Microlonies
Microlonies Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
In Microlonies, each player leads an Ant Colony belonging to a different species.
Develop your Colony, manage your population, and explore the Environment to hunt prey and ensure the survival of your Colony.
At the end of the game, the player who has accumulated the most Victory Points (VP) wins.
Components
- River Board
- Objective Board
- Score Pad
- 4 Anthill Boards
- 4 Reserve Boards
- Hexes: Rock, Grassland, Forest, Water
- 1 Central Terrain Tile
- 4 Starting Tiles
- 13 Terrain Tiles
- 32 Chamber Tiles
- Trophy Tokens (3 yellow, 3 pink, 3 blue, 3 green, 3 Termites, 1 Termite Mound)
- 4 Player Sets (24 Workers, 1 Queen, 5 Pheromones, 1 Nest, 1 Food Marker)
- 42 Eggs
- 31 Prey Cards
- 3 Termites and 1 Termite Mound
- 36 Objective Cards
- First Player Marker
- 16 Species Booklets
- Species-Specific Components
Important Definitions
To make the rules easier to read, here are several terms used throughout the rulebook and their definitions.
Ant: The term Ant refers to all the Ants in your Colony, including Workers and the Queen. When an effect targets Ants, it applies to both Workers and the Queen. If an effect only applies to the Queen or to Workers, this is explicitly stated.
Chamber: A Chamber is a tile located inside your Colony, in your Anthill.
Tunnel: A Tunnel allows Ants to move between Chambers in the Anthill.
Nest: The Nest is the exit from your Colony into the Environment. It is placed on a Starting Tile.
Hex: A Hex is an Environment Terrain hex: Grassland, Forest, Rock, Water, or Hunting Zone.
Hunting Zone (HZ): A HZ is a special Hex located at the center of each Terrain tile. It allows players to perform the Hunt action and place Pheromone tokens there.
Pheromone: The presence of a Pheromone token on a HZ indicates that this player has already hunted there. A HZ may contain several Pheromones, but never more than one Pheromone per player.
Trail: A Trail is a continuous chain of Ants belonging to the same player, occupying adjacent Hexes and always connected to that player's Nest. A Pheromone acts as a bridge and maintains the continuity of a Trail. A Trail may have several branches.
Setup
The Environment
Place the Central Terrain Tile (no. 0) in the center of the table and place the Termite Mound on its dedicated Hex.
Then, using the player-count diagrams, randomly place the other Terrain Tiles and each player's Starting Tile:
- 2 players: 6 Terrain Tiles and the 2 Starting Tiles
- 3 players: 9 Terrain Tiles and the 3 Starting Tiles
- 4 players: 12 Terrain Tiles and the 4 Starting Tiles
Finally, place the 3 Termites in front of each entrance to the Termite Mound, on the Grassland, Forest, and Rock Hexes.
The Additional Boards
Place the River Board on one side of the table.
- Place the Termite Mound Prey Card to the right of the River.
- Shuffle the 30 Prey Cards. Form a deck and place it face down. Draw and place one card, face up, below each section.
- Shuffle the 32 Chamber Tiles face down. Form a stack and place it face down. Draw and place one tile, face up, above each section. (Make sure you have removed the two Chambers specific to the Leafcutter Ant.)
Place the Objective Board on the other side of the table.
- Shuffle the Objective Cards. Form a deck and place it face down in its dedicated slot. Draw and place 1 card, face up, on each of the 3 dedicated slots.
- Place the 42 Eggs in the Supply.
The Players
Each player chooses one token color from the 4 available colors. Take all the tokens of your color, as well as 1 Queen Token (white), then familiarize yourself with the Environment surrounding your Starting Tile.
1 — Choose a Species
- Randomly deal 3 Species Cards to each player. Each player secretly chooses 1 Species and returns the others to the box.
- Once all players have selected their Species, they reveal them and, in turn order, explain their Special Abilities.
