Zooscape
Zooscape Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 master meeple
- 2 group disks
- 12 selection disks
- 87 cards:
- 74 market cards (back shows a flower and a flag; the flag shows the most of this type of card you may safely collect, and the flower shows how many points the card is worth at the end of the game)
- 56 curios: 5 tea bowl, 6 fan, 7 sword, 8 parasol, 9 lute, 10 figurine, 11 chopsticks
- 9 gold coins
- 9 action cards: 3 Fire, 2 Lucky Cat, 2 Breakage, 2 Copy, 10 kimono
- 1 sack
- 1 bin
- 1 apprentice
- 74 market cards (back shows a flower and a flag; the flag shows the most of this type of card you may safely collect, and the flower shows how many points the card is worth at the end of the game)
Kimonos count as curios even though they are not market cards.
Setup
Place all the kimonos in a pile.
Shuffle the market cards (curios, coins, action cards) and use them to form five face-down Round piles. The number of cards in each Round pile depends on the number of players:
- 3–4 players: 9 cards per Round pile
- 5–6 players: 13 cards per Round pile
Place the sack card to one side of the Round piles and the bin card to the other. Place the remaining market cards as a face-down deck on the sack card.
Each player takes the two selection disks of one color.
The last player to have seen a cat is the master in the first round. He takes the master meeple, the two group disks and the apprentice card.
[Example: setup for six players, diagram omitted.]
Course of Play
You play five rounds and then count your points. Whoever has the most points wins. Each round consists of three steps:
I. Preparation (master) II. Market (everyone) III. Empty the Bin? (apprentice)
I. Preparation
The master takes all the cards of one Round pile and lays them out in a row, without changing their order.
II. Market
Then the master splits the row of cards into two groups, at any point along the row, bearing in mind these three rules: No group can be empty, no card may be ignored ("fall under the table") and the order of the cards can't be changed.
The master names each group with a group disk, 1 or 2. The master then adds the apprentice card to either group, in any position.
Somewhere in the middle or at one of the edges!
Then each of you, including the master, secretly chooses which of the two groups you would like by placing one of your selection disks on the table with its number face down. Next, you all reveal your selection disks at the same time.
Negotiations about who will choose which group are allowed, but no deals are binding. All players involved always reveal their selection disks together.
First resolve group one, then group two. For each group of cards there are three possibilities:
a) Nobody wants this group. b) Only one player wants this group. c) Multiple players want this group.
a) Nobody wants this group. Place all the cards in this group face down on the bin card. ("Throw them in the bin!") If the apprentice card was among them, place it back beside the Round piles.
Never look at the cards that have been thrown in the bin.
b) Only one player wants this group. That player takes all the cards in the group. He will no longer select groups this round.
c) Multiple players want this group. There are two possibilities:
- The group contains just one card.
- The group contains more than one card.
1. The group contains just one card. Place this card face down on the bin card. ("Throw it in the bin!") Every player who chose this card instead gets a kimono card and doesn't select cards for the rest of this round. If the only card in the group was the apprentice card, place it back beside the Round piles.
If there are not enough kimonos to go around, nobody gets a kimono. In this case, place any remaining kimonos back in the box. No more kimonos will be distributed this game.
2. The group contains more than one card. Every involved player places his selection disk beside the group. Only these players continue to play for this group.
If multiple groups each contain more than one card, resolve these one after the other, starting with group 1. The master again splits the group and each involved player secretly chooses which of the new groups he wants, as before. Don't take your selection disks back until you next need them to select a group.
Put all the market cards you win face up and sorted in front of you for all to see. Whenever you have the apprentice card, place it face up in front of you too. When you receive any action cards, first sort your new curios and then immediately resolve the action cards in the order of your choice (see Action Cards).
Once you have resolved all groups, go on to the next step (see III).
Example: Pink, the master, selects group 1, Green and Blue select group 2. As only Pink wants group 1, Pink gets all the cards in it. As both Blue and Green want group 2, Pink, the master, splits it again. Green and Blue now get to choose again. (Diagram omitted.)
III. Empty the Bin?
At the end of each round, check who has the apprentice card. There are two possibilities:
- A player has the apprentice card. He is the apprentice.
- The apprentice card is beside the Round piles. There is no apprentice.
1. If a player has the apprentice card, he takes all the cards in the bin and places them sorted and face up in front of him. He resolves any action cards in the order of his choice. He takes the master meeple, the two group disks and the apprentice card. He will be the master in the next round.
2. If the apprentice card is beside the Round piles, the master gives the master meeple, the two group disks and the apprentice card to the player to his left. This player will be the master in the next round. If there are cards in the bin, leave them there.
Take your selection disks back and begin the next round. If you have played five rounds, instead carry out the final scoring.
End of Game and Final Scoring
Once all the five Round piles have been played, the game ends. Each player adds the points from his curios, coins and Fire cards together.
Curios
Each card a player has not collected too many of gives him points.
Each card a player has collected too many of costs him one point.
The number printed on the flag is how many of these cards you should at most collect.
The number printed on the flower is how many points this card is worth at the end of the game, unless you've collected too many of them.
Example: Pink has one lute, two swords, four carved figurines and four kimonos. Pink may safely have a lute and two swords. These bring Pink four and (2 x 6 =) 12 points, for a total of 16 points. Pink may only safely have three figurines and two kimonos, so the four figurines and the four kimonos each cost Pink (4 x –1 =) four points, for a total penalty of eight points. Altogether, Pink earns eight points.
Gold Coins
Each coin card gives you as many points as are printed on it.
Fire
Each Fire subtracts four points from your score.
Winning
The player with the most points wins. Ties are broken in favor of the player who has collected more cards in total (curios, coins and Fire cards). If still tied, the victory is shared.
Action Cards
Fire Keep these cards until the end of the game. Each costs you four points.
Breakage Return this card along with any two of your own curios to the box. If you have just one curio, return that to the box. If you have none, return the Breakage card to the box unused. (Gold coins are not curios, kimonos are.)
Lucky Cat Return this card to the box and draw a card at random from the deck. Put the card you draw in front of you, or resolve it, if it is an action card.
Copy Place this card in front of you with whichever type of curio you have most of in your collection. (The other players' curios are irrelevant.) If tied, choose one tied type and add the Copy to that. If you have no curios, return the Copy to the box unused. The copy counts as a curio of that type both for final scoring and for Breakages.