How to Play Bonfire: Trees & Creatures

Game Objective

In Bonfire: Trees & Creatures, players explore the world of Asperia and its inhabitants, focusing on Ancient Trees and various Creatures with special abilities. The central theme involves gnomes discovering and interacting with these elements to complete tasks. While the manual provides details on final scoring, the overall victory condition is not explicitly described, but it is presumed to be accumulating the most points.

Setup

Game setup involves assembling the modules and additional components, following the rules of the base game and the new additions:

1. Additional Components for 5th Player: If playing with 5 players, add the following components for the black player: 1 Action Overview, 1 Guardian, 7 Novices, 1 Ship, 1 Score Marker, 1 “0/50” Marker, 10 Offering Tokens, 8 Destiny Tokens. Additionally, add 7 Portals, 1 Overview Card (for Final Scoring), 21 Action Tokens, 18 Resources, 1 Starting Token for Guardians, 1 Player Board, 1 Extension (Terrace), and 8 Multiplier Tiles.
2. Additional Tasks: Place 2 additional Tasks on each of the 4 islands with Guardians.
3. Portals on the Great Bonfire: Place 5 Portals on each space on the Great Bonfire.
4. Module 1: Ancient Trees:
   • Place the Tree Board adjacent to the Main Board, extending the forest next to the Path Tokens. The new board also provides space for the Path Token stacks.
   • Shuffle the 24 Trees (7 blue, 7 red, 6 yellow, 4 white) and create a face-up stack on the rightmost space of the Tree Board.
   • Draw 4 Trees and place them in the remaining spaces, so that a total of 5 Trees are displayed.
   • Place the Neutral Novice on the Common Task.
   • Add the Elder card from this expansion to the Base Game Elders, creating a display of 7 cards. This Elder grants "1 Point for each Tree in your City".
   • Shuffle the 6 Guardian Tokens, draw 4, and place them randomly near the Guardians described on the Board. Return the remaining 2 Tokens to the box. If the adjacent Token is present, place 6 different Action Tokens on top of that Token as a randomly formed stack.
   • Add 3 Tasks (1 of each color) along with the others.
5. Module 2: Creatures: After base game setup (between steps 7 and 8 of the base game manual, page 5):
   • Remove the Thunder Frog (03) from the game, if not using the Events module.
   • Shuffle the 9 Creature Tokens and reveal a number of Creatures equal to the number of players plus 2.
   • Starting to the right of the Starting Player and proceeding counter-clockwise, each player chooses 1 Creature for themselves and places it face-up below their Action Overview. Return unchosen Creatures to the box. The Creature and its ability are available to the player throughout the game.
6. Module 3: Events:
   • Shuffle the 21 Event Cards to form a face-down stack.
7. Multiplier Tiles: If you run out of Resources or Action Tokens, you can use the Multiplier Tiles: place a Resource or Action Token on the Tile, indicating that you now have 3 Resources or Tokens of that type.

Game Flow

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

The base game rules apply, but new possibilities have been added by the modules. Here are the detailed actions and interactions:

• Receive a Task: When performing this action, you can take one of the additional Tasks on the islands with Guardians, paying 1 less Resource (since there is no resource described on these islands). You must still pay and deliver the Offering Token.
• Perform a Procession and Place a Tree (Ancient Trees Module):
  1. If you perform the Perform a Procession action and have at least 1 Guardian on a Path Token without an adjacent Tree, you can place 1 Tree.
  2. Choose 1 of the 3 leftmost Trees in the Tree Board display.
  3. Pay the Resources described on the left side of that Tree.
  4. Place the Tree adjacent to one of your Path Tokens that has a Guardian on it and on which no other Tree has been placed.
  5. Move the remaining Trees from right to left, filling the display so that it contains 5 Trees.
• Tree Functions: Each Tree has a different use, described in its canopy. The right side of the Tree describes when and how often you can use its function: once immediately, as many times as you want, or once at the end of the game.
• Guardian Advantages when Taking a Tree: On the Tree Board, each Guardian is associated with a Guardian Token. If you have the corresponding Guardian in your city, it will provide a small advantage every time you take a Tree:
  • You gain 1 Point.
  • You can pay 1 Resource to gain 1 yellow Action Token.
  • You can pay 1 Gold to gain 2 Points.
• Additional High Council Space (Ancient Trees Module): There is 1 additional space on the Tree Board where Novices can be placed. The bonus is: "Take 1 of the 3 leftmost Trees (except white Tree!) for free and place it according to the normal adjacency rules to a Path Token. OR: Gain 1 Point". You can use your Guardians' advantages. Then, fill the display normally.
• Additional Common Task (Ancient Trees Module): There is 1 additional Common Task on the Tree Board that allows you to gain 7 Points for "Having 7 Trees".
• Creatures Module: The Creature chosen by each player and its ability are available for use throughout the game.
• Events Module:
  • The Starting Player takes the stack of Event Cards.
  • Even before their first turn, the Starting Player reveals the top Event and leaves that card visible to everyone. From now on, everyone can use this Event.
  • Always before performing the Place a Destiny Token action, the Starting Player reveals 1 Event Card. From now on, only the new Event is active. Only then does the player place the Destiny Token and can already use the new Event, if applicable.

End of Game and Scoring

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

At the END OF THE GAME, scoring is calculated as follows:

• You gain 2 Points for each Tree of the same color as the adjacent Bonfire.
• You gain 2 Points for each of your white Trees, adjacent to any Bonfire.
• You gain Points for any Trees with the end-game symbol.
• You gain 7 Points if you complete the Common Task: Have 7 Trees.
• The expansion Elder grants 1 Point for each Tree in your City.

Tips for Winning

• Resource and Token Management: Pay attention to your Resources and Action Tokens. If you are low, remember that Multiplier Tiles can be used to indicate that you have 3 Resources or Tokens of a type, which can be crucial for planning your actions.
• Strategy with Trees and Guardians: When taking Trees, consider the advantages your active Guardians can offer, such as gaining Points, yellow Action Tokens, or additional Points by paying Gold. Strategically positioning Guardians on Path Tokens without adjacent Trees is essential to be able to place new Trees and activate their functions.
• Adapting to Events: The Events module can change the basic rules of the game in a positive way. Always be aware of the active Event, as it can offer unique opportunities or alter the priority of your actions.