Each player controls a species of tree thriving in the beautiful terrain of a national park.

Players grow their trees in the spring and score points for having the most majestic trees along each trail (row/column) in the summer. In the autumn, the wind blows and players cover the ground in leaves.

When winter comes, players score points for having the most coverage in each region. The highest-scoring player at the end of the year is the winner.

Components

• Park Board
• 144 Wooden Leaf Tokens
• 4 Wooden Squirrel Tokens
• 32 Trees
• 32 Leaf Tiles
• Wind Board
• Wind Direction Marker
• Hiker
• Score Track
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Place the Park Board in the center of the table, choosing which side is face-up based on player count.

   Each player chooses a species of tree and takes all of its matching components:

   1. All 8 Leaf Tiles (2 through 8 and Squirrel)
   2. All 36 Leaf Tokens
   3. All 8 Trees (2 of each value, 1 through 4)
   4. 1 Squirrel Token

2. Place the Wind Board and Wind Direction Marker off to the side. These will be placed next to the Park Board in the autumn.

3. Place the Score Track off to the side. Each player places one Leaf Token near the Score Track to serve as Score Markers.

4. Randomly select a Start Player and give them the Hiker.

Tip: One suggestion is whoever has most recently visited a national park.

Game Play

A year in a national park

Each game of Bosk is played over the course of one year, with two playing seasons (spring and autumn) and two scoring seasons (summer and winter).

Each season is unique, and where you grow your trees in the spring will impact the future of the park - from how many visitors admire your trees in the summer, to how far the wind blows your leaves in the autumn.

I. Spring

Growing Tall

In the spring, players grow their trees one by one at the trail intersections between varying types of terrain. Players earn points in the summer for having the highest total value in each trail.

1. Beginning with the Start Player, players take turns placing any one of their Trees on an unoccupied intersection of 2 trails on the Park Board inside the play area.

   Note: Trees May Not Be Placed On The Edges, Corners Or Outside Border Of The Play Area.

   Note: Once A Tree Is Placed It Cannot Be Moved

2. Play continues clockwise until each player has placed all 8 of their Trees.

3. Once each player has placed all 8 of their Trees, proceed to summer.

II. Summer

Visitors admire the trees

In the summer, visitors travel the trails through the park, admiring the park and rewarding the player with the most majestic trees. Points are awarded for each trail on the Park Board.

1. One by one for each trail row, add up the values on all trees for each player in that row.

   Award points as indicated in the SUMMER SCORING section below.

   
   
   

2. One by one for each trail column, add up the values on all trees for each player in that column. Award points as indicated in the summer scoring section below.

   
   
   

Summer Scoring

As each player earns points, move their Score Marker along the Score Track.

1. If a single player has the highest total value (first place), they are awarded 2 points. If a single player has the next-highest total value (second place), they are awarded 1 point.

2. If 2 or more players are tied for second place, each are awarded 0 points.

3. If a single player is in first place and no players are in second, that player is awarded 3 total points (points for both first and second place).

4. If 2 or more players are tied for first place, each is awarded 1 point (0 points for second place).

Determine new start player

After scoring, compare all players' total points. The player with the fewest points will become the Start Player for autumn. Ties are broken clockwise from the previous Start Player.

Give the Hiker to the new Start Player.

III. Autumn

The Leaves Fall

In the autumn, the wind blows and leaves fall from the trees, covering the terrain. Leaves will form paths in the direction of the wind, players will earn points in the winter for covering the most terrain in each region.

Initial Wind Direction

The new Start Player will select the initial direction of the wind.

1. Place the Wind Board on one of the 4 sides of the Park Board.

   
   
   

   Note: This indicates which direction the wind will begin blowing, and determines the pattern of the wind's changes for the rest of the game.

2. Place the Wind Direction Marker on arrow above the leftmost spot (indicated by a "1") on the Wind Board.

Falling Leaves

Players will take turns blowing leaves from their trees to cover Terrain Squares. The current spot on the Wind Board indicates both which tree will lose its leaves and the direction the leaves will blow in.

1. Beginning with the Start Player, each player will take a turn. During a player's turn, they will:

   1. Select 1 of their Trees in the play area as the tree their leaves will fall from. Do not remove the Tree until step "e".

      1. During the first 4 rounds, players must select one of their Trees matching the value indicated on the Wind Board.
      2. During the final 4 rounds, players can select any of their remaining Trees (indicated by a "*" on the Wind Board).

