Zooloretto Duell
Zooloretto Duell Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 45 animal cards (5x gorilla, 6x bison, 7x antelope, 8x bear, 9x tiger and 10x hyena; jungle on the back)
- 12 vending stand cards (3x in each of the colours red, green, blue and yellow; jungle on the back)
- 3 offspring cards (1x each of bear, tiger and hyena; front and back identical)
- 1 "final round" card (front and back identical)
- 7 zoo tiles (6x enclosures with target values from 3 to 8 and 1x vending area; check mark on the back)
- 3 transport trucks (1x 1 place and 2x 2 places; front and back identical)
- 8 scoring markers (7x plus points/coin; 1x "final round"; "A" to "F" on the back)
- 12 point markers (front: 1 plus point; back: 1 minus point)
- 12 coin markers (hereafter called "coins"; front and back identical)
Note: In the unlikely event that the point markers or coins are depleted during play, players can make do with pen and paper.
Object of the Game
Each player is the director of a small zoo. They compete for visitors, and everybody wants to offer the best attractions. Whoever has the largest enclosure when a species is scored gets points for this. The player with the most points after the final scoring wins the game.
Set-Up
- Place the 7 zoo tiles, with the red-rimmed labels facing up, in a row between the players. To do so, first put together the 6 tiles showing enclosures in the order of their target values from "3" to "8". Then connect the tile with the vending area to the hyena enclosure showing the target value "8".
- Lay out the 3 transport trucks next to one another in the middle of the table, with some distance to the zoo tiles.
- Shuffle the 45 animal cards and the 12 vending stand cards together and put them as a face-down draw pile next to the transport trucks.
- Then pick the top card from the draw pile and put it face up next to that pile as the first card of the discard pile.
- After that, insert the "final round" card into the draw pile above the last 5 cards.
- Sort the 8 scoring markers by the letters on their backs and form a face-up stockpile, so that the marker showing "A" on its back is lying on top and the marker with "F" on its back is on the bottom.
- Put the 3 offspring cards as a supply next to the playing area.
- Put the 12 point markers as a supply next to the playing area.
- Give each player 1 coin as a starting coin.
- Put the remaining 10 coins as a supply next to the playing area.
Course of the Game
The game proceeds over several rounds. Players decide who begins.
On your turn, you have to carry out exactly 1 of the 3 following actions:
A. Connect a card to a transport truck, or
B. Take a transport truck and quit, or
C. Carry out a money action
After that, it's the other player's turn.
A. Connect a Card to a Transport Truck
Pick the top card from the draw pile and connect it face up to a transport truck that has at least one unoccupied place. Then your turn ends.
You may connect only one card to the small transport truck and no more than two cards to the two bigger ones. If all transport trucks are occupied, you cannot choose this action; in this case, you have to carry out action B or C.
B. Take a Transport Truck and Quit
Take any transport truck along with the cards connected to it and put it in front of you.
Important: You may take only a truck that has at least one card. If there are no cards connected to the trucks in the middle of the table, you cannot choose this action. In this case, you have to carry out action A or C.
You have to immediately add the card(s) from the truck you just took to your side of the zoo. You may play these cards in any order.
- Animals: Place an animal in the enclosure of the respective species on your side. Put additional animals of this kind on top of that – but in a staggered fashion so that the number of animals in this enclosure and any symbols in the top right corner are clearly visible for both players.
- Vending stands: Place a vending stand in the vending area on your side. Put additional vending stands on top of that – but in a staggered fashion so that the colours of the stands and any symbols in the top right corner are clearly visible for both players.
If you take a truck, you quit from the current round. You won't join in again before the next round.
Important: If one player quits, the other player may keep carrying out actions, if possible, before he quits as well.
C. Carry Out a Money Action
Pay 2 coins and carry out exactly one of the following money actions:
I. Steal an animal, or
II. Dispose of all minus points
Put the 2 coins back into the supply.
I. Steal an animal. Take any animal card from your opponent's side and place it in the respective enclosure on your side.
Important: You may not take a vending stand card!
II. Dispose of all minus points. Put all your point markers that are lying with their minus point side facing up back into the supply.
After that, your turn ends. If you have less than 2 coins before your action, you cannot choose this action. In this case, you have to carry out action A or B.
End of a Round
When each player has taken a transport truck, the round is over. Any cards connected to the remaining transport truck in the middle of the table are now put on the discard pile. The two trucks in front of the players are put back into the middle of the table, and the next round begins with the player who was the last to take a truck.
The Symbols
Symbols on the Animal Cards
Some animal cards show one of three different symbols in the top right corner.
If you place the first card of a species with a certain symbol in your enclosure, this symbol has no effect for the time being. But if you place a second animal of this species with the same symbol in your enclosure, a specific symbol action is triggered:
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Lightning: The animals on cards with a lightning don't get along with each other. This symbol can appear on cards of all species. If you place a second animal of this kind with a lightning in your enclosure, you get 1 minus point: Take a point marker from the supply and put it in front of you with the minus point side facing up.
