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Welcome to the Bosk Game!
Are you ready to embark on a whimsical journey through nature? Explore the intricate beauty of woodlands through the Bosk game, where you’ll get to experience the magic of trees firsthand.
When you step into the enchanting realm of Bosk, you’ll be transported to a serene forest setting. Your goal is to strategically place your trees throughout the four seasons, aiming to control the most territory and earn the highest score.
The game consists of two phases. In the first phase, you’ll take turns planting your trees, one at a time, on the spaces provided. Careful planning is essential, as you’ll need to account for the changing wind direction that will influence the trees’ growth pattern.
After planting all your trees, it’s time to advance to the second phase. The autumn leaves start falling, and the wind picks up, making the trees sway. This is where your strategy comes into play. You’ll earn points based on controlling the most spaces and having the tallest trees in each row, column, and diagonal.
Remember, the changing seasons bring dynamic challenges! As the wind shifts direction, it will significantly impact the way the trees grow. It’s crucial to stay adaptable and think ahead to maximize your score.
But be aware: It’s not just about placing trees and hoping for the best. Your opponents have the same goal in mind: to claim as much of the forest as possible. You’ll need to anticipate their moves and find ways to outsmart them.
So, get ready to channel your inner forest guardian and make strategic choices. Plant trees wisely, adapt to the ever-changing elements, and strive to become the master of the Bosk game!
I have a list of items that you’ll need to set up the game:
– Park Board
– 144 Wooden Leaf Tokens
– 4 Wooden Squirrel Tokens
– 32 Trees
– 32 Leaf Tiles
– Wind Board
– Wind Direction Marker
– Hiker
– Score Track
– Rulebook
Now, let’s get into the setup:
1. Start by placing the Park Board in the middle of the table. Choose which side is face-up based on how many people are playing.
2. Each player needs to choose a species of tree. Once you’ve decided, gather all the components that match your tree:
– All 8 Leaf Tiles, numbered 2 through 8, as well as the Squirrel tile.
– All 36 Leaf Tokens.
– All 8 Trees, with 2 of each value from 1 to 4.
– 1 Squirrel Token.
Here’s a tip: You can decide who goes first by seeing who has most recently visited a national park.
That’s it for the setup. Now, let’s talk about the player count.
So, here’s how the setup works depending on how many players there are. If it’s just two of us playing, we’ll use the side of the board with those bigger squares and no glowing white border. But if we have three or four players, then we’ll switch to the side of the board with smaller squares and a glowing white border. For three players, we’ll keep the white border as the outside edge of the play area. And for four players, we’ll use the entire board.
Now, when it comes to the actual gameplay, each game of Bosk takes place over the course of one year. We have two playing seasons – spring and autumn – and two scoring seasons – summer and winter.
Every season brings something new and exciting to the park. When you plant your trees in the spring, it sets the stage for what will come next in the park’s journey. It affects everything, from the number of visitors who will enjoy your trees in the summer to where the wind will carry your leaves in the autumn.
I. Spring
Growing Tall
When spring arrives, you have the opportunity to grow your trees one by one at the intersections of different terrains on the trails. Your goal is to have the highest total value in each trail when summer arrives, so you can earn valuable points.
Starting with the player who goes first, you take turns placing one of your Trees on any empty intersection where two trails meet. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
Note: You can’t place your Trees on the edges, corners, or outside of the play area. Note: Once you place a Tree, it stays there – you can’t move it later.
Tip: If you want to win, you need to place your trees strategically! Each tree has a value that affects your score in the summer, and where you put it determines your leaf placement options in the autumn.
Note: Water terrain squares are treated the same as all other squares.
II. Summer
Visitors love the trees
In the summer, people walk the trails in the park and admire its beauty. The player with the most majestic trees gets points for each trail on the Park Board.
To figure out the final score, follow these steps for each row of the trail:
I’m going to walk you through how to tally up the points for each column on the trail, one by one. It’s pretty simple, really. Just add up the values on all the trees for each player in that column. Take a look at the values on the trees, not how many trees there are in the row or column.
