Overview

The game is played over 14 rounds divided in 4 seasons: 5 rounds in Spring, 4 in Summer, 3 in Autumn, 2 in Winter.

The Draft

Each round, players draft a Biome card from as many cards as there are players + 1.

The first player, after picking their card, places the first player marker on the leftmost remaining. Whoever picks this card becomes the new first player for the next round.

The remaining card (chosen by no player) is placed according to the icons at the top:

Fertility (Flower) : Place the card in the Fertility Zone matching its Biome (color). The total number of Flowers is the Fertility value of that Biome.

Aridity (Skull) : Flip the most recent card in the Fertility zone matching its Biome so the icons it provided are removed, then add the Aridity to the Biome.

No icon : Discard the card.

Actions

After all players have selected a card, every player simultaneously takes a single Action out of the 4 described below. Actions 1-3 can only be done in the Biome shown on the card.

1) Plant up to 3 Sprouts.

2) Upgrade a Sprout or a Small Tree (must choose two different spaces).

3) Plant a Sprout and and upgrade another Sprout or Small Tree (cannot upgrade the Sprout just placed).

4) IN ANY BIOME: plant a Sprout OR upgrade a Sprout OR upgrade a Small Tree.

Planting a Sprout can only be done in an empty space. Some spaces are Ravines and nothing can be planted in them.

Upgrading a Sprout turns it into a Small Tree. Upgrading a Small Tree turns it into a Big Tree.

Powers

Each card has a Power you can use on your turn.

Powers can be used before or after Actions, but not while carrying out an Action: you have to either use a Power and then do your Action, or do your Action and then use a Power.

Powers can be used in any space regardless of the card's Biome.

When a Power is played, first increase the Level of that Power by 1, and then use the Power up to as many times as its Level.

The 6 powers are:

1) Plant Sprout: Plant 1 Sprout.

2) Small Tree Growth: Upgrade a Sprout to a Small Tree.

3) Big Tree Growth: Upgrade a Small Tree to a Big Tree.

4) Plant Bush: Place 1 Bush in an empty space. (Bushes help connect Trees to make Forests for scoring).

5) Place Lake: Place 1 Lake in an empty space. Immediately choose two spaces orthogonally adjacent to it. In each space, upgrade a Sprout to a Small Tree or a Small Tree to a Big Tree.

6) Buds: Gain Points equal to the Power Level of your Buds Power.

End of Round

When the round ends, the Draft begins again with the First player.

At the end of the 5th, 9th, 12th, & 14th Rounds, also proceed to End of Season.

End of Season

The sun's position on the board determines the direction of light for all the columns/rows for the End of Season scoring.

Small Trees cast shadow on 1 space in the direction away from the sun. Large Trees cast shadow on 2 spaces in the direction away from the sun.

A Tree does not collect light if it is BOTH in the shadow AND it is equal or smaller to the tree casting the shadow.

Examples: T = Big Tree, t = Small Tree, S = Sun.

S tt. Only the first tree collects light.

S tT. Both Trees collect light.

S TtT. Only the first tree collects light.

Small Trees collecting light score 1 point.

Big Trees collecting light score 2 points.

No other features gain or block light.

You also score points for your largest Forest. Find your largest contiguous collection of orthogonally adjacent Small Trees, Big Trees, and Bushes, and score 1 point for each of them.

After scoring, discard all collected Biome Cards and move the Sun clockwise to the next position.

End of Game

The game ends at the end of Winter after End of Season scoring as above. In addition to Winter End of Season scoring, Big Trees score points:

Each Big Tree in a Biome scores as many points as the Fertility (total number of Flowers) of that Biome.

e.g. Swamp has 5 flower icons, you have 3 Big Trees in Swamp, so you score 15 points.

The player with the most points wins. Ties are broken by player order in the last round (closer to first wins).