Moa Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Board
• Bird Cards and Icons
• Mammal Cards
• Mammal Tiles
• Leader Tiles
• Terrain Cards
• Karakia Tiles
• Overview
• Setup
• 3-5 Player Rules
  • Phase 1: Bird and terrain cards
  • Phase 2: Player actions
    • Step A: Draw terrain cards
    • Step B: Players perform actions
    • Step C: Move player token
  • Mammal Invasion
  • Phase 3: Score victory points
  • Phase 4: Tidy up
• Winning the Game
• 2-Player Rules

Components

• 1 rule booklet
• 1 game board
• 60 bird cards
• 20 mammal cards
• 30 terrain cards
• 13 karakia tiles
• 12 leader tiles
• 24 mammal tiles
• 80 bird tokens (16 in each of 5 colors)
• 20 leader bird tokens (4 in each of 5 colors)
• 1 volcano token
• 1 first player token
• 5 victory point tokens (1 in each of 5 colors)
• 12 stronghold markers
• +50 lap tokens

Game Board

• Mammal Card Display: Mammal cards are placed on the appropriate pile when drawn.
• Score Track: Each player starts at 0, and scores at the end of each period for territories controlled.
• Terrain Cards: Each round, two new terrain cards are revealed and placed here. Players follow the instruction on each card as they reveal it.
• Volcano: The volcano token starts at 0 and moves up per instructions on terrain cards.
• Territories: Each territory is marked by a number between 1 and 12, and has a primary (large purple hex) and secondary (small purple hex) victory point symbol. Territories can be various terrain types - Coastal, Mountains, Plains and Forests. There is also one Volcano zone (12).

Bird Cards and Icons

Players are dealt nine bird cards at the start of each period. There are eight types of birds, each with a different set of abilities represented by icons along the left side of the card. Players may spend one or more bird cards on their turn, using the icons to perform an action.

• Bird: Players may spend bird icons to populate a territory.
• Fight: The fight icons are used to defeat mammals.
• Honour: Play birds with honour to place leaders into territories, or sell to mammals.
• Karakia: Purchase karakia tiles which provide extra benefits throughout the game.

Mammal Cards

Mammals come into play as instructed by terrain cards. Terrain cards can also cause mammals in the mammal card display to attack territories.

• Fight: The amount of fight that must be spent to defeat the mammal.
• Honour: The amount of honour necessary to sell a territory to this mammal.
• Victory Points: Victory points awarded at the end of the period for defeating the mammal, or selling out to it.

Mammal Tiles

Each mammal card has a matching mammal tile that's used for tracking its location on the game board. One side of the tile shows the mammal's fight value and VP. Place this side face-up on the board when it invades a territory. The other side is darker and includes a trade icon. Place this side face-up in a territory when a player sells it to the mammal.

The weasel tile does not have a sell icon. Since the weasel attacks as soon as the card is drawn, it is never placed on the Mammal Card Display and so is not available for the Sell to Mammal action.

Leader Tiles

Leader tiles are randomly placed on the board during setup and immediately revealed. They provide extra icons of the indicated type, to be used during actions. Some also provide victory points at the end of the period.

One leader tile is placed into each territory at the beginning of the game. Players placing a leader into a territory can take the leader tile if it's still there. Mammals that successfully invade a territory, or players selling out to mammals will cause the leader tile to be discarded. Leader tiles provide either victory points or extra bird, fight, honour or karakia symbols.

Terrain Cards

There are five types of terrain cards - one for each terrain type on the game board. Two terrain cards are revealed at the start of each round, and the instructions on each card are followed.

• Draw One or Two Mammal Cards: Draw mammal cards and add them to the mammal card display. Weasels are not added to the board, but invade immediately.
• Mammal Invades: All of the mammal cards on the board that match the card type attack. Since weasels attack when they are drawn, there are no terrain cards with weasels attacking.
• Move Volcano Marker: Move the volcano marker up one space. When it reaches the top space, the volcano erupts, and the volcano territory (12) is vacated.

Karakia Tiles

These are placed face-up beside the board during setup. Players may purchase tiles as an action by discarding bird cards with the requisite number of karakia icons. Karakia tiles are discarded back to the pile of tokens next to the game board so they will be available for purchase on future turns. Red tokens may only be used on the owning player's turn.

