Gamehelparknova

Welcome to Ark Nova! In this game, you'll manage a modern zoo. In addition to putting popular and well-liked animals into it, you'll also aim to research more into zoology and support conservation projects and sponsorships. You'll do this by taking one of five actions each turn, with each them having strength related to how far they've progressed on your track - the longer it's been since the last time you took that action, the more powerful it'll be. Your score is measured by both your Appeal and Conservation points, and when they cross each other on the scoring track, the game has ended. The most points, as measured by how far apart these two trackers are from each other, wins the game!

What To Do On Your Turn

When it's your turn, you'll choose one of the five action cards in front of you to act with. This action has a strength associated with it, based on where it is along the bottom of your board, ranging from 1 to 5. You'll be able to add to this value by spending X-tokens. After performing that action, it returns to the far left position, at strength 1, while all other action cards move one space to the right.

Upon achieving certain conditions, you'll be able to upgrade these action cards as well by flipping them to the pink side, where they will remain for the rest of the game. These upgraded actions will usually allow you to use these actions more efficiently or at higher strength, but otherwise follow the same rules as their basic form.

The Build Action

The Build action allows you to build a new enclosure 1 to 5 tiles in size (needed in order to play animals), or another special building in your zoo. To do this, you'll pay 2 money per space covered by the tile. All tiles must be placed adjacent to another tile, and no tiles can be placed on top of each other, the rock or water spaces already printed on your zoo, or outside the zoo's borders. However you can cover a space with a yellow pentagon, and upon doing so you gain the bonus pictured on it.

Special buildings

A Kiosk is a dark gray building of size 1. These give money during the income phase -- 1 money for each building adjacent building, excluding empty enclosures.

A Pavilion is a pink building of size 1. Upon placing these, you gain 1 appeal.

A Petting Zoo is a special enclosure of size 3, Some animals require being placed in a petting zoo, but it's special in that multiple animals can coexist on this tile.

Upgraded Build Action

1. Allows you to build multiple buildings with size no more than the action strength (as long as you can pay for all of them) -- for example at strength 5, you could build a size 3 enclosure, size 1 enclosure, and a kiosk all at once),
2. Allows you to build on spaces requiring the upgraded Build action.
3. Allows you to build the Reptile House and Large Bird Aviary. These can house multiple animals of a particular type. (Note you can move qualifying animals in when you build it, freeing up those enclosures)

The Cards Action

The Cards action allows you to draw more cards. Depending on the strength of this action, you'll draw one or more cards from the top of the deck and possibly discard cards from your hand (including ones you just drew). At strength 5, you may instead snap one card from the board directly to your hand. Keep in mind a hand limit will be enforced during Breaks.

Upgraded Cards Action

1. Allows you to draw cards from the board within your reputation range (to the left of your reputation marker)
2. Allows you to snap (from the board) at strength 3 or more
3. Allows your reputation range to reach the higher levels

The Animals Action

The Animals action allows you to play animal cards. Each animal has a money cost and also enclosure of a specific size or higher. (Some may also need to border the rocks/or water.)

Note any other requirements on the left side, such as requiring that you already have a particular tag. (Tags the card gives you when in play will be at the top.)

When you play a new animal card, you gain the bonuses on the bottom of the card. The most common things this gives are

1. Appeal points (number in a ticket)
2. Conservations points (number in a green box)
3. Reputation points (number in a black mortar board cap)

You may also gain tags at the top of the card, which may give additional benefits if called out by another card/component in play.

Upgraded Animals Action

1. Allows you to play multiple animal cards at a lower strength
2. Allows you to play animals from your reputation range (to the left of your reputation marker) and not just your hand
3. Allows you to play certain animals that list this as a requirement

The Sponsors Action

This action allows you to play a sponsor card from your hand, less than or equal to the action's strength. Note these typically don't cost money to play, but may have other requirements. These may give benefits (such as money or appeal points) now, later, or at the end of the game:

1. A yellow section lists what you get immediately when played,
2. A purple section lists what you get and/or a as well as give an additional money or other bonus when a condition is met, such as playing or getting certain tags.

Any immediate effect of a sponsor is given in yellow. Any income-related effects of a sponsor are in purple. Any conditional effects are in blue. Any endgame scoring effects are given in brown.

Alternatively, you can use the Sponsors action to gain money equal to the strength of the card. Doing so will also advance the break token, bringing you closer to an income phase.

When the Sponsors action is upgraded, you can play Sponsors cards directly from the board if they are within reputation range. You may also gain more money when using the Sponsors action for money. Some sponsors require an upgraded action.

The Association Action

The Association action allows you to interact with the association board. You'll send one of your workers there to perform one of a few different actions. You have a limited pool of workers available for this, but can gain more workers as the game progresses. If you have already taken a specific association action already this round, you'll need to place two workers, but other players' workers do not effect your ability to perform these actions.

At strength 2, you can gain 2 reputation. This is not the only way to gain reputation, but is probably one of the most straightforward ways to do so.

At strength 3, you can gain a partner zoo from another continent. From now on, playing animals from that zoo costs 3 money less. If this covers up a space with an icon, gain that as a bonus.

At strength 4, you can gain a partner university. These will allow you to gain reputation, research, and increase your maximum hand size during breaks. As before, if this covers up a space with an icon, gain that as a bonus.

At strength 5, you can support a conservation project. Projects usually require a certain selection of animals or other cards with a certain selection of symbols, and will give you Conservation points (and occasionally other bonuses). If you meet the requirement of a project already on the association board or from your hand, place one of your cubes on it and gain the bonuses indicated. These cubes come from the left side of your, also giving you a bonus (purple bonuses are income, yellow bonuses are once only). You can't support the same project more than once. Some of these projects require you to release an animal back to the wild - if this happens, you need to discard a previously played animal. You will no longer have the icons given at the top of the card for prerequisites, and will lose that animal's appeal, but you'll still have conservation points or other bonuses they would have given earlier, and will regain the use of their enclosure.

Once the Association action is upgraded, you can split your Association action between multiple options, provided the total strength of the action covers the combined strength of these moves. You can also have more partner zoos, thus getting discounts for more continents. You can also play conservation projects directly from the board if they are within your reputation range. Finally, another association action is available in which you can donate money directly to gain Conservation points. The exact amount needed here increases the more it's taken, but the final option (12 money to gain 1 point) remains available forever. Donating can only be done once per Association action.

The X-Token action

One extra action you have for your turn is to take one X-Token from the supply. These tokens can be used to increase the strength of an action later. After doing this, move any of your action cards to strength 1 of your board as if you took that action. You only get one token regardless of the strength of the card moved.

Game End

If at the end of your turn or during a break your Conservation counter and Appeal counter are ever in the same scoring area, or if they have passed one another, the end of the game is triggered.

If the end of the game is triggered at the end of your turn, all other players (but not you) will take one more turn. If the end of the game is triggered during a break, all players (including you) will take one more turn.

At the end of the game, you still get conservation points or appeal from your Final Scoring card(s), as well as from all your cards with an end-of-game icon.

Score

To determine your score look at the scoring area where your conservation counter is located. Find the lowest appeal value in that scoring area. This is your Target Number. Compare your Target Number to the value of your appeal counter. Subtract your Target Number from your appeal value and the result is your Victory Points. The player with the highest positive Victory Point total is the winner. In case of a tie, the tied player who supported the most Conservation Projects wins the game.