Wolves

Wolves Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

1 Status Board
6 Community Mats
6 Player Decks (28 cards each)
9 Availability Cards
72 Resource Tokens (24 each of Fish, Corn, Bison)
18 Community Needs Tokens
18 Knowledge Cards
6 Status Markers
6 Status Rank Tokens
1 Turn Marker
48 Status Awards

Setup

Place the Status Board where everyone can reach it.

Place the Turn Marker on Turn 1 for a 3-4 player game, Turn 2 for a 5 player game, and Turn 3 for a 6 player game.

Place the Status Awards and Resource Tokens near the board.

Place the Knowledge cards, face up, in stacks by type, near the board.

Take the 9 Availability Cards, shuffle them and place them face down in a deck near the Status board.

Take a number of Status Rank tokens equal to the number of Players, starting with "1" and going up. Place them near the Status board. The remainder won't be used.

Each player should take a Community Mat, along with the matching Status Marker, Player Deck and one of each of the three Community Needs tokens.

A: Place your Status Marker on the zero/center spot of the Status Board.
B: Place your Community Needs Tokens near your Community mat.
C: Place your Player Deck on the Player Deck location of your Community Mat.

Important note: If you are playing a 6 player game, each player should start with 1 Resource Token of each type in their Reserve.

In a 3-4 player game, make sure that you have a mix of communities in play that have a variety of Resource focuses (found on the center of each Community Mat, next to the name of the community).

Object of the Game

You must supply your own community with sufficient resources and help your neighbors to do so as well. If any player fails to meet their community's needs, all players lose immediately and the game ends. If everyone makes it through Turn 8, everyone wins.

Additionally, the player with the most Status Awards is elected chief of all of the communities and granted a second victory.

Turn Structure

The game plays over a number of turns, each of which goes through the same steps. Some steps are played Simultaneously while others are played in Status Rank Order, which will be determined each turn. At the start of each step, it will be noted whether the step is played in Status Rank Order or Simultaneously.

Throughout this game, you'll come across references to Status Rank Order. Many steps in the game are resolved in this order. By Step 2 of the first turn all players will have a Status Rank token and will continue to have one throughout the game. This number, from 1-6, indicates the overall estimation of each leader (the Player) and how they are viewed by the communities in relation to each other. 1 is always the highest status and descends as you go higher in token order. When a step calls for anything in Status Rank Order, you'll always start with 1, then 2, then 3, and so on. Status Rank Order can change every turn and often does.

Step 1: Availability (Simultaneous)

Flip over the indicated number of cards in the Availability deck based on the modifier listed under the Turn number. The modifier is listed below the turn number on the Status Board. Turn over the indicated number of cards and remove the revealed cards from each Player Deck and return them to the game box.

Remove matching Resource Cards from your Player Deck. Players remove cards from their Player Decks based on the Availability modifier.

For example, on Turn 6, the Availability Modifier is -3. A player will turn over the top 3 cards of the Availability deck. If the cards revealed were 2 Fish and 1 Bison, all players would remove 2 Fish and 1 Bison from their Player Decks, returning those cards to the game box.

Turn 8: Instead of turning over cards from the Availability Deck, shuffle your Player Deck then turn over cards until you have revealed 7 non-Leader cards. Return those cards to the box, return any Leader cards you revealed to your deck, then reshuffle.

Step 2: Gathering (Simultaneous)

Shuffle your Player Deck and begin drawing cards. Shuffle your Player Deck well and start drawing cards into your hand. After each draw, do the following:

If it's a Leader card, play it face up in front of you in the Leader Card location.
If it's any other card, add it to your hand.
Before drawing your next card, decide whether you want to stop (you want to avoid drawing your third Leader card, if possible). If you want to stop, place your hand of cards face down in front of you to indicate to other players that you have finished drawing. You may not start again once you have stopped.
If you draw your third Leader card, you have Overstretched your resources (see Overstretching below) and you must announce to the table that you have Overstretched. You may not draw any more cards.

You must draw at least one card, but you can stop anytime after your first. Your goal is to draw at least your minimum community Needs of three of each Resource (see Step 4 below). Your Leader cards act as 'wild' Resources and may be used in place of any other Resource. Forest cards do not count against you, but do not have any direct value. Players should not show other players their hand nor tell anyone how many Resources they actually have.

A: Resources and Forest cards go into your hand. Leader cards go face up.
B: "Overstretch" if you draw 3 Leader cards (keep your hand, return your Leaders).
C: First turn only: Determine Status Rank Order when Players have finished Gathering.

