Vicious Gardens
Vicious Gardens Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contains
- 80 Plant Cards
- 45 Specialist Cards
- 14 Victory Cards
- 6 Player Reference Cards
- End of Season Token
- Game Board
Optional Bonus Components:
- 8 Vicious Victory Cards & Divider
- 5 Pollinator & 3 Pestilence Pieces & Meadow Board
Setup
Shuffle the Specialist, Plant, and Victory Card decks and setup the game like the diagram to the right.
Each gardener (player) draws three Plants & two Specialists. These make up your starting hand. Gardeners can take a Player Reference Card. The area in front of you is your garden.
The person who has most recently killed a plant (neglect, ingestion, mowing the lawn, etc.) takes the first turn. Turns proceed clockwise.
The game board is laid out with the following areas, left to right: Specialist Pile (Specialist Draw Pile), Retired Pile (Specialist Discard), Victory Card Pile (7 Cards) x2, End of Season Token, Plant Deck (Plant Draw Pile), Compost Pile (Plant Discard), and — for the optional Pollinator & Pestilence pieces and the Meadow board — the Meadow.
Overview & Goal
Plant your garden & obtain Victory Cards for the most points at the End of the Season.
On your turn you will take plant and harvest actions, then you will resupply.
The End of the Season occurs once a gardener gathers three Victory Cards.
A Gardener's Turn
Fruit, Produce, Flower, Herb icons.
A typical garden has four Plots: Fruit Plot, Produce Plot, Flower Plot, and Herb Plot.
Plant
From your hand, place Plants face-up in front of you into your garden in Plots organized by category: Fruit, Herbs, Produce, and Flowers.
You may only have four Plots in your garden, one per category of Plant.
During the game, you will harvest Plants from your garden to obtain Victory Cards and to use Specialists. You may only harvest Plants from your garden, not from your hand.
Plants are worth 1 pt each at the End of the Season.
Harvest
Harvest Plants from your garden to obtain Victory Cards or to use Specialists. To harvest, discard requisite Plants from your garden to the Compost Pile face-up.
When there are no more cards to draw from the Plant deck, immediately shuffle the entire Compost pile to replace the Plant Deck.
Harvesting for Victory Cards:
Harvest the requisite Plants indicated by the icon(s) on the card (icon examples: any plant, three Produce, one Fruit). Immediately flip the Victory Card over and place in your garden and read the back of the card. This bonus ability now applies to you.
Victory Cards in your garden are worth 8 pts. at the End of the Season!
Harvesting to play Specialists:
To play most Specialists, harvest a Plant. Some specialists require harvesting specific Plants in order to use. The type of Plant is indicated by the icons in the bottom corners of Specialist Cards. Discard the Specialist onto the Retired Pile after use.
Pollinator, Pestilence, and Bird Bath are placed in gardens and do not require harvesting to use.
If there are no more cards to draw from the Specialist Deck, immediately shuffle the entire Retired Pile to replace the Specialist Deck.
Resupply
You do not need to play all the cards from your hand on your turn. When you are done planting and harvesting, draw cards from the Plant and/or Specialist decks so your hand consists of five cards. You may draw from either deck and may look at the cards as you draw. There is no requirement as to what type of cards you draw. After resupplying, your turn ends.
If a gardener ends their turn with more than five cards in their hand, they do not resupply.
Before resupplying, a gardener has the option to discard one Specialist from their hand.
Harvest Cost Icon Examples: Any Plant, Three Produce, One Fruit.
On your turn you may Plant and Harvest in any order, and as often as you wish!
Cards of Note
Pollinator (Specialist Deck - 5 Cards)
Place on a Plot or Victory Card in any garden. This Plot or Victory Card is now Pollinated and is protected from ANY manipulation or malfeasance committed by other gardeners.
Pollinator is ONLY moved by Beebeard (Specialist Card).
Pollinator can replace Pestilence on a Plot or Victory Card. After replacing, move Pestilence to a new Plot, Victory Card, or discard.
Pestilence (Specialist Deck - 3 Cards)
Place on ANY Plot or Victory Card in a garden. This Plot or Victory Card is now Afflicted. Pestilence cannot be placed on a Plot or Victory Card that is Pollinated.
Pestilence is moved by Beebeard or replaced by Pollinator (see Pollinator section above).
