Teach the Game

Teach the five-round natural-history game: collect samples, research them, publish books and score through universities, gardens and expeditions.

How you win

“You are naturalists in Linnaeus’s circle. Over five rounds you explore the map for samples, research them in your library, write letters, grow a garden and send ships on voyages, then publish books from what you learned. Most points wins.”

• What you need: points, from published books, achievements, researched samples, letters, gardens, voyages and the university lecture tracks.
• How you get them: each round you place three lenses on the three instruments; each placement is one action at strength 1, 2 or 3. Knowledge from research pays for books. Full rules: Gameplay.

The boards

The shared map holds the exploration locations and the voyage routes. Your player board holds your library of samples (four spaces), your notebook of knowledge, and your lenses. The garden, the university lecture tracks and the letter display sit beside the map. Setup names every part.

A round

1. Each player takes three turns: place a lens on the Glasses (strength 1, 3 taxonomy steps), the Magnifier (strength 2, a tool or container) or the Microscope (strength 3, a turn-order space). Details
2. Do the action of that lens, then you may publish one book, then claim any achievement.
3. After everyone’s three turns, the income phase: lenses come back, turn order changes, finished voyages with a book pay income, and the rudder turns.

Action	What it does
Explore	Move your explorer; take a location reward or buy its sample for containers
Research	Move your researcher in your library and collect the knowledge on sample corners
Correspond	Take a letter, or send up to two for their effects
Grow	Plant a flower, or pay 2 tools to cultivate one
Sail	Move a ship along a voyage card and take the space’s reward
Wild lens	Pay 1 coin to copy any basic action

How the game ends

After five rounds and the last income phase, score the end-game categories in order. Ties go to the player with more coins. Game End and Scoring

Ways to score

Source	How and when
Books	When published: printed points, plus the appendix if you pay it then
Achievements	When claimed: the first open value on the tile
Exotic samples	End: 5 points per condition met
Researched samples	End: 2, 4 or 6 points by corners showing knowledge or rewards
Flower beds	During play when a bed is completed (majority); unfinished beds score at the end
Sent letters	End: each set of different colours
Lecture tracks	End: track position × times you met that track’s scoring tile (up to 5)
Leftovers	End: 1 point per tool, container, unsent letter and knowledge in your notebook

What each resource is for

Resource	Why you need it	How you get it	How you use it
Coins	Free actions, path costs, the wild lens	Rewards, income, selling a tool or container	6 for a basic action, 3 for a tool or container, refresh a display
Containers	Buying samples	Magnifier, rewards, 3 coins	Pay a sample’s cost when you explore
Tools	Cultivating flowers, book cards	Magnifier, rewards, 3 coins	2 to cultivate; 1 for a book card
Knowledge	Publishing books	Research on sample corners, exotic samples	Pay a book’s left bar; max two per phylum
Sketches	Publishing books	Sketch locations, cultivating flowers	One per book; a matching realm triggers its effect
Samples	Knowledge and end points	Explore and pay containers	Up to four in your library; researched ones score
Books	Points	Pay a tool	Publish after an action; pair with a voyage for income
Lenses	Your three actions each round	Six to start; upgrades from taxonomy	One per instrument per round

Teaching tips

• Start with the three instruments: the lens you place decides the action and how strong it is.
• Walk one sample from exploring to research to a published book.
• Show the knowledge limit (two per phylum) early; extra knowledge turns into points.
• Point at the achievements and lecture tracks once, then let players discover them.