PARKS

2019

In PARKS, players become hikers exploring trails across four seasons. Collect unique memories, outsmart fellow hikers and visit National Parks in this beautifully illustrated board game.

60
minutes

1 - 5
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

PARKS is a celebration of the US National Parks featuring illustrious art from Fifty-Nine Parks. In PARKS, players will take on the role of two hikers as they trek through different trails across four seasons of the year. While on the trail, these hikers will take actions and collect memories of the places your hikers visit. These memories are represented by various resource tokens like mountains and forests. Collecting these memories in sets will allow players to trade them in to visit a National Park at the end of each hike. Each trail represents one season of the year, and each season, the trails will change and grow steadily longer. The trails, represented by tiles, get shuffled in between each season and laid out anew for the next round. Resources can be tough to come by especially when someone is at the place you’re trying to reach! Campfires allow you to share a space and time with other hikers. Canteens and Gear can also be used to improve your access to resources through the game. It’ll be tough to manage building up your engine versus spending resources on parks, but we bet you’re up to the challenge. Welcome to PARKS! —description from the publisher

Setup and rules summary

Game components Unboxing the fun!

PARKS is a strategy board game that takes players on a journey through the United States’ National Parks. The game includes a variety of components that each contribute to its gameplay. Below are the descriptions of each component and how they interact with the game:

1. Game Board: The game board acts as the trail that players will traverse throughout the game. It consists of different trail tiles that players move across, each offering different actions or resources when landed on.

2. Trail Tiles: These tiles represent the trail sections on the game board. Players move their hiker pieces along these tiles and perform the actions depicted on them, such as collecting resources, taking photos, or reserving a park card.

3. Hiker Pieces: Each player has two hiker pieces that they move along the trail. The hikers are used to collect resources and take actions on the trail tiles they land on.

4. Park Cards: These cards represent the national parks that players can visit during the game. Players collect resources to fulfill the requirements on the park cards in order to visit the parks and score points.

5. Gear Cards: Gear cards provide players with special abilities or bonuses that can be used throughout the game. Players can purchase gear cards using resources.

6. Photo Cards: These cards represent photos taken during the hike. Players can take photos by using the camera token and resources, and these photo cards provide points at the end of the game.

7. Resource Tokens: There are four types of resources in the game: sun, water, mountains, and forests. Players collect these resources by moving their hikers onto trail tiles that provide them. These resources are then used to visit national parks, take photos, or purchase gear cards.

8. Season Cards: A season card is drawn at the beginning of each round and sets the theme for that round. It can provide a special rule for the round, bonus actions, or additional resources.

9. First Hiker Token: This token indicates which player is the first hiker for the round. The player with this token starts each round and sets the pace of the game as they are the first to move their hiker.

10. Camera Token: This token allows a player to take a photo, which involves drawing a photo card and scoring points. The camera token can change hands throughout the game based on player actions.

11. Canteen Cards: These cards represent canteens that can be filled with water resources to activate special abilities or bonuses.

12. Wildlife Tokens: These tokens can be collected by landing on certain trail tiles and can be used as a wild resource to fulfill park card requirements.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

PARKS is a beautiful and engaging board game where players will take on the roles of two hikers as they trek through different trails across four seasons of the year. While on the trail, these hikers will take actions and collect memories of the places your hikers visit. These memories are represented by various resource tokens like mountains and forests. Collecting these memories in sets will allow players to trade them in to visit a National Park at the end of each hike.

Each player will start with two hikers as they journey through the trail. The trail is represented by tiles that are shuffled and then laid out, with each tile representing a different location that offers different resources and actions that the players’ hikers can interact with.

