Ark Nova

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Ark Nova

Overview

In Ark Nova, players plan and build modern, scientifically managed zoos. Players build enclosures to accommodate animals, play sponsor cards for ongoing benefits, partner with zoos and universities around the world, and support conservation projects to protect animal species. The game is driven by 5 action cards that slide along a track of slots numbered 1-5, with the slot position determining the strength of the action performed.

Two tracks – Appeal and Conservation – progress in opposite directions along the board. When a player’s counters on these two tracks meet or pass each other (occupy the same scoring area), the end of game is triggered. The player with the highest Victory Points (Appeal value minus the target number derived from their Conservation position) wins.

There are no fixed rounds; players take turns in clockwise order, one action at a time, with periodic breaks triggered by the Break track.

Components

Cards

Tiles & Tokens

Boards & Mats

Player Components (per player, in 4 colors: black, blue, red, yellow)

Other

Setup

Global Setup

  1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
  2. Place the Break token on the start space of the Break track corresponding to your player count (e.g., space marked “3” for 3 players).
  3. Shuffle the 9 Bonus tiles; place 1 face-up on each of the 4 blank yellow Bonus spaces on the board (do not place tiles on the two yellow spaces that already have icons). Return the remaining 5 to the box.
  4. Shuffle the Zoo cards to form a face-down deck on the marked deck space. Deal 6 face-down cards to the display spaces on the board.
  5. Place the Association board next to the game board.
    • 5a. Place 1 partner zoo of each continent and 1 university of each kind on the Association board spaces.
    • 5b. Shuffle the Base Conservation Project cards face-down. In a 4-player game, place the top 4 face-up below the board; otherwise place the top 3.
    • 5c. (2-player only): Take 6 tokens of an unused color and cover: the left level on the left Base Conservation card, the middle level on the middle card, and the right level on the right card. Also cover the three spaces in the left column of the donation area. These spaces are blocked for the entire game.
  6. Shuffle the Final Scoring cards and place them face-down next to the Association board.
  7. Randomly determine a start player. Turn order is clockwise.
  8. Place the 2 organizers next to the board as general supply.

Player Setup

Each player performs these steps:

Turn Structure

Ark Nova has no formal rounds. Players take turns clockwise, one action per turn, until the end of game is triggered. Breaks occur periodically when the Break track fills up.

On Your Turn

  1. Choose an Action card from your 5 slots below your zoo map.
  2. Optionally spend X-tokens to increase the action’s strength (1 X-token = +1 strength). You may spend multiple X-tokens. Maximum 5 X-tokens held at any time. Strength is set before performing the action; you cannot spend X-tokens gained during the action.
  3. Perform the action at the strength indicated by the card’s slot number (1-5) plus any X-tokens spent. Some actions have no benefit above strength 5.
  4. Slide the used Action card out, shift all cards that were to its left one slot to the right, then place the used card into the now-empty slot 1.
  5. Resolve any “after finishing” effects from cards.
  6. Replenish the display if you took cards from it during your turn.

Action Card Upgrades

All Action cards start on Side I. When you receive a card upgrade, flip any one Action card from Side I to Side II. It stays in its current slot. Side II provides a more powerful version of the action for the rest of the game.

There are exactly 4 upgrade opportunities in the game:

  1. Reaching 2 on the Conservation track (upgrade OR hire a worker – choose one)
  2. Reaching a specific space on the Reputation track
  3. Gaining your 2nd partner zoo
  4. Gaining your 2nd partner university

Since one of these offers an alternative choice, you can upgrade at most 3 Action cards per game.

Actions

1. Cards Action

Side I – Draw cards from the deck OR snap:

First, advance the Break token 2 spaces (do not gain money for this).

Drawing from the Deck:

Strength Cards Drawn Cards Discarded
1 1 0
2 2 1
3 3 1
4 3 1
5+ (snap instead, see below)

Draw the indicated number of cards from the deck. Then discard back to net gain (may discard a drawn card or one already in hand).

Snapping (strength 5+): Instead of drawing, take exactly 1 card from the display into your hand, regardless of reputation range. Replenish display at end of turn.

Side II – Draw from deck or within reputation range OR snap:

The Break token still advances 2 spaces first.

