Oasis: New Life on A Distant World Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Intro
  • Goal
• Components
• Setup
  • Reference Card
• Gameplay
  • Overview
  • Round Structure
  • Turns
• Play a Card
  • Subterrain Cards
  • Surface Cards
  • Imprint Requirements
  • Migration Row
  • Effects on Cards
• Imprint Tokens
• Discard to Cycle Out
• Rest
• Year End
  • Trophies
  • The Flood
• Round End
• Game End
  • Final Scoring
• Solo Mode
  • Setup
  • Gameplay
  • AI Turns
  • Year End
  • Game End
• Icon Reference
  • Imprints
  • Imprint Requirements
  • Starter Cards Icons
  • Card Icons

Intro

1-5 players, 60 minutes, ages 10+.

Goal

Oasis plays over three rounds and the player with the most points at the end is the winner. As you play, anytime you are awarded points, score them immediately by adjusting your score keeping dial.

Components

• 48 Surface Cards
• 54 Subterrain Cards
• 15 Starter Cards (5 sets of 3 cards, indicated by the Water, Fire, Air, Earth and Ether icons)
• 5 Score Keeping Dials (5 different dials)
• 5 Biome Player Boards
• 1 Solo Mode Card
• 1 Game Board
• 5 Rest Tiles
• 5 Reference Cards
• 3 Trophies
• 51 Imprint Tokens
• 5 Score Tokens
• 1 First Player Token

Setup

1. Place the game board in the middle of the table.
2. Organize the Rest tiles and stack them on the game board in ascending order from top to bottom, so that the tile that says "1st Rest" is on the top, and the tile with the number that matches your player count is on the bottom. Any extra Rest tiles are returned to the box and will not be used.
3. Place the three Trophies near the game board.
4. Shuffle the Surface and Subterrain decks separately and place them face-down in the corresponding slots on the game board. (Make sure the Starter cards (Water, Fire, Air, Earth, Ether icons) are separate from the Subterrain card deck before shuffling.)
5. Make a supply of Imprint tokens in the middle of the play area.
6. Draw 7 cards from the Surface deck to create a separate Migration deck. Shuffle it and set it above the Migration row area, indicated on the center game board. Then, draw three cards and lay them face-up beside the board to create the Migration row.
7. The player who most recently saw a star gets the First player token.
8. Give each player:
   • a. 1 Biome Player board
   • b. 1 Reference card
   • c. 1 Score Keeping dial set to 0 and 1 Score token

Reference Card

The Reference card lists the Imprints (Flora, Furred, Decay, Scaled, Winged, Shelled, Finned), the Imprint Requirements (Surface cards only: specific Subterrain prey required to foster the Surface card lifeform), and the Card Icons:

• Points (#)
• Rest
• Effect when card is played
• Effect when card is Cycled Out
• Effect when card is removed by The Flood

Gameplay

Overview

In Oasis: New Life on a Distant World, you'll create a dynamic and robust ecosystem as you add and remove various alien lifeforms to your Biome by playing cards representing the native species inhabiting the planet. Some of these creatures live on the surface, while others are subterranean and live under the planet's strata, represented by the Surface and Subterrain areas on your Biome board.

The game takes place over three rounds, each of which represent one year, and at the end of each round, underground water reservoirs overheat and will flood the bottom half of your Biome player board, washing away any lifeforms that remain. Through expert timing and careful manipulation of the life cycle of this strange world, players will compete to create the most vibrant and highest-scoring Biome on the planet.

At the end of three rounds, the player with the most points is the winner. As you play, anytime you are awarded points, score them immediately by adjusting your Score keeping dial. If you reach 100 points take a Score token as a reminder and continuing tracking points over 100 on your dial.

Round Structure

The game is played over three rounds. Each round is divided into Turns and Year End.

Turns

During this phase, players take turns in a clockwise direction beginning with the first player, until all players have chosen to Rest for the round.

On your turn, take 1 action. The 3 choices are:

• Play a Card (Pg. 6)
• Discard to Cycle Out (Pg. 9)
• Rest (Pg. 10)

Play a Card

Select a card from your hand or the Migration row (Pg. 8) and place it in an empty space on your Biome board. Each space may contain only one card. Once a card is played, it will remain there until it is Cycled Out by another effect or destroyed in the Flood.

You may play a card in a SUBTERRAIN or a SURFACE space.

