Meadow: Downstream Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Introduction
• Common Components
  • River Board
  • River Trail Tokens
  • "?" Path Token
  • New Starting Ground Cards
  • River Deck
  • Additional Cards for the Base Game Decks
  • New Card Symbols
  • Waterfall Tokens
• The Course of the Game
  • River Board Actions
  • Special Actions of Base Game Tokens
  • End of Round
• Lazy River
  • Game Setup
  • Rules of the Lazy River Variant
  • Types of Extra Actions (Lazy River)
  • End of Game and Scoring (Lazy River)
• Wild Rapids
  • Game Setup (Wild Rapids)
  • Rules of the Wild Rapids Variant
  • Types of Extra Actions (Wild Rapids)
  • Pier Token Actions
  • Tent Tokens
  • End of Game and Scoring (Wild Rapids)
• Envelope Z
• Solo Variant
  • Changes to the Setup
  • Changes to Gameplay
  • End of Game and Scoring (Solo)

Components

• 55 river deck cards
• 12 cards, including: 3 N deck cards, 3 W deck cards, 3 S deck cards, 3 E deck cards
• 4 two-sided starting (watery) ground cards
• 4 sunset cards
• 4 beaver dam cards
• 1 additional goal token
• 8 additional road tokens
• Envelope Z (with 6 cards)
• 4 kayaker markers (1 in each of the 4 player colors)
• 4 river trail tokens (1 in each of the 4 player colors)
• 4 additional bonus tokens (1 in each of the player colors)
• 1 foldable river deck holder
• 2 waterfall tokens
• Lazy river variant: two-sided river board
• Wild rapids variant: two-sided river board, 6 tent tokens, 6 pier tokens
• Solo play components: 6 solo play cards

Introduction

The Downstream expansion introduces two game variants: lazy river and wild rapids. Some of the components from the Downstream expansion are used in both variants. They are described on pages 4–7 of this rulebook. Furthermore, pages 8 and 9 describe changes from the base game common for both variants. Pages 10–14 describe in detail the gameplay of the lazy river and wild rapids variant.

The Downstream expansion rules assume that the cards from envelope U (Big Encounters) from the base game are in play. Before playing either variant, make sure to shuffle the cards from envelope U into their corresponding decks. Do not forget the goal token with the symbol. Add this token to the goal token pool (see Game Setup in the base game rulebook).

Common Components

River Board

The expansion introduces a two-sided river board on which river deck cards will appear. Before starting the game, the players must decide together which side of the board to play. Each side offers a different set of rules:

• the lazy river gameplay is described on pages 10–11.
• the wild rapids gameplay is described on pages 12–14.

There are two distinct areas on both sides of the board.

• River track - you will move your kayaker on this track. Moving your kayaker marker to spaces marked with action symbols will allow you to perform additional actions. As you progress on the track, you will also earn more victory points.
• River card area - here you will place river deck cards. The edge of the board surrounding this area has notches. You will play your river trail tokens (and "?" path tokens) to get those cards.

River Trail Tokens

In addition to the base game path tokens, each player also has a river trail token. Unlike the other path tokens, this token allows you to perform only 1 action type and can only be placed in a river board notch. Just like with other path tokens, after placing it (and taking a card) you may play 1 card from your hand onto your meadow or surroundings area. You can place your token only in an unoccupied notch. The token remains in the notch until the end of the round (just like the path tokens from the base game).

"?" Path Token

This path token is used in a 2- and 3-player game. The rules for placing this token in the main board notches remain unchanged.

Important! The "?" path token may be placed in a river board notch—allowing it to work like a river trail token.

Important! You cannot place base game path tokens with values 1–4 in the notches of the river board.

New Starting Ground Cards

Each player has an additional two-sided starting watery ground card. Therefore, each player begins the game with 2 starting ground cards. Before the 1st round, but after taking the 5 cards in the preparation stage (according to the base game rules), each player chooses the side for their starting ground cards. Both starting cards are placed next to each other in any configuration.

Example placement of the ground cards.

There is still a limit of 10 ground cards in your meadow area.

River Deck

This deck includes ground, observation, landscape, and discovery cards connected with a water environment. The rules for placing those cards are the same as in the base game.

Unlike the base game cards, the river deck cards do not grant victory points. Instead they have an oar symbol at the bottom of the card.