Afflicted Plot: Plants cannot be harvested from Plot. Plants in Plot are no longer worth any points at the end of the game.
Afflicted Victory Card: Bonus is no longer in effect. Victory Card is still worth 8 pts. at the end of the game.
If an Afflicted Plot or Victory Card is moved via Specialist it remains Afflicted. Pestilence stays on the Plot or Victory Card being moved.
Pollinator and Pestilence move to the Retired Pile if there are no Plants left in the Plot they were affecting.
You may not have more than one Pestilence or Pollinator on a Plot or Victory Card.
You may want to use Beebeard to move a Pollinator and rid an Afflicted Plot of Pestilence. Then you get to move Pestilence to a new location!
Wild Blooms (Plant Deck - 8 Cards)
Place on any existing Plot. Once placed in a Plot, acts as a Plant within the Plot and cannot move to a new Plot. For example, a Wild Bloom in an Herb Plot is now considered an Herb.
Cannot be the sole type of card in a Plot. If a Plot ends up with only Wild Blooms they are immediately moved to the Compost Pile.
Bird Bath (Specialist Deck - 1 Card)
Place on any Plot to double that Plot's value at the end of the game. If Mother Nature (Specialist Card) moves the Plot, Bird Bath moves with the Plot.
Can be moved by the Landscaper (Specialist Card).
In a Pollinated Plot: Protected from being moved or stolen.
In an Afflicted Plot: Awards no points when counting points at the End of the Season.
End of the Season
Once a gardener has three Victory Cards in their garden, they take the End of Season Token then finish playing their turn. This initiates the End of the Season (i.e. end of game). All other gardeners have one more turn then points are added up and the victor is ordained Official Master Gardener!
Whoever possesses the End of Season Token gets one bonus point per gardener playing (i.e. in a four-player game, the token is worth four points).
End of the Season Point Values
- End of Season Token: 1 pt. per gardener in game
- Victory Card: 8 pts. ea.
- Plants with Pestilence: 0 points
- Plants & Wild Blooms in garden: 1 pt. ea.
- Bird Bath: Plot worth 2x pts.
- Victory Card Bonus Points: Determined by Victory Card
Example — End of Season point total = 27 points: Victory Cards 16 pts. (8 pts. ea.), this Victory Card's bonus grants 1 pt per Flower, Fruit 3 pts., Produce 2 pts. (1 pt. x 2 with Bird Bath bonus), Flowers 6 pts. (3 pts. per Flower + 3 pts. from Victory Card bonus), Herbs 0 pts. (Afflicted = 0 pts.).
Team Play
Divide into equal teams (teams of 2 with four gardeners, teams of 2 or 3 with six gardeners).
Teams alternate turns (i.e. your teammate sits across from you) so that each team's turn-rate is balanced.
The ONLY difference in gameplay is that teammates can plant in their teammate's gardens, including in Pollinated Plots.
A team needs to collect a total of 3 Victory Cards to End the Season. This is a combined total between teammates. The first gardener to collect the third Victory Card for their team initiates the End of the Season and gets the End of Season Token.
Teammates may communicate with each other.
If you want to increase the overall game length, increase the total Victory Cards needed to reach the End of the Season.
Remember, some Specialists have abilities that you may use differently now that you have a teammate. Playing on teams is fun! Misery loves company, after all.
Specialist Glossary
Beebeard (5)
Moves a Pollinator or Pestilence from any garden to a new Plot, Victory Card, or Retirement Pile.
Can move a Pollinator in order to replace Pestilence, and in turn, move the replaced Pestilence to a new Plot, Victory Card, or Retirement Pile.
Botanist (4)
Allows a gardener to look through the Retirement Pile and select a Specialist card to add to their hand. The selected Specialist card can be played within the turn they are picked up, provided the gardener harvests the required Plants to use the Specialist.
Curmudgeon (4)
Allows a gardener to take two cards from other's hands. The cards taken can be from an individual gardener or two different gardeners.
The gardener can only see the backs of the cards of the hand they are taking from.
Gardener's who lost cards to the Curmudgeon do not resupply until the end of their next turn.
Hareman of the Gourd (4)
Allows a gardener to swap a Victory Card in any garden (usually their own) with another from any garden. You cannot use Hareman of the Gourd to take a Victory Card without exchanging it with another. Afflicted Victory Cards MAY be exchanged. In Team Play you have the option to move a Victory Card from one team member to another.