Advice: For your first game, we suggest choosing from 2 green Species, which are more accessible. You can find a quick overview of the 16 Species on p.14.
2 — Choose an Objective
- Randomly deal 2 Objective Cards to each player. Each player secretly chooses 1 Objective and discards the other. The kept Objective is secret and must not be revealed.
- Shuffle the discarded cards back into the deck.
3 — Set Up Your Colony
- Place your Nest Token on the slot of the Starting Tile matching your color.
- Place 3 Workers on the 3 empty Hexes of this Starting Tile.
- Then place 1 additional Worker on an empty Hex adjacent to one of these 3 Workers. This Worker cannot be placed on a Water Hex.
Place a Reserve Board in front of you at the top, and an Anthill Board below it.
On your Reserve Board:
- place your Food marker on space "0" of your Food Reserve,
- place 15 of your Workers in your Population Reserve, on the numbered spaces from 11 to 25,
- place your 5 Pheromone tokens on the round spaces at the top of the board.
On your Anthill board:
- place 1 of your Workers in each Chamber,
- then place your Queen on the Chamber showing the Queen icon.
The five Chamber types are: Nursery, Colonize, Build, Hunt, and Lay Eggs.
4 — Determine the First Player
- Randomly choose the first player. They take the First Player marker. They keep it for the entire game.
The inside of your Colony is in constant motion. In the darkness of the Tunnels, Ants move tirelessly, carrying resources, information, and Pheromones. Ants move through the different Chambers of your Colony, going from Chamber to Chamber through their Tunnels. The last Ant moved carries an action Pheromone, which activates the Chamber where it stops. The entire Colony responds to the order given: the more Ants are present, the stronger the signal.
Game Turn
Players take their turns one after another, in clockwise order, starting with the player who has the First Player marker. On your turn, you must disperse your Ants to activate a Chamber.
1 — Disperse Your Ants in the Anthill
Follow the steps below, in order.
Selection. Choose one of your Chambers containing at least 1 Ant.
Pick Up. Take all Ants from that Chamber into your hand.
Dispersion. Place 1 Ant in an adjacent Chamber connected by a Tunnel. From this new Chamber, continue dispersing your Ants until you have no Ants left in your hand, following the Awale principle. You may not return to the previous Chamber, except in the case of a Dead End. However, you may return to a Chamber you have already passed through by making a loop. You may place your Ants in any order.
Activation. The Chamber where you place your last Ant is your activated Chamber.
The Queen — Royal Precedence: If the activated Chamber contains your Queen when you place your last Ant there, the Chamber's action is lost. The Queen sets the rhythm of the Colony; she never receives orders.
Special Case — Dead End: A Dead End is a Chamber from which no Tunnel leads to another connected Chamber, except the one you just came from. You must leave a Dead End by returning to the Chamber you came from.
Example: Elliot chooses the Chamber and takes the 4 Ants into his hand. He places one in the next Chamber, then one in the next, then one further on. Since that Chamber is a Dead End, he returns to the previous Chamber for his final placement. The activated Chamber is a Hunt Action Chamber. At the end of the Dispersion, there are 3 Workers in that Chamber: one Worker was already present there, a second was placed during Pick Up, and a third during Dispersion.
2 — Chamber Activation
The Ants present in the activated Chamber allow you to perform one unique action in that Chamber: each Worker present provides 1 point of Reinforcement value, and a Queen present provides 2. Add up the values present to determine the efficiency of the action. An action is always limited to its maximum efficiency value, even if more Ants are present in the Chamber.
Anatomy of a Chamber: each Chamber has an Action Banner, an Architecture symbol, and Tunnels. The placement of Chamber tiles structures the movement of your Ants as well as your activation options, with each Action Chamber identifiable by its banner. Once placed, immediately add to this new Chamber as many Workers as indicated to the right of its banner, from your Reserve. These are the Reinforcements.
The 4 Types of Action Chambers:
- Lay Eggs — Prepare for the future by placing Eggs in your Nursery and giving additional Objective cards to your Colony.