Here’s how to set up the game:

Start by setting up the trail. To do this, shuffle the Season cards and draw one to determine the current season. Then, shuffle the Trail Tiles and lay them out in a row. The number of tiles you use and their order will be determined by the current season. The Trail’s End tile is always placed at the end of the trail.
Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding Hiker Tokens and Personal Bonus tiles. The Personal Bonus tile should be placed bonus side up.
Shuffle the Park Cards and place three face up next to the trail. This forms the Park Row. Place the deck next to it. These represent the National Parks that players can visit.
Shuffle the Year Cards and place one face up next to the trail. The deck should be placed next to it. The Year card provides a unique rule that applies to all players for the whole year (i.e., game).
Sort the Resource Tokens (Sun, Water, Mountain, Forest, Wildlife) into separate piles and place them next to the playing area. These represent the memories players can collect.
Take the First Hiker Token and give it to the player who most recently visited a park. They will be the first player.
Finally, each player places their hikers on the trailhead tile, the starting point of the trail. The game is now ready to begin.

Remember, the goal of PARKS is to score the most points by visiting National Parks and taking photos of your journey. Have a great hike!

Game flow Round and round we go

PARKS is a board game that invites players to explore the U.S. National Parks through a series of rounds called Seasons. Each player controls two Hikers as they journey along the Trail, visiting Parks, taking photos, and encountering various events and challenges. The game continues over four Seasons, and the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the end of the game is the winner.

The structure of a Season in PARKS consists of the following stages:

Trail Setup: At the beginning of each Season, the Trail is set up. The Trail tiles are shuffled and laid out in a line, with the Trailhead at one end and the Trail’s end at the other. The Seasons card is revealed and its effect is active for the duration of the Season.
Hiking the Trail: Each player, in turn order, moves one of their Hikers along the Trail. Players can move their Hiker as far along the Trail as they like, but they cannot move backwards. When a Hiker lands on a Trail tile, the player may perform the action displayed on the tile. Actions can include collecting Resource Tokens, gaining Equipment Cards, taking Photos, or reserving Park Cards.
Visiting Parks: When a Hiker reaches the end of the Trail, they may visit a Park. To do this, the player pays the required Resource Tokens listed on one of the available Park Cards. They then score the card, collecting VP equal to the number listed on the card. The player can also choose to buy Gear or reserve a Park for later.
End of Season: The Season ends when all Hikers have reached the end of the Trail. At this point, players prepare for the next Season by returning their Hikers to the Trailhead, shuffling and dealing new Park Cards, and revealing a new Season card.
End of Game: After the fourth Season, the game ends. Players add up their total VP from Park Cards, Photo Cards, and Personal Bonus Cards. The player with the most VP is declared the winner.

Through careful management of resources and strategic movement of their Hikers, players aim to visit as many Parks as possible, capturing beautiful photos and collecting valuable Equipment along the way.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘PARKS’ is played over a series of four rounds, each representing a season. The game ends after the fourth season (or round) is completed. After the conclusion of the final round, players proceed to the scoring phase.

Victory Conditions:

In ‘PARKS’, victory is determined by the total number of Victory Points (VP) a player has accumulated by the end of the game. Victory Points are primarily earned by visiting National Parks and taking photos, but can also be gained through other means such as achieving personal bonus objectives or collecting certain types of gear.

End of Round Actions:

At the end of each round, players need to perform the following actions:

Retrieve Hikers: Players retrieve their Hikers from the Trail and return them to their supply.
Refresh Trail: The Trail is refreshed for the next round. The First Player removes the Trail End tile and all the Site and Park Tiles from the Trail, shuffles them, and lays them out again in a new order.
Change First Player: The First Player token is passed to the next player in clockwise order.

End of Game Actions:

Upon completion of the fourth round, in addition to the regular end of round actions, players proceed to the scoring phase with the following steps:

Count Victory Points from National Parks: Each Park card visited by a player has a designated number of Victory Points. These are totalled to give the player’s base score.
Add Victory Points from Photos: Each Photo token collected by a player is worth 1 Victory Point.
Add Victory Points from Personal Bonus: If a player has achieved their personal bonus objective, they add the designated number of Victory Points to their total.
Add Victory Points from Gear: Certain types of Gear also provide Victory Points. These are added to the player’s total.

