Rainforest
Rainforest Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 main board
- 112 Species tokens
- 4 player boards
- 1 Binoculars token
- 55 Jungle tiles
- 10 Protected Area tokens
- 4 Diversity tokens
- 1 cloth bag
Setup
- Place the main board in the center of the playing area.
- Sort the Jungle tiles by their reverse side color, then mix up each pile and place them faceup in their corresponding places on the board.
- Mix up the Species tokens in the bag. Randomly take tokens and fill the empty spaces in the zones below the piles of tiles on the main board.
- Place 1 Diversity token per player in a pile on the board.
- Mix the 10 Protected Area tokens facedown, taking 5 tokens if there are 2 players, 6 tokens for 3 players, or 7 tokens for 4 players. Place them faceup on the board, below the zones for each token color. Return the remaining tokens to the box, as they will not be used in this game.
- Give each player a player board at random. Each board shows a totem animal and has two spaces so the player can reserve two Species tokens during the game.
- Choose the first player at random. That player takes the Binoculars token and starts the game.
Useful Information
The main board is divided into 5 colored zones (red, yellow, green, purple and blue).
Each zone contains:
- A pile of 11 Jungle tiles: 7 single-colored tiles of that zone color; 4 dual-colored tiles (each combines that zone color with one of the other 4 colors);
- A certain number of spaces for Species tokens (between 2 and 6).
Layout of a Jungle tile:
- Illustration showing the color of this area of the jungle
- Victory points awarded at the end of the game
- The biodiversity needed to lock in this tile (this one needs 3 yellow species)
This tile counts as both blue and green. A dual-colored tile has the same features. It simultaneously counts as a tile of both colors.
There are 4 different types of Species tokens (monkey, frog, butterfly and parrot) in 4 different colors (red, yellow, purple and blue). There are 7 Species tokens of each type in each color.
How to Play
On your turn, you must perform the following two actions, in this order:
- Take a Jungle tile from the top of one of the piles, then take all the Species tokens of a single color or single type from that same zone.
- Place the Species tokens you have just taken onto your Jungle tiles in your clearing, then lock in any completed tiles by placing them in your jungle.
When a player locks in their 9th Jungle tile, the players finish that round and then the game ends. The player with the most points wins.
1. Choosing the Tile and Species Tokens in One Zone
Choose one of the 5 zones on the board and follow these two steps in this order:
Take the top Jungle tile from the pile in that zone. You may choose to either:
- Place it in one of the spaces in your clearing, which is the area just below your player board (up to a tile limit of 3);
- Or return it to the bottom of the pile, if you don't wish to keep it or already have 3 tiles in your clearing.
You must then take all the Species tokens of a single color or single type within that zone.
IMPORTANT! Each player was allocated a totem animal at the beginning of the game. Completed tiles containing tokens featuring the player's totem animal will earn the player more points (see: End of the Game and Scoring, p. 7).
The player who takes the last Species token from a zone can immediately exchange one of the Species tokens they have taken this turn or one from their reserve with any Species token on the main board.
Example: Lilia chooses the yellow zone. She takes the top tile from the pile and places it into her clearing, then chooses to take the three yellow Species tokens.
2. Placing Species Tokens
You use the Species tokens you take (plus those in your reserve, if you have any) to complete the Jungle tiles in your clearing.
IMPORTANT! At the end of your turn, you will only be able to hold 2 Species tokens in your reserve to use in future turns (see: Turn end, p. 7).
You can start filling a Jungle tile without having to complete it entirely. Any Species token that has been placed on a Jungle tile remains there for the remainder of the game.
The Jungle tiles do not all have the same restrictions. Some of them will accept any species, whereas others will require a particular color or type of species.
This tile requires two species of any color or type, and a purple species of any type.
This tile requires one species of any color or type, and two parrots of any color.
Example: Lilia chooses to place the two yellow monkeys that she has just taken onto the yellow tile in her clearing, so she can complete it. She keeps her yellow frog in reserve for a future turn.
Locking In Jungle Tiles
If you have completed a Jungle tile, you must move it from your clearing into your Jungle – the area above your player board.