When you play a card with an oar symbol in your meadow or surroundings area, you move your kayaker marker on the river board by the number of arrows visible on the oar symbol.

Important! In the rare case the river deck runs out of cards, replace it with deck S. If, after this change, you discard a river deck card, remove it from play (instead of putting it at the bottom of the deck).

The oar symbols allow you to move your kayaker by 1–4 spaces, depending on the amount of arrows on the oar symbol.

Example 1. Caroline plays the Small China-mark card in her meadow area. This card doesn't give her any victory points, but it includes an oar symbol with 2 arrows. Right after playing the card, Caroline moves her kayaker marker 2 spaces forward on the river track.

Example 2. Caroline plays the White Willow card, which has an oar symbol with 2 arrows. Caroline moves her kayaker marker 2 spaces forward. There is a fork on her path, so she needs to choose which way she'll go.

Important! You may only move your kayaker marker forward on the river board (you can never go back). At a fork, you choose which way to go.

Any number of kayakers can be in the same river space.

Additional Cards for the Base Game Decks

The expansion includes 12 additional cards that should be shuffled into the corresponding base game decks (3 cards for each deck: N, W, S, and E). Those cards are marked with the water drop symbol next to the card's number. This lets you easily recognize the expansion cards, e.g. to separate them from the base game deck.

Important! The new cards are only used when playing with the Downstream expansion.

Example 3. The Tench card requires the ground symbols that are visible in the player's meadow area.

New Card Symbols

The Downstream expansion introduces new card symbols. These symbols follow the rules from the base game rulebook in addition to those below:

• Watery ground (wavy square symbol) - The Downstream expansion introduces a 6th type of ground—watery ground. The rules for playing ground cards with this symbol are the same as playing ground cards from the base game. There is a corresponding watery icon next to the card symbol to remind you of this rule.
• Nature monument (triangle symbol) - Cards with the triangle symbol from the S and N decks not only give victory points, but also have an oar symbol that allows you to move your kayaker marker on the river track. This symbol can also be found on the river board, and its rules depend on the board's side (see Lazy river p. 10 and Wild rapids p. 12).
• Fish (fish symbol) - Cards with the fish symbol must be played directly on top of an empty watery ground card (you must still fulfill all other requirements) or on another observation card at the top of a column with the watery ground symbol.

Waterfall Tokens

The Downstream expansion includes 2 waterfall tokens. Place the waterfall tokens on the campfire board between the rocks of the round tracker. Here are the spots where you should place the waterfall tokens depending on the player count (the printed diagrams show one placement for each):

• 2- or 3-player game: place the waterfall tokens on the spots shown in the 2- or 3-player diagram on the campfire board.
• 4-player game: place the waterfall tokens on the spots shown in the 4-player diagram on the campfire board.

Twice during the game, when the round marker passes a waterfall token, you will replace the cards on the river board (see End of the Round, p. 9).

The Course of the Game

Just as in the base game, Downstream consists of 6 rounds in a 2- and 3-player game, or 8 rounds in a 4-player game. During your turn, you must perform an action, placing your path token in 1 notch. Depending on the chosen token:

• Path tokens with 1, 2, 3, 4, and ? may be placed in a notch of the main board or campfire board, just as in the base game.
• River trail tokens (and "?" tokens) may be placed in a notch of the river board. This allows you to take a card from the river card area and (optionally) play 1 card into your meadow or surroundings area.

The token remains in the notch until the end of the round.

River Board Actions

If you place your river trail or "?" path token in 1 of the notches of the river board, you perform the following actions:

• You must take 1 chosen card from the row or column pointed at by your token. The empty spot is immediately refilled with a card from the river deck.
• You may then play 1 card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area (it doesn't have to be a river deck card).

Example 4. Caroline places her river trail token in a free notch of the river board. Her token points at the column from which she must take a card. Caroline chooses a card and refills the empty spot with a new river deck card. Now she can play 1 card from her hand.

Example 5. Will places a path token in a notch of the campfire board. This token action allows him to take any face-up card from the main board or the river card area. Will decides to take a card from the river card area.

Special Actions of Base Game Tokens

The following special actions, indicated by the path tokens from the base game, have been modified:

• Token 1: Take any face-up card from the main board or the river card area and refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck. You cannot play a card this turn.
• Token 3: Look at the top 3 cards of one deck on the main board or the river board. Add 1 of these cards to your hand and put the remaining 2 cards on the bottom of the deck in any order. You cannot play a card this turn.

