Fantastic Trails Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
  • Your first game?
• How to Play
• Round Overview
  • 1. Reveal cards
  • 2. Write the number
    • Changing revealed cards
    • Revealed a joker?
  • 3. Check your tasks
• End of a Round
  • 1. Score honeydew
  • 2. Discover more of the forest floor
  • 3. Shuffle the decks
• End of the Game
  • Scoring example
• Forest Floor Cards
• 'New Neighbours' Variant
  • Aphid
  • Wasp
• Solo Mode
  • How well did you do?

Components

36 forest floor cards. Over the course of the game, you write numbers into the coloured patterns on your forest floor cards. Turn over the number and pattern cards to find out which number you can write and where. Construct ant trails on your forest floor by joining ascending numbers together in consecutive order. At the end of the game, you score points for the longest ant trail that you can draw a continuous line through on each card. Importantly, each number in your trail must be exactly the same as or exactly 1 more than the previous number.

At the bottom of each card, there are tasks you can complete to receive various rewards. You cannot write over any existing numbers already written on the cards. However, these numbers can be used to construct ant trails and to meet task requirements.

10 number cards: numbers 1-7, a Joker (any number 1-7), an Anteater and an Aphid. The number cards show -1 | +1 as a reminder that the number can be changed by worker ants.

10 pattern cards: 3 large patterns (yellow, brown, blue), 2 small patterns (pink, green), Jokers (1 large, 2 small), an Anteater and a Wasp.

4 score cards. Keep track of your points and collect your rewards on your score card. Use worker ants to change the number and pattern cards. Everyone starts the game with 4 worker ants already circled. At the end of each round, you score points for each honeydew drop you've collected. Write the points you score for your honeydew and ant trails on the score track.

4 whiteboard pens.

Setup

Each take 1 score card and 1 whiteboard pen.

Separately shuffle the number cards and pattern cards. Place the separate decks face down in the middle of the table.

Important: before shuffling, remove the aphid from the number deck and the wasp from the pattern deck. You only need these cards when you play the 'New Neighbours' variant explained at the end of the rulebook.

Then shuffle all the forest floor cards and deal 4 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards face down as a deck in the middle of the table. Each choose 2 of your 4 cards to place face up in front of you to form your forest floor. Return the cards you didn't choose to the box.

Your first game?

If so, ignore the step above. Instead, each take 1 water drop card and 1 windfall card from the forest floor deck. Place these in front of you to form your forest floor.

How to Play

You will play exactly 3 rounds. A round ends when the number and pattern decks are both empty. At the end of a round, write the points for the honeydew you've collected on your score card. After each of the first 2 rounds, each add a new card to your forest floor. Then reshuffle the number and pattern decks. Now start the next round.

Round Overview

1. Reveal cards

Reveal the top number card and pattern card at the same time. The revealed cards apply to everyone.

Note: place each revealed card slightly offset on top of the previous card from the same deck. In this way, you can always see which cards have already been revealed.

Revealed an anteater? If you reveal an anteater, your ants are too afraid to venture out! Ignore both the anteater and the other card you revealed. Immediately reveal a new number and pattern card. Then continue playing as normal. If you reveal both anteaters at the same time, do exactly the same and reveal new cards.

2. Write the number

Each of you now writes the revealed number onto one of the cards in your forest floor. You must write the number in a pattern that matches the revealed pattern in shape and colour. If it is a large pattern consisting of 2 spaces, always write the same number in both spaces of the pattern.

If you cannot or do not want to write the revealed number, you can instead circle a worker ant on your score card.

Note: when you write numbers, they don't need to form part of an ant trail. However, only the numbers in a trail will score you points at the end of the game.

Changing revealed cards

If you're not happy with the revealed cards, you can change the number and/or pattern just for you by crossing off circled worker ants on your score card:

• Changing the number: cross off 1 worker ant to change the revealed number by -1 or +1. In this way, you could change a 1 to a 7 or a 7 to a 1. You can cross off as many worker ants as you want, changing the number by -1 or +1 for each worker ant crossed off.
• Changing the pattern: cross off exactly 2 worker ants to completely ignore the revealed pattern. You can now write the number in a small or large pattern of any colour. It doesn't matter whether the revealed pattern was small or large.