Subterrain Cards

These cards can be played into any open space on the bottom row of the Biome. They have an imprint of either Flora, Shelled, Scaled, or Decay.

Each Subterrain card has an action that may be taken when the card is played. If the action cannot be taken due to the state of your Biome when the card is played, or if you choose not to take it, simply ignore the action.

Players start with a 'wild' Subterrain space in the center of their Biome board. The icons may be used to meet requirements for any Surface card (see Surface Cards). This space may also be covered by another card, in which case the icons on that space are covered, and therefore ignored.

(The Biome board is divided into Surface, Crust and Subterrain areas.)

Decay icons are not counted as a unique Imprint type, and they don't contribute when adding up Imprint totals for Trophies (see Trophies on page 10).

Decay cards are wild and can represent any imprint when being used for placement of Surface cards. Decay cards may never be played next to each other. They may, however, be placed next to the 'wild' Subterrain space on the Biome board.

Surface Cards

These represent creatures that live above the glassy stratum. Surface cards are played to the top row of the player's Biome. Each card also has requirements of lifeform types that must be in the Subterrain row in the positions shown on the Surface card in order for it to be played. See Imprint Requirements below.

Once a Surface card is placed, you do not have to worry about its requirements any more and may remove the cards underneath that card and/or play new cards into empty spaces below whether they match the requirements or not.

Card anatomy: a Surface card shows its Imprint, Scoring Type, Name, Immediate Action and Imprint Requirements. A Subterrain card shows its Imprint, Immediate Action and Scoring Type.

Surface cards also have actions that may be taken immediately when the card is played. If the action cannot be taken due to the state of your Biome when the card is played, or if you choose not to take it, simply ignore the action.

Imprint Requirements

The surface cracks are your visual guide for lifeform requirements in the Subterrain when playing a Surface card.

Migration Row

On this alien planet, some lifeforms are migrating, seeking out a new Biome to live in. These lifeforms are represented by Surface cards in the Migration row in the middle of the play area. As your turn, you may play one of these face-up cards into your Biome, if the requirements of that card are met. Cards in the Migration row are available to all players. If any player plays a card from the Migration row, replace it with another card from the Migration deck at the end of that player's turn. If the Migration deck is empty, the played card will not be replaced.

Effects on Cards

Card Terms		Scoring Types
Play a Card (icon)	Play a card into your Biome. (Pg. 6)	Play icon : number = Points gained when this card is played.
Cycle Out (icon)	Select a card that is already in your Biome and put it in the discard pile. Some cards allow additional benefits when they are cycled out, and these are gained immediately. (Pg. 9)	Cycle Out icon : number = Points or Imprint tokens gained when the card is Cycled Out of your Biome.
Rest (icon)	You may choose to Rest when you can't or don't want to take actions. (Pg. 10)	Rest icon : number = Points gained when Resting.
Cycle Out during The Flood (icon)	Indicates effects that occur if this card is lost in The Flood. (Pg. 12)	Flood icon : Imprint token = Imprint tokens gained when this card is lost in The Flood.
Imprint	The icon on each card or on an Imprint token representing one of the six types of lifeforms; Flora, Scaled, Shelled, Furred, Winged, or Finned. (Pg. 9)

Please see the back page of the rulebook for a complete reference guide.

Imprint Tokens

Some card effects award players with Imprint tokens, which represent the lasting impact that a lifeform has had on the Biome. There are 3 Imprint token types representing Flora, Scaled and Shelled lifeforms.

Imprint tokens are added to your Imprint board when gained. Each token is added to the highest open spot on the matching column.

Each token is worth one point at the end of the game. You will also earn the points beside the highest value row that you have filled with one of each type of token (Row Bonus). Lastly, for each completed column, gain 5 additional points (Column Bonus).

Imprint tokens are limited. If an effect would award a player an Imprint token, but there are no remaining tokens of that type in supply, that effect is ignored.

Each player may only have four of each type of Imprint token. If you earn a bonus that would award you a fifth token, that reward is ignored.

Discard to Cycle Out

The second type of action you may complete on your turn is Discard to Cycle Out:

1. Discard a Surface or Subterrain card from your hand.
2. Cycle Out any 1 card from your Biome and place it in the discard pile.
3. Resolve any applicable Cycle Out effects on the card you remove from your Biome.

All effects on the discarded card are ignored.