Pestilence remains on a Victory Card being exchanged. A gardener may not exchange their Victory Card with one that is Pollinated. However, a gardener can exchange/move their own or a teammate's Pollinated Victory Card.
Landscaper (5)
Allows a gardener to move up to two Plants from any Plots to new ones. Plants may be from an individual gardener's Plot or from different Plots. You may take from your own Plots.
You MAY take from an Afflicted Plot. You MAY NOT take from a Pollinated Plot.
Instead of moving Plants, the Landscaper can move the Bird Bath to a new Plot.
Mother Nature (4)
Allows a gardener to swap Plots in any gardens so long as they are of the same category. For example, Gardener A swaps their Fruit Plot with Gardener B's Fruit Plot.
Plots must have at least one Plant in them and be of matching categories.
Afflicted Plots MAY be exchanged. Pestilence moves with a Plot being exchanged.
A gardener MAY NOT exchange their Plot with one that is Pollinated. However, a gardener can exchange their own or a teammate's Pollinated Plot.
Wormsworth (4)
Allows a gardener to look through the Compost Pile and select two cards. Cards are added to the gardener's hand or garden.
Bumpkin, Great Aunt Bev, Florist, & Herbalist (4)
These require specific Plant categories to be harvested in order to use. The Plant category is represented in the harvest cost icon.
These Specialists lower the overall harvest cost of Victory Cards by two Plants. For instance, if a Victory Card's harvest cost is six Plants in total — 3 Herbs and 3 Flowers — the gardener only needs to harvest four cards in total. These can be any combination:
- 3 Herbs and 1 Flower
- 2 Herbs and 2 Flowers
- 1 Herb and 3 Flowers
A gardener must harvest for a Victory Card on the turn they play this Specialist and may use multiple of these Specialists within a turn.
Weedledee & Weedledum (2)
Allows a gardener to choose another gardener, who is not allowed to plant (Weedledee) or harvest (Weedledum) on their next turn. This gardener cannot use Victory Card bonuses that require harvesting (Weedledum).
Remember to always harvest the requisite Plants before using your Specialists!
Victory Card Glossary
Carnivorous Plants
When counting points, you receive an additional point for every Flower card in your garden. If your Flower Plot is Afflicted, your Flowers are still awarded 1 point per card. Wild Blooms in your Flower Plot count as Flowers.
Garden Gloves
When counting points, you receive an additional point for every Fruit card in your garden. If your Fruit Plot is Afflicted, your Fruit are still awarded 1 point per card. Wild Blooms in your Fruit Plot count as Fruit.
Shear Luck
When counting points, you receive an additional point for every Produce card in your garden. If your Produce Plot is Afflicted, your Produce are still awarded 1 point per card. Wild Blooms in your Produce Plot count as Produce.
Balmy Weather
When counting points, you receive an additional point for every Herb card in your garden. If your Herb Plot is Afflicted, your Herbs are still awarded 1 point per card. Wild Blooms in your Herb Plot count as Herbs.
Nefairyous Pixies
You receive an additional two points when counting points at the End of the Season.
Old Dirt Bag
You receive an additional two points when counting points at the End of the Season.
Snail-Eating Ducks
If you have Fruit, Flower, Herb, and Produce Plots in your garden when counting points at the End of the Season you receive an additional four points, even if these Plots are Afflicted.
Mister Bumbles
At any point on your turn, you may exchange a Plant from your garden with a Plant from a different garden. You cannot exchange Plants from your Afflicted Plots or from another garden's Pollinated Plot.
Gnudist Gnomes
Pestilence does not affect Plants in your garden. This means you can harvest from Afflicted Plots and these Plants are worth their normal point value at the End of the Season.
Fabulous Fungi
When counting points, any Pollinators in your garden are worth two points each, whether they are on Plots or Victory Cards.
Greenhouse
On your last turn, exchange this Victory Card with one from another garden. You cannot exchange for a Pollinated Victory Card.
Manure
Harvest seven Plants from one Plot (i.e. seven Fruit) and take another gardener's Victory Card. This ability can be used more than once. You cannot take a Pollinated Victory Card.
Enchanted Garden
When you are resupplying, draw an extra Specialist or Plant card.
