Arboretum
Arboretum is a strategy card game for 2-4 players, aged 10 and up, that combines set collection, tile-laying and hand management while playing in about 25 minutes. Players try to have the most points at the end of the game by creating beautiful garden paths for their visitors.
The deck has 80 cards in ten different colors, with each color featuring a different species of tree; each color has cards numbered 1 through 8, and the number of colors used depends on the number of players. Players start with a hand of seven cards. On each turn, a player draws two cards (from the deck or one or more of the discard piles), lays a card on the table as part of her arboretum, then discards a card to her personal discard pile.
When the deck is exhausted, players compare the cards that remain in their hands to determine who can score each color. For each color, the player(s) with the highest value of cards in hand of that color scores for a path of trees in her arboretum that begins and ends with that color; a path is a orthogonally adjacent chain of cards with increasing values. For each card in a path that scores, the player earns one point; if the path consists solely of trees of the color being scored, the player scores two points per card. If a player doesn't have the most value for a color, she scores zero points for a path that begins and ends with that color. Whoever has the most points wins.
Number of players: 2 - 4
Game duration: 23 mn
Complexity: 2 / 5
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Play Arboretum and 1063 other games online.
No download necessary - play directly from your web browser.
With your friends and thousands of players from the whole world.
Free.
Rules summary
Objective and Overview
In Arboretum, players compete to create the most beautiful and high-scoring arboretum by arranging cards in a meaningful path of trees for 2-4 players.
Arboretum consists of 80 cards in 10 different tree species suits, each suit containing the numbers 1–8. Each player is dealt 7 cards. The remaining cards are placed in a draw pile in the center of the table.
Game Play
Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn consists of three phases:
1. Draw
Draw two cards from the available sources:
- • The central draw pile.
- • The top card of any discard pile (including your own).
2. Play
Choose one card from your hand to add to your arboretum.
Place it face-up in front of you.
Cards in your arboretum must be arranged orthogonally (no diagonal connections).
You are building paths, and the arrangement impacts your score.
3. Discard
Discard one card face-up to your personal discard pile.
End of the Game
The game ends when there are no further cards in the draw pile. The player who drew the last card plays their turn normally, and then scoring occurs.
Scoring
Scoring is based on paths of cards in your arboretum:
Path Rules
A valid path starts and ends with cards of the same tree species.
The path must increase in value numerically but does not need to be consecutive.
Paths can include cards of other species.
Determining Rights to Score
Each player reveals their remaining hand.
To score a species, you must have the highest sum of values of that species in your hand.
Exception: If you have the 8 of a color in your hand, but one of your opponents has the 1 of the same color in their hand, the value of your 8 is reduced to 0 when determining which player has the right to score paths of a particular color. The 1 is always worth 1.
If multiple players tied the highest sum of values of that species (even if 0), all the tied players will gain the right to score.
Note: It is possible to gain the right to score points of a color of path that is not present in your arboretum.
Calculating Points
- +1 point for each card in the valid path.
- +1 additional points if the path starts with a 1 card.
- +2 additional points if the path ends with an 8 card.
- +1 additional point for each card in paths containing 4 or more cards and only cards of the species being scored.
A card may score in multiple paths (e.g. horizontally and vertically), so long as it satisfies the valid path requirement.
You only score one (the highest scoring) path for each scoring species.
Winning
The player with the highest total score after final scoring wins.
In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most species present in their arboretum wins.