   2. Select 1 of their Leaf Tiles and place it face-up in front of them.

      Note: The Squirrel Will Be Explained Later.

      Note: Leaf Tile Selection Also Impacts Player Order. The Players Selecting The Smallest Value Will Play First In The Next Round.

   3. Take Leaf Tokens from their supply equal to the value on the selected Leaf Tile. These are considered Active Leaves, separate from the supply.

   4. Place Leaf Tokens from Active Leaves on the Terrain Squares, to form a path in the direction of the wind. The leaf placement section explains this in detail.

   5. Remove the selected Tree from the Park Board.

   6. Set aside the selected Leaf Tile, it cannot be selected again.

2. Play continues clockwise until each player has taken a turn.

3. Once each player has taken a turn, proceed to the END OF ROUND section.

   Note: Player Order Will Change After The First Round.

Leaf Placement

Leaves fall in a continuous path in the direction of the wind, giving players control of the terrain as they go. Players may cover other players' leaves in their path, but it comes with a cost. To place leaves, a player must:

1. Place the first Active Leaf Token at the base of the Tree on either of the 2 immediately adjacent Terrain Squares in the direction of the wind.

   
   
   

2. Place each subsequent Active Leaf Token on one of the 3 adjacent Terrain Squares in the direction of the wind (the tile straight ahead, or the two diagonally adjacent squares).

   
   
   

3. Continue placing Active Leaf Tokens until none remain or until the edge of the play area is reached.

   Reminder: Remove the tree after placing the last leaf

   
   
   
   

Covering other leaves

While most leaves fall on empty terrain, a player may cover another player's leaves in their path. Only the leaves on top will count toward scoring in winter.

To cover a pile where their own leaf is on top, players play as if the terrain tile is empty (no additional cost). To cover another player's Leaf Token along their path, a player must:

1. Return 1 of their active leaf tokens to the supply for each leaf token already on the terrain tile.

   Exception: If a player's own leaf is on top, they do not need to return leaves to the supply.

   
   
   

2. Place 1 of their Active Leaf Tokens on top of all Leaves on the Terrain Tile.

   Note: To cover other players' leaves, a player must have remaining active leaves after returning leaves to the supply.

   
   
   

3. Continue along their path as normal if they have remaining Active Leaves.

   
   
   

Squirrel

Instead of blowing leaves, players may call a squirrel to their aid. When a player selects their Leaf Tile with a squirrel icon, they must:

1. Place their Squirrel Token within 3 spaces of their chosen Tree in the direction of the wind (moving according to the leaf placement section).

   1. The Squirrel can cover leaf piles of any size.

   2. Squirrel Tokens cannot be covered by Leaf Tokens.

   
   
   

2. The turn continues, with the player removing their Tree.

   
   
   

   Note: Terrain squares with a player's squirrel token count for that player during winter scoring.

End of the Round

Once each player has taken a turn, the wind will change before gameplay continues.

Reminder: Each Player Should Have Removed One Of Their Trees From The Terrain Board.

1. Move the Wind Direction Marker one space to the right. This changes which direction the wind is blowing. It also changes restrictions on which Tree must be selected next round.

2. Whichever player played the lowest Leaf Tile value the previous round becomes the new Start Player. If there's a tie, the closest player clockwise from the current Start Player becomes the new Start Player. Give the Hiker to the new Start Player.

IV. Winter

Gaining Ground

Now that the trees are bare, players will score for covering the most ground for each type of terrain. As players earn points, move their Score Markers along the Score Track, adding to the points gained in the summer.

The 8 regions are formed by Terrain Squares of the same type (by color and texture). For each region:

1. Count the number of Terrain Squares controlled by each player.

   1. Only the player whose Leaf or Squirrel Token is on top will count as controlling a tile. The height of a pile of leaves doesn't impact scoring.

   2. Disconnected Terrain Squares of the same type are all counted together.

2. If a single player has the highest total value (first place), they are awarded 5 points. If a single player has the next-highest total value (second place), they are awarded 3 points.

3. If 2 or more players are tied for second place, each is awarded 1 point.

4. If a single player is in first place and no players are in second, that player is awarded 8 total points (points for both first and second place).

5. If 2 or more players are tied for first place, each is awarded 4 points (0 points for second place).

End of the Game

After winter scoring, compare each players' total points. The highest-scoring player is the winner!

Ties are broken by the player closest to the final round start player.

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