Evolution: The Origin of Species

Place definition in match

The player with the largest number of victory points at the end of the game is the winner. The rankings of players in match are determined as follows:

Preparation

The deck is shuffeld. Then each player gets 6 cards from the top of the deck to their hands. They roll dice to determine the first player.

The game turn structure

Each turn of the game consists of four phases:

During each phase players act in order moving clockwise. The player who can't or doesn't want to act passes. Each phase ends when nobody can or want to act.

Development phase

This phase consists of several rounds. During the phase players can play their cards by putting them from their hands onto the table. Each player may play each card either as an animal or as a trait of an existing animal. If card is played as a trait, it is put underneath the corresponding animal. Some cards have two traits, but only one trait can be used - the chosen one. No animal can have two identical traits except "fat tissue" trait. Pairwise traits (i.e. "communication") are played only onto a pair of animals. Such cards are placed between the two cards onto which they are played. No duplet of animals can have two identical pairwise traits. However an animal can have several different pairwise traits with another animal.

Food bank determination phase

The amount of food available during this turn is determined at this time. Food bank estimated this way:

Using two game sets or one game set with first expansion:

Using two game sets:

The first player rolls the dice. Then the corresponding number of red tokens is put in the center of the table. That is a food bank for current turn.

Feeding phase

Feeding phase consist of several rounds. During this phase players in order take one red food token from the food bank and put it on the top of one of their animals. Player can take more than one food token if an animal has specified traits i.e. "communication". Some traits allow to get blue "extra food" tokens i.e. "piracy", "cooperation".

Animal needs 1 food token to be def without additional food requirements. Trait that increased food requirement have corresponding number on the top left corner of a card.

Animal with "carnivorous" trait can attack another animal of any player, attacker's owner as well. In this case player doesn't take food token from food bank. Instead, "carnivorous" animal gets 2 blue food tokens if attack was successful. Eaten animal, all traits including pairwise traits associated with it are put into corresponding players's discard piles. "Carnivorous" animal can attack only once during feeding phase. It cannot attack if it has already fed and hasn't empty "fat tissue".

There is plenty of traits defending animal from carnivorous. For example, "camouflage" defends animal from attack if attacker has't "sharp vision". "Tail loss" allow animal to survive during carnivorous attack via discarding any defender animal's trait. The carnivorous gets only one blue food token. Thus defender animal can escape from negative traits such as "parasite".

Feeding phase ends when no player can\want play traits or all animals fed and filled up their "fat tissues". Any remaining red tokens in the food bank are set aside.

Extinction and draw phase

At the beginning of this phase all animals which are not fully fed are put into corresponding player's discard piles, along with their traits, and all the pairwise traits associated with them. Each player has its own discard pile. The cards are put into a discard pile with lizard face facing up. Player can look at cards on his own discard pile but in piles of other players.

Then the first player deals new cards : one at a time in order, beginning from the first player. Each player gets in total the following number of cards: 1 + the number of survived animals belonging to the player. If player hasn't any animals and cards in his hand then he takes 6 cards from the deck during this phase. If the deck is empty it's possible that one or more players get fewer cards then they are due.

After that all food tokens except fat tokens are removed from the cards and set aside. The new turn stars with the developmennt phase; the role of first player passes clockwise from the first player of previous turn.

End of the game

After the deck is empty the last turn begins. After the extinction phase of the last turn the victory points are counted. Each player is awarded victory points as follows:

Rule treatment

Since there is a variety of possible game cases , many arguable points can appear while treating the rules. Most of issues are solved after looking the rules more closely. Also there is official FAQ with answers the most popular questions. Several rules were changed or elaborated in the next editions and after expansions were published.

Full Expansions

Mini Expansions

"Evolution. Fatality" scenario

In this scenario the game consists of a single turn. All cards from the deck is divided equally between players. Extraneous cards are removed from the game. Food bank determinations phase begins before development phase.

"Evolution. Equilibrium" scenario

In this scenario all the players have equal conditions. Players get the same set of traits and opportunity to choose required one in current game position. 1 "Evolution" base set is required for 2-4 players. 2 "Evolution" base sets - for 5-8 players.