- Build — Increase the size and population of your Colony while optimizing the architecture of your Anthill.
- Hunt — Collect Food so that every Ant in your Colony has enough to eat.
- Colonize — Expand your territory and protect your Colony while taking the best positions.
Action: Lay Eggs
The efficiency of your action determines the number of Eggs you may place in your Nursery. For each point of efficiency, place 1 Egg in your Nursery. You may accumulate as many Eggs as you wish in your Nursery. You may use the Eggs present in your Nursery during your turn as you wish (see Planning below and Hatching during the Build action).
Planning. Once per Lay Eggs action, you may discard 1 Egg from your Nursery to choose one of the following:
- Draw 2 Objective cards from the face-down deck and add them to your hand, then discard 1 Objective card from your hand to the bottom of the deck.
- Take 1 of the 3 face-up Objective cards, then refill the empty space with an Objective card from the deck.
Any Worker present in the Nursery is called a Nurse. She protects and raises the Eggs. At the end of the game, the Eggs and Nurses present in your Nursery allow you to gain Victory Points.
Food Chambers & the Nursery. These Chambers do not produce an action.
Food Chambers increase your Food Reserve. There are two types:
- General Chambers increase your Food Reserve by 2.
- Specialized Chambers produce 1 Food per badge present on your Prey cards and on the Bonus Hexes you occupy.
The Nursery is where you place all your Eggs. At the end of the game, each set of 1 Nurse + 2 Eggs gives you 3 VP.
Action: Build
The efficiency of your action determines which sections of the Chamber tile River you have access to. Choose a River section whose value is lower than or equal to your total efficiency, then take the corresponding Chamber tile.
Placement. Your Anthill expands freely downward and sideways, but always below the level of your Reserve. Chamber tiles must follow these conditions:
- Each Chamber tile must be connected to the rest of the Anthill by at least one Tunnel.
- Tunnels can never point into a wall or into the Reserve.
- A tile always keeps the same orientation, facing upward, and cannot be rotated.
Reinforcements. You must add the Reinforcements shown on the tile to this new Chamber, from your Reserve. These Workers are now part of your Colony.
Hatching. Once per Build action, you may discard 1 Egg from your Nursery to add 1 Reinforcement to this newly built Chamber.
At the end of your turn, slide the Chamber tiles to the left and refill the empty space in the River with a new Chamber tile.
Architecture Symbols. When you build a Chamber, keep in mind the potential of completed Architecture symbols between Chamber tiles. The more Architecture symbols you complete, the more VP you score at the end of the game.
Note: anticipating your next actions is just as important. Placing your Chamber without focusing on Architecture symbols in order to better prepare yourself is sometimes necessary.
Placement conditions to remember:
- A Tunnel cannot go back up to the level of the Reserve.
- A Tunnel cannot be placed facing a wall.
- A Chamber must have a Tunnel connecting it to the Anthill.
Action: Hunt
Hunting is your main source of Food. Choose your targets carefully so your Colony avoids starvation.
Condition. Determine which HZ is targeted by the action. The targeted HZ must be adjacent to one of your Trails and must not contain a Pheromone of your color.
The efficiency of your action determines which sections of the Prey card River you have access to. Choose a River section whose value is lower than or equal to your total efficiency, then take the corresponding Prey card. Take the Prey card from that section and place it face up in front of you.
Place one of your Pheromones on the HZ. You can no longer hunt on this Hex. Your Pheromone now extends your Trail by one Hex. If your 5 Pheromones are already in the Environment, use an additional Pheromone token from the box.
Note: A HZ can never be occupied by an Ant. Only Pheromones may be placed on this Hex.
At the end of your turn, slide the Prey cards to the left and refill the empty space in the River with a new Prey card.
Losses. Some Prey cards show Loss icons. Each Loss icon shown on the Prey card forces you to return 1 Ant from the activated Chamber to your Population Reserve. The Queen can never be returned this way.