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Heart: The animals on cards with a heart are ready to mate. This symbol can appear only on cards of bears, tigers, and hyenas. If you place a second animal of this kind with a heart in your enclosure, offspring is produced, if possible: If the offspring card of this species is still lying in the supply, you have to take this card and place it in your respective enclosure. From now on, it counts as a normal animal card of this species. Each of these species can produce offspring only once. If the respective offspring card is not lying in the supply any more, the symbol action goes to waste.
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Square: The animals on cards with a square bring the zoo donations in the form of new animals or vending stands. This symbol can appear only on cards of antelopes, tigers, and hyenas. If you place a second animal of this kind with a square in your enclosure, you immediately select an animal card or vending stand card of your choice from the discard pile, if possible, and place it in your corresponding enclosure or, respectively, in your vending area.
Important: This can cause further symbol actions on this turn. If another symbol action is triggered by an additional square, it is not carried out but goes to waste. But if a different symbol action is triggered, it is carried out immediately.
Normally, you may not look through the discard pile during the game, and only the top card is visible. Only when you are carrying out the symbol action of the square you may look through the discard pile.
However, players can agree on being allowed to look through the discard pile anytime.
Symbols on the Vending Stand Cards
All vending stand cards show one of three other symbols in the top right corner.
If you place the first vending stand card with a certain symbol in your vending area, this symbol has no effect for the time being. But if you place a second vending stand with the same symbol in your vending area, a specific symbol action is triggered:
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Ice cream, pretzel or drink: If you place a second vending stand with the same symbol in your vending area, you get 1 coin from the supply.
Important: Only the symbol on the card is relevant, not the colour of the vending stand. There are three yellow vending stands, each with a different symbol.
The 3rd Symbol
If you were supposed to place on your side the third animal card of the same species with the same symbol or the third vending stand card with the same symbol, you put it directly on the discard pile instead and have to take 1 minus point from the supply.
Important: With vending stands, here also you have to consider only the symbol and not the colour of the vending stand.
Interim Scorings
Animals
As soon as there are as many animals overall of one species lying in the enclosures of both players as the applicable target value determines, play is immediately interrupted for an interim scoring.
The player whose enclosure holds the most animal cards of this species gets the top scoring marker from the stockpile and keeps it face up in front of him. If the marker also shows a coin, he additionally takes a coin from the supply. After that, the zoo tile of the respective enclosure is turned to its back in order to indicate that this species has already been scored.
Example: player 1: 1 bison; player 2: 3 bisons – player 2 wins the interim scoring.
There can be no more than one interim scoring for each species. During the further course of the game, both players can place additional cards of this species in their enclosure and steal animals of this species. Even if this causes the majorities to change, the player who won the interim scoring keeps his scoring marker.
With the species with an even target value, a tie is possible. In this case, an interim scoring takes place only if one of the players clearly has more animal cards of this species in his enclosure during the further course of the game. This can happen either through connecting an additional card or through stealing an animal of this species.
Vending Stands
As soon as one of the players has at least one stand of each colour in his vending area, play is immediately interrupted for an interim scoring.
Important: In this case, only the colour of the vending stands is relevant; the symbols don't play any role.
The player who has triggered the interim scoring gets the top scoring marker from the stockpile and keeps it face up in front of him. If the marker also shows a coin, he additionally takes a coin from the supply. After that, the zoo tile with the vending area is turned to its back in order to indicate that the vending stands have already been scored.
Here also, additional vending stands can be placed on both sides during the further course of the game. But, as with the animals, there is only one interim scoring for the vending stands, and the player who won the scoring marker keeps it in any case.
End of the Game
The end of the game can be triggered in either of two ways:
- "Final round" card: When the "final round" card turns up on top of the draw pile, it is immediately put aside. As soon as one player draws the next card, the current round becomes the final round and is played until completed. Then, when both players have taken a transport truck, the game ends and the final scoring takes place.
- "Final round" scoring marker: When the "final round" scoring marker turns up on top of the stockpile, it is immediately put aside. As soon as one player gets the next scoring marker at an interim scoring, the current round becomes the final round and is played until completed. Then, when both players have taken a transport truck, the game ends and the final scoring takes place.
Final Scoring
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Now, each species is evaluated at the final scoring, regardless of whether they were considered at an interim scoring or not. The player with the most animal cards of a species in his enclosure gets 1 point marker from the supply and puts it in front of him, with the plus point side facing up. In case of a tie, none of the two players gets the plus point.
Important: There is no final scoring for the vending stands.
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For every 2 of his coins, each player gets 1 plus point from the supply.
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After that, each player adds up the plus points on his scoring markers and his point markers and deducts any minus points. The player with the highest total score wins.
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In case of a tie, the player with the most coins wins. If there is still a tie, players share the victory.
Scoring example: 3 points for final scoring of the species; 1 point for the coins; 9 points for interim scorings; -2 points for lightnings, etc.; total 11 points.
Variant: Expert Game
The expert game allows an addition to action A: When you have picked the top card from the draw pile and looked at it, you may – for 1 coin – put it directly on the discard pile (instead of connecting it to a transport truck).
Put the coin back into the supply. You don't draw a replacement card. Your turn is over.
Important: This is not allowed in the final round.