Wildcraft!
Wildcraft! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Welcome and Wildcrafting Safety
Really important! Carefully read this page about REAL Wildcrafting before playing the game...
Welcome to Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game. We are the Gallagher family... Kimberly, John, Rowan and Hailey. We are herbalists, making most all of our own remedies from plants we grow ourselves or harvest in the wild. Harvesting plants and processing them to make food and medicine – that's wildcrafting! We created this game as a way to introduce you to the joys of wildcrafting and herbalism.
Wildcraft! is meant to start you thinking about how the plants growing around you might be able to help you with common ailments like sniffles or cuts. Our experience and research tell us that the plants indicated can really help with each of the ailments they are linked with in the game.
What this game does not address is how the plants would need to be prepared and what parts of the plants would be used to treat these ailments. Also certain plants might work better than others in certain situations. In the game, you will be harvesting plants and using them right away, almost as if you could simply eat one leaf and feel completely healed. While we do find ourselves constantly amazed by how effective herbal medicine can be, it is usually not that quick and simple.
We did choose plants for the game that are safe to eat. Some may not be particularly tasty, but as long as you've positively identified the plant, it will be safe to consume. This is not the case for all plants that are beneficial medicinally, so be sure to do your research!
You can learn more about plants that are dangerous by downloading the FREE Wildcraft! Story from our website www.learningherbs.com/wildcraft-game. We highly recommend you add this component to your game. The story contains many additional teachings about safe, ethical, and effective wildcrafting.
One of the most important things to realize is that plants must be gathered in a respectful way. There are some helpful plants that are endangered right now. It's important not to over-harvest and decimate a plant population. It's also important to gather plants in healthy areas. (Lots of great plants grow along highways, for example, but all the car exhaust leaves them less desirable for our use than plants growing in more natural settings.) As you develop your experience with plants you can find ways to harvest that are sustainable and that help the plants grow lush and healthy.
If the game inspires you to find out more about REAL wildcrafting (and we hope it does!) we suggest you begin with the following resources:
Available at LearningHerbs.com: From Earth to Herbalist, by Gregory Tilford. How to wildcraft safely, ethically and effectively. The Herbal Medicine Making Kit and the free home study course is an excellent introduction to making herbal home remedies, wild foods, herbal first aid, and how to learn about plants. At LearningHerbs.com, you'll find herbs and supplies, charts and books (such as Healing Wise, by Susun Weed), as well as a multitude of free lessons and remedies. Also check out the FamilyHerbalRemedies.com site!
Other resources:
- A local herbalist/herb shop to find out about local classes, such as RavenCroft Garden (RavenCroftGarden.com)
- United Plant Savers (unitedplantsavers.org): Their mission is to protect native medicinal plants & their native habitat and ensure renewable supplies of medicinal plants.
- Lesley Tierra's A Kids' Herb Book & Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal
- Classes at: Wilderness Awareness School (WildernessAwareness.org), EarthwalkNorthwest.com
The LearningHerbs.com booklet adds a safety caution: LearningHerbs.com does not recommend children or adults harvest or ingest wild plants without the supervision of an adult experienced in herbalism.
Guidelines for Effective Play
Why are they called Guidelines and not Rules? See top of the back page...
Wildcraft! is a cooperative game designed for 1 to 4 players, ages 4 to adult (see back page for younger player modifications).
Object
Collect two pails of blue huckleberries per player and return all players to Grandma's house before nightfall.
Materials
Okay, first let's look at the materials included in your game pack and get set up to play.
- Plant Cards: Plant Cards are the ones with a dandelion on the back. On the other side is a picture of the plant you are harvesting when you draw that card, the common and scientific names of the plant, and an icon that will match the icons on the Challenge Cards to let you know which challenges it can help with.
- Trouble Cards: These are the cards with an X on the back. They include a short description of the challenge you are facing when you draw the card and a picture of the challenge for younger players. On these cards you will also find icons of plants that will help with that challenge.
- Cooperation Cards: These are the rainbow cards with words reminding you how cooperation opportunities work.
- Black Markers: These are used to cover the sun spaces to let you know how long you have until nightfall.
- Blue Markers: Each of these represents one pail of huckleberries. You must cooperatively collect 2 markers (pails) per player before heading down the mountain.
Bonus Wildcraft! Story
You can add this component to the game by going to www.LearningHerbs.com/wildcraft-game and downloading it for free. It is the continuation of the story we greeted you with. If one of the players is old enough to read, we invite you to read the appropriate portion as you land on rest (purple) spaces on your way up the mountain. Note for parents: The story contains valuable teachings about plants, hazards, and ethical Wildcrafting. It is a valuable educational component to the game.
Set Up
- Separate the cards into three piles – Plant Cards (those with the dandelion on the back), Challenge Cards (those with an X on the back), and Cooperation Cards (the ones with the rainbows). Shuffle each deck.
- Deal four plant cards to each player. (These represent the herbal remedies Grandma sends with you to aid you with the challenges on your journey.)
- Be sure the black and blue markers and the story are in a handy, accessible place.
- Have each player choose a playing piece, and place the pieces all on Grandma's house.
We've found that the easiest way to learn Wildcraft! is to simply play it. So, now we'll just start the game. You can read the rest of these guidelines as you play, though other players may offer advice.
Action
Decide who is going to go first. The first player spins and advances that number of squares on the Wildcraft! game board. Now, read about the space they've landed on in the description below and take action appropriately. As each player takes his or her turn, read about the appropriate space. Before long, you'll be expert Wildcraft! players!
