Miller Zoo Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Game Elements
  • Resource Icons / Problem Tokens
• Goal of the Game
• Gameplay
  • 1 - Dawn: Time to Wake Up!
  • 2 - Morning: Identify the Problems!
  • 3 - Afternoon: Time to Work!
    • Move
    • Fixing Problems in Habitat Spaces
    • Receive in the Reception Spaces
  • 4 - Night: Closing Time!
    • A. Return to the Cantine
    • B. Storage
    • C. Crisis?
      • Managing a Crisis
    • D. End of Game?
• Solo Mode
• Take on the Challenges
  • In the Envelopes You Will Find...
• New Rules!
• Credits

Contents

• 1 Double-sided board
• 7 Animal cards
• 30 Needs cards
• 80 Resource cards
• 60 Problem tokens (to be punched out)
• 6 Teammate cards
• 6 Player Aid cards
• 6 Player pieces
• 6 Sealed envelopes (Not to be opened until the game tells you!)

Ages 8+. 30 minutes. 1-6 players.

Setup

1. Place the board in the middle of the table.
2. Shuffle the Resource cards and place the deck face down on its space on the board.
3. Shuffle the Needs cards and place the deck face down on its space on the board.
4. Shuffle the 7 Animal cards and place the deck face down on its space on the board. Draw the 4 top cards from the Animal deck and place them face-up next to the 4 Reception spaces.
5. Place the Problem tokens nearby in a common supply.
6. Each team member takes a Player Aid card, chooses a Teammate card, and places their Player piece on the Cantine space.

Watch a video to learn the rules!

Game Elements

Resource Card. These cards show either one or two resources to remove a Problem token, or to pay the cost of receiving an animal. OR the golf cart allows you to move from one space to another.

Needs Card. One or two Problems are indicated on each card. Place these Problem tokens on the Animal cards showing the same icon. This symbol means to draw an additional Resource card.

Animal Card.

• Name and Species.
• Animal's Needs: this icon shows the Problem token that must be placed on this animal when a Needs card is drawn.
• Reception Cost: the resources to be paid to receive the animal in the zoo.
• Level: the higher the level, the higher the Reception cost.
• Envelope: the envelope the animal was drawn from.
• Habitat: once the Reception cost has been paid, the animal must be transferred to the habitat space indicated on the card.
• Interesting Facts.

The board is comprised of 7 spaces: 4 Reception spaces and 3 Habitat spaces (Farm, North America, Exotic).

Resource Icons / Problem Tokens

• Thirst
• Hunger
• In Need of Grooming
• Damaged Habitat
• Medical Need
• In Need of Enrichment
• Joker: a resource of your choice.

Goal of the Game

Complete the challenge and finish the round before the Resource deck runs out of cards.

Challenge #1. The team wins the game by receiving all 7 animals into their respective habitats.

Once Challenge #1* is completed, there are more challenges waiting for you in the envelopes!

*If your team ever wants to do the 1st Challenge again, simply gather and use the Animal cards with the recycle icon during setup.

Gameplay

A game round corresponds to one day.

Each day is divided into 4 stages, played in the following order: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, and Night.

1 - Dawn: Time to Wake Up!

Each Teammate draws a hand of 4 Resource cards and places them face up in front of themselves.

NOTE: In the final round, if there are not enough cards for everyone, all is not lost! As long as there are cards to draw, the team should divide them evenly.

2 - Morning: Identify the Problems!

A. Each Teammate draws 1 Needs card.

B. Each Teammate places the indicated Problem token(s) on all the Animals in the 3 zoo Habitats with that Needs icon, and then discards that card. Do not place Problem tokens on animals next to the Reception spaces.

It is very likely that an Animal will end up with more than one Problem token on them.

NOTE: If you run out of Problem tokens, the team should distribute them equally. If there are no more Needs cards in the deck, shuffle the discard pile and make a new deck with those cards.

3 - Afternoon: Time to Work!

For clarity's sake, we will use the term "team" to indicate that all players play together at the same time.

All Teammates are free to play their cards in any order they wish. The team must play its Resource cards to Move, Fix Problems, and Receive the animals.

Remember: To Fix Problems in a Habitat, your Player piece must be on that Habitat. To Receive an Animal, your Player piece must be on that Animal's space.

"We work hard to take care of the well-being of all the animals in the zoo. Nevertheless, every morning, problems come up. They have to be fixed during the day, or else in the evening we have to "MANAGE A CRISIS" (see p. 6)."

"We receive and rehabilitate wild animals in our sanctuary. Because we create customized spaces for them, some animals are more difficult to integrate into the zoo."

Move

A. Discard any Resource card from your hand to move to any other space.

B. There are 7 spaces that you can move to: 4 Reception spaces and 3 Habitat spaces. There is no limit to the number of Player Pieces on any space.

NOTE: All Resource cards allow you to move, and there's a golf cart on each card to remind you!

