EVOLVED
INTRODUCTON
It took 3.5 billion years to make this game.
WINNING
The player with the most species at the end of the game wins.
COUNTER SETS
Each player has a set of counters of a unique color.
Each counter set has 100+ counters.
Each set has ten counters marked #1, another ten marked #2, and so on.
THE GLOBE
The map is a 6 X 6 grid.
It has 36 spaces.
9 spaces are “Land” spaces.
9 are “Open Water” spaces.
18 are “Island” spaces.
The top row and bottom row are Arctic (Polar)
The two middle rows are Tropical.
The intermediate rows are Temperate.
SPECIES
Have an index card for each of your species.
Every species has 5 attributes.
Record on the card the values of the attributes.
Also, be sure to name your species.
(Kingdom, Phyllum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)
SETUP
Each player starts with one species with the following attributes:
Diet = Herbivore
Terrain = Water
Climate = Hot Adapted
Size = Tiny
Speed = Slow
This will be each players “#1” species (use #1 counters).
Each player starts with 3 population counters.
Place counters in 3 adjacent spaces not containing opponent’s populations.
TURN SEQUENCE
The turn is divided into 6 phases:
Geologic Time Phase
Random Events Phase
Mass Extinctions Phase
Reproduction Phase
Speciation Phase
Migrations Phase
GEOLOGIC TIME PHASE
The game ends after 16 turns.
Move a time marker one space (Era, Period, Epoch) on the following track:
1. Archean (Start)
2. Proterozoic
3. Paleozoic
4. Cambrian
5. Ordovician
6. Silurian
7. Devonian
8. Carboniferous
9. Permian
10. Mesozoic
11. Triassic
12. Jurassic
13. Cretaceous
14. Cenozoic
15. Tertiary
16. Quaternary (End)
RANDOM EVENTS
Players share a common deck.
Each player fills hand to 7 cards.
If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard and draw from it.
MASS EXTINCTIONS
Extinction cards may not be played until the Ordovician Period
Players take turns playing Extinction cards.
The player with the (most) fastest species goes first.
If there is a tie, the smartest player goes first and play proceeds clockwise.
To play the cards Predation, Competition, and Parasitism you must have a
Species with the indicated attributes in the same space as an opponent’s
Species with the indicated attributes.
For example: You play Predation: Pick one of your Carnivore Species and
pick any one species of a smaller size. In all spaces that contain
populations of both, the prey populations are removed from play.
REPRODUCTION
A space may contain an absolute maximum of 3 species (Total of all players).
In each space that you have species, pick one of those species to reproduce.
Add one Population Counter of the appropriate type to the space.
SPECIATION
Play (discard) an evolve card to have one of your populations evolve.
Replace one population counter with a counter that has an unused number.
Roll once on the Evolution table.
The Roll determines which attribute of the population changes.
The Attribute goes up or down one level.
Roll 1D6: on 1-3 go up. On 4-6 go down.
If you are at one end of the scale you automatically move towards the other end.
The population becomes a new species.
Write up a new index record card for it.
A population may only evolve once per turn.
MIGRATIONS
For each of your species, you may pick up to X number of populations to
move to an adjacent space.
X is determined by the Species Speed Attribute.
You may move a species into a space that already has 3 species in it.
If a space has too many species, a random species in that space is destroyed.