Note: If you spin a 1, you also move forward and follow the directions for the space you land on.
If at any time during the game you run out of cards in any pile, simply shuffle the discard pile and use it as your new draw pile.
The Spaces
- Plant Spaces are Harvest Spaces: Each time you land on a square with a picture of a plant on it, draw a Plant Card from the pile and add it to your hand. (Note: it is not necessary to keep your Plant Cards concealed from other players.)
- Moon Spaces are Nightfall Spaces: Each time you land on a black space with a moon, cover one sun square (at the top of the board) with a black marker. All players must arrive back at Grandma's house before all the sun spaces are covered up to win the game. (Note: The game will definitely be challenging for 4 players with the number of sun and nightfall spaces. For fewer players you may want to choose to leave later in the day for added challenge.)
- Purple Spaces are Rest Spaces: These spaces give you a chance to rest. When you land on one of these spaces on your way up the mountain take a moment to read the appropriate section of the Wildcraft! Story if you've added this feature to your game. The numbers on the rest spots correlate to the numbers of the stories. If you land on rest space number 5, then read story number 5.
- X Spaces are Trouble Spaces: When you land on a trouble space, draw a Trouble Card to find out what challenge you are facing on your journey. Multiple Plant Card icons will appear on the Trouble Card to let you know what plants can help you with your trouble. If you have a useful Plant Card in your hand, discard (create discard piles for each type of card) the trouble and plant cards AND ADVANCE TO THE NEXT REST SPACE. If you do not have a plant card to help with that challenge, keep the trouble card until you harvest a helpful plant. At that time, discard the trouble and plant card and advance to the next rest space.
- Rainbow Spaces are Cooperation Opportunities: When you land on a rainbow square OR spin a 1*, draw a Cooperation Card. As it says on the back of every Cooperation Card, you may either bring the player who is farthest behind up to where you are and discard the cooperation card or keep the card in your hand to help someone later in the game with one of his or her troubles. If you have a cooperation card, you can gift another player one of your plant cards to resolve their trouble. When you use your cooperation card in this way, discard the cooperation card, your plant card, and the other player's trouble card. The player you helped then advances to the next rest space. You can use the cooperation card to help someone with a challenge anytime after you draw it until the end of the game, The player who drew the card decides how to use it, though other players may offer advice.
*Note: If you spin a 1, you also move forward and follow the directions for the space you land on.
Shortcuts, Setbacks, and the Huckleberry Patch
Shortcuts and Setbacks: The DEER TRAIL, and the FALLEN TREE are shortcuts or setbacks, depending on whether you are headed up or down the mountain. They go both ways, so follow them when you land on a space at either end of them. The slip spots on the river are one way rides and will either offer a short cut or a setback depending on which way you are headed.
The Huckleberry Patch: You do not need an exact number spin to get into the Huckleberry Patch, and once you get there, you can begin harvesting huckleberries right away. So, when the first player arrives take a look at how many players you have in the game. Grandma has asked you to bring back 2 pails of huckleberries each. So, if four of you are playing you will need to bring back 8 pails of huckleberries. Remember, each blue marker represents a pail of huckleberries, so you will want to collect 8 blue markers while you're at the huckleberry patch.
How do you collect blue markers? Well, each player that arrives gets one right away. Then as other players continue to take their turns and move up the mountain, players in the huckleberry patch spend their time gathering berries. When their turn comes around, instead of spinning and moving they collect another blue marker.
Remember, your goal is to get 2 pails of huckleberries per player and get back to Grandma's before nightfall, so if one (or more) of you have arrived before the others it's a good idea to just go ahead and collect enough pails of huckleberries (blue markers) for all the players before you head back down. So, if only two of the four players get to the huckleberry patch, they should go ahead and collect all 8 pails of huckleberries. When you have all the huckleberries you need for the group, start back down.
Now, for this next part, really think like you're on the mountain. Those players who don't make it to the huckleberry patch won't know that the berries have been gathered, so they simply continue moving up the mountain until someone who knows the berries have been collected passes them on their way back to Grandma's. So, if you're a player who is still going up, keep doing so until someone on their way down passes you, then start heading back to Grandma's. (Note: If another player passes you by slipping down a river or taking another short cut, you can still consider yourself passed and start heading back.)
Grandma's House
Once you arrive back at Grandma's house (you do not need an exact number spin), you may offer any of your Plant Cards to other players to help them with their troubles throughout the rest of the game even if you don't have a Cooperation Card. Also, when your turn comes around, you can spin and gift your number of moves to the player farthest behind. When everyone arrives back, you've WON THE GAME!
This is a good time to read the final part of the Wildcraft! Story (available for free at www.learningherbs.com/wildcraft-game).
Different Ways to Play and Ideas for Younger Players
Please feel free to experiment and create your own versions of the game.
Notice we've titled the previous section Guidelines for Effective Play rather than RULES. These guidelines tell you what we were thinking as we designed the game, and how we've enjoyed playing it. However, we also believe these same materials could be used in endless fun ways.
Speaking of levels of play, feel free to adjust for younger players. Four and five year olds may need a simpler version of the game. I suggest making rainbow spaces simply an opportunity to bring the farthest player back up to where you are, and having the sharing of plant cards be allowed at any time. And, maybe young players will only want to climb the mountain and get to the huckleberry patch, rather than playing the whole game. Just matching plants with troubles and moving along the board can be enough fun at that age!
Can you identify the plants on the Plant Card spaces? What do you notice about where the plants are placed?
Register your game at LearningHerbs.com/wildcraft-game to ensure you get important updates such as instructions for advanced levels of play.