Strength Cards Drawn Cards Discarded
1 2 1
2 3 1
3 (snap instead)
4 4 1
5 4 1

Hand limit: No limit during play, but during breaks you must discard down to 3 cards (or 5 with the appropriate university).

2. Build Action

Side I – Build exactly 1 building:

Build 1 building with a maximum size equal to the action’s strength. Pay 2 money per space (cost = size x 2).

Available buildings: | Building | Size | Cost | Notes | |———-|——|——|——-| | Kiosk | 1 | 2 | Generates income during breaks. Must be at least 3 spaces from every other kiosk (at least 2 empty spaces between). | | Pavilion | 1 | 2 | Immediately gain 1 Appeal (one-time). Shares tile with Kiosk (opposite sides). | | Standard Enclosure (1-space) | 1 | 2 | Holds animals of any category (except Petting Zoo). | | Standard Enclosure (2-space) | 2 | 4 | Same as above. | | Standard Enclosure (3-space) | 3 | 6 | Same as above. | | Standard Enclosure (4-space) | 4 | 8 | Same as above. | | Standard Enclosure (5-space) | 5 | 10 | Same as above. | | Petting Zoo | 3 | 6 | Special enclosure. Max 1 per zoo. Holds only Petting Zoo animals. |

Placement rules:

Side II – Build multiple different buildings:

Build as many different buildings as you like with a maximum total size equal to the action’s strength. You may NOT build 2 identical buildings in the same action.

Additional buildings now available: | Building | Size | Cost | Notes | |———-|——|——|——-| | Large Bird Aviary | 5 | 10 | Special enclosure. Max 1 per zoo. | | Reptile House | 5 | 10 | Special enclosure. Max 1 per zoo. |

Note: Unique buildings cannot be built with this action – they come into play only via Sponsor cards.

3. Animals Action

Side I – Play animal cards from your hand:

Strength Animals Played
1 1 (limited selection)
2 1
3 1
4 1
5 2

For each animal, follow these steps in order:

  1. Check conditions: Verify all conditions on the left side of the card (partner zoos, continent icons, animal categories, etc.).
  2. Pay cost: Pay the money cost shown in the upper-left corner. Each matching partner zoo reduces the cost by 3 money per continent icon on the Animal card. You must have enough money before any effects grant you money.
  3. Fill an empty enclosure: Place the animal in an empty enclosure of at least the required size. Flip the standard enclosure to its occupied side. Some animals require the enclosure to be adjacent to water and/or rock spaces.
    • Petting Zoo animals can only go in the Petting Zoo (special enclosure).
    • Reptiles and some birds can go in either a standard enclosure OR their respective special enclosure (Reptile House / Large Bird Aviary). For special enclosures, mark spaces with player tokens instead of flipping.
  4. Place the Animal card next to your zoo map (overlapping previous cards to save space; top-edge icons must remain visible).
  5. Execute effects: Gain Appeal (advance on Appeal track). Some animals also grant Conservation points and/or Reputation. Execute any card ability immediately unless it says “after finishing.”

If playing 2 animals, complete all steps for the first (except “after finishing” effects) before starting the second. Resolve all “after finishing” effects only after the Action card has been moved to slot 1.

Interactive effects (marked with a special icon): Only apply if your zoo has 5+ Appeal.

Side II – Play animals from hand or display:

4. Association Action

Side I – Perform exactly 1 association task:

You need at least 1 active association worker. Place the worker on the desired task on the Association board.

Worker placement rules:

Association tasks:

Task Strength Required Effect
Increase Reputation 2 Gain 2 Reputation (advance counter 2 steps; take any bonuses on passed spaces).
Gain Partner Zoo 5 Take 1 partner zoo from the Association board; place on lowest empty partner zoo space on your zoo map. Must be a different continent from ones you already have. Max 4 partner zoos total. Need upgraded Association (Side II) for 3rd and 4th.
Gain Partner University 5 Take 1 university from the Association board; place on lowest empty university space. Cannot duplicate a university you already have.
Conservation Project Work 3 Support an existing conservation project OR play a Conservation Project card from your hand and support it immediately.

