Pondscape
Pondscape is a strategic card game for 2-4 players, lasting around 30 minutes. In this game, players create their own vibrant pond by carefully placing cards featuring various frog species and pond environments while collecting different insect types.
The core mechanisms involve grid building and card management, with pond construction as a spatial puzzle. In each round, players choose cards from a shared display and add one card to their pond, aiming to fulfill specific conditions set by different frog species to earn points, with larger groups of the same frog type yielding even greater rewards.
A unique shared mechanism revolves around the "jumper frog", a central figure that hunts insects and other food. All players influence the jumper frog's actions and compete to gather insects that can provide bonus points during the final scoring. Careful planning and resourceful play will lead to the most balanced and flourishing pond!
Number of players: 1 - 4
Game duration: 14 mn
Complexity: 2 / 5
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Play Pondscape and 1272 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
Achieve the highest score by creating an optimal pond of plants and animals in a grid over the course of 15 rounds.
GAMEPLAY
The game lasts 15 rounds. Each player builds their own grid consisting of a total of 15 cards.
1. Select a Card
In each round, you choose one card from the central display ("Food Card Row").
- The position of the Leaping Frog determines which cards are available.
- After taking a card, you move the frog clockwise along the display according to the chosen card (or through special effects).
2. Place a Card
Place the chosen card into your grid.
- Cards must be placed adjacent to cards already in your grid.
- The final grid consists of 15 cards (3 rows of 5 cards each).
3. Card Types and Effects
- Instant Effects (🍃): Cards with a leaf symbol are resolved immediately when played.
- Frog Action: Allows you to move the Leaping Frog in the central display an additional distance to influence card availability for future turns.
- Tucking: Certain actions allow you to slide cards from your hand under cards already in your pond. These cards score points during the final tally for every matching symbol visible in the grid.
SCORING
At the end of the game, points are calculated individually for each card in the pond:
- Habitats: Grant points for adjacent cards of the same type or for specific symbol combinations in the same row or column.
- Food Symbols: Points based on the number of different symbols on adjacent cards.
- Tucked Cards: Each tucked card grants 1 point for every matching symbol visible throughout your entire pond.
END OF GAME
The game ends once all players have placed 15 cards in their grid. In the event of a tie, the player with the most remaining hand cards wins.
ANIMAL SCORING CATEGORIES
🌿 Habitats (Environment)
These cards have individual conditions checked at the end of the game. Typical examples include:
- Kingfisher: Scores points for Water cards (the back of the cards).
- Usually 3 points per adjacent Water card or for each Water card in the same row.
- Dragonfly: Rewards food diversity.
- 2 points for each unique food symbol (spider, beetle, fly, etc.) on all adjacent cards.
- Snail: Scores based on proximity to other habitats.
- 3 points for each adjacent Habitat card (other cards with a leaf symbol).
- Aquatic Plants / Water Lilies:
- Often 2 points for each adjacent Frog card.
🐸 Frog Species (Cluster Scoring)
Frogs are typically scored in clusters (orthogonally connected groups of the same species). The larger the group, the more points are awarded per card.
- Blue Poison Dart Frog: Wants habitats nearby. It only counts for scoring if it is adjacent to at least one Habitat.
- Clown Tree Frog: A "social" frog. It grants bonus points if it is adjacent to other frog species.
- Panamanian Golden Frog: Focuses on supplies. It scores heavily based on cards that have been tucked under the food bar.
- Desert Rain Frog: A loner. It does not form clusters; instead, it usually provides instant points or points based on its specific position in the grid.
🐜 Food Symbols & Tucking
In addition to the animals, tucked cards are counted at the end:
- Each card tucked under a food category (e.g., Fly) counts as 1 point for every matching symbol visible in your entire pond (on the face-up cards).
Note: Exact point values (2 or 3 points) are listed on the bottom left of each card and depend on whether the condition applies only to adjacent cards or the entire grid.