Gamehelpparks

Overview

Players take on the roles of two Hikers as they trek across different Trails during the four Seasons (rounds) of a Year. Each Trail represents a different Season, and as each Season passes, the Trails change and grow steadily longer. Each turn, players send one of their Hikers down the Trail. While on the Trail, Hikers will see beautiful Sites and perform an action when they arrive. When a Hiker reaches the end of the Trail, they can spend tokens they have received to visit Parks and earn points. Your goal is to have the most points from your Parks, Photos, and Personal Bonus at the end of the Year.

Starting a Season

All of the Sites (spaces) in the current trail [or all the Basic Sites at the start of the game] are mixed together with a random additional Advanced Site. They are laid out with the Trailhead on one side, and the Trail End on the other, making this Season's Trail. Both Hikers for each player start the Season on the Trailhead. A Season card is drawn, which will have either an immediate effect, or an ongoing effect that applies to the entire Season. The bottom of the Season card also shows a "Weather Pattern"; the tokens shown in this pattern are placed on the Trail Sites, starting with the 2nd site. (Note that the Trailhead and Trail End spaces are not Sites). The player with the ▲ First Hiker Marker will take the first turn of the Season, with players taking turns in clockwise order.

• If this is the start of the game, the player to the right of the First Hiker receives the Camera, and all players draw a Canteen.

Taking turns

On a turn, a player selects either one of their Hikers and moves them down the Trail -- any space to the right of that Hiker’s current location.

• If any Hiker, even your own, is on a Site, you may not move onto that Site, unless you extinguish your Campfire. If your Campfire is already extinguished, you may not move to occupied Sites.

• If the Hiker is the first to land on Site with a token on it (from the Weather Pattern), the player takes the token into their supply.
• The player then takes the action of the Site their Hiker moved to. Hikers cannot be moved to Sites where the player cannot take the action.
• If you gain a Water token on your turn, you can place it in an empty Canteen that you have (and only when gaining water), to gain the benefit shown on the Canteen card.
• Wildlife tokens (the Bear), are "wild" and can be used in place of another token, except they may not be used to fill Canteens, or as part of exchange abilities (as noted on those cards).
• If you have more than 12 tokens at the end of your turn, you must discard down to 12. The tokens are component limited.

Trail End

When you move a Hiker to the Trail End, you relight your Campfire if it is extinguished, and then choose one of the three areas to place your Hiker: (any number of Hikers can be on each area)

Reserve a Park

• Take a face-up Park or a Park from the top of the deck; it is placed horizontally in your player area. If you took a face-up Park, the empty slot is refilled from the deck
• You don't pay resources or score points now, but you may later Visit that Park [and no one else can].
• The first player who uses this space each season takes the First Hiker Marker.

Buy Gear

• You may buy one of the face-up Gear cards on the board by paying Sunshine tokens equal to its cost [in the upper right of the card].
• The first player [and also the second player in a 4-5 player game] to use this space can buy Gear for one fewer Sunshine token.
• Gear gives ongoing abilities for the rest of the game, and some also have an instant action, denoted by a lightning bolt.

Visit a Park

• Pay the cost shown on any face-up Park, or one you have reserved, to gain the indicated number of points, and the card is placed vertically in your player area, refilling the board if necessary.

End of a Season

Once a player’s two Hikers reach the Trail End, they will no longer take turns for the Season. When only one Hiker is left on the Trail, the player must move the Hiker to the Trail End on their next turn and choose an action there. Then, it is the end of the Season.

At the end of a Season:

• - The player with the Camera may pay 1 token to take a Photo.
• - All Canteens are emptied, and their Water tokens are returned to the supply.
• - If this was the fourth Season, the game is over. Otherwise, Start the next Season (see above).

At the end of the game:

• - All players reveal their Year cards and score points based on their Personal Bonus.
• - The player with the First Hiker Marker gains 1 additional point.

The player with the most points at the end is the winner! If tied, the win goes to the player who visited the most Parks. If still tied, the win is shared.

Basic Sites

Forest: Gain one Forest token.

Mountain: Gain one Mountain token.

Ocean: Gain two Water tokens.

Valley: Gain two Sunshine tokens.

Vista: Either:

• - Draw a Canteen (you can have any number of Canteens, so long as there are any left in the deck) OR
• - Spend any 2 tokens to take a Photo, and then take the Camera from whoever currently has it. (Photos are worth 1 point each. When you have the Camera, when any ability lets you spend 2 tokens to take a Photo, you only spend 1 instead.)

Waterfall: Gain a Sunshine and a Water token.[4-5 player games only]

Advanced Sites

Lodge: Turn in one token and gain any one token (excluding Wildlife tokens). You may do this a second time.

Lookout: Reserve or Visit a Park OR Buy a Gear card.

Wildlife: Turn in any one token to gain a Wildlife token.

River: Turn in a Water token to copy the action from another Site currently occupied by any Hiker. (Gear that would allow you special actions on the copied space do not activate, as you are not actually on that space)

Notable Game Components

• - 48 Park cards
• - 36 Gear cards
• - 15 Canteen cards
• - 16 Forest tokens
• - 16 Mountain tokens
• - 30 Sunshine tokens
• - 30 Water tokens
• - 12 Wildlife tokens
• - 28 Photos