EVOLUTION

Hey there! Welcome to Evolution, a game that lets you create your very own species and survive in a constantly changing ecosystem. It’s a whole new world out there, and you’re in control!

SETUP

So, let’s get started with the setup. Each player gets their own species board, which you’ll place in front of you. On the board, you’ll find two wooden markers. The first one goes on the Body Size track, marking it at one. The second one goes on the Population Track, also at one. Keep things fair and square!

In the middle of the playing area, we have the Watering Hole board. This is where all the action happens, where you’ll find food and make important decisions. And speaking of food, we’ll need some tokens for that. Set them aside to create the Food Bank.

Now we’re ready to dive into the game. Remember, it’s your job to make sure your species survives and thrives in this ever-changing ecosystem. You can add traits to your species, like horns or a protective shell, to help them fend off danger. But watch out, because other players might unleash Carnivores to wreak havoc on your species. It’s a real survival of the fittest situation here!

Just do whatever it takes to score the most points and come out on top. Good luck, and may the best species win!

Alright, folks, let’s get started! In this game, each of us is gonna grab a Food Token Bag. We’ll shuffle the deck with all the Trait Cards and plop it down on the table, face down. Now, to see who goes first, we’ll randomly pick someone and hand them the First player marker. That’s it. We’re ready to dive in!

GAMEPLAY

Now, let’s talk about how this game goes down. It’s divided into four phases, and each round follows the same pattern. First up is the deal card phase. Here, every player gets dealt three cards, plus an extra card for each species they have. Remember, if the deck needs a shuffle, this round will be the end of the game. Moving on to the second phase, we each get to pick a trait card and plop it right in front of us at the Watering hole.

Now it’s time to talk about the third phase of the game – playing cards. So, when it’s your turn, you get to play trait cards. You can play as many as you want! All you have to do is put a trait card above one of your species. Just remember, you can’t have two traits of the same kind on one species. If you want to make a totally new species, you can throw away a trait card and grab a new one from the discard pile. And here’s a cool option: you can also get rid of a trait card and increase either the body size or population of one of your species by just one. It’s like giving your species a little boost!

Now, let’s talk about what happens in the final phase of the game. This is when the players reveal the Food Cards they have collected from the Watering Hole. These cards represent the different types of food available.

First, let’s consider the herbivores. They need to eat plant food, so they will collect one piece of plant food and place it on their Species board. This will help them to survive and grow.

On the other hand, carnivores are unable to eat plant food. Instead, they must attack other species in order to survive. They can choose any species that is smaller and weaker than them to attack. When they do, they are able to collect meat from the Food Bank and also reduce the population of the attacked species.

The feeding phase continues until the population of all species is equal to the amount of food available. If this is not the case, then the population must be reduced to match the amount of food. If a species’ population drops to zero, then that species goes extinct.

And that’s the end of the game!

When I play the game, it all comes down to shuffling the deck. Once we reach the Card Deal phase and we have to shuffle the deck, that’s when the game ends. Of course, the round keeps going, but when it’s over, the game is over too. Then it’s time to see who came out on top. The player with the most points wins!

Calculating Points

• Each food you have is worth 1 point
• For every species that’s still around, you get points equal to its population
• And don’t forget about those nifty trait cards – each one is worth 1 point