Game Objective

In Wondrous Creatures, you are an adventurer exploring a mysterious island teeming with curious animals. Your goal is to build the most harmonious Reserve by collecting various Creature Cards and Eggs. The player with the highest Victory Points (VPs) at the end of the game is the winner.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Main Board: Place the Main Board in the center. Use Side-A for 1-2 players and Side-B for 3-4 players. Place the Time Track pieces and set up the Habitat Tiles and Trophies (the number of Trophies depends on the player count).
2. The Map:
   • Shuffle 5 Time Tokens. Randomly select 2 and place 1 Egg on every corresponding marking on the Map.
   • Place 1 Habitat Tile on the designated icon on the Map and randomly draw 2 Eggs from the Egg Pouch to place on the 2 icons on the Map.
3. Supply Board:
   • Shuffle Creature Cards and place them face-down as the Deck.
   • Draw 6 cards from the Deck and place them face-up in the Wilderness.
   • Place 3 Habitat Tiles face-up in the Habitat Tile Pool; the rest form the Habitat Tile Stack.
   • Place Energies, Butterfly Nets, and remaining Eggs in the Supply.
4. Achievements: Place 7 Achievement Cards on the Main Board: 3 Main Achievements (brown-bordered), 2 Single-Species Achievements (turquoise-bordered), and 2 Multi-Species Achievements (yellow-bordered), ensuring species do not overlap.
5. Time Track: Place the Time Tracker on the first space. Place the 2 selected Time Tokens face-down on the two rightmost yellow-bordered spaces, and the remaining Time Tokens face-down on the other yellow-bordered spaces.
6. Player Setup: Each player chooses a color and receives:
   • 1 Player Board, 1 Butterfly Net, 3 Crew Members (including 1 Captain), 6 Achievement Markers, and 1 Score Tracker.
   • 4 Resource Trackers, initially set to 1 for each resource (Fruit, Coral, Flower, and Mushroom).
   • Starting Resources: The 1st player starts with 1 of each. The 2nd player moves 1 Resource Tracker one space right (2 of one type). The 3rd player moves 2 trackers (2 of two types). The 4th player moves 3 trackers (2 of three types).
   • Captain: Each player takes 2 random Captain Boards, chooses one, and takes the corresponding Captain meeple. Place the Lock Token on the Captain Board.
   • Starting Hand: Draw 8 Creature Cards, keep 4, and discard the rest.

Game Flow

The game proceeds in a clockwise direction starting with the First Player. Each player performs 1 Basic Action during their turn. Players may also perform any number of Free Actions at any time during their turn (before, after, or during a Basic Action).

Actions and How to Play

Basic Actions

You must perform exactly one of the following:

• Place a Crew Member: Place a Crew Member across two adjoining Hexes.
  • Placement Rules: Plains are free. Mountain hexes cost any 1 resource. Lake and Habitat hexes cannot be occupied. Each Hex can hold only 1 Crew Member.
  • Rewards: If placed on an Egg, collect it. You interact with all adjacent Habitats. From each, you may gain 1 corresponding resource (advance Resource Tracker) OR 1 Creature Card from the Wilderness with the matching Habitat Icon.
  • Butterfly Net Habitat: If adjacent to this, you gain 1 Butterfly Net instead of a resource or card.
• Play a Card(s): Play up to 2 Creature Cards from your hand to your Reserve by paying the Cost in resources.
  • Card Types: Instant Cards (activate immediately), Energy Cards (activate by spending Energies), Recharge Cards (activate during Recharge Action), Continuous Cards (activate when conditions are met), and End Cards (score at the end of the game).
• Complete an Achievement: If you meet the conditions of an Achievement Card, place an Achievement Marker in an available slot.
  • Rewards: Obtain the Achievement Marker Reward and a Trophy from the Main Board.
  • Captain Unlock: Completing your first Achievement removes the Lock Token, unlocking your Captain Ability.
  • Eggs: Any Eggs used to complete an Achievement must be flipped to the Hatched side.
• Recharge: This action can only be performed when all 3 Crew Members are on the Map.
  1. Retrieve all Crew Members to your Player Board.
  2. Advance the Time Tracker. If a Time Token is revealed, place Eggs on the corresponding Map markings.
  3. Receive 1 Butterfly Net.
  4. Perform a Full Sweep (discard all Wilderness cards and refill).
  5. Remove 1 Trophy from the Main Board.
  6. Activate all Recharge Cards in your Reserve.
  7. Hand Limit: Discard down to 5 Creature Cards.

Free Actions

• Use an Energy: Discard one Energy from an Energy Card to activate its ability. Each card's Energy can be used only once per turn.
• Use a Butterfly Net: Spend a Butterfly Net to either collect an adjacent Egg or activate an adjacent Special Effect Icon. A Special Effect Icon can only be activated once per turn via a Net.

Other Mechanics

• Discovery: When your Score Tracker reaches 5, 25, or 40 VPs, you receive a Discovery Reward: choose a Habitat Tile from the Habitat Tile Pool and place it on a Lake hex.
• Egg Storage: Store up to 12 Eggs in numerical order. If the storage is full, you gain 2 VPs instead of the Egg.

End of Game and Scoring

End Trigger: The game ends when all Trophies on the Main Board have been depleted. The player who took the last Trophy finishes their turn, and then all other players take one final turn in order.

Final Scoring: Points are calculated in this specific order:

1. End Card Scores in your Reserve.
2. Ending Scores of all Creature Cards in your Reserve.
3. Ending Scores of all completed Achievement Slots.
4. 3 VPs per Trophy.
5. 1 VP for every 4 remaining resources and/or Butterfly Nets.

Tips for Winning

• Strategic Reserve: Create a Reserve that synergizes abilities and helps complete Achievements faster than other players.
• Timing: Appropriately time obtaining Immediate Scores (brown seal icon) to gain Score Track Rewards.
• Trophy Tracking: Predict the game's end based on the number of remaining Trophies and modify your tactics accordingly.