La Familia Hort Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Regular cards and red moon cards
  • Character boards
• Goal and Game Modes
• Basic Mode
  • Setup
  • Game Flow
  • Round Phases
    • 1. Market
    • 2. Purchase
    • 3. Fertilizing
    • 4. Watering
    • 5. Selling
  • End of the Game
• Card Descriptions
  • Crops
  • Animals
  • Garden Inventory
• Advanced Mode
  • Bonuses on the Experience Point Counter
• Abilities of the Hort Grandchildren
  • Leticia Hort and her garden business
  • Jorge Hort and his bat
  • Julia Hort waters growing crops twice as fast!
  • Pablo Hort, the experienced grandson, monetizes his experience!

Components

• 4 double-sided character boards
• 27 regular cards
• 14 red moon cards
• 6 round cards (1 first round card, 2 regular round cards, 3 red moon round cards)
• 20 coins of value "5" and 24 coins of value "1"
• 44 water cubes
• 20 fertilizer cubes
• 4 "5 water cubes" tokens
• 4 character markers

Regular cards and red moon cards

The cards differ only by their backs. On the face are crops to plant, animals or garden inventory, which are played by the same principle.

Crop cards (vegetables, flowers or mushrooms) have an "earth" frame of the same colour as the special areas on the character board. They show:

• Purchase price
• Fertilizer cube slot
• Water cube slot
• Normal sale price
• Sale price after fertilizing

Animal and garden inventory cards have a "wooden" frame matching the back of the regular cards. They show:

• Purchase price
• Experience points
• Bonus (inventory / animal bonus)

Character boards

Each board shows: the experience point counter (0-9), the character's ability (advanced mode side only), an apple tree, a well, and a plot (consisting of 6 free areas for crop, animal or inventory cards). One side is for the basic mode, the other side is for the advanced mode.

Goal and Game Modes

The goal of the game is to score the most experience points after the third visit of Grandma Hortensia.

There are 2 modes:

• Basic mode: suitable for beginners and those not yet ready to play by the advanced rules.
• Advanced mode: suitable for master strategists. In this mode each character has their own special ability, which strengthens interaction between the players.

Basic Mode

Setup

1. Place all coins, water cubes, fertilizer cubes and the "5 water cubes" tokens to the side. This is your supply (A).
2. Shuffle the regular cards face down and stack them next to the supply (B). Do the same with the red moon cards (C).
3. Choose the first player at random. This player takes the first round card with the sun and cloud (with a "wooden" frame on its face) (D).
4. Each player chooses a character and takes the board with its picture (in the basic mode character abilities are not used). Place the board in front of you with the basic mode side up (E).
5. Each player takes the marker of their character and places it on the zero mark of the experience point counter on their board.
6. Each player receives 1 coin of value "5" and 2 coins of value "1".
7. Shuffle the remaining 5 round cards face down and stack them next to the stacks of regular cards and red moon cards.

Leave space in the centre of the table for the market.

Game Flow

The game is played over several rounds. Each round consists of 5 phases, determined by the current round card. At the start of the round the first player reveals a new round card from the stack. In the first round use the first round card (with the sun and cloud).

After the fifth phase of the round, all played round cards are passed to the player to the left of the first player: this player becomes the first player in the next round. He reveals the top card of the round card stack, unless the end of the game has come (see "End of the Game").

Round Phases

All phases are shown on the current round card. Turn order matters only during the "Purchase" and "Fertilizing" phases. During all other phases players may act simultaneously.

The phases are: 1. Market, 2. Purchase, 3. Fertilizing, 4. Watering, 5. Selling.

1. Market

In the first round each player takes a certain number of regular cards from the stack and lays them in the centre of the table, forming the market:

• 5 cards per player in a 2-player game;
• 4 cards per player in a 3-player game;
• 3 cards per player in a 4-player game.

In the following rounds each player takes one card from the stack shown on the round card and lays it face up in the centre of the table — this forms the market.

• If a regular round card is revealed this round, take cards from the stack of regular cards.
• If a red moon round card is revealed, take cards from the stack of red moon cards.

Example: in a 3-player game, in the first round during the Market phase the players lay 12 regular cards in the centre of the table (4 per player). In the second round the player revealed a red moon round card, so during the Market phase each player lays 1 card from the red moon stack, not from the regular stack.

2. Purchase

Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player may buy 1 card from the market at a time, paying the number of coins indicated on it. The player places the purchased card on any free area of his plot and returns the coins to the supply. If a player passed once, the next time it is his turn he may change his mind and buy a card from the market. The Purchase phase continues until all players pass (players do not want to or cannot buy cards from the market). Cards remaining in the market stay there face up. They can be bought in following rounds.