Rest

When it becomes your turn but you have no actions that you want to take, you may choose to Rest. If you are unable to take an action on your turn, you must Rest. To do so, first draw the top Rest tile from the stack.

The first player to Rest in a round also takes the First Player Marker and will be the first player in the subsequent round.

Resting has several effects:

1. Score your Rest points. Gain the points listed on the cards in your Biome with the Rest icon.
2. The Rest tile you drew also notes how many Subterrain cards you may Retain on your Biome board during the flood. Resting earlier in the round will allow you to keep more cards. Retention of these cards is optional.
3. Draw 5 cards into your hand. Remember, when drawing you can draw from the Subterrain and/or Surface deck in any combination you choose. You may look at each card before deciding which deck to draw from next. After drawing 5 new cards, if you have more than 8 cards in hand discard any cards of your choice until you have 8. Important: The 8-card limit applies only when drawing cards while resting. You should never have more than 8 cards in hand at the start of a round. However, after the round starts there is no limit.
4. Game End Bonus: At the end of round 3, draw no cards when resting. Each Rest tile is worth a certain number of points at the end of the game, as indicated on the tile.

After Resting, you will take no more actions for the rest of the round. But, each time it becomes your turn, if at least one other player has not Rested, you gain one point.

Year End

The round ends when all players have rested. This initiates Year End, which consists of two steps: TROPHIES and THE FLOOD.

Trophies

During this step, one Biome will be awarded a Trophy for having the most of each of the three basic types of lifeforms; Shelled, Flora, and Scaled.

Beginning with the Shelled Trophy, each player will count the total number of Shelled Imprints in their Biome. Imprints on Subterrain cards and Surface cards as well as the Imprint tokens on Imprint boards all count towards this total. The player with the most Shelled Imprints will receive the Shelled Trophy. Each Trophy is worth 5 points, which the winning player scores immediately.

Decay cards do not count toward Imprint type totals.

After resolving the Shelled Trophy, move on to the Flora Trophy and repeat this process awarding the Trophy to the player with the most Flora Imprints. Then continue with the Scaled Trophy in the same manner.

All Trophy points are added immediately.

In the event of a tie for Imprints of any given type, the player with the fewest points gets the Trophy. If tied players have the same number of points, the player who Rested first wins the tie.

Trophy Example

At the end of the round, Valley has 3 total Shelled Imprints, and Joey has 1. Valley gets the Shelled Trophy. Joey has 4 Flora Imprints, which is more than Valley's 2, so she gets the Flora Trophy. Finally, both players have the same number of Scaled Imprints, but Valley has fewer points so she gets the Scaled Trophy. Valley scores 10 points and Joey scores 5.

The Flood

After all three Trophies have been awarded, the annual flood waters rise from beneath the surface of Oasis, washing away all lifeforms in each player's Subterrain row on their Biome board. At this point, players remove these cards and place them in the discard pile.

Any card with a Flood effect that is washed away during The Flood awards the player an Imprint token of a specified type. These tokens are gained immediately and added to the player's Imprint board.

Some players will be able to retain one or two cards, based on the Rest tile that they drew. This is optional. If you are able to retain cards, you may choose which ones to leave in place.

No Cycle Out bonuses are gained from cards lost to The Flood. Ignore all of those effects.

Round End

After resolving The Flood, the round ends. After the 1st and 2nd rounds, carry out the steps below to prepare for the next round. After the 3rd round, the game concludes and play continues to final scoring.

Follow these steps to prepare for the next round:

1. Return all Trophy tokens and Rest tiles to the game board in middle of the table.
2. Place any cards in the Migration row into the Surface discard pile. Then, draw 7 cards from the Surface deck to create a new Migration deck for the following round. Draw the top 3 cards from this deck and lay them face-up in the Migration row.

The player who Rested first will be the first player for the subsequent round, and play will continue in clockwise order.

Game End

Final Scoring

After the Year End is resolved in the third round, players will add points from their Rest tiles and Imprint tokens on their Biome boards to their Score keeping dial. Players who surpass 100 or 200 points should take Score tokens and continue tracking any additional points on their scoring dial.

• Imprint tokens on the Biome board score 1 point each.
• Players also earn bonuses based on the highest value row that they completed, plus an additional 5 points for each completed vertical column.

After calculating total points, the player with the most points is the winner.

In the event of a tie, the player with the most Imprint tokens on their Biome board is the winner. If still tied, the player with the fewest cards in their Biome wins. If players are still tied, then all tied players share the victory.

