Flockers
Flockers Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Bits
- 28 Terrain Cards: mountain, forest, field, lake
- 72 Snow Geese Flock Cards: adult white, adult blue, juvenile white, juvenile blue
- 5 Reference Cards
- 3 Rulebooks: English, French, German
- 4 Flock Tokens in 4 player colors
Setup
- Shuffle the terrain deck and place it to one side of the table.
- Flip 4 terrain cards one at a time. Place the first card flipped that shows 2+ terrain types near the center of the table. This is the beginning of the flight path.
- Place the remaining 3 terrain cards face up and side-by-side next to the terrain deck.
- Shuffle the flock deck.
- Deal 5 cards to each player facedown.
- Place the flock deck on the table and turn over 3 flock cards and place them face up and side-by-side next to the flock deck.
- Select a flock token and place it to the left of the lone terrain card in the center of the table.
Randomly select a starting player. You are now ready to fly south!
(Note: rivers shown on terrain cards are ignored during setup and play.)
Playing the Game
The object of Flockers is to fly south the furthest and the fastest! During the game you will play cards from your hand to build a flock of snow geese that is best suited to swiftly navigate the terrain below.
Playing cards might add to the flight path, advance your flock token, or allow geese to graze—so they have the vitality to continue south. Let's fly.
Playing a Turn
Beginning with the starting player and proceeding clockwise, each turn consists of the following steps:
- Add a bird to your flock
- Replenish your hand
1. Add a bird to your flock
On your turn you must select a bird from your hand and add it to your flock faceup in front of you. Cards may show a terrain icon (mountain, forest, field, or lake) and/or an action (main action, goose type, or bonus action) that you may perform if you can.
The FIRST bird you play is your lead bird. All subsequent geese played must be played to the right of your lead bird, slightly above or below him so that a "V" begins to form.
You may never have more than 7 geese in your flock—a lead bird, and a maximum of 3 on the top and bottom rows.
After resolving any actions, if your flock has seven birds in it or you have reached or traveled beyond the 10th terrain card, the game ends for you. Do not replenish your hand. Your flock token has reached its furthest point along the flight path and you must wait until the end of the game to see if your journey is good enough for the win.
2. Replenish your hand
Replenish your hand to five cards by drawing one of the three visible cards next to the flock deck. Now, fill the vacant space with a card from the flock deck. If it is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new flock deck.
Actions
When adding a snow goose to your flock, you may perform the action shown in its top left corner:
Fly
Move your flock token forward along the flight path depending on the terrain icons (mountain, field, forest, and lake—ignore rivers) shown within your flock.
Starting with the lead bird in your formation and proceeding toward the right into either your top or bottom row, locate the first goose with a terrain icon. If this terrain icon matches any terrain on the card ahead of your flock token, then move your flock token onto that terrain on the card.
Then, if the next goose in your flock shows an icon that matches terrain on the card ahead of your flock token, you may move it once again. Continue in this way until you are unable to advance or you wish to stop short. Any number of flock tokens may occupy the same terrain space.
Example: Matt plays a fly action to his top row, and moves his flock token to the mountain space and then to the forest space on the flight path, having selected his bottom row.
Navigate
Select one of the three terrain cards next to the terrain deck and place it at the end of the flight path. This extends the map, allowing flock tokens to continue their journey! Reveal a new terrain card so that three are always available.
Graze
Remove any single card from your flock, PLUS any number of cards featuring the graze icon anywhere on the card (top or bottom). Place the removed cards in the discard pile to the left of the flock deck. Thematically, these geese are leaving your flock to graze below.
If the goose or geese you removed leaves a vacancy between cards, slide cards to the left to fill any gaps in your formation. If the lead bird leaves, you must decide if you wish to slide the top row or the bottom row leftward to fill the lead bird spot. TIP: It's always good to have at least one graze card in your hand and a spot to put it. This ensures that your flock stays below seven, and you don't get stuck not being able to play a card!
Example: Matt plays a graze action to his top row. He decides to discard one goose without a graze icon from his top row. He may also remove both birds showing the graze icon but removes only his lead bird. He slides the two remaining top row geese forward to create a new lead bird.
Swap
Swap any two cards in your formation, including the card just played.
Lead
Activate the action and/or bonus action shown on the lead bird's card. A lead action does not activate another lead action but may activate the bonus on the lead bird card.
Example: Matt plays a lead action to his top row. Because he identifies three Adult White geese in his flock, he may also enjoy the bonus action. He decides to navigate first and then chooses the fly action as his bonus.
Bonus Action & Bonus Terrain
Earn bonus actions or bonus terrain by spotting specific types of geese in your flock!
Identify
Earn one or more bonus actions if you have the stated number of the card's goose type in your flock, including the one on the card.