Partner Zoo benefits: Reduces cost of animals from that continent by 3 money per continent icon on the Animal card. Provides 1 continent icon for conservation project requirements.

Partner University benefits: Grants reputation, research icons, and one specific university increases hand limit from 3 to 5.

Conservation Project support:

Release into the Wild projects: Instead of counting icons, discard 1 Animal card from your zoo with the specified continent icon and enclosure size. Lose Appeal equal to the animal’s appeal value. Flip the enclosure back to empty (or remove tokens from a special enclosure). Gain the conservation reward.

Conservation Project card placement: New projects go to the leftmost space above the Association board, pushing existing projects right. Maximum projects above the board: 2 players = 2, 3 players = 3, 4 players = 4. Excess rightmost project is discarded (return any player tokens on it to their owner’s supply, not zoo map). Base Conservation Projects below the board are never moved or replaced.

Side II – Perform multiple different tasks and donate:

5. Sponsors Action

Side I – Play 1 Sponsor card OR advance Break and take money:

Playing a Sponsor card: Play exactly 1 Sponsor card from your hand. The action’s strength must be at least equal to the card’s level. You must also meet any conditions on the card. Execute instant and/or recurring effects, then place the card next to your zoo map.

Alternative – Break and money: Advance the Break token by the action’s strength and take money equal to the action’s strength.

Side II – Play multiple Sponsors OR advance Break and take double money:

6. X-Token Action (Alternative Action)

If you cannot or do not want to perform any of the 5 actions, you may take exactly 1 X-token. You must still choose an Action card, move it to slot 1, and shift others right. The slot’s strength is irrelevant. Cannot perform this if you already have 5 X-tokens.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Appeal and Conservation Tracks

The Appeal track and Conservation track run in opposite directions along the board. They are divided into shared scoring areas, where each scoring area contains one Conservation space and several adjacent Appeal spaces.

Appeal track:

Conservation track milestones (immediate one-time bonuses):

Conservation Points Bonus
2 Choose one: Upgrade 1 Action card OR hire 1 association worker (take lying worker from lowest space, place on notepad as active).
5 Choose one: Take 5 money OR take 1 of the 2 Bonus tokens next to this space (execute immediately, then remove token from game). 5-money option remains even after both tokens are taken.
8 Same as 5 (separate set of 2 Bonus tokens).
10 First player to reach 10: ALL players must choose and discard 1 of their 2 Final Scoring cards. If no one reaches 10 before game end, players discard 1 Final Scoring card before final scoring.

Reputation Track

End of Game Trigger

The game ends when any player’s Conservation counter and Appeal counter occupy the same scoring area or have passed each other. The triggering player completes their turn, then every other player takes one more turn. If triggered during a break, all players take one more turn after the break.

Final Scoring

  1. Gain Conservation points from your remaining Final Scoring card(s) (max 4 points each).
  2. Gain points from all cards with end-of-game effects.
  3. Calculate Victory Points:
    • Find the scoring area where your Conservation counter sits.
    • Identify the lowest Appeal value in that scoring area – this is your Target Number.
    • Victory Points = Your Appeal value - Target Number.
  4. The player with the highest positive Victory Point total wins.

Tiebreaker: The tied player who supported the most Conservation Projects (count player tokens removed from the left side of zoo map). If still tied, tied players share the victory.

Break Procedure

A break is triggered when the Break token reaches the final space of the Break track. The triggering player gains 1 X-token. Complete the current turn, then all players perform these steps in order:

  1. Hand card limit: Discard down to 3 cards (or 5 with the appropriate university).
  2. Tokens on Action cards: Return all Multiplier, Venom, and Constriction tokens to supply.
  3. Association board: Return all your association workers to your notepad (active). Replenish partner zoos and universities so each is available once (skip any all players already have).
  4. Replenish display: Discard the 2 bottom cards (folders 1 and 2). Slide remaining cards down. Fill empty spaces from the deck.
  5. Take income:
    • a. Collect money based on your position on the Appeal track.
    • b. Collect kiosk income: For each kiosk, gain 1 money for each adjacent unique building, special enclosure, occupied standard enclosure, or pavilion (must share at least 1 edge). Empty standard enclosures do NOT provide kiosk income, but empty special enclosures DO.
    • c. Collect any recurring income from Sponsor cards and activated bonuses on the left side of your zoo map.
  6. Break track: Return the Break token to the starting space for your player count.