CARD LIST
Card Name: # Notes:
Behavioral Isolation 1 Evolve
Temporal Isolation 1 Evolve
Geographic Isolation 1 Evolve
Mechanical Isolation 1 Evolve
Gametic Isolation 1 Evolve
Polymorphism 1 Evolve
Adaptive Radiation 1 Evolve
Genetic Variability 1 Evolve
Sexual Reproduction 1 Evolve
Mutations 1 Evolve
Natural Selection 1 Evolve
Survival of the Fittest 1 Evolve
Biodiversity 1 Evolve
Crossing Over in Meiosis 1 Evolve
Hardy-Weinberg Disequilibrium 1 Evolve
Glacier Movements 1 Evolve
Climate Shift 1 Evolve
Gene Flow 1 Evolve
Genetic Drift 1 Evolve
Missing Link 1 Evolve
Evolutionary Dead End 1 Extinction: Kill all populations of target Species
Predation 5 Extinction: Carnivore kills Smaller Species
Competition 5 Extinction: Kill Species with 2+ same Attributes
Parasitism 5 Extinction: Carnivore kills Larger Species
Asteroid Impact 1 Extinction: All Large and Huge species Killed
Ice Age 1 Extinction: All Hot Loving Species
Global Warming 1 Extinction: All Cold Loving Species
Volcanic Activity 2 Extinction: All populations in target space Killed
Sterile Hybrid 1 Extinction: Kill 1 newly evolved population
Mechanical Defenses 1 Negate a Predation card
Chemical Defenses 1 Negate a Predation card
Behavioral Defenses 1 Negate a Predation card
Symbiosis 1 Negate a Parasitism card
Mutualism 1 Negate a Parasitism card
Commensalism 1 Negate a Parasitism card
Resource Partitioning 1 Negate a Competition Card
Find new Niche 1 Negate a Competition Card
Find new Habitat 1 Negate a Competition Card
Hydrothermal Vents 1 Gain one Population of the starting Species type
Continental Drift 1 Move an extra population
Land Bridge 1 Move an extra Land population
Colonization 1 Move an extra population
Pangea Breaks Apart 1 Move an extra population
Pioneer Species 1 Move an extra Tiny/Small population
Geographic Dispersal 1 Move an extra population
Vestigial Organs 1 Pick result of any Dice roll
Directional Selection 1 Pick result of any Dice roll
Sexual Selection 1 Pick result of any Dice roll
Common Ancestor 1 Pick result of any Dice roll
Analogous Structures 1 Pick result of any Dice roll
Homologous Structures 1 Pick result of any Dice roll
Reproductive Success 1 Gain 1 extra population in 1 space
Exponential Growth 1 Gain 1 extra population in 1 space
Climax Community 1 Gain 1 extra population in 1 space
Keystone Species 1 Carnivore gets +1 Population in 1 space
Living Fossil 1 Target Population Avoids Extinction
Top of the Food Chain 1 Large/Huge Carnivore get +1 Population
# = number of that type of card in the deck.
EVOLUTION TABLE
1D6 Attribute:
1 Diet
2 Terrain
3 Climate
4 Size
5 Speed
6 Pick one
DIET ATTRIBUTE
Level Type
3 Carnivore
2 Omnivore
1 Herbivore
TERRAIN ATTRIBUTE
Level Type Species must live in:
1 Water Water or Island Spaces
2 Land Land or Island Spaces
CLIMATE ATTRIBUTE
Level Type Species must live in:
1 Hot Loving Tropical
2 Hot Adapted Tropical/Temperate
3 Temperate Temperate
4 Cold Adapted Arctic/Temperate
5 Cold Loving Arctic
SIZE ATTRIBUTE
Level Type Max Populations of this Species per Space:
1 Tiny 6
2 Small 5
3 Medium 4
4 Large 3
5 Huge 2
SPEED ATTRIBUTE
Level Type Notes
1 Sedentary Move 0 population per turn
2 Slow Move 1 populations per turn
3 Fast Move 2 populations per turn
4 Flyer Move 3 populations per turn
FAQS
What about amphibious creatures that appeared towards the end ?
I stayed away from all mention of specific groups: Dinosaurs, reptiles, amphibians,
insects, mammals, aves, crustaceans, arthropods, cnidaria, porifera, mematodes, planaria,
etc. The problem is that each group only evolved once, and from distinct ancestors that
also only evolved once: This would leave most players out of the loop: For example: the
person who got the amphibians would be the only one who could evolve into higher
vertebrates.
Can carnivores exist by themselves in a space i.e. with no other species present? You
state that only 3 species can exist in a space. Does that include only herbivores or
carnivores as well? Why not have also carnivores live in a space each of which
will “feed” off a species? That would mean that if 3 species are in a space, another 3
carnivore species could live there as well, or even more carnivores as they would feed
on the smaller carnivores etc.
Actually I always just assumed every space actually held hundreds of thousands of
species in all their multitudes. The limitations are just on those few species the
players control.
Also a related question to max # of species per space is, what happens if there are 3
species in but another one wants to move in from outside? Can’t it make the move? Can it
move in but someone of the inhabitants dies if it doesn’t move off etc?
This requires some playtesting to see what would be the most "fun" solution. For
now, lets say that they can move, and if a space has too many species, a random species
in that space is destroyed.
Could you clarify which species is allowed to move where, ie can a land species move from
land to island or vice versa?
Island spaces are fair game to "Land" and "Water" species.
How about species reproduction speed – life cycle etc?
That is a function of the existing Speed & Size attributes.
Why Victory only to the player with biggest no. of species? Why not include total # of
species counters on board, total # of spaces occupied by player or even VP bonus for
solely occupying spaces of climatic zones, etc?
That is all very doable. However, total number of population counters favors small
species.
How about a few extra cards to include gaia transformation, i.e. card stating that an
island space becomes open water and some other open water space becomes island or
something of the sort?
I had thought of that, but it would require tiles for land and Island spaces. Then
there is the problem of species already in a space getting pushed out.