Trails
Trails Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 5 Trail sites
- 1 Trail End
- 1 Wildlife die
- 1 Wildlife bear
- 15 Acorn resources
- 15 Leaf resources
- 15 Rock resources
- 1 Trailhead
- 1 Bird Trophy
- 4 Canteens
- 4 Hikers
- 1 Sun
- 42 Badge cards
- 32 Photo cards
Game Overview
In TRAILS, players hike back and forth along the Trail. Each turn, you move your Hiker on the Trail to gather resources or take Photos. Along the way, you may gain bonuses from encountering Wildlife. At Trailhead and Trail End, you can turn in resources to earn Badges and begin your journey back in the other direction.
Each time a player visits Trail End, the Sun will set over the Trail. As night falls, Trail sites grant more powerful actions, but they won't last forever. When the Sun leaves the Trail, the last round will occur.
Game End
Each player will then tally up their Points from Badges and Photos. Check with your friends to see who won the Bird Trophy by seeing the most Birds across their Badges and Photos. The player with the most Points wins!
Player Setup
To begin, give each player a Hiker and its matching Canteen along with an acorn, rock, and leaf resource. Each player's Canteen should start on the filled side as noted below.
EACH PLAYER • 1 Hiker, 1 Canteen (filled side up), 1 rock, 1 acorn, and 1 leaf.
Board Setup
For your first game, we recommend this Trail layout.
1. TRAIL • Find and shuffle the five Trail sites. Place them side-by-side, showing their day side. Place the gray rock, green leaf, and red acorn resource cubes below their matching Trail tiles. Place the Bird Trophy below the "pay a resource to take a Photo" site.
2. TRAILHEAD / TRAIL END • Place the Trailhead tile (2a) to the left of the Trail and the Trail End tile (2b) to the right. Each of these tiles has player icons on the bottom that correspond to different player counts. Make sure they are flipped to the side showing the correct player count.
3. BADGES • Shuffle the Badge deck and place it facedown below Trailhead. Draw and place 2 Badge cards face up at Trailhead and Trail End. Each player draws a Badge card from the deck into their hand. This Badge is considered in your reserve and kept secret from other players.
4. PHOTO DECK • Shuffle the Photo deck and place it facedown below Trail End. Leave room beside it for the Photo discard pile.
5. WILDLIFE & SUN • Place the Wildlife bear on the middle Trail tile. Place the Wildlife die within reach of all players. Place the Sun token above Trail End pointing to the rightmost icon on the Sun Track.
6. HIKERS • Randomly determine the first player.
- 2 or 3-Player Game • Each player places their Hiker on Trailhead facing the Trail.
- 4-Player Game • The first player and the player to their left in turn order place their Hiker on Trail End facing the Trail. The other two players place their Hiker on Trailhead facing the Trail.
You're ready to hit the Trail!
On Your Turn
HIKING THE TRAIL • On your turn, move your Hiker 1 or 2 tiles along the Trail in the direction your Hiker is currently facing (as indicated by the hat and walking stick). Take the action shown on the new Trail tile you land on.
Here are the actions you take on each Trail tile:
Acorn site
- DAY • Gain 1 acorn
- NIGHT • Gain 2 acorns
Leaf site
- DAY • Gain 1 leaf
- NIGHT • Gain 2 leaves
Rock site
- DAY • Gain 1 rock
- NIGHT • Gain 2 rocks
Exchange site
- DAY • Exchange 1 resource for 2 of a different resource type
- NIGHT • Exchange 1 resource for 1 each of the other 2 resources
Photo site
- DAY • Pay 1 of any resource to take a Photo action (See Page 8)
- NIGHT • Take a Photo action for free
Trailhead
- Turn your Hiker around to face the Trail
- Refill your Canteen by flipping it face up if it is not already
- Earn Badges (See Page 10)
Trail End
- Turn your Hiker around to face the Trail
- Gain the Sun bonus
- Move the Sun to the left (see Page 11)
- Earn Badges (See Page 10)
On the Trail
Canteen
CANTEEN • On your turn, rather than moving 1 or 2 tiles, you may use your filled Canteen to move your Hiker any number of tiles in the direction you are facing. After using your Canteen, flip it over to its empty side. It cannot be used again until it is refilled. Canteens are refilled when you visit Trailhead.
