Specific Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Playing the Game
• Special "?" Tile
• Error
• End of the Game
• Variants
  • Intermediate Variant
  • "First Steps" Variant
• Animal Details

Setup

The 27 Animal tiles are shuffled and placed in the center of the table to form a rectangle of 7 x 4, with the special "?" tile placed in the center. The Animal tiles are laid so that their picture is visible. (fig. 1)

Explanation of the symbols (dice and tiles):

• "Number of legs" die:
  • The animal has between 0 and 2 legs.
  • The animal has 4 legs.
  • The animal has 6 legs or more.
• "Environment" die:
  • The animal's preferred environment is water.
  • The animal's preferred environment is the sky; it can fly or glide.
  • The animal's preferred environment is land.
• "Diet" die:
  • The animal is herbivorous.
  • The animal is carnivorous.
  • The animal is omnivorous.

Playing the Game

For a first game, or when playing with younger players, we recommend playing with the variants (see the end of the rules).

The player who imitates a cow best rolls the 3 dice, which determines the characteristics of the animal being sought: its preferred environment, its diet, and its number of legs. The first player to place their hand on the tile that matches the roll checks that they are right by turning the tile over: the symbols of the roll must appear on the back of the tile. If they were not wrong, they keep the tile and place it in front of them, animal side visible.

Then the next player clockwise takes the three dice and a new turn begins. Only one animal exactly matches all three criteria of a roll, so you must be the fastest to place your hand on that tile.

Example (fig. 2): Régis rolls the three dice and gets "4 legs, water, omnivore". There is only one possibility. Nicolas is the first to place his hand on the "Sea turtle" tile. After checking, he may keep the tile and place it in front of him.

Special "?" Tile

If the animal concerned by the roll has already been taken by a player, you must be the first to place your hand on the special "?" tile, announcing the name of the player who holds the tile. The player who placed their hand on the special tile may then steal the corresponding Animal tile from their opponent.

If the player who holds the tile concerned by the roll places their hand on the special tile first, they protect it and may keep it.

Error

If a player touches a tile first but is wrong, because the animal does not match the roll, they return to the center of the table one of the tiles they won during a previous turn (if they have any). Then a new turn begins.

End of the Game

• 2 players: the first player to accumulate 5 tiles in front of them wins the game.
• 3 or 4 players: the first player to accumulate 4 tiles in front of them wins the game.
• More than 4 players: the first player to accumulate 3 tiles in front of them wins the game.

Variants

Intermediate Variant

To become familiar with the game and its criteria: the player whose turn it is rolls 2 dice of their choice. There are then 3 correct answers. You must be the first to place your hand on one of the 3 Animal tiles that match these 2 criteria.

"First Steps" Variant

For younger players who want to discover the animals (fig. 3): the player whose turn it is rolls 1 die of their choice. 9 animals match this criterion. In this variant, several players can win a tile.

Example: Nicolas decides to roll the "number of legs" die, and the "4 legs" face appears. Benjamin places his hand on the cow, Nicolas on the tiger, and Régis on the ant. After checking, Benjamin and Nicolas may keep their Animal tiles, since they answered correctly. Régis, who was wrong, must return a tile he won previously.

Animal Details

The 27 Animal tiles are:

1. Eagle
2. Bat
3. Parrot
4. Flying phalanger
5. Fly
6. Butterfly
7. Flying squirrel
8. Ladybird
9. Seagull
10. Beaver
11. Crab
12. Crocodile
13. Manatee
14. Krill
15. Shark
16. Cuttlefish
17. Sea turtle
18. Goldfish
19. Tarantula
20. Human
21. Caterpillar
22. Ant
23. Wild boar
24. Snake
25. Tiger
26. Cow
27. Earthworm

Note: the criteria assigned to the animals are to be taken in a broad sense. For example, some animals associated with the "water" environment are able to go on "land". The criterion chosen is the one that best characterizes the animal, particularly in an educational context for younger players.