on them, just as if you nuked them. If played against humans, reveal the Human Worker Token; it deals 2 damage to them. This means that 3 tokens are replaced with a 1, while 1 and 2 tokens are removed from the map.

Propaganda. Name a resource. Each player who has any must give you one.

Thievery. Take 3 of one kind of resource from the Supply.

Capitalism, Carnivorous, Domestication, Plumbing. 1 Victory Point each. You may keep these hidden until you can use them to win the game. These are the only Spies that can be played on the turn you purchase them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happens if I run out of herds? May I still place my remaining herds at my buildings? A: Yes, you can still place your remaining herds at the building(s) of your choice, but then you're out until some of your herds die.

Q: If I run out of Barns or Armories, can I build more? A: You can only construct buildings in your supply. Once you upgrade a Barn to an Armory, you return the Barn to your supply, after which you may build it again.

Q: Do Armories produce double resources or additional herds? A: No.

Q: When do my Armories add extra damage in combat? A: Armories add damage in every round of every combat your herds are in, whether offense or defense, regardless of where the combat occurs.

Q: Can you use Spy Cards the turn you purchase them? A: No, with the exception of the Spy Cards worth Victory Points.

Q: Do players receive resources from regions on the turn they take them? A: Yes, if that resource is rolled during the Resources phase.

Q: Can I move/attack more than once on the same turn with the same herds? A: No.

Q: Can I trade with other players on my turn? A: You can trade immediately before your turn starts, but otherwise no.

Q: Can I trade with the Supply when it's not my turn? A: No, only during your turn.

Q: Can I build after I roll for resources? A: Yes, you can build at any time during your turn after the Preparation phase, except during Combat.

Q: What happens if I roll ? ? during my Resources phase? A: Choose one type of resource. All regions producing that resource yield two of that resource to players who control them.

Q: Do I receive herds from Barns on the turn I build them? A: No.

Q: Do nukes destroy buildings? A: No.

Q: Can I nuke a region with no herds or humans in it? A: Yes, but it won't damage anything.

Q: Can I build in a region if I have no herds or buildings in it? A: No, but you can build in a region and then move your herds away afterward.

Q: Do I still receive a VP Token for conquering an opponent's region if all herds on both sides of combat die? A: No, sorry.

Q: Can I use Domestication to tame Human Worker Tokens? A: No. Domestication is worth 1 VP and has no additional abilities.

Q: Can I retreat to a region with humans? A: If you have the Adorable Mutation, yes. Otherwise, no.

Q: If the defender has no regions to which they can retreat, what happens? A: The defender can't retreat, so combat will continue until the attacker retreats or one side's herds die.

Q: If I lose all my herds in a region to a nuke, can I still nuke back my opponent? A: Yes, you may nuke any of that player's regions adjacent to the region in which your herds were in, or adjacent to any other region you control.

Q: Do I still get resources from a region that I used to control if I leave it empty? A: No, you only get resources from regions that you still control (i.e. you have a building and/or at least one herd there).

Q: Do Turmoil Tokens prevent players from receiving Resource Cards? A: No. They only prevent players from receiving VP Tokens.

Quick Reference Guide

Setup

1. Set up the map.
2. Place Human Worker Tokens in each region, except the regions in which players start.
3. Place other game components nearby.

Starting the Game

1. Randomly decide the first player.
2. Deal 2 Mutations to each player.
3. Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player chooses a Mutation and a starting region, placing one Barn and two herds there.
4. The 3rd player collects one resource of their choice, and the 4th player collects two resources of their choice.
5. The first player takes their first turn.

Turn Order

1. Preparation — a. Remove Turmoil Tokens in regions you control. b. Receive one new herd at each building you control.
2. Actions — Each herd can move once or heal. This movement may result in Combat.
3. Resources — Roll for and collect resources.
4. Discard — The player whose turn it is builds, trades with the Supply, and/or discards until they have 7 or fewer Resource Cards.

You can build at any point during the Actions, Resources, and Discard phases, except during Combat.

Building

• Barns — Produce 1 herd per turn.
• Armories — Produce 1 herd per turn, and grant +1 damage to every combat roll. Must be upgraded from Barns.
• Spy — Draw a Spy card.
• Nuke — Collect a Nuke Token. When you spend it, deal 1 damage to every unit in a region adjacent to one you control. If you are nuked, you may build a Nuke(s) or spend a Nuke Token(s) to nuke that player, or any other, in retaliation.

Trading

• On your turn, you can trade 3 resources of one kind to the Supply for one of another kind.
• You can trade resources with other players at any time except during your turn.

Combat

1. Attacker declares which herds they are bringing into combat.
2. Both sides deal damage simultaneously.
   • Each side rolls one combat die per unit (herd or human) they have in the combat.
   • Herds take damage on guns.
   • Humans are killed on guns and farmers.
3. Each side may retreat (attacker chooses first).
   • The attacker may retreat their herds to the region(s) they came from.
   • The defender may retreat to an adjacent region they control. (If there is no adjacent region they control, they may retreat to an uncontrolled adjacent region with no Human Worker Token on it).
4. If neither side retreats, roll again to deal damage. Repeat until one side dies or retreats.
5. If the attacker wins, the region was controlled by another player, and it wasn't in Turmoil, the attacker collects a VP Token and places a Turmoil Token in the region. If there was a Turmoil Token in the region, nothing happens.

Victory Points (VP)

• Barns – 1 VP each.
• Armories – 2 VP each.
• Conquest – 1 VP each time you conquer another player's region, unless it was in Turmoil.
• Nukiest – 1 VP to the player with the most Nuke Tokens.
• Spies – 4 cards in the entire deck, worth 1 VP each.

The first player to reach at least 10 VP wins!

What You'll Probably Forget

1. Gain new herds at every building at the start of your turn, including the first turn.
2. Remove Turmoil Tokens from regions you control at the start of your turn.
3. Place Turmoil Tokens in other players' regions when you conquer them.
4. Gain a VP Token when you conquer another player's region, unless it was in Turmoil.