Overview

Earth is an engine-building card game where players create a thriving ecosystem by planting Flora and Terrain cards into a personal 4x4 tableau. Each turn, the active player selects one of four actions (Planting, Composting, Watering, Growing), gaining the major benefit while all other players gain a lesser version. After each action, all players simultaneously activate matching-colored abilities on their cards. Players race to complete their 16-card tableau, fulfill Ecosystem and Fauna objectives, and accumulate the most victory points. The game ends when any player fills their 4x4 grid.

Components

• 283 Earth cards (179 Flora, 66 Terrain, 38 Events)
• 16 Fauna cards (double-sided objectives)
• 16 Island cards (double-sided, starting resources/ability)
• 16 Climate cards (double-sided, ability)
• 16 Ecosystem cards (double-sided, scoring objectives)
• 5 Player boards (4 action spaces, event space, island/climate slots)
• 1 Fauna board (shared, with VP tiers and Leaf token slots)
• Sprout tokens (brown cubes)
• Growth tokens (green/brown trunk and canopy pieces)
• Soil tokens (black cubes)
• Compost piles (cards placed face-down)
• Leaf tokens (5 colors, placed on Fauna board)

Setup

1. Place the Fauna board centrally. Place 4 random Fauna cards (one per slot) on the Fauna board.
2. Shuffle the Earth deck. Place 4 Ecosystem cards face-up beside the Fauna board.
3. Each player takes a player board. Deal each player 2 Island cards, 2 Climate cards, and a hand of Earth cards.
4. Each player chooses one side of their Island card and one side of their Climate card. Place them face-up on the player board – these remain for the entire game and cannot be switched.
5. Gain starting resources as indicated on your Island card (cards drawn, cards composted, Soil gained).
6. Place track cubes and prepare the supply of Sprouts, Growth, and Soil.

Turn Structure

Earth is played over a series of rounds. Each round, every player is the active player once.

Active Player’s Turn

1. Select an Action: Choose one of the 4 action spaces on your player board by placing your action marker on it. You gain the major benefit (top row) of that action.
2. Other Players: All other players simultaneously gain the minor benefit (bottom row) of the chosen action.
3. Activate Abilities: All players simultaneously activate abilities on their player board (Island and Climate cards) and in their tableau that match the action’s color. Tableau abilities activate from top-left to bottom-right. Players choose whether to activate their Island/Climate before or after their tableau.
4. Check Fauna Objectives: If any player fulfills a Fauna card objective, they may claim a Leaf token from the highest available VP tier for that Fauna card.

Play passes to the next player clockwise.

Actions

Planting (Green)

Major: Pay the Soil cost of a card from your hand and place it into your tableau. Then draw 4 cards from the deck and keep 1 (place the rest on the bottom of the deck). Minor: Draw 1 card from the deck.

Placement Rules: Cards must be placed left to right, top to bottom in the 4x4 grid. You cannot skip spaces. Maximum 16 cards in the tableau.

Composting (Red)

Major: Gain 5 Soil from the supply. Then take 2 cards from the draw pile and place them face-down in your Compost. Minor: Gain 2 Soil from the supply. Then Compost 2 cards from the draw pile.

Watering (Blue)

Major: Place up to 6 Sprouts on Flora cards in your tableau (each card has a Sprout limit). Gain 2 Soil from the supply. Minor: Place up to 2 Sprouts on Flora cards in your tableau. Gain 2 Soil from the supply.

Sprout conversion: You may convert 2 Sprouts from any single Flora card into 2 Soil at any time during your turn.

Growing (Yellow)

Major: Draw 4 cards from the deck (keep all in hand). Place up to 2 Growth on Flora cards in your tableau (each Flora has a Growth limit shown on the card). Minor: Draw 2 cards from the deck OR place 2 Growth.

Growth: Growth consists of Trunk pieces (placed first) and Canopy pieces (placed on top of Trunks). A Flora card with a Canopy is considered to have completed its Growth. Completed Growth earns the Canopy completion VP or 1 VP per Trunk (whichever applies).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

End Game Trigger

The game ends at the end of the round during which a player completes their 4x4 tableau (16 cards). That player places a Leaf token on the 7 VP bonus space on the Fauna board. All remaining turns in the round are completed so all players have an equal number of turns.