Fixing Problems in Habitat Spaces

A. Discard one or more Resource cards to remove Problem tokens from the Animals on the same space as your Player Piece.

B. Each Resource on a card allows you to remove a corresponding Problem token. Removed tokens are returned to the supply.

NOTE: Each Resource on a card allows you to remove a corresponding Problem token. Removed tokens are returned to the supply.

Receive in the Reception Spaces

Each Animal has a Reception cost indicated at the bottom of its card.

A. When you are on an Animal's Reception space, place one or more cards beside the card of the Animal to be Received.

You can pay the Reception cost either partially or completely. If you pay more than the Animal's Reception cost, any extra Resources are lost.

The Resource cards remain next to the Animal's card until the cost is paid in its entirety.

B. Once an Animal's cost has been paid:

• You're one step closer to victory! To celebrate, the whole team must imitate the Animal's noise. It's super funny!
• The Resource cards next to the Animal are discarded.
• The Animal is transferred to its Habitat space, as indicated on the card.
• Movement Bonus: Teammates who are on the Animal's Reception space can move to the Animal's habitat with it for free.
• Draw a new Animal and place it face-up in the empty Reception space. If there are no more Animals in the Animal card pile, skip this step.

4 - Night: Closing Time!

The Night stage runs through 4 steps in order: A. Return to the Cantine, B. Storage, C. Crisis, D. End of Game?

A. Return to the Cantine

Once the team has played all the cards they can or want to play, they head back to the Cantine. The team does not need to discard Resource cards to move back here.

B. Storage

The team can store a maximum of 3 Resource cards by placing them on the "Storage" spaces. All other cards are discarded.

STORAGE: During the AFTERNOON stage, a player may, at any time and from any space, use one or more cards from the Storage space to Move, Fix Problems, or Receive an Animal. However, the team may not place cards here until the NIGHT stage.

C. Crisis?

If there are any Problem tokens remaining on Animals (that weren't removed during the Afternoon stage), the team must MANAGE A CRISIS!

Managing a Crisis

The team must discard cards from the Resource deck, one card at a time.

Each Resource listed on a card discarded this way can be used to remove remaining Problem tokens on any Animal in the zoo.

The team continues to discard cards until all Problem tokens have been removed from the Animals on the board.

Example of a crisis draw:

• The team draws the first card: the ball. The "Need for Enrichment" token is discarded.
• The team draws a second card that does not correspond to any Problem tokens still to be removed. The team discards that card and continues to draw.
• The team draws a third card, the Joker! They can remove a Problem token of their choice. All Problem tokens have now been removed: the Crisis is over.

If there is still one (or more) Problem tokens on the board, but there are no more Resource cards in the deck, the game is over, and the team has lost!

D. End of Game?

Have all the Animals been received?

• NO → Are there still cards in the Resource deck?
  • NO → You have lost the game! If this is your first defeat, open the First Defeat envelope.
  • YES → Start a new day.
• YES → You have won the game! If this is your first victory, open Envelope #1.

Solo Mode

Overcome challenges by yourself! Use the same setup as a 2-player game. Choose 2 Teammate cards and their Player Pieces. Play both characters separately, each one with their own hand of cards.

Have fun!

Take on the Challenges

There are 25 Challenges waiting for you inside the Envelopes. When you overcome a Challenge, stick the badge on the back of the board to show your progress.

Stick your first badge onto the back of the board. Each overcome Challenge allows you to stick a new badge on the "Accomplishment Track."

There are two types of Challenge:

1. Obligatory: The wolf-icon Challenges help the game evolve and allow for the opening of new Envelopes.
2. Optional: The star-icon Challenges will test your team's skills and will reward you with Merit Badges!

If more than one group of players wants to take on Challenges, use the tick-boxes to the left of the Challenges to show the progress of each team.

In the Envelopes You Will Find...

• Additional game components.
• Advancement and Merit Badge stickers to stick to the back of the board.
• New rules stickers to stick into the indicated sections of the rulebook.

New Rules!

If a new rule contradicts one of the base rules of the game, follow the new rule!

This rulebook has four labeled boxes reserved for New Rules stickers found inside the Envelopes: A1, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2.

Credits

• Game Designer: Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance
• Development: Gabriel Raymond-Dufresne
• Publisher: Joël Gagnon
• Illustrations: Jocelyne Bouchard, Marjorie Gros
• Graphic Design: Pierre-Marc Duguay, Stéphane Vachon, Fanny Saulnier
• Project Manager: Jonathan Galarneau, Catherine Parent
• Translator: Matthew Legault

Miller Zoo is a real zoo in southern Quebec, Canada, whose mission is to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals, and either provide them with a permanent home, or help them return to the wild.

The people you play in this game are the owners and real employees at Miller Zoo, and the animals are the real-life residents of this wonderful place.

A huge thank-you to the whole Miller Zoo team in Frampton, Quebec, for their collaboration throughout the project.