American Megafauna [First Edition] Sequence of Play

Anything that happens in order is always rrrr (first), mmrrr, rm, mmm.

  1. Reveal Card.
  2. Express Cards (in order if requested).
  3. Recess DNA Cards. Remove DNA counters from genotype cards using them. May not recess genotypes.
  4. Size, Trophic Level and Hand Adjust (each player does all three, in order).
    1. Decide whether to be herbivore or predator. If changing, all counters must change except in case of mmm omnivore.
    2. Change Size by 1 Level. (Predators must be same size or up to 2 sizes smaller than their prey.)
    3. Discard cards so as to only hold as many cards as you have genotypes.
  5. Population Expansion. In every biome/triangle where you have counters, place another.
  6. Migration.
    1. Herbivore Migration (in order). Wings move 3 hexes. No movement into all sea hexes without M or wings. Need PP to cross Ice. Need wings to cross flooded bridges.
    2. Predator Migration and Predator Final Size Adjust (in order). Change size by 1 level.
  7. Extinctions.
    1. Herbivore Extinctions. In every biome, keep applying extinction rules until the biome is not over its biomass capacity.
      1. Niche winners survive.
      2. Any herbivores inedible to all predators in the triangle survive. Inedibility occurs if predator
        • is not the right size to consume prey, or
        • has fewer S or N than prey, or
        • has fewer A than prey has a, or
        • is the same counter type as prey (cannibalism).
      3. If there is only 1 type of predator and that predator can predate all herbivores in the biome, then the predator decides who survives (game warden).
      4. Herbivores with the most teeth survive.
    2. Predator Extinctions. Predators choose qualifying prey Predators without prey go extinct. Order of choice is by
      1. Larger predators choose before smaller.
      2. Fewer teeth choose before more teeth.
    3. Cleanup. Genotypes with no population on the board
      1. discard their genotype card
      2. discard any exclusive DNA cards
      3. move any non-exclusive DNA cards in their column to the column of a genotype using them, even if this slot is already full.
  8. Sanity Check. Players should double-check from time to time the following:
Please feel free to make a copy for each player in the game.
Thu Jun 29 13:29:52 PDT 2000
Thanks for the assistance of Erik Hilsdale.
Please forward any comments and additions to this WWW-page to Rick Heli