Photography
PHOTOGRAPHY • Photos can award you Points and Birds. Whenever you take the Photo action, you have two choices. You may draw 2 Photo cards from the deck, then keep one and discard the other card face up on the discard pile – OR – take the top card of the Photo discard pile. Keep the chosen Photo card facedown in front of you until the end of the game. You may look at your Photos at any time, but do not reveal them to other players until the end of the game.
Draw 2, Keep 1 — OR — Take 1 face up
If the Photo deck runs out, flip over the discard pile to become the new Photo deck. Don't shuffle!
At the end of the game, you will reveal your Photos and add their Points to your total and compare how many Birds you saw to vie for the Bird Trophy. (See Page 12)
Photo cards are worth: 2 Points • 1 Point and 1 Bird • 0 Points and 2 Birds
Wildlife
WILDLIFE • Whenever your Hiker lands on a Trail site with the Wildlife bear, you encounter Wildlife! Roll the Wildlife die, then move the bear to the site matching the icon on the die. You may take that site's action. If the bear moves to a site that has flipped to its night side, then you may take the night action.
If you roll the bear side of the die, you may move the Wildlife bear to any Trail site including the one it's currently on, but the Wildlife can never go to Trailhead or Trail End.
Note: You may choose to take your Hiker's Trail action before or after the action at the Wildlife's site.
WILDLIFE DIE SIDES AND THEIR RELATED SITES — the die's six sides show the exchange site, the leaf site, the acorn site, the Photo site, the rock site, and the Wildlife bear (wild).
EXAMPLE: Your Hiker visits the leaf site. The site also has the Wildlife bear on it, so you roll the die. The die shows the rock symbol, so you move the bear to the rock site. You gain a leaf from your Hiker's site and a rock from the Wildlife bear's new site.
When a Badge or Sun bonus shows this Wildlife symbol, you will roll the Wildlife die, move the bear, then you may take its action.
Trailhead & Trail End
Earning Badges
Badge anatomy: the Badge type is in the top left corner (E) — for example Leaf type, Acorn type, or All 3 types; the cost (A); the Points (B); the Birds (C); and the bonus action (D).
EARNING BADGES • When your Hiker reaches Trailhead or Trail End, you may earn Badges. You may earn either of the two face-up Badges there and/or the Badge in your hand. You could earn none, one, two, or all three. To earn a Badge, return resources matching its cost (A), then place the Badge face up in front of you.
Earned Badges give you Points (B) and some even have Birds (C) on them. Badges often have a bonus action (D) that you may take after you earn it. This is a one-time action that you immediately gain after paying its cost. Other Badges give bonuses based on the specific types of Badges you have collected. Badge types are found in the top left corner (E) and a list of Badges and their bonuses can be found on Pages 14-15.
Once your turn is over, replace any face-up Badges that were earned with new ones from the Badge deck. If you earned the Badge from your hand, immediately draw a new Badge into your hand, keeping it secret.
The Sun
SUN • The Sun will set throughout the game. It moves from Trail End toward Trailhead above the Trail. As it leaves a Trail site, the site will flip to its night side.
When your Hiker reaches Trail End (A)—not Trailhead—gain the current Sun bonus:
- If the Sun is over the Sun Track (B), gain the bonus the Sun is pointing to
- If the Sun is over a Trail site, you may take that site's action
Afterwards, move the Sun one space toward Trailhead (C). The Sun moves over each Sun Track space at Trail End, then over each Trail site, followed by the Sun Track on Trailhead. When the Sun moves off a Trail site, flip the site to its night side, but keep any Hikers or Wildlife there. Trailhead and Trail End never flip.
You may take the action of the Sun's current site. After moving the Sun, this site flips to its night side.
End of Turn
8 RESOURCE LIMIT • At the end of your turn, if you have more than 8 resources, choose 8 resources to keep and return the rest to the supply.
END OF TURN CHECKLIST • After you have moved your Hiker and completed your Trail actions, check to make sure that:
- You have no more than 8 resources
- You have a reserved Badge in hand
- There are 2 face-up Badges at each end of the Trail
Then, the player to your left takes the next turn. Play continues in this way until the end of the game.
Game End
When a player reaches Trail End and the Sun is on the final, leftmost spot of the Sun Track, the player takes a Photo for free and places the Sun in front of them. Each other player will take one more turn in turn order. The Sun can no longer move, so Sun bonuses are not gained at Trail End. Once the player to the right of player with the Sun has taken the last turn, the game ends. It's time to tally up Points!