Example 6. Caroline places a path token in a notch of the campfire board. This token action allows her to look at the top 3 cards of any deck (available in the game) and add 1 of these cards to her hand. Caroline decides to look at the top 3 cards of the river deck and adds 1 of those cards to her hand, then puts the remaining 2 cards on the bottom of the deck.

In the middle of the game, when the round marker passes the hourglass and all the cards from the main board are discarded, the cards on the river card area remain untouched.

End of Round

When all players have placed all their path tokens, the round ends. Then the players collect all their path tokens (including river trail tokens).

The player that started the round passes the first player token to the player on their left, who will start the next round. Move the round marker to the next rock on the round tracker.

When the round marker passes a waterfall token, you must also do the following:

• discard all cards from the river card area and randomly place them on the bottom of the river deck.
• refill the river card area with new river deck cards.

Lazy River

Lazy river is the variant best suited to a first game with the expansion. Place the river board on the table with the lazy river symbol showing.

Game Setup

1. Shuffle the river deck and place it face down in the deck holder on the river board. Fill all the spots in the river card area with face-up river deck cards.
2. Add the additional goal token to the goal supply before placing the goal tokens on the campfire board. Shuffle the N, W, S, and E cards from the Downstream expansion into the corresponding decks.
3. Each player receives a river trail token, an additional bonus token of the matching color, and a two-sided starting watery ground card. Return unused cards and tokens to the box.
4. Place the beaver dam and sunset cards face up on the spots marked with the matching symbols (place them in descending point order, with the card worth the most points on top of the deck).
5. Take 1 face-up card from the main board or the river card area. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck.
6. Randomly draw 2 face-up goal tokens from the remaining goal tokens (in a 4-player game it will be the last 2 goal tokens) and place them face-up next to the nature monuments.
7. Place the kayaker markers in players' colors at the starting spot of the river board.

Next, prepare the game as described in the base game rulebook (don't forget the waterfall tokens described on page 7 of the Downstream rulebook).

Rules of the Lazy River Variant

Numbers next to river spaces are victory points received at the end of the game. When scoring, count only the highest numbered space that your kayaker is on or passed.

Some river track spaces have extra action symbols. When your kayaker marker stops on or passes such a space, you may perform its action. If you encounter more than 1 extra action symbol, do them in the same order as you encounter them.

Types of Extra Actions (Lazy River)

• Take the top card of the river deck or E deck.
• Take 1 road token or discard any card from your hand (put it on the bottom of the corresponding deck) and take the top 2 cards from any 1 deck on the main or river deck.
• Take 1 face-up card from the main board or the river card area. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck.
• Take the top beaver dam card from the river board.
• Goal space: this space has 2 goal pairs—each has a triangle symbol. When your kayaker activates this space, if you have symbols in your meadow area matching at least one of the goals, you may place your additional bonus token here. This token will be worth 3 victory points at the end of the game. Unlike the campfire board, more than 1 player may place a goal token on the river board. You may pass this space with your kayaker marker without fulfilling the goal requirement (but you will not be able to place your additional bonus token).
• Take 1 road token.
• Take the top sunset card.
• You may play a card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area.

Example 7. Steven moves his kayaker marker. His meadow area has at least one triangle and one tree symbol, therefore he fulfills the requirements of 1 of the goals. He places his additional bonus token on the marked space. Caroline placed her bonus token here earlier, but this does not prevent Steven from placing his.

End of Game and Scoring (Lazy River)

The game ends at the end of the final round (just like in the base game). Take the points you got from the cards played in your meadow and surroundings areas, as well as the bonus tokens placed on the campfire board and add to them:

• 3 victory points if you placed an additional bonus token on the river board.
• victory points from the highest valued space that your kayaker marker is on or passed.

The river track spaces are worth 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 17, and 20 victory points.

The winner is the player with the most victory points. In case of a tie, use the base game's tie-breaker rules.

Example 8. The game ended. The players count their victory points like in the base game and then add victory points from the Downstream expansion. Steven (yellow kayaker) gets 8 victory points from the last space with a point value that he passed on the river board and 3 victory points for his bonus token—so he gets 11 additional victory points. Will (purple kayaker) gets 10 victory points for the space that he is at. Will hasn't, however, fulfilled the goal—so he only gets 10 points. Caroline (green kayaker) gets 13 points for passing the numbered river space and 3 victory points for her bonus token—she gets 16 additional victory points total.

