Petals
Petals Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 38 game cards (68 x 68 mm)
- 8 tracker cards (68 x 68 mm)
- 20 scoring cubes (4 x 5 colors)
Goal
Earn the highest scores while maintaining the best possible balance between the four Elemental Trackers. You must win in at least one of them to be eligible to win the game.
Setup
Remove the following cards based on the number of players:
- If there are 2 or 4 players: remove the 3 cards with a ladybug in the center.
- If there are 3 players: remove the 3 ladybug cards and two additional cards at random.
- If there are 5 players: do not remove any cards.
Shuffle the cards and place 3 cards diagonally in the center of the table. These are the starting cards.
Deal 2 cards to each player; you may look at your cards but do not show them to others.
Use the remaining cards to form a draw pile, placed face down within everyone's reach.
Place the 4 trackers (2 cards per tracker) in an accessible location.
Each player chooses a color of scoring cubes to represent them and places one cube of their color next to each tracker.
The last player to have stepped into a garden goes first.
How to Play
1. Elemental Flowers: Scoring Points
On your turn, place a card from your hand so that at least one of its sides touches a side of an existing card on the table.
Your goal is to match the flowers and/or numbers of the card you place with those of the adjacent card(s).
You will score and track points using your cubes on one or more Elemental Trackers, based on the matches and effects caused.
Fun fact: if you like math, you might enjoy knowing that the cards in Petals are unique—no two cards are the same.
If you match one or more flowers of the same type: add the numbers on those flowers and score that total on the corresponding tracker(s).
Example: Matching Elemental Flowers
When you played your card you matched two identical flowers: one Earth (yellow) and one Water (blue). This allows you to score the total value for each flower.
Mark 3 points on the Water tracker and 3 points on the Earth tracker with your cubes.
If you match one or more identical numbers (even if the flowers are different): score the value of each number on the appropriate tracker(s).
Example: Matching Numbers
When you played your card you matched two 2s and two 3s from different flowers. You will score 2 points on the Water tracker, 3 on the Air tracker, and 5 (2+3) on the Fire tracker.
Note: When scoring, symbols always count as 0 when connecting to a number or another symbol.
2. Elemental Symbols: Triggering Effects
Some cards include symbols in addition to numbers. There are 4 different symbols: Fire, Air, Earth, Water.
If you match two symbols by placing your card, this triggers an effect. There are two types of effect:
Simple Effect: Two different symbols
If you match two different symbols, choose one of the following options:
A) If the card you placed scores you points, add them as usual, or
B) Move one previously played card to a new location to score its points instead.
Before moving a card, keep the following in mind:
- You may rotate the card, but only if you move it to a different location.
- You cannot move either of the two cards that triggered the effect, nor any card surrounded on all 4 sides.
- You must not isolate any card on the table. All cards must stay connected by at least one side.
Example: Matching Two Different Symbols
You matched two different symbols (Fire and Earth). You also matched a Water flower.
Matching two different symbols allows you to either:
- Score 4 points from the Water flower or
- Pick and move a different card to a new position to score its points.
Choosing the best option for your strategy is up to you.
Double Effect: Two identical symbols
If you match two identical symbols when you place your card, you won't have to choose—you get both effects:
- Score the points from your card and
- Move another card and score its points as well.
However, you may not trigger further effects from an additional move—even if you match more symbols again.
Example: Matching Two Identical Symbols
When you played your card you matched two Fire symbols. You also matched two identical numbers from different flowers (Water and Air).
Matching two identical symbols allows you to:
- Score 2 points on the Water tracker,
- Score 2 points on the Air tracker, and
- Move another card to score its points too.
3. End of Turn
After placing your card and scoring, draw a new card from the pile. Then, pass the turn to the next player.
4. End of the Game
The game ends when the draw pile is empty.
At this point, each player plays their second-to-last card on their turn.
Then, the last card is kept to score its points directly on the trackers (without placing it on the table).
Who Wins?
To win Petals, you must win on at least one of the four trackers.
If you don't, you're not eligible for victory.
If two or more players tie for the highest score on a tracker, they are all considered winners of that tracker and remain eligible.
Final Scoring:
- Identify who won on each tracker. Remove all cubes of players who did not win on any tracker—they are out of the running.
- Each remaining player adds up their points from their two lowest scoring trackers.
- The player with the highest total is the winner, having restored balance to the garden of Petals.
Alternative Scoring Mode: Harmony
As in the standard mode, eliminate players who are not eligible to win.
The winner is the player with the smallest difference between their highest and lowest scoring trackers.