ZooStock Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Contents
• Introduction of Animals
• Preparing for the Game
• Play a Card
• Determining the Winner of a Trick
• Acquiring and Moving Cards
• Special Action "LOCK"
• Zoo Evaluation (Score Calculation)
• End of Game

Game Overview

• This is a "trick-taking game" where the winner is determined by the strength of the cards played.
• Before the start of the round, each player selects "3 cards" from their hands and discards them into the EX zone. The number of "the most animal cards" in the discarded cards becomes "the number of the Trump".
• If you have a card with the same animal as the lead player (the first player), you must play the card. It is called "Must-Follow" trick-taking game.
• After all players have played 1 card each, the winner of the trick is determined. The following rules are used to determine the winner of a trick: (1) if the "number of trump" is shown, the player who plays that card wins the trick; (2) if there is no trump, the player with the highest number card wins the trick; (3) if there are multiple cards with the same number, the player whose turn comes later wins the trick.
• The winning player gets all the animal cards played in this trick and places them by species in their own zoo. Each zoo can have 3 species of animals.
• If the number of species exceeds 3 when the animal cards are acquired, they must be moved to the neighboring zoo to the left, in the order of the animals already kept there. And then the newly acquired animals must be accepted. Animal cards that were not accepted in the last zoo go to the "EX Zone (Extinction Zone)".
• Score will be calculated after all tricks are completed. Each animal card in your zoo has a score "equal to the number of cards" of the same animal card in the EX zone.
• Two rounds are played in total, and the player with the highest score wins.

Contents

• Cards: 60 cards (6 types each of numbered cards from 1 to 10).
  • Green: Giant Panda
  • Pink: Pygmy hippopotamus
  • Blue: Polar bear
  • Orange: Lesser panda
  • Brown: Malayan tapir
  • White: Asian elephant
  • Back side: Common to all cards (LOCKED)
• Counting card: 1 card (you may use any side you like).
• Counting disc: 1 piece.
• Japanese rulebook: 1 copy.
• English rulebook: 1 copy (this sheet).

Introduction of Animals

Classification based on "IUCN Red List Categories".

• Extinct: EX (Extinct); EW (Extinct in the Wild).

• Threatened: CR (Critically Endangered); EN (Endangered); VU (Vulnerable).

• Lower Risk: NT (Near Threatened); LC (Least Concern).

• Asian elephant (EN): Compared to the African elephant (EN), the Asian elephant has smaller body and ears, and a round head.

• Lesser panda (EN): At first, they were called "Pandas". However, with the discovery of Giant pandas, they came to be called "Lesser pandas".

• Pygmy hippopotamus (CR): Pygmy hippopotamus differs from the "Hippopotamus (VU)" in its body size and ecology. It is one of the three most rare animals in the world.

• Malayan tapir (EN): At night, the black areas are obscured by the darkness and only the white areas emerge, which is thought to have the effect of blurring outlines and camouflaging them.

• Giant Panda (VU): Previously classified as "EN" on the Red List, it was downgraded to "VU" due to conservation efforts.

• Polar bears (VU): Habitat and food are decreasing due to global warming. Not found in Antarctica.

The animals featured in "Zoo Stock" are all listed as endangered species. The species selected are those that can be seen in zoos in Japan. If you have a chance, please visit a zoo.

References: IUCN 2023. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. http://www.iucnredlist.org. IUCN-J. https://www.iucn.jp/. WWF JAPAN. https://www.wwf.or.jp/.

Preparing for the Game

Game Flow (as printed):

1. Prepare for the game (determine the trump).
2. Playing cards / Special action (LOCK).
3. Determining the winner of a trick.
4. Acquiring and moving cards.
5. Zoo evaluation (score calculation) after all tricks are finished.

Steps 2 to 4 make 1 Trick; the tricks make 1 Round. 1 game is played for 2 rounds.

1. Prepare animal cards.

• 3 players: 6 types of cards from 1 to 8 (48 cards: remove all 9 and 10 cards and put them away in a box).
• 4 players: 6 types of cards from 1 to 10 (60 cards: all cards are used).

2. Shuffle the cards well and deal them face down to each player as a hand. The cards in the hand are not shown to other players, and players must check the cards in their own hands. *The cards in the hand may be rearranged.

• 3 players: 16 cards each (dealt out).
• 4 players: 15 cards each (dealt out).

3. Each player selects 3 cards from their hand and puts them out face down (discarded).

4. When all players have finished discarding three cards, they are lightly shuffled face down, and then all the cards are revealed face up. *The reason for lightly shuffling the cards face down is to make it impossible to know who discarded which cards. The revealed cards should be grouped together by the same animal type and arranged in such a way that the numbers are visible. This area is called the "EX Zone".