Locked-in tiles are placed down one after the other, from left to right, respecting the placement order shown on your player board, so forming a square of 9 tiles.
You can lock in more than one Jungle tile in the same turn. If you do, you can arrange them in the order you wish.
You won't be able to adjust this placement later on.
Once you have placed the locked-in tiles in your jungle, check whether you have fulfilled any of the conditions that allow you to take one of the available Bonus tokens (Protected Area and Diversity).
Example: Lilia has just locked in her yellow tile, which she then places in her jungle, following the placement order. That gives her 3 yellow tiles which are connected orthogonally (one of which is a dual-colored tile), and so she can take the yellow 3-tile Protected Area token. She decides to place it on the 1st tile in her jungle. This means that she will no longer be able to take the 4-tile Protected Area token even though it is available.
Bonus Tokens
Dual-colored tiles count towards both colors when you are taking Bonus tokens.
Protected Area Tokens
There are two types of Protected Area for each of the 5 colors:
- 3-tile Protected Area: You must have 3 tiles of the same color connected orthogonally (the shape does not matter);
- 4-tile Protected Area: You must have 4 tiles of the same color connected orthogonally (the shape does not matter).
If you build a zone of 3 tiles of the same color connected orthogonally, and the two Protected Area tokens of that color are still available for this game, you can decide either to take the 3-tile token immediately or instead leave it and aim for the 4-tile token. You won't be able to change your mind later on.
Similarly, if you take the 3-tile Protected Area token, you will no longer have the option to take the 4-tile Protected Area token. This means that a player can only have one Protected Area token of each color.
Place the Protected Area token on a tile of your choice within the connected area concerned.
IMPORTANT: A dual-colored tile can only hold one Protected Area token.
Diversity Tokens
If your jungle contains all 5 colors (no matter where they are placed), you receive the Diversity token and place it on the tile featuring the 5th color.
A tile can hold both a Protected Area and a Diversity token.
Turn End
If you have more Species tokens than you can hold in your reserve (limit of 2), you must discard the remainder, putting them back in the bag. How you manage your reserve is up to you; you can discard the tokens you reserved in previous rounds in order to keep the tokens you took this turn, if you so wish.
At the end of each player's turn, if one of the zones on the main board has run out of Species tokens, players refill the empty spaces in all zones with tokens taken at random from the bag.
REMINDER: The player who takes the last Species token from a zone can choose to immediately exchange a Species token they have just taken, or one from their reserve, with any Species token on the main board.
End of the Game and Scoring
When a player locks in their 9th Jungle tile, it triggers the end of the game. Players continue to play until it comes back to the player with the Binoculars token, so that everyone has played the same number of turns. Each player then counts up their points.
1. The Players Proceed Tile by Tile
Each Jungle tile locked into the player's jungle earns them the points indicated on that tile.
Each Species token corresponding to the player's totem animal that has been placed on a locked-in tile earns 1 additional point for that tile.
The Protected Area tokens allow the player to double or triple their points for the tile on which they are placed (including the totem animal points).
Tiles that are still in your clearing do not count towards your score.
2. The Diversity Token
The Diversity token gives a player 2 points for each tile placed after it in the placement order.
The player who has gained the most points wins the game.
If there is a tie, the players share the victory.
Scoring example — Lilia's jungle: Each totem animal token on her tiles increases the value of each of those tiles by one point. The Protected Area tokens double or triple the points of the tile on which they are placed. Using dual-colored tiles, she managed to build 3 colored zones and get 3 tokens. The Diversity token gives her 2 points for each tile placed after it in the jungle, which is 6 points here. Her green tiles score 3+1 (doubled) and 3+1 (tripled) and 5 for a Protected Area bonus; her blue tiles score 2 and 3+1 plus the Diversity token's +6; her yellow tiles score 4+1 (doubled) and 1 and 3 for a Protected Area bonus. Her total is 54 points.
Credits
Game design: Johannes Goupy
Artwork: Alain Boyer
Graphics: Ulric Maes & Thierry Mercier
Development: Funnyfox
Translation & copy editing EN: Harriet Cooper & Lis Díez Bourgoin (Board Game Circus)