If you do not have enough Ants to suffer these losses, you cannot hunt that Prey card.
Food. Adjust your Food marker by the amount shown on the Prey card.
Food: Each Ant requires 1 Food at the end of the game. You do not need to feed your Ants during the game. The Food progress in your Reserve is an indicator. Adjust this count whenever you gain or lose Food, so it remains accurate and visible to all players. At the end of the game, compare the amount of Food in your Reserve with your Ant Population. You gain VP for your fed Ants and lose VP for your starving Ants.
Anatomy of a Prey Card: each Prey card shows Losses, Badges, Food, and Trophy/VP. Each Prey card provides badges from 4 families, useful for certain Objectives: Prey type (arachnid, crawling, flying), Prey health (alive, injured, dead), Hunting time (night, twilight, day), Natural environment (leaves, seeds, aphids).
Note: A Prey may provide 1 VP or 1 Trophy. They are counted at the end of the game.
Hunting the Termite Mound. During the Hunt action, you may attack the Termite Mound. To do so, you must:
- occupy an access Hex to the Termite Mound,
- have a Trail connected to that Hex,
- have at least 4 Ants, excluding the Queen, in the activated Chamber.
Consequences. The battle is brutal. This attack causes 4 losses: return 4 Ants from the activated Chamber to your Population Reserve. Take the Termite Mound Prey card and apply the following effects:
- Resolve Planning without discarding an Egg (see Lay Eggs above).
- Gain 5 VP at the end of the game.
- Take the Termite Mound Trophy.
Remove the Termite Mound tile from the game, then place one of your Pheromones on the newly revealed HZ. From now on, this HZ is a normal HZ for all other players: each player may hunt one Prey there.
Action: Colonize
The Colonize action allows you to expand your Colony's presence in the Environment. It allows you to perform two sub-actions: first Exit, then Explore. You may choose to perform only one of them, only the other, or a combination of both, but always in this order. Finish all your Exit actions before starting to Explore.
Movement in the Environment. An Ant moves from Hex to Hex and must always end its movement on a Hex free of any token, except in the case of an Elimination.
An Ant may move through:
- a Hex containing another of your Ants,
- a Hex containing one of your Pheromones (it cannot stop there).
Note: These Hexes count toward its movement.
However, an Ant can neither move through nor occupy:
- a Water Hex,
- a Hex containing an opponent's Ant,
- a Hex containing a Termite,
- a Hunting Zone without your Pheromone.
Exit Action. For 1 point of efficiency, move an Ant from the activated Chamber out into the Environment. Reminder: The Queen can never Exit. This Ant is placed on a Hex, following the movement rules in the Environment. This Hex must be adjacent to one of your Trails. Repeat this operation as many times as you wish, as long as there are Ants left in the activated Chamber.
Be careful not to empty your Anthill too much, as this will limit your future actions!
Elimination. Once per Exit action, one of your Ants may exit onto a Hex occupied by an opponent's Ant or by a Termite to perform an Elimination.
- Eliminating an opponent's Ant: Return it to that player's Reserve. Gain the Trophy token matching that player's color if you do not already have it.
- Eliminating a Termite: Remove it from the game and gain a Termite Trophy token.
At the end of the game, the players with the most Trophies gain VP.
Explore Action. For 1 point of efficiency, you may move one of your Ants already present in the Environment. An Ant moves 1 to 3 Hexes in the Environment. The same Ant may Explore only once per turn. Unlike Exit, Explore cannot be used to perform an Elimination.
Isolated Ant: An Ant may leave your Trails and become isolated. It no longer counts for the Hunt action, but it may still perform a new Explore action in future turns.
Control of Hexes: The Exit and Explore actions allow you to take control of Hexes. The presence of one of your Ants on a Hex gives you control of that Hex. Controlling Hexes is especially useful for validating Objective cards.
