Lotus
Lotus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 4 Player Decks (31 Petal Cards each): 3-Petal Iris, 4-Petal Primrose, 5-Petal Cherry Blossom, 6-Petal Lily, 7-Petal Lotus
- 26 Petal Cards with one Guardian symbol per player
- 5 Petal Cards with two Guardian symbols per player
- 20 Wildflower Cards
- 7 Winter Lotus Cards (for Solo Mode only)
- 8 Insect Guardians (2 per player)
- 4 Elder Guardians (1 per player)
- 16 Special Power Tokens (4 of each power)
- 30 Scoring Tokens
- 4 Player Aid Cards
Setup
For Solo setup & rules, see Solo Mode Rules.
- Select a Guardian/Color. Players each select the type of Guardians which will help them gain control of the Lotus Garden during the game: Yellow Butterfly, Green Caterpillar, Red Ladybug, Blue Dragonfly.
- Prepare Player Decks (Petal Cards).
- For each Guardian type selected, locate the Player Decks and prepare them based on number of players in the game.
- 1-player game: See Solo Mode Rules.
- 2-player game: Use the full Player Decks.
- 3-player game: Remove one of each type of Petal Card (3-petal, 4-petal, 5-petal, 6-petal, 7-petal) from each Player Deck, making sure each card removed only has one player stamp.
- 4-player game: Remove two of each type of Petal Card (3-petal, 4-petal, 5-petal, 6-petal, 7-petal) from each Player Deck, making sure each card removed only has one player stamp.
- Shuffle each Player Deck separately and place in front of the player who selected the matching Guardians.
- For each Guardian type selected, locate the Player Decks and prepare them based on number of players in the game.
- Wildflower Deck. Shuffle and place face-down. Draw the top four cards and place face-up in reach of all players.
- Guardians. Provide each player with two Guardians in their selected color.
- Elder Guardians. Set aside all of the (metallic pink) Elder Guardians.
- Special Power Tokens. Separate by type into four stacks and set aside.
- Scoring Tokens. Set aside.
Gameplay
- Each player draws four cards from the top of his own Player Deck to form a starting hand. Players keep hands secret during game play.
- The player with the greenest thumb begins the game, and play proceeds clockwise.
- The active player must perform two actions on his turn, then draw back up to a four-card hand.
Actions include:
- Play Petal Cards — Play one or two Petal Cards from your hand on a single flower in the Lotus Garden.
- Exchange Petal Cards — Place one or two Petal Cards from your hand at the bottom of your Player Deck, and draw a matching number of new cards from the top of your Player Deck.
- Move a Guardian — Move one of your Guardians to any incomplete flower in the Lotus Garden (from either your personal supply or from another flower).
Any two actions may be played during a turn, and in any order. The same action may be played twice during a turn. Players may not perform more than two actions during a turn.
Play Petal Cards
For an action, a player may play one or two Petal Cards from his hand on a single flower in the Lotus Garden.
There are five types of flowers in the Lotus Garden and each requires a different number of petals to be completed. The type and petal count is indicated by the number in the upper left of the Petal Card:
- 3-Petal — Iris
- 4-Petal — Primrose
- 5-Petal — Cherry Blossom
- 6-Petal — Lily
- 7-Petal — Lotus
Petal Cards are played on flowers of the same type (with matching number) in a spiral shape. When placing the next Petal Card, follow the guide on the previous card to create the shape intended for that flower type. Following the guides will make it easier to see how many more petals each flower needs to be completed.
When starting a new flower, a Petal Card can be placed anywhere in the Lotus garden. A new flower may not be started if another one of the same type is already growing in the garden. Therefore, a player must complete a flower before starting another flower of that same type.
Different types of Petal Cards may never be played together on a single flower.
Exchange Petal Cards
For an action, a player may place one or two of the Petal Cards from his hand at the bottom of his Player Deck, and draw a matching number of new cards from the top of his Player Deck.
The player may not draw from the Wildflowers during this action.
Move a Guardian
For an action, a player may move one of his own Guardians to any incomplete flower in the Lotus Garden. A Guardian may be moved from the player's personal supply or from another flower. A player may never move another player's Guardian.