• Draw One Card: Draw one card from the bird deck at any time, even if it is not your turn.
• Exchange Three Bird Cards: Draw three cards from the bird deck and add them to your hand. Then discard three bird cards. This is a free action that can be performed at any time.
• Two Fight: This karakia tile provides two fight symbols when attacking or defending.
• Any Territory: Spending this token allows the player to ignore the terrain cards and perform their action in any terrain type. This token can only be used as part of the player's turn.
• Move One or Two Birds: Move one or two of your birds from one area to one other area of your choice, ignoring the terrain card restrictions. This token is the only way that birds can move between territories. This token must be used during the player's turn, before or after the regular action.
• Place Stronghold: A stronghold is placed into any territory, ignoring terrain card restrictions. This token must be used during the player's turn, before or after the regular action.

Overview

It always helps when learning a new game to have an idea of the shape of things. This is a brief overview of the game, which means some details have been skipped.

Moa lasts for two periods, each lasting several phases. In the first phase, deal nine bird cards to each player and create a deck of 14 terrain cards.

The second phase is the important one, where players take their actions. This phase is made up of three steps. In the first step, two terrain cards are drawn and the instructions on each card are followed. Instructions come in three flavors; draw a certain number of mammal cards, all mammals of a certain type invade, or move the volcano marker up one.

There are clear invasion routes, starting with territory 1 and progressing to 12. Players have the option to defend themselves using fight cards from their hands.

Once invasions are complete, players in turn take one action:

• Place birds: Spend cards with bird icons to place birds into one territory matching one of the active terrain types.
• Place leader: Spend two honour to place a leader into a territory where you have the most (or tied for the most) birds. Take the leader tile from that territory, if it remains.
• Attack and place birds: Take over a territory that a mammal had invaded, and populate it with your birds.
• Sell land: Spend honour to sell land to a mammal.
• Buy karakia tiles: Spend bird cards with karakia to take one or two tiles.
• Pass: Players who pass their turn can play during a later turn if they have bird cards or tiles remaining. The nine bird cards that players are dealt at the beginning of each period must last players through the entire period. The only way for players to get new cards is to play karakia tiles that allow that.

Setup

A. Place the main board in the middle of the play area. B. Shuffle the leader tiles face down and place one in each territory. After all of the territories have a leader tile, turn them all face-up. C. Place the volcano marker on the lowest spot on the volcano track. D. Place all of the karakia tiles face-up in stacks of the same type next to the game board. E. Shuffle the mammal cards and place the deck face-down by the game board. F. Give each player one colored set of pieces, consisting of 16 birds, four leaders and one victory point marker. Each player should put their victory point marker on the 0 space on the score track. G. Select one player to be the first player and give them the first player marker.

3-5 Player Rules

Moa is played over two periods. Each period contains four phases:

1. Bird and terrain cards
2. Player actions
3. Score victory points
4. Tidy up

These phases will now be explained in more detail.

Phase 1: Bird and terrain cards

Shuffle all of the bird cards (including any in the discard pile if it is the second period) and deal nine to each player. Place the rest face-down by the side of the board.

Shuffle all 30 terrain cards. Remove 16 cards and place the other 14 cards near the top right of the game board to use as a draw pile.

Phase 2: Player actions

This phase consists of seven rounds. Each round consists of the following steps:

A. The first player draws two terrain cards, and carries out any instructions on the cards. B. All players perform one action. C. The first player token is moved to the next player clockwise.

Step A: Draw terrain cards

The first player draws two terrain cards and places them in the spaces indicated on the board. The first card drawn is placed in the left-hand space, and the second card in the right-hand space. Then follow the instructions on the cards, starting with the card on the left.

Move volcano marker: Move the volcano marker one space up on the track. If it reaches the top (explosion, and no number) then the volcano explodes, and all pieces are removed from the volcano territory (12) on the game board and returned to players. No pieces can be played into this area for the rest of the game. Place the volcano token in this zone to show it's erupted.

Draw mammal cards: Draw the indicated number of mammal cards and place them in the corresponding location on the left of the game board. If the mammal deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile to make a new deck, and then draw the card(s). The weasel invades immediately, so the card is not placed on the game board.

Mammals invade: If the terrain card shows a mammal type invading, then all of the mammal cards of that type in the mammal card display on the board attack.

Step B: Players perform actions

Players now perform one action each, going clockwise starting with the first player. Player actions include:

• Place birds
• Place leader
• Attack and place birds
• Sell land
• Buy karakia tiles
• Pass

IMPORTANT: Actions may only be performed in territories matching the terrain types described in the Place Birds section below, i.e. the active terrain cards.

Place birds

Spend bird icons from bird cards and leader tiles to place bird tokens in one territory. As many birds can be placed as the number of bird icons spent. There is no upper limit to the number of birds that can occupy a territory.

Birds cannot be placed in a territory that contains a mammal token (due to mammal invasion or territory sale). Birds can be placed in areas with other players' birds.

