THE WORLD OF ANiMOZ IS A SET OF COLLECTIBLE TRADING CARDS!
With Booster Packs containing 10 Mystery Cards, and new species still being added to the World of ANiMOZ, it is a collector set for kids with some cards more rare than others.
For older kids and adults, there are also 'Official Rules' to a tabletop game using the trading cards, and for younger kids there are plenty of ways to create their own fun games, and through this learn more about the animals in their collection!
In the ANiMOZ Trading Card realm, every collector is known as a Ranger or Junior Ranger.
HOW TO PLAY ANiMOZ
ANiMOZ cards can be used in any way the Ranger sees fit. We encourage players to create their own rules, and find imaginative ways to allow the species - and other Rangers - to interact! But below we have given a few ideas, as well as laid out the full rules to the official ANiMOZ Ultimate Ranger Gameplay!
CREATION
It is up to you, Ranger, to decide how you take care of your ANiOME (your collection of ANiMOZ cards)! If you are alone in the ANiMOZ wilderness, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy, or if you come across another Ranger, there are many ways to put your skills to the test.
Scroll down for the official rules to the Ultimate Ranger Gameplay (along with an explainer video) or see some suggested quick games here:
CLASH TO CLASH
You can use the Clash Matrix from the Ultimate Ranger Gameplay Guide as a standalone game. Divide the Starter Pack evenly between Rangers, or shuffle each Ranger’s own cards, and each Ranger reveals the card from the top of their pile at the same time. Each creature revealed takes part in that round's Clash, and the Ranger with the most wins is the Head Ranger!
EASY ECO
Divide the Starter Pack evenly between Rangers, or shuffle each Ranger’s own cards. Rangers then nominate a BiOME (eg Forest or Desert). Reveal one card at a time, placing any that fall in your Nominated BiOME into a separate 'Ecosystem' (including Wildcard species!). The first Ranger to have 4 species from their Nominated BiOME (of different Levels, e.g. BASE, HERB, OMNI and APEX) in their Ecosystem wins.
ULTIMATE RANGER
The Ultimate Ranger Gameplay Guide is the full rulebook to the Official ANiMOZ tabletop game. This is to be used when two or more Rangers come across one another in the ANiMOZ wilderness, or when a lone Ranger wants to test their knowledge! Can you keep your species safe whilst building a Healthy Ecosystem?
Below this, you can find everything you need to play the Ultimate Ranger gameplay: 1. A link to the rulebook; 2. A link to the digital Endangerment Die if you don't have a 6-sided die; 3. Brief explanation of the game; 4. Explainer video for the game; 5. Additional 'special' rules for use during gameplay.
Click the first link below to download a printable PDF version of the gameplay (please consider the environment before printing). Click the second link below to roll an online Endangerment Die, instead of using a physical 6-sided die during the game.
Thanks to Ranger Danny from Board Game Sanctuary for this introduction!
Quick Intro to the Ultimate Ranger Gameplay:
In Ultimate Ranger Gameplay, every player is a Ranger. You must choose a BiOME (eg Forest or Desert) and then build an Ecosystem and a Sanctuary.
You will have cards from both your Nominated BiOME and from other BiOMEs, and when it is your turn you are the 'Active Ranger'.
The Active Ranger has 3 choices each turn: Sanctuary, Endangerment or Clash. In Sanctuary, you place a card into your Sanctuary. In Endangerment, ALL Rangers place a card in their own Ecosystem and the Active Ranger rolls the Endangerment Die to see which Danger needs to be overcome. In Clash, the Active Ranger chooses another Ranger and one species from each of their cards will face off to decide a winner.
The player with the most points at the end of the game is the Ultimate Ranger. You score points through both your Ecosystem and Sanctuary.
Watch the videos below (all videos coming soon), playing a practice round as you go through them. Then use the full Ultimate Ranger Gameplay Guide to learn all the rules!
Best of luck, Rangers!
ADDITIONAL RULES
For use during Gameplay after you have read the full gameplay guide above.
If Rangers bring their own ANiOMEs to play against each other, instead of sharing a Starter Pack:
If each Ranger brings their own collection of cards (their ANiOME) to the game, they select 9 cards from their Nominated BiOME for use during gameplay.