Example of the Purchase phase: In this round Olya goes first. She buys a pumpkin for 2 coins and places the pumpkin card on a free area of her plot. Next is Sveta: she buys a bee for 3 coins. Then it is Misha's turn, but he decides not to buy anything, and the turn passes back to Olya. Olya buys a sunflower, and the turn to buy passes to Sveta again. The Purchase phase continues until all players pass.

3. Fertilizing

Each player receives 1 fertilizer cube from the supply. Fertilizer is needed to increase the value of a crop during the Selling phase.

• If the arrow above the fertilizer icon on the current round card points down, players place the received fertilizer cube on one of their own crops.
• If the arrow above the fertilizer icon points up, players place the fertilizer cube on a crop card of one of their neighbours (to the left or to the right).
• If a player cannot place the fertilizer cube on any crop card, he returns it to the supply.

Example of the Fertilizing phase: On the first round card the arrow above the fertilizer icon points up, which means players must fertilize the crops of their opponents. Olya goes first: she places a fertilizer cube on the special slot on the eggplant card belonging to Sveta, her neighbour on the left. Then Sveta places her fertilizer cube on the corn belonging to Olya, her neighbour on the right. Finally, Misha places a fertilizer cube on the sunflower on Olya's board, his neighbour on the left.

4. Watering

Each player receives from the supply as many water cubes as indicated on the round card and places them in the well on his board. Then the player may water animals, water his crops and the apple tree. To do so he moves 1 water cube at a time to the special slots on crop cards, animal cards, or next to the apple tree on the board. You may water several crops or water several animals in one round if you have enough cubes, but only 1 water cube per round can be placed on each card (and next to the apple tree).

You do not have to do this (unused water cubes are kept in the well and may be used in following rounds). If there are no water cubes left in the supply because some players have collected a large number of them in their wells, use the "5 water cubes" token.

Example of the Watering phase: In the first round during the Watering phase each player receives 4 water cubes. Misha immediately uses 3 cubes to water his rose, pumpkin and apple tree. He keeps the remaining cube in the well for later rounds.

5. Selling

During this phase players sell grown crops (vegetables, mushrooms and flowers) and receive coins and experience points for selling them.

• If a crop is not fully watered (free water cube slots remain on the card), the player cannot sell it.
• If all water cube slots on a crop card are filled (i.e. the crop is fully watered), the player must sell it.

For a sold crop the player receives coins or experience points according to the normal sale price (the lower value).

• If the crop being sold was fertilized, the player receives coins or experience points according to the sale price after fertilizing (the higher value).
• If the apple tree is also watered, the player may return the water cube used for it to the supply and receive 1 coin of value "1" for this.

Return the card of the sold crop to the market so that it can be bought in following rounds, and return all water and fertilizer cubes to the supply.

When players receive experience points for selling grown crops, they move the character marker the corresponding number of steps along the experience point counter on their boards. When the marker reaches the "10" mark, flip it over to show that you already have 10 experience points, and continue counting experience points from the zero mark.

Example of the Selling phase: First, Sveta sells an unfertilized radish and receives 3 coins for it, which she puts next to her board. She also receives 1 coin for watering the apple tree; Sveta returns the water cube to the supply. Sveta also sells a fertilized lily and receives 3 experience points for it. Since Sveta already has 9 experience points, she flips her marker to the "10" side and moves it to the "2" mark at the start of the counter to show that she now has 12 experience points. The radish and lily cards return to the market, and the water and fertilizer cubes from those cards return to the supply.

End of the Game

The game continues until the third red moon round card is revealed. Grandma Hortensia has visited you for the third time! Players finish the round, and the game ends. Each player counts his experience points: to the experience points on the experience point counter the player also adds 1 experience point for every 5 coins. The player with the most experience points wins.

In case of a tie, the player with the most remaining coins wins (coins for which you have already received experience points are not counted). If the tie still remains, the player with the most water cubes in the well wins.

Because the round cards are revealed in random order, the game may last 4, 5 or 6 rounds. Think before making this or that purchase, because in the last round you will not be able to sell grown crops that have not been fully watered.

Card Descriptions

Crops

Crops for planting are of three kinds: vegetables, flowers and mushrooms. Crop cards have an "earth" frame (the same as on the players' plots). For selling vegetables and mushrooms you receive coins, and for selling flowers you receive experience points.

• Vegetables: Corn (x3), Radish (x3), Eggplant (x3), Pumpkin (x3), Mandrake (x2; red moon card)
• Flowers: Lily (x3), Rose (x3), Sunflower (x3), Carnivorous Flower (x2; red moon card)
• Mushrooms: Poisonous Mushroom (x2; red moon card)

Animals

Acquired animal cards always stay on your plot. They do not return to the market, and bonuses for them can be received every round.

