Village Green
Village Green Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set-Up
- Place a village card face up in front of each player.
- Shuffle the green cards and the award cards into two separate decks. Place them face down in the centre of the table.
- If there are two to four players, return the following cards to the box without looking at them:
- Four players: five green cards.
- Three players: ten green cards and five award cards.
- Two players: fifteen green cards and ten award cards.
- Deal three green cards to each player. Keep these cards in hand and do not show them to the other players.
- Draw three green cards and place them face up next to the deck.
- Deal three award cards to each player. Place them face up, to the right of each player's village card.
- Draw three award cards and place them face up next to the deck.
- Give the start player card to the player who last watered a plant.
How to Play
This section explains how to play the game with two or more players. If you're playing alone, read the solo rules on page 13 after you have read this section.
The player with the start player card takes the first turn. Play then moves clockwise until the game ends.
On your turn, take one of the following actions:
A) draw and play a green card or B) draw and play an award card
After you have taken an action, the player to your left takes their turn.
Village Card
Once per game, before taking an action, you may flip your village card face down. If you do this, take one of the following special actions:
- Take either the three face-up green cards or the three face-up award cards in the centre of the table and place them in any order at the bottom of the matching deck. Next, reveal three new cards from that deck to replace those cards. Then take your action as normal.
- Take the 'draw and play a green card' action. Place the played card on top of another Green Card, as long as it matches the flower type or colour of any adjacent green cards. You no longer count the covered Green Card when scoring.
A) Draw and Play a Green Card
Take one of the face-up green cards from the middle of the table and add it to your hand. Reveal a new green card from the deck to replace the card that you have taken.
Instead of taking one of the face-up cards, you may instead take the top card from the deck.
After taking a card, you may place one green card from your hand into your village. You may use the green card that you have just taken. The rules for placing cards in your village are shown overleaf.
If you don't place a green card in your village, you must instead place a green card from your hand at the bottom of the deck.
B) Draw and Play an Award Card
Take one of the face-up award cards from the middle of the table and place it in your village. Reveal a new award card from the deck to replace the card that you have taken.
Instead of taking one of the face-up cards, you may instead take the top card from the deck.
When you take an award card, you must always place it in your village. The rules for placing cards in your village are shown overleaf.
Placing Cards in Your Village
On each turn, you will place either a green card or an award card in your village.
Your village consists of a 4x4 grid, with your village card in the top-left corner.
Award Cards
Award cards can only be placed in the top row or the leftmost column of your village.
You may place an award card on top of another award card.
You cannot place an award card on top of your village card.
You do not have to place award cards next to other cards that you have placed.
At the end of the game, you score for each visible award card in your village. Do not score for award cards that you've covered with another card. For each award card in your top row, you work out the score based on the green cards in that column. For each award card in your leftmost column, you work out the score based on the green cards in that row.
Green Cards
Green cards cannot be placed in the top row or the leftmost column (the spaces for your award cards).
Most green cards have flowers on them: roses, petunias, or lilies. These can be red, blue, or yellow. When you place a green card, it must match each adjacent green card by flower type, flower colour, or both. Do not count cards that are diagonally adjacent. If a green card doesn't match the flower type or colour of all the adjacent cards, you cannot place it in that space.
I want to place this card with red petunias into my village. It doesn't match the card to the left in flower colour or flower type, so I can't place it there. I must either place it somewhere else in my village or choose another card.
You cannot place a green card on top of another green card (except for lawn cards — see overleaf).
You do not have to place green cards next to cards that you've already placed.
I decide instead to place this card with red roses into my village. It matches the flower type of the card to the left (they're both roses) and the flower colour of the card above it (they're both red) so I'm allowed to place it there. The card with blue lilies is on the diagonal, so I don't need to match it.
Each green card has a feature, which may be associated with extra rules:
Trees — Each tree card features one or two trees. Trees may be oak, birch, or willow. Trees in your village may score you points, depending on your award cards.
Structures — When you play a structure card, you must immediately draw and play an award card. Follow the normal rules for doing so (see page 4).
Ponds — Each pond in your village is worth two points at the end of the game.
Lawns — Lawn cards have no flowers on them. You may place a lawn card next to any green card, and vice versa. You may also place green cards on top of a lawn card, as long as it matches the flower type or colour of any adjacent green cards. If you place a card on top of a lawn card, you no longer count the lawn card when scoring.
Game End
The game continues until one of the following happens:
A) a player has nine visible green cards in their village (they've used every slot) B) the green deck is empty C) the award deck is empty
When the game end is triggered, the current player completes their turn. Play continues clockwise until the start player would normally take their turn. At that point, the game ends and each player adds up their points:
- You get one point if your village card is face up.
- You get two points for every pond in your village.
- You score for each award card in your village. You work out the score from the green cards in the same row or column.
The player with the most points wins! If there is a tie, the player with the most visible green cards in their village wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players share their victory.
Points are always shown inside this symbol — the number tells you how many points you are awarded for the card.
Scoring Example
It's the end of the game and I'm going to add up my points. My village card is face up, so I score one point for it. I also have two ponds in my village, which scores me an extra four points.
I then score for my award cards. First, I score for the cards in the top row:
For the award card on the left, I would score if I had all three flowers in that column. Because I don't, I score no points.
For the award card in the middle, I score three points for each yellow lily in that column, for a total of six points.
For the award card on the right, I have only one type of tree (birch), so I score three points.
Then I score for the cards in the leftmost column:
For the award card at the top, I have two structures in that row so I subtract two points.
For the award card at the bottom, I get six points for having three cards in that row, but I also lose two points for the two birch trees shown on the card on the right. As such, I score a total of four points.
Altogether, I score sixteen points!
Solo Game
In the solo game, you arrange your village by yourself to get the highest score possible. Play as normal, with the following exceptions:
Green Cards
In the solo game, you must always place a green card in your village when you take the 'draw and play a green card' action. If there are no spaces in which you can place a green card, you cannot take this action.
Award Cards
In the solo game, you cannot place award cards on top of other award cards. If there are no spaces in which you can place an award card, you cannot take the 'draw and play an award card' action.
The only exception is when you place a structure card in your village. In that case, you may place the award card you have drawn on top of another award card.
Game end
In the solo game, the game ends when you cannot or do not want to place any more cards in your village. If your village card is face up, you may use it at this point. If doing so lets you keep playing, you may keep doing so until you cannot place any more cards.
Once the game has ended, add up your points and use the table below to see how you've done:
| Score | Result |
|---|---|
| Less than 15 | Last place |
| 16 – 25 | Honourable mention |
| 26 – 35 | Runner-up |
| More than 35 | Village Green of the Year |
Credits
Game design: Peer Sylvester
Illustration: Joanna Rosa
Game development: Filip Falk Hartelius & Anthony Howgego
Graphic design: Didac Gurguí & Steven Meyer-Rassow
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by OSPREY GAMES
© Peer Sylvester, 2020. This edition © 2020 Osprey Publishing Ltd