Game Goal

In PARKS, players take on the roles of two Hikers trekking across different Trails during the four Seasons of a Year. Your goal is to see beautiful Sites, observe wildlife, take photos, and visit national parks. The winner is the player who earns the most points from their Parks, Photos, and Personal Bonus at the end of the Year.

Setup

• Board & Resources: Place the board between players. Place the two token trays (containing all token types and Photos) within reach.
• Parks Area: Shuffle the Parks deck. Deal three face up into the top slots and place the deck on the Parks deck area.
• Gear Area: Shuffle the Gear deck. Deal three face up into the bottom slots and place the deck on the Gear deck area.
• Canteens: Shuffle the Canteen cards. Deal one face up to each player as their starting Canteen. Place the remaining deck on the Canteen area.
• Year: Shuffle the Year deck. Deal two cards to each player; they choose one as their Personal Bonus and discard the other facedown. These remain facedown until the end of the game.
• Seasons: Shuffle the Season deck and reveal the topmost card as the first Season.
• Trail Setup:
  1. Place the Trailhead Site on the far left.
  2. Create the Trail deck by combining the five Basic Site tiles (Forest, Mountain, Valley, Ocean, Vista) and one shuffled Advanced Site tile (those with an asterisk). If playing with 4–5 players, include the Waterfall Site in the Basic Sites.
  3. Shuffle the Trail deck and reveal one Site at a time to the right of the Trailhead until all are placed.
  4. Place the Trail End to the right of the last Site.
• Player Colors: Each player receives two Hikers of the same color (placed on the Trailhead) and one matching Campfire (placed on the lit side).
• Markers: Give the First Hiker Marker to the player who most recently took a hike. Give the Camera to the player to the right of the First Hiker.

Game Flow

The game consists of four rounds, each representing one of the four Seasons. A Season ends when all Hikers reach the Trail End.

Starting a Season

Check the Season card's Weather Pattern. Starting with the 2nd Trail Site, place the indicated tokens from the Weather Pattern onto the Trail (one per Site) from left to right, repeating the pattern until the Trail End. Note that the Trailhead is not the 1st Trail Site.

Taking Turns

The player with the First Hiker Marker goes first. On a turn, a player moves one of their Hikers to any Site to the right of that Hiker's current location. The player then performs the Site's action. Play continues clockwise.

• Occupied Sites: A Site cannot be visited if another Hiker (including your own) is already there, unless you use your Campfire.
• Weather Tokens: The first Hiker to land on a Site with a Weather Pattern token takes that token into their supply as a bonus.
• Token Limit: Players can carry a maximum of 12 tokens. Any excess must be discarded at the end of the turn.

Actions and How to Play

Trail Site Actions

• Forest: Take a Forest token.
• Mountain: Take a Mountain token.
• Valley: Take two Sunshine tokens.
• Ocean: Take two Water tokens.
• Vista: Draw a Canteen OR turn in 2 tokens to take a Photo and gain the Camera.
• Waterfall (4+ players): Gain 1 Sunshine and 1 Water token.
• Wildlife (4+ players): Turn in any 1 token to gain a Wildlife token.
• Lodge: Turn in 2 tokens and gain any other 2 tokens (excluding Wildlife).
• Lookout: Reserve a Park, Visit a Park, or Buy a Gear card.
• River: Spend 1 Water to copy the action from another Site occupied by a Hiker.

Special Mechanics

• Wildlife Tokens: Can be used in place of any other token to Visit Parks or take Photos, but cannot be used in Canteens or to buy Gear.
• Canteens: Filled by placing a Water token gained on that turn onto the card to perform its action.
• Photos & Camera: Photos are worth 1 point. The Camera reduces the cost of taking a Photo at the Vista from 2 tokens to 1. The player holding the Camera at the end of the Season may take a Photo at the reduced price.
• Campfires: To visit an occupied Site, flip your Campfire to the extinguished side. It relights when one of your Hikers reaches the Trail End.

At the Trail End

When a Hiker arrives at the Trail End, the player relights their Campfire and chooses one of these actions:

• Reserve a Park: Choose one of the three available Parks or draw from the Parks deck. Place it horizontally in front of you. The first player to do this also gains the First Hiker Marker (worth 1 point).
• Buy Gear: Pay Sunshine equal to the cost of one of the three available Gear cards. Some have Instant actions; all have Ongoing abilities. In games with 3 or fewer players, the first Hiker here gets a 1 Sunshine discount. In 4+ player games, the first two Hikers get the discount.
• Visit a Park: Turn in the required tokens for one of the three available Parks or one of your Reserved Parks. Place the card vertically in your score area.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the fourth Season ends with its Photo opportunity. Players reveal their Year cards and calculate points as follows:

• Parks: Points denoted on the Park cards visited.
• Photos: 1 point for each Photo.
• Personal Bonus: 2 or 3 points based on the goal on the Year card.
• First Hiker Marker: 1 point to the player who holds it.

Victory: The player with the most points wins. If tied, the win goes to the player who visited the most Parks. If still tied, the win is shared.

Tips for Winning

• Campfire Management: Use your Campfire wisely, as it can be the difference between spending more time on the Trail or missing out on certain Sites.
• Strategic Movement: In the final moments of a Season, you can move the last Hiker directly to the Trail End to strategically limit another player's time on the Trail.