Nature Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Playing Nature
  • Goal
  • Game Structure
• Preparation
  • 1. Add Plants
  • 2. New Species
  • 3. Draw Cards
• Adapting Phase
  • Play Cards
  • Free Actions
  • Reveal Traits
• About Traits
  • Hunt Value and Defense Value
  • Trait Cards
  • Trigger Traits
  • Herbivore
  • Omnivore
  • Carnivore
  • Examples of Species
• Feeding Phase
  • Important Definitions
  • Feeding Turns
  • Forage Feeding Action
  • Hunt Feeding Action
  • Starving
  • Passing
  • Free Action
  • Extinction
• Scoring
• Game End
• Nature Game System
  • Variable Length
  • Quick Play Variant
  • 5-6 Player Rules
• FAQ
• The History of Nature
• Credits

Components

Population

The goal of Nature is to have a flourishing population. Population represents animals that need to be fed and protected.

Food

Every population needs food. There are two types of food: plant and meat. Each food that sustains a population for a round will be worth 1 point at the end of the game.

Player Screens

Place your food (plant / meat) behind your player screen (or in your deluxe player bag) at the end of each round. This keeps the score hidden until the end of the game.

Watering Hole

The watering hole is the only place for animals to eat plants. A limited number of plants are added each round, so get to the watering hole before the food runs out!

Hunter Cards

Any player can use a hunter card to turn their species into a hunter. A hunter no longer eats plants from the watering hole. Instead, it eats meat by hunting animals around the watering hole.

Size Dials

Every species has a size dial to keep track of its size. Larger species eat more food when they feed at the watering hole, and are better defended against hunters.

Nature Cards

There are 8 different traits in the Nature deck. These traits are superpowers that allow your species to adapt to the changing environment as they struggle to survive and thrive.

Snow Leopard

One of the most awesome first player markers in evolutionary history.

Solo Cards

These cards are only used when you play Nature Solo. Each card represents an opponent's species with a unique personality.

Setup

1. Place the watering hole on the table.
2. Place the size dials on opposite sides of the table.
3. Place the population next to the size dials.
4. Place the food trays with plant and meat near the watering hole.
5. Shuffle the Nature cards and place them face-down to form the Nature deck.
6. Place the Hunter cards near the watering hole.
7. Give a player screen (or a deluxe player bag) to each player.
8. The person who can make the most amazing animal noise goes first. Give them the snow leopard.
9. A set amount of food will be added to the watering hole at the start of each round. Draw the top card of the Nature deck, then multiply the food number shown (in the bottom right corner) by the number of players. This is the amount of plants that will be added to the watering hole each round. Tuck the card under the watering hole to remind you how much food to add in future rounds.

Player Count	Card Number 1	2	3	4
Solo	2	4	6	8
2-Players	2	4	6	8
3-Players	3	6	9	12
4-Players	4	8	12	16

Note: If it is your first game, use a card with a food number of 3.

Playing Nature

Goal

The goal of Nature is to grow your population in an ever-changing ecosystem where food is scarce and predators lurk. You will receive 1 point for every population you keep alive each round. To track this, you will place the food eaten by your population behind your player screen (or in your deluxe player bag) at the end of each round.

At the end of the game, you will score:

• 1 point for every plant and every meat behind your player screens (or in your deluxe player bag).
• 2 points for each of your surviving species as a Game End Bonus.

Game Structure

Nature is played over four rounds. In each round, go through the following steps:

Preparation

• Add Food to the Watering Hole
• Get a New Species
• Draw 5 Cards

Adapting Phase

• Play Cards
• Free Actions
• Reveal Traits

Feeding Phase

• Feeding Actions
• Free Actions

Scoring

Preparation

1. Add Plants

Add the number of plants determined during setup to the watering hole. These are in addition to any plants that might be leftover from the previous round.

2. New Species

Every round, each player takes the following:

• A size dial showing size 1
• A population

The size dial represents the physical size of the animals and the population represents the number of animals that need to be fed each round. Place the size dial forager side up to show that it takes the forage action when feeding.

Lost Population

If you lost population in the previous round, add all lost population to your new species. For example, if 3 of your population were killed in the previous round, your new species will start with 4 population.

Lost Size

If your species became extinct in the previous round, add the lost size to your new species. For example, if a size 3 species went extinct, your new species will start at size 4. Or if you lost two size 1 species in the previous round, your new species will start at size 3.