Example: a small green pattern and a 3 are revealed. (a) Martin writes the 3 in a small green pattern. (b) Clara crosses off 2 worker ants to change the 3 just for her by +2 to a 5. (c) Additionally, she crosses off 2 worker ants to ignore the pattern card. (d) Clara is therefore able to write a 5 in a large brown pattern.

Revealed a joker?

There are jokers in both the number and pattern decks. If you reveal the number joker, you can write any number from 1 to 7 on your forest floor. If you reveal one of the pattern jokers, you can write the number in a pattern matching the joker's size but in any colour.

3. Check your tasks

After everyone has finished the number writing stage, check if you've completed a task. The different types of forest floor cards contain different types of tasks. See the section on Forest floor cards for more information.

If you've completed a task, you immediately receive the reward pictured underneath. Then cross off that task. If you complete multiple tasks at the same time, you choose the order in which you resolve them.

There are 3 types of rewards:

• Worker ants: circle these on your score card and use them later to change revealed cards just for you.
• Honeydew: circle these on your score card. Each circled drop scores you 1 point at the end of each round.
• Bonus numbers: these allow you to write extra numbers. Immediately write the number on one of your forest floor cards in the pattern shown. You can also change bonus numbers using your worker ants. If you cannot or do not want to write the bonus number, you can instead circle a worker ant on your score card.

Note: after you've circled all the worker ants or honeydew drops on your score card, you cannot collect any more of that reward.

Note: you can write bonus numbers on any of your forest floor cards, no matter which card you received the reward from.

Example: (a) Clara has completed the task on the right side of her windfall card. She therefore receives the reward pictured underneath. Clara circles 2 worker ants on her score card and can write any number in a large brown pattern. (b) Clara writes 7 at the top of her windfall card. (c) In doing so, she also completes the task on the left side of the same card and receives another reward. She circles another worker ant and can now write any number in a small pink pattern. (d) Clara writes 6 on her water drop card.

After everyone has received their rewards, reveal a new number card and a new pattern card. Repeat the steps above until you have revealed and resolved all the number and pattern cards. When there are no cards left to reveal, the round is over.

End of a Round

At the end of the first and second round, carry out the following steps before you start the next round. At the end of the third round, go straight to the section on End of the game.

1. Score honeydew

Check how many honeydew drops you have circled on your score card. Write that number of points in the leftmost empty space on your score track.

Important: do not cross off your honeydew after scoring! You keep it for the whole game and score it at the end of each round.

2. Discover more of the forest floor

Each draw 2 forest floor cards and add 1 of them to your forest floor. Return the card you didn't choose to the box.

Your first game? If so, ignore the step above. Instead, at the end of the first round, each take 1 pumpkin card. At the end of the second round, each take 1 mushroom card.

3. Shuffle the decks

Separately reshuffle the number and the pattern decks and place them face down in the middle of the table. Now start the next round.

End of the Game

The game ends after the third round. Score your honeydew for a final time. Then draw the longest ant trail on each of your forest floor cards. Make sure to connect as many adjacent spaces as possible with one continuous line. Your line can cross a space only once. Each number in your trail must be exactly the same as or exactly 1 more than the previous number. Every space in your ant trail is worth 1 point.

If you have 2 ant trails of the same length on one card, only draw one of the trails.

Important: when scoring an ant trail, ignore the patterns. The only important thing is how many spaces make up the trail. In the example shown in the rulebook, the ant trail is 8 spaces long and therefore scores 8 points!

Write the number of ant trail points from each forest floor card in the square spaces on your score track. Now calculate your total score, adding up all your honeydew and ant trail points. Write this total in the hexagonal space. The player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, the tied player with the most remaining circled worker ants wins. If there is still a tie, you share the victory.

Scoring example

In the first round, Clara collected 2 honeydew drops. She therefore scores 2 points at the end of the round.

In the second round, Clara collected 0 honeydew drops. She therefore only scores 2 points again at the end of the round.

In the third round, Clara collected 4 honeydew drops. She therefore now has a total of 6 honeydew drops and scores 6 points at the end of the round.

