New York Zoo
New York Zoo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Turn Overview
The following overview can serve as a useful reminder for you later in the game. When you read the rules for the first time, you can simply ignore it.
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Move the elephant by 1 to 4 steps (depending on the player count!) to a blue Animal Acquisition space OR to a space with puzzle pieces.
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Take the specified animals from the Animal Acquisition space and place them on your houses and/or Enclosures OR place the topmost puzzle piece on your zoo board and place at least 1 animal on it, taken from your Enclosures or houses.
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If you have crossed an Animal Breeding line with the elephant, all players check whether the respective animal species breeds in their own Enclosures.
Golden Rules
- You must place 1 or 2 animals of the same species in each new Enclosure, taken from your houses and/or already existing Enclosures. But already existing Enclosures must never be completely emptied this way.
- During Animal Breeding, you get exactly 1 animal as offspring in 1 or 2 Enclosures.
- Each time an animal is added to an Enclosure by Animal Acquisition or Breeding, a second animal of the same species from a house can be placed in each of these Enclosures.
- You are only allowed to rearrange animals if the rules explicitly allow you to do so.
Components
Boards
- 8 double-sided zoo boards for various player counts
- 1 action strip with slots for Enclosure Tiles
Enclosure Tiles (puzzle pieces) in four different shades of green
- 8 Enclosures in the lightest green (4 spaces)
- 15 Enclosures in light green (5 spaces)
- 15 Enclosures in dark green (6 spaces)
- 7 Enclosures in the darkest green (7 spaces)
Animal Tiles
- 2 animal tiles of 3 per animal type (use these when in need of more animals)
Tokens
- 1 white question mark token
- 5 blue range markers (0 to 3 and 4+ for the solo game)
Attraction Tiles
- 16x 1 space
- 6x 2 spaces
- 6x 3 spaces
- 2x 4 spaces
- 1x 6 spaces
- 1x 8 spaces
Animals
- 28 meerkats
- 26 flamingos
- 24 tree kangaroos
- 24 penguins
- 24 arctic foxes
- 1 elephant
Preparations
The game for 2 to 5 players is explained first. For the 2-player game, there are rules for a shorter variant (see Short Rules for 2 Players). The solo variant follows at the end.
Zoo Boards
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Select the zoo boards corresponding to your player count. You can identify them by the player count symbol printed at the bottom left of the boards. (The boards for 3 players show 3 people.)
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Pick a starting player. This person takes the zoo board with the number 1 in the bottom right. Then players proceed clockwise in turn order to pick the board with the next highest number. (Player order numbers look like this.)
The barn section with the houses reduces the space on the zoo board that you are supposed to cover with your puzzle pieces and its layout balances out the starting player advantage.
Animals
Put all animals in the removable tray and place it within reach on the table. Take the 2 animals that are at the top of the columns on your board. Place 1 of these 2 animals each into one of your houses. All other animals make up the general supply. Put the animal tiles aside. They are used to replace 3 animals at a time, should you run out. The number of animals in the game is unlimited. (If you run out of animals, please feel free to improvise.)
Example: At the beginning of the game Lisa takes a meerkat and a flamingo, as shown on the columns of her board, and places 1 animal each into an empty house in her barn section.
Attractions and Range Markers
The tiles with food stalls and fun rides are the so-called Attractions. Sort them according to size. The number of Attractions with 1 space in the game is unlimited. (If these tiles run out during play, please feel free to improvise.) The blue range markers are only intended for solo play and are returned to the box for the moment.
Enclosures
Sort the Enclosure Tiles according to their color or the number of spaces they cover and shuffle them separately.
Then lay out the individual stacks in the order shown below. Distribute the tiles from each stack in random order into the specific slots along the action strip. Each new type of tile is placed on top of the ones already in place! There are 15 slots to fill altogether, whereas the rounded corner of the action strip also counts as a slot.
Action Strip and Elephant
Spread the action strip out in the middle of the table. Place the elephant on the start space, indicated by the red circle. Place the white question mark token close by.
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Place the 8 Enclosure Tiles in the lightest green shade (4 spaces) in the middle slots of the action strip as indicated by the color code. Distribute them randomly across the slots. This random distribution style is also applied with all other shades of green.
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Distribute the 15 Enclosure Tiles in the light green shade (5 spaces) randomly across all 15 slots of the action strip. In the middle section they are placed on top of the tiles in the lightest green. (This spot is considered a slot as well.)
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The 15 Enclosure Tiles in the dark green shade (6 spaces) are also distributed randomly across the 15 slots of the action strip. They are placed on top of the tiles in light green.
