Gamehelphutan

Plant flowers in your rainforest to grow trees and attract animals. After 9 rounds, the player with the most points wins.

Setup

Your rainforest is built of four 3x3 boards arranged randomly. All players have the exact same layout.

• In the "First game" option, the layout matches the suggested first game setup.
• In the "Scenario" option, the layout matches the chosen scenario (rulebook p.9).
• In all other options, the layout is randomized.

In the "Advanced" and "Scenario" options, there are additionally 5 ecosystem cards. In "Advanced", the cards are chosen at random. In "Scenario", the cards match the chosen scenario.

There are additionally 3 animals in each of the 5 colors. In a 2-player game, there are only 2 animals per color.

One player is randomly assigned the starting player. They have the Pangolin token.

Each round

Each round, there are 3/5/7 cards available in a 2/3/4-player game. (Solo game is different.) Each player will take two turns each round.

On your turn, choose an available card and place all the flowers corresponding to the card, explained below.

• After the first player takes their first turn, they place the Pangolin token among the available cards.
• The Pangolin token can be taken by any player just like a card. The Pangolin token acts like a card with a multicolored flower; additionally, they will be the starting player for the next round.

Placing flowers

• You must place all flowers depicted on your card. A multicolored flower means a flower of any color of your choice.
• Each flower goes to one space of your rainforest.
• All flowers placed this turn must be connected to each other side by side. (Diagonals are not connected.)
• All flowers placed so far must also form a single connected forest.
• Flowers may not go on lake (water) spaces.
• Flowers may be put on top of other flowers of the same color.
• Flowers may not be put on top of trees or animals.

If it is impossible to place flowers as stated, it is illegal to choose that card. In case it is impossible to choose any card at all, choose and discard any card without placing any flowers.

Your rainforest is divided into areas of various sizes. It is legal to place flowers of any color inside an area, but ultimately you want areas with flowers all of the same color, and you want to make sure any area you start growing will be finished.

Growing trees

After you finish placing flowers, you check for tree growth. A flower placed on top of another flower becomes a tree.

If at the end of your turn, an area is a "perfect habitat" -- meaning it has flowers all of the same color, and all of them have trees -- then you may attract an animal.

• Choose any tree in that area that you placed this turn. That tree is replaced by an animal.
• Afterward, on every square that is adjacent to it (sharing a side, not just diagonally), you may place a flower of any color. You may place flowers of any combination of colors, and the flowers may be used to grow trees.
• You may only place one animal per turn, even if you complete multiple perfect habitats in the same turn.

End of game

The game ends after 9 rounds.

Every area has two point values: one for the area itself, and one for the animal in it.

• Every "complete area" (all spaces filled with flowers of the same color) is worth plus the area's points.
• Every "unfinished area" (has empty space) is worth minus the area's points.
• Every "mixed area" (has flowers of multiple colors) is worth minus the area's points.
• Every animal is worth the area's animal points.
• Every tree is worth +2 points.

If playing with ecosystem cards, every ecosystem card also awards points.

The player with the most points wins.

Solo game

Play with 3 animals per color. Do not use the Pangolin token.

The game lasts for 18 rounds. Each round you only take 1 turn: reveal 3 cards, choose 1 to play, and discard the other 2.