Petrichor: Cows Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Methane Crystals
  • Methane in the Clouds
  • Spending Methane
  • Methane in the Supply
• Grazing Actions
  • Nature's Call
  • Time Heals
• Climate Events
• Harvest Bonus
  • Cow Bonus
  • Fertilizer Bonus
• Climate-sensitive Tiles
  • Norway Spruce
  • Sweet Chestnut
  • Date Palm
  • Baobab
• New Cards Used with Petrichor: Flowers
  • New Player Power
  • Forecast Card Reference
• Integrating with Petrichor: Honeybee
• Southern Winds Solo Mode
  • Additional Components
  • Setup Changes
  • Grazing Actions
    • Nature's Call (2x)
    • Time Heals (1x)
  • Climate Events
  • Spending Methane

Components

• 4 new climate-sensitive tiles
  • Norway Spruce
  • Sweet Chestnut
  • Date Palm
  • Baobab
• 10 Grazing Cards
• 12 methane crystals
• 1 climate board
• 1 climate marker
• 12 fertilizer tokens
• 7 pasture tokens
• 1 special growth token (for Norway Spruce)
• 2 wooden Cow pieces
• 2 Forecast cards and 1 Player Power card to be used with Petrichor: Flowers
• 3 Southern Wind cards
• 5 Player Aid cards

Setup

Use the regular setup with the following changes and additions.

• When forming the fields, include either 1 climate-sensitive tile (for 1–2 players) or 2 climate-sensitive tiles (for 3–5 players). For your first game with this expansion, we recommend the Sweet Chestnut (for 1–2 players) or the Norway Spruce and Date Palm (for 3–5 players).

• Place 1 pasture token on every Corn, Grass, and Wheat tile in the fields to mark them as pasture tiles. Return any extra pasture tokens to the box.

• Place cows and clouds in preset locations in the fields, based on player count (see diagram). Add 1 Methane crystal to each of these clouds. Make sure that you do this before the players place their starting clouds.

  Note: instead of placing their starting cloud, a player may add 1 of their water drops to a cloud containing a methane crystal (but no water drops).

  The rulebook's diagrams (page 3) show the preset cow and cloud locations for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 players. The placements are not reproduced in text here; refer to the printed diagram.

• Keep all of the fertilizer tokens and the remaining Methane crystals in the supply.

• Shuffle the new Grazing cards in with the base game cards. Deal each player 1 card more than normal for their starting hands.

Player count	First player starting hand	Other players' starting hand
1	9	–
2	8	9
3	8	8
4	7	7
5 (Petrichor: Flowers required)	7	7

• Set the climate board next to the main game board. Place the climate marker in the center space of the climate track.

Note: for your first game with this expansion, we recommend playing the short game (4 rounds) instead of long (6 rounds).

Methane Crystals

Methane in the Clouds

Methane in the clouds never drops to the fields. When a cloud containing methane is emptied of water drops, immediately create a new light cloud where the previous cloud was. Add 1 Methane from the previous cloud to the new cloud, then return the rest to the supply.

Methane counts towards cloud size for the purposes of cloud growth and overflow. For example, a light cloud containing 3 water drops and 1 Methane will become a thundercloud, and a thundercloud containing 6 water drops and 2 Methane will overflow. However, for any other effects related to the water drops in a cloud, methane is ignored (and vice versa).

While a cloud contains only methane, the tile with that cloud is not considered to be a tile with a cloud (for Rain player power, Forecast 10), nobody controls that cloud, and water drops can be added to that cloud using the Frost action (or Forecast 4, 14, 16). Light clouds containing only methane do become thunderclouds during Frost weather.

Spending Methane

You may spend methane from your personal reserve to perform special feats. You may only spend methane on your own turn and only once per turn for each of these two effects.

• When you take the Rain action, you may spend 1 Methane to rain up to 2 water drops each from up to 2 different clouds (instead of 1 water drop each).

  Note: if you have the Rain player power (found in the Flowers expansion), you may instead add 2 water drops directly to a tile that does not have a cloud on it.

• When you would play multiple cards to take a single action, whether as the first or second action of your turn, you may spend 2 Methane in place of 1 required card.

Methane in the Supply

If there is not enough methane in the supply when any game effect requires you to add methane to a cloud, each player first returns 1 Methane from their personal reserve to the supply (if available). If all methane is already in the clouds, simply ignore any additional methane being added.