Lost size in excess of the largest number on the size dial are lost forever (size 4 in Nature and size 10 with the Jurassic module).

3. Draw Cards

Each player draws 5 cards from the Nature deck. There is no maximum hand size, so these 5 cards are in addition to cards that a player may have from a previous round.

If you run out of cards in the Nature deck, shuffle the discard pile and make a new Nature draw deck.

Adapting Phase

The theme of the Adapting Phase takes place over millions of years as species adapt to the changing environment. Each player only gets one turn during this phase, so plan ahead!

Play Cards

The player with the snow leopard is the first player to take their turn. Each card in your hand can be used for the following actions:

• Increase Population
• Increase Size
• Play a Trait

On your turn, you may play as many cards as you like. Each action can be taken multiple times and in any order.

Increase Population

Take any card from your hand and place it face-up in the discard pile, then take a population from the supply and add it to any one of your species. There is no limit to the number of population a species can have.

Tip: The goal of Nature is to grow your population. You score points for keeping them alive each round.

Increase Size

Take any card from your hand and place it face-up in the discard pile, then increase the size of any one of your species by rotating the size dial to the next number. The maximum size on the Nature size dial is 4, roughly the size of a rhinoceros, moose, or elephant.

The size of a species determines how effective it is at hunting, defending, and foraging. These are explained in the Feeding Phase section.

Tip: A larger species eats plants more quickly, allowing it to eat the limited food before the other animals.

Play a Trait

Take any card from your hand and play it face-down above any one of your species. This card is now a trait that will modify that species once it is flipped face-up. The maximum number of traits a species can have is 3. You may play several of the same traits to a species, but each copy counts towards the 3 trait maximum.

Tip: Every trait is powerful, but they are most powerful when combined with traits that synergize well.

Free Actions

Free actions allow you to adapt your species without playing a card from your hand. Free actions may be taken multiple times and at any time during your Adapting Phase turn.

Become a Hunter

You may play a Hunter card as a trait on any of your species. The Hunter trait counts toward the 3 trait limit. The number of available Hunter cards is unlimited, so use a proxy card if the pile runs out.

When you play a Hunter trait, flip over the size dial of that species to show that it can hunt. It can no longer forage for plants in the watering hole.

Sam wants to make his species a hunter. He takes a Hunter card from the stack and adds it as his third trait. He then flips his size dial to show that his species is now a hunter.

Remove Traits

You may discard traits from any of your species to make room for a different trait. Return Hunter traits to the Hunter deck and place other removed traits in the face-up discard pile. When you remove the Hunter card, flip your size dial back to the forager side. It can no longer hunt other species.

Hold Cards

You may keep 1 or more cards to play as food during the Feeding Phase, or to play in the next round.

Tip: Hold a card to add food to the watering hole if you think the food will be gone before your first feeding turn.

Reveal Traits

The Adapting Phase ends when every player has taken one turn. Flip all of the face-down traits so they are face-up and move into the Feeding Phase.

About Traits

Traits are played on a species to modify the ability of that species. The rules on a trait card override the core Nature rules. Any combination of up to 3 traits can be played on a forager or a hunter, but 3 traits is the maximum number of traits a species can have.

Hunt Value and Defense Value

The hunt value and defense value of a species is equal to the number on its size dial, but can be increased by trait cards.

In the top left of each trait, the value in the red tab adds to the species hunt value, while the value in the grey tab adds to the defense value. If these tabs hold no values, nothing is added.

Trait Cards

Each trait card shows, from top to bottom:

• Hunt value (red tab, top left) and Defense value (grey tab, top left).
• Trait Name — for example, Clawed (hunt value +2, defense value +1) or Fast (no value tabs).
• Trait Ability — for example, Clawed reads "+2 when eating plants."; Fast reads "Can only be hunted by a species with as many Fast traits."
• Icon for Solo.
• Food Discard value (bottom right corner) — for example, 3.
• Science Blurb — for example, "Tigers use their claws to hold their prey. Sloth bears use their claws to dig up insects and fend off tigers." (Clawed); "Blackbuck antelopes combine 50-60mph speed and sudden changes in direction to evade predators." (Fast)

Trigger Traits

Traits with an exclamation point are trigger traits. They have a mandatory ability that gets activated when the trigger condition is met. The ability will activate anytime the condition is met, regardless of whose turn it is.

