Setup · Ark Nova

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. The Break token is not used in the solo game.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 3 face up below it.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.

Solo

Lay out 3 Base Conservation Projects with no blocking tokens. Up to 2 Conservation Project cards can sit above the Association board.
Put 7 player tokens of an unused colour on the left column of the solo tile: they count down the turns to each break.

Each player

Take 2 random zoo maps and choose 1 of their advanced sides (Maps 1–8). Or lay out player count + 1 advanced maps and pick in reverse turn order. Map 0 (and Map A) give a beginner a smaller (bigger) head start.
[Marine] Draw 3 random alternate Action cards and keep 2 of different actions; they replace your standard cards of those actions.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks and your appeal counter on 20 (10 or 0 for a harder game).
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. The Break token is not used in the solo game.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 3 face up below it.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.

Solo

Lay out 3 Base Conservation Projects with no blocking tokens. Up to 2 Conservation Project cards can sit above the Association board.
Put 7 player tokens of an unused colour on the left column of the solo tile: they count down the turns to each break.

Each player

Take a Map A zoo map, Map A side up (all four are the same). The other zoo maps go back in the box.
Map A: put an empty 3-space enclosure (side showing 3) on the marked spaces. The kiosk printed on the map counts as built.
[Marine] Draw 3 random alternate Action cards and keep 2 of different actions; they replace your standard cards of those actions.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks and your appeal counter on 20 (10 or 0 for a harder game).
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track marked 2.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 3 face up below it.
Two players: with 6 tokens of an unused colour, cover the left level of the left Base Project, the middle level of the middle one and the right level of the right one, and the 3 spaces in the left column of the donation area. Those levels and spaces are blocked.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.
Choose a start player at random. Play goes clockwise.

Each player

Take 2 random zoo maps and choose 1 of their advanced sides (Maps 1–8). Or lay out player count + 1 advanced maps and pick in reverse turn order. Map 0 (and Map A) give a beginner a smaller (bigger) head start.
[Marine] Deal everyone 3 random alternate Action cards. Keep 1 and pass 2 left; keep 1 of the 2 you get and pass the last left. Of your 3, use 2 of different actions in place of your standard ones and return the third to the box.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks. Appeal counters go on the Appeal track in turn order: 0 / 1.
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track marked 2.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 3 face up below it.
Two players: with 6 tokens of an unused colour, cover the left level of the left Base Project, the middle level of the middle one and the right level of the right one, and the 3 spaces in the left column of the donation area. Those levels and spaces are blocked.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.
Choose a start player at random. Play goes clockwise.

Each player

Take a Map A zoo map, Map A side up (all four are the same). The other zoo maps go back in the box.
Map A: put an empty 3-space enclosure (side showing 3) on the marked spaces. The kiosk printed on the map counts as built.
[Marine] Deal everyone 3 random alternate Action cards. Keep 1 and pass 2 left; keep 1 of the 2 you get and pass the last left. Of your 3, use 2 of different actions in place of your standard ones and return the third to the box.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks. Appeal counters go on the Appeal track in turn order: 0 / 1.
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track marked 3.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 3 face up below it.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.
Choose a start player at random. Play goes clockwise.

Each player

Take 2 random zoo maps and choose 1 of their advanced sides (Maps 1–8). Or lay out player count + 1 advanced maps and pick in reverse turn order. Map 0 (and Map A) give a beginner a smaller (bigger) head start.
[Marine] Deal everyone 3 random alternate Action cards. Keep 1 and pass 2 left; keep 1 of the 2 you get and pass the last left. Of your 3, use 2 of different actions in place of your standard ones and return the third to the box.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks. Appeal counters go on the Appeal track in turn order: 0 / 1 / 2.
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track marked 3.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 3 face up below it.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.
Choose a start player at random. Play goes clockwise.