Example: The yellow player wishes to place birds on the map. She may place them in either coast or forest territories, since those are the active terrain types. She plays a pukeko card from her hand, which allows her to place four bird tokens into a territory, but she chooses to only play three. She does not get 'change' for the unspent bird.

Place leader

The active player places a leader bird token into a territory matching one of the two active terrain types. The player must also have at least as many birds in the territory as any other player (and at least one). The player pays two honour with bird cards or leadership tiles and places a leader bird token into the area. If there is a leader tile in the area, then the active player takes it. The tile can be used in a later round of play.

Players cannot perform this action in territories containing mammals and there can be only one leader per territory. No leaders may be placed in a territory that currently contains a leader.

Example: Red decides to place a leader bird token in territory 5. She can do this because one of the terrain cards shows plains, and she has at least as many birds in the territory as any other player. She plays two bird cards, each with one honour icon, and places one of her leader bird tokens into the territory. She takes the leader tile, which has two fight icons. She can use this in a later round when attacking or defending.

Attack and place birds

The active player may attack a territory that matches one of the two terrain cards. The player can attack only a territory that has been invaded by a mammal and contains a mammal tile, fight-side up. Territories that have been sold to mammals may not be attacked.

The player must spend the number of fight icons from bird cards, leader tiles or karakia tiles equal or greater than the number of fight symbols on the mammal tile inhabiting the territory.

After defeating the mammal, the active player takes the mammal tile for scoring at the end of the period. He may also place his birds in the territory by spending bird icons as described in the Place Birds section above.

Finally, the player adds a stronghold to the territory, even if no birds are placed there.

Example: Yellow attacks the weasel in territory 1. She can attack because a coastal terrain card is active. Yellow plays five fight icons to defeat the weasel. She takes the weasel tile to score at the end of the period. She then plays a Tui bird card with three bird icons and places three yellow bird tokens and a stronghold in the territory.

Sell land

If there are cards in the mammal card display on the game board, the active player may sell her territory to one of them for the amount of honour indicated on the mammal card plus one honour for every territory already sold by any player during this game. Land may only be sold in one of the zones that match an active terrain type and that the active player has one or more birds in. The player does not need a majority of birds in the territory in order to sell. Land may not be sold in a territory that already contains a mammal token.

To sell the territory, the player removes all but one of their own birds and all players' leader pieces, unless the active player's leader is the only piece they have in that territory. Other players' birds remain in the territory, but any leader tile and stronghold, if any, are removed.

The player takes the mammal card from the board and keeps it for scoring at the end of the period, then places a matching mammal token sell-side up in the territory. The active player places their one remaining bird (or leader) token on top of the mammal token to indicate ownership.

Once a territory has been sold, it becomes locked and no more pieces may be placed there. Additionally, it cannot be invaded by mammals. The only way to affect the number of pieces in the territory is with the karakia tile that allows birds to move between territories, or the volcano (if the sold territory is on the volcano, which erupts).

Example: Blue thinks the safest move is to sell land in territory 8, since she will not currently gain any points in that territory. Forest is shown on one of the terrain cards, and Blue has at least one bird (or leader) in the territory. There is one dog card in the mammal card display on the game board. She plays a Kiwi and a Moa for a total of three honour, takes the dog card from the mammal card display for scoring, and places a dog tile sell-side up on territory 8. She moves her single bird token on to the dog tile to show that she sold the territory.

Buy karakia tiles

A player can buy one or two karakia tiles by spending the required number of karakia icons. The cost of a karakia tile is the number of purple karakia icons on the bottom of the tile.

Players cannot buy more than one tile of a type in an action, but they can buy a duplicate tile in a later round. There is no upper limit to the number of karakia tiles that a player may hold. A tile cannot be used in the turn that it is purchased.

Pass

A player may pass and do nothing on one round and play again on the next round if he still has bird cards or tiles.

Step C: Move player token

The first player token is passed to the player on the left and the next round commences with Step A. The player actions phase completes at the end of the round when all 14 terrain cards have been played.

Note that the first player token is passed after the last player has performed an action.

Mammal Invasion

An invasion occurs when a weasel mammal card is drawn, or when a terrain card states that a certain type of mammal invades.

Each area has a number from 1 to 12, which indicates the order that territories will be invaded, starting with 1 and progressing in sequence to 12.

If there is more than one mammal card set to invade, then each invasion will be resolved individually.

