Água: The Water Cycle
Água: The Water Cycle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction and Aim of the Game
The amount of water available on planet Earth is limited, but it is consumed by an ever growing population. The challenge to each player is to provide water to people (thereby earning points) while at the same time guaranteeing the circulation of water.
The game ends when a player reaches 60 points or when the whole population is on the board.
Game Material
- 1 game board
- 1 rule booklet
- 54 water cubes in 6 colours (9 of each colour). They represent each player's water in the water cycle.
- 6 large chips in 6 colours. They indicate each player's colour.
- 6 small chips in 6 colours. They indicate each player's point score on the game board.
- 8 blue person tokens. They represent the population that needs water.
- 6 blue dice.
- 1 large blue cube. It identifies the starting player in a round.
The Game Board
The upper part of the board shows the natural water cycle. The arrows indicate the direction of the cycle. Each arrow represents the movement of water and is numbered from 1 to 6.
- LAKE: This place can only hold the number of cubes indicated on the board.
- RIVER: This place can only hold the number of cubes indicated on the board.
- AQUIFER: This place can only hold the number of cubes indicated on the board.
- CLOUDS: This places can hold any number of cubes during the game.
- SEA: This place can hold any number of cubes during the game.
Around the board there is a water pipe with numbers from 0 to 60. This is where players keep track of their score during the game.
The lower part of the board is where person tokens are placed during the game. The population gets water from 4 possible places: LAKE, RIVER, AQUIFER or WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
- WATER TREATMENT PLANT: This place holds the water used by the population. There is no limit to the number of cubes that can be placed here. From this place the cubes may go to the sea or be recycled.
Game Setup (for 6 players)
- Put the small chip corresponding to each player on number 5 of the scoring track. All players start with 5 points.
- Put 1 cube per player on the RIVER, LAKE and AQUIFER, on the corresponding spaces.
- Note: if there are fewer than 6 players, also put 1 cube of each unused colour on the river, lake and aquifer ONLY. Those cubes won't be used during the game and cannot be moved. Do NOT put cubes of unused colours in the CLOUDS and SEA.
- Put 2 cubes per player in the SEA and in each CLOUD.
- Put the 8 person tokens here, ready to be used during the game.
- The game starts with a population of 4 people (printed on the board) ready to consume water.
- Randomly draw one large chip for each player. Players keep their chip in front of them so that everyone knows their colour.
- Put within the reach of players as many dice as there are players.
- Return to the box all unused pieces - dice, water cubes, small and large chips.
- The youngest player starts the game. Give him or her the large cube - the starting player token. The game can begin.
Starting to Play
The game is played in rounds. In each round, players take their turn clockwise. Each player does the following actions on their turn:
- First player (the one with the large blue cube):
- Rolls the dice
- Chooses ONE die
- Makes a movement (if possible) or loses one point.
- Supplies ONE water cube to one blue person token (if possible).
- Each other player:
- Chooses ONE die
- Makes a movement (if possible) or loses one point
- Supplies ONE water cube to one blue person token (if possible).
- End of round: After all players took their turn, the player with the large blue cube passes it to the player on his or her left. A new round begins.
Rolling the Dice
At the start of a round, ONLY the first player rolls the dice. The number of dice rolled is EQUAL to the number of players.
Choosing ONE Die
On their turn, each player chooses ONE of the available dice, i.e. not previously chosen. The number on that die determines what movement the player can make on the water cycle. Each player HAS to choose one die, even if it will prevent the player from making a movement.
Making ONE Movement
After choosing one die, the player executes a movement along the arrow on the board with the corresponding number. The player takes as many cubes of their colour as they wish from the place where the arrow starts and moves them to the place where the arrow ends. The player needs to have at least one cube of their colour in the starting place. If moving cubes to the RIVER, LAKE or AQUIFER (target places of movements 3, 4, and 5), there must be enough free spaces on those places. If a player cannot do the movement for the die they chose (or were forced to choose), they LOSE 1 point, unless they have 0 points.
If a player has to execute movement 6, they can choose one of the following options.
- From the LAKE or the RIVER: Move 2 cubes of their colour from the LAKE (or the RIVER), one to the right CLOUD and one to the SEA. If the player only has 1 cube in the LAKE (or the RIVER) then the cube must be moved to the CLOUD.
- From the AQUIFER: Move 1 cube of their colour from the AQUIFER to the SEA.
Example 1. The red player plays before the green player. The red player chooses the die with number 4 and does the movement without problems, because there is still one space available on the RIVER. The green player has to take the last die, with number 3. That movement cannot be done because the LAKE has no empty spaces. The green player loses 1 point.
Example 2. The orange player chose a die with number 6. The player has only 2 cubes on the RIVER and moves one to the SEA, the other to the right CLOUD. The white player chose another die also with number 6. The player has 1 cube in the LAKE and 1 in the AQUIFER. The player chooses the cube in the LAKE and must move it to the CLOUD.
Supplying ONE Cube of Water = Earning Points
If the player can execute the movement, they MUST afterwards supply water to the population if they can, and thereby earn points.
Players who can execute the movement but are not able to supply water do NOT lose any points.
To supply water, a player must have at least one cube of their colour in the LAKE, RIVER, AQUIFER or WATER TREATMENT PLANT. The player chooses one of those cubes, places it over the first (leftmost) available person token, and scores the number of points indicated below that token.
Example 1. The green player executed the movement for the chosen die and must therefore supply water, if possible. The player has one cube in the AQUIFER and one in the WATER TREATMENT PLANT and hence two options. The player chooses the cube in the WATER TREATMENT PLANT and earns 5 points.
The points to be earned increase as water is supplied, i.e. the next person token is always more worth than the previous one.
When a player supplies water to the last (rightmost) person token, they score the corresponding points and move all water cubes placed over the population to the WATER TREATMENT PLANT. Any cubes that were in the PLANT are moved to the SEA. Any cubes that were in the SEA remain there. The player then adds a new person token. The next player to supply water to the population will start again with the first (leftmost) person token and earn 1 point.
Example 2. The red player just supplied water to the last available person token and earns 6 points immediately. Since the whole population is supplied, the cubes in the WATER TREATMENT PLANT (if any) have to be moved to the SEA. Next, the cubes consumed by the population are moved to the WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
Example 3. Finally, another person token is added. Since ALL the population is without water, the next player who can supply water must put their cube on the first available (i.e. leftmost) person token and will only earn 1 point.
End of the Game
The game finishes at the end of the round in which one player reached 60 points or in which the last person token has been added. In both cases, all players who haven't yet played in that round can do so. The player with the most points wins.
If a player goes over 60 points, their chip starts from 0, with 60 being added to the result. If there is a tie, the player with most cubes over the population at the end wins.