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Distribute the 7 Enclosure Tiles in the darkest green shade (7 spaces) randomly across the slots near the ends of the action strip. (Pay heed to the color code.) They are placed on top of the tiles in dark green.
Once you have finished game preparation, there will be 3 Enclosure Tiles stacked on top of each other in each action strip slot.
Puzzle Rules
Your task is to completely fill the construction area (the brown spaces) on your zoo board with Enclosures and Attractions. (Unlike the Enclosures, the Attractions are also available in very small sizes. These small tiles are intended to close gaps.)
The following rules apply to all puzzle pieces:
- You are allowed to rotate and turn puzzle pieces any way you want.
- You don't have to place puzzle pieces next to each other.
- You are not allowed to place any puzzle pieces on your zoo board either on top of each other or overlapping. The puzzle pieces should never stick out from the construction area. The size of the construction area depends on the player count and varies for each player.
Example: The red frame shows you the construction area that has to be filled with puzzle pieces. No piece should stick out.
- Puzzle pieces that have been placed can no longer be moved. They stay on the board until the game is over. But you are allowed to place puzzle pieces as a test. In this case, mark the space from which the puzzle piece was originally taken with the white question mark token. (To remind you of the space it has to be returned to.)
How to Play: Overview
Players take turns clockwise, beginning with the starting player. Your turn consists of three parts, which you make in a specific order:
- Moving the elephant
- Main Action
- Animal Breeding
1. Moving the Elephant
In clockwise order, move the elephant forward – how far depends on the player count and is shown at the top of your zoo board. You are not allowed to leave the elephant where it is.
- In a game with 2 or 4 players you can move the elephant 1 to 4 spaces.
- In a game with 3 or 5 players you can move the elephant 1 to 3 spaces.
What is considered a space:
- Blue Animal Acquisition spaces
- Any slot with at least 1 Enclosure Tile
What is NOT considered spaces and are skipped during counting:
- Empty slots without Enclosure Tiles
- The lines for Animal Breeding (see part 3 of the turn)
2. Main Action
Depending on whether you move the elephant to a slot with a green Enclosure Tile or to a blue space for Animal Acquisition, you place the topmost Enclosure Tile on your board or take the specified animals. (More information below.)
After the main action, check if you have an Enclosure on your board that is now completely filled with animals. If this is the case, you must immediately exchange the animals there for an Attraction. (More details below.)
3. Animal Breeding
By moving the elephant, you sometimes cross one of the five Animal Breeding lines. If this is the case, your main action is followed by an Animal Breeding phase for each player. (More details below.)
After Animal Breeding, all players check whether they have completely filled any Enclosures. If this is the case, they must immediately exchange the animals there for an Attraction (just like in part 2. Main Action).
How to Play: Details
General Animal Rules
- Players place their animals on the Enclosure Tiles. Each Enclosure can only hold animals of the same species – exactly 1 animal on each space of the Enclosure. Since the Enclosure Tiles vary in size, they can hold varying numbers of animals.
Example: This Enclosure with 4 spaces holds 4 animals of the same species.
- In the upper left corner of your zoo board you will find the barn section, with the houses. Its size varies for every player. Each house can hold exactly 1 animal of your own choice.
Example: It does not matter whether you keep the same or different animals in the barn section. But each house can only hold 1 animal.
- You can never keep any of your animals outside of Enclosures and houses.
- You are not allowed to simply rearrange any animals. Rearranging animals is only permitted if the following rules explicitly tell you so.
There are two essential basic rules for the placing of animals in Enclosures. Please keep these rules in mind when you read the following paragraphs.
- With each action in the game, only a maximum of 2 animals per Enclosure can be added.
- Each time exactly 1 animal is added to an Enclosure, you can add 1 further animal from a house. The illustration at the top of your zoo board serves as a reminder.
Placing an Enclosure Tile
Each time you place the elephant on a slot with Enclosure Tiles, you must take the topmost of these tiles and immediately place it in the construction area on your zoo board. (Bearing in mind the puzzle rules above.)
Then you have to fill this new Enclosure with 1 to 2 of your own animals of the same species. You can take these animals from 1 to 2 houses and/or from any (also different) other Enclosures on your zoo board.
A very important rule: When you rearrange the animals, at least 1 animal must always remain behind in the other Enclosures. Meaning you are not allowed to empty an Enclosure by moving the last animal out of there to another Enclosure.
Reminder: For each action, no more than 2 animals can be added to an Enclosure!
Example: A new meerkat Enclosure is created. A meerkat remains behind in the old meerkat Enclosure.