The player with the highest total of Victory Points is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the player with the most Park cards is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with the most Photos wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘PARKS’, scoring is an important aspect that determines the eventual winner. The scoring system is detailed and comprehensive, rewarding players for a variety of achievements during the gameplay.

Points Allocation:

There are various ways in which points are awarded in ‘PARKS’:

Visiting Parks: Each Park card that a player successfully visits during the game is worth a certain number of points, as indicated on the card.
Photo Tokens: Each photo token that a player has at the end of the game is worth 1 point.
Year Cards: Some Year cards also give points to the player who has them.
Personal Bonus: At the end of the game, each player reveals their Personal Bonus card and scores the points as indicated on the card.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

If two or more players end up with the same number of points at the end of the game, the following tie-breaking rules are applied:

The player with the most total Park cards wins.
If there’s still a tie, the player with the most total photo tokens wins.
If there’s still a tie, the player with the most total Park cards of the highest value wins.
If there’s still a tie after that, all tied players share the victory.

These rules, both for scoring points and for breaking ties, add a layer of strategy to ‘PARKS’, as players must consider not just how to earn points, but also how to break potential ties.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

PARKS is a popular board game that allows players to experience the beauty of U.S. National Parks while managing their resources and making strategic decisions. While the basic rules are straightforward, there are certain rare or special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that might be important to understand for better gameplay.

1. Special Rules:

Year deck: Shuffle the Year cards and draw one to be active for the current game. The Year card dictates a unique rule that applies to all players for that game.
Using the Campfire: The Campfire is a special token that allows your hikers to share a space with another hiker. This token starts in the active position but becomes inactive once used. It can only be reactivated when your hikers reach the Trail End.

2. Exceptions:

Two-player game: In a two-player game, each player controls two hikers instead of one. However, each player still only has one campfire token.
Wildlife: Wildlife tokens can stand in for any standard resource. However, they cannot be used as a substitute for photos or sun tokens.

3. Rule Clarifications:

Trail End bonus: The bonus at the Trail End is optional. If you choose to take a photo by spending 2 sun tokens, this does not prevent you from also buying a Park card.
Seasons: The game proceeds over four rounds, or ‘seasons’. In each new season, the trail gets longer by adding one new trail tile.
Turn order: The player who reaches the Trail End first in a season does not necessarily start the next season. The starting player for each new season is the one who is last in turn order.

Understanding these special rules, exceptions, and clarifications can greatly enhance your PARKS gameplay experience.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

The board game ‘PARKS’ is a resource management and strategy game, where players attempt to visit as many national parks as possible. For optimal gameplay and to increase your chances of winning, consider the following advanced strategies, beginner tips, and common mistakes to avoid.

Advanced Strategies

Plan Ahead: Look at the upcoming seasons and plan your actions accordingly. This will allow you to anticipate resource availability and weather patterns.
Take Advantage of Canteens: Canteens can be filled with water to gain resources. This can be a good strategy to gain resources that are scarce in the current season.
Visit Parks Strategically: Try to visit parks that match the bonuses provided by your gear. This can provide a significant point boost at the end of the game.

Beginner Tips

Start Simple: While the game involves strategy, it’s important not to overcomplicate things. Start by focusing on visiting parks and collecting resources.
Use Your Gear: Gear can provide powerful bonuses. Make sure to use your gear to its full potential.
Don’t Forget About Photos: Taking photos can provide a steady stream of victory points. It’s a good strategy to take a photo whenever you have the opportunity.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring Season Cards: Season cards can significantly impact the game. Ignoring them can result in missed opportunities or unexpected challenges.
Not Balancing Resources: It’s important to balance your resources. Don’t focus too much on one type of resource and neglect others.
Forgetting About Wildlife: Wildlife tokens can be used as any resource. Don’t forget to use them to your advantage.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Study the Board: Take a few moments at the start of each round to study the board. This will help you plan your moves and anticipate other players’ actions.
Adapt to Changes: The game can change quickly due to other players’ actions. Be ready to adapt your strategy on the fly.
Manage Your Time: Don’t spend too much time on one action. Time is a valuable resource in ‘PARKS’.