Overstretching: Return your three Leader cards to the top of your deck, face up, to signify you have Overstretched. You will not be able to use those Leader cards for the remainder of this turn. Continue with your turn as normal, but next turn you will skip step 2 entirely, meaning you'll have to rely on Gifts and Reserves to meet your Needs. Avoid Overstretching by choosing to stop drawing after your second Leader card. For more on how Overstretching affects you, see Step 6.

Turn 1 only: Once all players have finished drawing, you'll need to assign the Status Rank Tokens. The highest Status Rank Token (1) goes to the player who has drawn the fewest Leader cards. Ties are broken by the total cards each Player has in their hands. The player with the most cards receives a higher Status. If there is still a tie, the older player receives the higher Status. All players should receive a Status Rank Token. These tokens indicate Status Rank Order.

Leader Cards

Leader cards can represent various things depending on where they are during the game. When they're in your Player Deck, they can represent luck or the Creator's will. When they're face up though, they represent Indigenous ingenuity and resilience and adaptability.

Step 3: Conservation Bonus (Status Rank Order)

A: For each Leader card fewer than 2 that a Player drew this turn, they gain 5 Status on the Status track. Status Markers cannot ever share the same space. If a Marker would stop on the same space as another, move it back one space.

If you Overstretched, you cannot gain a Conservation Bonus this turn (since you drew three) or on the following turn, since you will not be participating in Step 2.

Status

Status in this game represents the prestige, honor, and obligations that come with being seen as a prosperous and skilled leader. It might seem like it's always better to have a high Status during game play, but there can be advantages to having a low Status. Remember that having lower Status allows you to offer any Gift you'd like to your fellow players and they must accept it. And having high Status will obligate you to Gifting first and other players may decline. At no point can Status Markers ever occupy the same space (except at zero).

Step 4: Community Needs (Status Rank Order)

It's time to start allocating the Resources you've gathered! First, your people need their bare necessities. In Status Rank Order, each player must pay three of each Resource (Fish, Bison, Corn) to meet these needs. The player may use Resource cards in their hands, Resource Tokens in their Reserves (see Reserves below), or Leader Cards that are face up. Again, Leader cards may act as 'wild' and stand in for any other Resource. You must pay these Needs, if able.

A: Each Player pays 3 of each Resource (Fish, Corn, Bison), if possible.
B: If a Player cannot pay the three Resource cost, the player should leave a partial pile exposed of cards and/or Tokens they've committed to that goal and add an 'unmet' token to their player mat.

If you spend Resource Tokens from your Reserve, simply return them to the pile at the center of the table. If you use cards, return them from your hand to your Player Deck or in the case of Leader Cards, from your player mat to your deck. Show fellow players the cards and tokens you are using as you go. You may mix and match between cards and Tokens in any fashion you like for each Resource category.

If you cannot meet the Need, stack any cards or Tokens in the matching location to show what portion of the Needs you've completed. For example, if you cannot meet your three Fish Needs, you might have one Leader Card and one Fish Reserve token stacked on the Fish location of your Community Mat. Then, place a Community Needs Token in the matching slot to show other players that you have an Unmet Need. Unmet Needs are public knowledge and everyone should know when a player is short on a Resource and by how much.

Step 5: Gifting (Status Rank Order)

Resources are freely given to those in need. However, giving these Gifts bestows Status upon the Player giving the Gift.

A: Each player may offer a Gift to other Players.
- If the Gifting Player has a higher Status Rank than the Recipient, the Recipient may take any portion of the offered Gift.
- If the Gifting Player has a lower Status Rank than the Recipient, the Recipient must accept the entire Gift as given.
B: When a Recipient accepts a Gift, the cards go back to the owning Player's deck. The Recipient then adds an equal number of Resource Tokens, first toward Needs, then Reserves, then Status. As soon as Needs are fulfilled, the Resources should be cashed in and the Community Needs Token removed.
C: For each Card or Token accepted as a Gift, the Gifting Player receives two Status.

In Status Rank Order, each player may offer Gifts to other Players, one at a time. A player may offer a Gift to each Player once, in any order. A Player is not obligated to offer any Gifts. The Gift may consist of any combination or number of cards from their hands, Leader Cards, or Reserve Tokens. There is no negotiation or bartering. Players may not reveal what is in their hands or ask for specific Gifts, outside of noting what Needs they have that have not been met. The Gifting Player simply states what the Gift is ("Would you like 3 Fish and 1 Corn?").

Important: When a Recipient accepts a Gift, the cards go back to the top of the Gifting Player's deck and the Recipient then takes an equal number of Resource Tokens and adds them to their matching Needs stack or to their Reserves. Do not ever give your cards away to another player. Leader cards offered this way are wild and the Recipient may take whichever Resource token they choose.

