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How to play
Grounded in Parks: Nightfall'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 Wildlife
Each player starts with one Wildlife token.
Campsite actions limit
Some Campsite actions can be performed up to 2 or 3 times on a turn.
Wildlife token use
A Wildlife token can be used in place of any token symbol when performing an action.
Wildlife token value
One Wildlife token counts as two tokens worth of a brown token symbol when visiting Parks with the [3 PARKS WITH] symbol or taking Photos on the Trail.
Year card scoring limit
If a player has multiple copies of the same Year card, it only scores once.
Year goal icons
Only icons to the left of the [LIGHTNING BOLT ICON] count toward Year goals.
Setting up *Parks: Nightfall* follows the base game's setup, with the following additions and changes: * **Parks Deck** Shuffle the Nightfall Park cards with the Parks deck from the base game. Place the combined deck onto the board and reveal three cards. * **Wildlife Tokens** Each player starts the game with one Wildlife token. * **Campsite Board** Place the Campsite board below the Trailhead. If playing with 4 or 5 players, flip the board to its [CAMPING BOARD WITH 4-5 PLAYERS ICON] side. * **Campsite Tiles** Collect the Campsite tiles. If playing with 5 players, place the tile with the [5 PLAYER ICON] on the bottom right by the Campsite board. Then, shuffle the remaining Campsite tiles and add three to the Campsite area, ensuring they are all flipped to their Season [1 SEASON ICON] side. Return any unused tiles to the box. * **Tents** Place Tent tokens onto the Trail in the spaces indicated with stars. * In a 1-3 player game, use 3 [TENT ICON]s. Place one on the site directly before the Trail End, then place a [TENT ICON] on every other site moving towards the Trailhead, so there is one Trail Site between each [TENT ICON]. * In a 4-5 player game, place an additional [TENT ICON] between the two [TENT ICON]s closest to the Trailhead. * **Year Cards** Return the Year deck from the base game to the box, as its cards are not used with *Nightfall*. Shuffle the Nightfall Year deck and deal two cards to each player. Each player chooses one Year card and discards the other face down to the bottom of the deck. Place the Nightfall Year deck onto the Campsite board. * **Solo Mode** If playing solo, setup occurs as in the base game's Solo Mode, incorporating the Nightfall changes such as adding the new Nightfall Park cards, using the new Year cards, setting up the Campsites and board, and starting with 1 Wildlife token.
On your turn in Parks: Nightfall, you primarily take an action by placing your Hiker on a Trail Site. You have a few options for what you can do: * **Visit a Trail Site** If you place your Hiker on a Trail Site, you can take its action and gain any Weather token there. * **Camp** If the Trail Site has a [TENT ICON], instead of taking the Trail Site's action, you can choose to take the [TENT ICON] and place it on an available Campsite to take that Campsite's action. Once a Campsite has a [TENT ICON], another cannot be placed there to take its action. Note that you do not gain a Weather token when using a Campsite. * **Share a Trail Site** If another Hiker is already on a Trail Site that has a [CAMPFIRE ICON], you can spend your Campfire to send your Hiker there. You can then choose to perform the Trail Site's action or use the [CAMPFIRE ICON] to camp (take a Campsite action). If the other Hiker still has a Weather token, you would gain it when taking the Trail Site's action. **Campsite Actions** When you perform a Campsite action, the available options often change at the end of a Season. Some examples of actions you can perform at Campsites include: * Turning in a [MOUNTAIN ICON] to gain 5 [SUN ICON] (can be performed 1-3 times). * Turning in a [FOREST ICON] to gain 5 [WATER ICON] (can be performed 2-4 times). * Turning in a [FOREST ICON] or [MOUNTAIN ICON] to take a Photo (can be performed up to 2 times). * Turning in a [WATER ICON] or [SUN ICON] to gain a [WILDLIFE TOKEN] (can be performed up to 3 times). * Gaining a Canteen and a [WATER ICON] (1-2 times). * Moving all [WATER ICON] from your filled Canteens to your supply and gaining a [WATER ICON] (3-4 times). * Discarding one of your Gear or Year cards to take a new one from the top of its deck or any available Gear card (1-4 times). * Turning in 2 [SUN ICON] to discard 3 available Gear cards, draw 3 new ones, and take 1 for free (2-3 times). * Gaining a [WATER ICON] or [SUN ICON], reserving a Park, and relighting your Campfire (only used in 5-player games). * A [WILDLIFE TOKEN] can be used in place of any token symbol when performing an action. Additionally, there's a fixed action on the Campsite Board: * Turn in 3 [SUN ICON] to draw 2 [YEAR CARD]s, then discard one from your hand to the bottom of the deck.
Rules summaries are AI-generated from the official rulebook and may contain mistakes — check the manual for anything critical.
Players score points based on how well they accomplish the personal goals on their Year cards. Each goal is incremental, meaning the better you achieve it, the more points you will score. Some examples of how Year cards award points include: * Canoer: 1 point for every 3 [WATER ICON] across your visited Parks. * Collector: 2 points for every set of 2, 3, and 4 Point Parks you visited. * Photographer: 1 point for every 4 Photos you have taken. There is no limit to the number of Year cards a player may have, and each scores at the end of the game. However, if a player has multiple copies of the same Year card, it only scores once. For a solo game, an updated scoring system provides qualitative descriptions for different point totals (e.g., 35+ points means "You made memories that'll last a lifetime").
Scoring in Parks: Nightfall primarily revolves around **Year cards**, which provide personal goals. Here's how scoring works: * **Year Card Goals** Each Year card in play will score at the end of the game, based on how well you accomplished its incremental goal. The better you accomplish a goal, the more points you will score, with cards rewarding 1 or 2 points per goal. * Examples of goals include: 1 point for every 3 [WATER ICON] across your visited Parks (Canoer), 2 points for every set of 2, 3, and 4 Point Parks you visited (Collector), or 1 point for every 4 Photos you have taken (Photographer). * **Year Card Rules** There is no limit to the number of Year cards a player may have. However, if you have multiple copies of the same card, it only scores once. Year cards gained during the game remain face down until scoring at the end. * **Icon Counting** Only icons to the left of the [LIGHTNING BOLT ICON] Instant Action count toward Year goals. Any icons in the Instant Action area on Nightfall Parks do not count towards these goals. * **Solo Scoring** For solo play, the scoring thresholds are updated to account for higher scoring opportunities: * Less than 25 points: "You definitely went hiking..." * 25-29 points: "You're going casual, a real enthusiast." * 30-34 points: "You're a seasoned Hiker now!" * 35+ points: "You made memories that'll last a lifetime. CONGRATS!"
I couldn't find the specific rules for *when* or *how* the game officially ends in the provided Parks: Nightfall rulebook passages. However, the rulebook does describe the progression through seasons, mentioning Season 1, 2, 3, and 4, and what happens during a **Season Change**. Various scoring opportunities, such as those from Year cards, are calculated "at the end of the game". If you can rephrase your question using terms like **Season Change**, **Scoring**, or **Year Cards**, I might be able to find more information.