How to play
Read the transcript
The game
War of the Wilds is a card game for two to four players. Raise an army of woodland creatures, gather acorns, and bury them before anyone can take them. After sixteen days, whoever has buried the most acorns wins.
The cards
Everyone shares one deck. It holds creatures, who fight for you, and tricks, which you play once. Resource cards are berries, twigs, pebbles and feathers, and they pay for everything. Each player also has a home card, and every morning, a new day card is turned over.
Setup
To set up, put fifteen acorns per player in the middle of the table. This is the wild. Deal everyone a home card and five cards from the deck. From those five cards, plus one resource card of each kind, keep any five. Then turn three cards face up beside the deck. This is the row.
A day
Each morning, the row is replaced, and a day card is turned over. A full moon makes every creature stronger. Heavy rain means nobody can attack. Then everyone takes a turn, starting with the first player.
Your action
On your turn, you take one action. You can gather three resource cards of your home's two kinds. You can draw two cards, from the row or the top of the deck. You can forage three acorns from the wild. Or you can bury up to three of your acorns.
Play cards
Next, play any cards you can pay for. The cost is shown at the top, and you pay it with resource cards. A number in a circle means that many of any kind. Creatures join your army, but they can't attack on the turn you play them.
Attack
Now you may attack, as many players as you like. Choose which creatures go after whom, and then fight each attack in turn. The defender chooses blockers from their standing creatures.
The fight
A blocked attacker and its blockers deal damage to each other at the same time. Any creature that takes damage equal to its health dies, and the survivors heal. Every attacker that nobody blocks steals its strength in acorns from the defender's store.
Creature words
Some creatures have special words. A Flying creature can only be blocked by Flying or Ranged creatures. And a Band attacks as one. Their strength and health add up, and they die one at a time.
Stored and buried
Acorns you forage or steal go into your store, where anyone can steal them. Once they're buried, they're safe from most attacks, and only buried acorns count. When the wild runs out, the only way to get more is to take them from someone else.
Trading
On your turn, you can also trade resource cards and acorns with other players, or swap two resource cards for one of any kind. At the end of your turn, discard down to seven cards. Resource cards don't count toward that.
Winning
After sixteen days, the player with the most buried acorns wins. Good luck, and bury deep.
The rules
A card game for 2–4 players. 16 days.
Raise an army of woodland creatures. Forage acorns, raid other players for theirs, and bury what you can before someone takes it. After 16 days, the player with the most buried acorns wins.
What's in the box
- The deck (108 cards), shared by everyone: 88 creatures and 20 tricks.
- Resource cards (60): 15 each of berry, twig, pebble and feather.
- Home cards (6). Each one shows the two kinds of resource you gather.
- Day cards (20). One is turned over each morning.
- Acorns (60).
Setup
- Put 15 acorns per player in the middle of the table. This is the wild. Put the rest back in the box. Nobody starts with any acorns.
- Shuffle the home cards and deal 1 to each player.
- Shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player. Put the resource cards in piles by kind.
- Each player keeps any 5 of these: their 5 deck cards and 4 resource cards, one of each kind. Shuffle the deck cards nobody kept back into the deck.
- Turn 3 cards from the deck face up beside it. This is the row.
- Shuffle the day cards into a face-down pile.
- Choose a first player. They go first every day.
First game: instead of choosing, everyone starts with a Mouse Militia, a Sparrow and one resource card of each kind.
Your acorns
You keep acorns in two places.
- Stored acorns are in front of you. Acorns you forage or steal go here. Other players can steal them.
- Buried acorns are under your home card. Only buried acorns count at the end. Most attacks can't reach them, and you can't spend them.
When the wild runs out, the only way to get more acorns is to take them from other players.
A day
- From the second day on, discard the row and turn 3 new cards face up.
- Turn over the top day card and do what it says.
- Each player takes a turn, starting with the first player and going left.
There are 20 day cards and the game lasts 16 days, so 4 are never seen.
Your turn
At the start of your turn, stand up all your creatures.