Then Clara draws the longest ant trail on each of her forest floor cards:

• On her windfall card, the ant trail from 1 to 7 is 14 spaces long.
• On her pumpkin card, the ant trail from 4 to 7 is 12 spaces long. She is unable to use one of the two 7s printed on the card.
• On her water drop card, the ant trail from 5 to 7 is 9 spaces long. Clara could also draw a line of the same length toward the pink 6. However, she can only draw one line on each card.
• On her mushroom card, Clara has not written any numbers. However, thanks to the numbers already printed on the card, she still has an ant trail of 2 spaces.

She writes her points into the correct spaces on her score card and calculates her total. Clara scored 47 points in total.

Forest Floor Cards

There are a total of 9 different types of forest floor cards. Each type of card has different tasks to complete to receive their rewards.

Note: tasks often require you to write numbers in particular spaces or patterns on your forest floor cards. The numbers don't need to form part of an ant trail in order to complete such tasks!

• Water drop cards: Write numbers in all the spaces around the 1/2/3 water drops.
• Windfall cards: Write numbers in all the spaces within the marked windfall fruit.
• Pumpkin cards: Write numbers in 3/5/7 adjacent patterns.
• Mushroom cards: Write numbers in both the spaces adjacent to 1/2/3/4 mushrooms.
• Bone cards: Write numbers in all the spaces on the marked line.
• Berry cards: Write the same number 2x/3x/4x/5x times in patterns on this card.
• Needle cards: Write numbers in all the spaces on the marked line. Special rule: you can only receive the rewards on a needle card in the correct order. You can complete the tasks in any order, but can only claim your rewards in the order shown. For example, you only receive reward 2) after you've claimed reward 1). Example: on the card shown in the rulebook, you would receive reward 1) but not reward 3). Although you have already completed the relevant line, you still haven't completed the task for reward 2).
• Seed cards: Write one of the numbers above a particular reward into the pattern joined to that reward. You can write other numbers in those patterns, but you will not receive any reward. Special rule: at the end of the game, all the spaces on a seed card are considered to be adjacent, no matter where they are. You can therefore draw an ant trail that criss-crosses the whole card. Example: on the seed card shown in the rulebook, you could join the spaces containing the 1s, 2s, and 3s to create one continuous ant trail.
• Flower cards: Write numbers in as many small and large patterns as shown above a particular reward. Special rule: on flower cards, all the patterns have no colour. This means you can use large patterns of any colour to write numbers in large patterns, and small patterns of any colour to write numbers in small patterns.

'New Neighbours' Variant

Have you already played the game a few times and are looking for more player interaction? If so, swap out the anteaters in the number and pattern decks for the aphid and the wasp.

Aphid

The aphid is a number card. When you reveal it, ignore the revealed pattern card. Instead, all of you can circle 2 worker ants on your score card, or you can cross off 2 worker ants to write any number in any pattern on your forest floor.

Wasp

The wasp is a pattern card. When you reveal it, ignore the revealed number card. Instead, you each add a wasp to the forest floor of the player to your right. On one of their cards, draw lines in the spaces of a small or large pattern that has no numbers in it. A wasp is now sitting on that pattern. A wasp on a large pattern only counts as 1 wasp.

At the end of each round, before you score your honeydew, count how many wasps you have on your forest floor and cross off that many circled honeydew drops on your score card. Crossed-off honeydew drops don't score any points. If the number of wasps is more than the number of honeydew drops, simply cross off all your circled honeydew.

Chase off the wasps. To chase off a wasp, write a number as usual in the pattern the wasp is sitting on. Simply wipe away the lines, then write the number in the pattern.

Important: if you reveal the wasp as the last card in a round, ignore its effects. If you reveal the wasp and the aphid at the same time, first resolve the aphid card, then resolve the wasp card.

Solo Mode

Fantastic Trails is a great game to play by yourself! Leave the aphid and wasp in the box and shuffle an anteater into both the number and pattern decks. Otherwise, all rules stay the same.

How well did you do?

Points	Result
0-25	New to the forest?
26-30	Your scent trail is off
31-35	Better off staying in the nest
36-40	Larva level
41-45	A bit antsy
46-50	Hard-working ant
51-55	On the scent
56-60	Experienced gatherer
61-65	Super(colony)
66+	Queen ant