5. The number of "the most animal cards" in the EX zone becomes "the number of the Trump". Place the "Counting Card" near the EX Zone, and place the "Counting Disc" in the column that matches the "number" that is the trump.

About the "Number" of Trump. During a round, cards may be added to the EX Zone. When the number of the most animal cards is changed as a result of the addition, the "number" of the trump for this round will also be changed. Whenever cards are added to the EX Zone, check the "number of the most animal cards" and move the counting disc to the column of the matching number. *Please see the reverse side for the strength of the trump.

About "EX Zone (Extinction Zone)". Animals in this zone are "the cards that have disappeared in this round". In other words, the more animals are in this zone, the rarer they are and the more desirable they are to be protected in your zoo. The EX Zone is not moved until the end of this round, and the numbers on the cards are visible. Set up and place the cards in a position visible to all players, such as in the center of the table.

Cards do not have to be arranged in numerical order, but must be placed so that their numbers are visible.

Example: the most animal cards are "3 cards" for the polar bear, so the number that will be the trump is "3". Note: The "polar bear" is not the trump, but all the "3" cards of all animals become a trump.

Play a Card

1. The person who recently "went to the zoo" will be the lead player (first player) for the first trick. Or, the lead player can be decided by any suitable method.
2. The turn is made one by one in a clockwise direction, starting with the lead player. The lead player chooses a card from the hand and puts it out face up.
3. The 2nd to 4th players must play the same animal card as the lead player if they have one in their hand. (This rule is called "must follow.") If the player does not have the same animal card in the hand as the lead player, the player may play any card.

Determining the Winner of a Trick

1. When all players have played a card, a trick is judged to be won according to the following rules. *Regardless of whether you are following the "must follow" or not, you will be judged by the "number" of the card that is played.
   1. If the "number of trump" is shown, the player who plays that card wins the trick.
   2. If there is no trump, the player with the highest number card wins the trick.
   3. If there are multiple cards with the same number, the player whose turn comes later wins the trick.

Judging the Trick (flowchart): Number of Trump → (if a trump number card is played) the trick is won by the player who plays it; (if no trump number cards) Highest Number → when the same number is played, the person who plays later in the turn wins the trick.

Example of tricks: The number of the trump is "3" (the EX Zone shows the polar bear with "3 cards"). The lead player (1st player A) plays "Pygmy hippopotamus 8". The 2nd player B does not have any "Pygmy hippopotamus" in the hand, so B plays "Malayan Tapir 3". The 3rd player C has several "Pygmy hippopotamus" in the hand, so C chooses and plays "Pygmy hippopotamus 3". The 4th player D has no "Pygmy hippopotamus" in the hand, so D plays "Lesser Panda 3". The highest number is A's "Pygmy hippopotamus 8", but since the current trump number is 3, B's "Malayan Tapir 3", C's "Pygmy hippopotamus 3", and D's "Lesser Panda 3" remain the winners. If the numbers are the same, the player who plays later is stronger, so D's "Lesser panda 3" wins this trick.

Acquiring and Moving Cards

1. The player who wins the trick receives all the animal cards used in this trick and places them in the player's zoo (the space in front of oneself) according to the "Zoo Rules" below.

Zoo Rules

• Each zoo may keep three types of animals.
• Only one type of animal can be placed in each breeding row.
• The same animal cannot be kept in more than one row.
• When placing animals, be sure to place them in such a way that their numbers are visible.
• The rows of animals must be placed from the left side.
• When accepting new animals, you may place them in any order you wish, but once they are placed, you may not switch places (order of rows).
• When accepting cards, the animals which are already kept are added to that row. Then make a row for the newly accepted animals, and place them in any order you like on the right side of the already existing row.

Card Placement (illustration): Your Zoo (space in front of yourself) — the zoo is up to three rows of animals are allowed; only one species per row; the same animal cannot be kept in multiple rows.

2. If the player accepts new animals and the number of breeding rows exceeds three, the animals will be moved. After all breeding rows are placed according to the "Zoo Rules," the fourth row or more counting from the right are moved (slid) to the neighboring player's zoo on the left. *After all the animals have been placed, move them to the neighboring zoo.

Movement of Cards (illustration): Zoo before acquiring the card — rows 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 counted from the left; the rows that cannot be kept are moved to the zoo next door to the left.

3. The neighboring player to the left, to whom the animal was moved, also places the animal that was moved according to the "Zoo Rules". At this time, animals that are not kept in their own zoo can be added to the right side of the zoo in any order they wish. (They cannot be switched with rows that already exist.) If the result of the placement is that the number of breeding rows exceeds three, the animals will be moved again.