1. Take one action
- Gather. Take 3 resource cards of the two kinds on your home card, in any mix.
- Draw. Take 2 cards. Each one comes from the row or the top of the deck. Before you take the first, you may discard the row and turn over 3 new cards. The row is only refilled once you have finished drawing.
- Forage. Take 3 acorns from the wild into your store.
- Bury. Move up to 3 acorns from your store to your buried acorns.
2. Play cards
Play as many cards from your hand as you can pay for. Pay the cost shown at the top of the card with resource cards, which go back to their piles. A number in a circle means that many resource cards of any kind.
- Creatures join your army. A creature can't attack on the turn you play it.
- Tricks do what they say. Then discard them.
3. Attack
You may attack any number of players. Choose which of your creatures go against which player, all at once. Each creature can go on one attack, unless its card says otherwise. Then fight the attacks one at a time. A creature that dies in one fight doesn't fight in a later one.
- Block. The defender chooses blockers from their creatures that are standing. Each blocker blocks one attacker. Several blockers can block the same attacker.
- Fight. Each blocked attacker and its blockers deal their strength as damage to each other at the same time. An attacker's damage goes to its blockers, the one with the least health first. Damage that isn't enough to kill the next blocker is lost. A creature that takes damage equal to its health dies and goes to the discard pile. Creatures that survive heal completely.
- Steal. Add up the strength of the attackers that weren't blocked. Take that many acorns from the defender's store and put them in yours. If they have fewer, take what they have.
Attackers are turned sideways: they are tired. A tired creature can't attack or block until it stands again at the start of your next turn.
Trading
During your turn you may trade resource cards and acorns with other players, on any terms you both agree to. You may also swap 2 resource cards for 1 of any kind from the piles.
End of your turn
If you have more than 7 cards in your hand, discard down to 7. Resource cards don't count.
Abilities
Use a creature's ability on your own turn, unless the card says when, such as "when defending" or "unblocked". Some abilities tire the creature: turn it sideways, the same as an attacker. Only a standing creature can use an ability that tires it, so it can't do that and also attack in the same turn. A creature you have just played can use its ability at once, except the Owl Sentinel, which has to wait until your next turn.
Creature words
- Flying. Only Flying and Ranged creatures can block it.
- Ranged. Can block Flying creatures.
- Band. When one of a Band attacks, every one of that name that can attack goes too. They fight as one attacker: add up their strength and their health. One blocker can stop the whole Band. Damage kills them one at a time. When one of a Band blocks, every one of that name that is standing blocks the same attacker.
- Unblocked. The creature attacked and nobody blocked it.
Day cards
- Quiet Day (3): a still day in the woods.
- Mr. Buttons: the cat eats a random creature from the player with the most creatures. If players are tied, he eats 1 from each.
- The Fox (3 / 3): attacks the player with the most stored acorns, or each of them if tied. That player can block it like any attacker. The acorns it steals go back to the wild.
- The Jay: digs up 2 buried acorns from the player with the most, or from each of them if tied. They go back into that player's store.
- Lost Hoard: the player with the fewest buried acorns takes 3 acorns from the wild. If players are tied, each of them does.
- Heavy Rain: no attacks today.
- Hard Frost: nobody can bury today.
- Windy Day: Flying creatures can't attack or block today.
- Full Moon: every creature has +1 strength today.
- Call to Arms: creatures cost 1 less today.
- Good Harvest: every player takes 2 acorns from the wild, in turn order.
- Travelling Pedlar: every player draws 1 card from the deck.
- Thick Fog: creatures can't block today.
- Market Day: swap resource cards 1 for 1 today.
- Spring Thaw: every player buries 1 stored acorn.
- Bumper Crop: Forage takes 2 more acorns today.
- Spring Flood: every player digs up 2 buried acorns back into their store.
- Busy Day: Gather and Draw each also take 1 acorn from the wild today.
Winning
At the end of day 16, the player with the most buried acorns wins. If players are tied, the one with the most stored acorns wins. If they are still tied, they share the win.