Grazing Actions

This expansion introduces the Grazing action. You must play a Grazing card (or 2 other cards) to take the Grazing action. When you take the Grazing action, choose one of these options: Nature's Call or Time Heals.

Nature's Call

1. Choose a cow in the fields. Add 2 Methane from the supply to a cloud on either that cow's tile or an adjacent tile.
   • If there is not enough methane in the supply, each player first returns 1 Methane from their personal reserve to the supply (if available). If there is still not enough methane after this, add as much as possible and ignore the rest.
   • If there is not an existing cloud on the chosen tile, create a cloud first, then add 2 Methane to that new cloud.
2. Add 1 fertilizer from the supply to that cow's tile. If you run out of fertilizer, use a suitable proxy.
3. Move that cow to an adjacent tile that does not already contain another cow, if possible.

Time Heals

1. Choose a cloud that you have at least 1 water drop in. Remove all methane from that cloud and add it to your personal reserve.
2. Move a cow to the tile with that cloud. If a cow is already there or it's a tile the cow cannot be moved to, skip this step.

After you take the Grazing action, you must vote for harvest (if possible). If not possible, then you may vote for any weather.

Note: cows cannot be moved to tiles that are never harvested (Anthill, Biodome, Lake, Primrose, and Volcano).

Climate Events

The Climate Phase is a new game phase that occurs between the Action Phase and the Weather Phase of each round.

Perform the following steps:

1. Count the current total of methane in the clouds. Adjust the climate marker based on this number (see climate track). When there is lots of methane, the climate will become hotter. When there is very little methane, the climate will become cooler. If the climate marker would ever move beyond either end of the climate track, the excess movement is ignored.

Methane in the clouds	Climate adjustment
8 or more	Increase by 3
7	Increase by 2
6	Increase by 1
5	No change
4	Decrease by 1
3	Decrease by 2
2 or fewer	Decrease by 3

2. Determine which player has the most methane in their personal reserve. That player is named this round's climate leader. If there is a tie for most (even at zero), the current first player chooses a climate leader from among the tied players.
3. Based on the current position of the climate marker on the climate track, the climate leader resolves the climate event. All effects are mandatory (if possible).

• Scorching:

  • Resolve all Warm climate effects.
  • Remove 1 Methane from a cloud of your choice.
  • Remove 1 water drop (of any player) from a cloud of your choice.

• Warm:

  • Remove 1 Methane from a cloud of your choice.
  • Remove 1 water drop (of any player) from a tile of your choice.

• Temperate:

  • Score 2 Points.

• Cold:

  • Add 1 Methane from the supply to a cloud of your choice.
  • Add 1 of your water drops to a cloud of your choice.

• Frozen:

  • Resolve all Cold climate effects.
  • Add 1 Methane from the supply to a cloud of your choice.
  • Add 1 of your water drops to a tile of your choice.

Harvest Bonus

Cow Bonus

During the harvest, for every cow on a growing pasture tile (i.e., Corn, Grass, or Wheat tile), the player with the most water drops on that tile scores 2 Bonus Points. If there is a tie for most, no one scores the bonus points.

Fertilizer Bonus

During the harvest, for every fertilizer on a growing tile, all players with water drops on that tile score 1 Bonus Point. After the harvest is complete, remove all fertilizer from tiles that were just harvested.

Example: The Cotton tile with 1 fertilizer will score 6 Points for Blue and 2 Points for Yellow.

Example: The Grass tile with 2 fertilizer and a cow will score 8 Points for Green and 4 Points each for Red and Yellow, who are tied for second.

Example: The Corn tile with a cow will score 10 Points for Red and 8 Points for Yellow.

Climate-sensitive Tiles

The new tiles from this expansion are trees requiring specific climates. If a tree has started growing, and the climate changes to one that they cannot tolerate, it dies off and has to grow all over again.

Norway Spruce

The Norway Spruce requires a Temperate, Cold, or Frozen climate to grow. Use the special growth token to mark which climate it grew in. In a Cold climate, the Norway Spruce requires 5 water drops to grow and the players score 13/8/4/2 Points at harvest. In a Temperate or Frozen climate, the Norway Spruce requires 3 water drops to grow and the players score 6/3/1/0 Points at harvest.

Sweet Chestnut

The Sweet Chestnut requires a Temperate climate and 4 water drops to grow. The players score 8/4/2/0 Points at harvest.

Date Palm

The Date Palm requires a Temperate or Warm climate and 2 water drops to sprout. Once the Date Palm has sprouted, the players score 4/3/3/3 Points at harvest. While sprouted, the Date Palm requires Rain weather during a Warm climate to grow. Once the Date Palm has grown, the players score 11/6/3/3 Points at harvest.