To resolve an invasion, start at the territory with the 1. That area cannot be invaded if it contains a mammal tile or a stronghold. Look at the next territory (2) and continue until a territory is found without either a mammal or stronghold. It may be that none of the areas can be invaded because all twelve contain either a mammal or stronghold. In this case remove all of the strongholds and immediately begin searching again starting with territory 1. Mammals don't invade the volcano territory (12) after it erupts.

If a territory is found to invade, place a mammal token matching the invading mammal fight-side up in the territory, and discard the mammal card. If there are bird tokens in this territory, the players have a chance to defend themselves. The player with the most bird and leader bird tokens has the first option to defend. If there is a tie, and one of the tied players has a leader bird token then that player has the first option to defend. If there is a tie and no player has a leader bird token, then the tied player closest to first player may choose to defend.

If a player chooses not to defend, then the player with the next most pieces in the territory may defend, and so forth until one player defends, or all of the players decline. Note that it is not possible for players to defend in a group, only an individual player can defend.

To successfully defend, a player must discard a number of fight icons on bird cards or tiles equal to the fight number on the mammal tile invading the territory. The player can play as many cards or tiles as needed to meet this requirement.

A player that defeats a mammal in this way takes the mammal tile for scoring at the end of the period. The player then places a stronghold token in the territory.

If there are more mammals waiting to invade, players repeat the process with the next available territory.

If a territory is not successfully defended, then all bird and leader bird tokens are returned to their owners. Any leader tile in the territory is removed from the game. The mammal tile remains in the territory.

In the unlikely event no territory can be found to invade, then discard the mammal cards from the board that match the terrain card.

Example: The second terrain card indicates all dogs attack. There are two dog cards on the mammal card display. Territory 1 cannot be invaded, since it has already been invaded by weasels. Territory 2 also cannot be invaded because it has been sold to dogs by the red player. Territory 3 has a stronghold and is safe from invasion. Territory 4 can be invaded because it contains neither a mammal tile nor stronghold. A dog tile is placed fight-side up in the territory.

The red player has the first chance to defend, since he has a leader bird token to break the tie with the green player. Red decides not to defend, and the choice passes to the green player, who chooses to defend. The dog has a fight value of 6, so Green spends six fight icons. She takes the dog mammal tile for scoring at the end of the period, and places a stronghold in territory 4.

The second dog invades territory 5. Since there are no birds to defend, the mammal tile is placed there and the leader tile removed from play. Both dog cards are discarded from the mammal card display.

Phase 3: Score victory points

Players score points at the end of both periods.

Each territory has two victory point values - one higher than the other. The player with the most pieces in each territory (including the leader) scores points equal to the higher value. The player with the second-most pieces in the territory scores the lower value.

In the case of a tie for the most pieces, the player with the leader in the territory takes priority. If there is no leader, then divide the higher value equally among tied players, losing any fractions.

If there is a tie for the second-most pieces in the territory, then the lesser victory points should be divided as equally as possible, losing any fraction. (If two points were to be shared between three players, then no player would get points.)

This means that there may be up to four players scoring a territory if two players tie for first and two players tie for second.

The number of points scored for the volcano territory (12) depends on the location of the volcano token. Both point totals are reduced by the number next to the token location.

Territories sold to mammals score as normal.

Players score for mammals they defeated or sold to during that period, as shown on the mammal card. These only score during one period. Discard mammal tiles or cards in each player's area after scoring. Mammal tiles for sold land remain on the board but don't score again after the next period. Lay the bird token on the mammal tile on its side to show that it's scored.

Leader tiles showing victory points score now, and are then removed from the game.

Points are scored on the track on the game board. +50 tokens are given to players that score more than 50 points.

Phase 4: Tidy up

Players discard any bird cards they did not use. All stronghold pieces are removed from the board.

Note that there is no marker to indicate which period the game is in. We know that the game is fun, but please remember to stop after the second period!

Winning the Game

When scoring has completed after the second period, the player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, the player with the most pieces on the board (birds + leaders) wins. In the rare event players are still tied, then the tied players share the victory.

2-Player Rules

Moa setup, gameplay, and scoring are identical to the rules above, except as follows.

Select an unused color for a neutral third player.

Each player rolls the 12-sided die after completing their turn. The player must then add one neutral bird to the board in the territory rolled or an adjacent territory:

The player may add 2 birds to the territory or adjacent territory if the terrain type of the selected territory matches at least one of the active terrain cards.

Instead of adding bird(s) to a territory, the player may add a neutral leader, following the rules of the main game. Remove the leader tile in that space from the game.

Neutral bird placement is skipped if there are no neutral birds available. Similarly, no neutral leaders may be placed if none are available. The neutral player does not take actions, nor will it defend against mammals. Players may optionally score the neutral player.