Rules to Acorns
2-8 players
ages 10 & up
Object
Collect the most acorns for your horde by the time the deck runs out and a player is out of their cards.
Components
25 trees - The amount of acorns on the cards card indicate how many points they are worth. The combined value of the acorns on all trees is
100 acorns, divided as follows: 5 twos, 6 threes, 5 fours, 5 fives, 2 sixes, 1 seven, and 1 eight.
48 squirrel groups with 12 each in 4 colors – blue, green, red and yellow.
4 fox (one in each color)
1 turtle card
Set Up
Choose a dealer. The dealer should shuffle the deck dealing 6 cards to each player.
Place the extra cards face down forming a draw pile in the center of the play area.
Gameplay
Starting with the player to the left of the dealer starts and continues clockwise from that player.
At the beginning of the turn if the current player has a group of squirrels surround a tree with the highest value they may claim the acorns placing them into their score pile.
Then, take ONE of the following actions:
•Draw a card from the deck.
•Place a tree in front of them.
•Play a squirrel to surround a tree or strengthen your squirrel army surrounding an existing tree.
•Play a fox to strengthen your attack on a tree.
•Play the turtle to defend your own tree.
Draw a Card
Draw the top card from the draw pile and put it into your hand. This ends your turn and play moves clockwise.
Play a tree card
Play a tree face up onto the table in front of you. The card should be placed with the trunk facing towards you.
Your tree is now “growing” and can be surrounded by squirrel cards.
However, if no players place squirrels surround it before your next turn, you collect the tree placing it face down in front of you and will receive points for any acorns on it at the end of the game.
Play a Squirrel card
Squirrel cards are used to surround trees. If your squirrel number (as determined by the number of squirrels shown on the card) remains the highest until the beginning of your next turn, you may claim the tree placing it face down in front of you.
To surround a tree, select a squirrel card from your hand and place it face up next to any tree card in play. Place the bottom of the squirrel card facing toward the player who played it.
A tree can be surrounded by several players, including the tree’s original owner, who may do so in order to keep possession of it. If you are the first player to surround a tree, you may play a squirrel of any color. However, other players may only surround that tree with a color not yet surrounding it.
Play a Fox card
Each color has one fox that may be used to strengthen your squirrels surrounding a tree. A fox card is stronger than all squirrels combined.
To play a fox, place the card face up on top of a matching colored squirrel you placed surrounding a tree. If more than one fox is played surrounding the same tree, the fox played last wins the acorns.
Reminder: foxes may only be played on top of a matching colored squirrel that you have played before.
Play the Turtle
The turtle has the same strength as a fox, but can only be played to defend your own tree and does not require that you have previously played squirrels.
To play the turtle, place the card face up on top of your tree. If the opponent doesn’t surround your tree with a fox, you will win the tree at the start of your next turn.
Tied Attack Strengths
If the tree is surrounded by squirrels of equal strength, it remains in play until one player wins the battle by adding to the number of squirrels.
You may increase the amount of squirrels during later turns either by adding more squirrels of the same color or by playing the fox of the same color you played in the beginning. But watch out: If two squirrel groups are locked in dispute over a tree for too long, weaker squirrel groups may join the standoff and take the tree for themselves!
Note: Squirrel strength is measured by adding together all squirrels on same colored squirrels surrounding a tree.
Scoring trees
You score a tree at the beginning of your turn if it is:
•Your own tree that you played on your last turn, and no squirrels are surround it, or
•Any tree where you have been able to keep the most squirrels or the last played fox or squirrel) since last turn.
Collect any trees you have won face down pile in front of you, then discard any squirrels, foxes, or turtles surrounding it back into the box.
End of game and Scoring
The game ends when the draw pile is empty and a player has played their last card. Any unclaimed trees in play are placed back into the box.
Add up all of the acorns from the trees you’ve won, then deduct the number of acorns from trees still in your hand at the end of the game. The player with the highest acorn total wins.
Notes
• You may have multiple trees in play at the same time.
• When the draw pile is out, you may only play or discard. However, trees may never be discarded and must be played.
• If you run out of cards before the draw pile been depleted, the game does not end. You must simply draw on your next turn.
Playing with partners
For 4, 6, or 8 players. Two people play together as a team against the other players.
Partners sit next to each other. You must play your own hand, and you may not exchange cards with your partner. However, you may exchange information and talk freely.
Play your turns in normal seat order and follow the normal gameplay rules each turn. One rule change though is that only the first player in each team checks for captured trees at the start of his turn. Also, you and your partner surround trees as a team rather than as individuals. This means that if your partner has attacked a tree with squirrels, you may only increase the strength of that color and may not attack with another color.
When playing the turtle, you may choose to defend either your own or your partner’s trees.
The game ends when the deck has been depleted and both players of a team have played their last cards. (The first partner to run out of cards when the deck is depleted sits out for the remainder of the game.)
Scoring rules are unchanged.
The team that has collected the most acorns wins.