- Move from personal supply to a flower, OR
- Move from a flower to another flower.
Players use Guardians to gain control of flowers in the Lotus Garden. Control is determined by adding the number of Guardian symbols on the Petal Cards and the Guardians that are placed on the flower. Players are rewarded by having control of a flower at the time it is completed.
Draw Cards
Draw Back Up To Four Cards. After a player has completed his two actions, he draws enough Petal Cards to bring his hand total back up to four cards, then his turn is over. He may choose to draw from his own Player Deck or from the Wildflowers, or a combination of both. If the player already holds four cards, he does not draw and his turn is over.
Draw from Player Deck. All cards drawn from a Player Deck include that player's Guardian symbol in the upper left. Some Petal Cards have one Guardian symbol and some have two Guardian symbols. Each individual symbol is counted when determining control of flowers.
Draw from Wildflowers. There are four available Wildflowers visible to all players during the game. Wildflowers do not include any player's Guardian symbols — they are neutral. After the player is finished drawing, reveal new Wildflower Cards to replace those taken. There should be exactly four Wildflower Cards face-up at the start of each player's turn. When the Wildflower Deck runs out, continue game play as normal but do not refill the supply of Wildflower Cards.
Completing Flowers
A flower is complete when it reaches the number of petals indicated in the upper left of the Petal Card. A flower may never have more than its required number of petals.
Determine Control. At the time a flower is completed, players determine who has control of the flower. Control is determined by adding the Guardian symbols on the Petal Cards and the Guardians placed on the flower. The player with control earns a choice of earning either:
- A Scoring Token worth five victory points at the end of the game, or
- A Special Power Token the player may use for the rest of the game.
If there is a tie for control of a flower, all tied players earn their choice of reward.
Pick the Flower. The player who completed the flower, by placing the last Petal Card, collects all of that flower's Petal Cards and places them in his scoring pile. At the end of the game, each Petal Card collected will be worth one victory point.
Return Guardians. All Guardians on the completed flower are returned to each player's personal supply.
Example: Player 2 (Blue Dragonfly) places the last Petal Card on the flower, so he collects the seven Petal Cards for victory points. Player 1 (Red Ladybug) has control of the flower and earns the choice of a Scoring Token or Special Power.
Special Power Tokens
When a player has control of a flower at the time it is completed, he may choose to earn either a Scoring Token worth five victory points, or a Special Power Token which provides the player a special ability for the rest of the game. There are four Special Power Tokens, each with a unique ability. When a player chooses to earn a Special Power, he should collect the token and place it next to his Player Deck as a reminder of the Special Power he may use for the rest of the game.
A player may choose each type of Special Power only once during a game. If he has collected one of each type already, he will earn a Scoring Token for any additional rewards earned.
Elder Guardian. The player gains the Elder Guardian of his type and may use it during the Move a Guardian action. Elder Guardians are counted as two Guardians when determining control.
Enlightened Path. The player may now hold five Petal Cards in his hand instead of four. During his next Draw Cards step, he should draw enough Petal Cards to bring his hand total to five cards. He may still choose to draw from his own Player Deck, or from the available Wildflowers, or a combination of both. If this Special Power is earned during another player's turn, the player does not draw a fifth card until the end of his next turn when he reaches the Draw Cards step.
Fortune Teller. The player may spend one action each turn to pluck any one Petal Card from an incomplete flower in the Lotus Garden. The removed Petal Card is placed into their scoring pile. At the end of the game, that Petal Card will be worth one victory point, as normal.
Infinite Growth. The player may now play three or more cards during the Play Petal Cards action; he no longer has to obey the two-card limit. Cards played must still be of the same flower type, played on a single flower, and may not exceed the number of petals required for the flower.
Turn Examples
Player 1 (Red Ladybug)
- First Action: Move a Guardian. Player 1 moves one Guardian from his personal supply to the 3-Petal flower.
- Second Action: Play Petal Cards. Player 1 plays two 3-Petal Cards from his hand to complete the flower (one card has two Guardian symbols, the other has no Guardian symbol).