• Chicken (x3): a voracious chicken eats the crop you are about to sell! During the Selling phase a watered chicken (there is a water cube on the chicken card) may eat a fully watered crop that you are selling, whether or not the crop being sold has a fertilizer cube. For this you receive 1 experience point, but you do not receive coins for selling the crop. The chicken's bonus need not be used every round — you decide which crop the chicken "eats" and when.
• Goat (x2; red moon card): the insatiable goat has the same effect as the chicken, but brings 2 experience points instead of 1.
• Bee (x3): during the Selling phase, receive 2 coins of value "1" if you have at least 1 flower card on your plot. If you sell a flower this round but you have a bee, you still receive 2 coins. If you have 2 or more flower cards in your garden, you still receive 2 coins.

Garden Inventory

Acquired inventory cards always stay on your plot. When you buy inventory you immediately receive 1 experience point. Some inventory also has additional bonuses:

• Watering can (x2; red moon card): during each Watering phase receive 2 additional water cubes.
• Compost box (x2; red moon card): during each Fertilizing phase receive 1 additional fertilizer cube, which you can use on your planted crops. If you do not want to use this cube or want to save it for later rounds, place it on the compost box card.
• Scarecrow (x2; red moon card): no additional bonuses.

Red moon cards include crops, animals and inventory with stronger effects. There are fewer of these cards in the game and they cost more, but such an acquisition pays off quickly!

Advanced Mode

In this mode players may choose which character to play. Each character has an ability that can be used only once per round, so choose wisely! Setup is the same as in the basic mode, except for step 4:

4. Place all character boards in the centre of the table with the advanced mode side up (marked with the advanced mode icon). The player to the right of the first player chooses his character first. Then the right to choose passes clockwise to the next player, and so on. The first player chooses his character last.

Bonuses on the Experience Point Counter

Each time a character marker lands on a bonus space, the player receives the indicated bonus (the same bonus can be received every time the marker lands on the space with it).

• Space 3: receive 1 coin of value "1".
• Space 6: receive 1 water cube and immediately place it in the well.
• Space 9: receive 1 fertilizer cube and immediately place it either on one of your crops or in the compost box. Otherwise the cube is lost.

Abilities of the Hort Grandchildren

Leticia Hort and her garden business

Rivals, prepare your harvest! After the Market phase Leticia may place one of her coins on the card of any crop (but not an inventory or animal card) in the market, if there is no coin on that card yet. The player who buys this crop takes the coin for himself, but pays the cost of the crop to Leticia, not to the supply. If Leticia buys this card herself, she pays the cost of the crop to the supply, and keeps the coin from the card.

Example: Sveta plays Leticia. She decides to put a coin on the carnivorous plant. Then the Purchase phase begins. Olya buys the carnivorous plant and pays 4 coins to Sveta, not to the supply. Olya keeps the coin lying on the purchased card.

Jorge Hort and his bat

Fertilize more crops with additional fertilizer! After the Fertilizing phase Jorge may take a fertilizer cube from the supply and place it on one of his crops or in a compost box. If Jorge decides to use this ability, he must also take one more fertilizer cube and either fertilize an opponent's crop or place the cube in an opponent's compost box, if possible.

Example: Misha plays Jorge. He has already fertilized a mandrake. After finishing the Fertilizing phase, Misha decides to take an additional fertilizer cube and place it on his sunflower. He must also take one more additional fertilizer cube from the supply and place it on an opponent's crop or in his compost box. Misha decides to put the cube on the radish belonging to Olya. If the opponents had no compost box or free slot for a fertilizer cube, Misha would not have to add a fertilizer cube to any opponent.

Julia Hort waters growing crops twice as fast!

After the Watering phase Julia may water one of her crops again, using one of the water cubes from her well. If Julia decides to use her ability, she must water an opponent's crop (but not the apple tree), using a water cube from the chosen player's well, if possible.

Example: Olya plays Julia and decides to water her rose again in the same round, using a water cube from her own well. Then she uses a water cube from Misha's well and waters the pumpkin belonging to him. If no opponent had water in his well, Olya would not have to water an opponent's crop.

Pablo Hort, the experienced grandson, monetizes his experience!

After the Selling phase Pablo may sell or buy an experience point from another player for 4 coins, if possible. The other player cannot refuse.

Example 1: Misha plays Pablo. He has one experience point. Misha decides to exchange his experience point for 4 of Sveta's coins — she cannot refuse. Misha moves his marker to the zero mark and takes 4 coins from Sveta, who, conversely, moves the marker on her board 1 step forward.

Example 2: in the next round Misha already has 9 experience points. His rival Olya has 11 points. Misha decides to use his ability to buy an experience point from Olya. Now they both have 10 points, and Misha pays Olya 4 coins for the purchase, which she could not refuse.