Scavenging — "After any species hunts: eats 2 meat." Food discard value 3.

Scavenging triggers anytime a species hunts. It may trigger on your turn or someone else's turn. When Scavenging triggers, the species eats 2 meat from the supply. Remember: you must have hungry population to eat food.

Lammergeier vultures will drop bones from hundreds of feet to break them and feed off the released marrow.

Opportunistic — defense value +1. "After any of your species forages or hunts: eats 2 meat if there is still plant in the watering hole." Food discard value 3.

Opportunistic triggers on your turn, if there is plant in the watering hole after one of your species forages or hunts. When Opportunistic triggers, the species eats 2 meat from the supply.

Red pandas adjust their diet based upon what food is available, making them resilient to a changing environment.

Tusked — defense value +2. "When the watering hole becomes empty: eats 1 meat." Food discard value 3.

Tusked triggers anytime the watering hole becomes empty. It may trigger on your turn or someone else's turn. When Tusked triggers, the species eats 1 meat from the supply.

A growing male Babirusa must grind its tusks, or they will keep going until they penetrate its own skull.

Herbivore

When a new species enters play at the start of the round, it is a Herbivore. It may eat plants when it forages from the watering hole.

Omnivore

If a trigger trait is added to the species, it becomes an Omnivore. It may still forage to eat plants from the watering hole, but it will also eat meat if the trigger trait activates.

Carnivore

If a Hunter trait is added to the species, it becomes a Carnivore. It may no longer forage from the watering hole to eat plants. It hunts to eat meat instead.

Examples of Species

This size 1 species has 2 population, a Fast trait, a Plated trait, and a face-down trait. The face-down trait will get revealed at the end of the Adapting Phase. It has a defense value of 5: 1 defense from its size +4 defense from Plated.

This size 2 species has 3 population, a Social trait, and a Fast trait. It would normally eat 2 plants when foraging from the watering hole because of its size, but because of Social, it will eat 4 plants. If this species was a hunter, Social would allow it to take 2 additional meat from the supply when it hunts.

This size 3 species has 3 population, a Hunter trait, and a Clawed trait. Its hunt value is 5: 3 from its size and +2 from Clawed.

Feeding Phase

The Feeding Phase is a snapshot of the ecosystem at a specific point in time. Each player will get multiple turns during the Feeding Phase to feed their species.

Important Definitions

• This is a hungry population. It does not have plant or meat on it.
• These are fed population (plant or meat).
• When a population is killed, flip it over.

At the start of the Feeding Phase, every population is hungry. Starting with the player who has the snow leopard and moving clockwise around the table, each player will take a feeding turn to feed one of their species.

The Feeding Phase will end when every population is fed or dead:

• fed (plant or meat), or
• killed by starvation, or
• killed in a hunt.

Feeding Turns

On your turn, you must take the first possible action out of the following:

1. Take a feeding action with a hungry species.
2. If you cannot take a feeding action, then starve 1 hungry population.
3. If you don't have any hungry population, you must pass.

The Feeding Phase ends once everyone has passed.

Forage Feeding Action

A forager may take the forage feeding action as long as it will get food from the action. When a species forages, it eats plants from the watering hole equal to its size, plus any additional amount indicated by its traits. Place each eaten plant on top of a hungry population.

A species must always eat the full amount unless:

• There are not enough plants in the watering hole. Plant food is limited to the number of plants in the watering hole. If a species can forage for 4, but there are only 2 plants in the watering hole, then it will only eat 2 plants when it forages.
• Your species does not have enough hungry population. A species may never eat more food than it has hungry population. If your species can forage for 4, but it only has 1 hungry population, then it will only eat 1 plant when it forages, and the remaining 3 will stay in the watering hole.

Jeffrey has a size 1 species with 4 population. It eats 3 plants when it forages; 1 plant for its size and 2 plants because of the Clawed trait. Jeffrey takes 3 plants from the watering hole and places them on 3 hungry population. One of its population is still hungry, so Jeffrey will have to wait to feed this species again on a subsequent turn. Hopefully, there will still be food in the watering hole!

Hunt Feeding Action

A species that received a Hunter trait during the Adapting Phase is a hunter. Hunters can take the hunt feeding action before or after the watering hole runs out of plants.

