Animals

Lead the most impressive flock through feeding, nest building, and hatching. Selecting the actions is simple, but when one bird flies, so do all the others! Can you time your actions to take advantage of when the flocks fly?

During the game Flock, players try to expand their flock with the goal of scoring the most victory points after three rounds of play. Victory points are scored by controlling the action cards at the end of each round. Also, be sure to have enough tasty worms to feed your birds at the end of each round, or otherwise they will fly away. Will your flock be on top of the pecking order?

In more detail, players start with three of their eleven birds in front of them. Six nest, egg and worm tokens are placed on the side for each player. On a turn, a player can either place a bird on one of the six action cards or activate an action card on which they have at least one bird. When you activate an action card, you can remove birds from the card — possibly paying worms, nests and eggs as well — to take the action shown, such as removing two birds from "Feeding" to get three worms. Spent birds are returned to your personal pool of resources, while other spent resources are placed on the side. Each player in turn order does the same with this action, then whether they used their birds or not, all birds are removed from this action card, flying away to the players' personal pools.

When the "Dominance" card is activated, the dominant player adjusts their pecking order on the initiative track, then everyone else flies their birds from that card to the other action cards. When "Competition" is activated, which is possible only when enough birds have landed on it, each player spends a nest and worm for each of their birds (removing them if this isn't possible), then flies their birds to other action cards. Players then score points for having the most or secondmost birds on a card and for the birds left in their pool.

After three rounds, the player with the most points wins!

Lots of animals live on the African plains. Elephants, lions, zebras, hippos, giraffes — we aren't sure exactly how they live, so animal researchers are constantly studying them in order to find out more.

In String Safari (a.k.a. String Savanna), the players are zoologists, trying to get as much information as possible about the animals scattered across the savanna to complete research goals. Before you can study the animals, though, you need to have them under control, so you'll need to enclose them in your study range — that is, your string — which earns you a point at the same time. The animals all have different attributes, and the topography also influences your ability to study the animals. In the end, whoever completes the most research on the correct animals wins.

Special rules are included so that even young children can play.

In Sky Tango, you trace the cycles of the moon and the sun by creating series of cards that illustrate the passing of time. Eclipses can appear and ruin your paths, but don't let them discourage you for the sun and moon will always reappear. Will your solar and lunar cycles lead you to victory?

In game terms, the deck of cards consists of numbered sun and moon cards (some of which feature animals) as well as eclipse cards. Players place the cards in stacks in ascending order, either in front of themselves or in front of others. When a stack is five cards high, it can be removed and scored for points. Stacks can be interrupted by eclipse cards, which in turn can be covered by the appropriate sun or moon cards. Playing a card with an animal allows a player to play again, which is sometimes advantageous, but sometimes not. The player who removes the most cards from play wins!

A long time ago, the Emperor of China offered to the Emperor of Japan a giant panda, a symbol of peace. Your delicate mission: Take care of the animal by planning a bamboo field. Now as a reward for your great work, you are being offered a second panda...a female!

Takenoko: Chibis includes a miniature of the female panda, nine different tiles for the baby pandas, six plot tiles, 18 cards, and 17 bamboo pieces.

Get your plastic spears ready to hunt dinos!

You'll have to catch dinos that are showed on the chief menu of the day. But every player will do it at the same time, so you'll have to be quick and clever to hit n' catch the right dino card with your personal plastic arrow. The slowest player must give his dino card back...

When you have collected enough dino cards to fill the menu, you shout "Oooga", take the menu card and draws another one.

At the end of the game, the player with the most dinos on his menu cards wins.