Scoring Example

At the end of the game, Valley has 65 points. She adds a total of 22 points. 2 Points for taking the 3rd Rest tile and 20 points for the tokens on her Imprint board:

1. 2 points for her 3rd Rest tile
2. 9 points for her 9 Imprint tokens
3. 6 points for completing the second horizontal row of tokens
4. 5 points for completing the Shelled column of tokens

This brings her total to 87 points.

Solo Mode

In the solo version of Oasis: New Life on a Distant World, you will alternate turns with an AI player.

Setup

Follow all Setup steps from the multiplayer game (pg. 4), but you can put the Rest tiles in the box. They won't be used. The AI player won't use a Biome board. The Migration row is also not used in Solo Mode.

Find the Solo Mode card and place it in the play area. For your first game, we recommend using the Solo Mode side, but if you want more of a challenge, you can play with the Advanced Solo Mode side.

Gameplay

You will take your turn first. Then, the AI will have their turn, and you will continue alternating turns until your Rest.

You may only Rest when your hand is empty, or when you have no card you can legally play. When this occurs, score Rest points as normal, draw 5 cards, and complete the AI's final turn. Then, proceed to Year End.

AI Turns

On their turn, the AI will simply draw the top card from the Subterrain deck and place it face-up. Each subsequent card will be played face-up so that the Imprint on the top of each previous card can be seen.

Example: The AI has 1 Scaled Imprint, 2 Shelled Imprints, 2 Flora Imprints.

Year End

After you Rest, the AI takes one last turn, and play progresses to Year End. At this point, you will award Trophies by adding up the total number of Shelled, Flora, and Scaled Imprints in your Biome and on your Imprint board as normal.

Compare each of those totals to the total number of the same Imprint type in the AI's line of drawn cards. If you have more of a given Imprint type than the AI, you receive the Trophy for that type. If the AI has more of a type, they receive the Trophy. For each Trophy the AI earns, add an Imprint token to the Solo Mode card.

Decay cards do not count towards Imprint totals when awarding Trophies. The AI always wins ties for majorities.

Complete The Flood by removing all cards in your Subterrain spaces and gaining any Flood effects on removed cards. You will retain 0 cards during The Flood in Solo Mode. Discard all cards from the AI's line. Then continue to the start of the next Year.

Game End

After the end of the 3rd Year, total your points. The AI will score points based on how many Imprint tokens are on the chart.

Each token is worth the point value printed on the space it's on. If they complete a row, they also get the point bonus indicated on the right side of the chart on the Solo Mode card. Finally, if the AI player completed a column they gain the points indicated on the bottom of the completed column.

If your total score is higher than the AI, you win! If not, better luck next time.

Scoring Example

The AI scores 58 points in this example:

• 8 points for their Flora Imprint token
• 18 points for their 2 Scaled Imprint tokens
• 30 points for their 3 Shelled Imprint tokens
• 2 bonus points for completing the Shelled column of Imprint tokens.

Icon Reference

Imprints

• Flora: Trees, Plants, Flowers, Vegetation, etc.
• Winged: Airborne creatures with wings.
• Scaled: Reptile-like creatures with scaly skin.
• Finned: Water creatures with fins.
• Shelled: Insect-like creatures with shelled bodies.
• Decay: Decomposed creatures and flora.
• Furred: Mammal-like creatures with hair or fur.

Imprint Requirements

Specific prey required to foster the Surface card lifeform. (Surface cards only. See page 7.) Requirements are Flora, Scaled or Shelled.

Starter Cards Icons

In Oasis: New Life on a Distant World, players embody elements of nature. (Subterrain cards only. See page 4.) The elements are Water, Fire, Air, Earth and Ether.

Card Icons

• Points: Vitality of the Biome.
• Card played into your Biome: Play icon : # = Points gained when the card is played into your Biome.
• Card Cycled Out of your Biome: Cycle Out icon : # = Points gained when the card is Cycled Out of your Biome. Cycle Out icon : Shelled Imprint = Imprint Tokens gained when the card is Cycled Out of your Biome.
• Rest: Rest icon : # = Points gained when you Rest.
• Card removed by The Flood: Flood icon : Imprint = Imprint tokens gained when the card is removed by The Flood.
• Discard a card from your hand: Cards discarded from your hand go into the respective Surface or Subterrain discard spaces.