Result: Player 1 completed the 3-Petal flower and had control with the most Guardians. He earns the choice of a Scoring Token or Special Power Token and also keeps the three Petal Cards for victory points. Player 1 and Player 2 bring their Guardians back to their personal supply. Player 1 draws two new cards, ending his turn.
Player 2 (Blue Dragonfly)
- First Action: Exchange Petal Cards. Player 2 exchanges two Petal Cards from his hand with new cards from his Player Deck.
- Second Action: Play Petal Cards. Player 2 uses his Special Power Token to play three 5-Petal Cards from his hand to complete the flower (two of the cards have a Guardian symbol).
Result: Player 2 completed the 5-Petal flower, and will keep the Petal Cards for points. Player 3 had control with the most Guardians and earns his choice of a Scoring Token or Special Power Token. Player 1 and Player 3 bring their Guardians back to their personal supply. Player 2 draws three new cards, ending his turn.
Player 3 (Yellow Butterfly)
- First Action: Play Petal Cards. Player 3 plays two 6-Petal Cards from his hand (both cards have one Guardian symbol).
- Second Action: Play Petal Cards. Player 3 plays one 6-Petal Card from his hand to complete the flower (the card has no Guardian symbol).
Result: Player 3 completed the 6-Petal flower, and will keep the Petal Cards for points. Player 3 also had control of the flower (his Elder Guardian is worth two when determining control), so he earns the choice of a Scoring Token or Special Power Token. Player 1, Player 2, and Player 3 bring their Guardians back to their personal supply. Player 3 draws three new cards, ending his turn.
End of the Game
The last round of the game is triggered when a player draws the last card of his Player Deck. At that time, players each take one final turn, including the player who triggered the last round. It is possible for that player to play his last turn with fewer than four cards in his hand.
After all players have completed their last turn, the incomplete flowers in the Lotus Garden are claimed by the players whose Guardians have control. For each flower, the player with control gets to pick the flower and keep the petals for victory points. In the event of a tie, tied players split the petals evenly and any remainders are removed from the game. This only applies to the end of the game. (See Completing Flowers for information about ties during the game.)
Example: Player 2 (Blue Dragonfly) has three controlling Guardians (the Elder Guardian is worth two), while Player 1 (Red Ladybug) only has two Guardian symbols. Player 2 (Blue) will keep both Petal Cards for one point each when scoring.
Example: Player 1 (Red Ladybug) and Player 3 (Yellow Butterfly) are tied for control with two Guardians each. Each player will keep one of the Petal Cards and the last card is removed from scoring.
Example: All three players are tied for control with one Guardian each. Since there are only two Petal Cards, they cannot be split by three players and are both removed from scoring.
Scoring
Cards remaining in a player's hand should be placed back on his Player Deck and set aside. Player Decks are not worth any victory points but may be used as a tie-breaker.
Each player adds all of their Scoring Tokens earned and Petal Cards collected during the game, disregarding the number and Guardian symbols in the upper left of Petal Cards.
- Petal Cards = 1 Point each
- Scoring Tokens = 5 Points each
The player with the most victory points wins!
In case of a tie, the tied player with the most Petal Cards remaining in his Player Deck wins.
Example:
- Player 1: 25 Petal Cards = 25 Points; 4 Scoring Tokens = 20 Points; Total = 45 Points
- Player 2: 11 Petal Cards = 11 Points; 6 Scoring Tokens = 30 Points; Total = 41 Points
- Player 3: 21 Petal Cards = 21 Points; 3 Scoring Tokens = 15 Points; Total = 36 Points
- Player 1 Wins!
Family Variant
For a game with less conflict, partner up for a team version of Lotus, designed for 4 players.
Complete the game Setup as outlined above, with each individual player choosing his own color of Guardians.
Choose partners and make sure players know which color of Guardians their partner is playing with. Partners should sit across from each other so that teams will alternate turns.
Gameplay follows all normal rules until Scoring. Each player will add their final score with their partner's to determine their team's score. The highest combined team score wins the game.
