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How to play
Grounded in Earth's rulebook — cite-checked answers, not guesses.
Get a straight answer with the exact rulebook passage to back it up.
The easy-to-forget bits, straight from the rulebook.
Starting cards
Metis Shoal Island provides 4 cards as a starting resource.
Starting soil
Metis Shoal Island provides 4 soil as a starting resource.
Hand limit
There is no limit to the number of cards a player may have in their hand.
Game end trigger
The game ends at the end of a round after a player plants their 16th card, which completes their island.
Game end bonus
The first player to fill their 4x4 tableau with 16 cards earns a bonus of 7 VP.
End game VP: Trunks
You will score 1 VP per Trunk in your tableau at the end of the game.
End game VP: Sprouts
You will score 1 VP per Sprout on your tableau at the end of the game.
Ability activation order
Each card's ability can only be activated one time per turn, and each tableau must be activated in order from the left column to the right and from the top row to the bottom.
To set up a game of Earth, follow these steps: **Shared Setup** 1. Place the Fauna board in the center of the table. 2. Hand out a player board to each player, ensuring all are using the front side. 3. Create the central supply by placing all [SPROUT] Soil tokens, Growth [TRUNK], and Canopy [CANOPY] next to the Fauna board. 4. Shuffle all Earth cards and place them face-down as a draw pile within reach of all players. Leave space for a discard pile. 5. Shuffle the Fauna cards and place one on each of the 4 [SPROUT] spaces on the Fauna board. Return the rest to the box. 6. Shuffle the Ecosystem cards and place one on each of the 4 [SPROUT] spaces on the Fauna board. Then, deal 1 Ecosystem card to each player. In a beginner game, Ecosystem cards are not used. **Individual Setup** 1. Shuffle the Island cards and deal one to each player. Return the rest to the box. 2. Repeat this process with the Climate cards. * For advanced players, deal out 2 Island, 2 Climate, and 2 Ecosystem cards for them to choose from. 3. Once players are ready, randomly choose a starting player and give them the [FIRST PLAYER TOKEN] and the [ACTIVE PLAYER TOKEN]. 4. Each player must select one side of their Island, Climate, and Ecosystem cards to use, placing it face-up on its corresponding space on their player board. 5. Each player takes 5 [LEAF TOKEN] of one color, placing 4 on their player board's central leaf spaces and keeping the 5th to track action selection. **Getting Started** 1. Each player draws a number of [EARTH CARD] as indicated on their Island card. 2. Players simultaneously choose which cards to keep and which to Compost, removing the indicated number from their hand and placing them face-down on the Compost icon on their player board. 3. Each player takes the number of [SOIL TOKEN] indicated on their Island card and places them on the central area of their player board.
On your turn, you choose one of the four action spaces shown on your player board. You place your Active Player Token on the chosen action space. The four actions you can choose from are: * **Planting:** You may plant up to 2 cards into your tableau by paying their Soil costs. Then, you draw 4 cards, choose 1 to keep, and discard the rest. This action also provides +2 [SOIL] and 4 [CARD] (1 [SOIL]). * **Composting:** This action provides +5 [SOIL] and +2 [CARD]. * **Watering:** You may gain up to 6 [SPROUT] and place them on your Flora. Then, you may gain 2 [SOIL]. This action also provides +6 [SPROUT] and +2 [SOIL]. * **Growing:** You may draw 4 cards from the Earth stack and place them in your hand. Then, you may place up to 2 Growth on your Flora. This action also provides +4 [CARD] and +2 [TRUNK]. After you take your action, all other players also get to take a related, smaller action.
Rules summaries are AI-generated from the official rulebook and may contain mistakes — check the manual for anything critical.
You win the game by scoring the most victory points ([VP]). Here's how it works: * The game ends at the end of a round when a player plants their 16th card, completing their 4x4 island tableau. That player also earns a bonus of 7 [VP]. * After the final round, players add up their total victory points. * Players score points from various sources, including: * The base [VP] from cards in their island tableau. * [VP] from Event cards. * 1 [VP] per card in their Compost. * 1 [VP] per [SPROUT] in their tableau. * 1 [VP] per [TRUNK], or [CANOPY] completion [VP] if a [CANOPY] is placed. * [VP] from end-game scoring bonuses on [TERRAIN] cards. * [VP] from fulfilled [ECOSYSTEM] objectives (personal and shared). * [VP] from [LEAF TOKEN]s placed on the [FAUNA BOARD], including the 7 [VP] bonus for completing the tableau first. * The player with the most [VP] wins. * In case of a tie, the player with the most [SOIL TOKEN] remaining wins. If still tied, it goes to the player with the most cards in hand, then most Growth on their tableau, then most [SPROUTS], and finally most Composted cards.
After the final round, players add up their victory points ([VP]) to determine the winner. You calculate your score by adding up points from the following categories: 1. **Base [VP]**: Add the base [VP] from your [ISLAND] and [CLIMATE] [CARD]s, along with all [CARD]s in your tableau. Do not include [EVENT] [CARD]s, cards in your hand, or composted cards. 2. **[EVENT] [CARD]s**: Add the base [VP] from [CARD]s in your Event space, which can be a negative value. 3. **Compost**: Earn [1 VP] per [CARD] in your Compost. 4. **[SPROUT]s**: Earn [1 VP] per [SPROUT] in your tableau. 5. **[TRUNK]s / [CANOPY]**: Earn [1 VP] per [TRUNK] in your tableau. If a [FLORA] has a [CANOPY], score the listed [CANOPY] completion [VP] instead of [1 VP] per [TRUNK]. 6. **[TERRAIN]**: Add [VP] from any [TERRAIN] in your tableau that has an end-game scoring bonus. [TERRAIN]s with in-game effects do not score bonus points. 7. **[ECOSYSTEM]s**: Add [VP] from any fulfilled [ECOSYSTEM] objectives, including your personal [ECOSYSTEM] and the two shared [ECOSYSTEM]s. 8. **[FAUNA BOARD]**: Add [VP] from [LEAF TOKEN]s placed on the [FAUNA BOARD], including a [7 VP] bonus for the first player to complete their tableau. Players can calculate these points simultaneously, but it's recommended to do so one row at a time on the [SCORE PAD] to avoid confusion. **Tie-breaker**: In case of a tie, the player with the most [SOIL TOKEN]s remaining in their reserve wins. If still tied, the winner is the player with the most [CARD]s in their hand, then the most Growth on their tableau, then the most [SPROUTS], and finally the most Composted [CARD]s. **Beginner Mode**: In beginner mode, there are no shared [ECOSYSTEM] [CARD]s, and [FAUNA] objectives are worth [10 VP] regardless of the order they were claimed.
The game ends at the end of a round during which a player completes their 4x4 tableau, which consists of 16 cards. Here's how it works: * **Triggering the End Game:** The first player to plant their 16th card, completing their island, triggers the end of the game. * **Bonus for Triggering:** That player immediately places one of their leaf tokens on the 7 victory point bonus space on the Fauna Board, earning 7 victory points. * **Completing the Round:** Even after the end game is triggered, any remaining turns in the current round are completed so that all players have an equal number of turns. For example, if the first player of the round completes their tableau, all other players will still get one final turn as the active player. After the final round is over, players add up their victory points to determine the winner.