For each Card or Token accepted as a Gift, the Gifting Player then receives two Status. Move the Gifting Player's marker up on the Status board. Status markers cannot occupy the same space. If a Status Marker would land on another Player's token, move it back one space. Each accepted Gift is counted as one comprehensive gain in Status.

Players must spend Resources toward meeting Needs before putting that same Resource into Reserves. Once Needs are met, excess go into Reserves. When Reserves are full, excess are immediately converted into Status for the Recipient, on a 1 point per Resource basis. The Status is given as a single comprehensive bonus.

Forest Cards

Forest cards may not be Gifted, do not count for any Status, and do not help the Recipient or Gifting player toward meeting Needs or gaining Status. However, they do disguise how many Resources a Player might be holding.

Step 6: Reconciling (Status Rank Order)

The first thing to check during this step is to see if any player has failed to meet their Needs. If so, then the game ends immediately and all players have lost. Assuming all players have met their community's Needs, continue on.

Now you must decide what to do with your remaining cards. In Status Rank Order, you will return all of your cards to your Player Deck in exchange for benefits. Forest cards are all returned to your Player Deck and do not gain you anything. There are a variety of options for a player to choose from for the other cards.

Return any number of Leader or Resource cards to their Deck or Reserve Tokens to the pile for 1 Status each. As with Gifting, this Status gain is one comprehensive gain based on the total number of cards and/or tokens. You cannot gain Status this way if you Overstretched this turn.
Return any number of cards in exchange for Reserve Tokens of the same Resource as on the cards. Your total Reserves are capped at nine Tokens and no more than four of any one kind of Resource. You may exchange Leader cards for any Token.
A player may return two Leader cards in exchange for one Knowledge card. You may not have two of the same card (see Knowledge Cards).

The steps of Reconciling are:

A: If any player does not have their Community Needs met the game ends with a loss. Otherwise, in Order, each player resolves the remainder of their cards.
B: All Forest Cards are returned to the Player's Deck.
C: Resource Cards are returned to the Players Deck for Reserve Tokens or Status (Player choice).
D: Leader Cards are returned to the Players Deck for Reserve Tokens, Status, or a Knowledge Card.
E: Determine new Status Rank Order and Give Awards. Check the Status Track and redistribute the Status Rank Order tokens. 1st Place gets 3/2 Awards, 2nd place gets 2/1 Awards and 3rd place gets 1/0 Awards. 4th-6th gets nothing. (The first figure applies to a 4-6 player game and the second to a 3 player game.)

Reserves

Your Reserves may hold up to nine Resource Tokens normally. You may never have more than 4 of any one type of Resource in your Reserves. If any accepted Gift would put you over your Reserve limit, the excess is converted to one Status, each.

Status Rank Order and Status Awards

Lastly, you'll resolve the new Status Rank Order and give out Status Awards. Whomever has the highest Status receives the #1 Status Rank Token, the second highest receives #2, and so forth. There should be no ties, except at zero Status. At zero, players with more Reserve Tokens have higher Status. If you still have ties the player who had higher status earlier in the turn maintains the higher Status. When you've determined the new Status Rank Order, give out Status Awards.

In a three player game:

1st place gets 2 Awards
2nd place gets 1 Award

In a four to six player game:

1st place gets 3 Awards
2nd place gets 2 Awards
3rd place gets 1 Award

If this was Turn 8, the game ends. Otherwise, return the Status Markers of all players back to zero. Then move the Turn Marker to the next turn and start back at Step One. If a Player Overstretched their Resources in the previous Turn, they may flip their Leader cards back to face down but they'll skip step 2.

Winning the Game

If any Player cannot meet their Needs during Step 6, then the game ends immediately and all Players have lost the game. If you all make it through to the end of Turn 8, then all Players survive and win the game for a collective victory! Time to celebrate!

In addition, if one Leader has more Status Awards than any other, they are elected chief among all of the communities and are granted an additional victory. Congratulations!

In most games, a single player wins while everyone else loses. In Wolves, an individual can only be elected chief if everyone else made it through winter. So while it's great bragging rights to say you had the most Status and were elected chief, it can only happen if you all get a collective win first.

Knowledge Cards

Knowledge Cards are special abilities that a player can acquire for their Community over the course of the game. To gain one, a player must spend two of their Leader cards. The spent Resource cards are returned to the Player's Deck and may not be used for other purposes this Turn. The player can then take any Knowledge card that they don't already have and add it to their play area. The card ability is a permanent effect for that player. The card takes effect immediately.