Each player

Take a Map A zoo map, Map A side up (all four are the same). The other zoo maps go back in the box.
Map A: put an empty 3-space enclosure (side showing 3) on the marked spaces. The kiosk printed on the map counts as built.
[Marine] Deal everyone 3 random alternate Action cards. Keep 1 and pass 2 left; keep 1 of the 2 you get and pass the last left. Of your 3, use 2 of different actions in place of your standard ones and return the third to the box.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks. Appeal counters go on the Appeal track in turn order: 0 / 1 / 2.
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track marked 4.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 4 face up below it.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.
Choose a start player at random. Play goes clockwise.

Each player

Take 2 random zoo maps and choose 1 of their advanced sides (Maps 1–8). Or lay out player count + 1 advanced maps and pick in reverse turn order. Map 0 (and Map A) give a beginner a smaller (bigger) head start.
[Marine] Deal everyone 3 random alternate Action cards. Keep 1 and pass 2 left; keep 1 of the 2 you get and pass the last left. Of your 3, use 2 of different actions in place of your standard ones and return the third to the box.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks. Appeal counters go on the Appeal track in turn order: 0 / 1 / 2 / 3.
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.

The boards

Put the game board in the middle. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track marked 4.
Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles and put 1 face up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces (not on the 2 yellow spaces with icons). The other 5 go back in the box.
Shuffle the Zoo cards into a face-down deck on its space. Deal 6 cards face down onto the display spaces: they are turned up at the end of setup.
Put the 2 organizers next to the board as the general supply (enclosures in one, the other tiles and tokens in the other).
Put the Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
[Marine] Put the Marine Worlds Association board next to the game board, with room for a row of cards above and below it.
Put 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on their spaces of the Association board.
Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face down next to the Association board and turn the top 4 face up below it.
[Marine] Add the 8 aquariums, 4 unique buildings and the extra kiosks and pavilions to the supply, and shuffle the new Bonus tiles, Zoo cards, Final Scoring cards and Base Conservation Project into their piles. Remove the 18 base cards it replaces (001, 003, 005, 008–011, 101, 102, 131, 207, 208, 225–227, 250, 261, 262), the old Action cards and the old "play a Sponsor" Bonus tile.
[Marine] Put 1 more random Bonus tile face up beside the appeal icon at space 15 of the Reputation track.
[Marine] Put the generic university on its space of the Association board and lay the 6 animal universities beside the board.
Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and put them face down next to the Association board.
Choose a start player at random. Play goes clockwise.

Each player

Take a Map A zoo map, Map A side up (all four are the same). The other zoo maps go back in the box.
Map A: put an empty 3-space enclosure (side showing 3) on the marked spaces. The kiosk printed on the map counts as built.
[Marine] Deal everyone 3 random alternate Action cards. Keep 1 and pass 2 left; keep 1 of the 2 you get and pass the last left. Of your 3, use 2 of different actions in place of your standard ones and return the third to the box.
Take a set of 5 Action cards, side I up: Animals under the leftmost slot (strength 1), the other four (Build, Cards, Association, Sponsors) at random under slots 2–5.
Choose a colour and take all its pieces.
Put your conservation and reputation counters on the first space of their tracks. Appeal counters go on the Appeal track in turn order: 0 / 1 / 2 / 3.
Put 7 player tokens on the bonus spaces at the left edge of your zoo map. Keep your other player tokens beside the map.
[Marine] Use the expansion's 3 counters for the tracks and its 7 animal-shaped player tokens at the left edge of your zoo map instead of the standard ones.
Stand 1 association worker on the notepad of your zoo map (active) and lay the other 3 on the spaces below it.
Take 25 money and put it on your notepad.

Starting cards

Draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them secret beside your zoo map.
Draw 8 Zoo cards, keep 4 and discard 4 face up on the discard space. Tip: keep 1–2 Sponsors and 2–3 Animals you can play early, ideally matching the Base Projects on display.
When everyone has chosen, turn the 6 display cards face up.