Baobab

The Baobab requires a Scorching climate and 1 water drop to grow. The players score 15/5/0/0 Points at harvest.

New Cards Used with Petrichor: Flowers

If you also own Petrichor: Flowers, you can just shuffle the new cards into their respective decks before playing.

New Player Power

The Methane Player Power lets you treat any cloud containing 2 or more methane as if you have presence in that cloud.

Forecast Card Reference

• Forecast 19: Play as your turn: adjust the climate 1 step in either direction but do not resolve the climate event.
• Forecast 20: Play at the start of the Climate Phase: gain up to 2 Methane from the supply.

Integrating with Petrichor: Honeybee

If you also own the Petrichor: Honeybee, use this chart when forming the fields to determine which tiles to use from which sets.

Player count	Standard tiles	Honey-producing tiles	Climate-sensitive tiles
1	3	2	1
2	4	2	1
3	4	3	2
4	6	4	2
5 (Petrichor: Flowers required)	10	4	2

Even though you have to use the second action of your turn to take a Bee action, you cannot spend methane in place of the required card, because the Bee action does not require multiple cards (unlike other second actions).

Southern Winds Solo Mode

Additional Components

• 3 new Southern Winds solo cards.

Setup Changes

• Shuffle the 3 new Southern Wind cards in with the base game Southern Wind cards (and those from Petrichor: Honeybee if applicable).
• Give the neutral player 1 Methane from the supply.

Grazing Actions

When the neutral player takes the Grazing action, the card will indicate 1 of the 2 options. Unlike for the core actions, you always use the die roll for these actions, even with the non-random targeting variant.

Nature's Call (2x)

1. Roll the die. Add 2 Methane to the cloud (creating it if necessary) on the tile closest to the cow's current tile. This is based on the die roll: either the cow's current tile or the closest adjacent tile.
2. Add 1 fertilizer from the supply to the cow's tile.
3. Roll the die. Move the cow to the closest adjacent tile. The cow must move; it cannot remain on the same tile.
4. The neutral player places 2 votes. First, it votes for the weather with the fewest votes (ties broken in clockwise order). Then, it votes for harvest (if possible). If not possible, it votes for the weather with the fewest votes (ties broken in clockwise order).

Non-Random Targeting Variant: When moving the cow with Nature's Call, instead move the cow towards a pasture tile where the neutral player has the biggest majority in total water drops (counting the cloud and tile combined).

Time Heals (1x)

1. Roll the die. Remove all methane from the closest cloud containing any of the neutral player's water drops. Add them to the neutral player's personal reserve.
2. Move the cow to the tile with that cloud. If the cow is already there or it's a tile the cow cannot be moved to, skip this step.
3. The neutral player places 1 vote. It votes for harvest (if possible). If not possible, it votes for the weather with the fewest votes (ties broken in clockwise order).

Climate Events

In the Climate Phase, the neutral player becomes the round's climate leader if it has more methane in its personal reserve than you do. When this happens, the neutral player resolves the climate event with these changes:

• Scorching: Resolve all Warm climate effects first. Then roll the die to choose which cloud the second methane is removed from, then roll the die again to choose which cloud the water drop is removed from.
• Warm: Roll the die to choose which cloud the methane is removed from, then roll the die again to choose which tile the water drop is removed from.
• Temperate: The neutral player scores 2 Points.
• Cold: Roll the die to choose which cloud the methane is added to, then roll the die again to choose which cloud the neutral player's water drop is added to.
• Frozen: Resolve all Cold climate effects first. Then roll the die to choose which cloud the second methane is added to, then roll the die again to choose which tile the neutral player's water drop is added to.

When removing water drops, the neutral player prioritises targets with your water drops first. If there is ever a choice of whose water drop to remove from that target, the neutral player always removes yours.

Non-Random Targeting Variant: The neutral player still adds and removes methane randomly via the die roll, but it adds its own water drops to the highest-numbered valid target, prioritising targets where it does not have the majority in total water drops first (counting the cloud and tile combined). When removing your water drops, the neutral player removes them from the highest-numbered valid target, prioritising targets where it does not have the majority by at least 2 water drops first.

Spending Methane

After each Climate phase, the neutral player keeps up to 1 Methane in its personal reserve, but must return any excess methane to the supply. If you wish to increase the difficulty, the neutral player scores 1 Point per methane returned this way.