Oh, and here’s a helpful tip: you can use the hiker to keep track of which row or column you’re scoring. Just place it there to remind yourself.
Just make sure not to move or remove any trees while you’re totaling up the values. That’s important.
Now, let me tell you about summer scoring.
Every time a player earns points, their Score Marker moves along the Score Track. It’s as simple as that!
In the game, points are awarded based on the total value of a player’s cards. Here’s how the scoring works:
- If I have the highest total value and come in first place, I get 2 points. If I have the second-highest value and come in second place, I get 1 point.
- If two or more players tie for second place, nobody gets any points.
- If I’m in first place and nobody is in second place, I get a total of 3 points – both for first and second place.
- If two or more players tie for first place, each of them gets 1 point, and there are no points for second place.
After we finish scoring, we need to determine who will start in the next round, which is the autumn season:
The player with the fewest points becomes the Start Player for autumn. If there’s a tie, we break it by going clockwise from the previous Start Player.
Finally, we pass the Hiker card to the new Start Player.
III. Autumn
The Falling Leaves
When autumn arrives, a gentle breeze sweeps through the trees, causing the leaves to gracefully detach and float down to the ground. The forest floor becomes a colorful mosaic as the fallen leaves form swirling paths in the direction of the wind. It’s a beautiful sight to behold.
Choosing the Wind’s Path
Now it’s your turn to become the Start Player and decide the initial direction of the wind. You have the power to determine how the leaves will dance and the paths they will form. Trust your intuition and make your choice wisely.
When setting up your game, all you have to do is place the Wind Board on one of the four sides of the Park Board. This will determine where the wind is coming from and how it will change throughout the game. It’s important to note that the direction you choose will have a big impact on the game, so choose wisely!
In the game, you will use a Wind Direction Marker to determine which tree will lose its leaves and the direction in which the leaves will blow. It’s a simple process!
- First, place the Wind Direction Marker on the arrow above the leftmost spot on the Wind Board.
- Next, each player will take turns blowing leaves from their trees to cover Terrain Squares.
Important Note: Falling Leaves
During your turn, you will need to follow these steps:
- Choose one of your Trees from the play area where the leaves will fall from. Remember not to remove the Tree just yet.
- For the first 4 rounds, you must select a Tree that matches the value shown on the Wind Board.
- For the final 4 rounds, you can choose any of your remaining Trees as indicated by a “*” on the Wind Board.
Now you’re ready to start playing! Have fun blowing those leaves and covering the Terrain Squares!
Remember: The Squirrel Will Be Explained Later. Also: Leaf Tile Selection Also Impacts Player Order. The Players Selecting The Smallest Value Will Play First In The Next Round.
Keep in mind: Player Order Will Change After The First Round.
Leaf Placement
Leaves fall in a continuous path in the direction of the wind, and you control the terrain as you go. You can cover other players’ leaves, but that comes at a cost. To place leaves, you need to:
To start the process, simply put the first Active Leaf Token at the bottom of the Tree on one of the two Terrain Squares closest to the wind.
When the wind blows in a particular direction, I can take an Active Leaf Token and place it on one of the three Terrain Squares nearby. I have three options – I can place it on the square directly in front of me, or on one of the two squares diagonally adjacent to it.
Hey there! Let’s talk about this cool activity called Active Leaf Tokens. It’s pretty simple to play. First, find a place where you can move around freely, like a big enough play area. Then, you just keep placing Active Leaf Tokens until you run out or reach the edge of the play area – easy peasy!
Now, here’s a friendly reminder: don’t forget to remove the tree after you place the very last leaf. It’s a good idea to tidy up after ourselves, right?
Sorry, you can’t put leaves outside of the play area.
When you’re playing a 3-player game, you’ll notice that the play area is outlined by a bright white border. It’s like a special boundary that lets you know where the game takes place.
Let’s talk about how to cover leaves on a terrain tile. It’s really important to take this into account when you’re looking for the right way to cover them.
So, here’s what you need to know:
First, it’s important to understand the meaning of covering leaves. When someone covers leaves on a terrain tile, it means they are protecting them or hiding them from view.