Example: Elliot, playing pink, has 3 Workers in his Colonize Action Chamber. He first Exits and performs an Elimination, moving a Worker out to take the place of the blue Worker, which returns to the blue player's Reserve. Elliot receives the blue Trophy token, because this is the first time he has eliminated an Ant from that player. For his second action, he cannot Exit onto the same Hex since he has already performed an Elimination this turn. He therefore Exits elsewhere to take control of a Bonus Hex (+2 Food). His final action is an Explore action: he moves a Worker 3 Hexes and takes control of a new Bonus Hex with Hunting Time badges.
Bonus Hexes (Environment)
Bonus Hexes provide immediate benefits and help validate Objective cards. They may provide badges, Food, or Victory Points. When one of your Ants occupies a Bonus Hex, you immediately benefit from its effects. The badges shown on a Bonus Hex are considered to belong to you.
Types of Bonus Hexes:
- Prey Bonus — When you occupy a Prey Bonus Hex, you have the 3 badges shown on that Hex. You may use the badges from the same Hex to validate several Objective cards during the same turn.
- Food Bonus — When one of your Ants occupies a Food Bonus Hex, increase your Food Reserve by 2. If your Ant leaves that Hex, decrease your Food Reserve by 2!
- End-Game VP Bonus — If occupied, gain the corresponding bonus at the end of the game (+1 Architecture symbol, +2 Eggs in your Nursery).
- Chamber Bonus — When you occupy a Chamber Bonus Hex, you are considered to have the 5 Chamber types. You may use this Hex to validate several Objective cards during the same turn. This Hex does not allow you to activate an action.
Completing Objective Cards
Each Objective card has a condition at the top, and two validation tiers at the bottom (Tier 1 on the left, Tier 2 on the right).
Objective cards only refer to your own Colony. The "Arachnid Badges" Objective card refers to the badges controlled by your Colony: hunted Prey and controlled Bonus Hexes.
Validation. At the end of your turn, as well as at the end of the game, you may validate one or more Objective cards. Check whether the conditions required to reach at least one tier of the Objective card are met. You may validate it now or keep it in your hand.
If you decide to validate it, reveal it: if you validate the 1st tier, place the card under the left edge of your Reserve; if you validate the 2nd tier, place the card under the right edge of your Reserve.
Future validated Objectives are slid under the previous card, always leaving the relevant tier visible. Once a tier has been validated, it remains validated for the entire game. An Objective card can no longer be moved.
Note: your Ants may leave the Hexes used to validate it without invalidating that tier.
End of the Game
The end of the game is triggered as soon as one of these 2 conditions is met:
- a player has placed their 5 Pheromones in the Environment (meaning they have 5 Prey cards in front of them),
- a player has 12 Chamber tiles in their Colony (meaning they have built 7 Chamber tiles).
When the end of the game is triggered, finish the current round so that all players have played the same number of turns. Then, starting with the First Player, each player takes one final turn. During this final turn, a player may still perform a Hunt action, even if their 5 Pheromones have already been placed in the Environment. In that case, use an additional Pheromone token from the box.
All players may then simultaneously validate any or all Objective cards still in their hand. Then proceed to final scoring using the score pad.
Final Scoring
Feeding Your Colony. Before feeding your Colony, check your total Food from Prey cards, Bonus Hexes, Food Chambers, and your Species-specific diet. Each Ant requires 1 Food to be fed. Gain 1 VP for each fed Ant. Lose 1 VP for each unfed Ant. Excess Food scores nothing. In this example: 14 fed Ants (+14 VP) and 3 unfed Ants (-3 VP).
Nursery. Gain 3 VP for each set of 1 Nurse and 2 Eggs present in your Nursery.
Architecture. Gain VP according to the number of complete Architecture symbols visible in your Colony, including the Bonus Hex if you control it.
Prey. Gain the VP shown on your Prey cards, including the Termite Mound VP if you have it.