Terrarium
Once per turn, you can harvest a Wild Bloom from any of your Plots then draw three new Plants from the Plant deck. You CANNOT harvest from an Afflicted Plot.
Vicious Victories (Optional Victory Cards)
Vicious Victories is an optional mini-expansion that can be played with Vicious Gardens to incorporate more Victory Cards. Mix all 8 Vicious Victory Cards to the Victory Card Piles or choose your preferred ones to include.
These cards cost one fewer Plant to purchase and are still worth 8 points at the End of the Season. However, Vicious Victory Cards inhibit gardeners with negative effects!
The effects from Vicious Victory Cards can still be canceled with Pestilence and swapped with the ability of Hareman of the Gourd. Since Vicious Victory Cards have negative effects, think about how to use Specialists to your advantage!
Vicious Victory Cards have thorns around the harvest cost and orange backgrounds on the backs. A divider is included to separate these cards from standard Victory Cards in the box.
Invasive Yeti
You can draw only Specialists or only Plants when resupplying.
Buried Competition
You can only plant or only harvest on your turn.
Barrow of Fun
Victory Cards in your garden do not grant any bonus effects when counting points.
Tacky Flamboyance
Take one fewer card when resupplying (i.e. 4 cards instead of the standard 5).
Miserable Company
Pollinators no longer protect your Plots and Plants in these Plots can be stolen/affected by other gardeners. Pestilence still cannot be placed on a Plot with a Pollinator on it. Victory Cards are unaffected.
Dubious Apple
On their last turn, a gardener can move all Plants from a Plot in their garden in exchange for this Victory Card. Plants that are exchanged may be moved into Afflicted or Pollinated Plots. Any Pollinator or Pestilence from the original Plot is moved to the Retired Pile.
Garden Decor
Pollinators and Pestilence in your garden are worth -2 points each when counting points at the End of the Season.
The Eternal Struggle
Plants in your garden are worth no points at the End of the Season. Victory Card bonuses that grant points for having certain Plants still take effect at the End of the Season.
Bits & Bobs
Wooden Pieces & the Meadow
The Pollinator and Pestilence wooden pieces and accompanying Meadow board are optional. To setup, place the Meadow board (either side) so it nests into the main game board. Put the wooden pieces on the Meadow board.
When you play a Pollinator or Pestilence, place the coordinating butterfly (Pollinator) or fly (Pestilence) wooden pieces on top of the cards. These pieces stay with the cards throughout the game and go back to the Meadow if their card is discarded.
Garden Tips
- A tiebreaker is determined by whoever has the most Plants (even if they are Afflicted) in their garden.
- Point bonuses from the Bird Bath and certain Victory Cards only apply at the End of the Season while counting points.
- You MUST harvest the requisite Plants before playing a Specialist or obtaining a Victory Card.
- There is no limit to the amount of Plants in your garden.
- When no cards remain in the Plant Deck, immediately shuffle the Compost Pile and replace the Plant deck. This applies to the Specialist Deck and Retired Pile as well.
- You MUST harvest from your garden, not directly from your hand. This helps keep you from harvesting from an Afflicted Plot.
- If one of the Victory Card piles is depleted, replenish it by moving some Victory Cards from the bottom of the other pile.
House Rules
If you want to mix up your gameplay, consider some of these optional rule variants:
Allow multiple Pestilence and Pollinators on Plots & Victory Cards.
- You still cannot place Pestilence on a Pollinated Plot or Victory Card.
- A Pollinator only moves one Pestilence when multiple Pestilence are on a Plot.
- If a Plot or Victory Card has an equal number of Pollinators and Pestilence, it is neutral and normal Plot and Victory Card rules apply. However, Pestilence cannot be added.
New Resupply Rules
- Players can resupply their hands with a maximum of four cards, but once a gardener has seven cards in their hand, they cannot draw any more. This rule allows gardeners to stash cards in their hands and creates bigger point swings and combos.
Solo Mode
Premise
Compete against the ghost of the original Master Gardener, Fern! Fern met an untimely demise at the wrong end of some garden shears and her ghost haunts the garden, ready to exact her revenge. Experience solo-mode garden mayhem as you compete against Fern for the title of Official Master Gardener.
Setup
Setup the game as normal. Fern will follow an automated process on her turn. Any Wild Blooms that Fern draws are ignored and integrated back into the Plant deck. You take the first turn.