The game continues with the next player in clockwise order.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Animal Categories

There are 7 animal categories: Bird, Herbivore, Predator, Primate, Bear, Reptile, and Petting Zoo animal. Bear and Petting Zoo animal are special sub-categories (black icon on white background). Bears often appear in combination with Herbivore or Predator icons. When the game references “animal categories,” Bear and Petting Zoo animals are included unless explicitly excluded.

Special Enclosures

Display and Reputation Range

X-Tokens

Kiosk Spacing

Kiosks must be at least 3 spaces apart from every other kiosk on your zoo map (at least 2 empty spaces between any two kiosks).

Zoo Map Coverage

If you cover every building space on your zoo map (all spaces except water and rock), immediately gain 7 Appeal. This can happen through any effect that places a building.

Partner Zoos

Conservation Projects – Maximum Above Board

| Player Count | Max Projects Above Board | |————-|————————–| | 2 | 2 | | 3 | 3 | | 4 | 4 |

If a new project is played and the limit is exceeded, the rightmost project is discarded. Any player tokens on the discarded project go to their owner’s supply (NOT back to the zoo map).

2-Player Adjustments

Solo Game (1 Player)

Multiplier, Venom, and Constriction Tokens

Some animal abilities place these tokens on Action cards. They modify the action in specific ways until the next break, at which point they are returned to the supply.

“After Finishing” Effects

Some card effects say “after finishing.” These are executed only after the entire action is completed and the Action card has been moved to slot 1. If multiple “after finishing” effects exist, the player chooses the order.

Player Reference

Action Card Strength (Slot Position)

Slot Strength
1 (leftmost) 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 (rightmost) 5

Building Costs

Building Size Cost (money)
Kiosk 1 2
Pavilion 1 2
Standard Enclosure (any) 1-5 Size x 2
Petting Zoo 3 6
Reptile House 5 10
Large Bird Aviary 5 10

Cards Action Quick Reference (Side I / Side II)

Side I: | Strength | Draw | Discard | |———-|——|———| | 1 | 1 | 0 | | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 3-4 | 3 | 1 | | 5+ | Snap 1 from display | – |

Side II: | Strength | Draw | Discard | |———-|——|———| | 1 | 2 | 1 | | 2 | 3 | 1 | | 3 | Snap 1 from display | – | | 4-5 | 4 | 1 |

Animals Action Quick Reference

Strength (Side I) Animals Played
1-4 1
5 2

Side II: Same table, plus may play from display, gain +1 Reputation at strength 5+.

Key Numbers

Item Value
Starting money 25
Hand limit (default) 3
Hand limit (with university) 5
Max X-tokens 5
Max partner zoos 4
Max universities 3
Max association workers 4 (1 starting + 3 hirable)
Appeal for covering entire zoo map +7
Partner zoo cost reduction 3 money per continent icon
Reputation track maximum 15 (each step beyond 15 = 1 Appeal)
Reputation needed for display access past 9 Upgraded Cards action
Max conservation points from 1 Final Scoring card 4

Conservation Track Milestones

Space Bonus
2 Upgrade 1 Action card OR hire 1 worker
5 Take 5 money OR 1 Bonus token
8 Take 5 money OR 1 Bonus token
10 All players discard 1 Final Scoring card

Upgrade Opportunities (4 total, max 3 upgrades)

  1. Conservation track space 2 (upgrade OR hire worker – choose one)
  2. Reputation track bonus space
  3. 2nd partner zoo gained
  4. 2nd partner university gained

Break Procedure Checklist

  1. Discard to hand limit (3 or 5)
  2. Return Multiplier/Venom/Constriction tokens
  3. Return association workers; replenish partner zoos and universities
  4. Discard folders 1-2 from display; slide down; refill
  5. Collect income: Appeal track + kiosks + recurring effects
  6. Reset Break token

Income from Kiosks (per kiosk)

+1 money for each adjacent:

(Empty standard enclosures do NOT count.)