When you open Ecologies, you’ll see plenty of different cards. But don’t worry; understanding how the game works is simpler than you might think. The cards are separated into three categories, which we’ve outlined below. But while this is a fun way to play, we think Ecologies works best as a group game. Ecologies can be played with up to six people. In group games, the game wants the first player to earn 12 victory points. No, it is a powerful defensive perk, but has several limitations. While the bonus protects all your organisms in every biome from destruction, it does not protect against negative cards in general. For example, other players can still play “parasitism” or “biomagnification of pollutants.” The bonus really only prevents opponents from pointing to one of your organisms and saying “I’m using my special card or ability to destroy this.” In fact, using “biomagnification of pollutants” on a healthy desert ecology would drop the maximum trophic level of the desert to C2 and therefore render it unhealthy. This would immediately remove the healthy ecology bonus and allow for targeted destruction of organisms. In effect, the biomagnification card is a counter to the healthy ecology bonus. The game takes inspiration from titles like Settlers of Catan, Agricola, and Dominion. The gameplay is rooted in authentic science, as it is used in the classroom to teach real concepts to biology students. While it is scientific enough for the classroom, it is also strategic enough for any game night. The game takes inspiration from titles like Settlers of Catan, Agricola, and Dominion. Real science is integral to the game, as it is used in the classroom to teach real concepts to biology students. While it is scientific enough for the classroom, it is also strategic enough for game night.

Gameplay is rooted in authentic science, as it is used in the classroom to teach real concepts to biology students. While it is scientific enough for the classroom, it is also strategic enough for any game night. Many bonuses are used “every other turn.” These bonuses can be used the first turn they are activated, or players can wait to start using the ability in a future round. However, once the ability has been used the pattern is set and can not be altered, even if the food web temporarily becomes unhealthy and loses the bonus (no “resetting” the pattern). What’s the difference between purchasing a new card with unwanted cards from your hand versus cards you already played on the table? Cards are arranged with plants/algae on the bottom and predators on top. Players negotiate trades and use biotic and abiotic factor cards to affect their webs and the webs of players around them. It is a race to get to 12 victory points, with players using different strategies such as focusing on one biome, going for perks and bonuses, or disrupting other ecologies. The first card any player puts down must be a biome card. This card will set the foundation for what cards can be used to build your ecosystem. You only need one biome card per ecosystem; the cards are easy to tell apart because they have unique colors and abbreviations.After the chosen number of Producers have been played, additional organisms may be added to the Ecology. The second row will be reserved for C1 cards or SD cards. The third row will be reserved for C2 cards. The fourth row will be reserved for C3 cards, and anything above will be C4 cards. Designed by a biology teacher, the game includes 77 unique organisms, 7 biomes, and beautiful vintage Victorian art. (108 cards total)

The game uses the terms “eats” and “eaten by” as simplified stand ins for “receives energy from” and “provides energy to.” Food webs and trophic levels are all about the way energy moves through ecologies. Producers make up the foundation of these webs by converting the energy of the sun into sugars. There is no sunlight card and biomes are assumed to have access to the sun’s energy. “Decaying biomass” just means it eats any dead tissues from the other organisms in the food web. This means the organism is a scavenger/decomposer/detritivore (SD) and should be placed on the second row above primary producers when you want that card to act in the (SD) role. This is because in terms of trophic levels, detritus (decaying biomass) is seen as level one, the same as plants, so things that eat the decaying biomass are level two, the same as primary consumers. There is no specific card for this, as long as there are any other cards in a biome, cards with (SD) are able to sit in the primary consumer level and “feed” off that decaying biomass. Does the tropical forest healthy ecology bonus allow a player to see an opponent’s cards when stealing? Cards are arranged with plants on the bottom and predators on top. Players negotiate trades and use biotic and abiotic factor cards to affect their webs and the webs of players around them. It is a race to get to 12 victory points, with players using different strategies such as focusing on one biome, going for perks and bonuses, or disrupting other ecologies. When are players allowed to rearrange their cards? Can they purposely turn healthy ecologies on and off this way? In ECOLOGIES, you build and maintain food webs in diverse biomes around the world. Each biome has a different ecology, and gives unique rewards when it is healthy and balanced. But watch out, your opponents may decide it's easier to disturb and degrade your ecosystems than nurture their own. In this hectic environment, you must choose how best to protect and care for your ecologies.After a Biome Card has been played, organism cards may start to build the food web and Ecology. After the Biome Card, a Producer Card must be played. These two cards will create the foundation in which the entire food web will sit. Each card played into a Biome must match the Biome’s color and abbreviation , or else it will not survive! The game ends when a player reaches 12 points or when there are no more cards to draw from. The first player to win 12 points wins the game! END OF GAME Ecologies is no ordinary card game! In this game, each player will build an ecosystem. It’s done by using biomes and various organisms to ensure your ecosystem stays strong and thrives. The first card a player must play is a Biome Card. This card will set the base for what types of cards may feed into the Ecology. Only one Biome Card is needed per Ecology. Each Biome Card is dictated by its own color and abbreviation. Biomes give healthy ecology bonuses when five specific roles have been filled within the food web.

Once drawn, the player can trade the cards with other players. Players can trade any card in their hand, and there are no restrictions on how trades can work. Meaning you can trade two cards for three and vice-versa. Do you still have gameplay questions about Ecologies? Here are some of the most common questions we get asked:Strategic Thinking It takes strategy and thought to not only smartly build your own ecology but to think ahead to unbalance your opponent or keep yourself from taking damage Ecologies isn’t a simple game to play, but it isn’t as complex as it might first appear either. So, don’t be put off if you struggle in your first few games. To start playing Ecologies, one player should be chosen to go first. Ecologies is fun to play again and again as you learn from your mistakes and successes. It is fun to try out new strategies and play with different levels of competitiveness. 3 Reasons Ecologies is a Favorite This card is added to one of your food webs and prevents other players from interacting with the food web you chose. This means they can no longer play cards on your web or destroy any of the organisms in that web. They can’t interact with the ecology at all. You can still add cards however, and even destroy the ecology if you wish, but no one else can interfere with it. If you’d like to maintain the same game length and feel, we recommend choosing 10-factor cards and 7 different biomes.