How To Play - The Garden Game - Game Rules
The Garden Game is an exquisitely illustrated board game about gardening for food and fun.
 

 Science Games | Order The Garden Game
 

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HOW TO PLAY - THE GARDEN GAME - GAME RULES

Object of the Game: 

Players plant their garden with "Garden Cards", trying to get and keep as many cards as they can.  In addition, players try to make "pollinating sets"; 2 of the same kinds of Plant cards with a Pollinator card.  The Pollinator must be one named on the Plant cards.  The Garden Cards symbolize success with plants in the garden; the pollinating sets symbolize successful seed production for next year's garden.

Getting Started

• Each player select a stone playing piece.  If you have difficulty telling them apart mark them with a crayon.

• Shuffle the cards of both decks so they are well mixed.

• Place Gardener's Almanac Cards face down on their place on the game board.

• Deal out 8 Garden Cards for each player (7 cards each for 5 or 6 players).

• Players lay the cards face up in front of them, creating their garden.

• Place the remaining Garden Cards face down on the Community Store in the center of the game board.  The Community Compost space next to the store is where Garden Cards are placed when a player loses a Garden Card.

• Everyone spin the Weather Station; the player to spin the highest number goes first.  Play proceeds to the next player to the right, and so on around the board.

• "Start" is the first space, players not yet on the board wait at the garden gate.  Stones move counterclockwise through the garden seasons.

• After an Almanac card is picked and used in a turn it is placed in a discard pile beside the game board.  If during the game all the Almanac cards are used and none are remaining on the board, shuffle the used cards and place them back on the board to be used again.

• If during the game there are no more Garden cards in the Community Store, shuffle the cards in the Community Compost and return them face down in the Community Store.  Continue playing.  If all the Garden cards are in play, none in the Store or Compost, the game is over.  Count points, high score wins.

Playing the Game

• On their turn a player spins the Weather Station, moves their stone around the board that many spaces, and then picks a Gardener's Almanac Card.  The card will tell what action to take.
  For Example:

"Pick a Garden Card."  The player picks the top Garden Card from the Compost Pile.  The player may only take the top card.
"Lose a Garden Card."  The player takes any Garden Card from their garden and places it in the Community Compost face up.
"Lose a Turn."  The player loses their next turn.  To help remember the lost turn, keep the Almanac Card.  Return the card to the discard pile when you pass on your next turn.
"Spin Again."  The player spins, moves, picks another Almanac Card, and takes action.

Other Action:  Some cards tell the player to lose a specific card, or, if they have a specific card they get to pick a Garden Card.  Some cards tell the player to give a card to another player, or to take a card.  Some Almanac cards are to be kept and used as a remedy for action on another card.  Read the cards carefully and take the action described.

• Before a player spins and moves they may trade cards with another player.  This can only be done on their turn and before they spin, and it must be a trade that the other player willingly agrees to.  Bullying and other forms of pressure are not allowed.

• If a player's stone lands on a space occupied by another stone, the player taking their turn gets to pick a Garden Card from the Community Store or Compost.  Again, they may only pick the top card.  The player completes their turn by picking an Almanac Card and taking the specified action.

• The game is over when the first player reaches the "End".  All the other players take one last turn and then points are counted.  High score wins.  Players may decide to play a longer version of the game by going two or more times around the board.  This should be decided at the beginning of the game.

Scoring
Each card remaining in the garden at the end of the game counts as one point.  Each card in a pollinating set is an additional point.  Cards in pollinating sets are counted twice, once for being in the garden, and again as part of the pollinating set.  High score wins.