Objective of the Game

Welcome, aspiring city-builders, to the enchanting valley of Everdell! Beneath the towering Ever Tree, a bustling civilization of forest critters is ready to thrive, and you're at the helm of a group eager to expand. Your mission? To construct buildings, meet lively characters, and host events, all while establishing the most prosperous city before the winter moon rises. Will your city shine brightest? Only time, and clever planning, will tell!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, gather 'round the table, critters! Let's get our valley ready for a brand new year.

1. First things first, place the beautiful game board on the table. Then, crown the stump at the top of the board with the majestic Ever Tree.
2. Next, let's get our resources in order. Arrange the piles of twigs, resin, pebbles, and berries along the river bank. Keep the point tokens and occupied tokens handy beside the board.
3. Time for some forest exploration! Shuffle the Forest cards and place them on the forest clearings. You'll use 3 cards for a two-player game, or 4 for three or four players. The rest go back in the box.
4. Now for the events! Place the 4 basic Event tiles along the river. Then, shuffle the special Event cards and place 4 of them on the lower branches of the Ever Tree. The remaining special Events return to the box.
5. Shuffle the main deck of Critter & Construction cards and randomly place 8 cards faceup in the Meadow. The rest of the deck goes inside the Ever Tree.
6. Each player chooses a color and starts with 2 workers of that color. The first player draws 5 cards, the second player 6, the third player 7, and the fourth player 8.
7. Finally, each player places their 4 other workers on the upper branches of the Ever Tree: 1 worker on spring, 1 on summer, and 2 on autumn.

The most humble player gets to go first! There's no limit to the amount of resources a player may have, so don't worry about hoarding!

The Turn of Play

Play proceeds clockwise, with each player taking turns performing one of three main actions. Remember, only one action per turn!

1. Place a Worker

Your little critter workers are the backbone of your city! You'll deploy them to various locations to gather resources, draw cards, host events, or even embark on a journey.

• Location Types: There are two kinds of locations:
  • Exclusive: Marked with a solid ring. Only one worker can visit these.
  • Shared: Marked with an open encircling ring. Multiple workers, even of the same color, can visit these.
• How it Works: Place one of your workers on any available symbol and immediately take the listed resources or perform the action. That worker stays put until you bring them back with the "Prepare for Season" action.
• Where to Visit:
  • Basic Action Spaces: These offer resources like twigs and cards. For example, placing a worker on the second basic action space gains you two twigs and a card from the deck.
  • Forest Locations: These provide various benefits. Note that you can't place two of your own workers on a single Forest location.
  • Destination Cards: You can place a worker on any Destination card in your own city, or on a Destination card in another city that has a symbol. If you visit an opponent's Destination, its owner gains 1 point token!
  • Events: To achieve an Event, you must meet all its listed requirements and pay any resources when you place your worker there. Only one player can achieve a specific Event, so be quick! Achieved Events are placed beside your city for end-game scoring.
  • Haven: This is a shared space where you can discard any number of cards from your hand to gain 1 of any resource for every 2 cards you discard.
  • Journey: Only available in autumn, you can send a worker on a journey by discarding cards equal to the listed points of the Journey location. The deployed worker is then worth those points at the end of the game!

2. Play a Card

This is where your city truly comes to life! You can play one card from either the Meadow cards or your hand.

• Paying the Cost: You must pay the listed requirements into the general supply.
• Critters & Constructions: These are the two types of cards you'll be playing in front of you to form your city.
  • You can have multiple copies of Common cards, but only one specific copy of any Unique card.
  • Playing Critters for Free: If the Construction listed in the top left of a Critter card is already in your city, you can play that Critter without paying its berry cost! Just remember to place an "occupied" token on the Construction – you can only do this once per Construction.
• Your City: Your city has a maximum of 15 spaces for cards. Event cards don't count towards this limit.
• Card Types: Each card type has unique abilities:
  • Tan Traveler: Activates once immediately when played.
  • Green Production: Activates once immediately when played, and again during the "Prepare for Season" actions in spring and autumn.
  • Red Destination: Activates when a worker is placed on it. Cards with the symbol can be visited by opponents.
  • Blue Governance: Grants bonuses after playing certain card types or offers discounts.
  • Purple Prosperity: Worth base points and listed bonus points at the end of the game.
• Drawing Cards: Always draw from the deck unless specified. If a Meadow card is played, immediately replace it. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one.
• Hand Limit: You have a strict hand limit of eight cards. If you would draw more, you only draw up to eight.

3. Prepare for Season

The game begins in late winter and progresses through the seasons. You can only perform this action after you've placed all your current workers.

• When you "Prepare for Season," you alone bring back all your deployed workers.
• Spring: You gain 1 new worker and activate all green Production cards in your city.
• Summer: You gain 1 new worker. No Production in summer, but green cards still activate immediately if played. You may also draw up to 2 Meadow cards when you prepare for summer.
• Autumn: You gain 2 workers and activate all green Production cards in your city. This is the last "Prepare for Season" action you can perform in the game!

End Game and Scoring

The game concludes when all players have passed. You pass when you cannot perform any more actions (or simply choose not to). Once you pass, you cannot be given any cards or resources. To determine the winner, add up all your points:

1. Base points for cards: Each card has a base point value.
2. Point tokens: Any point tokens you've collected.
3. Purple Prosperity card bonuses: These cards grant additional points based on specific conditions.
4. Journey points: Points from workers sent on journeys.
5. Events: Points from any Events you achieved.

In case of a tie, the player who achieved the most Events wins. If there's still a tie, the player with the most leftover resources is the victor!

Tips for Winning

Alright, future Everdell legends, here are a few pointers to get you started on the path to glory:

1. Synergy is Key: Look for cards that work well together! Playing a Construction that allows you to play a specific Critter for free is a fantastic way to quickly expand your city and save precious resources. Keep an eye on those pairings!
2. Don't Underestimate Production: Green Production cards activate multiple times throughout the game (when played, and during spring and autumn "Prepare for Season" actions). Building a strong engine of these cards early can give you a steady stream of resources and advantages.
3. Events are Big Points: Achieving Events can be a significant source of points, and they can even break ties! Keep an eye on the requirements for both basic and special Events and plan your city construction to meet them. Sometimes it's worth a small detour to snag those bonus points.

May your cities flourish and your critters prosper! Happy building!