Welcome to Parks

Hey there! Are you excited to join me on a thrilling adventure in the great outdoors? In Parks, we’ll be taking care of two awesome Hikers as they embark on a year-long journey through different trails. These trails will get longer and more challenging as we go along. And here’s the best part – every time our Hikers complete a trail, they’ll be rewarded with a visit to a beautiful park, where they can snap breathtaking pictures and earn points!

But Parks is not just any ordinary game. It’s a game that not only entertains but also educates. Together, we’ll get to explore stunning national parks through the stunning artwork created by those who have experienced them firsthand.

At the end of our adventure, the player with the most points will be crowned the ultimate winner. And if you’re eager to add even more excitement to the game, there are expansion packs available that offer a range of thrilling new features.

Are You Ready? Let’s Set Up!

Getting Started

Once you’ve got everything ready to play, the first thing you want to do is make sure the board is easily accessible. You don’t want anyone straining or reaching too far just to participate!

Next, grab the token trays and position them to the side of the board. Make sure they’re within everyone’s reach so nobody has to stretch or lean too far.

Now, let’s get the cards sorted. Start by shuffling all of the Park cards and placing them face down. This will create the Park deck. Put the deck in its designated area on the board. It’s important to keep the element of surprise!

After that, take the Gear cards and shuffle them as well. Put the shuffled deck face down to create the Gear deck. Take three cards from the deck and place them in their designated area at the bottom of the board. Finally, put the Gear deck on the labeled area.

Don’t forget about the Canteen cards! Shuffle them up, and then deal one card to each player. The rest of the cards should be placed in the upper left-hand corner of the board. This starting Canteen card will be your lifeline during the game.

When we start the game, we shuffle the Year cards and deal two to each player. Each player picks one card to be their Personal Bonus for the year, keeping it face down until the end of the game. The other card is discarded.

Then, we shuffle the Season cards and place them on the Season space of the board. We reveal the top card to determine the first Season of the game.

Now, let’s set up the trail. We start with the trailhead tile, placing it below the board on the left side. We gather the five Basic Site tiles, which have a darkened trailhead symbol, and put them in the bottom right corner. Finally, we shuffle the Advanced Site tiles and add one to the Basic Sites. This creates the Trail deck.

Now, let’s set up the rest of the Advanced Site tiles. Place them face down on the left side of the Trailhead. Next, shuffle the Trail deck and reveal one card at a time, placing them on the right side of the Trailhead. Each new Site goes on the right side of the previously placed one. Finally, place the Trail End on the right side of the last Site. And just like that, the trail for the Season is ready to go!

Make sure each player has two Hikers of the same color and place them on the Trailhead. Each player should also have a campfire of the same color, which goes right in front of them. The player who recently went on a hike gets the First Hiker Marker, and the player to their right gets the Camera token.

Now, we’re all set to start playing!

GAMEPLAY

Get ready for an epic adventure with the Four Seasons game. We’ll be taking on four rounds of gameplay that correspond to the different seasons. Each season comes to an end when all of us hikers reach the Trail End. To get started, let’s take a look at the weather pattern for the current season, which you can find on the bottom right of the card. We’ll use weather tokens to mark the different weather conditions on the board.

Now, the player who has the First Hiker Marker will kick off the season. On their turn, they get to choose one of their hikers and move them to a site along the Trail. You can pick any site as long as it’s to the right of your hiker’s current location. So, go ahead and strategize your move!

When your hiker reaches the new site, you must carry out the actions specified for that site. Once you’ve completed the actions, your turn is over. The gameplay then continues clockwise around the table until the season comes to an end. Just a quick tip, though – you can’t use a site if it’s already occupied by another hiker. Unless, of course, you choose to use your Campfire, which allows you to bypass that rule.

When you arrive at the Site as a Hiker, the first thing you should do is check the weather. You’ll find a token that will give you helpful information about the conditions. But be careful, you can only hold up to twelve tokens at a time. If you have more than that, you’ll have to get rid of the extras.

Once both Hikers reach the end of the trail, you won’t have any more turns for that season. If there’s only one Hiker left on the trail, they have to move to the end and do something special. That means the season is over.

If you have the Camera token, you can trade in one token and take a picture. Make sure to empty your canteen by pouring the water back into the supply. And don’t forget, everyone needs to go back to the starting point, the Trailhead.

To start a new Season, I collect all the trail sites except for the Trailhead and Trail End. Then, I add an extra Advanced Site to the deck. The new Season’s trail will be one site longer than the previous one.

Next, I reveal the new Season by drawing it from the top of the deck. I apply the weather pattern just like before. The player who has the First Hiker Token starts the next Season. After four seasons, the game ends and we determine the winner.

Now, let me give you some more details about the actions:

When I draw a Canteen card, I place it facing up on the water side in front of me. I can only fill the Canteen with water when I gain it during my turn. Instead of putting the water in my supply, I put it on the Canteen.

Lastly, let’s talk about the Photos and the Camera.

When I choose to take this trail, I can use two tokens and snap a photo. Each photo I take is worth one point. Once I’ve traded the tokens for a photo, I get to take the camera from the player who had it. Having the camera means it only costs me one token to capture an image.

In order to visit a site that another hiker is already at, I have to use my campfire. I can activate my campfire by flipping it over to the extinguished side. Once it’s extinguished, I can’t go to a site that another hiker is at, even if it’s my other hiker. My campfire can be relit once one of my hikers reaches the end of the trail.

Once one of my hikers reaches the end of the trail, my campfire is relit, and my hiker has three options.

If you want to reserve a park in the game, you have a couple of options. There are parks available on the board, or you can draw one from the deck. Once you’ve chosen a park, place the Park card in front of you horizontally, face up. Remember to keep it separate from your other Parks.

If you reach the Trail End, you have the opportunity to buy some gear. Gear can give you advantages at Trail Sites or make it easier to visit certain Parks. Just put your Hiker on the Gear area and select one of the gear cards that are available. However, you need to turn in the correct amount of Sunshine in order to collect the gear. Once you have it, place the gear card face up in front of you and use it to your advantage throughout the game.

When it comes to visiting a Park, you can choose one from the board or use a park that you’ve reserved. However, in order to visit a Park, you need to submit the corresponding tokens. Once you’ve visited a Park, a new card is drawn to fill the empty space.

The End of the Game

Hey there! So, when we reach the end of the fourth season, it’s time to wrap up the game. We all reveal our Year cards and start calculating our points. The points come from our Parks, Pictures, and Personal Bonus for the Year. Then, we compare the scores, and the player with the highest number of points is crowned the winner of Parks!

Hey there! So, when we reach the end of the fourth season, it’s time to wrap up the game. We all reveal our Year cards and start calculating our points. The points come from our Parks, Pictures, and Personal Bonus for the Year. Then, we compare the scores, and the player with the highest number of points is crowned the winner of Parks!