Each Ranger then selects 9 other cards from their ANiOME for their Holding cards. These must not be from their Nominated BiOME, but can include Wildcard species, as well as Sky species who have the Ranger’s Nominated BiOME as a secondary BiOME.
When looking at all Holding Cards (both Nominated BiOME + non-BiOME species), each Ranger may play with no more than a total of 5 Apex species and 6 Base species, and must have at least 3 of each species Level in their Holding cards.
Can Ultimate Ranger be played as a 1-player game?
Yes! Follow the gameplay guide as if there were multiple players. The only difference is that the Ranger shuffles the left over cards (any cards not in their Holding Cards) and leaves them in a pile face-down. Then, whenever you decide to 'Clash' as a turn, draw the other species for the Clash from the top of the 'leftovers' pile. To win a 1-player game and be the Ultimate Ranger, you must score at least 19 points.
Can Booster and Extinction cards be used in the Ultimate Ranger Gameplay?
Yes! Booster species can be integrated into your ANiMOZ Starter Pack, meaning you can now also nominate Sky, Coast or Mountain as your BiOME! With extinction cards, we recommend you agree on 'House rules' for each game. For example, will each Ranger be allowed to choose just 1 Extinction species for use during the game, or will they all be shuffled into the pack at random? It's up to you... One thing to note: when using Extinction Cards, they count as an extra point in your Sanctuary, just like a Rare or Highly Rare species would!
If a Clash results in a draw:
Each species is discarded by the respective Ranger into their Life Cycle. No other loss or gain occurs. Play moves to the next Ranger.
If 2 or more Rangers are tied after scores are counted:
An Eco clash will decide the winner.
The Rangers with equal scores pick up their respective Ecosystem cards and Clash each of them one by one in any order, without showing the other Ranger which card they will use next.
The Ranger with the most wins at the end of the Eco clash wins the game. If the result of the Eco Clash is a draw, the Ranger with the most species from their Nominated BiOME in their Sanctuary wins.
If a winner can still not be decided, the Ranger with the most RARE or HIGHLY RARE species in their Sanctuary wins.
If a winner can still not be decided, the game is played again with the same cards.
If your last Holding card is played as an Eco card in an Endangerment turn:
The ability to overcome the danger rolled is dependent on the Eco card just played. In other words, if the Eco card just played can overcome the danger than it can remain in your Ecosystem. If it cannot overcome the danger, it is placed in your Life Cycle along with one of your Sanctuary cards.
Can a Ranger skip a turn?
No. The Active Ranger must choose 1 of the 3 options (Endangerment, Sanctuary or Clash). They cannot ‘pass’ or ‘sit out’ their turn if they have Holding Cards remaining.
If a Ranger is nominated to Clash, they must take part unless they have run out of Holding Cards, or initiated Brumation by running out of Sanctuary cards.
If the Active Ranger plays Endangerment, all other Rangers must take part if they have a Holding card that can be placed in their Ecosystem. Otherwise, they sit the round out.
A Ranger with no Holding cards that can be placed in their Ecosystem, but who does have a Sanctuary card they could use in a round of Endangerment, may use that Sanctuary card instead of sitting out the round if they choose to do so. However, they cannot be forced to use it, unlike if they have a Holding card available.
Can a Ranger look at their Life Cycle during the game?
No. Rangers must discard cards face down in order from oldest at the bottom to most recent at the top in their Life Cycle, and are not allowed to look at the cards during the game.
What does a hyphenated Weakness mean for a species (eg APEX-WING)?
If a species shows a Weakness that is two elements hyphenated, such as Level (APEX) and Form (WING), it means the species they are clashing with must meet both of those criteria to automatically win the Clash. For example, if a species shows 'APEX-WING' as a Weakness, the other animal must be both an APEX and a WING species.
How can Wildcard and Sky species be used?
The following applies for any Wildcard species, as well as any Sky species which lists a Ranger’s Nominated BiOME as a secondary BiOME (eg NOVA can also live in the River BiOME):
They can be used in any BiOME and hold the same scoring and use abilities as species from the Nominated BiOME of the Ranger who holds them.
This includes being used in initial set up for the game, and for gaining an extra point as a Nominated BiOME card in the Sanctuary. They also count when attempting to build a Healthy Ecosystem.