Trophies. Each player counts the number of Trophy icons shown on the Trophy tokens and Prey cards they gained during the game. The player with the most Trophy icons gains 7 VP, the second gains 4 VP and the third gains 2 VP. A player must have at least 1 Trophy icon to participate. In case of a tie, add the values of the tied places, divide the total among the tied players, then round down. Example: if 2 players are tied for 1st place, they share the rewards for 1st and 2nd place, for a total of 7 + 4 = 11 VP. They each gain 5 VP. The next player gains the 2 VP for 3rd place.
Objectives. Add all VP gained from your Objectives, both on the left and right sides of your Reserve.
Species. Gain VP according to the Supremacy ability shown on your Species booklet.
The winner is the player with the most VP. In case of a tie, the tied player with the most fed Ants wins. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.
The Species
Microlonies features 16 unique Ant Species. Each of them has special abilities detailed in its Species booklet.
There are two types: green and red, identified by an icon at the top of their booklet. Green booklets are more accessible and recommended for your first game.
All Species-specific rules described in each booklet take precedence over the general rules. The action associated with each special ability is indicated by the color and icon of its ribbon. Some Species also use specific components: a dedicated space is provided for them. Some Species have a Specific Diet, indicated by a green ribbon.
Argentine Ant — An expansive Species able to manage several Queens and rapidly extend its presence. Can create Satellite Nests to colonize the Environment and project its actions. Easily deploys Workers around these new anchor points. Scores at the end of the game according to its Satellite Nests and Twilight badges.
Leafcutter Ant — A Species specialized in Food production through its Fungus Gardens. The Food from Prey cards is replaced by a specific engine linked to Leaf badges. Develops its network by exploiting Forests and generating additional Ants. Scores points through its Food synergies and control of Forest areas.
Bulldog Ant — An offensive Species capable of hunting without being connected to its Nest, offering great tactical freedom. Can completely refresh the Prey cards to optimize its hunting opportunities. Excels at applying constant pressure and adapting quickly in the Environment. Requires 1 additional Prey card to trigger the end of the game and scores VP according to Alive badges.
Carpenter Ant — A construction specialist, with a permanent bonus for this action. Can refresh the Chamber River once per game. Accelerates the growth of the Anthill and efficiently structures its Tunnels. Scores VP through controlled Forests and Architecture levels. End of the game at 13 Chambers.
Amazon Ant — An offensive Species specialized in Elimination. Captures enemy Ants and turns them into Slave Ants integrated into its Colony. Slaves perform essential functions, such as acting as Nurses. Scores at the end of the game according to the number of Slaves present in the Nursery.
Sahara Ant — An extremely mobile Species, able to Explore up to 5 Hexes and move through obstacles. Can quickly project its Population into the Environment. Excels at opportunistic play thanks to easier hunting of Prey with Dead badges. Optimizes its gains through Day badges and conversion into Food.
Fire Ant — A polygynous Species with rapid growth, using several Queens to accelerate development. Can occupy and move through Water, opening up areas normally inaccessible. Generates strong territorial pressure thanks to its deployment ability. Scores by controlling Water Hexes, with bonuses linked to Flying badges.
Red Meadow Ant — A tactical Species capable of eliminating at range and blocking areas. Creates control points thanks to the Formic Acid token. Generates additional Eggs through Prey linked to Day badges. Scores VP by combining Aphids and Grasslands for strong board control.
Giant Ant — A powerful Species with low mobility, limited when Exploring. Can eliminate more easily and hunt without being connected to its Nest. Exists in smaller Colonies, but each Ant has a strong strategic impact. Demanding in Food, it compensates with high VP gains from fed Ants.
Soldier Ant — A combat- and control-oriented Species, with indestructible Soldiers. Converts its Population into powerful units to secure the board. Generates presence through hunting Twilight badges and rapid deployment. Scores VP by controlling Rock Hexes and by putting strong pressure on the end of the game through hunting.