If multiple players complete their tableau on the same turn, the active player claims the bonus. If non-active players tie, the player sitting closest to the active player’s left claims it.

Scoring Victory Points

After the final round, players add up VP from:

1. Base VP from Island and Climate cards (printed on cards).
2. Event VP from cards in the Event space (may be negative).
3. Compost: 1 VP per card in your Compost.
4. Sprouts: 1 VP per Sprout in your tableau.
5. Trunks: 1 VP per Trunk in your tableau (unless the Canopy has been placed, in which case score the Canopy completion VP instead of 1 VP per Trunk).
6. Terrain cards: VP from any Terrain in your tableau with an end-game scoring bonus. Terrains with in-game effects do not score bonus points.
7. Ecosystem and Fauna objectives: VP from any fulfilled Ecosystem objectives (personal and shared) and from Leaf tokens on the Fauna board, including the 7 VP completion bonus.

The player with the most VP wins. Tiebreaker: most Soil remaining, then most cards in hand, then most Growth, then most Sprouts, then most Composted cards.

Beginner Mode

In beginner mode, there are no shared Ecosystem cards and Fauna objectives are worth 10 VP regardless of the order in which they were claimed.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Flora vs. Cards: Only Flora cards count as “Flora” for objectives. “Cards” includes all cards in your tableau plus Island and Climate cards. Terrains, Events, Islands, and Climates are NOT Flora.
• Flora types: Tree, Herb, Mushroom, Bush. Mushrooms are classified as Herbs for gameplay balance.
• Habitats: Sunny, Wet, Rocky, Cold. Flora, Terrain, Island, and Climate cards each have Habitats listed on the top right.
• Event cards: Can be played at any time (even on another player’s turn or between ability activations). Place face-up in the Event space. Events give an instant benefit and don’t count toward the 16-card tableau limit. Event cards never count for Terrain, Ecosystem, or Fauna objectives unless specifically stated.
• All costs must be paid in full. However, benefits may be collected partially or in full.
• Island and Climate abilities are never forced – you may use them or skip them on any turn.
• Island and Climate cards can count for Ecosystem and Fauna objectives.
• The “+” and “-“ symbols after numbers on Fauna cards indicate “or more” and “or less” respectively.
• Percentage (xx%) on some cards informs players what percentage of cards in the game can meet that card’s requirements.
• Fauna objectives: Once claimed, a Fauna objective cannot be lost even if you no longer meet the requirement. The first player to fulfill each Fauna card scores the most points, with subsequent tiers dropping in value.

Solo Mode

Play against an AI opponent named Gaia. Set difficulty level on your player board. Take alternating turns with Gaia. Gaia’s actions are determined by drawing cards from her facedown stack. The game ends when Gaia’s deck is exhausted for the second time or when you complete your 4x4 tableau.

Team Mode (2 vs 2)

Teammates sit beside each other. When a player earns resources, they may place them on a shared Team board instead. Resources on the Team board must be taken by either teammate before the end of the current turn or they are discarded. Combine scores at the end; highest team total wins.

Player Reference

Actions (active player / other players):

• Plant (Green): Pay Soil, place card, draw 4 keep 1 / Draw 1
• Compost (Red): Gain 5 Soil + Compost 2 / Gain 2 Soil + Compost 2
• Water (Blue): Place 6 Sprouts + 2 Soil / Place 2 Sprouts + 2 Soil
• Grow (Yellow): Draw 4 cards + place 2 Growth / Draw 2 cards OR place 2 Growth

Ability colors: Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Multicolored (activates with any action)

End game: Any player completes 4x4 tableau (16 cards) – finish the round

Scoring: Base VP + Event VP + Compost (1/card) + Sprouts (1 each) + Trunks/Canopy + Terrain bonuses + Ecosystem/Fauna VP

Win condition: Most VP after final scoring