One of the key things to remember is that covering leaves can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can help to elevate the overall look of the terrain, giving it a more polished and finished appearance. On the other hand, covering leaves can also regenerate a response from the viewer, creating a sense of curiosity and intrigue.
Now, let me show you how to cover leaves on a terrain tile:
1. Start by selecting the right materials. You’ll need something that can effectively cover the leaves without damaging them or the terrain.
2. Take a moment to assess the terrain tile and the leaves you’re working with. This will help you determine the best approach for covering them.
3. Carefully place the covering material over the leaves. Make sure it’s secure and evenly distributed.
4. Step back and evaluate the covered leaves. Do they look natural and cohesive with the rest of the terrain? If not, you may need to make adjustments or try a different covering technique.
By following these steps, you can effectively cover leaves on a terrain tile and create a visually appealing result. Remember, it’s all about finding the right balance between protecting the leaves and enhancing the overall look of the terrain.
When you place leaves on the water terrain squares, it’s just like placing tiles on any other part of the board.
What happens when you cover other leaves?
Usually, when leaves fall on empty terrain, they don’t affect anything. However, if you cover another player’s leaves with your own, it can make a difference during winter scoring.
If you want to cover a pile where your own leaf is on top, you don’t have to pay anything extra. It’s as if the terrain tile is empty.
But if you want to cover another player’s Leaf Token along your path, there’s a cost involved. For each leaf token already on the terrain tile, you have to return one of your own active leaf tokens back to the supply.
There’s one exception: If your own leaf is on top, you don’t need to return any leaves to the supply. It’s like your leaf is protected.
Note: Before we get started, I want to make sure you know that in order to cover other players’ leaves, you need to have some leaves left over yourself.
Stay on track if you have any leaves left.
Squirrel
If you don’t want to blow leaves, you can ask a squirrel for help. When you pick a Leaf Tile with a squirrel symbol, you need to:
I put my Squirrel Token within 3 spaces of the Tree I chose. I have to go in the direction the wind is blowing (I’ll explain how we figure that out in a bit!).
The Squirrel can go on top of leaf piles of any size.
Leaf Tokens can’t go on top of Squirrel Tokens.
So, here’s how it works: I take my turn and remove one of my Trees from the game board. Each terrain square with my squirrel token counts for me when we score in the winter.
Remember: Each player needs to remove one of their Trees from the board. Don’t forget!
At the end of the round…
After everyone has taken their turn, things change up a bit. The wind direction marker moves one space to the right, which means the wind starts blowing in a different direction. And that also means we have new rules about which Tree we have to choose next round.
Oh, and one more thing: the player who played the Leaf Tile with the lowest value in the previous round becomes the start player for the next round. If there’s a tie, the player closest to the current start player goes next. That player gets the Hiker token to show they’re the new start player.
Note: See that little squirrel icon? That counts as 1 point!
IV. Winter
Taking control
Now that all the leaves are gone, it’s time to earn some points by covering as much ground as possible in each type of terrain. As you accumulate points, you’ll advance your Score Marker along the Score Track, adding to the points you already earned in the summer.
The 8 regions are made up of Terrain Squares that have the same color and texture. Here’s what you need to do for each region:
- Let’s start by counting how many Terrain Squares each player controls.
- Only the player with their Leaf or Squirrel Token on top will count as controlling a tile. The height of a pile of leaves doesn’t matter for scoring.
- All disconnected Terrain Squares of the same type should be counted together.
- If one player has the highest total value (first place), they get 5 points. If another player has the next-highest total value (second place), they get 3 points.
- If two or more players are tied for second place, each of them gets 1 point.
- If one player is in first place and no players are in second, that player gets a total of 8 points (points for both first and second place).
- If two or more players are tied for first place, each of them gets 4 points (0 points for second place).
Ending the Game
Once winter scoring is complete, it’s time to determine the winner. The player who has accumulated the most points throughout the game is declared the victor!
In the event of a tie, the player who was closest to being the starting player in the final round will be the one to break it.