Here are the cards and what they do:

Know the Land: During Step 2, once per turn, a Player may draw 3 cards at once. They must then return the cards to the top of their deck in any order. Their turn then continues normally.
No Waste: At the start of Step 6, once per turn, if a Player has two of the same Resource token in their Reserves, they may add a third.
Showing Off: During Step 3, gain 6 Status as a Conservation bonus rather than 5.
Determination: During Step 2, if you draw your 2nd Leader card and you continue to draw but do not Overstretch, add 1 Resource token of your choice to your Reserves when you finish drawing.
Preservation: You may store 12 Resources in your Reserve area. You are still limited to no more than 4 of any one type.
The More You Share: During Step 5, once per turn, if you Gift more than 5 Resources (including Leader Cards) in a single Gift and it is accepted in its entirety, you may add any 2 Resources Tokens to your Reserves from the pile.

Things to Remember

Cards from your Player Deck are never exchanged or given away to other players. Your deck should only reduce in size from the Availability Modifier used in Step 1. Resources Gifted are always converted to Reserve Tokens or to Status.

Forest cards don't serve a direct purpose. Instead they act as an obscuring factor when drawing from your deck, making it difficult to determine whether you should continue to push your luck. But in your hand, they can make it more difficult for other players to determine how many Resources you might have. They represent an unsuccessful attempt at gathering more Resources.

Overstretching is bad. If two people Overstretch in the same Turn, it's very likely you'll collectively fail to meet your needs and lose the game. If someone calls out during the Gathering Phase that they've Overstretched, seriously consider stopping after you've drawn your 2nd Leader Card even if you haven't met your own Needs yet.

While players should never share the specific resources they have in hand, table talk is both allowed and encouraged. You should chat after each Availability Step and get a general sense of what you're all trying for, what resources you might be short on and who is leading in regards to Status Award Tokens. Making alliances or non-binding agreements about who to Gift or accept Gifts from will be essential to both survival and to potentially getting elected to the position of chief.

Communities

Each Community Mat has a Resource focus, shown in the center of the mat next to the community's name.

Atinzina (Focus: Fish & Corn): The people of Atinzina are known for their wild parties that go late into the night. Their community faces a massive lake and their children spend much of their youth playing and swimming in it, in addition to becoming experts at fishing.
Chigwami (Focus: Fish & Bison): Chigwami is known for their fast, lithe, fishing boats that they use to navigate the rushing rivers of their home at the foot of a giant mountain. They are quiet, contemplative people and are renowned for their cooking skills.
Masakat (Focus: Corn & Fish): Masakat is a sprawling nation of rolling fields nestled between a mountain and a lake. The people of Masakat are expert crafters and artisans and people come from all around to wonder at their art.
Pahanis (Focus: Corn & Bison): People from Pahanis would say they're competitive. Others sometimes see them as aggressive. But there's no malice. The people from Pahanis just love to challenge themselves and others.
Thimi (Focus: Bison & Fish): Thimi is known for having the fiercest hunters in the region. They're cunning and tireless. Yet, at the same time, they're known for being humble, shy, and generous hosts to guests.
Wayatin (Focus: Bison & Corn): The people of Wayatin judge everyone, even themselves, on their senses of humor. They can find anything funny in the right circumstances and often tell jokes at what might seem to others as strange times to do so.

Turn Steps Summary

Availability (Simultaneous): Flip over the indicated number of cards in the Availability deck based on the modifier listed under the Turn number. Remove matching Resource Cards from your Player Deck.
Gathering (Simultaneous): Shuffle your Player Deck and begin drawing cards.
- A: Resources and Forest cards go into your hand, Leader cards go face up.
- B: "Overstretch" if you draw 3 Leader cards (keep your hand, return your Leaders).
- C: First turn only: Determine Status Rank Order when Players have finished Gathering.
Conservation Bonus (Status Rank Order):
- A: For each Leader card fewer than 2 that a Player drew this turn, they gain 5 Status.
Community Needs (Status Rank Order):
- A: Each Player pays 3 of each Resource (Fish, Corn, Bison), if possible.
- B: If a Player cannot pay the three Resource cost, the player should leave a partial pile exposed of cards and/or Tokens they've committed to that goal and add an 'unmet' token to their player mat.
Gifting (Status Rank Order):
- A: Each player may offer a Gift to other Players. If the Gifting Player has a higher Status Rank than the Recipient, the Recipient may take any portion of the offered Gift. If the Gifting Player has a lower Status Rank than the Recipient, the Recipient must accept the entire Gift as given.
- B: When a Recipient accepts a Gift, the cards go back to the owning Players deck. The Recipient then adds an equal number of Resource Tokens, first toward Needs, then Reserves, then Status. As soon as Needs are fulfilled, the Resources should be cashed in and the Community Needs Token removed.