Wild Rapids

Wild rapids is the second variant of the expansion. Place the river board on the table with the wild rapids symbol showing.

Game Setup (Wild Rapids)

1. Place the river board on the table, with the wild rapids symbol showing.
2. Add the additional goal token to the goal supply before placing the goal tokens on the campfire board. Shuffle the N, W, S, and E cards from the Downstream expansion into the corresponding decks.
3. Each player receives a river trail token and a two-sided starting watery ground card. Return unused cards and tokens to the box.
4. Place the sunset cards face up on the spot marked with the matching symbol (place them in descending point order, with the card worth the most points on top of the deck).
5. Shuffle the river deck and place it face down in the deck holder on the river board. Fill all the spots in the river card area with face-up river deck cards.
6. Randomly draw as many tent tokens as there are players in the game. Then, place them face-up on the indicated area. Return the remaining tokens back to the box.
7. Randomly draw as many pier tokens as there are players in the game. Then, place them face up on the indicated area. Return the remaining tokens back to the box.
8. Place the kayaker markers in players' colors at the starting spot of the river board.

Next, prepare the game as described in the base game rulebook (don't forget the waterfall tokens described on page 7 of the Downstream rulebook).

Rules of the Wild Rapids Variant

Some river track spaces have extra action symbols. When your kayaker marker stops on or passes such a space, you may perform its action. If you encounter more than 1 extra action symbol, do them in the same order as you encounter them.

Numbers next to river spaces are victory points received at the end of the game. When scoring, count only the highest numbered space that your kayaker is on or passed.

Types of Extra Actions (Wild Rapids)

• Take the top card of the S or W deck.
• Look at the top 2 cards of the N deck. Add 1 of them to your hand and put the other on the bottom of the deck.
• Take 1 road token and any face-up card from the main board or from the river card area. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck.
• You may play a card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area.
• Take 1 token from the pier area and immediately perform its action. Then return it to the box.
• Take 1 token from the tent area. If it has an action, do the action. Then keep it in your surroundings area if it is worth victory points, otherwise return it to the box.
• Take 1 road token.
• Take the top sunset card.

Shortcut: In order to use the shortcut you must have a triangle symbol visible in your meadow area.

Example 9. Caroline has a triangle symbol visible in her meadow area, so when she moves her kayaker marker she may use the shortcut.

Pier Token Actions

• Take the top card of the E, W, and N decks.
• Take the top 2 cards of the river deck.
• Take 2 road tokens.
• Look at the top 3 cards of the E deck. Add 1 of these cards to your hand and put the remaining 2 cards on the bottom of the deck in any order. Then you may play a card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area.
• Take any face-up card from the main board or the river card area. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck.
• Discard any card from your hand (to the bottom of the corresponding deck) and take the top 2 cards of any 1 deck on the main board or the river deck.

Tent Tokens

• Tent token worth 4 victory points at the end of the game.
• Tent token worth 3 victory points at the end of the game.
• Tent token: take any face-up card from the main board or the river card area. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck. Then you may play a card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area. This token is worth 1 victory point at the end of the game.
• Tent token: you may play a card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area. This token is worth 2 victory points at the end of the game.
• Tent token: take any face-up card from the main board or the river deck area. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the corresponding deck. Then you may play a card from your hand into your meadow or surroundings area.
• Tent token: you may play up to 2 cards from your hand into your meadow and/or surroundings area.

End of Game and Scoring (Wild Rapids)

Numbers next to river spaces are victory points received at the end of the game. When scoring, count only the highest numbered space that your kayaker is on or passed. The river track spaces are worth 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 20 victory points.

The game ends at the end of the final round (just like in the base game). Take the points you got from the cards played in your meadow and surroundings areas, as well as the bonus tokens placed on the campfire board and add to them:

• your tent token bonus points.
• victory points from the highest valued space that your kayaker marker is on or passed.

The winner is the player with the most victory points. In case of a tie, use the base game's tie-breaker rules.