A hunter may hunt another species if the hunter:

• is hungry.
• has a hunt value equal to or greater than the defense value of its prey.
• can overcome the defense traits of its prey (such as Fast).

After a successful hunt:

1. The hunter kills 1 population of the hunted species. The player who controls the hunted species chooses which population to flip over. This dead population will get flipped back to the living side and added to their new species at the start of the next round.
2. If the population that was killed had a food token on it, return the food to the supply.
3. The hunter eats meat from the supply equal to the size of the hunted species. Place each eaten meat on top of a hungry population of the hunter. Any extra meat remains in the supply.

A hungry hunter must hunt if there is available prey, regardless of who controls that species. For example, your hunter must hunt a species with the Horned trait, even if that species belongs to you!

Dom's species has a hunt value of 5: 3 for its size and +2 from Clawed. Maddie's species has a defense value of 5: 3 for its size and +2 from Tusked, so Maddie's species is a legal target for the hunt. Maddie flips over one population from the hunted species. It will be added to Maddie's new species next round. Dom's species eats 3 meat because Maddie's species is size 3. He takes them from the supply and places them on three of his hungry population. Dom will need to feed his 2 remaining hungry population on a future turn.

Starving

If you are unable to forage or hunt with any of your species, you must choose 1 hungry population to starve. Flip over the population to show it was killed. It will be added to your new species at the beginning of the next round. If this is the species' last population, it has become extinct. See Extinction below.

Passing

On your turn you must pass if you don't feed any of your species and you don't have any hungry population to starve. Once you pass, your turn will be skipped for the remainder of the Feeding Phase.

Free Action

Before taking a feeding action (foraging, hunting, starving, or passing), you may discard one or more cards from your hand to add plants to the watering hole. Add plants equal to the food value(s) indicated in the bottom right corner of the discarded card(s).

Horned — "When hunted, kills population of the hunter equal to this species' size." Food discard value 3.

Tadjik Markhors have corkscrew-like horns used for defense and for establishing dominance when finding a mate.

Extinction

A species goes extinct when its last population is killed or starves. Do the following if one of your species goes extinct:

• Place its killed population and its size dial next to your player screen. They will be added to your new species next round. See Preparation.
• If the species had a Hunter trait, return it to the Hunter deck.
• Return its other trait(s) to your hand. These cards are available immediately, which means you can discard them to add food to the watering hole during the current Feeding Phase.

Reminder: There is no maximum hand size. You will get 5 additional cards during Preparation in the next round.

Scoring

Remove the plant and meat from your fed population and place them behind your player screen. They will each be worth 1 point at the end of the game.

If there are plants remaining in the watering hole, leave them there. You will add additional plants next round during Preparation.

The game ends after Round 4. If this is the end of Round 4, proceed to the Game End section. Otherwise, pass the awesome snow leopard to the left and begin a new round, starting with Preparation.

Game End

To determine the success of your species in Nature, each player scores:

• 1 point for every plant and every meat behind their player screen (or in their deluxe player bag).
• 2 points as a Game End Bonus for each surviving species.

The player with the most points wins.

If there is a tie, the player with the most traits on their surviving species wins. If there is still a tie, order two pizzas—a vegetarian and a meat lovers—and play again!

Nature Game System

The core game of Nature is a stand-alone experience with a surprising amount of strategic depth.

The Nature game system allows you to alter that experience by adding one or more modules. We recommend playing each module on its own before mixing them together. You can add one Location module to change the biome of the ecosystem, along with as many other modules as you like. When you add one or more modules to Nature, play five rounds instead of four. Every combination creates a unique environment to discover!

Each Nature module is designed for a unique style of play. A module might add bluffing or dramatic events, favor aggressive strategies, or reward players who avoid conflict. You can learn more about the Nature modules at NorthStarGames.com.

Variable Length

You can play additional rounds to Nature if you'd like a longer game. Each additional round adds about 20 minutes to the game. Adding several modules and 2 rounds turns Nature into an epic 2 hour game!

Quick Play Variant

In this variant, everyone plays their cards during the Adapting Phase simultaneously, without looking at what actions their opponents are taking. This variant can be chaotic, but it more closely represents how random mutations drive evolution through natural selection.

5-6 Player Rules

You can play with up to 6 players if you have the Nature Big Box edition (or two copies of Nature). Play with the Quick Play Variant to minimize downtime.