If you do not have an animal you can add to a new Enclosure, you are not allowed to take an Enclosure Tile. Instead, you must move the elephant to a blue Animal Acquisition space. The same applies if your zoo board has no more space for the desired Enclosure Tile.
Animal Acquisition
Each time you move the elephant onto a blue Animal Acquisition space, you will receive (one after the other and in any order) the 2 animals shown on the space. Alternatively, you can choose exactly any 1 animal you like. You must immediately add the new animals to your zoo board. If this is not possible, you can take only 1 animal.
You can place the newly acquired animals:
- into empty houses,
- into Enclosures with the same animal species or
- into empty Enclosures (completed and thus emptied).
The following paragraph will explain how an Enclosure becomes empty.
Reminder: For each newly acquired animal that you add to an Enclosure with animals or to an empty Enclosure, you can add exactly 1 more animal of the same species from your own house to that Enclosure.
Example: Lisa acquires an arctic fox and a penguin. She places the fox into a house (1) and the penguin into an Enclosure (2). Since she also has more penguins in her houses, she may move one of the penguins from the house to the Enclosure (3).
Completed Enclosures: Exchanging Animals for Attractions
Each time one of your Enclosures fills up completely with animals, you score that Enclosure immediately. Take the animals out of the Enclosure and return them to the supply.
If you have space in one of your houses, you can keep exactly 1 of the animals and place it into your empty house. If there is no space in a house, this animal is also returned to the supply.
Then you can choose 1 Attraction, which you must immediately place in the construction area on your zoo board.
Since you normally receive 2 different animals during Animal Acquisition, it is important that you check for completed Enclosures immediately after adding each animal.
If there is an Animal Breeding during a turn, all players check if their Enclosures are completed. Attractions are then selected clockwise in turn order – starting with the player who triggered the Animal Breeding.
The first player in the game to exchange animals can choose the biggest Attraction. But make sure that you always have enough animals in your Enclosures for Animal Breeding.
Animal Breeding
A player who crosses one of the five Animal Breeding lines with the elephant has to carry out a full main action first (placing an Enclosure Tile or Animal Acquisition). Only then is an Animal Breeding announced, for all players. (Make sure all players are aware that an Animal Breeding takes place.)
Example: Crossing this mark causes Animal Breeding for the penguins.
Each player who has at least 2 animals of the species for which Animal Breeding is announced in one Enclosure receives 1 animal of this species, which must also be placed in the same Enclosure. For each Animal Breeding you can add 1 animal in up to 2 Enclosures in total.
- The Animal Breedings in the 2 Enclosures happen simultaneously.
- If a player has 4 or 6 animals in one Enclosure, this does not mean that they will get 2 or 3 new animals: they will always get a maximum of 1 animal per Enclosure as offspring.
- You can also (partially) forego Animal Breeding.
Reminder: Each time a new animal is added to one of your Enclosures by way of Animal Breeding, you are allowed to take exactly 1 more animal of the same species from one of your own houses and add it to this Enclosure. This applies to every Enclosure with offspring.
Example: There is an Animal Breeding for the penguins and Lisa has 3 Enclosures with these animals. Lisa gets 1 animal each as offspring in 2 of her Enclosures. As Lisa has also still a penguin in one of her houses, she is allowed to add it to her offspring. After Animal Breeding (which happens simultaneously for both Enclosures) she checks if her Enclosures are completed. The penguins from her full Enclosure are returned to the supply (1) – except for 1, which she is allowed to place in an empty house (2). For completing the Enclosure, she can choose an Attraction and place it in her construction area (3).
Special Rule "Bonus Breeding" for the 2 or 3 Player Game
Each time you are Breeding in at least one of your Enclosures, you will then receive an animal offspring in exactly 1 other Enclosure of your choice (as a reward). For this "Bonus Breeding", the animal species is irrelevant. It may also be a third Enclosure of the same species.
Gameplay for all players: First the actual Animal Breeding happens, simultaneously for up to 2 Enclosures and including the check for completed Enclosures. Then the Bonus Breeding happens for a maximum of 1 Enclosure if you have had offspring during the first Breeding (again including the check for completed Enclosures).
The figure at the top of your game board shows you whether there is a Bonus Breeding for your specific player count or not:
- If there are 2 or 3 players there can be a Bonus Breeding.
- There is no Bonus Breeding for 4 or 5 players.
Examples for Bonus Breeding and special cases: (For a better understanding you can also read this later.)
You have a meerkat Enclosure and 2 flamingo Enclosures with 2 animals each. If there is a Breeding for the meerkats, as a Bonus Breeding you are allowed to have a Breeding at 1 flamingo Enclosure (not at 2).