4. If a chain of animal moves occurs in the zoo of the last player (the player to the right of the trick gaining player), the animals are moved to the "EX Zone (Extinction Zone)" and placed there, instead of to the neighboring zoo of the player to the left (the trick winning player). *If an animal already has a row in the EX Zone, add a card to that row. *Please place the cards in such a way that the number of each card is visible.

Moving Chain and Extinction (illustration): animal cards move to the neighboring zoo; the chain of moves ends in the EX Zone; the player who won the trick performs an action such as "raising a hand" or "placing the right hand on the right side of the zoo" after the movement of own zoo is finished. Player to start moving: the player who won the trick. Go to EX Zone: the last player. Number of Trump changes 3 → 4 in this example.

5. When a card is added to the EX zone, the number of the most animals in the EX zone is checked. If the number of the most animals changes, the number of trump also changes. The counting disc on the counting card is moved to the position of the new number of trump.

6. When all moves have been completed, the next trick begins. The lead player (first player) of the next trick is the player who won the current trick.

Special Action "LOCK"

1. "I don't want to move those animals!" In such a case, declare "LOCK" on your turn. And you choose a card from the hand and place it face down on top of one of the breeding rows in your zoo soon. By this action, only this breeding row will not be moved to the neighboring zoo in the future.

Notes on "LOCK"

• Each player may perform "LOCK" action only once during a round.
• Only one player may perform "LOCK" action during one trick.
• A normal turn is passed, so only other players will be judged to have won this trick.
• The card used for "LOCK" action is left face down until the end of the round. Stack them so that the numbers in the breeding rows are not hidden. (You may place them on top of the row.)
• The lead player can also perform the "LOCK" action, in which case that players must follow up on the animal card played by the second player.
• The same animal cards cannot be added to the Locked row in the future.
• The animals in the Locked row cannot be added to the other rows. If the player gains the same animal as the locked row, the animal must be moved to the neighboring zoo, even if there is an empty space in the zoo.

Flow of "LOCK" action (illustration): cards are placed face down on a breeding row, shown as "Lock!".

Movement at LOCK: Example 1 — the LOCK row is not moved; the other rows that exceed the limit move to the neighboring zoo. Example 2 — "You cannot keep the same animal as the locked breeding row. Therefore, they must be moved to the neighboring zoo."

Zoo Evaluation (Score Calculation)

1. A round ends when all the cards in the hand have been used up. The "Zoo Evaluation (score calculation)" for this round is performed.

Evaluation (score calculation) Scores are calculated by referring to your zoo and EX Zone. Each animal in your zoo has a score equal to the number of cards of the same animal in the EX Zone. Calculate the score of each animal, and the total score is the evaluation (score) of your zoo for this round.

a) Number of animals A in the breeding row x Number of the same species (animal A) in the EX zone b) Number of animals B in the breeding row x Number of the same species (animal B) in the EX zone c) Number of animals C in the breeding row x Number of the same species (animal C) in the EX zone → a + b + c = total points ... the evaluation points (scores) of your zoo in this round.

Q. What is the score for an animal card with none in the EX zone? A. An animal with no cards in the EX Zone scores 0 points, no matter how many cards are kept in the zoo.

Q. Is the card used in the special action "LOCK" included in the score? A. No. Face-down cards used in the "LOCK" action are not included in the scoring.

2. Once the scores are noted down on paper or chips, the "game preparation" is done again, and the next round begins. The player who starts the second round (lead player) is the player with the lowest score in the first round.

Example of Score Calculation (as printed): The printed example shows "Your Zoo" with 3 Giant panda cards, 4 Lesser panda (red panda) cards, and 5 Polar bear cards, and an "EX Zone" with 2 cards (2 points) of the animals used in the calculation.

• a) 3 Giant pandas x 0 card in EX zone (0 points) = 0 points
• b) 4 Red pandas x 2 cards in EX zone (2 points) = 8 points
• c) 4 Polar bears x 2 cards in EX zone (2 points) = 8 points
• Evaluation of the zoo in this round (a+b+c): 0 + 8 + 8 = 16 points

Note (source inconsistency, transcribed as printed): the printed line c) reads "4 Polar bears", but the Your Zoo illustration shows 5 Polar bear cards. The printed total of 16 is consistent with 4 Polar bears; with 5 it would be 0 + 8 + 10 = 18. Left as printed.

Contribute to the "conservation of species" by breeding rare species in the EX Zone!

End of Game

Two rounds are played in total, and the player with the highest total score wins the game and earns the title of "zoo owner who has contributed to the conservation of the most species". If there is more than one player with the same score, it is advisable to either share the victory or play one more round to make the game black and white.