FAQ

What happens if we run out of a component?

Components are unlimited. Use something in its place such as a coin, a die, or a plastic miniature you never use from an expensive Kickstarter campaign.

Can I choose to eat less food than the written amount?

No, but sometimes your species will not eat the full amount because it does not have enough hungry population.

Can I add the lost population and size from the previous round to any species?

No, they must be added to your new species.

Do I get anything for the card I lose if I discard a trait from my species?

No.

During the Feeding Phase, can I discard traits from my species to add food to the watering hole?

No, a discarded card must come from your hand.

If my size 4 species goes extinct, does my new species come in the next round at size 5?

No. The maximum size is indicated on the size dial. In Nature, the largest number on the size dial is 4.

Who chooses which population is killed when a species is hunted?

The player controlling the species that lost a population chooses which population is killed. It may be a hungry population or a fed population.

Can I hold onto cards I kept in my hand from one round to the next?

Yes. Any saved cards are added to the 5 cards you draw at the beginning of the next round. There is no limit to your hand size.

What happens when I remove a trait that turned my species into a hunter?

Flip over the size dial. The species is now a forager. It cannot hunt.

Is a triggered ability optional?

No. The ability happens every time the trigger condition is met. The word "may" is needed to make something optional.

Can I look through the discard pile?

No, you can only look at the top card of the discard pile. When someone plays cards to the discard, they play them 1 at a time, giving everyone a chance to see which cards were discarded.

The History of Nature

Our story begins with Darwin's revolutionary theory of evolution: that random mutations shaped by natural selection over millions of years, have led to the incredible diversity of life on Earth. Inspired by this concept, Russian biologist Dmitry Knorre created a scientific game as a gift for friends, which eventually became Evolution: The Origin of Species.

Dmitry's game served as the foundation for the international award-winning hit Evolution, which gained recognition from Nature, the world's leading scientific journal.

The Nature article sparked widespread interest, with other scientific journals highlighting the game and hundreds of universities and schools adopting it as a teaching tool. It was a dream come true to see Evolution bridging science and game design, but its widespread use also revealed opportunities for improvement.

With over a decade of experience designing the Evolution series, Dominic Crapuchettes completely reimagined the game from the ground up. The result is Nature—a streamlined, engaging, and endlessly expandable system that allows players to craft and discover limitless ecosystems.

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton

Credits

Game Design

• Designer: Dominic Crapuchettes
• Developers: Scott Rencher, Tony Mastrangeli, Madeleine Zehnle, Ben Goldman, Daniel Crapuchettes
• Solo Designer: Richard Wilkins

Playtesting

• Internal Playtesting: Ross Connell, Sam Sanders, Evan Shorrock, Jeffrey Lamb
• Nature Playtest Team: Andrew Clifton, Drew Tschetter, Edward Krell, Jared Cleary, Paul Ogle, Robert Durant, Trevor Vanderwoerd
• Other Playtesters: Elizabeth Hargrave, Matthew O'Malley, Julia Williamson, Rachel Crapuchettes, Charlie Lippard, Luke Warren, Bayard Catron, Charles & Kris Louma-Overstreet, Beau Beckett, Jeph Staph, Brett Meyers, Connie Vogelmann, David Vestal, Ben Jones, Daniel Heffley & Friends, Neil MacLaren, Gavin Miller, Max Runningen, Jason & Linus Hockley, Shilo & Finn Quetchenbach, Josephine Baker

Art & Production

• Art Director: Tony Mastrangeli
• Art Consultant: Dann May from Quillsilver, Ross Connell
• Graphic Design: Tony Mastrangeli, Ben Goldman, Gamze Derinoz, Andrew Frisch
• Box Cover: Catherine Hamilton
• Illustrations: Catherine Hamilton
• Food Tokens: Nina Pommelin
• Population Token: Alyssa McCarthy
• Production: Sam Sanders, Tony Mastrangeli, Ross Connell, Evan Shorrock
• Insert Design: Sergio Soto from Blackform

Writing

• Rulebook: Dominic Crapuchettes, Madeleine Zehnle, Liz Miller
• Flavor Text: Madeleine Zehnle, Dominic Crapuchettes
• Editing: Ross Connell, Sam Sanders, Jeffrey Lamb, Evan Shorrock, Ginny Loveday