# Ark Nova: Marine Worlds ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2023 - **BGG Rating**: 8.9 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 2) - **Duration**: 90-150 min - **Weight**: 3.87 / 5 - **Designers**: Mathias Wigge - **Artists**: Christof Tisch, Loïc Billiau, Steffen Bieker - **Publishers**: Feuerland Spiele, Capstone Games, Cranio Creations, Game Harbor, Gémklub, Grok Games, IGAMES, Korea Boardgames, Lautapelit.fi, Maldito Games, MINDOK, Portal Games, Regatul Jocurilor, Super Meeple, White Goblin Games - **Categories**: Animals, Environmental, Expansion for Base-game - **Mechanics**: End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Hexagon Grid, Income, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Tile Placement, Variable Player Powers, Variable Set-up ## Verdict If you love Ark Nova and crave more depth and variety, Marine Worlds is a perfect dive that cleverly expands the game.New marine animalsStrategic aquatic enclosuresCascading abilitiesAlternate actionsIncreased asymmetryRequires base gameIncreases complexityLonger playtimesHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Get ready to dive deep into the Ark Nova universe with the Marine Worlds expansion! If you're already a fan of building and managing your zoo, this expansion brings an aquatic touch that will make your park even more complete. The main stars are the marine animals, which come with a special condition: they must be housed in specific enclosures, always built next to water. And there's more: reef dwellers, a special type of marine animal, trigger cascading abilities whenever you add a new one to your zoo, creating super interesting combos. To ensure the deck doesn't get 'diluted' with so many new cards, marine cards come with a wave icon. Whenever one appears in the display, the first card in the row is discarded and a new one is replenished, keeping the flow of options always fresh. On the association board, a fourth university appears, and by choosing it, you can pick one of six special universities from the reserve. These universities not only offer a research icon but also an animal icon, allowing you to reveal cards from the top of the deck and take the first one that matches your chosen animal icon. This adds an extra strategic layer in the hunt for specific animals. But the novelties don't stop there! The expansion also introduces four alternate versions for each of the five original action cards. At the start of the game, players select two of these new cards to replace the standard ones, increasing asymmetry and strategic possibilities in each game. Imagine a build card that allows you to build over water or rock, or an animal card that ignores certain conditions! New bonus tiles and final scoring cards are also included, as well as custom wooden markers for the tracks and cute animals to mark your conservation projects. Ark Nova: Marine Worlds is an invitation to expand your vision and build the zoo of your dreams, now with an ocean of possibilities! ## How to Play Game Objective In this expansion, players expand their zoos to include a new type of animal: marine animals. To accommodate them, it will be necessary to build Aquariums, which are special enclosures. The overall goal remains to develop the zoo, using new Zoo cards, Final Score cards, and Bonus Tokens to optimize management and attractiveness. Setup Set up the game normally following the base game rules, applying the following changes and additions: General Setup Supply Components: Add the new special enclosures, unique constructions, and extra Kiosks/Pavilions to the supply. Cards and Tokens: Shuffle the new Zoo, Basic Conservation Project, and Final Score cards into their respective decks. Add the new Bonus Tokens to the base game tokens. Association Board: Replace the base game Association board with the new one. Place the generic university (with the corresponding icon) in its space on the board and the specific universities nearby. Reputation Track: Randomly place 1 additional Bonus Token face up next to the attraction icon near space 15 on the Reputation Track. Individual Setup After taking the zoo map, the player must select 2 Alternative Action Cards. Each player receives 3 cards at random. They keep 1 and pass 2 to the left. They receive 2 from the player to the right, keep 1, and pass the last one to the left. From the final set of 3 cards, the player discards 1 and uses the other 2. Critical Rule: The 2 chosen cards must be of different action types. Replace the two corresponding regular Action Cards with the selected alternative versions. Place the cards normally: the Animal Action Card in space 1 and the others randomly in the remaining 4 spaces. Game Flow Refer to the manual for details on this section. Actions and How to Play Marine Animals and Aquariums Marine animals require the construction of Aquariums (available in Small and Large sizes). Some cards have specific requirements, such as needing to be adjacent to rock or water spaces. There are rare cases of marine animals that can be housed in either a standard enclosure or an Aquarium. Coral Reef Residents About half of marine animals are Coral Reef Residents (identified by an icon on the right side of the card). When you play a Coral Reef Resident card, you must trigger the Coral Reef Resident effects of all animals of that type already present in your zoo, including the card you just played. You can choose the order in which these effects resolve. Wave Icon Cards with the wave icon (marine animals and some Sponsors) have a replacement rule: whenever you replenish the display and add a card with this icon, you must discard the lowest card (position 1) from the display and replace it. If you reveal 2 or more cards with the icon simultaneously, discard 1 card for each icon. New University When using an Association Action, you can acquire one of the new universities if the generic university is still on the board and you do not already own any of the new universities. When you do so: You remove the generic university from the board (preventing other players from taking new universities until the next Pause). You gain 1 animal icon (depending on the university chosen). You may search 1 card in the deck that matches the university icon (revealing cards from the top until you find a matching Animal or Sponsor; the rest go to the bottom of the deck). You gain 1 research icon. End of Game and Scoring Refer to the manual for details on this section. Winning Tips Coral Reef Synergy: Leverage Coral Reef Residents to create combos, as playing a new animal of this type activates the effects of all other Coral Reef Residents already in your zoo. University Timing: Try to acquire the new universities early, as the available options decrease as other players choose them and the generic university is removed from the board. Reputation Management: When reaching space 15 on the reputation track, decide whether it is more advantageous to take the available Bonus Token or convert that gain into 1 attraction. ## FAQ ### What does Ark Nova: Marine Worlds add to the base game? This expansion introduces marine animals with special enclosures, a new university offering research and animal bonuses, alternate action cards for greater asymmetry, and new end-game bonuses, plus aesthetic components. ### Is the Ark Nova base game required to play Marine Worlds? Yes, Ark Nova: Marine Worlds is an expansion and requires the Ark Nova base game to be played, as it complements the existing mechanics and content. ### How do marine animals work in the expansion? Marine animals must be played in special enclosures built adjacent to water. 'Reef dwellers' have a unique ability that triggers whenever another reef dweller is added to your zoo. ### Do the alternate action cards significantly change the game? Yes, quite a bit! Players select two alternate cards at the start, replacing standard ones. This creates asymmetry between players and opens up new strategies, as each alternate version has a unique 'twist'. ### Does the expansion increase complexity or playtime? Yes, the expansion adds new rules and strategic considerations, which may slightly increase complexity and, consequently, playtime, especially in the first few games. ### Who is this expansion recommended for? It's highly recommended for players who already love Ark Nova and are looking for more depth, variety, and new strategies. If you want to expand your zoo with an aquatic theme and more tactical options, this is for you! ### Are the new components just functional or also aesthetic? Both! In addition to new cards and rules, the expansion includes alternate wooden markers for the tracks and cute animal miniatures to mark conservation projects, adding a pleasing visual touch. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 26.55 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4718295&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/44821/ark-nova-marine-worlds?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com