Black Garden Ant — A versatile Species focused on Objectives and hand optimization. Generates additional Objective card choices through Aphid badges and by hunting Crawling Prey. Scores regularly through the accumulation of Objective cards, whether validated or not.
Fungus-Farming Ant — A flexible Species focused on internal Anthill optimization. Allows you to reposition your Ants to maximize your actions. Reduces dependence on Prey thanks to an alternative diet based on Leaf badges. Excels at hunting Night Prey and scores through Grassland badges.
Army Ant — An aggressive Species focused on raiding and Nest mobility. Thanks to the Marabunta, it generates additional actions. Can move its Nest to lock down Hunting Zones and hinder opponents. Excels at constant pressure and board control. Scores through Arachnid badges and Trophy tokens.
Trap-Jaw Ant — A specialist in controlling Prey in the River. Can reserve a Prey card and secure it from opponents. Optimizes hunting at a reduced cost thanks to the Jaw token. Excels with Night badges to generate VP.
Harvester Ant — A Species focused on resource management and storage. Can convert its Hatchings into powerful Soldiers to strengthen its actions. Reduced Food production from hunted Prey, compensated by Seed badges. Scores through its Food Storage Chambers.
Thief Ant — A Species specialized in theft and resource diversion. Generates Food by stealing Eggs, either from opponents or from the supply. Greatly accelerates its Population thanks to enhanced Hatching. Scores through a very populous and well-fed Colony at the end of the game.
Setting Up Your Species
Each Species is asymmetric and has its own setup rules, as well as any additional components required, such as tokens, tiles, and so on. Everything is described in its booklet.
Specific Diet. Some Species use a different Food system. Apply these rules throughout the game and adjust your Food accordingly, especially when gaining or losing a Bonus Hex.
Anatomy of a Species Booklet (illustrated using the Giant Ant, Dinoponera quadriceps, as an example):
- Your Species Abilities. The abilities described take precedence over the general rules. The color of the ribbon matches the action banner of the activated Chamber and indicates which Action has its rules modified.
- Small Colony: During a Build action, add 1 fewer Reinforcement to the newly built Chamber. Your Hatchings do not suffer this penalty.
- Solitary Hunt: During a Hunt action, your isolated Workers may hunt on an adjacent HZ.
- Your explore movement is limited to a maximum of 2 Hexes. During an explore movement, you may perform an Elimination. (Note: you are still limited to 1 Elimination per turn.)
- Supremacy. Your Species has a unique condition for gaining VP at the end of the game. (For the Giant Ant example: 1 or 2 VP for each fed Ant from the 6th onward.)
- End-Game Modifier. Some Species have their own end-game conditions. (For the Giant Ant example: you trigger the end of the game after hunting 6 Prey cards instead of 5.)
Glossary
- Terrain Tiles: they form the outside Environment.
- Hexes: there are 4 different types of Hexes (Rock, Grassland, Forest, Water). Hunting Zones are special Hexes.
- Hunting Zones: they allow players to hunt Prey. After hunting, the player places a Pheromone there to show that they can no longer hunt on that Hex.
- Pheromones: they mark the Hunting Zones exploited by a player.
- Starting Tile: players place their Nest of the matching color on it. It is the exit from the Anthill into the Environment.
- Nest: each player has a Nest in their color. It is the starting point of all your Trails.
- Termite Mound: it requires a Hunt action and causes 4 losses.
- Termite: it protects access to the Termite Mound. It must be eliminated to access it.
- Prey Type: arachnid, crawling, flying.
- Prey Health: alive, injured, dead.
- Hunting Time: night, twilight, day.
- Natural Environment: leaves, seeds, aphids.
- Food Marker: it tracks the amount of Food in your Colony.
- Queen: she provides 2 to the action's efficiency.
- Worker: she provides 1 to the action's efficiency.
- Reinforcements: add 2 or 3 Workers to the Chamber you have built.
- Architecture Symbol: each completed symbol scores VP. See the table on the back of your Species booklet.
- Objectives: these cards score VP if they are validated.