When you open Ecologies, you’ll see plenty of different cards. But don’t worry; understanding how the game works is simpler than you might think. The cards are separated into three categories, which we’ve outlined below. When opponents single out another player, it is known as “targeting.” Some actions are towards all players, or certain players at random, but when one player chooses another player, or their cards, that player has been “targeted.” But while this is a fun way to play, we think Ecologies works best as a group game. Ecologies can be played with up to six people. In group games, the game wants the first player to earn 12 victory points. No, it is a powerful defensive perk, but has several limitations. While the bonus protects all your organisms in every biome from destruction, it does not protect against negative cards in general. For example, other players can still play “parasitism” or “biomagnification of pollutants.” The bonus really only prevents opponents from pointing to one of your organisms and saying “I’m using my special card or ability to destroy this.” In fact, using “biomagnification of pollutants” on a healthy desert ecology would drop the maximum trophic level of the desert to C2 and therefore render it unhealthy. This would immediately remove the healthy ecology bonus and allow for targeted destruction of organisms. In effect, the biomagnification card is a counter to the healthy ecology bonus.

In ECOLOGIES, you build and maintain food webs in diverse biomes around the world. Each biome has a different ecology, and gives unique rewards when it is healthy and balanced. But watch out, your opponents may decide it's easier to disturb and degrade your ecosystems than nurture their own. In this hectic environment, you must choose how best to protect and care for your ecologies.

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The first card a player must play is a Biome Card. This card will set the base for what types of cards may feed into the Ecology. Only one Biome Card is needed per Ecology. Each Biome Card is dictated by its own color and abbreviation. Biomes give healthy ecology bonuses when five specific roles have been filled within the food web.

They fit into the same category as organism cards but are easy to tell apart. These cards list what creatures can be used as a food source, so they are usually quite versatile. Finally, we need to talk about factor cards.

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These cards can be played throughout the game and boost or damage an ecosystem. In addition, players can move cards around their ecosystem during their turn. However, do so carefully because it could cause problems. After the chosen number of Producers have been played, additional organisms may be added to the Ecology. The second row will be reserved for C1 cards or SD cards. The third row will be reserved for C2 cards. The fourth row will be reserved for C3 cards, and anything above will be C4 cards.

Players create miniature worlds, and they need to ensure they stay strong and healthy. But it’s easy for things to go wrong and disturb your ecosystem, meaning you’ll have to act fast to ensure it doesn’t crumble. To play Ecologies, you’ll need a game set. Now Ecologies has a fascinating history developed by a biology teacher and isn’t yet widely available. However, given the game’s popularity, this may change in the future.If the Producer card is destroyed, all cards above it must be discarded unless they can move to another viable Biome that the player has created. Biome cards each have their own bonus associated with it. These bonuses may be fulfilled when there are cards in each of the five roles. Players may move their organism cards around their food web during their turn. Producers can never be moved, but cards that have numerous roles may be shifted. This must be done carefully, as a whole food web can collapse if something drastic changes. If a card is without a food source, it must be discarded. Due to the nature of the game, you can play Ecologies on your own. You’re battling against the cards and trying to build your working ecosystem, so if you’re looking for a fun single-player game, give Ecologies a try. Gameplay is rooted in authentic science, as it is used in the classroom to teach real concepts to biology students. While it is scientific enough for the classroom, it is also strategic enough for any game night.

The game uses the terms “eats” and “eaten by” as simplified stand ins for “receives energy from” and “provides energy to.” Food webs and trophic levels are all about the way energy moves through ecologies. Producers make up the foundation of these webs by converting the energy of the sun into sugars. There is no sunlight card and biomes are assumed to have access to the sun’s energy. “Decaying biomass” just means it eats any dead tissues from the other organisms in the food web. This means the organism is a scavenger/decomposer/detritivore (SD) and should be placed on the second row above primary producers when you want that card to act in the (SD) role. This is because in terms of trophic levels, detritus (decaying biomass) is seen as level one, the same as plants, so things that eat the decaying biomass are level two, the same as primary consumers. There is no specific card for this, as long as there are any other cards in a biome, cards with (SD) are able to sit in the primary consumer level and “feed” off that decaying biomass. Ecologies is fun to play again and again as you learn from your mistakes and successes. It is fun to try out new strategies and play with different levels of competitiveness. 3 Reasons Ecologies is a Favorite The first player of the game is chosen by the group, there is no specific rule for this. The player will then take their turn in four distinct steps. The same pattern must be completed with each play for each player.The points system is based on ecological trophic levels. The producers (plants) are worth less and as you make your way up the pyramid organisms are worth more, as it takes a lot of energy to sustain them. In real life only roughly 10% of the energy makes it from one level to the next, meaning you have to have acres of land and hundreds of animals just to sustain one apex predator. Cards are arranged with plants/algae on the bottom and predators on top. Players negotiate trades and use biotic and abiotic factor cards to affect their webs and the webs of players around them. It is a race to get to 12 victory points, with players using different strategies such as focusing on one biome, going for perks and bonuses, or disrupting other ecologies.