During a fly action, bonus terrain icons shown on your flock cards become active if you can identify the stated number of the card's goose type in your flock. If you cannot, that bonus terrain is ignored. You may always stop your flock token short—even in the middle of bonus terrain.
You may perform bonus and regular actions in any order, provided the card itself is not removed from your flock before performing the next action. A player's flock formation might change between actions, so be sure to observe changes in terrain order and the lead bird.
Encounters
If your flock token ends its movement on a terrain featuring an encounter, you must perform it immediately.
Decoy
Hunters! Better scatter! Shuffle your flock and place them face down in any proper formation. Then, turn them face up.
North Wind
Ride the currents! Travel to any terrain on the next card on the terrain path, if there is one. Perform any new encounter you choose to land on!
Fox
No bird is safe! Remove one bird from your flock and place in the discard pile.
Bald Eagle
Your young are vulnerable! Remove all the juvenile birds from your flock and place in the discard pile.
Example: Matt plays a fly action. His flock cards show a field, another field, and a mountain icon in that order. He could move his flock token all the way to the final mountain but stops short on the fox encounter so he can remove one bird from his flock.
End of Game
The game ends when one player's flock token reaches or goes beyond the 10th terrain card. This player does not replenish their hand. All other players receive one final turn if they have room in their flocks to play a card. The game may also end if no player is able to add a card to their flocks.
The Winner
The player whose flock token has traveled furthest south along the flight path is the winner. In the case of a tie, the player with the largest flock wins. If you are still tied, the player with the most geese of a single type wins. If you are still tied, you share in the victory.
Solo Play
Another flock is nipping at your heels on your journey south. In this solo variant, it's not enough to win—you must try to win by a large margin!
How to Play Solo
Select a flock token for yourself and the automa player, placing both at the start of the flight path. Deal five cards to yourself—but none to the automa player. Take your turn first following the normal rules of the game, alternating with the automa player.
Automa Player's Turn
Check to see if any of the three visible cards next to the snow geese flock deck feature a terrain icon at the top or bottom of the card that matches any of the terrain on the next card in front of the automa's flock token.
Match: If one or more icons match, select and discard the most optimal card to advance the automa's flock token on the flight path (ignore any encounters). Note: If the chosen card features a double terrain icon, and there are two consecutive terrain cards matching that terrain icon, the automa flock moves twice!
After a match, draw one terrain card from the top of the terrain deck, and place it at the end of the flight path. Finally, flip over a new flock card so there are always three visible cards next to the deck.
No Match: If none of the terrain icons on the available flock cards match subsequent terrain on the flight path, the automa player's turn is over.
End of Solo Game
If either flock token reaches the tenth terrain card first, the remaining player takes a final turn, just like in the regular game. If you are not able to add a flock card to your flock, the game is over for you; however, the automa continues until none of the three available flock cards will advance his flock token.
Note: solo mode is compatible with Flockers expansions, but remember that the automa player only uses cards from the Snow Geese deck.
Solo Win & Final Score
If you beat the automa flock, give yourself a victory point for each terrain card you've flown over including the final card you're on. Then, count the unoccupied cards between your token and the automa's flock token, and add that number to get your victory point total:
- 7-10 vp: Good Goose
- 11-14 vp: Great Goose
- 15-18 vp: Gifted Goose
- 19+ vp: Golden Goose
A Few Hints
- A flock with at least one graze icon in it lets you manage future growth
- Alternate your lead bird wisely with the swap action to maximize future lead actions
- Use the navigate action to control the flight path to your advantage
- Use bonus terrain to perform long and efficient flights during a fly action
- Use encounters strategically to manage your flock size
- Geese with both a lead and identify action may let you perform a double action
The snowy wings of a dozen adult white morphs glide deftly over the windswept fields below.
Not far behind, the midnight silhouettes of the adult blue swoop low to brush across a cluster of cattails huddling in the marsh.
The pale, speckled underbelly of several juvenile white flutter above the treetops, trying to keep up with the flock.
In a sudden flurry, a sooty grey gaggle of juvenile blue lean into a rising thermal to climb high above the predators below.
Credits
I want to thank Melanie, Elizabeth, Rosalind, and Penelope Swanson for initial playtesting; along with subsequent playtesters, Brett Barton, Jonathan Sessions, and Eli Hovis. I am greatly indebted to Aaron Bonner for gameplay insights during development, Matt Emmons for whimsical art and storytelling, Albert Bochnert for impeccable graphic design, Philip Shearrer and Jonathan Cox for keen-eyed rulebook editing, Jake Morrison for elegant iconography, and Stephen Noce for exquisite 3D modeling and animation. Finally, I thank my dear wife and my precious children for filling my life with joy.
Designer: Mark Swanson Artist: Matt Emmons www.oddbirdgames.com © 2026 Odd Bird Games