Example 10. The game ended. The players count their victory points like in the base game and then add victory points from the Downstream expansion. Will (purple kayaker) gets 13 victory points for the last numbered river space he passed and 4 victory points for the tent token—so he gets 17 additional victory points. Steven (yellow kayaker) gets 5 victory points for the last numbered river space he passed, and Caroline (green kayaker) gets 8 victory points for the numbered space her kayaker is on. Steven and Caroline didn't gain any tent tokens.

Envelope Z

There is an envelope in the game box with additional cards. Each card has the letter Z next to its card number. After opening, shuffle those cards into the river deck.

Envelope Z - Over the water. Open after a trip to a river or lake. Cards from this expansion are thematically related to the cards from envelopes from the base game.

Solo Variant

In this variant, the game is played similarly to the 2-player game described in the base game rules, including the changes introduced by the Downstream expansion. However, your only opponent is a dummy player called Rover.

Changes to the Setup

• Place the campfire board below the main board with the solo side (the side marked with the solo symbol in the printed diagram) facing up. Place the round marker on the 1st rock of the round tracker.
• Add the additional goal token to the goal token supply. Randomly pick 3 (face-down) goal tokens. Place 1 token face up on each of the squares around the campfire.
• Place 2 waterfall tokens as in 2- or 3-player game.
• Block 2 notches of the campfire board with block tokens.
• If you are playing the wild rapids variant, randomly draw 2 face-down tokens from both the pier and tent locations without looking at them. Place them in their corresponding spots, then flip one face up. When activating the pier or tent area, you may choose the face-up token or risk the unknown by choosing the face-down token. Then resolve the chosen token's action.

Choose a color and take all of the components for that color as in a standard game with the Downstream expansion, plus 2 starting ground cards.

• Place the solo play game token next to the main board.
• Take 1 color marker of each of the other colors and randomly place them as illustrated, face up.
• Shuffle the path tokens (with the 1, 2, 3, 4, and ? symbols) of all of the other colors and form a face-down pile. Place them next to the solo play game token.
• Place the river trail tokens in the remaining colors next to the river board.
• Shuffle the 6 cards of the solo variant from the Downstream expansion and place them in a face-down pile next to the river board.
• Rover does not have their own meadow or surroundings areas, and the cards they collect during the game are placed in a deck above the solo play game token.
• Take your starting cards and refill the empty slots on the board with cards from the corresponding deck. Then take all of the cards from the 1st row under the deck holders, and 1 card from the N deck, and place them in Rover's deck. Refill the board again.

Changes to Gameplay

In the solo game, Rover is always the first player. Alternate turns until you run out of path tokens.

During Rover's turn, flip the top path token in their pile.

• If it's a 1, 2, 3, or 4 token, place it according to the solo variant from the base game.
• If it's a ? token, place it in any unused notch of the campfire board. If all of the notches are used, discard the token. Then reveal the top card of the solo deck and place 1 of the river trail tokens from Rover's supply on the notch indicated by the card. If the notch indicated by the solo variant card is already taken, use the next clockwise available empty space.

Discard all of the cards from the row or column pointed at by the river trail token and refill the spaces with new river deck cards. Place the discarded cards in any order on the bottom of the river deck.

Note that when Rover reveals a ? token, Rover will place 2 path tokens (? and river trail).

The round is over when you place your last path token.

Collect all of your path tokens (including the river trail tokens). Then collect all of the river trail tokens played by Rover this round and place them next to the river board. Next, collect all of the other path tokens (those played by Rover this round and the unused ones), shuffle them, and create a new face-down pile. Move the round marker to the next rock on the round tracker.

When the round marker passes the waterfall token or the hourglass symbol, follow the base game rules for a multiplayer game.

End of Game and Scoring (Solo)

The game ends at the end of the 6th round—time to count the points.

If you are playing the solo variant with the Downstream expansion, you do not count Rover's points. You count your points according to the standard rules and see how well you did in the solo scoring table.

Solo scoring table:

• Below 49 points: The current was not friendly today. You managed to observe only a few common species.
• 50–65 points: Bravo! Your sketchbook is full of new and valuable findings.
• 66–79 points: You managed to observe rare species while going downstream. This day was very fruitful.
• 80+ points: This was an amazing journey! Others may only envy your observations and collected findings.

The Card index (a table of species common names, scientific names, interesting facts and a place-and-date-of-observation column) printed at the end of the rulebook is not rules text and is not reproduced here.