Note:
- Partners do NOT add their Guardians or Guardian symbols together when determining control of completed flowers, each player is still counted separately.
- Players do NOT benefit from Special Power Tokens earned by their partners.
- Players should look for ways to help one another without revealing too much information about their next move.
Solo Mode Rules
Goal. Complete and control one of each type of flower (five types) before the Winter Lotus flower is completed OR the Wildflower Deck runs out.
Setup
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Choose and shuffle any color Player Deck. Set the deck in front of you, along with the Guardians of that color.
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Choose your difficulty, then select and place a number of Special Power Tokens next to your Player Deck based on the selected difficulty:
- Easy: Select three Special Power Tokens
- Medium: Select two Special Power Tokens
- Hard: Select one Special Power Token
- Enlightened: Zero Special Power Tokens
The selected Special Power Tokens are considered in play and active during the entire game.
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Shuffle the Wildflower Deck, and set it to the side of the playing area.
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Place all seven Winter Lotus cards in a stack next to the Wildflower Deck.
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Draw your starting hand of four cards from your Player Deck (five if you have the Enlightened Path Special Power in play).
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Draw a number of cards from the Wildflower deck equal to the number of cards in your hand and place them in the Lotus Garden. As in the multiplayer game of Lotus, group flower cards together by type, based on the number in the top left corner.
Note: No more than one flower of each type can be made in the Lotus Garden. Even after a flower has been completed, another flower of the same type cannot be started.
Gameplay
Just like multiplayer Lotus, on your turn you must perform two actions from this list:
- Play Petal Cards
- Exchange Petal Cards
- Move a Guardian
- Use the Fortune Teller Special Power (If in play, with this modified action: Remove any one placed Wildflower card from an incomplete flower. Place the card in the Wildflower discard pile. No points are scored.)
Any two actions may be played during a turn, and in any order. The same action may be played twice during a turn.
End of the Turn. After performing two actions, end your turn by drawing cards from your Player Deck until you have four cards in hand (five if you have the Enlightened Path Special Power in play).
New Rule: Whenever you draw cards at the end of your turn, you must also draw and place an equal number of cards from the Wildflower deck into the Lotus Garden. If a Wildflower card is drawn that cannot be played (due to that flower type already being completed), it is discarded.
At the end of your turn, for every Exchange Petal Cards, Move a Guardian, or Use the Fortune Teller Special Power action taken, add one Winter Solo Lotus card to the Lotus Garden. If this flower is ever completed, you lose! This means you can only take six of these actions throughout the game, so use them wisely!
Completing Flowers. Completing flowers in the solo mode is similar to multiplayer: When determining control, your total of Guardian symbols plus Guardians placed on the flower are compared to the number of Petal Cards from the Wildflower deck (with no Guardian symbols). In the case of a tie, you do not get control.
Set aside the completed flower, but keep its type visible. Remember: this flower type cannot be started again in this game. All Guardians on the completed flower are returned to your supply.
End of the Game
The solo game can end in several ways:
- Victory! You have completed and control one of each type of flower before the Winter Lotus has fully bloomed! Congratulations! Try again on a harder difficulty level.
- Defeat! One of the following conditions has been met:
- A flower is completed and you don't have control of it.
- All seven petals of the Winter Lotus have been played.
- You need to draw a card from the Wildflower Deck and there are no more cards.
Strategy Tips
- Be wary of the 3-petal flowers! They can complete quickly. Don't start one voluntarily until you know you can control it.
- Once a flower type is completed, Petal Cards of that flower type can gum up your hand! Use the Exchange Cards action to filter to more useful cards.
Longer Play Variant. For a longer game, remove the restriction that only one flower of each type can be played. Victory is declared when ANY seven flowers are completed. All the Defeat conditions remain the same.
Credits
- Game Designer: Jordan & Mandy Goddard
- Illustration Art Director: Kane Klenko
- Producers: Scott Gaeta & Dan Bojanowski
- Cover and Flower Illustrator: Chris Ostrowski
- Graphic Designer: Anita Osburn
- Production Artist: Gordon Tucker
- Solo Rules Editor: William Niebling