You have 3 Enclosures with flamingos, each with 2 empty spaces. You also have 1 flamingo in a house. If there is a Breeding for the flamingos, you can still place the flamingo from the house into one of the 2 Enclosures with offspring. This Enclosure is now completed and will be scored. As a result, 1 flamingo goes back to a house. For the Bonus Breeding you have a Breeding for the third flamingo Enclosure. Now that you have a flamingo in a house, you can add it again and score another Enclosure.
Game End and Winner
The first player to cover each space on their construction area completely with tiles wins the game. (Often at the end of a game you are only missing a few small Attractions, for which you will have to diligently collect animals to score Enclosures.)
The game may end with the main action of the active player, or as a result of Animal Breeding after the main action.
If the game ends with the main action, the active player wins. Animal Breeding no longer happens. Further positions are determined by who has less free spaces in their construction area. Break ties by who has more animals.
If the game ends with Animal Breeding, several players may complete their construction area in the same phase by obtaining new Attractions. Then the player with more animals wins. (In case of a tie, there will be more than one winner.) Further positions are the same as when the game ends with the main action.
Short Rules for 2 Players
After game preparation, do the following:
Reduce the number of Enclosures in the slots of the action strip to only 2 (instead of 3): Remove the topmost Enclosure Tile from each slot and put it aside. There will be 2 Enclosure Tiles left in each slot.
Take the 7-space Enclosures you have set aside (in the darkest green shade) and randomly allocate 3 of these Enclosures to each player. Do the same with the set-aside 6-space Enclosure Tiles (in dark green), so that each player receives a total of 6 Enclosures. Place these Enclosures simultaneously in your construction area according to the normal puzzle rules. (But add no animals to these Enclosures.) Then the starting player makes their first move.
Use this variant for a fast 2-player game of 20 to 30 minutes.
Solo Game
A solo game differs only in a few aspects from a multi-player game. Each game takes about 20 minutes.
Additional Game Preparation
Place the zoo board for 1 player with the side of your choice face-up in front of you.
Cover the slots of the action strip like in the 2-player short game variant with only 2 instead of 3 Enclosures: Once the game is set up, remove the top tile from each slot and return it to the box. As a result there will be 2 Enclosure Tiles left in each slot.
Put the 5 range markers face-up in front of you.
Additional Gameplay
You take one turn at a time. The solo game continues until you have completely filled your zoo board or until the elephant has circumnavigated the action strip twice. (If it should then cross the starting space, you lose the game.)
1. Moving the Elephant
You move the elephant with the range markers.
- With the 1-marker you have to move it exactly 1 space forward, with the 2 exactly 2 spaces, with the 3 exactly 3 spaces and with the 4+ at least 4 spaces. If the elephant would reach a space with an Enclosure that you cannot place on your zoo board, you cannot use the respective range marker.
- With the 0 you stay on the space. Use the space again. You can also use the 0 in your very first move. If the elephant is standing on an empty slot or on a space with an Enclosure that you cannot place, you cannot use the range marker 0.
After each turn you discard the used range markers. You will only get them back when you have used up all five.
As an alternative to placing a range marker, you can also move the elephant without a range marker to the next Animal Acquisition space. If you cannot use a range marker, you are forced to use this action. (So if you want to reach an Animal Acquisition space, you can in many cases decide whether you want to do it with or without a range marker.)
2. Main Action and 3. Animal Breeding
The same rules apply as in the multi-player game. Just like in the game of 2 or 3 players, there is also a Bonus Breeding in the solo game, if you have offspring in at least 1 Enclosure (see special rule Bonus Breeding above).
Scoring
You play until you have completely filled your zoo board. Your time runs out when you get to the starting space for the second time.
The game is over when you cross the starting space for the second time, at the latest. Try to improve your score in the next game!
Winning: If you succeed in filling the zoo board completely before you cross the starting space for the second time, you win the game. For each action strip space (i.e. for each Animal Acquisition space and for each slot – occupied or empty) up to the starting space, you score 1 point. If you only manage to do this by landing exactly on the starting space, you still win the game, but you score 0 points.
Losing: If you do not succeed in filling all the spaces on your zoo board before you cross the starting space for the second time, you lose the game and each uncovered space on your zoo board counts 1 minus point.
Credits
Game design: Uwe Rosenberg Artwork: Felix Wermke Cover artwork: Alice Männl Rulebook layout: Inga Keutmann Editing: Frank Heeren Proofreading: Travis D. Hill Translation: Corinna Spellerberg
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