Reveal your Photos and count how many Birds you've seen across your Badges and Photos. The player who saw the most Birds is awarded the Bird Trophy, worth 4 Points. If players tie for the most Birds, then each of the tied players is awarded the full 4 Points.
Count your points from Badges, Photos, and the Bird Trophy. The player with the most Points is the winner!
If there is a tie, use the following as tiebreakers (in order):
- Most Badge cards
- Most Photo cards
- Most Birds
If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Common Questions
Am I allowed to move to the same Trail tile as another Hiker? Yes. Hikers do not block each other on the Trail.
Can I use my Canteen to move my Hiker all the way to Trailhead or Trail End? Yes, you may go to one of those depending on the direction your Hiker is facing.
What happens when I earn a Badge, but I'm unable to take its bonus action? Then you miss out on that bonus action. It pays to be prepared!
Does the Sun move when I visit Trailhead? Nope.
What happen if I earn a Sunshine badge during the last round of the game? Take the Photo action.
If you have any other questions about rules or need help with missing or damaged components, please email [email protected] or reach out to us on your preferred social media platform with @keymastergames. Find more games at KeymasterGames.com
Badge Details
| Badge Name | Points & Birds | Bonus Action |
|---|---|---|
| ASTRONOMY | 1 Point | Earn another Badge without paying its cost. This Badge can be one of the face-up Badges at your end of the Trail or a Badge reserved in your hand. |
| BIRDWATCHING | 3 Points + 2 Birds | No bonus action. |
| CARTOGRAPHY & NAVIGATION | 3 Points | Gain the 2 resources shown on the Badge. |
| CLIMBER | 6 Points | No bonus action. |
| COLLECTOR | This Badge is worth 1 Point for each Badge you have earned of its type, including itself. For example, if at the end of the game you have the Leaf Collector Badge and 3 other Leaf Badges, then the Leaf Collector Badge is worth 4 Points. | |
| FIRST AID | 1 Point | Gain 1 of any resource. |
| OBSERVER | 2 Points + 1 Bird | Score 2 additional points if you see the most birds at the end of the game. If you tie for most birds seen, you still gain an additional 2 Points. |
| PHOTOGRAPHY | 4 Points | Take a Photo action. (See Photography Page 8) |
| RAPPELLING | This Badge is worth points equal to your highest point Badge. For example, if your highest point Badge is worth 6 Points, then the Rappelling Badge is also worth 6 Points. | |
| RECYCLING | 4 Points | Exchange 1 resource for 2 of a single different resource. If you don't have a resource to exchange, then you don't benefit from this bonus effect. |
| RESEARCH | 2 Points | This Badge costs one resource less for each Badge of its type that you have already earned. |
| SCIENCE | 3 Points | This Badge counts as a Leaf type, an Acorn type, and a Rock type. It counts toward all earned Collector Badges. |
| SEEKER | 2 Points + 1 Bird | Take the Wildlife action. (See Wildlife on Page 9) |
| SHUTTERBUG | 2 Points | Take 2 Photo actions back-to-back. (See Photography Page 8) |
| SUNSHINE | 5 Points | Gain the current bonus on the Sun Track. Do not move the Sun! |
Credits
Artists in the Game
- Benjamin Flouw (benjaminflouw.com) — THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL est. 1923
- Little Friends of Printmaking (thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com) — JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK est. 1994
- Dan McCarthy (danmccarthy.org) — CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE est. 1961
- Nicolas Delort (nicolasdelort.com) — ARCHES NATIONAL PARK est. 1929; GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK est. 2004
- Daniel Danger (tinymediaempire.com) — OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK est. 1938
- Glenn Thomas (glennthomas.studio) — MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT est. 1908; THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL est. 1978
- Chris Turnham (christurnham.com) — THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL est. 1968; GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA est. 1972
Credits
GAME DESIGN • Henry Audubon
GAME DEVELOPMENT • Mattox Shuler, Matt Aiken, Jennifer Graham-Macht, and Kyle Key
RULES EDITING & LAYOUT • Travis D. Hill, Donny Behne, and Brigette Indelicato
LAYOUT DESIGN & ART DIRECTION • Mattox Shuler and J.P. Boneyard (Art Director for the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series illustrations)
ADDITIONAL ILLLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN • Kyle Key and Mattox Shuler