Rescue Animals Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Game Round
• 1. Identifying Endangered Animals
  • Reading an Endangered Animal card
• Dice Requirements
• 2. Rescuing Endangered Animals
  • Ties
  • Special Rule in 2-Player Games
• 3. Preparing for the Next Round
• Scoring
  • Ties

Components

• 55 cards:
  • 54 Endangered Animal cards
  • 1 Conservation Leader card
• 26 six-sided dice:
  • 20 white
  • 5 black
  • 1 gray

Setup

• Shuffle the deck of 54 Endangered Animal cards.
• Without looking at the cards, return some cards to the game box, depending on the number of players:
  • 2 players: return 9 cards
  • 3 players: return 10 cards
  • 4 players: return 9 cards
  • 5 players: return 10 cards
• Place the remaining cards face down in the center of the table. This deck will be referred to as the Animal Deck in this rule book.
• Give each player 4 white dice and 1 black die. Place the gray die next to the Animal Deck in the center of the table. Return any unused dice to the game box.
• The player who most recently visited an animal shelter becomes the first Conservation Leader. Give that player the Conservation Leader card. (Alternatively, determine the first Conservation Leader randomly.)

You are now ready to play the game!

Game Round

Each game round consists of three phases:

1. Identifying Endangered Animals
2. Rescuing Endangered Animals
3. Preparing for the Next Round

1. Identifying Endangered Animals

Depending on the number of players, draw a number of cards from the top of the Animal Deck:

• 2 players: draw 3 cards
• 3 players: draw 2 cards
• 4 players: draw 3 cards
• 5 players: draw 4 cards

Display the drawn cards face up in the center of the table, within clear view of all players. Each player should take a moment to study the Endangered Animals on display, trying to decide which one they want to rescue. No need to worry, however, as all of the animals will be rescued this round!

Reading an Endangered Animal card

The card anatomy is labelled in the rulebook as follows:

• Name
• Latin name
• Area (where the animal lives)
• Number of cards in the deck (shown as small dots in the bottom-left corner)
• Protection Points (the white number at the top right)
• Bonus Points (the black number below the Protection Points)
• Dice requirements (the dice symbols at the bottom of the card)

Dice Requirements

For purposes of all dice requirements, the gray die counts as a white die.

Most cards depict a dice requirement consisting of one black die and two or more white dice. Only your black die can be used to meet the requirement of the black die symbol, while only white dice (including the gray die, if you are using it this round) can be used to meet the requirement of white die symbols. Each die can only be used to meet the requirement of a single die symbol. Examples:

• Your black die must be a "2".
• Your black die must be a "5".
• One of your white dice must be a "3".
• One of your white dice must be a "6".
• One of your white dice, but it may be of any number.

However, a few Endangered Animals have special requirements. The "hooked line" serves as a visual indicator to distinguish the special requirements.

• Giant Panda: Three of your white dice must all be of the same number.
• Fin Whale: The numbers on three of your white dice must add up to exactly "10".
• Bawean Deer: In addition to having one black "3" and one white "3", the numbers on two of your white dice must add up to exactly "8".
• Golden Lion Tamarin: The sum of two of your white dice must equal the sum of two different white dice of yours. Example: two of your white dice totalling 9, and two other white dice of yours also totalling 9.
• Red Wolf: In addition to having one black "5" and one white "5", two of your white dice must be of the same number.

2. Rescuing Endangered Animals

The current Conservation Leader should call out: Ready, Set, Go!

At this point, all players will start rolling their dice. There is no specific turn order. All players will be rolling their dice simultaneously!

You may roll and reroll your dice as quickly as you want! If some of your just-rolled dice match the Dice Requirements of the Endangered Animal you are trying to rescue, you may set these aside while continuing to roll and reroll any remaining dice. Of course, you may later change your mind and decide to reroll a die you had previously set aside as well!

At any point, if you have managed to collect all dice necessary to meet the Dice Requirements of one of the Endangered Animals, loudly call out: Rescuing!

All players must stop rolling their dice! After showing the other players that you meet the requirements of an Endangered Animal, take that card and place it face down in front of you. You have now rescued that animal!

You must now call out: Ready, Set, Go!

The other players (not you) will resume rolling and rerolling their dice, attempting to rescue one of the remaining Endangered Animals.

Note: You may only rescue one animal each round. Once you have rescued an animal, simply wait for the round to finish.

Ties

If two or more players call out "Rescuing!" at the same time, resolve the tie as follows:

• If a tied player is using the gray die this turn, they win the tie.
• Otherwise, the first tied player, counting clockwise, starting with the current Conservation Leader, wins the tie.

The players will continue to rescue animals, until there are no more face-up Endangered Animals on the table.

The player who was unable to rescue an Endangered Animal this round gains use of the gray die in the following round.

Special Rule in 2-Player Games

Each player will have the opportunity to rescue two Endangered Animals. The player unable to rescue their second animal gains use of the gray die in the following round.

3. Preparing for the Next Round

If there are still cards left in the Animal Deck, pass the Conservation Leader card to the next player in clockwise order and begin a new round.

Otherwise, proceed to scoring.

Scoring

• For each Endangered Animal you rescued, score a number of Protection Points as indicated on the card.
• Score additional Bonus Points for every pair of identical Endangered Animals you collected, as indicated on the card.
• Finally, if you have the gray die at the end of the game, score 2 additional points.

The player who scored the most Protection Points is the winner!

Ties

If two or more players are tied for the most Protection Points, resolve the tie as follows:

• The player who rescued the most Endangered Animals wins the tie.
• If still tied, if a tied player has the gray die at the end of the game, they win the tie.
• Otherwise, the first tied player, counting clockwise, starting with the current Conservation Leader, wins the tie.