Your Turn
Play as normal and refer to the Specialist chart below for rule variations on how certain Specialists work. Many Specialists refer to the largest or smallest Plots in a garden. If Plots are tied in quantity of Plants, use the leftmost Plot in a garden.
Normal Pollinator and Pestilence rules apply.
Fern's Turn
Draw five cards from the Plant deck and place into Plots based on category. Any Wild Blooms go into the Compost Pile and Fern draws a new Plant instead. Fern immediately harvests for Victory Cards when possible. If Fern can simultaneously obtain both Victory Cards, she chooses the one closest to her. Fern does not receive any Victory Card bonuses.
After planting, Fern harvests a card from her smallest Plot.
After harvesting, if a Plot is Emptied or if Fern has an Afflicted Plot:
- Draw a Specialist. Refer to the Specialist chart below on how to use. Fern does not need to harvest another Plant to play the Specialist unless otherwise noted.
- If the drawn Specialist cannot be used, Retire the Specialist and draw a new one. If this one cannot be used, Fern's turn is done.
After harvesting, if a Plot is NOT emptied:
- Place the harvested card face down in Fern's garden. These cards are worth two points each at the end of the game.
Specialist Chart
You Play
Curmudgeon: Draw two cards from the Specialist and/or Plant decks. Fern loses a Plant from her largest, unpollinated Plot.
Fern Plays
Curmudgeon: Randomly select two cards from your hand. Plants go into Fern's garden and Specialists are Retired.
Wormsworth: Fern draws and plants the top two cards from the Compost. Don't include the Plant Fern just harvested and ignore any Wild Blooms.
Landscaper: Fern prioritizes moving Bird Bath from your garden. If Bird Bath is unavailable, Fern takes two cards from your largest, unpollinated Plot and plants them in her garden.
Mother Nature: Fern exchanges Plots with you that provide Fern with the highest net gain in Plants. Will not exchange for Pollinated or Afflicted Plots.
Hareman of the Gourd: Select a random Victory Card from Fern and exchange for a random, unpollinated Victory Card from your garden.
Botanist: Fern draws the first card from the Retired pile. If required, Fern harvests from her smallest Plot to use the Specialist. If the drawn Specialist cannot be used, Retire the Specialist and draw the next one. If this one cannot be used, Fern's turn is done.
Bumpkin, Great Aunt Bev, Florist, Herbalist: Harvest the required Plant and harvest for a discounted Victory Card.
Bird Bath: Goes on Fern's largest Pollinated Plot. If no Plot is Pollinated, goes on largest Plot.
Weedledee & Weedledum: On your next turn you cannot harvest (Weedledee) or plant (Weedledum).
Beebeard: Fern Prioritizes moving a Pollinator from your garden. If you do not have a Pollinator, Fern moves Pestilence off her largest Plot. Refer to Pollinator/Pestilence below.
Pollinator (in order of priority):
- Place on Fern's Plot with Bird Bath.
- Replace Pestilence on Fern's largest Afflicted Plot. Refer below on where to subsequently place Pestilence.
- Place on Fern's largest Plot.
Pestilence (in order of priority):
- Place on your Plot with Bird Bath.
- Place on your largest unpollinated or unafflicted Plot.
Scoring and Victory Cards
Points are added up as normal. However, Fern does not receive any bonus points from her Victory Cards.
Fern gets two extra points from any face-down Plants obtained during her harvest phase.
Changing Difficulty
To decrease difficulty try one or more variations:
- Fern does not redraw a Specialists if she cannot use them.
- If Fern draws a Wild Bloom when planting, it goes in the Compost, yet still counts as a drawn Plant on her turn.
- Fern draws four Plants on her turn.
To increase difficulty try one or more variations:
- Start the game by drawing five Plants and Plant in Fern's garden, ignoring Wild Blooms.
- Allow Fern to plant Wild Blooms in her garden, always planting in Plots that bring her closer to a Victory Card.
- When Fern plays Wormsworth, pick Plants that bring her closer to a Victory Card.
- Allow Fern to count Victory Card bonuses at the End of the Season.
Credits
Designed, written, and illustrated by: Ross Bruggink
Solo Mode designed in collaboration with: Rafi Weiss
Published by: Atlas Games, 202 3rd Ave, Proctor MN 55810, USA.
For more resources, visit: www.atlas-games.com/viciousgardens