Gamehelpstemandbranch

On Your Turn

Take 2 mandatory actions from the available options (you may choose Draw or Summon, repeating an action if desired). Discard down to 7 cards at the end of your turn.

• Draw: Take 1 card from the 8 face-up cards (refill immediately) or draw from the top of the deck.
• Summon:
  • Placement: Place the card into an empty space or on top of a lower-rank version of the same animal (Ascending).
  • Cost: The base cost equals the card's rank, reduced by:
    • Each adjacent Shared Element.
    • The difference in rank when Ascending the same animal.
  • Payment: Pay the cost by discarding cards or tokens matching either the Element or Animal icon of the summoned card.
  • Animal Token: Take the matching Animal Token (steal from an opponent if needed).

Element Tokens

Acquire an Element Token by:

• Playing an animal on top of a lower-rank matching animal (Ascending).
• Covering an existing token on a game board space.
• (If none remain in the supply, steal one from another player.)*

Scoring Years (Points)

Gain Years (points) dynamically during the game:

• Gaining an Animal Token: Score 1 Year per Animal Token you currently control.
• Ascending an Animal: When ascending an animal you already control, score 1 Year per Element Token you currently control.

Game End & Final Scoring

The end of the game triggers when the deck runs out or any player reaches 60 Years, finishing the current round.

• Final Scoring:
  • 1 Year per remaining Element Token in your control.
  • 1 Year per card in your hand that matches an Animal Token you control.
• Tiebreaker: The player controlling the current Year's animal (for 2026: the Horse) wins ties.

Co-op & Solo Mode

• Objective: Fully Ascend all 12 animals to Rank 5 before the deck runs out.
• Movement: When placing a new animal, you may move any 1 animal by 1 space to optimize adjacent element discounts.
• Rank 5 Animals: Once an animal reaches Rank 5, place its Animal Token on top. It is locked, cannot be moved, and acts as a barrier.
• Endgame Scoring: Score only at the end for animals that reached Rank 5: 1 Year per card of that animal on the board.
• Perfect Clear Bonus: If all 12 animals reach Rank 5, score an extra 1 Year per remaining card in the deck and face-up row.
• Rankings:
  • 1–11: Beginner
  • 12–20: Apprentice
  • 21–28: Average
  • 29–37: Good
  • 38–45: Strong
  • 46–54: Expert
  • 55–59: Master!

Spirit Scrolls Expansion

Setup & Overview

• 5 Scroll types (one per element), each ranked Level 1 to 5.
• Stack scrolls by element in 5 piles: Level 5 on the bottom, Level 1 on the top.

Claiming a Scroll

• Requirement: Summon an Animal Card matching the Scroll's element. The animal's level sets the maximum level of Scroll you can claim.
• Cost: Move your marker backward on the Year Track by the Scroll's level.
• Exchange Discount: If upgrading/replacing a Scroll of that element, reduce the Year cost by the level of the returned Scroll (active or inactive). Discard any lower-level Scrolls passed over to the box.
• Place the claimed Scroll in front of you on its active side.

New Action: Activate Scroll

Takes 1 of your 2 mandatory actions per turn. Flip an active Scroll to its inactive side to resolve its effect. The effect can only target cards/values equal to or lower than the Scroll's level.

• Wood: Search the discard pile to summon 1 valid Animal Card directly to the board for free (normal placement and scoring apply).
• Fire: Remove an animal and all its cards from the board. Score 1 Year per card removed. Return the Animal Token to the supply; the player who controlled it gains an Element Token matching the topmost discarded card.
• Earth: Take all cards of a single animal type from the discard pile into your hand. Score 1 Year per card drawn (hand limit applies at end of turn).
• Metal: Choose an animal on the board and gain Years equal to its level. Then either move all its cards to an empty space OR swap the top card with any card underneath it.
• Water: Take unclaimed Element Tokens from the board or supply up to the Scroll's level.

Free Action: Refreshing Scrolls

Spend 1 matching Element Token to flip a Scroll back to its active side. The token must match:

• The Scroll's own element (Self-Activation), OR
• Its generating element (Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood).

(Note: Your turn ends immediately after your 2 main actions. Tokens gained on your second action cannot be spent to refresh scrolls until your next turn.)